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                           Cammie Sue: Book 3
                            by RealLifeDragon

Copyright© 2005 by RealLifeDragon


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Description: This story takes up where Cammie Sue, Book 2 left off. This is not a sex story, but a romance story of love and caring by a man for an entire family. It is mainly farm life in a very rural section of Arkansas in the summer of 2001. These people have different customs than a lot of the country, but those customs are slowly fading due to the invasion of civilization and technology. I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it.

Codes: MF mf Mf FF ff Ff boy gi slow rom cons lolita inc bro sis cous het herm
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Copyrighted© 2005

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Preface


Disclaimer: This story is entirely fiction. It does not relate to any real person, living or dead. Any similarity to a real person, whether living or dead, is purely coincidental and completely unintended. While actual places are mentioned in this story, it should not be the conclusion of the reader that any part of this story is real, or ever happened.

The following story is a work of fiction containing graphic descriptions of sexual acts between adults and

minors. While all of the sex depicted is consensual, the author does not intend to promote incest or sexual relations with underage children. The story is written purely for entertainment purposes only. Those who are offended by such material are strongly encouraged not to read this story.

Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.

This story is protected under U.S. and international copyright law and may not be reprinted, reposted, or otherwise reproduced without express written permission. This story may be posted to appropriate USENET newsgroups as long as it remains entirely intact and unmodified, including this copyright message.

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Main Characters

Dean Trimble - Our main character and the one telling the story. Age 40, Ex Seal and ex policeman. He has two children that have that finally visited him at the farm and met Cammie and the family in book 2.

Cammie Sue - Our heroine, 18. Red headed, short, about 5-foot even, large breasts, bi-sexual and non-functioning and underdeveloped hermaphrodite. The description gets more vivid if you imagine her looking like Laura San Giacomo with flaming red hair. She starred in "Quigley Down Under" and the TV show, "Just Shoot Me.

Bonnie - Cammie's mother, 35, also a red head and just a bit taller than Cammie. Could almost pass for twins. Picture her looking like Reba McIntyre with hair just below her shoulders.

Jamie - Cammie's brother. Age 17 and involved with Diane, a schoolmate. Has also been fucking Chrissy and Charlene and occasionally Donna and Deanne.

Chrissy - Cammie's sister. Also a red head. 15 and sexually active with Dean, Cammie, Jamie, Jessie, Charlene, Donna and Deanne. Picture her as Laura Prepon, who plays Donna on That 70's Show, but shorter and more petite. But with the same sense of humor and sarcasm.

Charlene - Cammie's other sister. Also a red head. 14 and sexually active with Dean, Cammie, Jamie, Jessie, Charlene, Donna and Deanne. Picture her as Lacey Chabert but with red hair. She had roles in "Party of Five" and "Lost in Space." But her hair would be red and her build would be a bit bustier.

Jessie - Cammie's other brother. 12 and sexually active and has had sex with Chrissy, Charlene and Deanne, plus girls at school and Sharon. He is currently involved with a set of twins, Lana and Leanne who will turn 13 in this book.

Barb - Cammie's aunt and Bonnie's sister, 32. Also a red head. Sexually active with Bonnie, Dean and Jimmy. Had been married until her husband was shot by Donna and Dean. Picture her as Gillian Anderson from "The X Files." She's brooding, but Barb wouldn't be as sure of herself as Scully is. Barb was killed by a hit man during Book 2, but she will be mentioned from time to time.

Donna - Cammie's cousin. Also a red head. 16 and has been sexually active since 6 with her first vaginal intercourse with her father at 11. Is in love with Dean but has had sex with Cammie, Chrissy, Jamie, Charlene and Deanne, recently. Shot and wounded her father who was trying to kill Dean. Picture her looking like Paula Abdul with dark red hair. Same body, but just a bit taller, about 5; 8". The same "doe eyes" but a very quiet voice.

Deanne - Donna's sister, 14. Also a red head. Sexually active with Dean, Cammie, Donna, Charlene, Chrissy and Jamie. We haven't heard the story about her and her father yet. Picture her as looking like Renee Olstead from Still Standing.

Jimmy - Dean's Team Leader from the Seal's and former Assistant Director of the FBI. He had been involved with Barb in book 2. Lost his wife recently in an auto accident in D.C. just before Christmas. Has two children, not introduced yet.

Sharon - Blonde, 23. Befriended by Cammie and Dean at a trade show and Dean helped her get a job with the firm Cammie is modeling for. She is the new art director for the firm in charge of catalogs. Picture her as Courtney Cox from Friends, but she would be blonde.

Fred - Personnel Director of B&T Tools, the firm Cammie models for and one of the firms that Dean designs a web site for.

Jean - Fred's wife. Bi-sexual and a former lover of Cammie.

William - Bonnie's and Barb's father.

Lena - Bonnie's and Barb's mother.

Dianne - Jamie's girl friend. Recently became sexually active. Picture her as Mila Kunis, who plays Jackie, from "That 70's Show," but without the attitude and a lot more shy.

Elmer - Owns a Ford Tractor dealership that the family deals with.

Leanne and Lana - Jessie's girlfriends and twins. Picture them as looking like Scarlett Pomers who plays the younger daughter on Reba, except they will turn 13 in a month. They are both sexually active with Jessie.

Frank and Jenna - The twins' parents.

Allen and Fran - Dianne's parents

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Foreword

This book starts where Cammie Sue, Book 2 left off, in 2001. If you haven't read books 1 and 2, you might be a bit lost with the happenings in this book. It is highly recommended.

Like Cammie Sue, this is about real life and it will have everyday things in it and repeated, just like in real life. This is not a fast moving story.

This story takes place in the Ozark Mountains. From the shores of Bull Shoals Lake to the homestead that Dean bought around Cammie's mother's place. The traditions and lives are that of the clans that inhabit that area of the Ozarks. There are still some around, but they are not as prevalent as they used to be. Modernization and people moving away from the area have tended to weaken the clans and their hold on the families.

The conversations are the slang used in this area. I tend to use phonetics, so "ya" is yes. No, it is not a Scandinavian dialect sounding "yes," it just what it sounds like when you're listenin' to someone talk down here. The main settlers in this area were Scottish, Irish and German.

The Ozarks is a very poor place to farm. These mountains were not made from plates sliding together; the valleys were eroded away, leaving the hills as mountains. They are not as tall as the Rockies and I call them big hills, but officially, they are classified as mountains. And when you're on a mountain, you're gonna have rocks to contend with. Such is the case in the Ozarks. Everytime I mow my grass, I have to walk around and pick up the rocks so I don't break the camshaft in the tractor by hitting one.

One of the main characteristics of Ozark folks is they will do anything for you except trust you. That you must earn. They are very friendly as long as you don't get too personal. They don't trust anyone from the Federal Government and few from the State Government. The Local Government is also very iffy. They are very self-sufficient and don't take kindly to outsiders trying to tell them how they should live their lives. Most of the moonshiners are gone now. However a good part of Arkansas is still dry. The new moonshine is marijuana. It doesn't take nearly the work of moonshine and is much more profitable. The up and coming cash crop is Meth. Labs are springing up all over the place because of the isolated rural nature of the place. County courts that were once not busy are now overwhelmed with drug cases. The county I live in now has 3 judges. When I moved here in '95, they only had one.

In some places, the meanest man in the county was the sheriff. If you could whip the sheriff, you could do just about what you wanted to in that county. Of course, now that doesn't work, mainly. There are still some people who want to try the sheriff out. Basically, this is a very different world than most folks are used to.

I hope you enjoy the story.

RealLifeDragon



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Chapter 1


Monday, June 4th, began with the rooster waking me up. I lay there for a bit and considered how great of a life that I had. I had a fantastic woman that I lived with and was totally in love with her. If it was just she and I for the rest of my life, I would be completely satisfied. However, it was not just she and I. She came with a family. A mother, two sisters, two brothers and two lovely cousins. All of the women claimed to be in love with me and one wanted me to claim her as mine.

What was absolutely amazing to me was that all of these women/girls were much younger than me. Most of them were younger than my daughter. That kind of blew my mind, but that is the way it was. Who am I to look good fortune in the eye and turn it away?

In addition to all of that, I had a good, working farm. Everything was beginning to come together. We had two good herds. We would be adding a few more cattle in a month or so, but that was very little work compared to what we'd done already. All in all, things were wonderful.

The rooster crowed for a second time and brought me back to the moment. Donna stirred next to me and I began to tease Cammie's nipple to wake her up. Cammie moaned and Donna moved closer to me and began to kiss on my neck. I turned my head and she kissed me. Cammie grabbed my hand and clasped it to her tit and rolled over to join us.

Our kissing took over the moment and everyone was welcomed to the new morning. As they shared a kiss, I took the opportunity to slip from between them and make my way to the bathroom. With all the kissing, I had to sit down in order to empty my bladder. I was too hard and it wouldn't bend enough to point it to the water.

As I finished, the ladies joined me and I moved to the washbasin to get the sleep off of my face. Donna slipped up behind me, while Cammie used the toilet, and wrapped her arms around me and began to fondle my cock. It was just beginning to rise when Cammie finished and Donna quickly took her place.

I allowed Cammie access to the sink and then slid my arms around her to cup her tits. She moaned and shivered a bit as her nipples became erect.

"Damn, I like you doin' that."

"And I like doin' that," I whispered to her and then kissed her ear.

"Quit now, or we'll never get breakfast goin'. Mama ain't here today and I have to get things goin'."

I kissed her other ear and then retreated to the bedroom to get dressed. I headed for the kitchen and began to grind the coffee. I turned on the hot water and began to fill pans to cook the coffee. I only put three pans on the new stove because I didn't know how many Cammie would need to cook. I figured she could get by with the remaining five.

Cammie showed up and began mixing up the biscuits. Knowing my presence was no longer required; I retreated to the dining room and sat at the table. I lit my first and had just sat back when the door opened. Bonnie and Jimmie came through. Bonnie mumbled something about being sorry for being late and then disappeared into the kitchen. Jimmy sat down with me.

We talked about what we had planned for today. I figured we'd check on the calves first thing. Jimmy agreed with that thinking. After that, I thought we should check on the water level of the creek and the condition of the fences that bordered the creek.

Each of our pastures bordered the creek, but we didn't check on the fences there too often. However, if we didn't get some rain soon, we'd probably need to move the fence out farther so the calves could get to water. If we didn't do that, we'd need to do a lot of digging to keep the water in the boundaries of each pasture.

Jamie and Dianne came through the door and I got a kiss from her and then she disappeared into the kitchen. Jamie said howdy and then headed for the barn to help the kids with their morning chores.

Dianne brought our first pot of coffee in and I lit the pot warmer while Jimmy poured both of us a cup. She retreated back to the kitchen while Jimmy and I continued our conversation and sipped our coffee.

We also wanted to check on the corn and possibly plow the rows again. This would probably be the last time we could do that. We wanted the ground to be loose to accept any rain that we might get. This was a critical time of the year for our crops and we needed to have a regular dose of rain. However, that had been in short supply recently.

The kids returned and I got a kiss from the girls as they made their way to the kitchen to wash up and put the eggs away. They returned and sat around the table. I filled Jamie and Jessie in on the plan for today and they agreed.

It wasn't long until breakfast was brought in. We all dug in and consumed everything in sight. After breakfast was eaten and we were sitting around the table, Bonnie informed the girls they would be working in the garden this morning. They just nodded, knowing it was pointless to disagree with her. I told the women what us guys were going to do and Bonnie just nodded as she sipped her coffee.

We heard a couple vehicles come up the lane and I went to check and see who it was. The contractor and his crew had arrived. They made their way to the work area and we went back to sipping our coffee.

It was about 7:30 when the phone rang. Bonnie answered it and then handed it to me.

"This is Dean."

"Howdy, sweet thing."

"Back at ya, Sharon. How's things in Denver?"

"Movin' right along."

"Are the girls behavin' themselves?"

"Yep. I've got them workin' on a couple projects. They're definitely earnin' their keep. The reason I'm callin' is, I talked to Fred and he wants you to send a picture of Jamie's girlfriend so they can make a decision about her."

"I can do that. Does it have to be fancy?"

"Nope. Just ever'day clothes. Make sure her hair is done and that she don't have a bunch of makeup on. We want to see what she really looks like, not the painted her."

"Not a problem."

I got up from the table and walked out to the front porch. "While I've got you on the line, I want to ask you a favor. Do you think you could substitute Donna and Chrissy for Charlene and Deanne for the trade show? Donna and Chrissy will be here all summer and won't have a chance to earn outside money, while Charlene and Deanne will be earnin' money all summer."

"I don't see why not. You've got a good point but I'll have to check with Fred before I can say yes. I hadn't even thought about that angle. Besides, I'm sure the girls might be gettin' a bit homesick and it would be a good break for them. We've really got 'em runnin'."

"Well, let me know, so I can prepare ever'one."

"I'll call back later on today. When do you think you can send the photos?"

"Probably in about an hour or so. We'll be back in for lunch around noon time."

"Well, Fred has a meetin' this mornin' so I can probably catch him right after that and give you a call when ya'all come back for lunch."

"That'll work."

"Ok, now that we've got business taken care of, is Cammie around?"

"Yep. I'll walk back inside and let you talk to her. You be good and I'll talk to you later."

I walked back inside and handed Cammie the phone. She took it and headed for the kitchen with her coffee.

As I sat down at the table, I took a look at Dianne. She needed a bit of fluffing before I could take her picture.

"Dianne, this may sound a bit strange, but I want Chrissy and Donna to help you do your hair and get cleaned up a bit so I can take your picture."

"Why do you wanna take my picture?"

"Well, I don't want you to get your hopes up, but the folks in Denver are needin' a new model and she needs to be from around here. You pretty much fit the bill as to what they're lookin' for, so I suggested they take a look at you."

"But I don't have any makeup here and I'll have to find some decent clothes to wear."

"No you don't. They don't want any makeup on you and your clothes are just fine. If you've seen the catalog, then you probably noticed how plain ever'thing was. It's for the farm and ranch folks and they don't wear a lot of makeup when they're workin'. The clothes don't matter none since you'd be wearin' the clothes they supply anyways."

"Well, I at least need to wash my hair. It's all sweaty and dirty."

"Nope, it's just fine. We don't have two hours to wait for you to gussy up. Let the girls help you brush it out and I wanna take a couple with your hair down and a couple with it in a ponytail."

"I can't be seen in public like this. It's too embarrassin'."

"Dianne, just trust me on this. Them folks know what they want and it ain't some over done model. They want folks who look like they belong on a farm or ranch. The girls will help you with your hair and ever'thing will be just fine."

She nodded and seemed to be resigned to her fate of bein' photographed without being completely fixed up. Women are kind of picky about how they're photographed, even though everyone sees them everyday without makeup and fancy clothes. I guess they figure we'll forget how they look once they're all polished up.

The girls left and went upstairs while the rest of us worked on finishing the coffee. Cammie came back in and helped us with the coffee after she hung up from talking with Sharon.

"Have you told the girls about goin' to the trade show?" Cammie asked.

"Nope. I don't wanna do that until it's approved by Fred. I don't want them to get their hopes up and then have him say no."

"What's this all about," Bonnie asked.

"Well, I suggested to Sharon that Chrissy and Donna do the trade show since they won't be able to get away the rest of the summer."

"That's a good idea. Besides, it'll be good to have Charlene and Deanne around while ya'all are gone," Bonnie said.

We were just finishing our coffee when the girls came back down. Dianne wasn't happy about having her picture taken for such an important thing without being spruced up more, but I assured her it would be just fine. She mumbled something but I didn't catch it as I walked into the bedroom to get the camera. Sometimes women just don't know when to shut up.

I came back out and took her out to the front porch where the light was better. I tried my best to get her to relax, but it was a losing cause. Finally, I told Jamie to tickle her or something so she'd relax. She got a sour look on her face, but Jamie moved over and kissed her. At the same time, he moved his hand down and goosed her. She sort of screamed and smacked him on the shoulder. I took the first picture just as she hit him.

She turned around and looked at me like I was crazy and I snapped the second one. Her mouth dropped open and she tried to say something, but Jamie kissed her again. This time the kiss lasted a bit longer and she began to blush. As soon as Jamie backed off, she looked down and I aimed the camera. I waited until she looked up again and snapped the next picture.

"You realize that if you don't smile, I'm gonna just send these pictures off with you and your sour face for all the world to see."

She blushed a bit and tried to compose herself. She flipped her hair back and finally smiled. I snapped the shutter and a second one as she got a surprised look on her face. Then I told the girls to put her hair in a ponytail and sat down on a chair there. They rushed inside and were back in about five minutes, with her hair pulled back.

I took three more pictures and then told her that was enough. I took the camera to the computer and downloaded the pictures. I changed their format from.tif to.jpg and then zipped them to mail to Sharon. Once that was done, I signed on and sent the file. With that chore done, us guys headed for the horses and the women headed for the kitchen.

We got our tack and I saddled the stallion and rounded up their horses. Once they were saddled, we headed to the pastures.

When we got to the first pasture, I opened the gate and went through. Jessie closed it as he came through. The calves were grazing and didn't pay us too much attention as we rode through the herd. They appeared to be in good shape and not suffering from the shipping or the shots. I don't think they had their pecking order worked out yet, but that would come in time.

We made our way down to the creek to check that out. The calves still had access, but the water line was retreating. The water level at the fence in the creek appeared to be about two to three feet. It would have to drop a lot before it would dry up.

The other side of the fence was Jimmy's pasture and it had as much water but the bank was steeper, so there was actually less access room. We discussed the possibilities and concluded that cutting the bank back to reduce the climb would be the best bet. But we didn't need to worry about that just yet. It would be about a month or so before we would put them in his pastures.

Then we moved to the next pasture. The calves there were the new mixed with the ones we got initially. They had formed into two distinct groups; the new and the old. A pecking order was being established. They all seemed to be in good shape and didn't pay us much attention as we rode through.

We headed to the creek to check that out. The creek here was shallower and a bit more narrow. There was probably about eighteen inches to two feet in depth in this area. This would probably be the first to dry up. It also had a much more gentle slope on Jimmy's side than the other pasture did.

We took a look at what it would take to dig it out and were all agreed that it would take a lot of doing to keep it flowing if it dried up much more. Then Jamie came up with an idea.

"Instead of diggin' it out right now, why don't we move the fence line all the way over on Jimmy's side of the creek? Then, when we move the cattle over there, we can move it all the way over here."

"That's a good idea, Jamie," I told him. "It would be a lot easier to drive in several metal posts than to dig the channel deeper."

"Well, we might still have to do that if we don't get some rain, but it would save us some time right now."

We all agreed on doing that this afternoon. It wouldn't take all afternoon, but it would take a couple hours to get everything done.

We rode out of that pasture and moved to the next. We found we could just move the fence on that pasture too and hope for some rain to keep us from digging. The final pasture was in better shape. The creek was deeper and wider. This side and Jimmy's side wouldn't need any work at all. We rode out of that pasture and headed over to Jimmy's place to check on the two other pastures he had that we didn't butt up too. The creek ran through both of those pastures and one might require some deepening, but that would be a last resort. We were headed back to the house when we heard the dinner bell ring.

We took our horses to the corral and turned them out and put our tack away. When we got to the house, we washed up on the back porch and made our way to the dining room. The women brought the iced tea in and we all sat down to eat. We talked about what we'd found out and about Jamie's solution to our problem. I told them that it was a much more preferable to move the fence than to do a lot of digging. They agreed with us.

They told us of their morning in the garden and all the stuff they gathered. Bonnie said that they'd be starting canning real soon. A lot of the tomatoes were going to be ready next week and I expressed my sorrow that I'd miss that activity because we'd be at the trade show. She ignored my sarcasm and kept right on talking.

We had just finished eating and were sipping our coffee when the phone rang. Dianne almost jumped off of her chair. Bonnie answered it and handed it to me.

"This is Dean."

"Howdy, darlin'," Sharon said.

"Howdy back. Did you get the pictures?"

"Yep, I sure did. I showed them to Fred and he approved."

"What do you mean she's too plain for the catalog?" I asked, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You are just plain evil. I know what you're doin' and that is just mean."

"No, I told her she didn't need any makeup. If anyone's to blame, it's me."

"You'd best stop doin' that. She's gonna start bawlin' if you don't."

I wasn't lookin' at her, but I could feel her eyes boring into my back. I could also feel the anger that was starting to rise in her.

"Well, I'm sure sorry ya'all feel that way. I know she'd be great for the job."

"If you don't stop, I'm gonna come down there and kick your ass after she's done with you."

"What about the other thing?"

"Fred's fine with that idea. He don't really care who does the signin' in the booth, just as long as he has some warm bodies there."

"Ok, well I'll tell 'em that."

"We should be in Batesville about noontime on the eighth. Is that ok with ya'all?"

"Yep, that'll be fine. We'll be there."

"Ok, now let me talk to Cammie and you'd best tell that poor girl that she's hired before she curls up in a ball and dies."

"Yes, dear."

I handed the phone to Cammie and she took it to the kitchen. I looked over and the girls and Dianne was almost in tears. I wanted to play things out a bit longer, but I didn't know if she'd survive. This was her first exposure to my humor.

"Dianne, I've got good news and bad news."

She looked up at me and you could just feel the "I told you so" cussing that was going through her mind. She just knew that she had been right and I blew her only chance of being a model.

"The good news is that they loved the pictures and they want you to model for them in the next shoot of the catalog."

The expression on her face went from disappointment to happiness and then to the realization that she'd been had by my conversation that she had been listening too.

"Damn you, Dean," Bonnie almost shouted. "That's a terrible thing to do, even for you."

"I know, but I couldn't resist. It was her first day here and I wanted to make her feel welcome and part of the family. That's how I treat the rest of ya'all and I wanted her to feel like she belonged."

Bonnie turned to Dianne, who was almost in tears, and said, "He's right. That is how he treats the rest of us. He'll tease and torment anyone, anytime that he can."

Then Chrissy joined the fray. "The big problem is that no one can ever tell when he's bein' serious or just pokin' fun. He always wears the same straight face, so we can't ever decide if he's tellin' the truth or not. It's just plum maddenin'."

"I don't know whether to be mad or happy right now," Dianne almost sobbed. "I was so heartbroken when he was sayin' them things and now that I know I've got the job, I'm so happy I don't know what to say. It was awful mean to pretend on somethin' that important."

"Well," I said, as I tried to fend off any more attacks, "don't you wanna know what the bad news is?"

"I'm almost afraid to ask after that last thing," she said, with a smile starting to break out on her face.

"Well, the bad news is that because you're not 18 yet, you'll have to get your folks to sign the contracts for you. So they will have the final say."

"Oh, I'm sure that won't be a problem. I know they'll be happy for me and for us. That will take a lot of pressure off some of our future. I probably won't need to work durin' college. Well, beyond the catalog thing, anyway."

"In addition to that," I continued, trying desperately to get back in good graces, "I was thinkin' that we could put you on the payroll around here and you could quit the job at the restaurant."

"Wow, that'd be great. I really wasn't lookin' forward to goin' back to work next week."

"Well, you should give them notice so they can find a replacement for you."

"You're right, I'll call them this afternoon. Thank you for all your help, even though I was ready to kill you for not allowin' me to wear makeup for the pictures."

"Darlin', I do know what I'm doin'. Even though a FEW people around here don't seem to think so at times, most things I do are pretty well thought out in advance. I would have never had you take pictures like that if I thought they wanted them different. I had talked to Sharon while I was on the porch this mornin' and she told me how she wanted the pictures done. That's how I did it and I knew it would be all right."

"Well, thanks for that, but it sure was mean the way you were talkin' before. I was ready to cry."

"Well, welcome to the family. Now you know how the rest of the females feel, most of the time."

"Don't let him kid you, Dianne," Chrissy said, "he's always lookin' out for us. He does tease and torment a lot, but he always takes care of us."

"He sure does have some strange ways," Dianne said, as she dried her eyes with her napkin.

Cammie came back and sat down. "You have to be the meanest man I think I've ever come across. There was no reason to do that to Dianne. That's almost as bad as what you did to me with the boat and a lot of other things. I don't know why you're like that, but it can really get to people who don't know you."

"Darlin', we've already covered that problem. I was just welcomin' Dianne to the family. I wanted her to feel right at home and not any different from the rest of ya'all."

"Well, you could have given her some time to get used to it here before you done somethin' like that. That's just plain mean."

"If ya'all are done mean-mouthin' Dean, I think we'll get back to work. You women seem to have a get Dean campaign goin' on."

"Well, you ain't heard the first of it yet," Cammie said. "I thought maybe you'd got a good dose of it with the birth control thing, but I guess you ain't learned your lesson yet."

"Nope, and I probably never will. 'Cept now I'll be on the look out for ya'all gettin' even again."

I dodged a few well aimed napkins as I retreated to the door. The guys all followed me and we walked towards the equipment shed.

"Jimmy, do you think that you and Jessie could handle the fence jobs. If you can, then Jamie and I can start plowin' the rows of the corn fields."

"I'm sure that Jessie and I could handle that without any problems. That way we can get a head start on the plowin'."

"Well, I'd just leave the posts in the creek and cut the wire off. That way when the water comes back up, we can use them again."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

We walked to the shed and Jamie and I hooked up the plows to the tractors that were set up for that job. Jimmy and Jessie hooked up the wagon to Bonnie's old tractor and got the posts and wire, plus the tools they'd need to do the job. Once we had everyone hooked up, I told them to hold up and I walked up to the house. I cracked the door to the kitchen open just a bit and poked my head inside, so they wouldn't have too big of a target. I asked if we could get three big jugs of tea to take out with us. I was told that they should only give me two since I really didn't deserve one, but they brought three jugs to the door and I carried them to the tractors, happy to have escaped without another lecture.

I gave two of the jugs to the other tractors and took one for myself. I told Jamie that he should take the first field and I'd move on to the next one. I instructed him to only lower the plow so it was digging in about two inches, just enough to get rid of any weeds and their roots. He nodded and started his tractor and took off. I got mine going and headed for my field.

The afternoon was one pass after another in the cornfields. Jamie and I finished about the same time and we moved to the next field. I figured we'd double up on that one and wouldn't have to leave a field half done. When we finished that field, we headed back to the shed.

Jimmy and Jessie were already there and had unhooked the trailer and gassed the tractor up. I dropped the plow and hooked up the spreader so we could feed the calves. Jimmy and Jessie took the tractor with the fork on the front to move the hay bales and Jamie and I loaded the spreader with feed. Then we headed for the pastures to feed the calves. This was new to them and they didn't have their pecking order worked out yet. It was mass confusion around the feeding troughs after we spread the feed in them.

Jimmy and Jessie had a routine with the hay bales down pretty good and had them in the rings and cut apart before we had the feed spread. They held the gates for us and closed them as we drove out. We got back to the house just as the dinner bell rang.

We washed up on the back porch and headed for the dining room. The women had a big roast with all the trimmings set on the table. There was fresh salad from the garden and green beans they had just picked this morning. That and mashed potatoes and gravy made for a wonderful meal.

After we had eaten our fill, Donna brought out two apple cobblers and more milk. Of course we weren't all that full that we didn't have room for some dessert. When we finally got to our coffee, I sat back from the table so I could breathe and looked around.

"I forgot to tell ya'all the rest of the news."

All eyes turned towards me and Cammie said, "What have you cooked up now that you're gonna tease or torment us with?"

"No, it's nothin' like that. I was just takin' so much abuse this afternoon that I forgot to mention this."

Then I lit a cigarette and took a sip of coffee before looking up at them.

"Oh hell, just spit it out," Bonnie said. "You always try to pull this shit and it's probably just some more of your wild ass stunts."

"My, oh my, how ya'all talk to someone with some good news to share."

I took another sip of coffee and another puff on the cigarette. I figured I'd stretched this out long enough and I'd best say something before they started throwing things at me.

"Well, I talked to Sharon this mornin' and she agreed with me. Then she asked Fred and he said it was all right."

"What, damnit? Quit tryin' to torture us," Cammie said, without any hint of humor at all in her voice.

"Well, I was just gettin' to that, if you'd just let me talk. I figured that Charlene and Deanne were gonna be gone all summer and that Donna and Chrissy would be stuck here and not be able to get away. So I asked if they could work at the trade show instead of them two."

"You'd best not be bullshittin' us," Chrissy said. "This is too important to be doin' that."

"Nope, it's the God honest truth. Ya'all will be flyin' to Atlanta with us on Friday and Charlene and Deanne will be spending the next week here."

"Dean," Bonnie said, "you are without a doubt the most frustratin' person around. You do things that would make a preacher cuss and then you turn around and do somethin' nice for folks. It's real hard to stay mad at you."

"I just wanted the travelin' to be spread around a bit. Plus, Charlene and Deanne will be earnin' money all summer and Chrissy and Donna won't have a chance until the next photo shoot. I just wanted things to even out some."

"So this is really for real?" Chrissy asked.

"Yep, it sure is."

Chrissy and Donna pushed back from the table and came to give me a thank you hug and kiss.

"Damn, we've got a lot to do before then," Chrissy said, after she pulled away from me. "We need to get our hair done and get all our clothes laid out and packed. Why didn't you give us more warnin'?"

"I didn't find out about it until the call at noon time and I was takin' so much flak then I just wanted to escape with my life."

"Well, you're lucky we let you off that easy," Cammie said.

The conversation quickly shifted to the girls leavin' and what all they'd need to take with them. After the coffee was finished, the kids went to do the chores while Bonnie, Cammie and Dianne did the dishes. Jimmy and I retired to the front porch.



-------

Chapter 2

We chatted for a bit and then I realized that I hadn't check on the progress of the building. The events of the day had just pushed that from my mind.

We walked back to the new construction and looked around. It was coming along nicely and pretty much on schedule, from what I could determine. The tile and cabinets had been delivered and were stacked in the far corner to keep them out of the way. The hot tub was also set out of the way until they could get the tile installed. The framing was up for everything and new shower was ready to be tiled as soon as the plumbing was run. Most of the electricity was roughed in, except for the second floor. That would be done when they began the actual construction up there. The wires for that were coiled and hanging from the access area for plumbing and electric. It seemed that everything was going just like it had been planned.

Jimmy and I returned to the front porch and the kids returned from their chore and joined us. Donna came to sit on my lap and her and Chrissy wanted to know what to expect at the trade show. I told them it was pretty much just sitting in the booth and signing autographs when asked during the day and then resting their hands at night so they could do the same thing the next day.

"Well, what should we wear? Chrissy asked.

"The clothes that you modeled in during the day and you'll need some dress up things for the nights when we go out to eat."

"Fancy dress up?" Donna asked.

"Yep, pretty fancy. We usually get invited to go along with the president and his wife, plus Fred, his wife, if she's there, and Sharon. Since the folks from Hoosier Tool are gonna be there too, they'll probably go along with us."

"Damn, that's a lot of packin'," Chrissy said.

"Well, we'll be there from Friday night until probably the next Saturday."

"That's nine days," Donna said, after she did the math.

"Yep, it sure is. But remember, we are flyin' in a small plane and they won't have room for ya'all's entire closets. We have to be able to get off the ground."

"How are we gonna be able to get all of our clothes there?" Chrissy asked.

"I don't know, but it should sure be interestin'."

"This is serious," Chrissy said. "We can't do like you guys. Just take one or two suits and a couple ties with a bunch of white shirts. We've got to have all the accessories to go with our clothes. We'll need nine fancy dresses and all the things that go with them. So that's nine for me, Donna and Cammie. That's twenty-seven dresses, not counting all the makeup, jewelry, nylons, underwear, shoes, handbags, and all the other stuff."

"Maybe we should call a movin' company to ship all the stuff down there?"

"Don't be funny. And that's just for the nights. We also have to pack our modelin' clothes for the daytime."

"Well, how 'bout I call Sharon tomorrow and ask her where we're stayin' so we can ship some of the clothes down there via UPS?"

"Maybe that would work," Chrissy said.

"Maybe what'll work," Cammie asked, as the women came out to join us.

"Shippin' some of our clothes so we don't have to take all the stuff on the plane," Chrissy told her.

"Ya, with us three goin', we're gonna have a lot of clothes. The ever'day stuff and then the goin' out to eat stuff, plus all the accessories. That might be a good idea," Cammie said.

"Yep, we don't wanna have the plane crash on take off because there was too much weight in the cargo bay."

"Don't you even start on that shit," Cammie came back. "Them clothes don't weigh that much, but they're kinda bulky and can't be crushed and wrinkled."

"Yes, dear."

"Stop it."

"Yes, dear."

"I mean it. You've done caused enough trouble today and you're pushin' it."

"Yes, dear."

"You'd best stop it now."

"Yes, dear."

"Is he always like this?" Dianne asked.

"Yes he is," Cammie answered, "and it is just so damn aggravatin' at times."

"At times?" Chrissy put out.

"Well, he does have some good qualities, but his damn stubbornness and his teasin' and tormentin' could sure be done away with," Cammie told everyone.

"Well, ya'all know that if you're gonna ship them clothes out, they need to be ready by Wednesday so we can get them to UPS. Otherwise they won't get there until Monday."

"Shit!" Chrissy said. That's not a lot of time."

"Someone will probably need to run in to UPS tomorrow and get some wardrobe boxes so we can pack them correctly," I told them.

"That's a good job for you," Cammie told me.

"Sorry about that. We'll be plowin' tomorrow"

"Damn, why didn't you think about this sooner?"

"Because I'm not the one that needs a ton of clothes to take along. All of my stuff will fit in a garment bag and a suitcase. I don't need all that crap."

"Ya, just another thing for us to blame on you," Cammie put out.

"You're blamin' me because you have to have all of them damn clothes?"

"Damn right," Chrissy put in. "It's the men that dictate women's fashions and make it wrong to wear the same dress more than once on a trip."

"And it's you women that listen to that crap. I sure as hell never said that. You're listenin' to someone that gets paid to sell clothes and knows that us men are not stupid enough to believe that shit, so he just picks on you women."

"Well, I'm pretty sure he's a man, so it's partially your fault," Cammie stated.

"Yes, dear."

"Quit it. You're gettin' the blame whether you said it or not."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrrrrr, you make me so damn mad sometimes."

At that point, I shut up for fear of the women really blowing up. So I tried to change the subject.

"Have ya'all looked at how the addition is comin' along?"

"Yes we have, and you ain't gettin' off that easy."

"Yes, dear."

"He told us today that they were ahead of schedule some and they'd probably start layin' the tile on Wednesday," Bonnie finally spoke up.

"If they do that, then they'll probably set the hot tub on Friday and maybe the shower on Monday. Then they'll probably start work on the new bedroom and office. We'll be gone so they can tear the walls down and put in the walkin closet."

"Sure, just bring up all the stuff that we want so you'll be off the hook from the other stuff," Cammie said.

"Yes dear."

"Urrrrrr. I am lookin' forward to the new bedroom. But won't they have to move the bed?"

"Yes. We've already picked out the spot it's to be placed. And Jamie will be here so he can drain the bed and show them how to take it apart and set it back up."

"And just where did you decide on setting up MY bed?" Cammie said, as she looked directly at me.

"First of all, it's OUR bed. And, secondly, you were there when we approved the plans."

"I don't remember any of that. Where's it gonna be?"

"Just where we agreed to it bein' put."

"Tell me, Damnit."

"It's gonna be centered on the south wall with the headboard towards the south."

She thought for a minute and then said, "Oh ya, I remember that now."

"Right, and ya'all picked out the carpetin' for the new bedroom and the closets."

"Ya, that's right. You didn't even look at it."

"Would it have done any good?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if I didn't like it, would ya'all have changed it?"

"Maybe? Depends on why you didn't like it."

"Darlin', the only reason I wouldn't like it would be because of the type of carpet ya'all selected. I know the guy steered ya'all to the right carpet, so I didn't need to be involved. Ya'all are much better at matchin' colors than me, so I didn't worry about it at all."

"Good thing, too. It would have probably been another argument."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrrrrr."

It was starting to get dark, so we all moved inside. It was about time for the news to come on, so we fired up the TV. We talked through the news, after we got the headlines and determined there was nothing that we were interested in. When they got to the weather, we all paid attention. They were still calling for some rain beginning on Wednesday, and then maybe another system over the weekend. They thought we'd probably get an inch or so from the storm on Wednesday. We needed about three inches, but we'd settle for what we could get.

Jamie and Dianne said they were headed home. Jamie kissed his mom good night and Dianne also kissed her and then came over to me.

"Thank you for all you've done for us, and thank you for gettin' me that job," she said, as she leaned in for a kiss.

Her tongue roamed throughout my mouth and she gently held the back of my head with her hand.

As she slowly pulled away, I told her, "You're quite welcome, but I didn't do anything except take the pictures and send them off. The folks up in Denver did all the decidin'."

"I'm not sure I really believe that. Ever' one's told me all that you've done around here and they all seem to think that you've been the one that really did ever'thing."

"Well, darlin', they're just plain wrong about that."

"Yes, dear," she said as she smiled and walked out the door with Jamie.

Jimmy said he was going to head home too. I looked at Bonnie with a questioning look on my face and she said, "I have a hard time gettin' up and over here early enough when I stay over there."

"Bonnie, we had breakfast this mornin' and we'll have it tomorrow mornin' whether you sleep here or there. Don't be puttin' this off on us."

"I'm not, I just don't wanna be the one that makes ever'one late."

"No one has any place to be tomorrow and there is no reason we have to eat breakfast at a dead certain time."

"Yes, dear," she said, as she smiled, kissed everyone good night and grabbed her purse and headed out the door with Jimmy.

"You are somethin' else," Cammie said, as she got up to turn the TV off.

"Yep, I sure am, but nobody has ever actually defined just what it is."

Chrissy came to me, after kissing Cammie good night and gave me a good night kiss. "Thank you for all the help you've been to ever'one. We all know you're all tough and blustery on the outside, but you're really just a softy."

She pulled away as Jessie kissed Cammie good night and those two headed upstairs. Donna helped Cammie and I close up and turn all the lights out. Then we headed for bed.

We all used the bathroom and then slipped into bed. There was a round of kissing and we slowly slipped off to sleep.

The rooster awoke me and Donna. She kissed me and then helped me wake up Cammie. Cammie moaned and slowly came awake. After a round of kissing, we all headed for the bathroom. The women beat me and I had to wait while they took their turn. Of course there was kissing involved in the waiting and I didn't complain at all about that.

We washed up, got dressed and Cammie and I headed for the kitchen, while Donna headed for the barn and the chores. I ground the coffee and got three pots of water on the stove as Cammie began to work on the biscuits. I also put on a pot of water for the grits and sliced the sausage.

Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her. Jamie had gone directly to the barn. Since there were two women in the kitchen, I took that as a sign I should depart. I went to the dining room and got the pot warmers set out and then sat down to enjoy my first of the morning.

Bonnie came in with a rush and I got a quick kiss as she headed for the kitchen. Jimmy followed her in and sat at the table with me. We talked about what needed to be done today and we both thought we should get the plowing done, but we also needed to start on the grinding. I told him that Jamie and he could do the plowing and Jessie and I could work on getting the grinder set up and working. He suggested that we all work on getting the grinder set up before they headed out to plow. I agreed with him on that. It was quite a job and Jessie had never done it before.

Dianne brought the first pot of coffee in and I lit the pot warmer while Jimmy poured us each a cup of coffee. We sipped our coffee and continued talking about things in general.

It wasn't long until the kids came in with the eggs and washed up. The girls gave me a kiss and then they all took their seats. They each got a cup of coffee and joined our conversation.

I told them what Jimmy and I had decided about today's work and the boys agreed. We really needed to get as much grinding done as we could before the rains came tomorrow. If they came.

The women brought breakfast in and we all dug in to the eggs, sausage, grits, and biscuits. Jamie finally took the last biscuit off the plate and devoured it. Then we all sat back and sipped our coffee. I told the women what we had planned and they just nodded. They were headed for the garden again this morning and they would make a trip to town to get the garment boxes to ship the clothes in this afternoon.

After we all finished our coffee and made the necessary trips to the bathroom, us guys headed for the equipment shed. I hooked the tractor with the hayfork to the grinder and Jimmy hooked the conveyor to Bonnie's old tractor.

I got the grinder in place and then the boys directed Jimmy so he had the conveyor placed properly. It took quite a bit of wiggling, but we managed to get everything in place. Jamie climbed up the ladder and swung the roof of the feed bin back so we could get the discharge chute of the grinder in. Once that was done, Jamie and Jimmy took the other two tractors with the plows and headed out.

Jessie and I walked to the tool shed and got the dust masks and a couple shovels. I had to adjust his so it would fit him since he was quite a bit smaller than Jimmy. Then I had Jessie start his tractor and get the PTO moving so the conveyor would work. I opened the corn bin and the conveyor started dumping the corn onto the conveyor. I helped Jessie shovel the corn that spilled out back onto the conveyor until the grinder was about three quarters full. Then I went to the other tractor and started it and engaged the PTO to work the grinder.

Everything was working pretty good and we had dust all over the place. Both of us were thankful for the dust masks. Jessie had to shut the conveyor off several times so the grinder could catch up. But we worked pretty good as a team. I would come back to help him shovel the spilled corn as long as the grinder was working properly. I did have to shut the grinder down a couple times to clear some blockages, but that was just minor.

I climbed up the feed bin and we had it about three quarters full by the time the women rang the dinner bell. Jessie and I shut things down and I saw Dianne headed out in the pickup to get Jimmy and Jamie. Jessie and I headed for the back porch to wash up.

Bonnie took one look at us and stopped us in our tracks as we came through the kitchen door.

"You two are way too messy to be inside. Set up that foldin' table outside and we'll eat out there."

Jessie and I grabbed the eight-foot folding table and carried it out by the tree so we'd have some shade to eat in. Then we got enough chairs for everyone and set them up as the women began carrying out the food.

Jessie and I couldn't wait for everyone. We needed something to drink so we each downed a big glass of tea while we waited. We were working on our third when Dianne came back with Jimmy and Jamie. They washed up and we all sat down to eat.

Not much was said while we ate. We were all starved. Jessie and I each consumed great amounts of tea as we ate our soup and sandwiches.

Once we finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee. Jimmy told us they each had about a quarter of a field and one full field left and they'd be done. I told them we had about a quarter of the feed bin to fill up yet and then we'd be done. Bonnie asked how long it would be before we'd be done grinding. I told her it would be at least an hour and a half. She said she wanted to do some laundry and couldn't hang them outside if there was all that dust flying around. We finished our coffee and everyone went back to work.

It was closer to two hours before Jessie and I finished grinding. Once we were done, I climbed up and swung the roof back on the feed bin and then we moved the equipment back to the shed. I used the hose to clean the grinder out and then we greased both the grinder and the conveyor. It had been a lot of work, but it was really needed. Now we would have enough feed to last for a while and I wouldn't have to worry about that while I was in Atlanta. As we walked up the house, I could see the storm clouds gathering to the west. It probably wouldn't get here until tonight, but it was coming. I just hoped that we got some rain out of it and not just a sprinkling.

Jessie and I walked up to the house and stopped on the back porch. I yelled inside for Cammie to bring us our robes so we could strip out of these clothes and get a shower. Donna showed up with our robes and gave me a kiss.

"Yuck, you taste like corn cobs."

"Ya, but you don't."

I made a big grab at her, like I was going to hold her and she giggled and ducked out of my grasp.

"Not until you're cleaned up. A whole lot."

Jessie and I washed our hands and arms and then stripped out of our clothes and put our robes on. I had him take the clothes down to the basement so they could be washed and then we headed for the shower.

The water was a dark brown as it came off of my body. It took shampooing twice before I had my hair clean. And I had to wash with three different wash clothes to finally get all the dirt off. The dirt had combined with the sweat and made a paste that was difficult to just rinse off. It took some real scrubbing.

I dried off and then got some clean clothes on. I felt a lot better, but I had about an inch of dust in my boots. I had to take them outside and dump them out before I could put them on.

Jimmy and Jamie were just coming back from plowing and Chrissy and Dianne drove up the lane with the boxes to ship the clothes in. I grabbed the phone and a piece of paper and called Sharon.

"This Sharon."

"Hehehe, what're you wearin' little girl?"

"Damn you, Dean. You'd best quit that."

"Why? Don't you like bein' stalked?"

"Well, it would be ok with you, but there are some weirdoes out there."

"Yep, and I'm the head one."

"Well, that you are, but in a nice way. What's on your mind?"

"I need to get the address of the place we're stayin' in Atlanta so the girls can ship some clothes down. I'm afraid they'll have so much it'll weigh the plane down."

"It's just gonna be you four with your luggage and me on the plane. You don't need to ship them."

"Are you sure about that? They'll have nine sets of clothes each for the evenin' and the day time."

"We're bringin' the clothes for them to wear durin' the day, so they don't need to pack for that. Just their under things and boots. They just need to pack for the nights."

"Well, I'll tell 'em, but best give me the address just in case."

"We have the entire top floor of the Embassy Suites. The president wrangled that. He and his wife will be there some of the time and Fred will be with us too. But you guys have the entire one side with connecting bedrooms for all of ya'all and I'm connected to the girls rooms, too."

I wrote down the address just to make sure.

"Ok, how's ever'thing else goin'?"

"Great. The girls are really happy to be spendin' time at home next week. They do kinda miss it."

"Well, they're just 14 and I think that's allowed."

"It sure is. They're doin' great up here. They really know how to work. They actually wear me out when I'm workin' with 'em."

"Well, Bonnie wouldn't stand for any slackers."

"I guess she done a good job on them two."

"Are they around?"

"Nope, they're over at the design shop. They're tryin' to do somethin' that I think's impossible, but they gotta prove it to themselves."

"Charlene does have a Scorpio stubborn streak and I think it's rubbed off on Deanne."

"That they do. But they are really smart and really hard workers."

"Ok, well that's all I had in mind. I'd let you talk to Cammie, but she's out doin' somethin' with her mom."

"That's all right, I'm kinda busy myself. I'll see ya'all on Friday."

"I'm lookin' forward to it."

"Me too. Bye."

I hung up and went looking for the girls. They were upstairs, trying to decide how to pack all of the clothes they would need.

"I just talked to Sharon and she said ya'all just need to pack for the evenin's and your under things for the day. She's bringin' clothes for ya'all to wear durin' the day time."

"Oh, wow. That's a relief, kinda," Chrissy said.

"She also said that it'll just be us and her on the plane, so we probably don't need to ship anything."

"You mean we made a trip to town for nothin'?"

"Well, I didn't know that before ya'all went. Besides, now ya'all have boxes that you can pack things in and your evenin' stuff won't get so wrinkled."

"Well, I guess there is that."

They started putting the trade show clothes back and concentrated on packing their suitcases with their frillies and their make up cases. I made my way downstairs and got a pitcher of tea and glasses for Jessie and myself and headed for the front porch. Jimmy and Jamie left the equipment shed and headed for the back porch.

They showed up on the front porch with their glasses and we quickly drained the pitcher of tea and Jessie went to get us another. We were all really thirsty. They told us they had all the corn plowed and said it was really dusty out there. I pointed over to the west and told them we had some storms coming. We sipped on our tea and I told them that Jessie and I had almost filled the feed bin. We could get one more grinding session and then we'd need to get more corn. I figured that the next load would take us to about the first of October and by then we should be able to start grinding our own corn.

"Do you think we're gonna have enough room to store the corn we're growin'?" Jimmy asked.

"I think that's probably gonna depend on how good a crop we have. We might need to get another one, but I'm not sure right now."

Jamie got into the conversation and said, "We've got four storage bins and I think we'll probably have enough room even if we have a bumper crop. I think our biggest problem is gonna be gettin' it all dried. If we have a wet fall, we might be pickin' corn in November."

"Right now, I'm more worried about the rain we're gonna get in the next two and a half months. I'm hopin' that we can dry it on the stalk. I don't mind pickin' in November, but I sure don't wanna be pickin' in the middle of August. That'd be way too early and we wouldn't have much of a crop."

"If we don't get a good soakin' rain real soon, we might not even be pickin'," Jamie continued. "It's dry down to about three inches. We definitely need the rain now so the stalks can start producin' what we're gonna be pickin'."

"Yep," I came back, "it could be real hard times if we don't get some good rain."

We sat and talked about various things until we were called for dinner. Bonnie had fixed a big pork roast and it was delicious. With the mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and applesauce, we were stuffed by the time Donna brought out her early peach cobblers. The women had bought a bunch of early peaches when they were shopping and they cooked up great.

When we sat back to sip our coffee, Cammie said, "Were you plannin' on tellin' me I didn't need to pack clothes for the day time durin' the show?"

"Well, you weren't around when I called Sharon and I figured the girls would tell you when you got back."

"I was just downstairs helpin' Mama with the laundry."

"Well, ya know and that's the important thing."

"You are so good at communicatin' things to others. Sometimes I think you expect us to read your mind."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrrr."

We finished our coffee and the kids headed for the barn and chores while the women cleaned up the dishes. Jimmy and I headed for the front porch. We chatted until Cammie came out and told us she needed our help to get all the clothes off of the line. We all headed to the back and began to take the clothes down. We beat the rain by about five minutes. The bad thing was the rain only lasted about twenty minutes and then slacked off to a real light drizzle.

We all gathered on the front porch and chatted while we watched the rain. The wind wasn't blowing so we didn't get wet. It was nice to sit out and watch the rain wash things down and just enjoy the good side of nature.

We stayed there until it was almost dark and then headed inside to watch the news and weather. The weather girl said that the first line of showers that came through was just an appetizer for what was coming next. They had severe thunder storm warnings up to the west of us and there was a large front advancing towards us. She said it should be here shortly after midnight. Since we were farther east than where she was, it would probably be an hour or so later by the time it arrived here. That was a mixed blessing as far as I was concerned. We needed the rain, but not a deluge. We needed it to soak in and not run off. Unfortunately, we had no control over that.

After the weather, Jamie and Dianne kissed everyone appropriate good night and headed to their place. Then Bonnie and Jimmy decided to head out. Bonnie kissed everyone and they left. The rest of us chatted for a bit and the girls all agreed that it was a bit strange being here by ourselves. I pointed out that they shouldn't feel bad because both Jamie and their mom had found someone to love and we should be happy for them. They agreed but said it was still a bit strange.

After a bit, we all got the appropriate kisses and headed for bed after turning everything off and locking up.

The three of us used the bathroom and snuggled in to the bed and spent some time kissing each other and then slowly drifted off to sleep.

I felt it before I actually heard it. It made me sit straight up in bed.

"CAMMIE, DONNA, GET UP. GET UP NOW, HURRY UP, GET UP, GET UP."



-------

Chapter 3

Just then the room lit up and an ear-shattering clap of thunder roared though the house.

"GET UP, HURRY UP, GET UP, NOW."

Cammie mumbled, "What's happenin'?"

"You have to get to the basement, NOW. Hurry."

All three of us got out of bed and they began to search for some clothes.

"NO TIME FOR ANY CLOTHES. GET TO THE BASEMENT, NOW."

They ran for the door and I headed for the stairs, turned the light on and shouted, "JESSIE, CHRISSY, GET UP, GET UP NOW. COME ON, NO TIME TO WASTE. GET UP NOW."

Not trusting that could hear me over the din, I ran up the stairs, taking three at a time. When I got up there, they were just coming out of their rooms.

"What's goin' on?" Chrissy asked.

"LISTEN TO THE WIND. IT'S A TORNADO. GET TO THE BASEMENT, NOW."

We all scurried down the stairs and then headed to the porch to get to the basement. I grabbed a five-cell flashlight on the way and followed them down to the basement.

I directed everyone over on the west wall, underneath the steel beam that supported the house. Five naked people huddled there and listened to the noise of what sounded like twenty old time steam locomotives going full bore and we were in the center of them. I don't think we could have heard each other if we wanted to talk. Right then, nobody wanted to talk. We were all lost in our own private thoughts of what was coming next.

About half way through it, the lights went out and we huddled together in the dark, holding on to each other to keep ourselves safe and our sanity in place. Slowly, the noise faded and became a distant roar until it completely abated.

"Oh shit," Cammie said. "That was really close. I've been around them before, but never that close."

"Darlin', I hope none of us ever get that close again. Ever."

I turned on the flashlight and the ceiling seemed to be intact. I told them to stay where they were and I went upstairs to look around. From what I could see, the house hadn't suffered any major damage. But I couldn't see outside. I grabbed the gas can from the back porch and went back downstairs.

I had Jessie hold the flashlight while I filled the generator. Once that was done, I threw the breakers on the main box and started the generator. It took several pulls to get it going, but it finally kicked over. I let it get up to speed and then increased the throttle. Once it topped out, I through the knife switch to allow the electricity to get to the auxiliary box and then turned the breakers on. We had light again.

We walked upstairs and I took a look around. Everything seemed to be all right on the main floor, so I walked upstairs to the second floor. I couldn't see any damage, so I went back down stairs. I went to the bedroom and grabbed my clothes and pulled them on. I grabbed my cell phone and walked back out to the kitchen where they were all standing.

"Where are you goin'?" Cammie asked.

"I'm gonna check on the others to see if they're all right."

"Why not call them?"

I picked up the wall phone and handed it to her.

"It's dead," she said.

"Yep, that's why I'm goin'. Ya'all stay here. Try and get back to sleep. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Right. Like we're gonna be able to sleep now."

"Well, give it a try. It's better than sittin' out here in the kitchen."

"What if there's another?"

"Go back downstairs. Do not go outside in case there are any wires down. I'll be back after I check on them."

I gave the girls a kiss and then headed for the front door. I looked around but couldn't see any damage. I got in the truck with four-wheel drive and a spotlight and headed over to Jamie and Dianne's place. As I got away from the house, I called Jimmy on my cell phone. It took a few rings, but he answered.

"Are guys ok?" I asked as he answered.

"Yep, we were in the basement when it went over."

"Any damage?"

"Not that I can see from here. But I haven't been outside."

"Ok. I'm on my way to Jamie and Dianne's place. We've got calves scattered all over the place. Looks like at least one pasture fence was knocked down."

"Damn, that means trees are down."

"Yep, but we can't do anything about 'til daylight. I'll see you guys for breakfast. We've got the generator goin'."

"Ya, I'm about to fire mine up too."

"See ya then."

"Let me know if the kids are all right."

"Will do."

I had to drive pretty slowly since I had calves scattered all over and I didn't know if there were any obstructions in my path. Rain was coming down in sheets and it was difficult to see, even with the wipers on high. I got to the gates and got soaked as I opened and closed them. The creek was coming up, fast.

When I got to the house, I used the spotlight to check the house over. I couldn't see any damage, but there was a tree down on the side of the house.

I parked and got out of the truck and knocked on the door. Nobody answered, as I had figured, so I opened it and shouted to them. I waited for a response, but I didn't hear any. So I went farther in and shouted up the stairs to them.

Finally, Jamie came to the top of the stairs.

"What's goin' on, Dean?"

"You mean ya'all didn't hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"The tornado and the tree crashing down on the south side."

"No shit? Really?"

"Bigger than life. It went through about fifteen minutes ago."

He walked back out of sight and came down the stairs, getting dressed as he did. Dianne was right behind him, pulling her robe on.

We walked out on the porch and I put the flashlight on the tree and they just stood there in disbelief.

"Damn, I know I sleep soundly, but I'd a thought I'd a heard that."

"Yep, and we've got calves scattered to hell and back. At least one fence is down, but we can't do anything until mornin'. I just wanted to check to see if ya'all were all right. Ya'all go on back to sleep and we'll see you for breakfast. Oh, and by the way, take the road over in the mornin'. The creek is really comin' up fast."

"Ok, thanks for checkin' on us."

"Ya, thanks, Dean," Dianne said.

They walked back inside and I headed for the truck. I got in and hit redial on the cell phone and told Jimmy that the kids had slept through it and they were fine. We both laughed at their ability to sleep through a tornado. I told him I'd see them in the mornin' and to be careful about the creek since it was rising so fast.

I got soaked again getting through the gates and the creek had to have come up a good six inches since I came through it before. I used the spotlight to see if I could see any damage, but the rain was just too heavy to see anything. I dodged all the calves and made it back to the house.

When I got inside, they were all sitting around the dining room table.

"How are they?" Cammie asked as I walked through the door.

"They're fine. They slept through it. They didn't even know anything had happened."

"You're shittin' me."

"Swear to God. I had to wake 'em up."

We all had a good laugh about that and talked for a bit. I told them about the calves being out and about the tree that was down on the south side of the old house. Everyone was still a bit shaken up, but that was normal. Tornados will get your attention.

I used the cell phone to notify the electric company of the outage. They told me there was a general outage and they were calling people out to work on it now. I thanked them and turned my attention back to the kids. After we talked things out, I finally convinced them all to try and get some sleep.

We all wandered back to bed and I snuggled up between Cammie and Donna and slowly allowed the adrenaline to wear off so I could get back to sleep. It was a fitful sleep, but it was sleep and I had a feeling we'd need all the rest we could get.

Surprisingly, the rooster woke me up. The rain had let up, but it sounded like it was still drizzling, but it was light out.

I teased Cammie's nipple and she moaned. The second crowing of the rooster woke Donna up and we all snuggled for a bit and then headed for the bathroom.

Once we did our thing, we got dressed and went to the kitchen. I got the coffee ground and then put the water on for coffee and grits. Cammie was working on the biscuits so I sliced the sausage for frying. Once that was done, I headed downstairs and filled the generator before it ran dry.

By the time I came back up, Jamie and Dianne were there.

"Man, there's trees down all over the place. Plus, the creek's really up. I don't think I could have got through it on the back way," Jamie told us.

"Well, we've got a long day ahead of us. I have no idea how many calves are out runnin'. At least one of the fences will have to be repaired."

Jamie, Donna, Chrissy and Jessie headed for the barn to get the chores done. I went out on the porch to see what I could of any damage. I grabbed my hat and walked around back to look at the new construction.

Part of the new roof was gone and some of the framing was shattered by branches and other debris being blown against it. But, considering what could have happened, it really didn't look too bad.

As I was walking back to the porch, Jimmy and Bonnie showed up.

"Well, we sure got enough water now. I couldn't get through the back way. The creek's way too high. Plus, we've got a bunch of trees down. There's several down along side of the road too."

"Yep, it was a frog strangler. I just hope the wind didn't hurt the corn too bad."

"From what I could see, most of it was still standin'. 'Course, I could only see what was along the lane on the back way until I got to the creek."

"I couldn't see shit last night, but I know we've got calves all over the place. That means at least one tree across the fence somewhere. Good thing they're all on this side of the creek. We won't have to go out the lane to get to 'em."

"It's gonna be a long day. I can tell by the look of things."

We all walked inside and Jimmy and I sat at the table. There was already a pot of coffee on the table and we each poured a cup. I told him I thought we should take two horses and the old tractor with the wagon. We'd probably need a couple chainsaws, posts, wire, and the tools to work the fence with. He agreed, but added that we should take a second tractor with a couple big chains. I agreed with him.

The kids came back and I got a kiss from the girls after they washed up. They poured themselves a cup of coffee and joined our conversation. They told us the barn and chicken coop were fine. Jimmy and I filled them in on what we'd talked about and they agreed.

When the women brought breakfast out, we all dug in. Everyone was hungry this morning and there wasn't a scrap of food left. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. We filled the women in on what our plans were and they just nodded as they sipped their coffee.

I went downstairs and got an extension cord and returned. I went to the living room and plugged the TV in and then ran the cord to an outlet that was hot. We all took our coffee to the living room and watched the news.

Evidently, there had been several tornados throughout the area. There wasn't a lot of damage, but several trailer homes were gone. Mobile homes do get very mobile in tornados. As far as they could tell, there were no serious injuries and no deaths. It appears that we were on the northern end of the tornado area. South of us, there were three others reported. Most of the damage was to trees and barns. Several roofs had been damage and one had been taken off. It was too early for them to have pictures, but they still had reports coming in. Electricity was out over a four county area and the two hospitals and emergency services were running on emergency power until the electric could be restored. The Governor was on his way to the area to survey it and decide if he should declare it a disaster area.

After that, the national news came on and we turned the TV off and finished our coffee. Once that was gone, us guys got our rain gear on and headed to the equipment shed. Jamie and Jessie got Bonnie's tractor hooked up and we got the tools we thought we'd need. Jimmy suggested that Jamie and I do the herding since we were better on horseback. We agreed on that and I walked down to the barn.

I got my tack and saddled the stallion so I could get Jamie's horse. Once he was saddled, we all headed for the pastures.

We didn't bother to try and round up any calves until we saw the extent of the damage. One big tree at the corner of the pastures had taken the fence down on both pastures. It fell across the front wire of one pasture and the side of the other, allowing both herds to get out. The calves, being curious, took full advantage of it. Either that or they were just scared shitless of staying where they were and got the hell out of there. It didn't matter which, the result was the same.

Jamie and I tied our horses up away from the action and Jimmy and I each got a chainsaw running. The first thing we did was to trim all the branches off. The boys carried them out of the way as soon as we cut them. Once that was done, we started on the trunk. We cut it in manageable pieces and the boys carried off what they could. By the time we got to the big end, they had to roll them out of the way. That chore took us better than an hour and a half.

Then we started work on repairing the fence. The first thing we did was to repair the fence in between the two pastures. We had to replace five posts with the metal ones and then run the new wire. Jimmy and I worked the stretchers and the boys tied or stapled what we had stretched.

The other one wasn't so easy. It had taken out quite a bit of fence and twelve posts. Fortunately, neither the corner post nor the gatepost was damaged. But we had to stretch the wire between the corner and gatepost and keep it taut while the boys tied or stapled it in place.

Once that was done, Jamie and I each took a pasture and rode around the fence to see if there were any other problems. The rest of the fence seemed to be in good shape, but all of the calves were on the outside.

When we met up, I told him that we should just work one herd at a time. We decided to concentrate on the green ear tags, since they were all one herd.

I headed to the end and he stayed closer to the pasture. As soon as I got them close to him, he picked them up and got them into the pasture. Jimmy and Jessie made sure they stayed in while we were working. They also counted them for us. There were only two that didn't want to cooperate, but the stallion went to work on them and it didn't take too long to convince them it was better in the pasture. When they were in, Jimmy said that all fifty-four were in. Then we moved the next pasture.

We worked the same procedure. I pushed them close and Jamie put them in the pasture. We heard the dinner bell ring, but we were too close to being done to quit now. I got all that I could find and Jimmy said that there were only fifty-two. I made another pass around and couldn't find any at all. It was beginning to rain harder, so we called it quits and headed for the house.

Jamie and I went to the corral and unsaddled the horses. We gave them a quick brush and some sweet feed for working so good and then headed to the house. Everyone was waiting for us when we walked in the door. They had dry clothes on the back porch and we quickly got out of our wet clothes and into the dry. That felt really good. I didn't even try to get my boots back on; I knew it would be futile.

We got to the table and us guys were all starved. We ate what they had on the table and then got into the bread and peanut butter and jelly. When we were finally full, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

We told the women what we'd done and Bonnie was amazed that we found all but two calves. She said that they generally run from hell and back when them kind of storms hit. We just nodded, really too tired to disagree with anything right then.

As the coffee disappeared, us guys departed from the table and went to the living room. I turned on the TV to see what was on the news about the storm. It was still raining out and we needed a bit of a break before we went back to work.

They were reporting wide spread outages of electricity and phone service. On the plus side, electricity had been restored to the hospitals and the emergency centers and the crews were now beginning to work on the out-lying areas. They reported that the power company hoped to have all power restored by this evening. I didn't know where they were starting, but we were probably on the far edge of their priorities. This was an isolated area and not nearly as densely populated as the other areas.

They were now reporting that three people had been killed in a mobile home park when one trailer had been picked up and put on two others. There were also over fifty people treated for injuries at the local hospitals.

We watched as they showed the videos of the area and the path of destruction created by the tornados. I was amazed that more people weren't killed, but it was mainly in the rural areas and those buildings tend to be built better.

After we got the information we needed, Jimmy and I went downstairs and filled the tank on the generator. We didn't need to have the women trying to do that. Then us guys all got our rain gear on and headed for the pickup. We hadn't checked all of the area for damage and we needed to do that.

It was still drizzling, but it wasn't too bad out. I headed out the lane and went south to check on my other property. We had to dodge some trees that had been blown down on the road, but nothing major.

As we pulled in the lane to that house, we could see more damage than we expected. A good part of the shingles were missing from the southwest portion of the roof. That could spell trouble. When the barn came into view, it was worse. The south side of the roof was completely gone. Fortunately, we didn't have anything stored in there that could get damaged.

We all got out and went to check on any interior damage on the barn. We couldn't see that anything had been done that was major. It looked like a few of the cross members on the rafters had been blown away. That had probably happened when the tin was blown away. But the joists and rafters were there and appeared to be stable.

Once we finished that inspection, we turned our attention to the house. I looked at the roof and it appeared the affected area was about twenty feet wide and the roof looked to be about twenty-four feet from eave to peak.

I headed to the tool shed and found one tarp in there and three more in the equipment shed. But we didn't have any two-by-fours to secure them.

"Jamie, take the truck and you and Jessie round up some two-by-fours and get our screw guns, with a bunch of screws long enough to get into the roof. Oh, also bring a cross-cut saw over."

"How many two-by-fours will you need?"

"Probably about ten or twelve, but bring about fifteen, if you can find them."

"Ah right, I'll be right back."

He and Jessie left in the truck while Jimmy and I carried the tarps to the house. Then we carried the extension ladder and set it up so I could climb up. The roof looked to be about a four-ten pitch, so it wouldn't be too hard to walk on, even in the rain. We got the ladder set up and I took the first tarp up. Jimmy began carrying the other up the ladder and handed them to me from the ladder.

The boys returned with the tools and two-by-fours. I had Jamie work with me on the roof. When he was up there, I had Jimmy take the ladder to the end so he could secure the tarps over there.

Jamie and I spread out the first tarp and then put a couple two-by-fours on it to hold it down. Of course, the next tarp was folded in the wrong way for us just to spread it out, so we had to unfold it and then roll it up so we could work without stepping on it. Tarps get very slippery to walk on. We got it in place and weighed down with two-by-fours. Then we had the same problem with the other two tarps. They were folded wrong for us to use as they were.

We overlapped the tarps so the water wouldn't run under the first ones and I began screwing the two-by-fours so the wind wouldn't rip them off the roof. Then we unrolled the first tarp on the upper level, and went to work on the second. Once we had them over the peak, we secured them in place there. I could use the two-by-fours as a footing so I could attach one in the middle running up the roof. That way, there were no gaps the wind could get under and tear them apart.

Jimmy had been working with the two-by-fours on the eaves. It was difficult to get them up and hold them in place and screw them down by yourself. I used the two-by-fours we had secured to the roof as secure footing and held one end of the ones he was putting up. It was a chore, but we finally got it done. Then we got off the roof and headed inside to see what damage had been done.

Fortunately, when the house was built, they used plywood sheeting instead of one-by-eight pine boards to cover the roof. About one third of the affected area was taken up by the porch and we didn't have to worry about that. When we got inside, it was very plain that the first floor hadn't been affected. We walked upstairs and went to the southwest end. There was some water stains on the ceiling in the corner, but it wasn't too bad. I looked around for the access to the attic and found it in a closet. There was a small step stool setting there and I used it to climb up and push the access board up. I was about chest high but it was dark and I couldn't see anything.

"Jamie, I need the flashlight from the pickup."

He left to get it and returned in a couple minutes. I shined the light around and there were boards to walk on up there. I set the flashlight on the boards and pulled myself up so I could get to the affected area.

I fought my way through the cobwebs and finally got to where I could take a good look at things. The insulation was soaked in the area, but mostly by the front wall. I began pulling it up and pushed it towards to the access so they could take it outside. I got all the wet insulation pulled out and it appeared that about three feet by twelve feet had been soaked. The only thing we could do now was to let it dry and see what would need to be replaced. The bad news was, this was plaster, not plaster board. It was going to be a bitch to replace. The good news was it appeared we had the leaking stopped, for now at least.

I lowered myself back down and Jimmy guided my feet until I was standing on the stool. I left the access hole open for circulation of air and we walked back down to the pickup. Then we headed for Jimmy's other place.

There were more trees down along the way and we had to drive around them. We'd need a full day to get the roads cleared around here. That would probably be tomorrow.

When we got to Jimmy's place, the house seemed to be secure. The roof didn't appear to be missing a shingle and we checked inside for any sign of water damage, but couldn't find any. The barn was another story. All of the roof was gone from it. It wasn't storing anything so it didn't matter too much. We had all his equipment at our place, so nothing but the wood was getting wet.

Then we checked the equipment shed and tool shed. They seemed to be in good shape and all of the tools were dry and safe. With that taken care of, we headed for Jimmy's place.

He was missing a piece of roofing on his barn, but it was empty so it wasn't hurting anything. His equipment and tool shed were in good shape and everything was dry. That was good news. A quick check of his roof showed no visible damage and we checked the inside to make sure. We couldn't find any sign of water damage at all. He was relieved about that.

Tornados are really weird to understand. The path they take doesn't make any sense to me and the damage seems to be almost random in nature. I couldn't understand it, but I was happy not to have any more damage than we had.

We drove towards the creek on Jimmy's back access and found it had settled down a lot. It wasn't quite back to normal, but it was getting there. We didn't take any chances and back tracked and took the road back to the house. The low water bridge still had water over it, but it appeared to only be about six inches deep. However, it was flowing very fast. The truck made it through with no problems, but I didn't linger in the middle of the bridge to check things out. I didn't need to tempt fate any more than I already had.

When we got to the lane, there were two trucks setting there. A power company crew and one from the telephone company. We stopped and talked with the folks that weren't up on the poles. They said that we should have power and phone in about twenty minutes. They looked pretty tired and I invited them to the house for some coffee and rest. They thanked me but said that they had too much to do to be able to take a break. I thanked them and headed up the lane.

When we got to the back porch, the women were waiting with dry clothes for us. We stripped down and changed before we headed in to the house. The women had coffee waiting for us and we accepted it gladly. It was about 75 degrees out, but being wet made if feel a lot colder. The coffee warmed us nicely as I filled the women in on the damage we had found and what we had done about it.

I turned on a light on one of the circuits that wasn't connected to the generator and we waited for the electricity to come back on. True to their word, it was almost twenty minutes on the nose when the electric came back on. I went down and shut the generator off and put the circuits back to normal. As I got back upstairs, the phone rang. It was the guy on the pole telling us that power and phone service had been restored. I thanked him and told him we still had the coffee if they wanted it. He declined saying they were off to the next location.

The women were busy fixing supper and Donna and Chrissy were upstairs, trying to get ready for the trade show. Us guys finished our coffee and moved to the living room to be out of the way. We turned on the TV and searched for any news about the storm. It was too early for the news programs, so we just shut it off. We just weren't interested in watching Oprah, Maury, on any of the other crap the fills the afternoon schedule.

We chatted about what we needed to get done yet. I told them that the first thing we should do was to cut up the tree by Jamie's place. They seemed to agree on that. Then we all agreed it would depend on what the weather was doing as to what our next activity should be.

With all the wood we were going to have, I was sure I wanted to have some kind of wood burning stove in the new addition. I figured that with the contractor having to redo a lot of the area, it wouldn't be much of a problem to install one. Besides, it would be nice to sit in there and watch the flames. It is just nice and peaceful doing that. I figured I'd best clear it with the women, but I was going to insist on that. I didn't figure I'd have much of an argument.

The women called us for dinner and it was very welcome. All of us guys were starved. The women had made a big roast and it was delicious. Of course we had all the fixings with it. There were mashed potatoes, gravy, string beans cooked with onions, just the way I like them, a salad made from Bonnie's garden, homemade bread, fresh butter, and topped off with two Dutch apple pies. There wasn't a scrap of food left on the table. The big roast had completely disappeared.

Afterwards, we sat back and sipped our coffee. It was still raining, but just a drizzle. This was the kind or rain we needed. The first batch had probably just run off, but this was soaking in.

Once the coffee was finished, everyone headed for the chores that needed to be done. I got the tractor hooked up to the feed spreader and Jamie filled it for me. Jessie went with us so he could help us with the calves. He opened the gates for us and put my discharge chute in place so I could put the feed out. Then he cut the hay that Jimmy put in the rings. It really helps to have another hand.

Once we got back, it was starting to get dark. Without the sun shining, it got dark a lot quicker. We went inside and joined the rest of the folks in the living room. I didn't know about anyone else, but I was beat. By the time the news came on, I was ready for bed. We watched the entire newscast since it was mainly about the storm. The weather lady said the rain would be ending tomorrow about noon and we would be clear for the rest of the week. That was good news. We could get the rest of the stuff done before we had to leave on Friday.

After the news, everyone said good night, got the kissing done and we all headed for our beds. Bonnie went with Jimmy and the rest of us just collapsed. I got a few kisses from Donna and Cammie and quickly drifted off to sleep. It had been a very long day.



-------

Chapter 4

I didn't have a bit of problem sleeping. In fact, it was Donna that woke me up. It was light out and I don't think I had moved all night long. I was still holding Cammie breast and was in the same position as when I got in bed.

Donna kissing on me is what woke me up. I turned my head and kissed her and began to tease Cammie's nipple. She moaned and came awake and moved to us for some kisses of her own. We stayed like that until Cammie called it quits and told us it was time to get up and get moving.

The girls beat me out of bed and I found some sore spots that I didn't know I had when I tried to get up. Maybe I was getting old. I wasn't used to using the chain saw that much and my forearms were letting me know. Also my back was trying to get my attention. I probably needed to get back into shape. Or at least better shape.

I made my way to the bathroom and we all washed up and then got dressed. I got a kiss from Donna as she left for the barn and Cammie and I went to the kitchen. I got the coffee going and water for the grits. Then I sliced the sausage for frying when Dianne showed up. I got a kiss from her and I headed for the dining room.

Jimmy and Bonnie showed up as I was putting the pot warmers on the table. She mumbled something and kept right on going.

"Well, the creeks down enough for us to cross it now," Jimmy said as he sat down.

"That's good. Is it still rainin'?"

"Just drizzlin' a bit. Just enough to mess up the windshield."

"It's supposed to clear up by noon time. But I think we need to be cuttin' before then. We've got a lot of wood to cut."

"Yep, we sure do. I think I've got another chain saw in the tool shed. I forgot to check before we left. Three of us cuttin' would cut the time some down."

"I was thinkin'. With all the wood we're gonna have, I think we should get a wood burner in the addition."

"Well, that would make sense. No sense in lettin' it all go to waste."

Dianne brought the first pot of coffee out and I lit the warmer and Jimmy poured us each a cup. We sipped and talked about things we needed to do. Then the kids showed up and joined us. We filled them in on our plans so far and Jamie and Jessie agreed.

When breakfast was brought out, we all dug in. I think everyone was starved and not one crumb was left after we had finished. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"What would you women think about puttin' a wood burner in the hot tub room?"

"Why?" Cammie asked.

"Well, first of all, it's romantic. Secondly, it'll help warm the place in the winter, and we're gonna have a lot of wood to burn after this storm."

"Well, that makes sense. I'd hate to see all that wood go to waste. Plus, it would be kinda nice to snuggle in front of a roarin' fire on a cold winter night."

"How much would it cost?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know, but they're gonna have to redo what the storm tore up, so it shouldn't be that big of deal for them to include it."

"Well, it's all right with me," Bonnie said.

"Me too," Cammie put in.

"Can I bring the twins over and roast marshmallows in it?" Jessie asked.

"You'll have to ask your mom about that, but I don't have any problem with it. As long as we limit it to special occasions. I don't want them over here on a school night."

"That's right and you'll need to get advance permission for any visits," Bonnie added.

"I will," Jessie answered.

We sipped coffee until I heard vehicles pull up the lane. I went to check and it was the contractor and his crew. I grabbed my hat and went out to meet them.

"Damn, ya'all had some rain and wind out here too."

"Hell, we had a twister go over the house. Sounded like I was in a train yard and it was full up and they were all runnin'."

"They are noisy. Did ya'all get much damage?"

"You've got some repairs to make on what you've done so far."

We walked around and he took a look and what the wind had done.

"Yep, that's gonna set us back a day, at least."

"As long as you have to redo some stuff, I was wonderin' if it would be possible to put in a wood burner in the hot tub room?"

"Sure. We'd have to run a flue up to the roof, but it's possible. It's kinda expensive for the multiple wall pipe, but it beats fightin' fires every time you use the fireplace. What kind of wood burner were ya'all thinkin' about?"

"Well, definitely somethin' where we can see the flames."

"There's a bunch of 'em on the market. I've got a couple catalogs at home. I'll bring 'em tomorrow."

"We'll be flyin' out tomorrow around noon time and won't be back for over a week."

"That's all right. Well, I don't need a decision until we get ready to finish the walls. We'll just make tentative plans to put one in. They're pretty much all the same size, give or take a foot, but the flue would still be the same size. Besides, we're gonna work on your bedroom while you're gone so that'll be ready when ya'all get back."

"That'll work. Hell, if we get lucky, I'll be able to give you a decision in the mornin'. It all depends on the women and how much time they take to make up their mind."

"I heard dat."

I headed back inside and we finished our coffee. I told the women what I had found out about a fireplace and they couldn't wait to see the selections that were available. That was probably a mistake. I should have just made the selection and never said a word about it. As us guys walked out, Jimmy took his vehicle and headed back to his place to find his chain saw. The boys and I walked down to the shop and I got out my rotary stones to sharpen the chain saw.

"What're them?" Jamie asked.

"These are the new way to sharpen the chains. They're a lot better than usin' a file and more accurate. They're actually made for Dremel tool, but they work just fine in the screw gun."

"I've never seen 'em before."

I chucked one up in my screw gun and then hoisted one of the saws up on the workbench. I found the double notch and began there. I lined up the stone in the notch and pulled the trigger. Once I thought it was sharp, I checked it with my thumb and moved to the next one in that direction. It took less than five minutes to sharpen the chain. Then I went to work on the next one. When Jimmy got back, I touched up his chain and we were ready to go.

"That's pretty sharp how them things work. I'd still be filin' on the first chain and you've already sharpened three chains."

"Yep, a neighbor up home showed me these and I've been usin' 'em ever since. They beat files all to hell."

We took Bonnie's tractor with the wagon over to the old farm. We tore into the tree that had come down and had it cut up in about an hour. We'd worry about the stump later, when we had more time. Jimmy, Jamie and I cut and Jessie pulled the wood out of the way. He had to roll the bigger stuff, but it worked out just great.

We headed out the lane and began clearing the road. We weren't worried so much about cutting up the trees, just clearing the roads. We worked our way south to the crossroads and then went north to the other cross roads. We had just finished up that area when we heard the dinner bell ring. We loaded up and headed home for lunch.

The women were waiting for us when we got there, so we washed up and sat down and devoured what they had put on the table. Then we got the peanut butter and jelly and made a good dent in that.

As we sipped our coffee, I asked the girls how they were coming along on their packing. They told me it was pretty much done, except for the last minute stuff they'd pack in the morning. I was glad for that and then Cammie asked me when I planned on doing my packing. I told her it would only take about thirty minutes. For that, I got a big eye roll and a sigh. In order to get out from under that can of worms, I asked Bonnie if she would call the insurance agent and tell him we had some damage. She said she would.

When we finished our coffee, we headed back to work. I touched up the chains at the shop and then we headed out under clearing skies. We headed for the north cross roads and worked our way east to Jimmy's road and then south to the other cross roads. Once we got there, we turned west and worked our way to where we'd begun this morning. It didn't take as long as I had thought, but then we were only clearing the stuff off of the road and not cutting the big stuff up.

We wound up back at the farm about 3:30. We put the tools away and cleaned up the saws. Then we decided to feed the calves early to get it out of the way. I fired up the tractor with the spreader on it and pulled it over by the feed bin. Jamie filled it for me and we headed out. Jimmy and Jessie had already left and were working on the hay when we got there.

Jamie opened the gate and positioned the chute so I could discharge the feed. Then we moved to the next pasture and repeated the process. After we closed the gates, we headed for the house.

I hosed out the spreader and then we all headed inside. We washed up on the back porch and walked into the kitchen. We each grabbed a glass and put some ice in and I grabbed a pitcher of iced tea and we headed for the front porch to sit and relax a bit.

We poured our tea and chatted about today's event and everyone was satisfied with what we accomplished. After a bit, I decided to walk around to see what the contractor was up to. They were just putting their tools away.

I looked at what they had done and all the storm damage had been repaired.

"Well, it looks like you've got all traces of the storm wiped out," I said, as we walked over to the contractor.

"Yep, we didn't lose much material. Only about ten two-by-sixes and eight pieces of plywood. It could've been a lot worse."

"I'll say. I'm glad the house is still standin'. Could ya'all save the damaged wood so we can show it to the insurance company?"

"Sure. We'll just keep it where it is so they'll be able to take pictures and ever'thing."

"I'm sure they've seen a lot of this crap, but I just wanna make sure. I know it ain't a lot, but it'll all add up when we put it with the rest of the damage. It's a wonder it didn't take more. I was huddled with ever'one in the basement and I was just glad we had a house to come up to."

"They are scary. I did some preliminary thinkin' and I think the best spot for the fireplace would be right over here, where the carpet meets the tile. We can put in a brick hearth and maybe even an eight-foot wide brick wall in back of it. That way you wouldn't need to worry about paintin' behind it and the hearth would take care of any sparks that might get out."

"I like that idea. The house I've got up on the lake has a Buck Stove fireplace insert in it with a blower and a heat chamber to actually heat the area. It's kind of a small house, but that fireplace can heat the entire place with the use of a couple other fans to direct the air."

"Yep, I've got Buck's catalog and a couple others. It's real hard to beat Buck on quality. A bit pricey, but I like 'em. I've got one in my house."

"The one I've got up there is great, but it will only take logs up to sixteen inches. I'd like somethin' a bit bigger."

"Hell, they've got 'em that'll take logs up to twenty-four inches. Although for this size area, that's a bit much."

"You're probably right. But eighteen to twenty wouldn't be too bad. While I've got you here, the house at the south end of this road belongs to me and it's got some roof damage and some plaster damage in the one bedroom. Could ya'all handle that?"

"Sure. I'll take a look at it and let ya'all know."

"No hurry. We've got the roof covered with tarps and got them screwed down with two-by-fours so they don't blow off. We've also got a couple barns with the roofs tore up. Do ya'all do that?"

"Barns is a whole 'nother ball game. But they's a guy just outside of town that specializes in barns. I'm sure he'd be able to handle 'em. I'll give him a call tonight and have him get out to take a look at things."

"That'd be great. I appreciate it. Tell him not to hurry, 'cause I won't be back until the next weekend sometime."

"Will do. Well, I'd best head for home or we'll be payin' these guys a bunch of overtime."

"All right, ya'all have a good 'un."

"You too."

They headed to their trucks and we headed back to the porch. We poured more tea and sipped as we talked.

"You reckon we oughta go lookin' for them missin' calves?" Jamie asked.

"Probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Maybe Jimmy and I'll do that after supper. I don't know where they could've got to, but it wouldn't hurt to look."

"I've seen 'em run to hell and back in a storm. I don't know what gets in to 'em, but they sure do scatter."

"Well, they probably ain't right fond of the lightnin' and wind."

"That's for sure. They sure do scatter."

Donna came out to get us for supper and we took our glasses and pitcher with us. We had stuffed pork chops, with gravy, homemade applesauce, fresh green beans, extra stuffing and a salad. Then Donna had made two apple cobblers. It was great and we ate until everything was gone and we were stuffed.

As we sat back to sip our coffee, I asked Bonnie what she thought about buying a hog and getting it butchered.

"I was gonna suggest that come fall. It's not the right time to butcher hogs now. Along about the middle of September would be great. We can make our own sausage and season it the way we like and we can have the hams cured."

"Well, maybe one ham, but I'd like to get one green and cook it."

"That's a lot of cookin', Dean."

"We've got the stove to handle it, I think."

"Yep, we sure do, but it'd probably take four or five hours, dependin' on the size. We sure don't wanna do that until winter, or at least late fall. The kitchen'd be so hot we wouldn't be able to stand it."

"Yep, that'd be a great winter meal. Plus, it'd even last this family a few days."

"I don't know. That'd depend on how you men tore in to it. Ya'all do have a good appetite."

"I think it's ya'all cookin' that gives us the good appetite."

"We're already cookin' for ya, so you don't need to be tryin' to polish us up like that."

"Darlin', I'm just tellin' the truth. We do eat good and it's ya'all's cookin' that makes it great."

"Damn, it's gettin' deep in here," Cammie said, as she put her feet up on the chair.

We all got a chuckle out of that and we finished our coffee. The kids went out to do the chores and Jimmy and I got our mounts saddled and headed out to look for the two stray calves.

Since we were pretty sure they weren't on this side of the creek, we headed over to Jimmy's place to check out that side of the creek. It was a long shot, but we didn't have any better ideas. We started at the first pasture and found that clear. We moved to the second one and that was also clear. The third one told the tale.

This was the pasture that butted up to the place where the calves were grazing and the place where we have moved the fence to give them more water. Either they were on this side of the creek when the storm hit or they had stampeded over here in the confusion. Both of them were tangled in the wire and had drowned. From what we could tell, it appeared that they had been overcome by the water and washed against the fence and held there until they succumbed. Either way, we had lost two calves to the storm and high water.

I got a rope on the first one and dragged it out. Jimmy held the bottom wire up while I dragged him into the pasture. Then we did the same with the other one. It was a shame and a monetary loss, but that's part of life. We left them there and headed back home.

We brushed the horses out and gave them their feed before we headed to the front porch to join every one.

"Well, we found the two missin' calves. They drowned at the back of the pasture. We drug 'em up into Jimmy's pasture so they'd be out of the water. Do ya'all have someone that disposes of the carcass's?"

"I'll call the vet tomorrow. I think he has someone that collects them and disposes of them," Bonnie said.

"Thanks, Bonnie. I appreciate it. Did you get in touch with the insurance guy?"

"Yep, he said it'd be next week, or maybe even the next, before he could make it out. They've had a lot of damage around and we're way down on the list of folks that've called so far."

"Not a problem. We've got the roof covered and I don't think anything else is critical."

"Well, hopefully we won't have any more rain or damage until he can get out here."

"Yep, I told the contractor to save the affected pieces of wood he replaced today and he's got them stacked out back."

"Hell, that can't be too much?"

"It all adds up, Bonnie. It might pay the deductible. Buildin' materials are expensive nowadays. The times are gone when you could buy a two-by-four for ninety-seven cents. And that was the good stuff. Nowadays, the rough crap is two dollars and fifty cents. And out of a bundle of 'em, probably a quarter of 'em ain't worth nothin'."

"I guess you're right. We used to keep some extra lumber on hand all the time. It was cheap and we could always use it."

"Ya, we need to have more on hand than we do, but we just ain't had the time to get stocked up."

It was getting dark so we adjourned inside and continued chatting. I would pack my clothes in the morning and I sure wasn't going to worry about it tonight. I was tired.

We hung around until the news came on and watched it for more news on the storm. Two more people had died from injuries received during the storm and two people were missing. The Governor had said he didn't think there was enough damage to declare it a disaster area and the federal government said it didn't exceed the minimum requirement. So it was just another storm in the Ozarks. I guess we were fortunate it wasn't that big. But it sure sounded big when it was going over.

After the weather, Jamie and Dianne said their goodnights and departed. Then Jimmy and Bonnie headed out after Bonnie kissed everyone. Then I got a kiss from Chrissy and Jessie kissed Cammie and we all headed for bed.

Like last night, I was tired and ready for sleep and it didn't take long in coming. One of the pluses of living the country life is that you generally sleep very good. You're just too tired to do otherwise.

I was well rested when the rooster sounded his personal announcement that it was time to get up. I opened my eyes to the light coming in through the remaining window. It revealed my love lying next to me, still sleeping soundly and cuddled against me. It was almost enough to take my breath away from me. Plus, I realized that another love was cuddled up behind me and holding me as she slept. Both of these beautiful women professed their love for me and it was almost overwhelming. How had I become so lucky as to have two women in love with me and both of them in love with each other? I just couldn't comprehend it. But I could accept it and that was all that was necessary. "Just accept what ain't gonna kill you." That was what I had been taught and it seemed to work. If this did kill me, I'd have a smile on my face that no undertaker could ever wipe off.

The rooster's second crowing woke Donna up and she snuggled even closer. I began to tease Cammie's nipple and she moaned. Sometimes I wondered if she was really awake and waiting for me to wake her in this manner. It didn't matter, I loved doing it and she said that she liked me waking her in this manner.

Donna began kissing on my neck and ear, so I turned my head and she moved a bit closer for a real kiss. Our tongues danced and explored each other's mouth as we continued our morning ritual. Once Donna broke the kiss, I turned my head to Cammie and began kissing her as I continued to tease her nipple. She moaned and turned her head for a kiss. Then Donna leaned over me and claimed a kiss from Cammie.

Once that was broken, we all scrambled out of bed and made our way to the bathroom. There was more kissing while we each waited for our turn on the throne. There may be better ways to wake up, but I've never found them.

Once we washed up and got dressed, Donna headed for the barn and Cammie and I went to the kitchen. Cammie started the biscuits while I ground the coffee and got three pots going. Then I put the water on for the grits and sliced the sausage.

Bonnie showed up first and began to scurry around the kitchen. I took that as my cue to exit. I joined Jimmy at the dining room table. I got the pot warmers out and cups for our coffee. Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her as she headed for the kitchen.

We sat and chatted about the things that needed done while I was gone. It would mainly be a normal routine, since we had all the other stuff done. There was enough feed so they wouldn't need to do any grinding. I was pretty sure the new calves wouldn't be coming for a few weeks yet. Most of the storm damage had been cleared away and the rest could wait until I returned. Plus, Jamie would know how to handle anything critical that might come up.

When Dianne brought the first pot of coffee in, I lit the pot warmer while Jimmy poured us each a cup. We sipped and just discussed things in general. When the kids returned from chores, they joined us and I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy. We chatted until the women brought in breakfast. Then we dug in and devoured what was on the table.

We had just leaned back to sip our coffee when I heard vehicles come up the lane. I walked out to greet the contractor and he handed me four catalogs of freestanding fireplaces. I thanked him and headed back inside, almost dreading the ritual that was coming. I knew the women were not good at making snap decisions and they would worry this process to death. But nothing I could do would stave that off, so I just accepted my fate and went to the table.

I laid the catalogs on the table and the women descended upon them. It was almost like a feeding frenzy of sharks attacking their prey. I moved to my chair and poured myself another cup of coffee. I'd look at things when there wasn't a probability of me getting trampled in the process.

They continued their choice making ritual while the rest of us sipped our coffee. Once the coffee was done, I went to our bedroom and began to pack. That took me all of about twenty minutes. I hung my garment bag on the door and left the suitcase on the bed. When I went back to the table, the women hadn't moved, but they had switched catalogs and we looking at the other selections. I just shook my head and walked outside.

I walked back to the new construction area and found the contractor.

"How much lead time do you need on the fireplace?"

"Well, it kinda depends on which on ya'all select. Some are in stock and some ain't. What's in stock, I can get in about three days. Others would take more than a week. We can always install the chimney with the flue and hold off on the actual firebox. I'm assumin' the women are not much at choosin' things in a hurry."

"You got that right. Hell, I think they'd have to shop around for a hose to put a fire out with. The color would have to match the color of the smoke."

"I heard dat. Well, don't worry too much about it. We can always leave it and work at the other house while they make up their minds. How much of the ceilin' needs to be replaced at the other house?"

"Oh, it looks like about three by twelve feet, but I don't know how much you'll need to cut back in order to match the plaster."

"It's plaster? Not plaster board?"

"Yep."

"Well, I've got a guy that does plasterin' for me on a contract basis and he's real good at cuttin' things in. It'll just be a matter of tearin' out the old and turnin' him loose. It'll probably be a day tearin' it out and a day replacin' it. It'll be the roof that'll take some time. We'll need to match the current roof. How many layers of shingles are on there?"

"Just one. They probably had the roof replaced when the last big storm came through."

"I think most everyone in this area did. This house was built after that storm."

"Ya, that's what the owners told me when I bought it."

"Well, that shouldn't take more than a day or so. We'll just need to get the felt down and then cut in the shingles."

"Ok, well I've got the tarps anchored with two-by-fours that are screwed to the roof. You might need to replace them shingles where the screws are too."

"Definitely. But that shouldn't be much."

"Well, we'll be spendin' most of the upcomin' week just workin' on the bedroom and makin' the old one into the office. Then we've still got the upstairs to do. I'm sure you'll be back before we need a decision."

"That'd work just fine. Let them mull it over long enough and maybe they'll get tired of tryin' to decide and I'll be able to pick one."

"Let's just hope it's that easy."

When I walked back around, Jimmy, Jessie and Jamie were sitting on the front porch.

"The women run ya'all off?"

"No, we just got bored with them and their page turnin'," Jimmy said. "Why did you even give 'em a choice? You know that never works"

"Well, because I have to live with 'em. But they've got all next week to make up their mind. Maybe they'll get tired and let me make the decision."

"Ya, just keep on dreamin'. You know that ain't gonna happen."

"I can always hope."

I sat with them for about a half an hour and then went in and told the women I was going to take a shower. I don't think they even looked up as Cammie said "OK," and then kept right on paging through her current catalog."

I just shook my head and went to the bedroom to strip down. I took my shower and knocked off what whiskers needed it and then got dressed in what I was going to wear. I put my shaving stuff in the suitcase and then closed it up. Then I took it and the garment bag and headed for the van.

"Ya'all best think about gettin' ready. We need to leave about ten-thirty."

"Oh shit. I forgot about that," Cammie said, as she finally looked up.



-------

Chapter 5

The catalogs were abandoned and a furious scramble by all the females ensued. Bonnie and Dianne began clearing the table. Cammie, Donna and Chrissy rushed to their bedrooms to get ready. They only had an hour and a half to get ready. I followed Cammie and Donna into our bedroom and asked them what I could take to the car. They told me the wardrobe box and their garment bags. Evidently, they had shared a box and stuffed everything else into their garment bags. I took the bags out first and then went upstairs to ask Chrissy the same question. She pointed to the box and garment bag as she disappeared into the bathroom.

I took her garment bag to the van and returned for her shipping box. I got that downstairs and grabbed the one from our bedroom and carried them both to the van. The good thing about the boxes was that they laid flat and could be stacked on top of each other. I got the two boxes arranged in the van and then laid the garment bags on top of them. Then I tried to make room for everyone's suitcase. The back of the van was going to be stuffed.

I surveyed the situation and determined that there would not be enough room for Bonnie and Jimmy to ride along. I walked back to the front porch and sat down and joined the conversation of the boys.

"Jimmy, I don't think there's gonna be enough room for you and Bonnie to ride up there with us. They've got so much stuff that I'm gonna have to fold down the back seat."

"Why do we have to go?"

"To pick up Charlene and Deanne."

"Oh shit. I forgot about that. Well, Bonnie and I'll take the Navigator up. That way the van'll be there for ya'all when ya return."

"That'll work. I have no idea what all they've packed. It looks like they're movin' there instead of just goin' for a week."

"Hell, if you ain't used to that shit by now, you've got a long, miserable life ahead of you. It damn sure ain't gonna get no better."

"Well, one can always hope."

"Ya, well your hope and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee at most places."

"You ain't a lotta help."

"I calls 'em like I sees 'em."

We chatted for about a half an hour and Bonnie and Dianne came out to join us.

"Ain't you gonna get ready, Bonnie?" I asked.

"I took a shower this mornin', and I figure I can wear what I've got on to pick the kids up."

"Works for me. I just didn't want you to panic at the last minute."

"Dean, you know us women are a bit smarter than you give us credit for."

"Darlin', ya'all are very smart. I was just checkin' so we didn't have any problems come leavin' time."

"Uh huh."

I waited for a bit and just chatted with everyone until I thought they'd all be out of the shower. Then I walked inside to check on the progress of things. Cammie and Donna were running around naked and stuffing things into their suitcases. It almost looked like they were thinking about last minute items. But I held my tongue and didn't make any comments.

"Is anything ready to be taken to the van?" I asked, but mainly hoping against hope that they were close to getting ready.

"Not yet," Cammie answered.

The scurrying continued and I gracefully exited lest I get drafted into something. I had no idea how I could help, but I wasn't going to volunteer to get in to trouble.

I climbed the stairs and found Chrissy in the exact same mode. Discretion being the better part of valor, I didn't say a word and just walked back downstairs and went to the front porch. I joined the conversation and tried to be patient about things. It was difficult, but I was actually trying.

The chat was mainly about the farm and things that needed to be done. Jamie was talking about doing some maintenance on all the tractors while we were gone and I wasn't opposed to that at all. I told them to get what they needed at Elmer's and just charge it. Jamie was also going to do a pressure check on the hydraulic systems to make sure the hoses and O-rings were in good shape. Things like that are always something that is required on a farm. There is so much that goes on that folks don't think about, but it is necessary for a smooth operation.

About 10:15, the girls all came out, carrying their suitcases and their makeup cases. Now I was wondering if I needed overload springs on the van. I got everything stowed and we said our good byes to Dianne, Jamie and Jessie and finally got in the van to leave. I didn't think this event would ever arrive. We pulled out of the lane exactly at 10:30.

The drive up was uneventful. We pulled into the airport parking lot and drove to the General Aviation area. I parked the van and Jimmy parked beside me. Then we went into the terminal. We had to wait about thirty minutes before the plane landed.

Once it taxied to the terminal and shut down, the door opened and Charlene and Deanne ran to the terminal. They entered and rushed into Bonnie's arms and then into mine. I got a big kiss from them and then they turned their attention to the others. There were kisses all around and then Sharon joined us. I got a kiss from her and we asked about their flight. They gave us all the details and started talking about their jobs.

Jimmy and I went out to our vehicles and drove them through the gate and next to the plane. The co-pilot handed Jimmy the luggage for the girls and I began to hand him the mountain of luggage for our crew. Surprisingly, it all fit in the cargo compartment. I was surprised, and pleased. Then he told us it would be about thirty minutes or so before they would be ready to leave. I thanked him and we headed back to the terminal.

Everyone was in a huddle, listening to the story about the tornado and the clean up that followed. They laughed when they were told about Jamie and Dianne sleeping through everything.

I had sat down next to Cammie and put my arm around her. It was like hugging a small steel drum. She was extremely tense and I knew it was just going to get worse. But, then it's always like this. She is not a calm flight passenger. I tried to rub her shoulders and neck in hopes it would relax her a bit, but it was not to be. If anything, she got more tense. The closer we got to flight time, the quieter she became. Just a flaw that was probably not going to be overcome, at least not any time soon. But we all have flaws.

We all chatted until the pilots came by and told us we could get on board. Everyone got a kiss and then we headed for the plane. As we boarded, Cammie went to a seat close to the rear of the plane and promptly buckled herself in. I sat beside her and everyone else selected a place to sit. Cammie already had a death grip on the armrests. Finally, the co-pilot came in and closed the door. He announced to us that we'd be leaving the terminal in about 5 minutes.

I have no idea why Cammie disliked him so much, but his voice produced a reaction in her similar to other folks reactions to people running their fingernails across the blackboard. She just shot daggers from her eyes as he turned to the cockpit. Actually, it was kind of funny to watch, but I wouldn't have wanted to be in his place. It wouldn't have taken much for her to launch an all out attack on him.

They fired the engines up and the ground crew secured everything. Then the plane's engines revved and we turned and began to taxi to the runway.

When we got there, we were second in line to take off. A plane landed and the one in front of us pulled onto the runway and began to rev their engines. As they accelerated down the runway, their prop wash hit us and the plane vibrated a bit. Perfectly normal to everyone except Cammie. She sat straight up at the first vibration and her forearms were like steel cables, flexed to the limit.

We had to wait until another plane landed. It was a good-sized jet and made a lot of noise as it passed over and in front of us. A mild scream escaped from Cammie's throat and, I really didn't think it was possible, but she got even more tense. I leaned over and kissed her, but it was almost like kissing a plate. Her lips didn't move and neither did her arms.

After the plane had passed, we turned onto the runway and the pilot revved the engines. I kissed her again and she responded a bit this time. As he released the brakes and we were forced back against the seat, her mouth opened and she accepted my tongue. I moved my hand to her pussy and she hesitated before she finally spread her legs. I got under her panties and slipped my finger into her just as the nose came off the ground. She screamed into my mouth as we lifted off.

All of a sudden her hips began to fuck against my hand as we gained altitude and then she went rigid and began to orgasm. Pussy juice flooded from her and my hand was soaked. We continued to climb as her orgasm began to ebb. As soon as the wheels were retracted, she grabbed my wrist and pulled away from the kiss.

"Quit now. Folks are gonna see us," she whispered, as she hid her face against my neck.

Then Chrissy turned around from the seat in front of us and said, "We don't need to see you to know what's goin' on. It happens ever'time we fly."

Cammie's head flew away from my neck and if looks could kill Chrissy would have been dead. Cammie didn't say anything, but she just stared at her. Chrissy giggled and then turned back around.

As soon as the co-pilot opened the cabin door and said we could move around, Cammie unbuckled her seat belt and made a dash for the bathroom. I got up and went to the bar and washed my hands at the sink there. It was a bit early for any alcohol, so I got a Coke for everyone.

Cammie came out and took her Coke and a seat at the bar. We sipped our cokes and I opened a can of nuts for all of us. We hadn't eaten lunch and the hungries were attacking.

We chatted and Sharon told me that she had talked to my daughter and I was supposed to call her when we got settled in the hotel. She also told me that she was invited to all the evening festivities while we were there. Sharon had a meeting scheduled with her on Tuesday to meet with a couple salesmen and they were going to the campus store to see about installing the clothing line.

We chatted until the co-pilot opened the door and told us that they were getting ready to start their descent and that we should clean up and get back to our seats. As he closed the door, the pilot cut back on the engines and it was like going over the top of the hill on a roller coaster, only not as dramatic or drastic. But we started our descent. Cammie grabbed onto the top of the bar and I was afraid she was going to put her fingers right through the Formica. Her fingernails and knuckles were almost pure white and her eyes were wide open with a look of sheer terror across her face.

"Easy darlin', we're just slowin' down a bit and losing some altitude so we can land."

"He could have waited until we got back to our seats."

"No he couldn't. These things have to be done at a certain time."

"Well, then that asshole could have told us to get back to our seats sooner."

Everyone laughed and her face just got more red. She quickly finished her Coke and headed for her seat. You never had to ask if she was buckled in. That was automatic with her. When she sat down, she buckled up.

The rest of us finished our Cokes and I played barmaid and stowed everything. Then I made a trip to the bathroom. Once done, I made my way to my seat and buckled myself in. I put my arm around Cammie and tried to relax her. It was just a lost cause.

When the flaps were deployed, she gasped and her grip got tighter on the armrest. Well, at least it wasn't my arm this time. As the flaps came to half, she pushed back into her seat even farther. Then they went to full flaps and the wheels were lowered and clanked into place. I leaned over and kissed her and she moaned and sucked my tongue in. I moved my hand to her pussy and found she didn't have any panties on this time. She tilted her hips to give me full access and I slid into her. She came as the wheels touched down. As they applied the brakes, she screamed into my mouth and her legs clamped my hand in place.

She pulled away and then pulled my hand away from her. She sat there, shaking a bit and trying to fight it. We turned off the main runway and headed for the terminal. Just as soon as we stopped, she bolted from her seat and dashed to the bathroom. When they stopped the engines, I got up and washed my hands in the sink. The co-pilot opened the cockpit door and said we could get up and they would open the door as soon as the finished their post flight.

It took them a couple minutes and Cammie made it back to her seat before they came out. I looked around and we were not at the major airport in Atlanta. As they opened the door and lowed the steps, Cammie was first in line to get out. I was behind her and saw a limo approaching the plane. Sharon was right behind me.

As the limo stopped, two burly looking guys got out and greeted Sharon. She introduced them to me. One was a sergeant and the other a detective on the Cobb County Sheriff's department. I shook their hands and they welcomed us to Atlanta. One held the door so we could get in and then went to the plane to help unload the massive amounts of luggage we had.

It was about a twenty minute drive to the hotel and a bellman was there to greet us and he had two carts for our luggage. Sharon took us inside and we got our room key cards and headed for the elevator. We went to the top floor and found our rooms. Our luggage was in the hallway before we got our doors opened. We told him what went where and I gave him a good tip and thanked him.

The rooms all had king-sized beds and their own bathroom. Our center suite had a fully appointed kitchen with a dining table. It was very impressive.

As I got in the room, I was greeted with "I'm hungry." "Me too."

So we got the room service menu and decided what we wanted to eat. I called it in and they said it would be about twenty minutes. Then I got my phone book from my briefcase and looked up my daughter's number.

Her roommate answered and said she was at the radio station and gave me the number. I called there and she answered.

"Howdy, darlin' daughter."

"Oh wow, I wasn't expectin' you so soon. When did ya get in?"

"We just got settled in the room and have ordered lunch."

"You're at the Embassy Suites, downtown. Right?"

"I guess. I wasn't payin' any attention. We're on the top floor."

"Well, that's where Sharon said ya'all'd be stayin'."

"I guess that's where we are then."

"Ok. I've got about an hour's worth of work to do and then I'll be down. Look for me about four."

"Ok. You know you're invited to the evenin' meals with us, don't you?"

"That's what Sharon said. What kind of clothes should I bring?"

"Just a minute."

I walked to Sharon's room and asked her what Sue should bring to dress in. She came back with me and talked to her. They finished their chat and had everything all planned and then she gave the phone back to me.

"Got all the instructions?"

"Yep, I'll be there in about an hour and a half."

"You said four, that's two and a half hours."

"Dad, you're in the Eastern time zone now."

"Oh, that's right. Thanks. See ya then."

"Ok, see ya. Love ya."

"Love you too, darlin'."

I hung up, changed my watch, and we chatted until the food arrived. I signed for it and left a good tip. Then we dug in. We were all starved and it disappeared very quickly. Once we had finished eating, I kicked my boots off and sipped on the coffee I had ordered. In the suite, we had a kitchen and it was stocked with almost everything except actual food. There was a can of coffee and a coffee maker, the Mr. Coffee type. I checked the 'fridge and there was a case of Dos Equis in there, plus some white wine for the women. Plus, there was a wine rack with some good Merlot for everyone to sip on.

The women spent their time getting their wardrobe hung up and everything unpacked. I did empty my garment bag and hang my suits and shirts up and put my stuff in the bathroom. Then I just relaxed on the bed for a bit. I sure didn't want to get in their way.

Once they got their closets organized, they came in and Sharon filled us in on the schedule. The show opened tomorrow and we'd need to be there by 9. We'd stay there until about 4:30 or so and then we were free until supper. The president and his wife were flying in later this afternoon, along with Fred. Fred would be here for most of the show, but the president and his wife were flying home on Sunday. He'd probably be back on Tuesday for a couple days. The tool booth and the clothing booth were adjoining and we have a table between them to sign autographs. The Hoosier Tool booth was right next to the clothing booth. It would be 9 to 4:30 most days and we would probably leave next Saturday after the show or Sunday morning.

After our briefing, the women went to the next bedroom to continue their female conversations. I stretched out on the bed. I searched the TV for anything that might be interesting, but found nothing that would hold my attention. So I just stretched out and took a nap.

I was awakened by a knock on the door. The women were still talking, so I got up to answer it. It was my daughter and we gave each other a big hug. She came in with her garment bag and I led her to the next bedroom where the females were all talking.

After everyone got a hug, we sat down and started talking. Sue wanted to know how everything was and Cammie told her about the tornado.

"I saw that come across our news feed, but I didn't think ya'all were involved in it," she told us.

She got all the gory details from the girls and we all laughed when I told them about Jamie and Dianne sleeping through it. I filled her in on all the damage and the two calves we lost. Once that subject was exhausted, we turned to other things. Of course the main subject was the show.

It was close to 5 when there was a knock on the door. It was Fred and Jeanne. They had just arrived, with the president and his wife. They came in and chatted for a bit.

"There's goin' to be a reception in the president's suite at 6 and we'll leave for dinner about 7," Fred told us.

That set into motion a frantic scurrying by all the females. It was just a bit before 5:30. Fred and Jeanne left for their room and I went back to ours. The shower was already being used, so I had to wait. That wouldn't be a problem. Sue was in the room with Sharon and they were sharing the bathroom, while Chrissy and Donna were in their room. Cammie was the one in our shower. Actually, I just needed to take a quick shower.

It wouldn't be a white shirt and tie night, so I got out one of my western shirts and a suit. When Cammie finished, I jumped in the shower and was done in less than five minutes. I put some deodorant on and then went to the bedroom and started getting dressed. I was waiting by 5:45 while the rest of them were frantically trying to get everything just right.

Sue was the first one ready. She did learn a bit from me and had taken a shower before she came over. She just needed to change clothes, add some jewelry, and touch up her hair.

"Is that what you're wearin'?" she asked, as she came in the room.

"Yep. What's wrong with it?"

"You're not even wearin' a tie?"

"Nope. You know I hate wearin' them things."

"I know, but this is with the big shots."

"They've seen me before and know that this is how I dress."

"It just don't seem very dressy."

"This shirt cost a lot more than a good white shirt and the best tie I would ever own."

"That just means you don't have good taste and are willin' to spend too much for crap."

"Nice talk. This is in very good taste. A tie is not required tonight, so I didn't wear one. I will on Monday and Tuesday when they are required."

"Ok, if you wanna look like some ol' cowboy just off the ranch."

"Well, I ain't all that old but I guess you might consider what we have as a ranch, so it fits."

"I don't think you'll ever get civilized."

"Probably not. I'm comfortable the way I am and don't see no reason to be uncomfortable."

"You're just a lost cause. I thought maybe Cammie and her family might put some style on you."

"Darlin, I spent years dressin' the part and bein' proper. It didn't get me a whole lot of anything except grief. So now, I dress proper, but comfortable. Like you taught me; been there, done that and bought the tee-shirt."

"Ya, but you ain't supposed to wear the tee-shirt out."

"It ain't gonna work. I know when I'm supposed to dress up and tonight ain't a dress up night. It's bad enough that I'm in a suit."

"If I ever get married, you'd best find a good tie to wear."

"Darlin', I've got that all planned. There's this place back home that rents western cut, sequined decorated tuxes. I'll walk you down the aisle in style."

"Don't you even think about it. We ain't gettin' married on horse back."

"We? Ya got someone in mind?"

"Not yet, but it'll be someone that knows how to dress."

"That's good to know. Wouldn't want you marryin' a nudist."

"You're just beyond hope."

Cammie came in from the bathroom and joined the conversation. The gist of the conversation was that Cammie had given up on trying to change me and that Sue was never successful at all.

Sharon showed up next and then Chrissy and Donna made their appearances. It was right at 6, on the dot.

We walked across the hall to the president's suite. I introduced Sue to the president and his wife. They had a bartender and a waiter to take the drink orders. When the drinks were served, we chatted about various things, but mainly business. Sharon told them that Sue was going to introduce the salesmen to the campus store in hopes of them carrying the clothing line. They were also going to do some advertising on the radio station that she managed.

That led into an entire new conversation and they wanted to know what Sue had planned after she graduated. She told them she hadn't planned for any particular thing, but she was going to need a job. The president told her to contact them because they could use someone to manage their advertising section. Sue told him she'd get in touch with them next spring just before graduation.

Shortly before 7, the president announced that our limos were waiting for us and we all put our drinks on the bar and headed for the elevator. The women and I went in one and the president, his wife and Fred and Jeanne went in the other.

We were driven to what looked like a country club of sorts and the president led us inside. There we were met by someone who escorted us to a private suite that had its own dining room. There was a bar set up and the waiter came to take our drink order.

"I hope that you folks don't mind, but this is a steak night," the president announced. "I'm assured that these folks have the best Black Angus beef around and we have filets reserved for us. They'll be around to get your preference on how they are to be cooked. If you'll notice, the grill is right outside the door. They use apple and mesquite wood to cook with. The combination makes a mighty tasty delight. Trust me on that."

We each had our drinks as we mingled and as the drinks got down, the headwaiter came in and announced they were ready to begin. We all got seated and they took the steak order and then a team showed up with the salad cart. They began to make a huge Caesar Salad. You could have smelled the garlic in the next county as they applied it to the bowl. I had my doubts about things, but when it was served, there was just a tiny hint of the garlic flavor.

As soon as the salad was eaten, we were served a small portion of sorbet to cleanse our palette. Then they brought out a fabulous French onion soup. I can't ever recall eating any better. Then they brought another sorbet for us.

The steaks were done to perfection. Plus, I actually believe I could have cut that two-inch thick filet with a fork. In addition to that, we had steamed green beans that were sprinkled with roasted almonds, twice baked potatoes, and some of the best okra and stewed tomatoes I have ever tasted. The person that cooked that dish definitely knew how to prepare okra. There was absolutely no bitterness, which means it had to have been soaked and then cooked slowly for over 45 minutes. There is no other way to get rid of the bitterness.

I can honestly say that I had a bit of a problem finishing my steak. It had to be well over sixteen ounces. The women never even came close to finishing theirs. The waiter took our plates and then returned with a "doggy bag" for the folks who didn't finish their steaks. Actually, the president and I were the only ones to finish the entire steak. Fred had about three bites left but told everyone he just couldn't eat another bite.

Then another round of sorbet was brought as they cleared the table. Once that was accomplished, the desert cart was wheeled in. They made a cherries jubilee that had a taste I had never come across before. I don't know what was in it, but it was delicious. Plus, the ice cream was some of the finest I've ever tasted for it being commercial food. It rivaled the finest homemade.

Then the coffee was served. We chatted over coffee and then the men and women adjourned to our designated rooms. Waiting for us was after dinner liqueurs and more coffee. Plus, some very fine Cuban cigars. I had to assume they had found a way around the embargo.

"Dean," the president said, "Sharon tells me ya'all dodged a tornado the other night."

"I don't think we did any dodgin', it was more that it just plain missed us. But not by much. It sounded like it went right through our house."

"Did you have any damage?"

"Not to the house we live in, but the one that Jamie lives in, a tree was taken down right outside their window."

"Really? They must have been very scared."

"Actually, they slept right through it. I had to wake them to see if they were all right."

We chuckled about that and then I told them of the rest of the damage we had suffered. Then the conversation drifted to another subject.

"Dean, I don't pretend to know about the customs where you folks live," the president stated, in a more somber tone, "so I have to assume that Jamie and Dianne living together is not all that unusual. But I am concerned about hiring her under the conditions. We aren't planning on offering any maternity clothes."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that. When they asked permission to mate up, one of the conditions her folks and I put on it, was that they keep Dianne on the pill until they had finished their college. They have agreed to that. Both of them are very mature up for their age and take their promises very seriously. Down there, givin' your word is almost a sacred vow. They wouldn't have agreed to it if they weren't serious about it."

"Well, I'm happy to hear that. You haven't steered us wrong on anyone else we've hired, so I'll just accept your word as to the way things are."

Then the conversation drifted into other areas. The clothing line was far ahead of expectations and projections and everyone was very pleased. We continued chatting until the women interrupted us. We put out our cigars and joined them in the common room of our designated area. We all chatted for a bit and then the limo drivers showed up. We thanked the president for the fine meal and the great company and departed for the hotel. All of the women were clutching their doggy bags. When the limo dropped us off at the hotel, the driver told us he would pick us up at 8:30 in the morning.



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Chapter 6

When we got back to the hotel, there were four large plastic garment bags on our bed. Each had a name on it and we all opened it to see what they were. They contained smaller plastic bags with the clothes to wear for the show. Each day was labeled and contained jeans and a shirt. Of course, the women had to open every bag to see what they were supposed to wear. I just hung mine in the closet. Once the women looked at what had been chosen for them, they hung theirs up. Then everyone stripped down and got into our robes, except Sue. She changed clothes and kissed everyone good night, saying she had an early day tomorrow. She said she'd see us tomorrow afternoon.

The rest of us sat around and just chatted. Actually, the women chatted and I listened. The main topic of discussion was the show. I really tried to appear interested, but I guess my lack of interest showed on my face. They finally moved to the adjoining bedroom and allowed me some time by myself. Around 11, I went to the other bedroom and reminded them that we had to be ready to leave at 8:30 in the morning. That set about a flurry on activity. They all made a trip to the bathroom and then Donna and Cammie slipped into our bed. I joined them after my trip and we spent some time kissing and caressing each other before finally slipping off to sleep.

I had set the alarm for 6 and it woke me up with kind of a start. I shut it off and then realized where I was. Donna was already awake, but I kissed Cammie and teased her nipple a bit to wake her up. We kissed and cuddled for a bit and then they dashed for the bathroom. Once they were done, I made my trip and then asked them what they wanted for breakfast.

We looked at the room service menu and decided what we wanted to eat. Cammie was pleased that they served grits. Once I had their order, I went to the bedroom next door and found both Chrissy and Sharon. I woke them with a kiss and asked them what they wanted to eat for breakfast. They both gave me their order and I returned to our room and called it in. I was told it would be up in about twenty-five minutes. I gave everyone else the news and made my way to the bathroom for a shower.

Once I was done, I knocked off what few whiskers were there and went to the bedroom. The next order of business was making some coffee. Cammie headed for the shower and Donna came over to sit on my lap. We kissed and chatted until room service arrived.

I opened the door and had him put the order on the table. Everyone had basically the same thing, so it didn't matter where he placed everything. I signed for the meal and left him a good tip. Then I opened the door to the other bedroom and told them breakfast was ready. Cammie must have heard me, because she came out of the bathroom in her robe.

The grits weren't as good as what we make back home, but the meal was good and we all devoured everything. After we finished eating, I poured more coffee for everyone and made another pot. Cammie went back to the bathroom to finish while the rest of us sipped our coffee. Donna came to sit on my lap and we all chatted until Sharon and Chrissy said they needed to start getting ready and departed.

Cammie came out and Donna went to the bathroom and took her shower. When Sharon and Chrissy returned to our room, Sharon helped everyone with their hair. I had made another pot of coffee and was sipping it as we all just chatted.

Once Donna was finished with the bathroom, I made a final trip and then got dressed. It was amazing, with all the furious activity, we made it down to the lobby right at 8:30. The limo was waiting for us and drove us off to the show.

Sharon led us to the booths and introduced us to the salesmen that were also manning the booths. The signing tables were set up and stocked with catalogs and individual pictures of each of us. Unlike the other shows, they had arranged for comfortable chairs for us to sit on. Those folding chairs get very hard after an hour or so.

The crowd hadn't really arrived yet, so we spent some time chatting with the salesmen. Actually, they spent most of their time talking to the women and I was completely superfluous. But I didn't blame them at all. Why would they want to talk to an ugly, hairy-legged man when there were so many pretty women around? It's just human nature.

It was after 10 before we had our first request for an autograph. Then things began to pick up. It was almost as if someone had made a general announcement about us being here.

While this show was open to the public, the early crowd was mainly men and they weren't interested in my autograph. So I had a fairly easy time of it.

Fred hadn't shown up until about 10:30, and he was busy with other things. But about noontime, he walked over and asked if we wanted to get something to eat. We all agreed and he led us to a restaurant area that was reserved for exhibitors. We all had a salad and a sandwich. It wasn't great, but it was food and it was quick. We ate and relaxed a bit before returning to the booths. It was about 1:30 before things got moving again. Seems like everyone wanted lunch on this first day of the show.

By 3, all of us were ready for a break. I even had had requests for some autographs from some females. Most of the younger ones were very disappointed that Jamie and Jessie weren't there. I told them they were back home at the farm and only so many of us could leave at a time. That seemed to make them even more desirable. They couldn't believe that models actually worked on a farm. That also produced more questions, mainly about how they could contact the boys. I told them they could write to the headquarters and the letters would be forwarded. That seemed to pacify them. But I think they were wanting actual addresses or phone numbers.

About 3:15, we all took a break and went back to the exhibitor's lounge and got a Coke. Cammie, Chrissy and Donna already had sore hands. They had been swamped most of the time. These shows tend to bring out more men than women or children.

We got back to the booths and worked until 4:30. The women had to sign a few more autographs before we could leave because of the line waiting for them. But we were back at the hotel by 5:15.

Fred had ridden in the limo with us and told us we should be ready to leave for supper by 6:30. The ladies just groaned but said they'd be ready. He told us we should dress like we did last night. That was a relief. We didn't need to get fancy.

Sue showed up just as we were pulling up to the hotel. She was already dressed for the evening. She went with us to our room and we all collapsed. I told the girls to take a shower and I'd give them a massage to make them feel better. They all disappeared while Sue and I chatted.

As each girl showed up, in their robe, I gave them a back and arm massage. Then I had them stand up and popped their back. I got a kiss from each one for the attention and for making them more relaxed.

Then I took my shower and changed clothes. We got to the lobby just before 6:30. The limo was waiting for us and we were driven to a barbecue restaurant. It was nice, but not really fancy. We had an area reserved for just us. The president and his wife were there, talking to the folks from Hoosier Tool and some of the salesmen from the company.

We went over and said our "hellos" and then mingled with the other guests. We stood around until about 7:15 when it was announced that dinner was being served. We filed to the eating area and found our place to sit. Surprisingly, they had Dos Equis for me to drink. Beer just goes with barbecue.

The meal was served family style and every table had servings of everything to eat on it. There were ribs, small steaks, chicken, and blackened fish for the meat course. There were also baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, fried potatoes, grits and corn on the cob. In reality, there was just too much food to eat and be comfortable. We all stuffed ourselves. The waiters made sure that there were no empty serving platters and kept our drinks freshened.

Once everyone had finished with the main course, the waiters cleared the tables and brought in coffee and some really good pecan pie. I was amazed at the quality of the pie. You don't normally get that kind of pie at a restaurant.

Once the dessert was finished, we sipped our coffee before breaking up into our gender based groups. There was some good brandy and cigars in the men's area. I opted for my cigarettes and a small amount of brandy. I was stuffed. I chatted with one of the men from Hoosier Tool and he told me they really liked their new web site. They were getting a lot of orders through it and were very pleased.

The party broke up about 9:30 and we returned to the hotel. Sue hugged everyone good night in the lobby and headed home. The rest of us returned to our rooms and got out of our clothes and into our robes. I needed the space around my waist to breathe. By 10:30, we were all ready for bed. Everyone was exhausted from sitting all day and the bed was very welcome.

Most of the days went like Saturday, except the crowd arrived earlier. Sunday was really about the same as Saturday. I guess they spent too much time celebrating on Saturday night and didn't get up all that early. Some, I'm sure, went to church, but most looked like they were hung over. The nights did vary quite a bit.

Sunday, we had another casual night. Monday and Tuesday were a lot different. Monday was for the sales force and Tuesday was for the clients. Those required a shirt and tie for me and fancy dresses for the ladies. We would only have one more dress up night and that would be on Friday.

Sharon took the two of the salesmen to meet with Sue on Tuesday morning. They made their presentation to the campus store. Everyone seemed pleased since the store decided to carry the line of clothes and they would work with the salesmen to get an order ready after the show was finished.

On Wednesday, I took some time off and spent it with Sue. We really didn't see enough of each other, but that was kind of normal. She was in college and I was at the farm. But I really missed hearing her laugh. That is like music to my ears.

I got her to show me around Atlanta and she took me to a specialty coffee house. They specialized in gourmet coffee. She told me I just had to try this one kind. I don't know what they did to it, or how it was grown, but it had a hint of chocolate that was in the bean. It tasted really good.

They also had something I had been looking for. I could never find them anywhere I looked. Most places had never heard of them. They had a large selection of coffee presses. They were kind of pricey, but at least they had them. I talked to the clerk there and asked about the ones that held twelve cups. She said they had two brands and showed me the difference. From what I could see and understand, the only real difference, besides some fancy stuff on the outside, was a finer mesh screen to filter out the grounds. I asked her how many they had in stock. She said that there was only what was on the shelf. Then I asked her if she could order more and have then sent directly from the place where they order them to my house. She checked with the manager and said they could. I ordered six of them and paid for them with a credit card. She said they'd be shipped from the warehouse tomorrow sometime. I filled out the shipping information and thanked her.

"Why are you buyin' six of them?" Sue asked.

"Because we drink six pots of coffee every mornin'."

"Wow, that's a lot of coffee. It's a wonder ya'all ever get to sleep."

"Well, there's nine of us at home right now. When Charlene and Deanne come back, there's eleven, but the younger kids don't drink too much."

"We were never allowed to have coffee when we were at home."

"You'll have to talk to your mom about that. I wasn't the one that put that rule in."

"Still, it seems they're a bit young to be drinkin' coffee."

"Well, it's ok with their mom, so I don't say anything about it."

"Ya'all must go through a bunch of coffee."

"We buy it by the case. It keeps in the freezer just fine."

From there, she showed me a bunch of the sights around and showed me the campus. I even got a tour of the radio station she was managing. We had a good time and met the rest of the crew back at the hotel to go out to supper.

I did manage to beg off of going out for dinner on Thursday, saying we were all tired and needed to just relax. Since the president wasn't with the group, Fred told us he understood. We stayed in and just ordered soup, salad and sandwiches. It was a relaxing evening.

Friday night was a dress up night and the sales force and the clients were in attendance for the meal. It lasted longer and there were more speeches we had to suffer through. But that comes with the territory. We were basically "eye candy" for the clients and the sales force.

Saturday night was casual and was meant to just relax. It was just the folks that were staying at the hotel in attendance. We toasted a successful show and, as usual, ate in excess. I think we were all ready to get out of town and back to the farm. Everyone had had their fill of signing autographs and all the other glamorous things that go on at a trade show. I don't think Donna and Chrissy would be anxious to work another one.

Sharon and Fred told us that they would need to fly in to get Dianne's parents to sign the contract. I told them that a weekend would be best for that. Fred agreed and asked me to make arrangements for next weekend. I told him I would try and would get back to him. Sharon also told us that they would wait and take Charlene and Deanne back with them when they flew down. She thought they'd enjoy an additional week at home. I told her I was sure they would.

When we arrived back at the hotel, everyone said their good-byes in the foyer of our floor. Sue hugged and kissed everyone good-bye. I asked her if she was coming for a visit this summer and she said she didn't know if she could get away, but she'd try. I got a final hug and kiss from her and she headed to her car.

Our crew was going to fly out tomorrow morning about 10:30. Then the plane would return and pick up the rest and take them back to Denver. Sharon said she would eat breakfast with us and help us get away. I knew the girls appreciated that. It was going to be a real chore getting everything packed.

The last night, Donna and Cammie teamed up on me. I had just gotten into bed when I was attacked from both sides. There was a lot of kissing and stroking and I knew something was up. I just went with the flow and let them escalate things at their own pace. This time, they were fully in charge of the seduction.

Donna guided me into Cammie and then caressed both of us as our passion increased. While I was on top, it was Cammie who was doing the fucking. I could have just held myself in position and she would have done all the work. As it was, she was getting in two strokes to my one. Donna kept busy by kissing both of us and then working on Cammie's nipples, when there was room for her to get her head in place. Cammie finally stopped everything, saying she was worn out. It must have been the trade show that wore her out, because she can usually out last me.

She released me to Donna and she mounted me as I turned on my back. Donna was very deliberate in her love making. She was taking long, slow strokes. As soon as she was able, Cammie got behind her and lined up her clit with Donna's ass. Donna moaned into my mouth as Cammie penetrated her.

Cammie reached around and held Donna's tits for me to suck and would feed them to me as our threesome continued. It was extremely erotic and I still have no idea how I didn't cum just at the idea of it. Maybe I was tired too.

Finally, Cammie couldn't stay behind Donna any longer and almost collapsed by our side. Donna whispered that she wanted me on top and we rolled over. Once she was on the bottom, she clung to me as our lovemaking continued. Looking at her face, one could not mistake the look of a woman in love. She was at peace and content because she was being made love to by the man she loved. She was actually possessing her man within her as she accepted me on each stroke.

I lost count of the number of times she came, but she finally took me with her on the last one and I exploded inside of her. I had positioned myself against the mouth of her cervix and she accepted each load I shot with a scream announcing a higher level of orgasm. It felt like I was expelling my soul into her and I was beginning to wonder if I could stop cumming.

All three of us were soaked in sweat as we lie there, basking in the after glow. I stayed inside of Donna as long as I could, but she finally squeezed me out. As I rolled over, Cammie captured my shrinking cock with her mouth and cleaned me off. Then she dove between Donna's legs and sucked all the cum she could from her. They ended up sharing the remains of Cammie's efforts between them.

I got out of bed and made my way to the bathroom and drained the remains of what I had drunk during the evening. I am not sure they even knew I was gone. They were lost in themselves.

I slipped back into bed and just watched them kissing and caressing each other. I guess they finally realized I was still around, because they broke their embrace and included me in their kissing.

Then they each made their way to the bathroom and back to bed. It was late when we finally slipped off to sleep.

We slept in the next morning, until 7. I shut the alarm off and Donna was already hanging on me, waiting for a kiss. As I kissed her, her tongue roamed my mouth and she molded her body to mine. This is the way to wake up, I thought to myself.

As we broke the kiss, I turned my attention to Cammie and teased her nipple while I began to kiss on her ear. She moaned and then turned over to kiss me. Once we broke that, Donna moved to claim a kiss from her. I eased out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

When I came back, I got their orders for breakfast and then went next door to get Sharon and Chrissy's orders. Then I called room service and placed our order. They told me it would be about twenty minutes. I jumped in the shower and took a quick one.

Once I was done in the bathroom, the women headed in there. I put on a robe, made a pot of coffee and began to pack. It wasn't too big of a job for me and I was done before the breakfast came.

When room service showed up, I signed for it and left a good tip. I opened the bathroom door and almost got trampled as those two rushed out. They had ordered their "after sex" breakfast and they were evidently starving. I called into the next room and told Sharon and Chrissy the food was here.

By the time I sat down, Cammie and Donna had their mouths stuffed. I separated myself from them and kept my arms and elbows close to my body, lest they be mistaken for food. Anything that was left on the table was instantly claimed by those two.

I finished and scooted back from the table to sip my coffee. After I poured everyone some fresh coffee, I fixed a fresh pot of coffee and then sat back down. They were almost finished by then and they began to attack the coffee.

I reminded everyone that we were flying out today and they needed to pack. They finished that cup of coffee and poured another. Then they moved into packing mode.

They were not nearly as neat with their packing as they had been for the trip down here. Surprisingly, with Sharon's help, they accomplished all of their packing in record time and were sitting at the table by 9:15, working on our third pot of coffee.

I suggested that Cammie call her mom and tell her we were coming home today. She asked me what time we'd be there and I told her we'd leave here about 10:30, so we'd be in Batesville by 11 and probably home around noon or 12:30.

"How can we get there that fast?" she asked, with a voice that seemed to say I was lying to her.

"Darlin', we're in the Eastern Time zone, which means we're an hour a head of home. So we'll actually be leavin' at 9:30 their time."

"Oh. I forgot about that."

"I did too when we got here. Sue had to remind me when I called her."

Cammie made the call and they talked for about ten minutes. Then we finished what coffee was left and called the front desk to have someone come get our luggage. A man with two carts arrived and loaded up our mountain of gear. We made a final check of the rooms to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything and then took the elevator to the ground floor.

I went to the desk and checked out. The bill was being taken care of by the company, so it was just a matter of me signing the statement and turning in our key cards.

The limo showed up and they began to load our luggage. I had serious reservations if it would all fit in the trunk, but they found a way to get it in there. I gave a tip to the bellman after he helped load all the luggage into the limo.

We all hugged and kissed Sharon and then said good-bye as we got into the limo. The women were all teary-eyed as we departed.

When we got to the airport, the drivers unloaded the trunk and handed the luggage to the co-pilot who stowed it in the cargo bay. It was a handful, but we had one less passenger than the trip here, so I was sure there'd be enough room.

After the co-pilot boarded, I tipped the drivers and thanked them for all their help. They tried to refuse it, but I told them I had been a cop too and I knew how tight money could be. They thanked me and I boarded the plane.

Once I got my to my seat, next to Cammie, the co-pilot closed the door and then went to the cockpit and closed the door. Cammie was already tense. When they started the engines, she gripped the armrests and I tried to comfort her, but it was useless.

We went through this every time we flew. The difference being, on the private plane, I could get her to orgasm to relieve her stress somewhat. That's how it seemed to be and probably how it was going to be for the foreseeable future.

Once we were air bound and the co-pilot told us we could move around, Cammie made a dash for the bathroom and I went behind the bar and washed my hands. Then I got cokes for everyone and we chatted about the trip. The consensus was that the money was good, but the work was very boring and tiring. Chrissy and Donna both agreed that Charlene and Deanne could do the next show and they'd stay at the farm.

We had been at the bar for about forty-five minutes when the co-pilot opened the door and told us they were going to start their descent. The girls made a trip to the bathroom while I cleaned up behind the bar and stowed everything. They made their way to their seats and I got to use the bathroom. Then I took my seat beside Cammie.

The landing was just like every other landing. Cammie was tense, so I made her orgasm and then we landed. When we stopped at the terminal, she dashed for the bathroom to wash up and put her panties on. I washed my hands at the sink and we all waited to get off the plane.

Once they opened the door, I went to get the van so I could load it. Besides what we had on the trip up here, we had the new clothes we wore during the day. The back of the van was stuffed. But we had room to sit and I thanked the crew and we headed home.

The ride home was kind of quiet. I guess everyone was coming down from the long and tiring trip. We pulled up to the house just about 12:30 and everyone was there to greet us. I got a kiss from the girls and Bonnie. The females all hugged and kissed and headed for the house with all their stories. Us guys were left with the chore of unloading the van. We each made two trips and that was done.

I took our stuff into our new room and was impressed with what they had done. It wasn't actually fully complete yet, but it was looking nice. The carpet was down and the walls were up and had the first coat of paint on them. The bathroom was mostly complete and the new shower was a sight to behold. It looked like they still needed to grout the tile and finish installing some of the fixtures, but it was coming along great. The closet didn't have the doors on them yet, but the rods and shelves were installed so we could use them. The walk-in closet was enormous. I was dreading the shopping for curtains and other accessories, but I could probably dodge that, with just a bit of luck. I never was any good at matching colors. I don't think any men are.

Lunch was waiting for us. After all the fancy food and atmosphere, it was good to sit down to some home cooking and be comfortable. We had soup and a sandwich with some iced tea and then coffee afterwards.

Once we were done, us guys headed for the porch with a pitcher of tea and glasses. I asked them how everything went while I was gone.

They told me the guy came to remove the carcasses of the calves and had to beat the vultures off to get them scooped up. But they were gone. Most everything else went normal. Not many problems at all. The calves were doing great and just a small amount of the corn had been knocked over the all the rain. There was probably some hail too, but we just never saw it. They had propped most of the corn up in hopes it would still survive.

The only problem they had was during the servicing of the equipment. The drive shaft on one of the round balers seemed to be bent and the bearing was going bad on it. Jamie thought that we could pull it this week and check it out. We could have Elmer press a new bearing on it, but we needed to check to see if it was actually bent. I agreed and told him we could probably work on that tomorrow. With the rain we had, we might be into the second cutting pretty soon. It would be best to get it done now rather than have it break down in the field.

We chatted about other things and finally the women joined us with another pitcher of tea. They joined in the conversation.

"Oh damn, Dean, I almost forgot," Bonnie said, "a big package came for you. It's on the back porch. What's in it?"

"Oh, that's just somethin' to make breakfast a bit easier."

"Oh, no," Cammie said. "What did you buy now?"

"You wouldn't understand if I told you, so I'll just wait until we open the box."

"Just tell us."

"Darlin', if I told you what I bought, you'd just be askin' a lot of questions that will all be answered by themselves if ya'all just wait until we open it up."

"Ok, then let's go open it now."

"Why can't you wait until we're rested up some?"

"You've been sittin' out here for an hour. You should be rested by now."

"Yes, dear."

We all traipsed through the house to the back porch. They watched as I used my pocketknife to slice the tape and open the box. I pulled out one of the boxes that held a press and carried it back to the kitchen, with the entire gang following me.

I set it on the counter and opened it and removed the coffee press.

"What the hell is that thing?" Cammie asked.

"It's a coffee press."

"Ok, what the hell is a coffee press?"

"It's the way we'll be makin' coffee. It'll be better than the sack thing we do now."

"We are just gettin' used to that system and now you've got a different thing?"

"Yep. I could never find these any place I looked before and I found them in Atlanta, when Sue and I were out on Wednesday. So I bought six of 'em."

"Why did you buy six?"

"Because we make six pots of coffee each mornin'."

"Ok, now how does it work?"

"Well first of all, I grind the coffee, but I just put the grounds in here. Then you pour the water in and stir it up and put the lid on. Then you press the plunger down about halfway and let it steep a couple minutes. After that, you press the plunger all the way down and pour it in a regular pot. It'll make even better coffee than what we do now."

"Do you have any more gadgets for us to mess with?"

"Nope, that's all I bought."

"It don't seem any easier. If anything, it seems more complicated."

"Not at all. Once you've used it a couple times, you'll see how easy it is and how great the coffee is. Plus, you won't have to be washin' the bags all the time. It'll make coffee as quick as you can boil water."

"Well, we'll see. You're gonna make the coffee tonight to show us how."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrrr, you men and your damn gadgets and things."

"Yes, dear."

I went to the porch and brought the rest of the packages in and opened the boxes so they could be washed. The women took care of the washing job, but watched intently as I unpacked each one.

"Oh, while I'm thinkin' of it, Diane, you need to call your folks and ask them if they can come over next Saturday."

"Why?"

"The folks from Denver will be here and they need to sign your modelin' contract."

"Oh. Ok, I'll call 'em now."

She headed for the phone and us guys headed for the front porch. The women stayed in the kitchen and fussed over the new gadget I had bought.

Back on the porch, we continued talking about the farm and the calves. It wouldn't have been interesting to anyone but us, but I was getting caught up on what had happened while I was gone.



-------

Chapter 7

We all chatted until Dianne came out and wanted me to talk with her dad. I took the phone and walked away from the porch to have some privacy.

"This is Dean."

"Howdy, Dean. This is Allen."

"What can I do for ya, Allen?"

"Well, Dianne wasn't too clear about why we needed to come over next Saturday."

"The clothing company is gonna hire her for a model and, since she's not eighteen, they need to have your signatures on the contract. All of the kids here had to get their parents to sign for them. It's just normal."

"Well, that makes sense. How does the job work?"

"It'll be the standard contract they have with everyone else. She'll get $25,000 for an exclusive contract. That just means she can't model for anyone else. Then, she'll get the standard $250 per day plus all expenses, if there are any."

"Damn. That's a lot of money."

"Actually, it's just a normal contract. We all have 'em."

"Will she have to do a lot of travelin'?"

"So far, Allen, they've had all the shoots for the clothin' catalog here on the farm. She might need to go to a trade show of some kind to sign autographs. We just got back from one. It's really very borin', so I'm pretty sure she won't want to do more than one of them."

"This almost sounds too good to be true. Hell, she might make more than me this year."

"I think they're schedulin' a shoot in August sometime, but I'm not sure. The last one ran for a full week. They rent out our extra houses here and rent the farms to use as the photo areas. The only downside to the situation is that she'll be considered an independent contractor. She'll have to pay all her taxes herself. They won't deduct anything. I help all the kids with their taxes, so it won't be much to do the same for Dianne."

"She'd have to pay taxes anyway, so that ain't much of a deal."

"Except for the 'self-employment' tax. They don't pay any social security taxes. She'll have to pay that herself."

"Oh. I forgot about that. How did ya'all get involved with this anyway?"

"It's a long story, but I have done the web site for the tool company for a few years now and I had taken Cammie on a trip with me to work on the site at their office. The wife of the personnel director used to be a model and suggested that Cammie be in some of the shots for the tool catalog that they were getting ready to shoot. Normally, they use a bunch of models. Well, they liked Cammie so much that they signed her to a contract and began to use only her. Then, when they decided to start the clothing line, they asked me if I knew of any other folks like her. I sent them pictures of Cammie's family and they decided to use all of them, and me and Jimmy so they'd have some growed men in the catalog. That's basically how the whole thing came about."

"How'd you get them to include Dianne?"

"Well, Barb, Bonnie's sister was in the original shoot, but she's not with us anymore. So they asked me if I knew of anyone else. I told them about Dianne and they were pleased with her. They especially wanted someone who didn't have red hair. I took a couple pictures and sent them to Denver. They liked what they saw and asked if she would be available."

"She don't look much like a model, in my opinion."

"That's what they're goin' for, Allen. They want farm folks in their catalog, because that's who they're tryin' to sell their clothes too."

"Well, that makes sense. So she won't have to do anything except model and maybe sign some autographs?"

"Nope. That's all the other kids do."

"Ok, so when do ya'all want us over there on Saturday?"

"Allen, I don't have a time yet. I'll have to notify them that it's all right with ya'all and then find out when they're gonna be here. They'll be flyin' in from Denver that day and will probably fly back sometime later on Saturday."

"Ok, well just let us know."

"Will do, Allen. I'll turn you back to Dianne and see ya'all on Saturday."

I walked back to the porch and handed Dianne the phone. She looked a bit worried about what we'd talked about, but I'd let her dad explain that everything was all right. She took the phone and walked back inside and the rest of us continued our chatting.

About 4, we decided that we should feed the calves and get that out of the way so we didn't need to do it after supper. We walked to the equipment shed and got the tractors going. Jamie worked the hopper to load the feed spreader and Jessie worked with Jimmy on the bales.

We drove to the pastures and did the feeding. It seemed to me that the calves had grown some. I guess that's normal from being gone over a week. Then we drove back to the shed and I used the hose to wash the spreader out.

We washed up on the back porch and I was told it was time for me to make the coffee. It was kind of a mad house in the kitchen. I asked how many pots I needed to make and was told two would do it for tonight. I ground the coffee for each pot after I had put the water on to boil. All eyes were on me to see how my new gadget worked.

Once the two pots were boiling, I took the first one and poured the water over the coffee. Then I used the handle of a wooden spoon to stir the grounds up and put the lid on and pushed it about halfway down. I did the same thing to the other press and stood and waited for them to steep for a few minutes.

Once I figured they'd steeped enough, I got two regular coffee pots and set them on the counter. I pushed the plunger all the way down on the first one and then poured it in the coffee pot. Then I did the same thing with the other one.

"That's it?" Cammie asked.

"Yep. That's all there is to it."

"Why didn't you have them before?"

"Because I could never find any place that carried them."

"Well, I'll have to admit, I've never seen one before. But that's almost too easy. How do you clean 'em up?"

"Take the plunger out and put a bit of water in so the grounds will pour out and then just wash it like you would any other coffee pot."

"I save the grounds for my garden," Bonnie said.

"Not a problem. Where do you empty the bags now?"

"In that little bucket. Later on, I take it to the garden and work them in the dirt."

"Just do the same thing now, only you'll have a bit of water with it."

"I guess that'll work."

I took the two coffee pots to the table and lit two pot warmers so the coffee would stay hot. Once that was done, I headed back to the front porch to stay out of the way of the women. It's not a good thing to be underfoot when they're cooking.

It wasn't long until they called us for supper. I was hungry and I knew what we were having. That made me all the more hungry. On the table was fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, fresh green beans cooked with onions and some fat back, and a salad. I really missed this when we were away. This is what Sunday dinner should be.

I pigged out and probably ate more than I should have. Too bad. I wasn't worried about my waistline getting out of shape. We always did enough work to take care of that problem.

After we finished all the chicken, Donna brought out three apple cobblers. Somehow, I found room to put my share away. It's a good thing we worked hard around here, otherwise I'd have to stick out my arms to see if I was rolling or walking.

We sat back and sipped our coffee. Bonnie and Cammie both made a comment that the coffee did seem a bit different. Neither one of them specified whether it was different good or different bad and I didn't raise the question. I just enjoyed the coffee to wash the food down with.

After we were done, Jimmy and I went to the porch to relax. The kids went to do the chores and the women did the dishes. When I got to the porch, I actually loosened my belt so I could breathe.

When Jamie and Jessie got back, we chatted about what needed to be done. I asked them about the condition of the pastures and they said it might be time to move the calves. Jimmy agreed and I was all for it. I told them that after we moved them to a new pasture, we could take a look at the one baler and probably pull the shaft on it. That was agreed to and those two items should take up all of tomorrow. We continued our chat and the women came to join us.

Donna had claimed my lap when she came back from chores. Cammie sat down and looked at me and said, "Ya know, you ain't even said a word about our new bedroom."

"Looks fine to me."

"Looks fine? That's all you've got to say about it?"

"What did you want me to say?"

"Well, somethin' more than looks fine."

"Ok. Well, they still need to put the doors on the closets. It'll need another coat of paint. I think the tile in the shower needs groutin'. That's about all I noticed."

"Don't you think the bed's too far away from the wall?"

"Nope. If it was any closer, they couldn't paint behind it and we couldn't clean behind it."

"We couldn't clean? Do you think I've got a mouse in my pocket? You don't clean."

"Darlin', it just ain't got dirty enough for me to clean yet."

"Hopefully, it never will. I know how it gets before you will even consider cleanin'."

"We all have different priorities."

"Mama and me was talkin'. What do ya think about puttin' up wall paper on a couple walls?"

"I don't do wall paper."

"I didn't ask you to. I just asked what you'd think about it."

"As long as ya'all ain't wantin' me to do it, it sounds fine with me. AND, I ain't shoppin' for it neither."

"So ya don't care what kind of wall paper I pick out?"

"Nope. I ain't gonna see it when I'm sleepin' anyway, so why would I care?"

"Well, we's thinkin' about puttin' some in the hot tub room too."

"If that's what ya'all wanna do, it's fine with me. But, remember that it's gonna be real humid in there and that can affect wall paper."

"You don't care what we put up in there either?"

"Nope. If I don't like it, I can always look at another wall."

The boys giggled at that and earned a stern look from Cammie.

"Well, good. Mama and me are wantin' to look for some flowery paper to hang in both places."

"Ok. If that's what ya'all think'll look good in there."

"So you ain't gonna go shoppin' to help pick it out?"

"Nope. First of all, I trust ya'all. Ya'all've got a lot better taste than I do about decoratin' rooms. Secondly, if I went, I'd probably get into an argument and I don't want that. Thirdly, my opinion is just that. An opinion. Ya'all'd buy what ya want anyways."

"We might not."

"Ya'all ain't gonna trick me into shoppin'. It just ain't gonna happen. But ya'all might wanna say something to the contractor before he goes to the expense of finishin' the walls some way ya'all don't want."

"What do ya mean?"

"Well, if he puts a glossy paint on the wall ya'all are gonna paper, then it'll have to be sanded before the paste will hold to it. If he puts a rough finished on the wall, then it'll really have to be sanded a lot before ya'all can do anything."

"Oh. We hadn't thought of that."

"You're welcome."

"What?"

"I just saved ya'all some time. So your thanks is welcome."

"You're pushin' it."

"Yes, dear."

"Don't start."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrrr."

She turned to Bonnie and they talked about papering the two rooms. Us guys chatted about other things and sort of just tuned them out, as I'm sure they did us.

It was about a half an hour later when Bonnie turned to me and asked, "Dean, when are you gonna hook up that stove on the back porch?"

"As soon as I can get into town so I can get some copper tubin'."

"Well, we're gonna need it real soon. We're gonna start cannin' some things and it'd be a lot cooler to do on the porch than in the kitchen."

"We've got to pull the shaft on the one baler tomorrow, so maybe we'll get some when we go to town, if we have to."

"How long will it take after you get the tubin'?"

"Oh, probably thirty minutes or so."

"Is that all?"

"Yep. I just need to cut the gas line in the basement and run it up to the stove. There'll be a "T", two shut off valves and connectors for each end. That'll do it."

"Ok. Well, whenever you can get to it."

We all chatted until it started getting dark and then went inside to watch the news. There wasn't much on the news, but we watched the weather. There was a chance for some showers towards the end of the week, but that was about all.

Jamie and Dianne said their goodnights and then Jimmy and Bonnie did the same. I got a kiss from all the girls and Cammie and Donna helped me close up and turn out the lights. Then we headed for bed.

Once we used the bathroom, Cammie, Donna and myself snuggled into bed. I think we were all a bit tired from the trip and excitement, so it didn't take us long to drift off to sleep after a bunch of kissing and cuddling.

The rooster woke me and I remained still as a grin came to my face and I reflected on how great my life was. The rooster, while he may be annoying to other folks, was a peaceful reminder that I was back home and away from the rat race that I had once called my life. He was like music to my ears.

The second crowing woke up Donna. She kissed on my neck and I turned my head to kiss her as I began to tease Cammie's nipple. Once Donna released my lips, I turned to Cammie and began to kiss her neck and ear. She moaned and turned to kiss me and then kissed Donna. Then I got a kiss from both of them again.

We finally broke and made our way to the bathroom. Cammie was the first there and claimed the throne as Donna patiently contented herself in my arms, kissing me. Once Cammie was done, Donna took her spot on the throne and Cammie came into my arms. By the time it was my turn, I had to sit down because there was no way it would bend far enough not to dampen the new tile.

We washed up and then got dressed. Then Donna headed to the barn while Cammie and I headed to the kitchen. I got four pots of water going, one for grits and three for coffee. Then I began to grind the coffee. I set the six presses out, with their lids next to them and emptied each grinding into one of the pots.

Once that was finished, I began to slice the sausage for frying. Cammie was working on the biscuits. By the time I had the sausage sliced, one of the pots was boiling. I took it over to one of the press pots and poured it in and then refilled it and put it back on the stove. I stirred up the grounds and put the lid on and pressed it halfway down. I did this to the other two pots of water I had going.

By then, the first press had steeped enough and I poured the freshly brewed coffee into a regular coffee pot and took it to the dining room. I lit three pot warmers and went back for the other two I had brewing. I transferred the coffee to regular pots and took them to the dining room.

I went back to the kitchen and asked where I should pour the grounds out. Cammie told me just to leave it and her mama would take care of it. Dianne came in and gave me a kiss as I was retreating to the dining room. Just as I sat down, Jimmy and Bonnie came in.

Jimmy joined me and poured himself a cup of coffee and we sipped our coffee as the women took care of the kitchen. I got the three other pot warmers out and lit them to be ready for the other pots that were coming.

We chatted until the kids came back and I got a kiss from the girls after they washed up and delivered the eggs. The kisses from Charlene and Deanne were really passionate and I thought Deanne was going to probe my throat with her tongue.

The kids joined the conversation and we chatted until the breakfast was brought out. Then we dove into the food. While it was the same fare we had eaten in Atlanta, this just tasted better. The grits were better; the biscuits were lighter, the butter was better. Everything was just plain better at home.

Once we finished eating, we scooted back and went after the coffee.

"Dean, this system is easier than the bags," Bonnie said. "I'm glad we don't need to wash the bag anymore and it's a lot easier to empty the grounds into my garden bucket."

"I'm glad ya'all like it. I just wish I'd found them before."

"Well, I don't know if it's my imagination or not, but I think it does taste some better too."

"Well, sure. You ain't tastin' any of the bag in your coffee anymore. It's just pure coffee."

"I guess. But I actually like these gadgets of yours."

We chuckled at that and then chatted about today's list of things that needed to be done. Then I heard some vehicles coming up the lane and I went to check. It was the contractor and I went out to meet him. We chatted and I told him I liked what had been done so far. I also told him that the women were thinking about putting wallpaper up in both new rooms downstairs.

"Don't say anything. I told them they needed to talk to you about it so you didn't finish the walls the wrong way. I don't do wall paper and this is their project."

"Gotcha. I'll act surprised when they come to me. Plus, I'll hold off on the walls for now. But ya'all need to stay out of the new bathroom today. We're gonna be finishin' up the tile in there. It'll be ready so ya'all can use it tonight, but the grout needs time to dry."

"Not a problem. I'll tell 'em."

"Have ya'all picked out a fireplace yet?"

"Nope. We'll try and do that tonight."

"Ok. No problem, but I'd like to get it ordered as soon as possible in case it needs to be ordered from the factory."

"I'll work on them tonight."

I walked back inside and told them to stay out of the new bathroom for the rest of the day because they were going to be working on the tile. They said they would. Then Cammie asked if I had said anything about the wallpaper. I told her I didn't think that it was my place to say anything since it was her and Bonnie's project. I got an "urrrrr" from her and I went back to sipping my coffee.

When we finished the coffee, us guys headed for the corral. We got our tack and I got the stallion saddled and then rounded up their horses so they could do the same.

Once we were all ready, we headed towards the pastures. We had decided to put them in the next pastures towards the south. They hadn't been used since we sold the last herd and they were in good shape.

Jessie rode ahead to open the new pasture gates while the rest of us headed into the first pasture. Jimmy and I headed to the back of the herd and Jamie took the north flank to force them to the gate. We got them moving and Jessie was at the gate to move them in the right direction.

Once they started out the gate, Jamie went out with them to help get them in the next pasture. Jimmy and I kept pushing them out so the kids could move them on. Once we had the bulk of them moving towards the gate, I went back to look for any strays and hold outs. I found several batches of them and worked them one group at a time. Once I got them moving, Jimmy would pick them up and take the rest of the way to the gate and I'd go back for another.

When we had the last group out, I went back for one more inspection. I didn't find any, so I headed for the next pasture.

Jimmy and Jamie were already inside and I went to the back to help get them moving. We worked this pasture the same as we had the other one and we soon had them moving to the new pasture. I did my usual checks and found some. I moved them towards the gate and Jimmy picked them up. When we had all I could find, we closed up this pasture and went to check on things in the new pasture. Jessie said he'd counted them as they moved through the gates and both herds were all there. With that bit of news, we headed back to the house.

We were almost back when we heard the dinner bell ring. We got to the corral and unsaddled the horses and brushed them out before turning them out. We went to the back porch and washed up before heading for the dining room.

The soup and sandwiches were welcome. Working cattle is still a job and you can work up a good appetite. We also worked up a good thirst. We went through the iced tea like we had been in a desert. The soup helped too, but it was mainly the tea that quenched our thirst.

Cammie asked what we were going to do this afternoon and I told her we needed to work on the baler to get the shaft out and see what needed to be replaced. She said she'd talked to the contractor and he had asked about the fireplace. I told her we could try and decide on that tonight, after dinner. She agreed and we worked on our coffee and rested up a bit.

Once the coffee was gone, us guys headed for the equipment shed. We went to work on the shaft of the baler and got the shaft and bearing housing pulled out. I knew we were going to need a new bearing, but I wasn't sure about the shaft. Just a little bend can really put things out of whack. This was the baler that Jimmy said felt like it was coming apart when it discharged a bale. So we loaded everything into the pickup and cleaned up some for our trip to town. I grabbed the checkbook and told the women we were leaving and we headed for Elmer's.

"Hey, look who it is. The traveler who leaves us high and dry for a singer."

"Hey, Elmer. How's it goin'?"

"Busy for this time of the year. Seems like everyone's gettin' ready for this cuttin' of hay."

"Yep, that's why we're here. I'm pretty sure we're gonna need a new bearin' on this shaft, but I ain't sure if the shaft's bent or not."

"Well, let's take a look see."

Jamie and I followed him back to the shop where he cleaned it up and got to inspecting it.

"Dean, it looks like the bearin' was eatin' into the shaft. You could probably get by with this shaft for this cuttin', but it's gonna need to be replaced pretty soon."

"Well, ain't no sense puttin' a bearin' on a bad shaft. Do ya have one in stock?"

"Nope, but I can get one here by the end of the week."

"We'll need a bearin' too."

"It'll be on the shaft."

"Works for me, Elmer. Jamie caught this when he was servicin' the equipment last week."

"That's a good catch, Jamie. This thing coulda broke right in the middle of the field."

We walked back to the counter and he wrote up the order and then put it through on the computer. He got a confirmation back and said it would be shipped on Wednesday and be here on Friday about 10. I thanked him and we headed out.

Our next stop was at the hardware store. I got the tubing, fittings and valves for the gas line and then we headed home.

We went to the equipment shed and covered all the parts with a drop cloth to keep the dirt off of them and then covered the opening on the baler to keep anything from building a nest in there. Then we went to the workshop.

I got the tubing cutter and the flaring tool, along with the Teflon tape and other tools and headed for the house. I made sure that no one was using any gas before I shut it off at the tank and asked Bonnie if the stove was where she wanted it. She said it was and I went downstairs and found where the line came in and followed it over to where I thought the stove would be on the porch.

I sent Jimmy and Jessie up to the porch and had them drill a small hole behind where the stove was sitting. I watched the bit come through the ceiling and it was a bit too close to the joist. I hollered up for them to move about two inches to the west and drill with the big bit I had given them.

While they were doing that, I used the tubing cutter to cut the gas line. After that, I put the tubing in the flaring vice and lined everything up. Then I used the actual flaring tool to put the flare in the end of the tubing. Once that was done, I looked at it and promptly cussed and got the tubing cutter and cut the flared portion off. Then I put a connection nut on the tubing and flared it again.

I got the other end fixed up the same way, but with only one flaring, since I did put the nut on first that time. Then I uncoiled some of the new tubing and pushed it up through the hole Jimmy had drilled. He captured it and I went upstairs with a nut, a valve and the flaring tool. I installed a valve before it got to the stove and then hooked up the flexible line to the stove.

Then it was back downstairs and I hooked up the other valves, one for the line going up to the stove and one going to the other gas appliances. Jamie asked why I had put a valve upstairs and down here for the same line. I explained to him that if there was ever a fire, we might not be able to get to the one behind the stove. He thought and then nodded that he understood.

Then I got some soapy water and checked all the connections after I turned on the gas at the tank. They checked out just fine. I lit the pilot on the water heater and we were back in business. I made sure the stove on the porch worked before I told the women it was ready to go. I didn't want them thinking it was all right when I hadn't checked it out. I'd never be able to live it down.

It was about 3 and too early to quit for the day. I told the guys we should move the feeding troughs and hay rings before we have to feed. They agreed and we headed to the equipment shed. We only had one tractor that was hooked up with a fork on it, so we hooked the trailer to the other tractor.

Once we were in the old pasture, Jimmy used his tractor to place the feeding troughs on the wagon. Then he picked up the hay ring with the forks and we drove to the pasture where the herd was now. We deposited those in there and then did the same thing with the other pasture.

Jamie and I drove back and unhooked the wagon and hooked up the spreader. Then Jamie worked the feed bin chute and loaded up the spreader. When we got the pasture, Jessie already had the gate open and we discharged half the food in those troughs and went to the other pasture and put the rest in their troughs.

We got back the shed and I washed out the spreader with the hose and we headed for the back porch to wash up. Then we took some iced tea to the porch to wait for supper.



-------

Chapter 8

We had just about finished the pitcher of iced tea when they called us for dinner. We trooped to the table and sat down for a feast. The women had fixed some beef ribs and they were tender and delicious. Along with that, we had salad, homemade noodles, gravy, peas from the garden and finally some apple pie. It was a fantastic meal, but then all of them seemed to be like that.

Once finished, we scooted back and sipped our coffee. We chatted about things and Bonnie thanked me for getting the stove on the porch working. She was going to start preparing jars for canning tomorrow. She told us we had a really good crop of tomatoes and more on the way. She was going to can tomatoes and tomato juice first. She also asked me if us guys could bring the crocks from the basement because she'd be starting on pickles pretty soon. I told her we'd be happy to do that, but I asked if it wasn't a bit early for pickles.

"These are gonna be very small pickles. I'll probably make the sweet ones first and leave the larger ones for the dill, spicy, and pickle-lily."

I just nodded and was glad all I had to do was to bring the crocks up. I remembered doing this when I was growing up. The first year we were in the country, Dad had planted a ten-acre garden without telling Mom. Mom thought he had leased the land out and didn't ask any questions when she saw the old gentlemen plowing with a team of mules, then discing the garden. When she finally got around to asking, Dad told her it was all for us.

He had had planted an acre of tomatoes, all at the same time. He did the same with cucumbers, green beans, peas, banana peppers and onions. Plus, Mom was pregnant with my sister. She delivered just about the time everything came ripe. I spent that summer picking all morning and washing diapers all afternoon. I was seven at the time and it wasn't a fun summer for me. We didn't have an automatic washing machine. We had an old agitator type washer and two separate washtubs and a wringer that would swing around for each place. The wringer had to be operated by hand. Of course there was no dryer, so everything had to be hung on the line. That was also my job. In those days, women were restricted as to how much they could do after giving birth.

Dad had managed a debit insurance company and traveled a five county area. He bought up every Mason jar he could find and every lid to fit them. We lived in that area for five years, then we moved to another location for two years and were living in another location a full year before we used up all the pickles and tomatoes we had canned that first year. Needless to say, we never had another garden like that. That year, we also supplied potatoes to the entire area. Dad had planted two acres of them that fall. I won't ever forget that and will never make that mistake if I can help it.

We finished our coffee and I took the fireplace catalogs to the front porch. Jimmy sat with me while I went through them. The women cleaned up the kitchen and dinner dishes, while the kids went to the barn to do the chores.

I thumbed through the catalogs, looking for the requirements I had placed on the purchase. It had to have a firebox that accepted logs of at least eighteen inches and it had to be free standing. I also wanted to have an air circulator built in to it so it would heat a fairly large area. Some of them are made so the outside can be covered with most any material a person would want.

I concentrated mostly on the Buck Stove catalog, but did look at the others too. I did want to be prepared for the women when they put their "wants" in play. I knew I was in for a long night, but it was just one of those things that a man has to go through to keep his women happy. It just goes with the territory.

The kids made it back from the barn first and joined us on the porch. Then the women came out from the house and took a seat. We chatted for a bit and then the conversation turned to the fireplace. I was asked if I had made a decision and I told them about the ones that I favored. That set off a flurry of thumbing through the catalogs to find them. They looked at my selections and nodded and then began asking me about others. We were having to pass the catalogs back and forth, so I suggested that we move to the dining room table.

The females and myself were the only ones that moved. The rest of the guys stayed put. I looked at them, probably with a pleading face, as if to ask if they were going to support me. Jimmy just chuckled and said, "This ain't our war."

"Thanks a lot," I replied, as I walked through the door and headed for the table.

The women were busy going through the catalogs and marking the pages of the ones they liked. As I looked at each one, I told them the problem with each of their selections. This was not going well at all.

"Ok, let's try and shortcut this process," I told them, in an effort to try and avoid future, lengthy discussions. "The fireplace has certain requirements."

I listed the requirements for them and explained the reason for each one. They listened attentively and nodded, almost like them bobble-head dolls. I think I would have probably got a better reaction by talking to the wall. At least I wouldn't have those frustrated looks on their faces staring back at me.

"Why does it have to be so large?" Cammie asked.

"So we don't have to have the wood cut up so small and it will produce a warmer fire."

"But the ones you've picked out are so plain and ugly. Can't you pick something that has a little bit of imagination in it?"

"Darlin', the outside can be covered with about anything ya'all would want. I'm really not all that concerned with what it looks like. My main concern is how efficient it will be."

"Hell, if we let it to you, we'd probably have some ol' pot belly stove in there."

"I wouldn't go that far, but they can produce some pretty good heat."

"Nooooooo. Tell me you didn't say that. We want somethin' that is pretty and stands out. Somethin' that will be the center piece of the room."

"Ok, what kind of exterior do you want on the fireplace?"

"Well, we all kinda like this one with the white marble on it. And the one with the black marble would be our second choice. We could even live with one that had a brick front on it. But just that plain black is ugly."

"Ok, well let's take a look at what we can order in exterior coverin's for the firebox."

I went to the back of the catalog and found the selections. They hadn't even seen that portion of the book, but just concentrated on the pictures.

"Now, remember. There is gonna be a brick hearth and brick on the wall in back of the fireplace."

"What kind of brick?"

"Well, we hadn't discussed that yet. I suppose we could select any pattern we want."

"The hot tub is gonna be green and ever'thing else is planned around that. Could we get a white marble front and a hearth that would go with the carpet and a wall in back to match that?"

"How about a gray-green slate for the hearth and cream colored brick for the back wall?"

"Well, the slate would be ok for the hearth, but I don't wanna have a cream colored wall behind it. What else could we have behind it?"

"I think there's a place that specializes in fireplace surrounds, including the hearth and mantles. Why don't I look some stuff up on the computer and see if ya'all would like anything like that?"

I got instant agreement on that and fired up the computer. I did a Google search and found what I was looking for. I told them a lot would depend on what the contractor could get and could actually do. They kind of decided on colors and the type of stone they wanted. It would be more of a field stone look, which was fine with me. That also meant it took the emphasis away from the type of fireplace and put it on the decoration. I'd have to talk with the contractor tomorrow.

"Ok, can we settle on this fireplace?" I asked, and then pointed it out to them.

"Well, if we can get the kind of outside we want, yes," Cammie said, speaking for all of the women.

I breathed a sigh of relief and got a dirty look from Bonnie and Cammie. But I didn't care. I had avoided one catastrophe.

We went back to the porch and joined the conversation there. Us guys thought we should check on the calves tomorrow and be sure they were doing all right in the new pastures. After that, we really didn't have a lot to do. We didn't need to work on the equipment since Jamie had serviced it all while I was at the show. The new shaft for the baler wouldn't be in until Friday, so we couldn't do any work on that.

Jimmy suggested that we work on some of the wood we had left on the side of the road and finish cutting it up. Then maybe we could start splitting it. That sounded like a lot of hot work, but it needed done, so we agreed on that if it wasn't too hot. No sense in killing yourself in the heat.

We chatted on the porch until it started getting dark and then we went inside to watch the news. There wasn't much on the news that interested us and the weather was the same as it had been last night. We finally shut the TV off and Jamie and Dianne said their good-byes.

Jimmy and Bonnie stayed for a bit and then said their good-byes too and headed to Jimmy's place. Chrissy, Charlene and Deanne came to me for their goodnight kiss and Donna and Cammie helped me close up and turn off everything.

We slipped into bed after our time in the bathroom. There was a bunch of kissing and caressing and then we slowly drifted off to sleep. I hadn't worked hard physically, but I guess I had worked up a bunch of tension anticipating the argument about the fireplace. I was exhausted and sleep came easy.

I awoke to the sound of the rooster and gently began to tease Cammie's nipple. She moaned as I kissed her ear and I felt a stirring behind me. Donna moved up a bit and began to kiss my neck. Then Cammie turned her head and we kissed. She sucked my tongue into her mouth and then penetrated my mouth with her tongue.

When we broke the kiss, I turned my head and Donna moved closer to kiss me. Her tongue was teasing my tongue as she pressed her body to mine. Then Donna moved to kiss Cammie and they centered themselves over my body. I took advantage of the situation and caressed and sucked on their tits.

When that entanglement broke up, we all headed for the bathroom. Once finished in there, we got dressed and headed for our morning duties. Cammie was working on the biscuits while I put water on for the coffee and grits. I ground the coffee and put the results in each of the new presses. Then I sliced the sausage for frying.

When I was done with that, the water was boiling and I filled three of the presses with hot water and put more water back on the stove to boil. I stirred the grounds in each press and pressed the plunger halfway down.

At that point, Bonnie showed up and began to get the grits cooking. I kind of backed away and waited for the coffee to steep. Once I was satisfied it was ready, I poured the coffee into three coffee pots and carried two of them to the dining room.

Jimmy had the pot warmers out and lit, so I put the pots on a warmer and went back to the kitchen for the third. When I got back, I poured myself a cup of coffee and joined Jimmy in sipping our coffee and I lit my first.

Dianne showed up and joined the women after giving me a quick kiss on her way by. Jimmy and I chatted about getting the wood cut and I told him we wanted to get the herds checked out first before it got too hot for the horses. He agreed and then the kids showed up from their chores.

I got a kiss from the girls after they washed up and put the eggs away. They joined in the conversation and until the breakfast was brought out. Then we all shut up and stuffed our faces. Once we had eaten every thing in sight, we scooted back to sip our coffee.

I was on my third after breakfast cup when I heard vehicles in the lane. I went to the door to check and saw it was the contractor and his crew. I grabbed the fireplace catalogs and headed out to greet them.

"Well, I finally got a conditional approval on one fireplace."

"That sounds like it might be good news."

"Actually, it all depends on you. They want to have it enclosed and covered with a field stone that will go with the green that is gonna dominate the room."

"Well, that is a different way to go. What did ya'all have in mind?"

"I found a place on the web site that has a lot of different designs and one of them had this composite stone that was made to look like field stone. They said they could make it to almost any color we would want. Would it be possible that ya'all could lay it if we order it?"

"I'm sure we could, but could I make a suggestion?"

"Sure. I'm wide open if it will get this process settled without anymore shoppin'."

"Well, there might be a bit more hasslin' about colors, but we might be able to keep it to a minimum. There's this guy, over in the next county that has an abundance of old stone he's collected. He goes around to buildin's that are bein' torn down and salvages all the masonry. Then he cleans it up and sells it. It's actually a lot cheaper than gettin' the new stuff and might even be cheaper than the composite stuff you were lookin' at."

"They was wantin' a hearth made of the same stuff and some type of mantle."

"That won't be a problem. He's got mantles of all descriptions and even more hearths. Some of them we might have a problem movin' 'em in here 'cause they're so big and heavy. If ya'all could take some samples of the stuff they've selected over there, I'd be willin' to bet they'd find somethin' they like."

"What about gettin' it laid?"

"Not a problem at all. I've got this one guy I contract with and he's a master mason. He can do wonders with stone."

"Hell, it's sure worth a shot. I'd give almost anything if I didn't have to be involved in this. But I don't see a way out of that. Do you think you could give him a call and then we could go over there?"

"I'm sure of it."

He went to his truck and got his cell phone and made the call. They chatted on the phone for a bit and then he asked me if tomorrow afternoon would be all right. I told him I'd best check with the women and walked quickly to the house.

"Bonnie and Cammie. Are ya'all free tomorrow afternoon to look at some stone for the fireplace?"

Cammie looked at Bonnie and she said, "I guess. We were just gonna get ready to do some cannin', but that can wait."

"Ok, thanks."

I went back outside and told the contractor it was fine. He relayed the message over the phone and told him he'd give us directions. Then he hung up. He grabbed a clipboard from the truck and wrote out directions and handed it to me.

"He'll be expectin' ya'all after lunch tomorrow. It's about a forty minute drive from here."

I thanked him and told him I'd check with him a bit later to get the sizes we'd need. He said he'd be around.

I walked into the house and put the directions on the desk and went back to work on my coffee. It was silent for a bit and then Cammie said, "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Aren't ya gonna tell us about where we're goin' tomorrow?"

"To some guy's place who has a bunch of used masonry for sale."

"Used? Why can't we get new stuff?"

"Because he has this stuff all cleaned up and it's a whole lot cheaper than any stone we'd have to have cut for our purposes. Besides, all stone is actually used, regardless of where you get it. It's been used by whatever was at the place they mined it from."

"What all does he have?"

"Hearths, mantles, stone of all kinds and other things that come out of old buildin's that were bein' tore down. He cleans 'em up and resells 'em."

"That might be kinda neat," Chrissy interjected.

"Ya, it'll bring some history into the room," Charlene said.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't be too bad," Cammie finally said, after she thought for a bit.

"Ya," Bonnie put in, "we could get one of them real old mantles that ya see in pictures of old houses. Then we could put all kinds of stuff on it to make it look like we've just stepped back into history. I remember this one house, back where I used to live. They had this huge fireplace and a stone mantle. There was one of them wind up clocks that chimed on it and us kids would always wait for it to chime ever' time we went over there. They also had a couple kerosene lamps hangin' on either side of a big mirror."

I could see where this was going and I really didn't want to be in the center of it. This hot tub room started out as a simple thing for the family to enjoy and it was turning into an elaborate decorating project. Oh well, I would just help with the stone selection and then let them do whatever they wanted. I really didn't care what the put in there, as long as I could get to the whirlpool.

I finished my last cup of coffee amidst decorating chatter coming from the females. I nodded to the guys that we should leave and we scooted back and quietly left. I'm not sure the women even noticed our absence.

We walked down to the barn and got our tack. I saddled the stallion and then rounded up their horses. Once they were saddled, we headed for the pastures. Both pastures checked out just fine. The calves were grazing and grudgingly moved out of our way as we rode through them. They all appeared to be in good shape and seemed none the worse for wear from the tornado.

The creek was up to normal, or should I say back to normal. It had been both up and down from the lack of rain and then the abundance of rain in one night. But it appeared to be about normal now.

I suggested that we should check the other pastures while we were out to see if there was any damage to them. The rest agreed and we started on our rounds. There were a few trees down, but they didn't affect the fences. We would need to deal with them, but that could wait. Our next order of business was to get the wood cut from the trees that were down by the roads. No sense in anyone else getting to use them. We cleared the road so we should get the wood.

We got back to the barn and brushed the horses down before turning them out. Then we headed for the tool shed and I sharpened the saws. Jessie went to get Bonnie's tractor, with the wagon, and pulled it up by the door so we could load what we needed. I mixed up a two-gallon container of two-cycle gas and set it on the wagon. I also put the cordless drill with a couple stones in the toolbox on the tractor. It always helps to touch up the chains whenever we refuel. Jamie got the sideboards for the wagon so the wood wouldn't roll off and we put the stakes in the slots. We were just about ready to take off when the dinner bell rang. Jessie shut the tractor down and we walked to the house and washed up.

As we sat down at the table, Cammie told me the contractor wanted to talk with me this afternoon. I told her I'd see him before we went out to cut wood.

We had our soup and sandwiches and then sipped our coffee. I asked Cammie to make us some tea so we could take it with us this afternoon. She said she'd fix a big thermos jug for us and put some extra ice in a small ice chest.

After I finished my coffee, I went looking for the contractor. I found him and he asked if I was wedded to the one fireplace I had picked out. I told him I wasn't but the women had agreed on it and I didn't know if I wanted to change at this point and risk another round of trying to decide things.

"Well, for a couple hundred extra, you could get a much bigger one, plus it has more blower capacity for heating."

He showed it to me and it had a twenty-four inch wide firebox and a two horsepower motor to blow the air. In addition to that, we could put additional vents other than the ones that were mounted on the actual fireplace. That sort of made sense for the large room we were going to heat.

I asked him how much of a change he'd have to make to the current structure if we got that one. He told me that it wouldn't make a difference except for running any additional vents. I thought about it and then took the catalog inside and showed it to Cammie and Bonnie. I told them what he had told me about the additional vents and how it would help in heating the place and they thought for a bit and said it was ok.

I know my mouth dropped open, but I tried to cover and said I'd tell the contractor. As I was walking out the door, it hit me. They weren't the least bit interested in the fireplace, just how it would look and how they could decorate it. It sort of made sense to me, but I tried not to think about it too much. A man could really wreck his brain trying to figure women's methods of deciding things.

I told the contractor that it was a go on the larger fireplace and he told me he'd have the critical measurements for me before he left this afternoon. I thanked him and headed for the tool shed so we could get to cutting some wood.

We started on the south crossroad and got that area cut up. There were four trees that we cut up. Some of the logs took both Jimmy and myself to muscle up on the wagon, but that beat trying to split them in this weather when they were green.

Next we tackled the western road that ran in front of our place and Jamie and Dianne's. There were seven trees there and we had a full load of wood when we got done with that stretch. We decided to dump the wood at Jamie's place, with the tree we had cut up over there. That would keep it out of the way of the contractor and his crew.

Then we headed for the northern road and cut the five trees there. On Jimmy's road, the eastern boundary, we only had four trees on it. We got them cut up and took the back way, through the farms to Jamie's place and dumped the final load of wood. None of these trees were huge trees. They weren't nearly the size of the one that was next to Jamie's place. I'd guess the biggest one was about eighteen inches in diameter. But it would all burn good.

We got back to the tool shed and put the tools away. The clock in the tool shed read 4:15, so we decided to feed the calves. We had drained the iced tea Cammie had sent with us, but we still had some ice, so we each had some ice water. We were sweating something fierce and needed to keep putting fluid in.

Jessie parked Bonnie's tractor and I got the tractor with the feed spreader on it and Jamie worked the feed bin chute to load the spreader. Jimmy and Jessie took off with the other tractor to get the hay taken care of.

Jessie had the gate open when we got there and the calves were learning the feeding routine. They were waiting for us to spread the feed and moved in behind us as we spread it in the troughs.

Once we were done, we headed home and put the equipment away and hosed out the spreader. Then we walked to the back porch and washed up. The women were just putting the meal on the table and we were starving.

We all dug into a large roast with all the trimmings and stuffed ourselves. Then we had our dessert and followed it with coffee.

Cammie reminded me that I needed to call Denver about the Saturday meeting. I got the phone and made the call.

When I got Sharon's extension, I said, "Hehehe, it's me again, darlin'. Hehehe."

"Dean, you'd best quit that. One of these times I'm not gonna recognize your voice and you'll be gettin' a call from the police."

"You always recognize me. I can't fool you no more."

"If you don't stop, I might do it just for spite."

"You ain't that mean."

"I can be. Did you arrange a meetin' with Dianne's folks?"

"Yep. They're waitin' for me to call 'em and let 'em know what time on Saturday."

"I talked with Fred and we should be in Batesville about noon, so it'd be about 1:30 before we get to your place. Is that all right?"

"Yep, it sure is. Ya'all wanna stay for supper?"

"Nope. We can't. Fred's gotta a meetin' later on that night, so we have to come right back."

"Are you still plannin' on takin' the girls with you?"

"Yep. We'll pick take 'em when we leave."

"We'll have 'em ready for you. So we'll see you on Saturday, about 1:30."

"That's the plan."

"Ok, darlin'. See ya'all then."

I hung up and told everyone that they'd be here about 1:30 on Saturday afternoon and would be leaving as soon as they got business wrapped up and were taking Charlene and Deanne back with them.

"Well, plan on barbecuin' some steaks on Saturday," Bonnie said. "I'm hopin' Allen and Fran will stay for dinner and then we can all go to the Grange hall."

"You mean that's still goin' on?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes it is and you're not gonna get out of takin' us all out on Saturday night. So just forget any excuses you might have worked up."

"Yes, Dear."

The guys giggled and earned a "look" from Bonnie.

"The contractor gave me this for you," Cammie said. "He said you'd know what it was."

I took it and it was the dimensions of the fireplace. He had a note on the bottom that he'd have a rough sketch in the morning. He'd work it up on his computer this evening. I got up and put it with the directions so I wouldn't forget it tomorrow.

We finished our coffee and the women cleared off the table and the kids headed for the barn and chores. Jimmy and I headed for the front porch and chatted about various things. When the kids came back, Donna started to sit on my lap and stopped.

"You really need a shower."

"I know, darlin'. But I was waitin' until bed time in hopes I could get someone to take one with me."

"Not until you get the stink washed off."

"Dern, and I was so hopin'."

The girls all laughed and everyone found a seat, away from me.

The women came out and joined our conversation and changed the subject to the fireplace. That was about the last thing I wanted to talk about, so us guys formed our own little group. We chatted about things that needed to be done.

We still needed to cut up the trees next to the pastures that we'd found today. I also thought we should take a good look at our hay fields to see if we were close to our next cutting. They agreed to that and we figured we could do that tomorrow after we cut up the trees.

We chatted until dark and then went inside to check the weather. Nothing had changed, so Jamie and Dianne said good night and left. Bonnie and Jimmy stayed for a bit and then said their good nights and headed home.

"Before you even think about comin' to bed, you need a shower," Cammie said, after they left.

"Yes, dear. I know. I'll have to use the old bathroom and then I'll be headed for bed. The hot water will probably help my tired ol' muscles too."

"I hope so, but I'm really interested in gettin' shed of that smell."

"Well, I was hopin' I could get some company in the shower," I said, with a grin and knowing there wasn't a chance in hell of that happening. I just smelled too bad.

"Just go and get the stink off."

We closed up and turned everything off and then I headed for the bathroom. The shower did help the sore muscles and it washed the stink off, with a lot of help from the soap. I dried off and then headed for the bedroom.

The girls must have been tired too, because they we waiting for me, but were barely awake. Working on a farm will do that to you.

We got our kisses and caresses in and then slipped off to sleep.



-------

Chapter 9

I slept pretty good but woke with some stiff forearms and shoulders. Operating a chainsaw for several hours will do that to you. Normally, a person wouldn't cut like that. With a normal operation, a person would cut until a tree was cut up and then change activity to splitting or loading. Anyway, I was just not used to that lengthy stint of nothing but cutting. But it'll probably get me back in shape.

I teased Cammie's nipple and kissed her neck. The second crowing woke Donna and she moved even closer to me and began to kiss on my neck. Cammie moaned and turned her head to kiss me and then I turned my head to kiss Donna. Those two then kissed and I scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Not all the liquid I drank yesterday had been sweated out.

They followed me and took their turn on the throne. Then we got dressed and headed for our morning routines. Cammie began to work on the biscuits while I got the water on the stove and ground the coffee. Then I sliced the sausage for frying and waited for the water to boil.

Once it was boiling, I filled three of the presses and filled the pans and put them one the stove for the next three pots. I stirred the grounds and then put the lids on and pressed them half way down. As I waited for them to steep, Dianne came in and I got a kiss from her.

Once I figured the presses had steeped enough, I poured the contents into regular coffee pots for the table. Then Bonnie appeared and began to furiously work on breakfast. I took two pots to the dining room and then returned for the third.

Jimmy had the warmers lit and we each poured ourselves a cup of coffee. We chatted until the kids came in from chores and then they joined the conversation after pouring themselves each a cup of coffee. We decided that we'd cut those trees up and then I'd have to be back to get ready for my dreaded shopping trip to the stone guy. The rest of the guys decided that they'd check out the hay fields and see when we'd need to start mowing.

When breakfast arrived, we all dug in. All of us guys seemed to be starved and acted like it as we ate and grabbed for biscuits. Once the food was gone, we scooted back and sipped our coffee.

I heard the vehicles in the lane and went to see who it was. The contractor and his crew had arrived and I went out to meet him. He handed me a CAD model of the fireplace and he said that any stone could be substituted. I thanked him and allowed him to get to work while I returned to the table.

I gave the drawing to the women and they immediately cleared a place on the table so they could absorb its contents. Before I could say anything, Cammie said she wasn't sure she liked this kind of stone. I repeated the contractor's words about any stone being used and that seemed to calm her. Us guys just quietly worked on our coffee.

I asked Cammie if she would fix us a thermos of iced tea and she didn't even look up. Finally, Donna said she fix it for us. I thanked her and we went back to sipping our coffee.

Donna brought the thermos to the table along with a small cooler with extra ice cubes in it. Us guys finished our coffee and headed out. Cammie and Bonnie didn't even look up from their studies to notice that we were leaving.

We walked to the shop and I touched up all the chains. Jessie got the tractor with the wagon and we loaded everything on board and headed out.

It didn't take us long to cut the trees up at all. The biggest tree was probably only twelve inches in diameter and we made quick work of them. Then we loaded it all on the wagon. The entire job probably only took about an hour and a half.

Since it was still early, we decided to check out the hay fields on the way back. All of them were in the same condition. We would need one more good rain and then some sun to them dry off and they'd be ready to cut. The tops just weren't quite ready yet and the long dry spell hadn't helped. If we got rain this weekend, then maybe by the middle of the week we'd be cutting.

We headed to Jamie's place and dumped the wood off. Then we headed for home and the shop and put the saws and gas away. Even with the little amount of work we'd done, I had worked up a good sweat. It was getting hot and the humidity was up. That was generally a good sign that we had some rain on the way. I was all for it.

We all walked to the house and they stayed on the front porch while I headed for the bedroom and the old shower to clean up. I wasn't as smelly as I was yesterday, but I'd never attract any bees.

Once I showered and got into some clean clothes, I headed for the front porch with the guys. We chatted for a bit and then were called to lunch. It was a bit early. I'm positive that it was because the women wanted to get an early start, but I didn't say a word about it. Mama only raised one dummy and she was living somewhere else.

We sipped our coffee while Bonnie and Cammie went to change. I don't know what they were expecting, but a person really didn't need to dress up to go to buy stone.

When they came out, I asked them if they had the samples of the hot tub and carpet. They retreated and got the samples and I got the directions, the drawing, and the dimensions. I just knew this was not going to be a fun afternoon.

I followed the directions and it took us about 45 minutes to get there. The guy was working around the shack that he called his office. I introduced ourselves and told him why we were there. Then I showed him the drawing and dimensions of what we were looking for. I asked the women for the samples and they handed them to him. He took a look and said he had several lots that would probably work and motioned for us to follow him.

I know that the women were not fully appreciating this "shopping" trip. We walked through dust and weeds as he led us from one stack of stone to another.

About the forth or fifth group, I saw a large piece of stone that would be just perfect for a hearth. It was huge and I wasn't sure how we'd ever get it in the house and set, but I really liked it. It was about six inches thick and a good four feet long. I said something about it and he got the samples from his pocket and put them on the stone. The women studied it for a bit and said they kind of liked it but wanted to see some more selections. He led us around and I found another piece of stone that was close in color to the hearthstone I'd liked. It was about six feel long, four inches thick and about eighteen inches wide. It would make a perfect mantle. Or at least I thought so.

I said something about it and the women studied it for a bit and said they'd like to keep looking but they weren't ruling it out. He led us over to a pile of old cobblestones that were varying colors. They ranged from light tan to a greenish gray. I asked him if there was enough there to do the outside of the fireplace. He said he had a bunch more of that and he was in the process of cleaning it up. He was sure he had enough to do what we wanted. Cammie and Bonnie looked at it and said they thought it was too thick. He explained that it would be set like brick and they'd only see the front side of it.

Their next question was about the mortar, only they didn't use the term mortar. They used the term "middle stuff." He told them whoever set the stone could mix the mortar to any color they would like and could match any color scheme they wished.

"Could we see some of that stacked on that big hearth stone?" Cammie asked.

"Sure can," he replied and he and I picked up about six stones each and carried them over. He stacked them up like they'd be when they were set and the women stepped back to study it.

"Ok, now can we see those stones on that mantle we looked at before?"

"Yep."

He and I lugged the stones over there and set them up. Once again they stepped back and studied things.

"I just don't know," Cammie said. "Let's keep lookin' around some before we decide.

I'm quite sure we saw every piece of stone in that entire place, at least once and probably four or five times. They studied things from all different angles and we had to carry stones back and forth so they could try and envision them in our new room.

It was well after 3:30 before they made up their minds. They finally decided on the stuff I had picked out 30 minutes after we were there. I think my arms were probably a couple inches longer from toting those stones around all afternoon.

He said he'd mark the stuff for us and he'd work with our contractor to make sure there were enough of the cobblestones to take care of the project. It had been a very long afternoon.

We didn't get home until around 4:30. I suggested that we go out to eat and both of them had already had that idea and had told the girls not to start anything for supper.

We got home and I had to wash up to get the dirt and sweat off of me. Jimmy and Jamie had a grin on their face as we walked up on the porch. I knew they were enjoying the hell out of my suffering. I really couldn't blame them because I'd do the same thing if the roles were reversed.

We had to take two vehicles to town because there were too many people for the van. We had to wait a bit at the barbecue place so they could get some tables pushed together to accommodate our group.

Supper was just that, food to eat. We all ate our fill from the buffet and put down a lot of iced tea. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. Dianne had to visit with her friends, since she used to work there, and we took it all in stride. We got back home a bit before 7, and hustled to get all the chores done.

With Deanne and Charlene at home this week, the boys were able to go with Jimmy and myself to feed the calves. A couple extra hands makes a lot of difference when it comes to getting things done.

For a change, the women were sitting on the porch when we returned from feeding. They were usually finishing up in the kitchen. Us guys took a seat and joined the conversation.

Unfortunately, it was about our trip to the stone place. I really had wanted to avoid this, but it seemed that fate was going to push me into it. Bonnie and Cammie were describing all they went through to find what they wanted. I really tried to look interested and be supportive, but I guess I was failing at that.

"Even Dean got involved in our shoppin' and seemed like he was enjoyin' it," Bonnie said.

I really tried to stay out of it, but they just kept pushin'.

Finally, after about four comments, I was asked a question. I probably should have just agreed and passed it off, but it just ain't in me to lie like that.

"He was actually helpful in our selectin' the stone," Bonnie commented. Then added the coup de gras, "Weren't you, Dean?"

"How do you mean helpful?" I asked, when I really should have just nodded.

"Well, you were with us ever' step of the way and commented about what you thought would look good."

At that point, there was still hope and I could have probably gotten off with a nod. But I guess I just have a serious flaw in my character, because I said, "If you mean that I followed ya'all around for over two hours and lugged stones all over the place after I had found what ya'all finally decided on, then I guess ya'all are right. In reality, we could have been out of there about forty-five minutes after we got there. Ya'all spent the rest of the time just wanderin' around lookin' at things that there wasn't a chance in hell would ever make the final cut."

"Well, we had to make sure that was the best selection for the room," Cammie brought up.

"Besides, we did end up with YOUR selection," Bonnie put in.

"If ya'all were gonna end up with my selection, then why did ya'all wander around that place until we wore a rut in the ground goin' back and forth to all the selections there?"

"Because we had to check ever'thing out," Cammie snapped back.

"But we'd already found the perfect combination of stone, hearth, and mantle. Why did ya'all keep on lookin'? It was like ya'all just kept pickin' at a scab to see if it would bleed."

"No we didn't. We just needed to see if there was anything better," Cammie came back.

"But we must have seen ever'thing four or five times and ya'all just kept on wanderin' around like we were lost in some kind of maze and couldn't find our way out."

"You just don't get the idea behind shoppin', do ya?"

"Shoppin'? No. Buyin'? Yes."

"But we can't buy until we find out if it's the best thing there."

"No, you won't buy until you've checked out ever' possible thing there is to see. There's a big difference. I was shoppin' until I found what we were lookin' for. After that, I was just wanderin' around, followin' ya'all in hopes of not havin' to spend the night there."

"Now you're just blowin' things way out of reality. We didn't spend that much time there."

"Darlin', we found what we finally bought thirty minutes after we got there. Another fifteen minutes and we'd've been done and on our way home. But ya'all spent the next two hours just moseyin' around those piles of rocks. And for no reason that I could see."

"The reason was because we didn't wanna be rushed into choosin' something when there might have been somethin' better for us to choose."

"So ya'all spent better than two hours just verifyin' that we'd made the right decision in the first place?"

"Well, yes we did. So what? We might've found somethin' that was a lot better."

"But ya didn't. We wound up with exactly what we'd selected after thirty minutes of searchin'."

"But we might've."

"Ya'all just don't trust your instincts. When ya'all know that somethin' is right, why do ya'all keep lookin'? Are ya'all that unsure of yourselves, or are ya'all just plain nosey?"

"That's unfair. We didn't know it was the right thing until we checked out ever'thing else."

"It's not unfair. It's an accurate description of how we spent the afternoon. This is why I don't go shoppin' with ya'all. Ya'all just ain't satisfied until you've snooped around the entire store, even if ya'all have already found what ya came for."

"But we might find somethin' else we need."

"If ya'all needed it, it would have been on your list to buy."

"Well, we might've forgot to write it down."

"Then, what ya'all really need to do is to make sure ya'all's list is complete before ya'all go shoppin'."

"No. What we need to do is to get you to understand that this is the way we shop. Lots of times we've found things that we really needed, but just hadn't written it down."

"Like I said, make sure your list is complete."

"But we might not know we need it until we see it."

"Then, it's not a need, it's a want."

"Now that don't even make sense."

"Yes it does. It makes perfect sense. Ya'all make a list of your needs and then go around the store to search for somethin' you might want."

"If we want it, then we need it."

"No. A need is somethin' that you have to have to complete what ya'all are doin'. Like, if you're thirsty, you need a drink. So you go to a stream and get a drink. But then you find a pretty stone and decide you want it. The stone is not a need, it's a want. The water was a need."

"Well, what if the stone was somethin' we'd been lookin' for but just couldn't find before."

"Then that's a discovery. Still not a need. If it had been a need, ya'all would've been lookin' for it instead of doin' somethin' else and gettin' thirsty."

"Urrrrr, you just don't make no damn sense at all. You just don't understand about shoppin'."

"Yes, I do. That's why I don't go shoppin' with ya'all. I understand it perfectly and avoid it at all costs."

"But that's somethin' that we could share."

"Ok, I'll share that if you'll share guttin' a deer."

"Now that's just plain stupid. That makes me sick."

"And shoppin', or what I call meanderin' around a store with nothin' in mind, makes me sick."

"Urrrrrr, why are you like that? Why can't you enjoy things that we can do together?"

"Because it's an exercise if futility. Ya'all may enjoy wanderin' through the aisles of a store and seein' what all they have, but I don't. I go to the store. I buy what I need and leave. Ya'all can't seem to leave until you've determined the entire inventory of that store. Maybe ya'all should get a job as inventory takers. They's a big demand for that kind of work."

"It's not an exercise. It's a thing we do to check if we need somethin' else."

"Now we're back to needs and wants. They're two different things."

"Urrrrr, this has gotten way out of hand. All of this because we wanted to see what other stones the man had and maybe find somethin' better than we'd selected."

"But there wasn't anything better, was there?"

"No, but we didn't know that until we'd looked."

"And looked how many times?"

"It don't matter. We still needed to check ever'thing out."

"Darlin', we checked out ever' stone that man had several times."

"No we did not."

"Yes we did. The place wasn't that big and I know we were at each pile at least three times."

"But, we needed to be sure."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrrr."

By that time it had started to get dark and we headed for the living room to check out the news and weather. They were still calling for rain for the weekend and maybe all weekend. Once that was done, Jamie and Dianne and Jimmy and Bonnie said their goodnights and left the rest of us.

I got goodnight kisses from Chrissy, Charlene and Deanne and then they headed for bed. Cammie and Donna helped me close up and turn off everything. Then we made our way to the bedroom and got ready for bed.

We snuggled up and we all kissed and caressed each other and then slowly drifted off to sleep. It wasn't long in coming for me.

The rooster woke me and I began to caress Cammie's nipple and kiss her neck and ear. She moaned and the second crowing woke Donna who snuggled up next to me and kissed my neck.

Cammie turned her head and we kissed and I continued to tease her nipple until it was long and hard. She moaned as I gently pulled on just the nipple and stretched it out some. She put her hand over mine and clutched it to her tit, and holding my hand so I didn't work on her nipple.

When she released my mouth, I turned my head and Donna took over. Her tongue went wild in my mouth and she pressed herself firmly against me. I could feel her nipples boring into my body and she draped her leg over mine.

When we broke our kiss, the girls embraced and glued their mouths together. I slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Our activities had gotten me so hard, I had to sit down. It just wouldn't bend down far enough.

They came in and used the throne while I washed up. Cammie said that the next two nights were going to be taken up with Charlene and Deanne so they could have some time with me before they returned to Denver. I nodded and made my way to the bedroom to get dressed.

We all headed for our assigned duties and I got the water going and coffee beans ground before I began slicing the sausage for frying. Dianne and Bonnie showed up at the same time and began to do their thing in the kitchen.

I hung around until I had the coffee made in the first three pots and then carried them to the dining room on two trips. Jimmy had the pot warmers lit and we each poured ourself a cup. We chatted about what needed to be done today and it was mainly just routine stuff.

The one thing we needed to do was to check on the plows. We would sharpen the shares and then put a light coating of grease on them so they wouldn't rust until we needed them again. It was a bit of a pain, but it lengthened their lives. We would need to wipe the grease off before we plowed again, but that was a lot cheaper than buying new shares.

The kids came back from chores and I got a kiss from the girls after they washed up and put the eggs away. We filled the boys in on what we had discussed and they agreed with our priorities. We chatted and sipped coffee until breakfast was brought in. Then we fed our face and all talking stopped.

Once we had eaten, we scooted back and sipped our coffee and chatted. Bonnie reminded me that I had to bring up the crocks and I said I would. She also needed some of the bags of salt and sugar from the basement. They were going to start making pickles today. Once the crocks were full, they were going to start canning tomatoes. The females would all be very busy today.

I heard the contractor's vehicles come up the lane and went out to meet them.

"Did ya'all find what ya needed out there?"

"Yep, about a half an hour after we got there, but the women kept me there until after 3:30, just nosin' around."

"Been there, done that. It's just the nature of the beast. They can't leave anyplace without seein' ever'thing there is to see."

"Well, we picked out this hearth stone, but I don't know if you'll be able to get it in or not. It's huge."

"Not a problem. We can always take a couple uprights down so the Bobcat can get through to set it."

"I gave him the specs, but I almost think that big stone needs to be cut so it will fit around the firebox."

"That won't be a problem neither. He's got a wet saw out there and it will make quick work of it. I'll pay him a visit after we get the fireplace in. Then we'll know for sure."

"We also found a hell of a mantle. That's gonna take a lot of support to hold it up."

"What kind of stone did ya'all find to use as a wall?"

"They're like old cobblestones."

"Then the mantle won't be a problem. I'm sure they'll support the weight of the mantle."

"I'll get ahold of my mason and tell him what to expect so there won't be no surprises. He'll probably make a trip out there and make some suggestions after he's been there."

"Works for me. Hopefully, that'll be the last shoppin' trip I'll have to go on for this project."

"What about the wallpaper?"

"I done tol' 'em that I wasn't involved in that."

"I hope you're right. I just hate to shop for wallpaper with women. They never know what they want and the really don't know that they've found what they want until they've seen ever' sample there is."

"You got that right. It's just a waste of good time."

I left him and went back to the dining room and worked on more coffee. Once we'd depleted the coffee, we headed down the basement and got the crocks, salt and sugar that Bonnie said she needed. Once that was all up, she sent us back down to get a bunch of quart jars and lids. The back porch was almost full of crap by the time we headed for the equipment shed. I was really glad I wasn't going to be involved in their activities.

When we got to the equipment shed, we organized things. We had Jamie and Jessie taking the shares off. Then Jimmy was using a wire wheel to clean them off. It's a lot quicker than using a wire brush, plus it gets any rust along with the dirt. Then I took over on the grinding wheel and touched them up. Some of them had some pretty big chinks to grind out. But that comes when you've got a lot of rocks in the ground.

We had one plow completed, and were working on assembling the second when the dinner bell rang. We shut everything down and washed up at the shop so we didn't bother anything on the back porch. I make it a rule never to disturb anything the women are working on. It's just easier to live that way.

Lunch was good, and pretty quick. The women were busy and didn't want to spend a lot of time away from their canning. Us guys drank our coffee and quietly headed back to work on our project.

We finished up all of the plows and set them aside for when we would need them in the fall. Then we looked around for what else we could do to keep ourselves away from the house. It finally got so bad that we actually cleaned up the workshop, including sweeping the floor, using the shop vac on the workbench and power tools. We had everything put in its place, in the order it was supposed to be in. All tool groups were together, largest down to the smallest, in order. Oilcans were full and cleaned on the outside. All tools were inspected for any sign of rust and then coated with a very light coat of oil to protect them. All moving parts were greased or oiled at the joint and then wiped off so it didn't drip on our clean workbench. Pencils were sharpened and put away. Screws were put into their proper containers and nails were sorted the same way.

We put a drop of oil in the pneumatic nailer to keep the insides from drying out. The compressor was cleaned and oiled, and the hose was coiled properly. We even took the broom outside and cleaned it off after we finished sweeping. Anything to stay out of the women's way.

We were actually starting to look for something else to do when we decided to feed the calves. That took the better part of 45 minutes and then cleaning the equipment took another 15 minutes. Then we thought about just hiding out, but the dinner bell rang and we headed for the house.

When we got there, Cammie said that I needed to start the grill so I could cook the hamburgers. We went around to the back and I got some charcoal from the porch and started the grill. I quickly snagged a Dos Equis for Jimmy and myself and a pitcher of lemonade for the boys.

When the fire was ready, Donna brought out the hamburgers and I put them on the grill. I got a quick kiss from her, but then she disappeared back inside.

It didn't take long to grill the burgers and then we headed inside. We had to step carefully on the porch so we didn't knock anything over. I sat the burgers on the table and then washed my hands in the bathroom.

Supper was hamburgers with onions and tomatoes on top, a salad, potato salad, green onions, and baked beans and stewed tomatoes. The beans had to be from a can because I knew the stoves had been used for canning. But I didn't care at all. Everything tasted wonderful and we ate everything in sight. As we sipped our coffee, I told the girls that Jimmy and I would work on the chores so they could finish up with the canning. Bonnie thanked us and we finished our coffee before heading to the barn.

Jimmy and I took care of the feeding and Jamie and Jessie took care of the milking. It really didn't take too long and then we lugged the milk can up to the springhouse. We walked around the house to keep from interrupting the women and sat on the front porch and chatted about tomorrow.

We would need to get the shaft from Elmer tomorrow and get the baler back together. Then we'd just wing it if there wasn't anything else we could think of.



-------

Chapter 10

The sun was setting before the women made it to the porch. Bonnie asked if we would put the jars they had canned down the basement tomorrow. I asked her why we didn't do it tonight and she told me they had to cool first. I told her we would do it first thing after breakfast tomorrow.

Then Donna asked when we were going to get more peeps. Bonnie joined the conversation by saying that the current crop of chickens was just about ready to start butchering every Sunday so we could have fresh chickens.

I told them we could place an order when we went to town to get the baler shaft tomorrow. They seemed to accept that. We already had the peep area set up and we would just need to do a couple things before we put them in. We needed to keep the peeps away from the grown chickens and make sure the watering troughs were working. Other than that, everything was pretty much ready for them.

Bonnie also told us that Saturday morning we'd need to set up the table outside because Allen and Fran had agreed to stay for supper that night and then we could all go to the Grange Hall afterwards. I just nodded.

I asked Bonnie how they had done on canning and she told us they had eighteen quarts of tomatoes canned and about twelve quarts of tomato juice done. They had all the pickles soaking and they would be canned when they were ready. They were probably going to start on some green beans tomorrow.

She also said that after the pickles were done, they would be starting on their first batch of sauerkraut. The heads of cabbage would be ready about then. They would soak in the crocks until they were done and then would be canned and put away. They'd also be working on more tomatoes tomorrow and there were a lot more coming ripe by next week. She told me that we might not have enough jars.

"Are you tellin' me that you'll go through 576 jars this year?"

"Well, by the time we get through with this batch, we'll probably've used well over 100. The next batch will be at least that if not more. Then when we get into the dill and spicey pickles, we'll probably use just a couple hundred for them."

"That's amazin'. Well, if you see you're gonna run short, let me know and I'll order more. But give me enough time, 'cause they might be kinda scarce this time of the year."

"Well, a lot's gonna depend on our crop of cucumbers and cabbage. We use the most on them. But the tomatoes take up a bunch too. And that don't even count the peaches and apples and applesauce."

"Have you ever pickled onions?" I asked, just out of curiosity.

"Sure. But I don't know if we'll do that this year or not. They go real good on sandwiches and on a relish tray, but it takes a lot of time. I don't like to put them in with the pickles, but some folks do. I just don't think they've got the best taste and they kinda mess up the pickles too."

"Well, ya'all are the expert on that. I won't even pretend to know much about it."

"Good thing, or we'd have you out there cannin' right with us."

"I've done it before, but it's not one of my favorite jobs. The summer I was seven, that's all I did. Well, that and wash diapers."

"Really?" Cammie asked. "If you've done that, then how do ya prepare tomatoes for cannin'?"

"Well, the way we done it was to stick them with a fork and dunk 'em in scaldin' water for a count of five and then peel the skin off. Then we'd core 'em and they'd be ready to can."

"Yep, you've done it before," Bonnie said. "That's nice to know in case we get in a bind."

"Don't even think about it. Us guys will take care of the outside work and ya'all can take care of the cannin'."

"But we he'p ya'all with the new calves. Why can't you he'p us with the cannin'?" Cammie asked, I think just to be picking at things.

"I did help with the cannin'. I prepared the garden, bought the jars, put up the shelves and brought the jars up and am gonna take 'em back down. That's my part of cannin'."

"That took you what, a couple hours?"

"Just because I'm good and quick about doin' my part, don't mean that I didn't do my share."

"Right."

It was getting dark, so we all moved inside to check the news and weather. There wasn't anything on the news that was interesting. The weather girl said that the rain should start tomorrow afternoon. It would be coming from almost due west, so we should get it sometime around 2 or 3. This was a slow moving front and might hang over us for a couple days.

That was good news to me. We really needed a soaking rain for the crops. That last gully washer we had helped, but a lot of it just ran off. Down about three inches, it was almost dust. If it would stay around for a couple days and rain steady, I'd feel a whole lot better about our crops for the year. This was a critical time for them.

When the weather was done, Jamie and Dianne, along with Jimmy and Bonnie, said their good-byes. I shut the TV off and Chrissy, Deanne and then Donna came to me for their goodnight kiss. Charlene helped us turn everything off and close up.

I needed to take a shower, so I headed for the old bathroom after stripping down in the bedroom. I thought about asking Cammie and Charlene to join me, but I didn't need the rejection tonight and there was no sense in risking anything that would start an argument or serious discussion.

By the time I was ready for bed, Cammie and Charlene were locked in an embrace. I slid in behind Charlene and began kissing her neck and playing with the nipple I could reach. She moaned into Cammie's mouth and pushed her ass back when I snuggled up closer.

When they broke their lip lock, she turned her head and kissed me and Cammie moved her head down and captured Charlene's nipple. I used the opportunity to begin a milking motion on Charlene's tit and they both moaned.

Charlene finally rolled away from Cammie, giving us both more access to her body. As she kissed me, Cammie went to work on both of her tits, milking them and sucking on the nipples. The nipples lengthened and Charlene moaned as she became more aroused. Then Cammie moved between her legs and Charlene went wild.

Cammie must have bypassed any preliminaries and went right to her clit, because Charlene orgasmed almost immediately. She screamed into my mouth and her body arched as her legs wrapped around Cammie's head and the waves of pleasure rolled through her. She finally had to pull on Cammie's hair to get her away from her sensitive clit.

As Cammie moved back up to us, Charlene rolled her body to mine and draped her leg over my hip. Cammie moved behind her and caressed her as our kiss continued. She was breathing hard through her nose and I could feel her heartbeat in her tongue.

Slowly, Charlene pushed me onto my back and moved on top of me. We stayed like that for a bit, just kissing and caressing each other. She moved into position and I felt Cammie move away from us. Then Cammie was guiding my cock into Charlene.

I had forgotten how tight she was and it took several tries before she was fully seated on my pelvis. She moaned as she remained still as if to let herself adjust to the new sensation. She raised her head so she could get her breathing back to normal but kept her eyes closed. It had been a while since we'd been together and there were some sensations she was rekindling within herself.

Very slowly, she began to move and then lowered her head back down and kissed me. She was very tight and I was having to think of other things in order to keep myself from cumming too soon. This was for her and I wanted her to enjoy it.

When she had been moving for a bit, I felt Cammie move behind her and her hand began to gather wetness from our union. Charlene moaned as Cammie spread the lubrication around her asshole and moaned even louder when her asshole was penetrated by Cammie's finger.

Then Cammie moved closer and leaned in. Charlene moaned again as Cammie's clit penetrated her asshole. It wasn't long until Cammie orgasmed and I know she was squirting inside of Charlene. Both of them went rigid and Charlene began a small orgasm of her own. Her pussy clamped down on me for a couple seconds and I couldn't move inside of her. Then her fucking actions resumed.

Cammie was holding on to Charlene's hips and pumping in her short strokes. She had a look of determination on her face as she fucked her baby sister with her hermaphroditic clit. She wasn't big enough to take long strokes, but she was using what she had and both of them were enjoying it.

I fucked up at Charlene's down strokes, meeting her in the middle and then riding back down to the bed with her. I could tell she was getting ready to cum again as her breathing got ragged and she had to pull her mouth away for air.

It wasn't long in coming. She went rigid with a scream and then Cammie went rigid also. Charlene's pussy clamped tightly around my cock and I had to remain in place as she rode out her orgasm. This was a bigger one and it took her longer to release me so I could fuck her again.

I could feel myself getting closer than I wanted to be and I began thinking about anything so I could delay my end in this grouping. It's difficult when you have a fourteen-year old, beautiful female riding your cock and cumming while she is being fucked in the ass by the love of your life, who is even more beautiful.

I did manage to slow it down and finally get past it. I finally had to picture the dead calves I drug out of the stream, but that seemed to do it. The impending tickle slowly faded and we were back to our slow fucking.

It wasn't long after that when Cammie almost collapsed by our side. She was exhausted from her efforts and frequent orgasms. Hell, I would have been ready for a casket if I came as much as she did. But the multiple orgasm thing is not wasted on the women, like it would be on men. They can enjoy it and keep on going. Us men get soft and we're done with that portion of our body, at least for a while.

Shortly after Cammie collapsed, Charlene hugged her body close to mine and said she needed to be on the bottom. We slowly rolled over and she adjusted her legs and body so she was in the receiving position she wanted. Then I began my movements that were designed to bring us both pleasure.

Her hips matched my strokes perfectly. We would meet in the middle of the stroke and then ease down together, only to begin a new one. That lasted about two minutes and she began to scream into my mouth and then her pussy locked me tightly inside of her. This orgasm was bigger and her entire body was trembling as the waves rolled over her. Her fingers gripped deeply into the muscles of my back and shoulders and her heels pushed against my ass to keep me in place. I was thankful at that moment that she didn't have long fingernails or spurs on. It would have been very painful.

As her orgasm waned, she began to frantically fuck at me. She didn't say anything, but I knew it was a signal to finish. I began to fuck back at her with the same fury and I could feel my balls pull up tightly to my body. Once they were there, it was only a few strokes until I felt the tickle begin.

It started somewhere under my asshole and slowly spread for a bit. Then it gained momentum and raced up the length of my cock as I exploded against her cervix. She felt it and screamed into my mouth on each squirt. I don't know how many times I actually squirted out cum, but the contractions in my body seemed like they went on forever. Finally, I just rested against her cervix and let the rest of the cum ooze out of me.

She ripped her mouth away from mine and gasped for air. I was also taking huge gulps of air as the blood finally moved back to other parts of my body. As we both caught up on our depleted oxygen, her mouth sought and found mine. We kissed as I began to slowly wilt inside of her.

She rolled her hips up so I could maintain my presence inside of her, but the result was inevitable. She squeezed me out. I rubbed my wilted cock over the outside of her pussy and that brought more aftershocks for her to ride out. Finally, her legs collapsed and allowed me to roll to the side.

Cammie was right there to capture my cock with her mouth and clean me off. Then she moved to Charlene's pussy and began to suck out any cum that she could.

Charlene and I kissed and enjoyed the afterglow until Cammie moved up to kiss her. They shared the remains of our union between them and moaned as they did. I used that opportunity to ease myself out of bed and made my way to the bathroom.

They hadn't moved when I got back and I doubt if they even knew I had left. I slipped into bed and snuggled up beside them and kissed their ears as I caressed Cammie's back. That broke them out of their trance and they both kissed me. Then they both made their way to the bathroom.

When they returned, we kissed and cuddled until sleep claimed us and we assumed our positions for the night. I slept very good that night, in between two very lovely sisters.

The rooster woke me and I began to caress Cammie's nipple. She moaned and turned to kiss me. The movement in the bed caused Charlene to wake up and she joined our embrace. As they kissed, I moved from between them and made my way to the bathroom. They appeared as I was washing up.

When we were dressed, we headed to our morning duties. Charlene headed for the barn and Cammie and I went to the kitchen. I got the water on the stove and ground the coffee beans. Then I sliced the sausage for frying while Cammie worked on the biscuits.

Bonnie and Dianne showed up at the same time and I backed out of the way until the water started boiling. Then I made the three pots of coffee, refilled the pans and put them back on the stove for the next pots. I stirred the coffee in the presses, pushed the plunger halfway down and waited for them to steep.

Once I figured they'd steeped long enough, I poured them into the coffee pots and carried them to the dining room table. Jimmy had the pot warmers lit and we each poured ourselves a cup of coffee. We sipped and chatted about the upcoming day and what we wanted to accomplish.

We both agreed that the first priority was the baler shaft. We'd get that from Elmer and then stop at the feed store and order the peeps. After that, we'd install the shaft and see what else we had time for.

When the kids came back from chores, I got a kiss from the girls and then they each poured themselves a cup of coffee. We told the guys what we had planned so far and they agreed with us. We all chatted until breakfast was brought in and then we all stopped our conversation and began to stuff our faces.

Cammie and Charlene had their "I got fucked last night and I'm starved" breakfast. The rest of us quickly grabbed our share of the biscuits for fear of not being quick enough with those two on the prowl. After we had eaten, we all sat back and sipped our coffee.

Bonnie reminded me that I had promised to take the canned goods down to the basement this morning and I told her I would right after we finished our coffee. I heard the contractor and his crew drive up the lane, but I didn't need to see them for anything important, so I remained at the table and got my share of the coffee.

Bonnie asked me if I had any labels that didn't need tape. I told her I had a whole bunch of them for use in labeling floppy disks and CD's. She asked if she could use some of them and I told her she would be completely welcome to all of them. I walked over to the desk and got the labels out and gave them to her.

"These will work great so I can label when I canned things. That way we can use the older stuff first."

I told her to just make sure the jars were dry before she applied them. She looked at me like I'd said the most stupid thing in the world. I didn't say another word about it. Sometimes I do actually know when to shut up.

We finished our coffee and us guys went to the back porch to carry the jars down. I asked Bonnie where she wanted them and she told me to put them on the shelves we had taken them from. Then she told me her and the girls would rearrange things later on when she labeled them. I just nodded and we began to carry everything down to the basement and put them on the shelves.

Once that chore was done, we got ready to go to town. I stopped by to see the progress on the building and chatted a bit with the contractor. He told me that we could start using the new shower tomorrow night. They were sealing the grout on it today and it would be ready by then. I thanked him and then headed for the pickup.

We arrived at Elmer's place around 9:30. He told us the delivery hadn't arrived yet, so we headed for the feed store. I placed an order for 48 peeps. They said they'd be in towards the end of next week and they'd call us when they got here. I thanked them and we headed back to Elmer's.

The delivery truck was just pulling in when we got there. Instead of bothering him while he was checking stuff in, we walked over to the used equipment section of his display lot. We wandered around, not looking for anything in particular, but just seeing what they had. I was kind of glad the women weren't along because they would accuse us of shopping and that could be fatal for my argument of not shopping.

As we got to the back of the lot, I saw it setting there. I walked over to it and looked it over a carefully as I could. It was a log splitter that hooked up to a tractor and used the tractor's hydraulic system to power it.

The hoses looked almost new and the cylinder seemed to be in very good shape. Everything else had been painted, so it was difficult to say how hard it had been used.

"Ya know," I told the guys, "this would really cut down on our work splitting the wood we've got cut."

"Ya, we must have a couple cords stacked up there," Jamie said.

"Aren't those things kinda expensive?" Jimmy asked.

"The kind that have their own hydraulics are, but this uses the pump on the tractor to power it. There's no motor or pump to pay for."

"And that makes a difference?"

"A very big one. This would be about a third of the price of one of the self contained ones."

"Well, that would beat the hell out of usin' our backs to split that shit."

"Yep, Jimmy, it sure as hell would. Just don't ever mention that we found this by wanderin' around his lot. The women will accuse us of shoppin'."

The boys both laughed and Jimmy grinned and we all took a silent oath of secrecy. None of us ever wanted to be accused of the dreaded sin of shopping.

We saw the delivery truck pull away and waited for about twenty minutes before going inside. Elmer had the shaft laying on the counter and a ticket written up.

"Elmer, what's the story on that log splitter you've got out in the lot?"

"Oh, I bought that in an estate sale over at the McPherson's place in the next county. I took all of his equipment and that was included. I had to put new hoses and a new cylinder on it, so it's almost like new."

"How much you wantin' for it?"

"Well, I've had it here for about a year. Seems like everyone that needs a splitter either has one or they want on that works by itself. They don't like the idea of usin' their tractors to power the wood splitter. I've probably got a couple hundred in it, plus what it cost me. How about $250?"

"Does it harm the tractor's hydraulic system to use it on one of them?"

"Not if you've got a big enough tractor. Them that ya'all have would work just fine. I wouldn't use Bonnie's ol' tractor on it, but them others will work great. The one thing you need to watch is the fluid levels. Once you hook it up to the tractor, you'll probably need to bleed the lines the first time you use it. After that, it'll be just fine."

"That'll pivot so it stands upright, won't it?"

"Yep. It's a whole lot easier to split wood that way if you've got more than one person workin'. You don't have to be liftin' the logs up on the cradle. Just stand 'em up and then run the wedge down."

"How big a throat does it have?"

"I think it'll take logs up to 36 inches long. You don't need to split anything longer than that, do ya?"

"Nope. Just up to 24 inches."

"Well, that'll do the job. It beats the hell out of swingin' an axe or a maul."

"It would have to. That job should be reserved for teenaged boys lookin' to build muscles. Not us old men with sore muscles and backs that creak whenever we twist."

"I heard dat."

"Ok, well might as well put that on the ticket too."

"Ok, can do. You've got a pin hitch on your truck, don't you?"

"Yep. That shouldn't be a problem."

He wrote the ticket up and then asked if we needed anything else.

"Might as well check our account to see what else we owe you. No sense wastin' checks."

He pulled our account up and said that just the oil, grease and filters they got last week was on there. He totaled up everything and I wrote a check out. Then we backed up to the log splitter and he hooked it up for us and secured it with the safety chains and we headed for home.

It was almost noon when we pulled in to the farm. I dropped the splitter at the equipment shed and then we walked up to the house.

"What'd ya'all buy now?" Cammie said, as we walked in the kitchen from the back porch, where we had all washed up. The back porch was a maze of canning activity that had been abandoned for lunch. We stepped carefully so we didn't disturb anything.

"Well, thank you for that wonderful welcome home."

"Don't start. What gadget did ya'all buy now?"

"It's a log splitter. It'll make the job of splittin' up all that wood we've got a lot easier."

"How much was it?"

"It was cheaper than what ya'all are gonna spend on wallpaper."

"That's not an answer. We're doin' that ourselves."

"Well, we're doin' this ourselves."

"How much?"

"$250. And it's worth ever' cent. Now we won't have to break our backs swingin' a maul to split all that wood."

"You could buy a lot of wood for $250."

"Right, maybe for this year. But what about all the years to come?"

"I think it's goin' for about $80 a cord," Bonnie put in. "That would buy four cords. I don't think we'll burn that much this year."

"Well, if we burn two cords per year, it'll pay for itself in two years. Then it's all free, from that point. Besides, it's for us, not for ya'all."

"Ok," Cammie said. "Don't be questionin' how much we spend on wallpaper, or anythin' else. If you can have your toys, we can buy what we want."

"Darlin', I don't think I've ever said anything about how much ya'all spend. If ya'all want it, then it's fine with me. I can't recall anyone ever callin' me a penny pincher."

"Probably not. The way you spend money on things that we don't really need is almost a sin."

"Not if we need it."

"We coulda got by with maybe three of them presses, but you had to buy six."

"I was just tryin' to make things easier on ya'all, that's all. This way you don't need to empty 'em until after the meal is over. It's just to make things easier on ya'all. I'm always thinkin' of you women and how to make things easier."

"Damn, you are so full of shit that it's gonna lap over our boots here d'rectly. You bought them because they was a new gadget and probably 'cause they was shiny. You didn't have a thought about us when you was buyin' them."

"My how you talk. I bought them because I had never found them at any place I'd ever been. I just knew it would please ya'all and make a lot better coffee. All of my thoughts are always about ya'all."

"All right," Bonnie laughingly put in. "It's gotten deep enough in here. We appreciate your thinkin' of us, Dean. Now ya'all get to the table for lunch."

"Yes, dear."

I stuck my tongue out at Cammie as we walked out and everyone broke up. It was like I had gotten the last word in an argument between siblings and was rubbing it in. Even Cammie grinned at bit.

We ate our soup and sandwiches and then sipped our coffee. Us guys were talking about our priorities for the afternoon. The first was to get the shaft back in the baler and get it operational. Then Bonnie said we needed to get the table put up by the tree so we'd have shade. I reminded her that we were expecting rain, but she told me that it needed to be up in case the weatherman might be wrong. Then she added that he had been known to be wrong a couple of times. We told her we'd get it all set up just for her. She grinned and thanked us.

We finished our coffee and then headed to the equipment shed. We got the baler undraped and greased the entry point. Then we got the shaft from the truck and began to work it in. It's a long shaft with a spline on the end that has to mesh with the gears inside the baler before it will seat. Pretty much like fitting an axle into a rear end of the rear wheel drive cars. It took us better than a half an hour, but we finally got it seated after a bunch of tries and a lot of cuss words. A new seal was included with the shaft and we greased that up and installed it. Then it was just a matter of hooking it up to a tractor to make sure it was working properly.

I backed a tractor in and we hooked everything up and pulled it out of the shed to get it running. Once I engaged the PTO, the belts started running on the baler and it sounded a lot quieter than it had been during the last baling. Jamie checked everything inside the baler to see that it was running and then signaled me that it was fine. I shut the PTO down and backed it into the shed and unhooked it.

The next order of business was the table. I thought it was a total waste of time, but it was easier to put up than arguing with the women. I had Jessie get Bonnie's tractor with the wagon and he brought it around. We loaded everything we'd need on the wagon and he drove it up to the tree where the table was always set up.

This was almost getting to be a normal routine. All we had to do was to sort out what materials went where and assemble them. I used the screw gun to secure them and make them rigid with the one-bys underneath.

Once that job was done, we took our tools and the tractor back. It was a bit early to feed the calves yet and I really didn't want to get into checking out the log splitter. That would just play into the women's hands and we'd have a big "I told you so" when we got back to the house. So we decided to check on the chicken coop to make sure it was ready for the peeps.

Really the only thing that needed to be done was to sweep it out and get the brooders and the watering troughs set up. The heating portion of the brooders weren't needed during the summer, so they were just a place for the peeps to stay and huddle together. I sent Jamie and Jessie to get a couple brooms from the workshop while Jimmy and I made sure the gravity valve on the watering troughs were working properly. We'd put some hay down when we got them.

They returned with the brooms and we made quick work of cleaning out their section of the coop. Then we worked a bit on the section where the current chickens were residing. That didn't take too long either and I was worried we'd run out of things to do and we'd need to actually hide from the women.

We walked out of the coop area and headed for the shop when a strange pickup drove up the lane. He saw us and pulled over by the shop and we walked over to him.

He got out and introduced himself to us. It was the guy from the insurance company. He said he was sorry it took so long for him to get around to us, but he'd had a lot of claims from the storm. I told him that it was fine and there wasn't anything that was critical. We had fixed most of the damage so it wasn't deteriorating any farther. He said he'd need me and Bonnie to show him the damage. He and I walked up to the house and I called for Bonnie to come out.

He explained what he needed and she told him she didn't have time for that stuff and I could just take care of it for her. He nodded and told her that would be fine. There wasn't anything that was going to interrupt her canning.



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Chapter 11

The adjuster and I walked around to the new addition area. I showed him the lumber that had to be replaced. He made several notes and then asked if these people were going to be doing the repairs for all the damage. I told him that they'd be taking care of this place and the roof on my other building, but we'd be hiring someone else to do the barns. He made a note and then we headed for my pickup.

I drove over to Bonnie's place next and showed him the tree that had been taken down. He inspected the stump and how it had been twisted and remarked that there was no doubt it was a tornado. He took a measurement of the diameter of the stump and made his notes and then we headed to the next place.

I showed him the roof and then we went inside and I showed him the damage to the ceiling. He made notes on that and then we headed for the barns. He made his notes and asked a few questions. Then we headed for the pastures.

I showed him what portion of the fence had been taken down and he scribbled more notes. Then I told him about the two calves.

"I'm sorry about the calves. But they would come under crop insurance, not your homeowners."

I also showed him the trees that had been taken down next to the pastures and he explained that they wouldn't be covered either since they weren't close to a residence.

"I'm sorry I can't include them, but I can help some. I'm gonna write up that you need a new roof for the one house and a new roof for your house. That I can slip through with no problems. That should make up any difference on the stuff that we can't get through and part of the deductibles."

I thanked him for his help on the matter and then we headed back for the house. We took a seat at the dining room table. The guys joined us and I got Bonnie away from her canning so she could be in on this. He worked up his estimate on Bonnie's place first. He got his chart and looked up the loss estimate for a tree of that size and wrote it down on the worksheet. Then he subtracted the deductible and wrote her a check for the balance. It was over $500, just for the tree.

Then he started working on mine. He wrote down the dimensions of both of my houses and looked up the estimate for the size of the roof. Then he looked up the schedule for the cost of shingles and replacing the plywood underlayment and the roofing felt. He added in the cost of a full roof for the barn and a generous estimate of how much fence had to be replaced. Then subtracted the deductible and wrote me a check.

Next he turned his attention to Jimmy's losses. He got that squared away and wrote him a check. He was finished and on his way by 4:15, leaving us with our checks for the damage caused by the storm.

We put the checks on the desk and Bonnie headed back to her canning. The rest of us headed out to feed the calves. I got the spreader hooked up to the tractor and Jamie worked the chute on the feed bin and filled it up for me. Then we headed for the pastures. Jessie had the gates opened for us and Jamie operated the discharge chute. Jimmy and Jessie took care of the hay for each pasture. This was getting to be a routine and we had it down pat.

When we got back to the shed, I hosed the spreader out. We walked over to the workshop and washed up and then we headed for the front porch. We rested there until we were called for supper.

We had meatloaf, baked potatoes, green beans, green onions, salad and stewed tomatoes for supper. Then Donna brought out some apple dumplings. We were stuffed by the time we got to our coffee.

Bonnie told me that there were more jars to take down the basement tomorrow morning. I told her we wouldn't forget her. She also said that the labels worked just fine. I told her the next time I went to Searcy, I'd get more at the computer store or the Wal-mart.

We finished our coffee and then the women disappeared into the kitchen and the kids headed for the barn and chores. Jimmy and I talked about various things but mainly the insurance settlement.

"I ain't never seen an insurance adjuster be that generous before."

"He wasn't an adjuster. He was our agent and I'm sure he wanted us to be satisfied. He gets a lot of premium from us. And unless we have a claim, he don't do nothin' but cash our checks and keep some records."

"Ya, but still it's very unusual."

"I'll have to agree with you on that, Jimmy. But this is an unusual place we live. Folks around here take care of their own."

"I guess. What did he say about the calves?"

"He told me they'd only be covered under crop insurance."

"Should we have that?"

"If this drought keeps up, we might wish we had it, but around here it ain't normally worth it. The cost of the two calves wouldn't cover the cost of the insurance."

"I guess you're right. Maybe if we had a bigger spread it might be worth it."

"Well, if we had a different crop, like cotton or wheat or soy beans, it might be worth it, but with just cattle and some corn for feed, I don't think we need it."

"Ain't you kinda anxious to try out the splitter?"

"Kinda. But I don't wanna give the women an "I tol' ya so" excuse. I figure we'd wait until Monday and go work on the pile of wood we've got over there. It should go pretty quick."

"Damn, you are paranoid. Must be your advanced age. There was a time you wouldn't a cared what they thought."

"Yep, and there was a time I'd go out of my way to find a fight too. But them days is long gone. Nowadays, I just try and keep things on an even keel. The less hassle the better."

"I kinda agree with ya on that. So far, me and Bonnie ain't had no hassles, but I'm thinkin' the new ain't wore off yet. I'm almost afraid to risk seein' that redheaded temper come out."

"Worse than just redheaded temper. You have to add the Irish factor into the equation."

"Well, you seem to handle it fairly well."

"I try to keep 'em off balance so they can't work up a good head of steam. It's like lightin' a bunch of small fires to prevent a big 'un."

"I think I can see your point. God help us both if we ever let them build up a good head of steam. They'll roll over both of us."

"Like we were just a speed bump and they're drivin' a big pavement roller. It's not a pretty sight to think about."

"I heard dat."

The kids came back and the girls headed inside to help the women. Us guys chatted about various things and watched the storm clouds roll in.

It started off as a small sprinkle and built into a good soaking rain. It was late, according to the weather predictions, but it was still welcome. I just hope it stayed for a couple days.

The women came out and joined on the porch after a bit. Everyone was glad to see the rain and that it wasn't a big downpour. The only down side to the rain was that canning would have to be postponed until they could get back out in the garden. But, what was ripe wouldn't get any riper during the rain, so they wouldn't lose anything.

We chatted until the wind picked up and started blowing the rain onto the porch. We moved inside and chatted until the news came on. We watched until the weather was over. It didn't appear any severe storms were contained in the weather we were getting, just rain. That was a relief after our last bout with the weather.

Jimmy and Bonnie and Jamie and Dianne said their good-byes and headed home. The rest of us chatted for a bit and then I got kisses from Donna, Chrissy, and Charlene. Deanne helped Cammie and me close up and turn everything off.

I headed for the shower in the old bathroom. I had worked up a bit of a sweat and didn't want to take that to bed. By the time I got back to the bed, Deanne was kneeling between Cammie's legs and had her mouth glued to Cammie's pussy. I was sure her tongue was doing wonders on the inside since Cammie was writhing all over the bed.

Of course, that gave me an instant hardon. What man wouldn't be affected? I slipped in bed and kissed Cammie and played with her nipples as Deanne continued her orgasmic manipulations between her legs.

I stayed there for a while and it began to seem as if Deanne wasn't going to cease her activities and Cammie didn't look like she was going to call a halt anytime soon. So I moved behind Deanne and licked her pussy a bit. She was already wet and she tasted great.

I worked on her for a bit and determined that she wasn't going to get any wetter, so I positioned myself behind and began to lubricate my cock with her juices. She moaned and I rubbed over her entire pubic area. Then I began to work my way inside of her. It was tough going because she was so tight. Also, her position tended to make things more difficult to get in. But slowly I gained entrance and began to make short strokes until I was fully seated.

She was pushing back and moaning almost constantly. That seemed to set Cammie off even more. I guess the vibrations of her moans were finding the right spot on Cammie because she wrapped her legs around Deanne's head and began fucking back at Deanne's tongue that was buried inside of her.

I saw Cammie go absolutely rigid and arch up off of the bed as she rode out a big orgasm. That seemed to set off Deanne too, because her snapping pussy clamped down on me and I could barely move. I could only move when the snapping was the most open, and then just barely.

As Cammie came down, she gently pulled Deanne's hair to remove her from between her legs. Then Deanne concentrated on our fucking. She was pushing back as hard as she could on each stroke and I was bottoming out against the back of her pussy.

As her orgasm overtook her, she went rigid and her pussy held me in place. Her entire body quivered as the waves of pleasure washed over her. As she slowly came back to reality, she turned her head and told me that she needed to be facing me because she was going to fall if she stayed in this position.

I pulled out and she rolled over and spread her legs. I eased my way down on her and she guided me inside. Once I was seated, her legs wrapped around me and she found the position that gave her the most pleasure. Her legs were around my waist and she her arms were around my chest. Her nipples felt like hot little pebbles that were boring holes into my chest.

We began a slow fucking motion and our mouths came together as our tongues penetrated each other. I thought her tongue was going to slide down my throat, but she began to explore my entire mouth as we fucked. I began to move my tongue in and out of her in time with our fucking. That took her to new heights and she was soon on her way to another orgasm.

It was a pretty big one and she clung to me as it roared through her. She had to rip her mouth away so she could gasp for air, but hardly a sound came out of her mouth.

As soon as it was over, she moved her mouth back to mine and slid her tongue in again. We began our rhythm of serious fucking.

Even though I had a serious bout of fucking last night, she was getting me close. I had to divert my mind away from the fact that I was fucking a 14-year old woman to keep myself from cumming too soon. This was her last night here and I wanted to please her more than I wanted to please myself.

She went through two more orgasms before she whispered to me and told me she needed for me to cum in her. I almost came when she whispered that, but managed to hold off a bit.

Our fucking became more forceful and her hips were lifting her pussy up to meet each stroke of mine and then riding back down at full penetration. I could tell I was getting close and moved my position in her so I was coming to rest against her cervix at the bottom of each stroke.

That extra stimulation did it for me. The head of my cock bumping her cervix felt like a tongue on the inside of her pussy licking me and urging me to cum. And cum I did.

It rushed out of me and exploded against the mouth of her cervix. It was strong enough that I'm sure it was forced up inside and into her womb. She moaned into my mouth and her heels urged me to deliver more cum into her.

I expelled my entire load and my internal organs kept contracting in hopes of finding more to put out. Once I was sure I had no more inside of me, I rolled her hips up and tried to maintain my position inside of her as we kissed and bathed in the afterglow of a huge orgasm.

But nature ran its course and my concentration of blood left the affected area and migrated to the more necessary places in my body and my cock shrank to its normal size as she squeezed me out. We both moaned at the loss, but I stayed in position and rubbed her pussy from the outside with my wilted tool.

She finally dropped her legs and allowed me to roll to the side. Cammie captured my cock in her mouth and cleaned it before applying her mouth to Deanne's pussy and sucking out what cum she could. Deanne and I kissed as that transpired and I held her as she shivered through several aftershocks.

When Cammie had all that she could get, she moved up and kissed Deanne to share her treasure. Deanne locked her legs around Cammie and those two became lost in their own private world.

I used that diversion to slip out of bed and make my way to the bathroom and drain my tank and wash up a bit. I had worked up a good sweat during our activity. Once I had washed up, I put a bit of deodorant on and returned to the bedroom.

Those two hadn't changed positions since I had left. Cammie had her pussy and engorged clit at the mouth of Deanne's pussy and they were rocking gently to simulate actual fucking. I'm sure that Cammie's clit was inside of Deanne, but she was small enough that it made little difference. Deanne was still a bit stretched from me and had not shrunk back to a size that would grip her.

I slipped into bed and snuggled up next to them. I caressed Cammie's back and kissed on exposed areas of both of them. It took them a bit to realize that I had returned and then they included me in their embrace.

We kissed and cuddled and just generally enjoyed the afterglow of our lovemaking. Both of them took trips to the bathroom and, when they returned, we kissed and slowly drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to movement in the bed and tried to figure out what was happening. It was just barely getting light out so I couldn't see too well. As I concentrated more, I saw Deanne between Cammie's legs and the movement I felt was Cammie fucking at her face.

I began to caress Cammie's tit and she moaned and turned her head to kiss me. She moaned into my mouth as Deanne continued her tonguing.

"She's got her tongue way up inside of me," Cammie whispered, as we broke our kiss. "I can't believe how far she can get up there. She's ticklin' my cervix and it feels so great. She's gonna make me cum real soon."

I kissed her again and began to milk her tits. Then I moved my head down and began to suck on her tit as I continued my milking motion.

"Ohhhh, GODDDDDddddddd," she almost screamed, as her orgasm overtook her.

Her hips went into high gear and her one hand clamped my head to her tit and the other hand clamped Deanne's head to her pussy. Her body went rigid and she arched her hips and pulled Deanne even tighter as her orgasm continued to roll over her.

In the background, I heard the rooster crow but continued to work on Cammie's tits. She slowly came down from her orgasm and pulled Deanne's head away and then mine.

"God that was great, but we need to get up and get movin'," Cammie hoarsely whispered. "We've got company comin' today and we can't be doin' this."

Deanne moved up and kissed Cammie and then me. Then she moved back to Cammie and I used that as a diversion to get up and head for the bathroom. Those two joined me as I was washing up.

We got dressed and headed to our morning duties. Deanne went to the barn, after a kiss for each of us, and Cammie and I headed for the kitchen.

I got the water on the stove and ground the coffee. Then I got the sausage sliced. Dianne and Bonnie showed up as I was pouring the water into the three presses. I put more water back on the stove and waited for the presses to steep.

Once they had steeped long enough, I poured them into regular coffee pots and took them into the dining room. Jimmy had the pot warmers lit and we each poured ourselves a cup of coffee.

"Is it still rainin' out?"

"Yep. Not hard, but it's comin' down hard enough to use the wipers."

"How's the creek?"

"It looks fine. I don't think it's up any. At least I couldn't tell if it was."

"Well, this is what we've been needin'. I just hope it stays around for a couple days."

"Yep, we could sure use it."

We chatted until the kids came back and they joined us. I got a kiss from the girls after they washed up and put the eggs away. They each poured themselves a cup of coffee and joined our conversation.

We all agreed that there wasn't much to do with the rain coming down. The girls had to pack so they'd be ready to go back with Fred and Sharon. So their morning was already planned. Of course the other females would need to help. Us guys really didn't have anything that required our attention.

We chatted until they brought breakfast out. Everyone dug in and it was quite apparent that Cammie and Deanne were having their big breakfast. The rest of us took what we needed as soon as we could because we were sure there wouldn't be another chance to do so. Those two ate everything in sight before they scooted back to sip their coffee.

Bonnie reminded us to take the jars to the basement when we were done with breakfast. I told her we hadn't forgotten her.

"After that," I said, "I think us guys are gonna run into Searcy this mornin' and we'll get Jamie and Dianne's housewarmin' present."

"You ain't goin' shoppin' with out me," Cammie said, just as soon as the words left my mouth.

"Darlin', we ain't goin' shoppin'. We're goin' buyin'. I'm gonna stop at the computer store and pickup the computer we promised them for their place."

"That's still shoppin'."

"No it isn't. It's just gonna be a quick trip. Once we're there, I'll tell the man what we want and he'll get the boxes and we'll be on our way back home. There ain't no shoppin' involved."

"It still sounds like shoppin' to me."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but it just ain't. I don't do shoppin', remember?"

"So you say."

"Well, we probably won't spend more than 30 minutes up there and then we'll be on our way back home."

"You can't buy somethin' that quick. How are ya gonna know what color to buy?"

"It only comes in one color. Look at the other computers. They're all the same color."

"Well, they might have 'em in some other color by now."

"They've been on the market for years and this is the only color there is. It's not a fashion statement, it's a computer. The color don't make no difference in how it works, so they only use one color."

"They must be designed my men. Women would make more colors."

Almost everyone chuckled at that and I just shook my head. We finished our coffee and then us guys took the jars the women had canned yesterday down the basement. I had asked Bonnie if she wanted us to bring more jars up and she said that there wouldn't be any canning today and there was no sense in bringing them up where they could get broken.

Once we were finished with that chore, I grabbed the checkbook and asked Bonnie if she wanted me to deposit her check for her. She said that would be great, so I took her check and a deposit slip of hers and us guys headed to the van.

Our first stop was at the bank. We deposited all the checks and our next stop was the computer store. He had just opened up so there was not a crowd in there yet. I told him what we wanted and he began to assemble the components. He told that since we had bought our last computer, the memory had been increased, so Jamie's computer would have more memory than ours. I asked him if he had any individual chips we could increase the memory on our current computers and he said he had all we wanted. So I had him include the extra chips with our order. I also had him include four extra black printer cartridges in our order. Then we got a stack of CD's for Jamie and Dianne's computer and a bunch of labels for Bonnie to use.

Our next stop was at the Wal-mart. I got a case of paper for our printers and two big 3-ring binders.

"Why are you gettin' so much paper?" Jamie asked.

"Well, I'm gettin' tired of totin' them song books to the Grange Hall every week, so I'm just gonna print 'em one of their own."

"That makes sense."

We paid for our purchases and then we headed home. We were back by 10:30.

"I guess you're done with your shoppin' already?" Cammie said, as we walked in the house.

"I tol' ya, we didn't go shoppin'. We went buyin'."

"You can just take all the fun out of gettin' new stuff. Now what's all that crap you're bringin' in?"

"I got some extra paper and ink cartridges so I can print out the songbooks for the Grange Hall. That way I won't need to carry ours there all the time."

"See. You did shop."

"Nope, I just bought paper and ink cartridges and notebooks."

"That's shoppin'."

"Nope, that's buyin'. I knew what I wanted and I bought it. I didn't spend a bunch of time wanderin' around ever' aisle in the place, lookin' for what I might need in the future."

"You just ain't no fun at all."

She turned on her heels and went back upstairs to help the girls pack. I fired up both computers and pulled up the songbook files. One on each of them. I loaded the printers with as much paper as I could and then started them printing. Once I was sure they were running all right and had enough ink to last while we were over at Jamie's place, we went back to the van and headed out.

When we got to Jamie's place, we unloaded everything and proceeded to hook it up. We tested out all the various peripherals to make sure they were working and then turned everything off and headed back home.

Once there, I checked the printers and added more paper. Then I got my 3-hole punch and began to assemble the songbooks. I had to keep adding paper as it got depleted. Jamie and Jessie pulled the printed pages off once they accumulated enough. I punched the holes in the paper and Jimmy put them in the books. It was an efficient assembly line and we were done before lunch was ready.

We cleaned up the table so the women could put lunch on. It was soup and sandwiches, but, as always, it was great. This soup was beef, noodle and vegetables. The noodles were homemade and the vegetables were fresh from the garden. The beef was chunks of a chuck roast that Bonnie had browned and then put in the soup stock to cook. It was fantastic. Too bad they can't make canned soup like that. There'd be a lot more soup eaters if they could. Of course, the price might be prohibitive, but I'd sure pay the price.

We finished our food and then sat back to sip our coffee. We chatted about various things but mostly the fact that we couldn't do too much with the rain. We had all the equipment serviced, so that didn't need any attention and most everything else required dry weather.

As soon as we finished our coffee, the girls went upstairs to finish packing, while the women cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen. Us guys went out to sit on the porch. It was still raining, but the wind wasn't blowing so we weren't getting wet.

It was about quarter after one when Allen and Fran showed up. They parked by the house and made a dash for the porch to keep from getting too wet.

We said our howdys and Fran went inside to see the women. Allen pulled up a chair and chatted with us. We talked about the storm damage we had suffered and he said he'd got by pretty good. He had one corner of his barn roof torn loose, but was able to reattach it without any problems.

Then the talk turned to the new addition. We took him through the house and out to where all the building was going on. I showed him where the fireplace was going to set and told him about the fiasco with the stone. He just laughed and said he understood completely. Then we walked back out to the front porch and had just sat down when Fred and Sharon drove up.

They got out of the van and made a dash to the porch. I introduced them to Allen and then we went inside. They said hello to everyone and I introduced Fran and Dianne to them. They chatted for a bit and then Fred said they might as well get down to business. I guided the rest of the folks out to the porch to give them some privacy. But Allen asked if I would stay so I could translate the legal gobble-dy-gook. I told him I'd be happy to help.

The six of us sat down at the dining room table and Fred started going over the various parts of the contract. I explained things when Allen and Fran had a question that Fred couldn't answer to their satisfaction. I was able to put it in language they could understand. It took about a half an hour to get through everything and get to the signing stage.

Once they signed, Fred handed Dianne her check for the exclusivity clause and her per diem for today. She looked at both of them with her mouth hanging open. I doubt she'd ever seen that much money in one place before. Finally, she came back to her senses and thanked them.

I asked everyone if they wanted some tea. They all agreed that that would taste great about now. I got one pitcher for the table and took another pitcher with glasses and ice to the porch for the women. Once they saw we were finished with business, they brought their tea inside and took seats around the table.

Fred and Sharon drank their glass of tea and then said they really needed to be getting back. Fred had a meeting to attend tonight that he couldn't miss. Deanne and Charlene made a dash upstairs to get their luggage and lugged it back down so I could put it in the van they'd rented in Batesville.

There were hugs and kisses all around and then they climbed into the van and departed. Bonnie had tears in her eyes as they left, but managed to collect herself so she could be the good hostess.



-------

Chapter 12

Us guys settled on the front porch with some iced tea and the women headed inside so they could see all that the females had canned. Seems to me that one jar of tomatoes looks just about like the next. But I'm not a female and them things don't interest me.

We chatted about how the farm was going and how much we needed the rain. Allen asked when we were going to get our next shipment of calves and I told him it would be around the middle of July. He said to make sure to let him know and he'd come over and help out so he could see what all went into it. I told him we'd let him know as soon as we knew.

It was about 4:30 when Donna came out and said I should start making the ice cream and light the fire. Us guys headed for the back porch and I got out the fixings for the ice cream freezer. Donna brought out the canister and I set it in after putting a layer of chipped ice in. Then I chipped more, put salt in, and chipped even more. Once I had it filled, I plugged it in and it started churning.

Then I put the grill under the eaves so it wouldn't have rain coming down on the fire and filled it with charcoal and lit it. Jimmy had gotten the three of us a beer each and we stood around and watched the fire burn down and kept an eye and ear on the ice maker.

We sipped and chatted until the fire burned down and then Donna brought the steaks out. Before I could put them on, the ice cream maker stopped and I had to stop everything I was doing and unplug that. Then I drained some of the water out and removed the beaters and took them inside. I covered the bucket and canister with an old rug to insulate it and returned to the important task of cooking.

"How do you and Fran like your steaks, Allen?"

"She likes her medium and I like mine bleedin'."

"You got it."

I put the steaks on the grill and made sure to watch for flare-ups. I covered it after a bit and waited for the proper time to turn each one of them. I took the rare ones off first and then the mediums and finally Bonnie's well done came off. I covered the coals and picked up the meat tray and we all headed inside.

I put the steaks on the appropriate plate and then took the tray to the kitchen. The women were just bringing the rest of the meal in and I thought the table might collapse from the sheer weight of the food. Besides the steaks, we had a salad, baked potatoes with fresh made sour cream, stewed tomatoes, green onions, and green beans cooked my favorite way with onions and fat back. Then we had fresh baked bread, strawberry preserves, peach preserves, and iced tea. There was also coffee, but it had to be set on the sideboard since the table was full. If someone went hungry it would be their own fault.

We all stuffed ourselves and then Donna brought out apple dumplings and the ice cream to top them. I personally went back for seconds on the apple dumpling and ice cream. I had serious doubts about me getting in my jeans and being able to hitch up my belt and button my shirt tonight. Then we all sat around and sipped our coffee.

"Bonnie, this is great coffee," Allen said. "What kind of coffee do you use?"

"We buy the Eight O'clock bean and grind it here. We use so much we buy it by the case. But Dean is the one who deserves the credit for the good taste. He just bought us some coffee presses. I hadn't seen 'em before he brought 'em home. But that's what makes the coffee so good. There's no filter at all, just coffee and water."

"How do you keep the grounds out?"

"It's got a screen on the plunger to keep the grounds from gettin' into the coffee. Once it brews, we press the plunger down and then pour it into a regular coffee pot. He's kind of a nut about his coffee. Before we got these, he had us usin' cloth bags to brew the coffee in. He says, and I guess it's true, that since the water never boils when the coffee is in it, there's none of the oil that escapes and makes it bitter. It seems to work because do have good coffee."

"I've never seen one of them things neither."

I got up and brought a clean one in from the kitchen and showed it to him. He asked me where I got it and I told him about the place in Atlanta. But the shipment came with a catalog in each box, so I got him one of them and told him he could have it.

He examined the press and then looked at the catalog.

"So you have to empty this after each pot is made. How many pots do ya'all make in the mornin'?"

"We make six each mornin'," Cammie put in, "but he bought six of the presses so we don't have to empty them but once after each meal. He just has to have his shiny gadgets."

"Well, it does make good coffee. We use the same coffee but it don't taste near this good. We use one of them coffee makers with a filter. I thought it was pretty good until we drank this tonight."

"Allen, you shouldn't encourage him like that. He'll just keep buyin' things if you do."

"I don't think my sayin' anything would ever stop a man from buy his shiny gadgets. I know it wouldn't stop me."

"No, I guess not. You men are all the same."

We all had a chuckle and sipped our coffee. Allen kept looking through the catalog but kept up with the conversation.

Once the coffee was done, Bonnie said that the females had taken a shower this afternoon and us guys need to hurry so we wouldn't be late for the Grange Hall. I took that as my notice to get my ass in gear and get a shower and get dressed.

I excused myself and headed for the bedroom. It was a struggle to bend over with my full stomach, but I managed to get undressed and into the old shower. I took a quick shower and then knocked off what few whiskers I had and put some deodorant on. I was back in the living room in less than thirty minutes.

Jimmy had gone to his place to shower and Jamie was sitting there, talking with Allen. He was waiting for Jessie to get down so they could leave.

"Dean, I'm gonna stop at the bank and deposit Dianne's checks in our account at the night deposit thing on the way."

"Jamie, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Well, ya'all ain't married yet and I don't think it's a good idea to mix ya'all's money. Legally, she can't have a bank account without her parents' signature on it."

"She does have her own account, but we're gonna put her money with mine"

"Jamie, I know ya'all are hopelessly in love and ever'thing seems all rosy right now. But things can happen and it'll be much easier if ya'all keep your money separate until ya'all get married."

"Is that what you and Cammie do?"

"It sure is. She's got her own account and I've got mine. Now we can both sign checks on each other's account, but the actual account is in our own name. Settin' aside that ya'all could break up, if somethin' should happen to one of ya, the courts could tie up the entire account for years and the other one wouldn't be able to get their money out. Even though it was actually their money, they'd have to prove that it didn't belong to the other person who would no longer be alive."

"Jamie, he's right on that," Allen put in. "By havin' separate accounts won't mean that ya'all don't love each other. It's just a safeguard for the future."

"Well, I guess ya'all know what you're talkin' about."

"Plus, Jamie, she should be puttin' that money in a savin's account. Maybe ya'all can open one for her on Monday. It appears the rain is still gonna be here, so we won't have a lot to do. Ya'all can deposit it in her checkin' account tonight, but then on Monday, you should put it in a savin's account."

"I'm pretty sure she already has one of them," Allen said.

"Well, that makes it even easier. Ya'all can just go to the bank on Monday and transfer the funds over from the checkin' to the savin's."

"Ok, that's what we'll do. But you will probably have to explain this to her. She had her mind set up on havin' our own account."

"Ya'all can still do that. Just set up a separate account and both of ya'all can put money in it. Just not large sums. Just put in what ya'all are gonna use durin' that month."

"I guess that sounds all right. But you'll still probably need to explain it to her. She's kinda stubborn."

"Damn, you don't need to tell me that," Allen said, as he chuckled.

"Well, I'm sure I can probably out stubborn her. If nothin' else, I'll issue a 'head of the clan' rule and that'll stop her in her tracks."

"You might still have an argument on your hands," Allen said.

Jimmy showed up, all dressed and ready to go. Then Jessie came downstairs and was itching to leave. Pretty soon the women came in from the kitchen and said they were just about ready.

I went out and backed the van up to the porch and opened the rear. I got my guitar and the two new songbooks and put them in without too much exposure to the rain.

As I was going back inside, Jamie, Dianne and Jessie were headed out the door. It was another Saturday night at the Grange Hall and we were just about on our way.

Finally, the women came in from getting dressed and announced they were ready. We all headed to our vehicles and drove out the lane.

We arrived at the Grange Hall and I carried my guitar and Cammie carried the songbooks inside. Jimmy and I took our guitars out to let them acclimate to this environment and Cammie brought the songbooks up to the stage.

I took them from her and handed them to Elmer.

"I printed these up so the Hall would have their own copy and I wouldn't need to bring mine ever' week. Also, if I'm not here, ya'all will have the books for reference."

"Damn, that's great, Dean. We'd been pretty limited to what we knew by heart. We know parts of other songs, but we could never remember all of them until you came along."

"Ya know, ya'all should put down what ya'all know and I'll include 'em in the books. That way, they'll be complete."

"Good idea. We'll have to do that."

Jimmy and I made our way to our table and joined the crowd that was already there. Allen and us talked about men type things and the women talked about what it is that they talk about.

It wasn't long until I was surrounded by the twins and got a kiss on each cheek.

"We missed you the last two weeks," they said, in unison.

"Ya'all are just sayin' that to make an ol' man feel good."

"You ain't so old," Lana said, as they both hugged my arms and made sure to press their tits against them.

"Well, I'm older than your daddy."

"Ya, but he's not old neither," Leanne said.

"Are your folks comin' tonight?" I asked them.

"Yep," Lana said. "They had to wait until Jessie picked us up and they should be here right soon."

I turned my attention back to Jimmy and Allen and we chatted. The girls didn't leave my side until Frank and Jenna showed up. Frank sat with us and Jenna blended in with the women.

We chatted about various things and the main topic was the storm. Frank told us they'd had a bit of damage, but nothing serious. He'd lost a couple trees and two sheets of metal off of his barn roof. Fortunately, he hadn't had any hay in that side, so he didn't lose any of that.

Elmer called us up to get tuned up. Once I'd done that, I looked at the playlist. There wasn't any real surprises, but they had me leading off with "Lyin' Eyes." I had to refresh my memory of the chord progression. It was a bit different than normal country songs. The Eagles did a wonderful job on that song and I didn't want to mess it up.

It turned out that if I'd messed up, no one would have noticed. It seemed that everyone in the place was singing along with it while they danced. They were louder than the PA system.

We finished the first set and Jimmy and I each got a Coke and sat down at the table to chat. The talk quickly turned to farming and the weather. Frank was having a lot of trouble with his hay. It was almost to the point of dying out before he could get the second cutting in. He was concerned that even the rain we were getting wouldn't help. I think there was a lot of that going around this area. The big storm we'd had helped, but most of it ran off. We could only hope that this rain brought things back.

The second set started off with me singing, "I'm goin' back to Texas and be one more horse's ass." Then it went downhill from there. Our rowdy set got the crowd going and it seemed like everyone was up dancing. That was a good sign. If they're up dancing then they're enjoying themselves and that's the real reason we are up on stage.

When that set was finished, Jimmy and I each got another Coke and sat back down. This time the twins were there.

"How can you remember all them songs?" Lana asked.

"I've just got a good memory for some things," I told them, as they pressed themselves against my arms.

"You must have done real good in school, bein' able to remember so much," Leanne said.

"That's been so long ago, I can't remember," I told them. "I remember graduatin' and playin' football, but not much else."

"Don't try and fool us," Lana put out, "you ain't that old."

"You two need to quit botherin' us growed ups now," Frank said. "We're talkin' 'bout other things."

"Yes, Daddy," they both said, and then departed back to the general area of the dance floor.

"Them two are sure a handful," Frank put out. "Sometimes they just don't know when to quit."

"That's how kids are, Frank. It's just the nature of the beast."

"I guess, but they can sure get aggravatin' at times."

"Only if you let it get to you. Mostly, I ignore kid's pesterin' ways. They're just tryin' to fit in, most times."

"You're probably right. Maybe I'm around them too much and my patience wears thin at times."

"I think they call that bein' a parent."

We all chuckled and went back to talking about farming. That lasted until we were called up for the last set. That was mostly slow songs so the folks could have some "belly-rubbin'" time on the dance floor.

After the set was over, some women drug their men over to the stage and asked if I could play "Puff the Magic Dragon." I told them I would and picked up my guitar. Everyone sang along and it was like a campfire gathering.

Then someone wanted to know if I knew any of the '60's folk songs. I played some Dylan, Petty, and some of Peter, Paul and Mary stuff. Finally, after about an hour, I told them my fingers were too sore to continue. They all thanked me and I was finally able to pack up my guitar.

I took it to the table and Jimmy had brought me a Coke. I sipped on it to ease my dry throat and we chatted until Allen finally said it was time for them to leave. Frank pried Jenna away and they departed too. We gathered up our crew and left shortly after them. It had been a long night for me.

Jimmy and Bonnie met us at the house and they waited for Jessie to return from his date. Jamie and Dianne finally dropped him off and left without coming in. Then Bonnie kissed everyone goodnight and her and Jimmy headed home. I got a kiss from Chrissy and Cammie and Donna helped me close up and turn everything off. I was ready for bed.

We each made our trip to the bathroom and then snuggled into bed. We kissed and caressed each other until we drifted off to sleep.

The rooster didn't wake me, but the rain did. It seemed like it was coming down harder. It was light out and I strained my neck to see the clock. The rooster was late.

I began to tease Cammie's nipple and to kiss on her ear and neck. She moaned and I increased my efforts. It worked. She moaned louder and then clamped my hand to her tit and turned to kiss me. Her tongue roamed my mouth and her leg draped over my hip to pull me closer.

I guess our movements woke Donna because she began to kiss my ear and use her tongue on it. As Cammie released my mouth, Donna claimed it and her tongue kept busy dueling with my tongue. When Donna broke the kiss, she moved to kiss Cammie and those two embraced which gave me an opportunity to escape. I knew there was no possibility of me cumming after two consecutive nights of wild sex. Hey, I'm over 40. It's natural. So there was no reason to get anyone's hope up.

I made my way to the bathroom and was soon joined by the women. Yes, even though Donna is only 17, I think of her as a woman. And I certainly think of Cammie as one. We took our turns at the throne and then washed up. Then we got dressed and headed for our morning duties.

Cammie started on the biscuits as I got the water going for the coffee and grits. Then I ground the coffee and moved to slicing the sausage for cooking. Bonnie and Dianne showed up and I backed out of the way until the water was boiling for the coffee. I made the three pots and put more water back on the stove to boil. Once the coffee had steeped, I poured in to regular coffee pots and took them to the table.

Jimmy had lit the pot warmers and I set them on the heat. We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and I lit my first of the day and we chatted about today's prospects.

"It sounds like it's rainin' harder out."

"Yep, it is. But I'm not sure for how long. It woke me this mornin' when it picked up. I guess until then it had been the gentle stuff we'd been havin'."

"Woke me too. I sure hope it slows back down. We don't need our corn to wash away."

"Well, the one field I passed looked all right and the creek ain't up much at all."

"That's good. Although I don't know what we're gonna do today. We might all get cabin fever if this rain keeps up."

"Well, could be. I know the women can't get out in the garden and it's killin' Bonnie. She's in a cannin' mood and she's chompin' at the bit to get back to it."

"Good thing we ain't impatient like that."

"I wouldn't be throwin' no stones if I was you."

"Nope, never intended to. I'd like to get that log splitter workin', but no sense tryin' in this rain."

"It could be worse. They could be draggin' us out shoppin'."

"Shhh. Don't even think like that. They might pick up on it."

The kids came back and I got a kiss after the girls put the eggs away and they all washed up on the back porch. The each poured themselves a cup of coffee and joined our conversation. Of course, Jimmy and I didn't bring up anything about shopping. God forbid that the girls would get wind of that.

I told them that I was going to install the new memory chips in the two family computers this morning. After that, I told them I really didn't have anything planned.

I wasn't long until the women brought the food in and all attention was focused on that. This morning, Bonnie had the large breakfast. But I held my tongue so as to not stir up a hornet's nest. However, Chrissy couldn't help giggling a bit. A very stern stare from Bonnie put her back in her place.

After breakfast we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"What have you men got planned for today?" Bonnie asked.

"After I put the new memory chips in the computers, not much," I told her.

"Well, we were thinkin' about goin' shoppin' up to Searcy."

"Sounds like a plan to me. We'll just hang around here and find somethin' to do."

"I'd like Jamie to come along if you can spare him," Dianne said.

Jamie's mouth dropped and so did his spirits.

"I don't wanna go shoppin'," he told her, and everyone else around the table. He sort of looked at me for any support I might be able to give. But he was on his own in this fight.

"But I want your help in pickin' out some stuff for the house," Dianne said to him.

"You know I ain't good at that stuff. I don't know my colors and I sure don't know what you wanna put in the place. I'd just be taggin' along behind ya'all and neither one of us would have a good time."

"This ain't about havin' a good time. It's about gettin' stuff for our future."

"What stuff?"

"Well, stuff for our home. Like bed stuff, maybe some furniture, maybe even a hope chest for me."

"We done got sheets, quilts, a bed spread, and we don't need any furniture right now. We've got all we need."

"But it belongs to other folks. Don't you wanna have our own stuff?"

"Someday, yes. But not right now. We don't even know where we'll be livin' or what kind of house we'll have. So we can't be plannin' things like that."

"Well, we've always had this dream of a big dining room. We could look for furniture for that."

"We eat all our meals over here. We don't need dining room furniture right now. It'll be five years before we get our own place. By then a lot of things will have changed. We don't even know what size the dining room in our place will be."

"Well, we know it's gonna be a good size room or we ain't gonna live there. So we can plan for that."

"No we can't, either. We both need to get through college before we even think about that."

"You're just bein' a man now. You just don't wanna go shoppin' with me."

"You've got that right. Not when we're shoppin' for things we don't need and won't for years to come. I don't enjoy goin' from store to store lookin' for things we ain't gonna ever need or won't for a long time."

You could almost see the anger rising up in Dianne. But she fought it back and just stared at him. Then she got up and began to clear the table.

As soon as she was in the kitchen, Cammie turned to me and said, "This is all your fault."

"What? I didn't say a thing. How can you blame me for this? And what is wrong with him not wantin' to shop?"

"He's just takin' after you. If you weren't so damn stubborn, he wouldn't act like that."

"I didn't do a thing. Jamie can make up his own mind. I didn't coach him on what he wants to do or not do. I don't know why you're pickin' on me. I ain't done nothin'."

"That's the problem. You don't do nothin' when it comes to shoppin' and he's copyin' you."

I looked around the table to see if I had any allies at all. I didn't see any willing participants so I just shook my head.

"I don't have the slightest idea of what you're gettin' at. Did you ever stop to think that maybe no man wants to spend time watchin' a woman wanderin' around a store, lookin' at things she don't need and never will, but just has to see 'em anyway?"

"This is still your fault."

I just shook my head and poured myself the last cup of coffee and sipped it. I didn't think there was any answer that she'd buy and there wasn't any sense in continuing a one sided argument. There was no way I could win.

When I finished my cup of coffee, I got up from the table and went into our old bedroom, which was now the office. I pulled the computers out from under the desk and opened them up. I found the memory chip slots and plugged the new chips in place. Then I fired both of them up and waited for them to boot up.

Once they were ready, I clicked the MS-DOS prompt and typed "mem" to see if the new chips had been recognized. Both of them showed the new memory, so I shut them down and put the covers back on. That job was done. Now what the hell was I going to do to stay out of the way of the women?

The rain had slacked up and I told the guys that we should go check on the calves. They all agreed and we grabbed our hats and headed out the door. With any kind of luck, except bad, the women would be gone by the time we got back. One could only hope. That would forestall any further arguments, hopefully.



-------

Chapter 13

We climbed into the pickup and headed out to the pastures. The calves were gathered around the hay bale and munching away at the first pasture. We'd need to put another hay bale in today, but there was no sense in putting feed out since it would get soaked before they could eat it.

We drove to the next pasture and there were only a few calves around the hay bale. The rest of them were grazing. The rain didn't seem to dampen their appetite.

We drove on and took the back way across the creek. It was up a bit, but nothing like it had been with the last storm. It was still very passable. Then we headed across Jimmy's property and took the lane from his house to ours, checking on the creek again.

The van was gone by the time we arrived and I was glad to see that. I really don't care for arguments and I hoped that this one was history.

We sat on the porch and chatted and watched the rain. It had slowed to little more than a drizzle, but it was still coming down. If it lasted through tomorrow, we'd probably be caught up with our normal rainfall for the year. Also, our hay would probably be able to recover and our second cutting would be a lot better. If we hadn't gotten this rain, we'd have probably had to brush hog it off in hopes of what seeds were still there would take in the soil. Any hay we baled would have had very little nutritional value.

We chatted about other things and finally Jamie brought up the discussion that he and Dianne had had this morning.

"Can you believe that she wants to buy furniture now? We've just moved in together and we've got five years of school ahead of us and she wants to start furnishin' things."

"Jamie, I think it's called nesting. She's lookin' to put her mark on things and make it so it's you two and not something from your past. It wouldn't be all that unusual if ya'all had just got married or had lived together for a while. I think it's just a normal thing with women. Men can live in just about any surroundin's, but women wanna make it theirs. It's like they have control if it's their design."

"She can design all she wants, but I don't wanna be part of the process. I hated it when Mama took us shoppin' for anything. I just don't wanna be part of that crap."

"Well, Jamie, you're gonna have to give in on some things. Eventually, you're gonna have to become part of the process of makin' a home. You've seen the discussions I've had with Cammie. I don't like shoppin' either, but I put up with it sometimes. Like when we started the addition. I thought they'd never be able to pick out a hot tub design or color. I was goin' crazy with their decision process. But sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and accept it as part of life. It was the same thing when we went to pick out the stone for the fireplace. We traipsed over his lot and looked at ever' piece of stone he had there, several times. What we bought, we had pretty well selected after about thirty minutes. But they couldn't get it through their mind that there wasn't something better than they just hadn't discovered. We were there for over two hours before I could drag 'em away.

"When I furnished my apartment after my divorce, I spent less than an hour pickin' out a bedroom set, a dining room set, a guest bedroom set, and a livin' room set. I've still got that same furniture in my house up on the lake. Now, if women had been involved in that process, it would have probably taken a week and we would have explored every furniture store in the tri-state area. We'd've probably wound up with the same thing, but it would have taken that amount of time to make up their mind."

"Dean, to be honest," Jimmy put in, "I'm not sure that any woman would have purchased that 'early bunk-house' style furniture that you've got up there."

"You're probably right, Jimmy, but I wasn't furnishin' my apartment for a woman. I was furnishin' it for me. I had just gotten away from pleasin' a woman and wanted to please me for a change."

They all chuckled at that.

"But, also, Jamie, you're gonna need to pick your battles. Not ever'thing needs to be an all out fight. You're gonna have to give in on some things and stand your ground on others. You just need to decide how your decision is gonna affect your future. If you give in on one thing, are you gonna suffer that fate for the rest of your life? Or, are you willin' to give in on this thing, so you can avoid another thing that you just can't stand and won't stand for.

"Relationships are a give and take most of the time and not ever'thing is pleasurable. Some things you'll do just so you can be with her. But, and this is an important but, she must be willin' to do the same thing. She'll need to give in on things too. For instance, Cammie almost lost her cookies when she was with me when I gutted that deer last year. Once she made her demand that she not be included in something like that again, then I was free to set my limits on shoppin'. Just because ya'all are together, it don't mean that ya'all have to be together all the time. Ya'all are two different people and the new ain't wore off your relationship yet. Both of ya'all are gonna have to realize that bein' apart, with time for yourself, is just as important as bein' together and sharin' a lot of things. You'll need that time apart in order to more appreciate the time ya'all are together. I know it sounds complicated now, but it will get a lot more clear as time goes by."

"I think I see what you're sayin'. There's something I don't mind doin' with her, but there are other things I just can't stand, like shoppin'. Actually, I wouldn't mind shoppin' for some things. And I guess when we really start to furnish our own place, I probably won't mind shoppin' for furniture. But it's just way too early for that, right now."

"Just wait until she wants you to shop for clothes for her. You ain't seen nothin' yet. Ya'all will probably scour ever' store in Searcy, Batesville and maybe even Little Rock before she'll decide the dress she wants was somethin' ya'all looked at a week ago, back in Searcy. Then, you'd best pray that it's still available, or you'll be spendin' the next week tryin' to get her to make another selection. But shoppin' is only one part of the relationship. There's lots of other things that will come into play. You're new at this, so the best advice I can give you is to pick your fights and only fight when you know you can win. Now, I'm not sayin' that you shouldn't put up a battle, just to make it look good. Resist a bit so she'll think she really won somethin', but only hold out on the stuff you know you can win."

"Damn. You and Cammie make all this look so easy. Sure, ya'all have your little tussles, but it all seems so smooth. If the rest of my life is gonna be like this mornin' at the table, then I'm in for a lot hassles."

"You'll get the hang of things, Jamie. Just remember what's important. Don't lose your love over somethin' that ain't worth fightin' over and stand your ground on what's really important."

We had chatted for quite a while and it was getting close to lunch. We descended on the kitchen and got the stuff for sandwiches on the table. I heated up some stewed tomatoes that had been left from last night because I couldn't find any soup. So we had ham sandwiches and stewed tomatoes for lunch. Then we sipped our coffee afterwards.

Once we were done, we cleaned up our mess and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and generally made the place decent so none of us got in any trouble when the women returned. After that, Jimmy said he was going to go to his place and get caught up on some correspondence. Jamie and Jessie went to Jamie's place to play some games on the computer.

I went to the living room and turned on the TV. I found a NASCAR race that was in the pre-race programming and everyone was getting interviewed that would stand still. I kicked my boots off and managed to stay awake until the race got underway and I saw about ten laps. Then I just drifted off. It sure is a comfortable couch.

I woke up to a car door slamming outside. Before I could get up and look out, the women came through the door. All of them had shopping bags in both hands and they headed for the dining room. I didn't even get a hello. So much for time healing things. So I laid back down and watched more of the race. It wasn't long until I drifted off again.

I don't think I'd slept too long when I heard two doors slam outside. Jamie and Jessie came in and walked into the dining room. I wouldn't have done that, but Jamie is still young and has a lot to learn yet.

I heard some mumbling and grumbling and tried to tune it out. Finally, Jamie and Jessie came in and said that their mama had told them we needed to kill three chickens if we wanted fried chicken tonight. I sat up and pulled my boots on.

"Do ya'all know which ones are layin' and the ones that ain't?"

"Yep. We've been payin' pretty close attention to that," Jamie said.

"Ok, we'll let's get some wire from the workshop and we'll get us three chickens for supper."

"Ok, but why are we doin' that?"

"How do ya'all normally kill 'em?"

"We catch 'em and chop their heads off and then dunk 'em in scaldin' water."

"I'll show you a much easier way. We won't get blood all over us and the chickens won't get all that excited either."

I told Bonnie we were going to get the chickens and she needed to get a kettle of water on. Then we walked down to the workshop and I got three lengths of wire and then we walked over to the closest T pole of the clothes line and I hung the three wires over the cross member. I put a bend in each end of each wire so they could be closed up with our fingers.

Then we headed for the chicken coop and we caught three of the non layers and carried them back to the clothesline area. I showed the boys how to hook their legs in the wires and close the wires around them so they couldn't flop out. Once they were hanging quietly, I pulled out my pocketknife and slit all the way around each one's throat, up by the head. They flopped a couple times, but that was it.

Once they had bled out, we took them down and walked up to the back porch. It wasn't long until Donna came out, carrying the kettle of water. She set it down and I asked her if she'd get us a garbage bag. She went inside and returned with one inside of a trashcan.

I dipped my chicken in the water and held it there for a count of ten. Then I pulled it out and they did the same. Then I held it just inside the trashcan and began wiping the feathers off. Once I had most of them off, I worked on the wing feathers and removed them individually. There were also a few feathers that I had to pick at to finish picking the chicken clean. The boys did theirs the same way.

I walked inside and got an old dishpan and brought it outside. When the boys were done with their chickens, I had Jessie go inside and get us a plastic container.

I had Jamie hold my chicken while I finished taking the head off and slit down the neck to free up the windpipe and esophagus. Then I swapped ends and cut the lower stomach open. I reached inside and pulled the guts out and dumped them into the old dishpan. Once I was sure I had the inside pulled clean and the neck tubes were out, I had Jamie set the chicken on the drain board by the sink on the porch.

I picked through the guts and got the liver, heart and gizzard. I sliced the gizzard around the middle and removed the grit and skinned the rough interior off. Then I put those in the plastic bowl that Jessie had brought out and dumped the rest of the guts in the garbage.

"Think you can do that?" I asked the boys.

"Well," Jamie said, "probably not as good as you, but we've done it before. But Mama usually does that part of it."

"Well, let's surprise her this time. But we don't wanna make a habit of this. We probably ain't done it to her satisfaction anyway."

They both chuckled and I held Jamie's chicken and let him use my knife, after warning him that it was extremely sharp. He went in the same order that I had and didn't have too much problem except for splitting the gizzard. I gave him a couple tips and he finished up. Then it was Jessie's turn.

He had a bit more trouble, but we got through it. Then we went in on the porch and washed the chickens out and the innards off. We carried the chickens and the innards into the kitchen and I told them the chickens were ready to cut up.

The women came rushing out to the kitchen and Bonnie said, "What do you mean, they're ready to cut up?"

"Just what I said. We plucked 'em and gutted 'em for ya'all."

"Where's the innards?"

"Under the chickens in the bowl."

She walked over and looked and then inspected the chickens. I know she was just looking for something to be wrong, but I guess she couldn't find anything.

"Where's all the rest of the stuff?"

"It's in a garbage bag in a garbage can outside. All we need to do is to empty the water from the kettle and ever'thing's taken care of."

"Well, I got to admit that them chickens is cleaned better'n any man I've ever seen do 'em."

"Ya know, I lived a pretty long time before I met ya'all and I didn't suffer too much. In fact, I was killin' chickens and cleanin' 'em before any of ya'all were even born. But, don't get used to us doin' that ever' week. We just did it today to show ya'all that we could. We'll kill 'em and even scald 'em for ya'all, but then it's gonna be all yours from then on."

"Well, we're capable of doin' that too."

"I'm sure ya are. Now, let's wash up boys."

I turned on my heels and walked out to the porch. I really didn't care much for the cold shoulder I was gettin'. I hadn't done anything to deserve it and I wasn't going to take it much longer. After supper, we were going to have a clan meeting. This shit was getting out of hand.

The boys and I cleaned up our mess and I tied the garbage bag up and put it with the other trash to be picked up. We were just finishing up when Jimmy showed up. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle and we decided to put a bale of hay in each pasture. We hooked the wagon to the tractor with the lift forks on it and rode out. Jimmy speared a bale and the rest of us worked on it to cut it apart for the calves. That chore only took about twenty minutes. When we got back, we washed up at the workshop and then walked up to the front porch.

We chatted about various things and what we could do tomorrow if the rain let up. We'd need to check on the corn and the hay and then the only thing left to do was to try out our new log splitter. We were all itching to use it, but had held off. At first it was just so we weren't accused of playing with our new toy, but then it was because of the rain. But now we had waited long enough.

Everything else was pretty much under control and I was dreading another day of not having something to do. Don't get me wrong, I can laze around with the best of them, for a couple days. But now I needed to do something. I was getting antsy.

It was after 5 when Donna came out to tell us that supper was ready. We all walked in and took our place at the table. Very little was said during dinner. I guess partly because we were eating, but the rest was some type of female vendetta going on and I was not amused at all.

The dinner was great. There is just something about fresh meat that hasn't been frozen or been sitting around for a couple days. Even the gravy made from the drippings tasted better. It was our usual Sunday fare and we all stuffed ourselves. For dessert, Donna brought out apple cobblers and we made short work of them. Then we sat in almost silence as we sipped our coffee. Just before we were done with the coffee, I made my announcement.

"Folks, we're gonna have a clan meetin' after the chores are done. There's a few things that are gonna get cleared up."

Almost everyone's mouth dropped open. I didn't wait for any questions. After I made the announcement, I stood up and walked to the porch and sat down. The kids headed for the chores and the women worked on the dishes and kitchen. Jimmy came out to sit with me.

"Well, you damn sure got their attention."

"I'll bet. This frosty shit is gonna cease. Just because Jamie and Dianne had a disagreement is no reason for the women to shun the rest of us. I just ain't gonna have it."

"Damn, I hope you know what you're doin'. I know it ain't pleasant right now, but it ain't all out war yet neither."

"Nope, and I'm pullin' a surgical strike to stop it before it gets to that. I ain't playin' this silly game. This ol' bullshit just ain't gonna fly around here."

"Well, you're the lead striker on this mission. I'll back ya but I ain't spearheadin' it for ya."

"I don't think you'll even need to back me. This is gonna be a one pronged attack and I'm gonna wipe out all resistance with the first strike. I don't use my 'head of the clan' title much, but I'm gonna this time."

"I'm with ya. I just don't know if you've considered all the enemy's strengths or not."

"I've cooked and taken care of myself for a long time before I met this crew and I can do it again, if I have to. If they wanna withhold their services, then I am capable of cookin' my meals and doin' my own chores."

"Well, tell me, Dean. Did you enjoy sleepin' alone all that time?"

"Nope, but I didn't hate it neither. There's plenty of beds in this house they can sleep in if they don't wanna sleep in mine. We may not have biscuits for breakfast, but we'll still eat."

"Well, I'm right behind ya on this one."

The kids came back from chores and the girls disappeared inside. The guys came to sit with Jimmy and me.

"What's goin' on, Dean?" Jamie asked.

"Jamie, you'll find out at the meetin'. If I lay it out now, then I'll be accused of recruitin' you to he'p me."

"Ok."

It wasn't long before Donna came to the door and said they were ready for the meeting. Us guys walked into the living room and the women were all huddled together, waiting for us like they had taken up their defensive positions. Once the guys found a seat, I started.

"This mornin', Jamie and Dianne had a private disagreement at the breakfast table. And that is just what it was, a private thing. Nobody else should have been involved. Nobody should have taken sides against anyone else.

"But, before the dust could even settle, I was blamed for Jamie's decision, when I had absolutely nothin' to do with it. You, and you," I looked directly at Cammie and Bonnie, "have decided that ya'all need to gang up and take Dianne's side in somethin' that is completely private and just between the two of them. That is NOT gonna happen ever again. We were not asked for our opinions, ya'all just decided to give 'em.

"Since this mornin', ya'all have been cold shoulderin' us like we had the plague or even worse. The rest of us didn't do anything and there was no reason for ya'all to be involved in it in the first place.

"These two are gonna have disagreements. It happens to ever' couple that have ever lived together. Especially durin' their breakin' in period. Our noses do not belong in their business. And it's gonna stop, right now.

"Now, I'll open things up for discussion."

The women were sitting there with their mouth hanging open. I'm sure they didn't expect this line of attack.

"Well," Bonnie said first, "we happen to agree with Dianne on this matter. And we still have the right to agree with her on things."

"You can agree all you want. That's not the problem. It's the action ya'all took in agreein' with her. Tell me somethin', Bonnie, when ya'all got married, did you have his folks buttin' into your arguments and takin' his side on things?"

"No. We lived away from them. They weren't around."

"And how would you've felt if they had?"

"I don't know. Maybe I would have listened to them to see if I might be wrong."

"But the argument was between you and your husband and didn't involve them. How would you've reacted to that?"

"I don't know."

"Bonnie, tell the truth. Your Irish, redheaded temper would have flown out of control and you'd a lit into them with both barrels, and you know it."

"Well, maybe."

"No, there ain't no maybe about it. I know you too damn well to even come close to believe you'd take that for one minute. What I'm sayin' is that this is the same thing. Ya'all've got your nose where it don't belong. This is a private thing. You shouldn't be takin' sides. If they were livin' somewheres else, you wouldn't even know about this and they'd a settled it in a few hours. But now, you two've got things so stirred up that it's drug on longer than it should have."

"But what I said," Cammie put in, "was correct. It was your fault. If you'd go shoppin' once in a while, he'd probably've gone shoppin' with her."

"Darlin', you are dead wrong about that. Think back when ya'all was growin' up. How much did he like shoppin' then?"

"Well, not too much. But boys are always like that. They don't like shoppin' with their mom."

"That's only partially right. Most men don't like shoppin' period. I didn't have a damn thing to do with his decision. That was his choice. I didn't know that Dianne was gonna ask that question so I couldn't've coached him on the answer he gave."

"But if you were more flexible, he'd a probably considered goin' shoppin'."

"I ain't been here a year and you're sayin' that I am the one who shapes his decisions?"

"Yep. Both boys look up to you as a role model. They're gonna copy what you do."

"That's just wrong, Cammie," Jamie spoke up. "I like Dean and think he's pretty cool, but I can make my own decisions. I ain't never liked to go shoppin' and I think it's way too early to be buyin' furniture for the place we're livin' in. We've still got five years of school left and we don't need to be spendin' money on furniture now. We don't even know where we'll be livin' when we get out of college, so we can't buy stuff that'll fit into someplace we haven't even seen."

"You men are just gonna stick together, no matter what."

"That's not a true statement," I said. "Most men don't like to shop. In fact, no one that I know of likes to shop. Now, I'm sure there are some men that enjoy it, but I just don't know 'em. It's just sorta the nature of the beast."

"Beast is right."

"All right. Let's take care of one thing at a time. The main focus of this meetin' is the discontent that exists here right now. This was caused by several things. But it started with Dianne askin' Jamie to go shoppin'. Now, Dianne, I'm sure you see that as a normal request and it probably is. And, I'm sure you probably knew the answer before you asked the question. BUT, you thought if you'd ask in front of ever'one that he wouldn't embarrass you and would go along with it. Then, when he said no, you felt rejected because he said no in front of ever'one and you felt rejected. That's probably why you got so mad. I'm sure he has said no to shoppin' before. Ya'all have been together long enough for his position to be known on that."

"I just think he should wanna spend time with me, doin' things together," Dianne said, almost in tears.

"So this was not about him not wantin' to go shoppin' so much as it was about not spendin' time with you?"

"I guess. I mean we're always over here and the only time we have alone is when we go home to sleep."

"I can understand your position on that. I see nothin' wrong with wantin' to spend time together. But you asked him in front of ever'one and was just sure that he'd say yes so he wouldn't embarrass you. The one thing about that whole thing is that you asked him in front of ever'one and then didn't like the answer. If you don't wanna feel rejection in front of folks, then you shouldn't put him on the spot in front of folks."

"But, he just don't take my feelin's into consideration at all."

"Did you take his feelin's into consideration when you asked him in front of other people to do somethin' you know that he don't like to do?"

"No. I guess not. But he should've known how important it was."

"How is he supposed to know? Has he shown any signs of bein' able to read minds in the past?"

"No, but he should still know."

"Dianne, regardless of what you think about Jamie, he is not clairvoyant. Men are not capable of readin' women's minds. Maybe some men can read minds, but I sure haven't come across any that can. It would be a rare thing if they could. If you want him to know how you feel, then you need to tell him. You can't expect him to just automatically know what you are feelin' at any given time."

"Well, I know how he feels about things."

"Then you shoulda known that he was gonna say no when you asked him the question."

"He shoulda known I'd be embarrassed if he said no and not done that."

"If you knew he was gonna say no, then why did you put him in that position. Don't you think the wise thing woulda been to ask him before ya'all came over here and were sittin' at the table?"

"Maybe. I don't know."

"You're gonna have to learn that men don't change too much. One of the big reasons for unhappiness in relationships is because of how men and women approach things. Now, I didn't make this up, but I've heard it or read it someplace. When a woman gets into a relationship, she thinks, 'well, he has some flaws, but I can change that.' When a man gets into a relationship, he thinks, 'she seems just perfect, now if she just don't change.' But what happens is the woman tries to change the man and finds out that he ain't gonna change the way she wants him to and so she has to change to accept that fact she can't change him and they both wind up unhappy. If you're not willin' to accept Jamie's flaws and think you can change him in some radical degree, then you need to rethink this whole relationship. He mostly likely ain't gonna change too much. Sure, there'll be some changes. There always is when two people start livin' together. But the major things ain't gonna change. Just ask any woman you know how much she's been able to change her mate. You'll probably get the same answer from all of them. Damn little."

"So you're sayin' that I can either accept him as he is or just get out?"

"No. What I'm sayin' is there will be some compromises where both of ya'all will give in on some things. But on major items, he ain't gonna change. Ask Cammie just how much she's been able to change me since we've been together. Ask Bonnie how much she was able to change her husband. Ask your mom how much she's been able to change your dad. They'll all probably give you the same answer. 'Oh, a little bit, but not too much.'"

"Unfortunately," Cammie said, "he's right on that point. I ain't got him to change on any big things. He has given in on little things, but I can't get him to go shoppin' with me."

"No, Cammie. That's not completely true. I went shoppin' with you on several things. We shopped for the stone and for the hot tub. I even took you clothes shoppin' before we went to Denver that first time. We will shop for some items, but it has to be pretty important to get us out to stores to browse."

"Well, them times, you did shop and I was surprised, but I didn't say anything. But I can't get you to go shoppin' at other times."

"No, and you probably won't unless I consider it really important. I don't like to shop. You women consider it a sport. Us men consider it a complete waste of time."

"Are you understandin' this stuff, Dianne?"

"I guess, some."

"Now, Bonnie. When Cammie and first got together and we had a discussion about shoppin', you didn't take her side on the issue. Yet you took Dianne's side in this discussion. How come?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, back after I bought these two places, Cammie was bitchin' about the way I just bought things. You told her to get used to it because you could never get your husband to shop either. But when it was Dianne and Jamie, you stepped in and took Dianne's side."

"I don't know; it just seemed different."

"Different, how? Like maybe you thought he was still able to be trained? Or maybe you didn't do a good enough job of trainin' him when he was growin' up? Or is it maybe that you figured Cammie could take care of herself and you wanted to help Dianne out because she don't have no kin livin' here?"

"I don't know. I never really thought about it. It just seemed like he shoulda gone."

"So, both you and Cammie decided to stick your nose in someplace where it didn't belong?"

"Why don't it belong?"

"Because this was a private thing and didn't have anythin' to do with anyone except them. It was their discussion, not ours."

"But it happened in front of us."

"Yes, and we've already discussed that. It shouldn't have. It shoulda been asked in private. And even if it did happen in front of us, that's not a reason for ya'all to take sides. They have their own life to live and we don't need to be involved in their private stuff."

"And just where do you draw the line?"

"I draw the line that as long as nobody is gettin' hurt, then it's not our business. I didn't hear Jamie or Dianne ask either one of ya'all to get involved. Ya'all just took it on yourselves to stick your noses in."

"But we thought she needed some help in dealin' with Jamie."

"Why? Did she ask for help?"

"No, but he's my son and I kinda feel responsible for how he's treatin' her."

"Bonnie, if you ain't trained him right, then it's way too late to start changin' things now. He was not abusin' her. All he was doin' was to state his answer to what she had asked him to do and why he didn't wanna do it. It that treatin' her bad?"

"Well, kinda. I think they should spend more time together."

"And this is your business because?"

"Because he's my son."

"So, you're gonna take it upon yourself to retrain him in things that you think you failed on before?"

"Kinda."

"Bonnie, this is NOT your business. Yes. We all want them to have a successful relationship. But it is our duty to allow them to work things out for themselves. They have chosen to live their life together and we have to allow them to do that. Nobody can be buttin' into their business and tellin' them how to live and how to think. That is their responsibility, not ours."

"So, if we see somethin' that is wrong, we're not supposed to say anything?"

"Unless someone is gettin' harmed, no. If I saw him hit her, I'd be all over him like stink's on shit. But them disagreein' about shoppin' just ain't nobody's business except theirs. If ya'all remember when we had a meetin' about them livin' together, I told Jamie and Dianne that any argument they had, they'd need to work it out for themselves. That they couldn't be runnin' home for help because they didn't live there anymore. I meant ever' word of that. They need to be allowed to work things out for themselves. Nobody needs to be stickin' their nose in their business. You wouldn't have appreciated your in-laws steppin' in while you were married and they should have the same freedom. These two will work things out for themselves and it'll all get taken care of, WITHOUT our help. Can ya'all understand that?"

"I guess," Bonnie said, and then Cammie nodded her head.

"I don't want no guessin'. I don't wanna have to go through this again. You either understand or you don't. Which is it?"

"I understand. But Jamie needs some talkin' to, too."

"Did I say this meetin' was over?"

"No, but you's about to."

"Oh, so you can read minds now?"

"Sometimes."

"Good, then tell me what's gonna happen next."

She opened her mouth to say something, but then thought better of it and closed her mouth and sat back on the couch.

"Now, I've come to some decisions on this matter. First of all, we will not have family discussions at the dining room table. If you ask someone something and you get an answer that you didn't want, you have no right to get upset. Probably that question should have been asked in private. Take other folks feelin's into consideration before puttin' us in the middle. That is not just for Jamie and Dianne, it's for ever'one. If this crap happens again, I'll consider disbandin' the family meals and we'll all eat at our own houses. There is no reason for ever'one to walk around upset because of a lack of privacy.

"Secondly, Jamie, you need to take sometime to spend with Dianne alone, away from the family. Ya'all've got a life to build and you can't build it when ya'all are sittin' here. Unfortunately, ya'all moved in together at a bad time. We had to leave and you were needed on the farm. Under normal conditions, I would have insisted that ya'all go somewhere and spend at least a week by yourselves. But it's not too late to do that. I'm thinkin' maybe ya'all should take next week off and go someplace. I can offer my place up on the lake, if ya'all wanna go there. Or ya'all can pick another place to go, away from here. I'm pretty sure we can survive a week without ya'all bein' here. It's probably gonna be too wet to get any hay in for the next week and we can handle anything else that might come up. Ya'all don't need to decide where ya wanna go right now. Take a day or so to make up your mind and then you can let us know. Ya'all have enough money that you can pick some other place besides my place.

"Thirdly, we will not be stickin' our noses in other people's private matters, no matter how temptin' it is. Walk out of the room; bite your tongue; clamp your hand over your mouth; whatever it takes, but don't get involved in other peoples private business.

"Is all of this clear to ya'all?"

I got a nod from ever'one or a quiet "yes." I'm not sure they were happy about it, but they agreed to abide by the rules.

"Ok, can we now go back to bein' one big happy family. I don't enjoy arguin' and I don't really enjoy holdin' these kinds of meetin's."

Dianne got up first and came over and gave me a hug. "I'm sorry," she almost whispered. "I just didn't understand that it would upset ever'one."

"It's all water under the bridge now. We just go forward from here. No lookin' back."

Then Bonnie gave me a hug and apologized for stirring things up so much. Finally, Cammie came over and hugged me and gave me a kiss. "I really am sorry. What you said made some sense. I guess we just think differently about a lot of things."

"Yes, darlin' we do. And that's a good thing until it gets in the way of happiness."



-------

Chapter 14

The news was already on since I had rambled on during the meeting. We were only able to catch the last part of the weather. It looked like it was going to start clearing tomorrow and be sunny for most of the week. There was a slight chance of more rain on Friday, but it would depend on how the prevailing winds of the jet stream moved the front.

Once the weather was over, Dianne came to me and hugged me and gave me a kiss before Jamie and her left for their place. Then Bonnie did the same thing as she and Jimmy left. The rest of us chatted for a bit and then I told everyone that the new shower was ready to be used. They all voted for that and we all headed for our bedroom.

We all stripped down and walked into the shower. This was all new to us so we had to experiment with the controls. I got the first shower going and adjusted to a comfortable temperature and then moved to the next. Cammie and Chrissy immediately moved to the controls for the floor nozzles and worked with them. Once we had the overhead and floor showerheads going, I worked on the wall nozzles. It wasn't long until all of them were going. With all the excitement about testing the new shower out, no one had thought to bring any soap. Donna got out and got several bars of soap and we all soaped each other up. Jessie was in heaven as Chrissy worked on him.

Our enthusiasm lasted for about four minutes, then the water pressure dropped and the floor jets were only coming up about to knee height. I turned off the wall nozzles and that helped some, but it was clear that we needed some major changes to get this thing to work properly. I could see more money and work going into this project.

The women had to take turns with the floor jets and they had to kneel down to make them effective. But they seemed to really enjoy them. While Cammie and Donna were enjoying their toys in the floor, Chrissy knelt in front of Jessie and went to work on him with her mouth. Once she had broken the ice, I was summoned to the center of the shower where Cammie and Donna began on me. They took their time and traded me back and forth quite often. I think they kept me in their mouth until they were about to cum from the showerhead and then swapped me to be able to concentrate on themselves.

Chrissy was not so timid with Jessie and finished him off. Then she moved to the floor jet and Donna gave up her position and came to concentrate on me. It didn't take her long and I began to spurt into her sucking mouth. She held on to my hips and shivered as I emptied myself on to her tongue. Once she had depleted me, she walked on her knees to Cammie and shared with her.

When they were through, I got Donna up off of her knees and backed her against the wall. We kissed for a bit and then I began to work my way down her body. She was trembling by the time I got to her pussy and she willingly spread her legs for me. She held on to my hair as my tongue went to work to get her off.

It didn't take long and she was hunching my mouth and quivering as her pussy gushed her juices that I savored. She finally used my hair to pull my mouth away and slid down the wall until she was seated on the floor. I kissed her and she clung to me as aftershocks continued to shake her.

After she settled down, I turned my attention to Cammie. I got her backed against the wall and slowly worked my way down her body. I happened to hear a noise and glanced to my right and saw Jessie working on Chrissy. I returned my attention to Cammie and I began to lap at her huge clit and taste her juice. I slid a finger into her pussy and found her G-spot and worked on it. She instantly came and grabbed my hair to hold on while she spurted against my nose. Just as she was coming down from that orgasm, I slid another finger in her ass and she went wild. Another, larger orgasm raged through her. Her knees buckled and she finally had to pull my head away so she could slide down the wall and sit on the floor.

We kissed and held each other as she suffered through her aftershocks and was finally able to function again.

"I don't know if this shower was a good idea or not. We'll never come out of here clean or be able to walk right."

"Well, there's gonna have to be some changes made before it's gonna work right," I told them.

We all washed up again and then rinsed off in lukewarm water. We would probably need another hot water heater too. Oh well, live and learn.

Of course there were no towels close by and we had to get out of the shower wet and walk to the other bathroom to be able to dry ourselves off. Once we were all dry, the Chrissy gave me a kiss and her and Jessie headed upstairs to bed. Cammie, Donna and myself headed for our bed and cuddled and kissed until we drifted off.

The rooster woke me and I opened my eyes and blinked the fog from my head so I could remember where I was. It should have been obvious to me since I was holding Cammie's tit in my right hand and Donna was snuggled up to my back. Sometimes, it's just a blank when I wake up.

I began to play with Cammie's nipple and she moaned. The rooster crowed for a second time and that woke Donna. She moved to kiss on my ear and neck as I did the same to Cammie. Cammie's hand covered mine and crushed it to her tit. Then she turned her head and we kissed. Then I kissed Donna good morning and the world was right again. I was with my two beautiful ladies.

As we broke our kiss, Donna moved to kiss Cammie and I slipped from the bed and made my way to the bathroom. They followed me after they finished and soon we were getting dressed and headed to our morning duties.

Cammie and I made our way to the kitchen and I began to get the coffee ready as Cammie worked on the biscuits. Then I sliced the sausage for frying. Bonnie showed up while I was slicing and she came to me and gave me a kiss. Not a steamy hot kiss, but a kiss of respect.

"It occurred to me that we've gotten away from givin' you the respect you deserve as head of the clan and it's time we brought that back. Sometimes we forget how important you are to us and that's probably why we had the problem yesterday."

She briefly kissed me again and then went to her duties. Dianne came in as I was finishing the sausage and kissed me also. Being the paranoid person I am, I couldn't help but wonder if they had an ulterior motive. But I would wait and see how this played out before I said anything.

I poured the water into the first three presses and put more water back on the stove for the next three. I waited for them to steep and then poured the coffee into a regular pot. I took them to the dining room where Jimmy had the pot warmers lit. We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and sat back to chat.

I lit my first and asked, "Is it still rainin' out?"

"Nope, just overcast and that's breakin' up."

"How's the creek?"

"Just a tad bit high, but nothin' to worry about."

"Ya know, we should build a roof to shed water over them feedin' troughs. I know the calves ain't starvin', but I think it might interrupt their weight gain when we don't feed 'em."

"I guess. But we'd need to build it wide enough and low enough that the wind didn't blow the rain in. How will we be able to get the feed in?"

"If we make it light enough, say with just quarter inch plywood and a light watershedin' material coverin', we could hinge it on one side and lift it up to shoot the feed in."

"I guess that'd work. But couldn't just paint the plywood to shed the water?"

"Ya, it doesn't need to shingled for the calves. I don't think they mind what we put on it.

"Plus, we could get a chute extension for the spreader and we wouldn't need to put hinges on it."

"That'd work too, if it was long enough."

"Maybe we can talk with Elmer before we plan anything."

"Might be a good idea."

The kids came back and I got a kiss from the girls after they washed up and put the eggs away. We told them what we were talking about and Jamie and Jessie agreed.

The eight troughs were each just a bit under eight feet long, so we'd need a support in the middle. That would mean it would require two people for the feeding because the chute would need to be moved around the middle support of each trough. We did some thinking on that and the women showed up with the breakfast. We put aside our thinking and began to feast on our first meal of the day.

Once we finished the food, we sat back to sip our coffee. I heard the contractor crew drive in the lane and I went out to chat with him.

"I was over to see the stone and I think it'll work just great. We can cut a notch in it for the fireplace to fit and still have enough room to make a good sized hearth," he said.

"Well, that's good. It'll save me from another trip over to pick out anything else. But I've got another problem that came up last night. The water pressure in the shower is kinda low and it cycles pretty quick with all the nozzles goin'. Plus, we ran out of hot water towards the end."

"I was afraid of that. It can be solved pretty easy though. What size pump do ya'all have?"

"A one horse power and it's down almost 250 feet."

"You shouldn't have a problem with runnin' out of water, but I think you'll need a second pressure tank, an inline pump, and an additional water heater. I'd mount the second pressure tank and the inline pump in the basement and set the gauges on both of the tanks at 40 psi for the turn on and 60 psi for the shut off. With a one-horse motor, that shouldn't be a problem. I'd set the new water heater beside the old one and put a thermal valve between them. That way, it'll only pump from the one until the water cools down and then it'll switch to the other and shut the first one off."

"How difficult is it to put that lash up in?"

"Not hard at all. It just requires the pipes and fittings. The valve is a simple thing. It's an electrical, internal switch that's controlled by the heat of the water. It's easy to hook up."

"So I could probably do it myself?"

"Sure, if you're the least bit familiar with plumbing."

"I've done a good bit of it, but no formal trainin'."

"Plumbers have just a few hard, fast rules. Cold is on the right, hot's on the left and water and shit flow downhill. Anything beyond that is just technique."

"Where can I buy them things?"

"There's a plumbin' supply house in Searcy that I get all of my stuff from. When ya go there, just tell 'em it's for me and they'll give you a discount. It'll save you about fifteen percent."

"Ok, thanks."

I walked back inside and went back to work on my coffee. We sipped and chatted and talked about what we had planned for the day. Jimmy and I went over what we had talked about and no one seemed to object or have a better solution.

When we were working on our last pot of coffee, I asked Jamie if he and Dianne had decided what they were going to do for their week off.

"Well, we wanted to talk to you about that," Jamie said. "Are you close to Branson?"

"I'm about fifty miles away."

"Well, we talked about maybe seein' some shows up there and Dianne maybe wanted to do some shoppin'."

"There's plenty of shows to see up there, but for shoppin', ya'all need to go to Springfield. Branson is way too expensive. Almost ever'thing they've got is at least 20% overpriced, in my opinion. It's a typical tourist trap."

"How far away is Springfield?"

"It's about eighty miles."

"What do ya think?" he said, as he looked at Dianne.

"It's fine with me. How far is it?" she asked.

"It's about one hundred and ten miles or so," I told her. I'm not real sure. It's about a three hour drive, but that's because the roads are so crooked."

"Well, it sounds all right with me. It'd probably be real expensive to stay in Branson, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, real expensive to stay any place nice. Just for a cheap place, you're talkin' about fifty dollars a night."

"Really?"

"Yep. It's the tourist season up there and the prices on everything go way up."

"Well, I'm sold on his place," she said.

"Ok. When did ya'all wanna leave?"

"Well, maybe later on this mornin'," Jamie said. "We need to pack yet. Plus, you need to draw us a map on how to get there."

"I think maybe I'd best take ya'all up there for the first time. It's not that easy to find, plus I'll need to tell the folks around there that ya'all are my guests. Otherwise, you're liable to have some unwelcome visitors that would be armed to the teeth."

"Oh, well do you have time this mornin'?"

"I can take some time. The guys can get started buyin' the stuff without me. Buildin' a roof for the feeders ain't all that difficult. What were ya'all plannin' on drivin' up there?"

"I guess our truck?"

"Why don't ya'all ask Cammie if she'd mind lendin' you her car. It'd be easier on gas and easier to get around up there. Plus, ya'all could lock stuff in the trunk when you're shoppin'."

"They're more than welcome to take it," Cammie piped up. "I just hope they don't have any trouble with it."

"I don't think they will. We've worked it over pretty good and I'm sure it'll be all right."

"Well, then they're welcome to use it all they want."

"Ok. Why don't you two get packed? Ya'all need to stop by the bank and take about four hundred dollars out to take with ya'all. While we're there, I'll take ya'all over to Theodosia and introduce you to the bank there and I'll arrange for ya'all to be able to cash checks there, in case ya'all run short. You'll be able to write a check for your shoppin', but I think they might require cash or a credit card for show tickets."

"That'd be great, Dean. Thanks. We'll get packed and then run into town and go to the bank."

"While you're there, move Dianne's money to her savin's account. No need on that money sittin' in the checkin' account."

"Oh ya. I forgot about that."

They took off to get packed and head to town. Jimmy and I went over the supplies he'd need from the lumberyard. I told them I was going to take the pickup with me, but they could take Jamie's pickup to get the stuff. When they asked why I was takin' the pickup, I told them I was going to get some stuff at Searcy on my way back. I got a couple looks, but nobody said anything.

I grabbed my checkbook and then pulled the pickup down to the gas tanks. I filled it up and then checked to make sure I had everything I needed. When they returned from town, I filled up their car and we headed north.

I took them through Theodosia so I could introduce them at the bank. They told me they'd be happy to take care of them while they were here. Once that was accomplished, I showed them where the grocery store was and they bought some food to last them for their visit. Then we headed for the house.

When we got there, we had to air it out. Fortunately, I had installed an attic ventilation fan when Mom was still living there. Once we opened the windows, it only took about five minutes for the place to air out and smell about half way decent. Then I turned on the air conditioning and showed Jamie how to turn it off when they left. I also showed him the computer and how to use the "guest" function to sign on. When we were connected, I showed him the web site for Branson and how to look up the show schedules and who was playing in town. I was sure they'd make use of that.

I used jumper cables and a small amount of gas in the carburetor of Bertha to get her to fire up. Then I took Jamie and Dianne down to the boat dock and showed them how to operate the boat. I put the charger on the battery and told Jamie to make sure to take it off sometime before they went to bed tonight. I gave Jamie instructions on how to mix the gas and told him to use Bertha to come down here so he didn't ruin the tires on the car. I showed him where the oil was for the gas mixture and explained that the gas at the marinas was expensive and it was better if he bought it in Protem.

It was already almost past lunchtime, so we piled in the pickup and headed for Forsyth. We stopped at the neighbors and I introduced Jamie and Dianne and told them they were going to be at the house for about a week and they shouldn't be shot as intruders. We laughed and chatted for a bit and then we headed for town. We went to the Mug for lunch and we all had the steak sandwich. They loved it and we sipped our coffee after we finished eating.

On the way back, I pointed out to them how to get to Branson and how to get to Springfield. It's not really difficult, but it can be confusing if you don't know the area. Once we were back at the house, I showed them various other things. Then I picked up a few things I wanted and then told them to have a great vacation and we'd see them when they returned. Dianne hugged and kissed me as I left. I pointed the pickup south and headed for home.

I arrived in Searcy about quarter after four and made my way to the plumbing supply place. It took a bit for them to understand what I wanted, but we finally got everything put in the back of the pickup and I paid them and headed home. I used my cell phone to call the house and let them know I was on my way from Searcy. They said they'd hold supper for me.

When I got home, I got a kiss from the females and we sat down to supper. We stuffed our faces and enjoyed the great meal. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

Jessie and Jimmy filled me in on what they had bought. It was pretty much what we had on the list and they figured we could start the building tomorrow. It shouldn't take too long, barring any problems. The covers had to be portable, so they could be moved when we moved the calves and troughs. Plus, they had to be stable enough that a slight wind wouldn't blow them over. I was pretty sure we had the material to do the job properly.

Once our coffee was finished, Jimmy and I helped with the chores and then we fed the calves. Once that was done, we settled down on the front porch and chatted. When the women were done in the kitchen, they came out to join us.

We chatted about various things and they wanted to know about the trip up there and how the kids were doing. I told them what we did and that seemed to pacify the women. They finally asked what I had bought in Searcy. I knew the suspense was killing them, but I wasn't going to volunteer the information about it until they asked.

I explained that the water pressure needed some help and that we needed an additional water heater to be able to use the shower for any period of time. They said they understood, but I had my doubts. However, it is better to let sleeping dogs lie. I didn't need any arguments.

We went inside when it got dark and waited for the news to come on. The only thing we were really interested in was the weather. Once that was done, Jimmy and Bonnie said goodbye after Bonnie kissed everyone. The rest of us chatted some and finally called it a day. Cammie, Donna and myself got everything turned off and closed up and then headed for our bedroom. It had been a long day and I was tired.

We stripped down and used the bathroom and then slipped into bed. After some kissing and cuddling, we all drifted off to sleep. The bed felt a lot better than the seat of the pickup.

Donna woke me up with kisses on my ear and neck. I must have been really tired because I didn't hear the rooster. The movement woke Cammie and she got kisses next. Then we slipped out of bed and used the bathroom before making our way to our designated chores.

I got the water going for coffee and grits and then sliced up the sausage for the pan. Bonnie came in and gave me a kiss and went to work. Once I got the coffee steeped, I poured it in the regular coffee pots and took them to the dining room.

Jimmy wasn't there yet and I was a bit puzzled. I poured myself a cup of coffee and lit my first of the day and relaxed some. Jimmy showed up with the kids and I got a kiss from the girls after they had washed up and put the eggs away.

They sat down and each poured themselves a cup of coffee. Jimmy said he'd taken Jamie's place for the morning chores and figured he'd do that while he was gone. We chatted about the upcoming day and what we wanted to get done.

The first order of business was to unload the pickup and get the stuff down the basement. Then we could concentrate on the troughs. We chatted until they brought the food in and then shut up so we could eat.

Once we had cleaned the plates, we sat back and sipped our coffee. I heard the contractor and his crew drive in, but I didn't need to talk to them, so I just ignored the interruption. We continued to sip our coffee until it was gone and then headed outside.

I pulled the pickup around to the back porch and we hauled the two tanks and the one box of fittings and valves down the basement along with the inline pump. With that done, us guys headed for the workshop. The women were out in the garden doing a lot of picking. They would be very busy today.

We unloaded the old pickup and took all the lumber and stuff inside. It was a lot easier to do the cutting here were we had power than to use handsaws in the pasture. The first thing we did was to hook up the paint sprayer to the compressor and paint both sides of the plywood and set them aside to dry.

Basically, we made eight sets of uprights with four by fours. We put two-eight foot two-by-sixes on each one for the feet to keep them from blowing over. Between each upright we'd have an eight foot two by six as a roof joist. To that we'd attached three-four foot two-by-fours on each side at a four ten pitch to support the roof.

Jessie brought the old tractor with the trailer on it up to the workshop and we loaded them onto that. The paint had pretty much dried by the time we had everything else loaded, so we carefully loaded them on the trailer too. I got a selection of screws and the screw gun and we headed for the first pasture.

The first section seemed like it took forever to get finished. We were fumbling around and trying to hold things in place while I screwed everything together. The second one went a bit faster. By the third one, we had a system figured out. We were working on the last one in that pasture when we heard the dinner bell right. We finished up and headed for the house.

After lunch, we sipped our coffee and chatted about various things. We told the women the progress we had made on the shelters and they told us what all they had canned. Bonnie said that they had all the cucumbers soaking in the crocks and they'd be working on more tomatoes this afternoon.

"Oh, that reminds me," I told them, "I brought something back from the house that will probably help ya'all."

"Another one of your gadgets?" Cammie asked.

"Actually, it was Mom's. I'll get it. I think ya'all will be pleased."

I walked out to the pickup and picked up the box of stuff I had brought from the house and carried it inside. I took removed a big appliance from the box and set it on the table.

"What in the world is that?" Bonnie questioned.

"It's a juicer. After ya'all have skinned the tomatoes, you put them in here and turn the switch on. Then just press down and it will extract all the juice and just leave the amount of pulp that you don't want in your juice. It beats the hell out of using a strainer."

"This I just gotta see," Cammie put out. "You and your gadgets are somethin' else."

"Hey, trust me. This'll work great."

The women cleaned off the table and I took the juicer out to the back porch and washed it off before plugging it in and getting it ready. They had had some water on the stove on simmer so it wouldn't take so long to be ready when they came back to work.

The females all streamed out to the porch and began to dunk and skin the tomatoes. When they had a bunch done, they stopped and wanted to see the juicer work.

"How much pulp do ya'all like in your juice? I asked them.

"I don't know," Bonnie said. "We just accept what gets through the strainer."

"Ok, I'll set it for medium and we'll see if that's what ya'all want."

I put the medium screen in and turned it on. It would hold about three tomatoes at once and I put them in and began to press down on the plunger. In no time, the three tomatoes were done. I put more in and pushed them down.

"I don't believe it," Cammie said. "That really works good."

"Of course it works good. I wouldn't steer ya'all wrong. Now, ya'all will have to clear the screen after about a dozen tomatoes. Just shut off the machine and pull this out. Then scrape it off and wash it and put it back."

I demonstrated while I was talking and showed them how easy it was. Then I showed them the other screens so they could determine how much pulp they wanted in their juice. Then I had each one of them operate it to make sure they understood how it worked. They seemed to have it working correctly, so I walked out and left them to do their thing. The guys and I headed back out to the pastures.

The second pasture went pretty quick. We had the system working and we weren't stumbling over each other and the work. Once it was erected and I screwed the plywood on top, we stepped back to admire our work.

"How are we gonna get the feed in?" Jimmy asked.

"Damn, I forgot about going to Elmer's about the chute extension."

"I think the chute we got might be long enough," Jessie said.

We took a measurement of how far the plywood roof came out and then headed back to the equipment shed. We measured how far the chute came out from the side of the feeder and we had about six inches to spare.

"Damn, that's gonna cut it kinda close, but I think it'll work," I told them.

"You'll just have to be careful when you're spreadin' the feed," Jimmy said.

"Yep, and that saved some expense. I would imagine that the chutes are fairly expensive."

"Probably," Jimmy put in.

We had our project done for the day, so we put everything away and headed for the front porch. I got a pitcher of tea and some glasses and we sat and chatted for about an hour. Then we figured it was about four, so we decided to feed the calves and make sure we could get the feed in the troughs.

I took the pitcher and glasses into the kitchen and then we headed for the equipment. Jessie worked the feed bin gate when I got the spreader under it and filled it for us. Then we headed for the pasture.

When we got there, Jessie opened the gates for me and I pulled in and made a wide circle so I could line up on the troughs. I drove up to them very slowly and tried to keep the spreader in the position I thought it would need to be. I had to make a couple tries at it, but I got close enough so Jessie could swing the chute out and I could start discharging the feed. I had to stop at each upright until Jessie could swing the chute out of the way and then move forward so he could move it back. It took us about twice as long to feed the calves with the roofs in place. Maybe it would get better with practice. While Jessie and I were doing this, Jimmy put a bale of hay in each feeding ring and cut it apart.

Regardless of what we did, we would still have to take the time to maneuver around the posts. A longer chute wouldn't cure that problem and hinges on the one side of the roof wouldn't cure it either. The only possible cure I could see would be to build a larger facility to house the troughs that could be driven into and the feed spread in the bins. But that would require a structure for each pasture and that would be way too expensive. We'd just have to work within this system to refine it and make it more efficient.

We headed back to the shed and I hosed out the feeder before we washed up in the workshop. Then we headed for the front porch. We discussed any idea that we could think of to improve the feeding process, but we couldn't come up with anything better than we currently had that wasn't very expensive.

It wasn't too long before Donna came to get us for supper. Bonnie had fixed two pot roasts and they were very delicious. Cooked with the roasts were fresh carrots from the garden and some new potatoes. Of course she had made gravy from the leavings in the pot and everything was great. Donna had two baked peach pies for dessert.

When we finished, we sat back and sipped our coffee. Bonnie said that the juicer worked just great and she was sorry she had not had one before now. They would be canning more tomato juice tomorrow and then they'd probably be through until the pickles finished soaking. Once they canned those, they'd be done until the next batch of vegetables came ripe. She had planted more on a continuing basis, so they would ripen on a continuing basis throughout the summer.

Once the coffee was done, Cammie and Bonnie headed for the kitchen to clean up and the rest of us headed for the barn and the chores. Once done, we met on the front porch and chatted until the light was failing. Then we went inside to wait for the weather.

The weather girl said we would have about a thirty percent chance of showers on Friday and Saturday, but not much else was likely. Once that was done, Jimmy and Bonnie said good night and headed home after Bonnie kissed us all. We chatted for a bit and then headed for bed ourselves. The last three days had been frustrating and I was exhausted even more than I would have been if it was just plain hard work. I guess the tension gets to a person more than we notice. After we used the bathroom, Cammie, Donna and myself slipped into bed and kissed until we drifted off.



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Chapter 15

Donna woke me up again, but not with kisses. Somehow, she had rolled me onto my back and had mounted me without waking me up until this point. Not that I was complaining, but it was unusual for that to happen without me waking up. I don't know how long she had been on top of me, but her pussy was snapping away and she was quietly moaning.

I reached up and gently cupped her tits and her eyes flew open.

"Good mornin', darlin'."

She leaned down and kissed me, or I should say attacked my mouth. Her tongue flew into my mouth and began to duel with mine. From that point, it only took her a little bit to orgasm. She moaned into my mouth and her entire body shivered as the waves of pleasure rolled through her. When she calmed down some, she whispered to me that she woke up horny and just couldn't resist. I told her I was happy she didn't resist.

Then I felt Cammie roll over and she began to kiss on my ear and neck. I turned my head and she kissed me and our tongues went after each other. As she broke the kiss, she moved to kiss Donna and they locked lips as their tongues went into action.

It was just getting light out but I didn't know if the rooster had crowed or not. I had no idea what time it was and decided that I really didn't care.

Donna moved back down to kiss me and Cammie moved behind her. This was getting to be a routine with these two. Donna almost expected it and Cammie was happy to oblige. Soon, Cammie had lubed Donna's asshole with our combined secretions and had moved into position to fuck her.

Donna moaned as Cammie bored her way into her ass. Cammie wasn't that big, but it was more symbolic than anything else. It didn't take Cammie long to cum the first time and Donna came right with her.

Donna viewed herself as ours. Our soon to be bitch and she was practicing for it as often as she could. As she kissed me, she moved one hand behind her and held Cammie close to her body. All in all, it was a very erotic sight.

Donna kept up her movement and I began to fuck up at her. This increased her arousal and soon she was cumming again and Cammie joined her.

Once Cammie came down from her orgasm, she reached under Donna and began to play with her tits. Then she held one for me to suck on and I gladly leaned forward a bit and latched on to the nipple. Donna went wild and Cammie was almost dislodged from her roost behind her, but managed to hold on and rode out Donna's larger orgasm.

I was now getting close and I gripped Donna's hips and began to seriously pump up at her rocking motion. Cammie also increased her actions and we had Donna sandwiched as we fucked her to yet another orgasm.

This time, she took me with her and I was soon spurting against the back of her pussy. At this angle, I couldn't move to get at the mouth of her cervix, but that didn't lessen the sensation for me. I was against the back of her pussy each time I unloaded more cum and she must have felt it because it sent her higher. Cammie was also cumming and held onto Donna's hips to keep her clit in place in Donna's ass.

I'm sure I finished before those two, but I didn't quit my spasms inside of her. Cammie finally sat back on her heels and slowly tried to come back to normal. Donna rocked on top of me until she was finished and then she just collapsed on my chest.

I held her and stroked her back as we both gasped for air. We interrupted our gasping with brief passionate kisses and her grinding her pussy against my slowly wilting cock.

It didn't take too long for her to squeeze me out of her pussy and, when she did, she rolled off of me and to the side. Cammie immediately captured my cock and cleaned it off with her mouth and then moved to Donna's pussy and put her mouth to work there.

Donna and I kissed and I comforted her through her aftershocks until Cammie moved up to share her treasure. Donna accepted Cammie's mouth and wrapped her legs around Cammie's waist. Suddenly, I was superfluous.

I gently rolled out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. After I drained my tank, I washed up and then returned to the bedroom. Those two were still going at it and I had already heard the rooster crow twice. I leaned down and kissed Cammie on her ear. She interrupted her kiss with Donna and kissed me. Then Donna kissed me and sucked on my tongue.

I told them I really hated to interrupt them, but it was getting late. I got another kiss and a thank you and then they went back to kissing. I got dressed and they got out of bed just as I was heading for the kitchen.

I got the water going and then ground the coffee. I was just slicing the sausage when Cammie showed up and began to work on the biscuits. Then Bonnie showed up and I got a kiss from her.

I poured the water into the presses and put more on to boil for the next three presses. Once the presses had steeped, I poured the coffee into regular pots and took them to the dining room. I lit the pot warmers and set the pots on them to keep the coffee hot.

I poured myself a cup of coffee and lit my first. It wasn't too long until Jimmy and the kids came back from chores. I got a kiss from the girls after they washed up and they each poured themselves a cup of coffee.

We chatted about what we wanted to get done today and the main project was the new tanks for the water. We would start with the water heater and hook the gas up first. Then we would cut the water line and install the new pressure tank. The next item would be the new valve and to hook the water from each water heater to it and the outflow line to it also. I sure hoped I had enough fittings so I didn't have to stop in the middle of the process and run to town for more.

We chatted until breakfast was brought in and then we chowed down. Cammie and Donna had their big breakfasts but nobody said anything. I just kept my hands away from the both of them, lest I be mistaken for food.

Once the food was gone, we sat back and sipped our coffee. We all chatted about things to be done today. I told the women that, at some point, the water would need to be shut off so we could install the new tanks. Plus, the gas would have to be turned off so I could splice into the line for the new water heater. Bonnie said that they really wouldn't need the water after the dishwasher was done until around noontime. She would keep both sinks full for washing things off as they needed. She added that they wouldn't need the stove until later on this afternoon when they canned the juice they'd be working on this morning.

I heard the contractor and his crew arrive, but really didn't need to talk to them so I just continued with my coffee and our conversation. We chatted until the coffee ran out and then we all headed for our jobs for the day.

Us guys headed for the workshop and I got the tools we'd need. Basically, it was tools for plumbing and gas line work, plus an assortment of wrenches and the flaring tools for the gas line. I threw in a short section of copper pipe and we were ready to tackle what lay ahead of us.

The first thing was to get the tanks into the proper spot. They would be almost impossible to move after they were filled with water. We located the water heater about two feet from the old one and leveled it. The next thing was to shut off the gas so I could tap into the line. That had to be done at the tank since no one had bothered to put a shut off valve in the basement. A fact that would be corrected with this addition.

Once the gas was shut off,  I cut it and separated the two. Then I cut a small section off and made sure to put a nut on the line before I used the flaring tool. I got that taken care of and connected a shut off valve. Next, I installed a "T" to go to each water heater.

I only forgot to put one nut on the pipe before flaring it, so there wasn't a whole lot of cussing. Then I connected the old water heater to the shut off valve I had put in for that heater. Next was to connect another valve and then run a line to the new water heater. After that was done, I had Jimmy go turn the gas back on and I checked each of the fittings with some soapy water. They all passed inspection. I lit the old water heater and got it back on line.

Our next job was to put in the next pressure tank. That required a bit more than I had expected. The pipe that came into the house from the well was three quarter inch galvanized and it did not terminate until got to the kitchen. Everything came off of the pipes after the kitchen. They must have added the stuff in the basement and the back porch after they plumbed the house, because they had PVC pipe running back from the kitchen junction. This I hadn't planned for.

There would be too many "L's" if I took the water from the junction under the kitchen. But there was no way I could cut and thread the galvanized pipe before that point. I traced the galvanized pipe back to where it came in the house and found a coupling just on the inside of the house and about five feet before it terminated under the kitchen. I could remove the last sections of galvanized pipe at that point and replace them with PVC. But I couldn't do it with what I currently had here. So, I got my tape out and measured how much PVC I'd need to replace the galvanized. Then I figured out where I'd put the tank and included all the connections I'd need on my shopping list. No, I can't use shopping list, it had to be my buying list. If I mentioned shopping, the women would be all over me.

I went over my plans and list with Jimmy and Jessie and we all finally concurred on what we needed. It was just before 10, so we decided to head for town and buy the stuff before lunch. We could probably finish this sometime this afternoon.

We walked upstairs and told the women we were headed for town to buy more materials. They asked what I had forgotten and I explained the situation to them. I might as well have been talking to the stove, because they just nodded their heads like a bobble head and tried to pretend they understood what I was talking about.

After that exercise in futility, we got in the pickup and headed for town. We got to the lumberyard and I put the list on the counter. Fortunately, the guy asked me what we were doing. I explained and he asked me if I needed any shut off valves for the water line. I thought about it and included one for the line and one after the new tank and one for each water heater. Then I got a couple more, just in case. I did the same thing on all the other fittings, just in case. I also added another section of PVC, just in case. I paid the bill and we headed back home after loading up the truck.

We got back home just before 11:30 and I went to chat with the contractor after we put the pipe in the basement. They were coming along just fine and were working on the outside walls.

"I don't wanna slow ya'all down or nothin', but how were ya'all plannin' on gettin' that big slab in here with the walls closed in?"

"The bobcat will fit through the French doors with about six inches to spare on each side. We'll just have to maneuver the slab so it's almost upright when we come through."

"That'll work. I was just wonderin'. It's all lookin' real good."

"We should be startin' on the roof sometime this week. When we have the crew out here, we'll take care of the other house too. I still gotta check with my plaster guy to see when he's available."

"Well, they ain't no rush on the other house. Nobody is livin' there, so no one will ever notice it."

"That's kinda what I figured. I know he's kinda busy right now with all the storm damage. But that'll slack off some in a couple weeks."

"I guess it's kinda feast or famine with him."

"No, he keeps pretty busy. He covers two or three counties. He's the best around so he's always in demand."

"Well, that's good. Are ya'all gonna need any water this afternoon?"

"Nope, I don't think so."

"Well, we've gotta shut the water off so we can install the new tanks. I didn't think it was gonna be this complicated, but they've got galvanized runnin' right up to the kitchen. There'd be too many "T's" if I cut it in there, so I'm gonna replace a couple sections of galvanized with PVC."

"Ya, things like that always pop up when you're workin' with older construction."

"I think this house was rebuilt in the early '90's, but just from the cellar up. I don't think they bothered with the pipes that was down there."

"Probably not. Just be glad you don't have to dig it up out to the well house. That would be a real chore."

"Yep, it sure as hell would. I'll catch ya later, I think they're about ready to serve lunch."

"Ok, let me know if ya have any questions."

"Will do."

I walked into the house and they were just putting the food on the table. We all sat down and feasted on the soup and sandwiches. Afterwards, we sipped our coffee and chatted. I told them we'd need to cut off the water for at least an hour this afternoon. Bonnie asked what about the gas and I told her that was done and we wouldn't be bothering that anymore. She said they'd run enough water to can and they could get by without the water until we got it fixed.

After lunch, we walked to the workshop and got the big pipe wrenches and a couple pipes to fit over the handles for more leverage. I figured those pipes had been there since the place was built and probably wouldn't come loose without a lot of persuasion.

When we got back, I told the women to run what water they needed because we were about to cut it off. They got several big pots and began to fill them. Once they had what they thought they needed, I went to the well house and shut of the water at the valve there. Then I walked down the basement and turned on the water in the sink to drain the lines. I asked Jessie to go upstairs and turn on all of the faucets. This would keep the water from dripping while we were working.

I figured the best place to start taking this lash up apart was at the kitchen end of the galvanized. I cut the PVC above the connection and caught the water that drained out in a bucket. Since we really only needed to take the joint apart where the line came in the house, that's where we started.

Jimmy and I each got a pipe wrench on the project. He took the collar of the fitting and latched onto the pipe. I used all of my weight to try to get it to turn and wound up hanging from the wrench. It wasn't budging. So plan B called for the pipes to be placed over the handle to apply more pressure. The only thing that happened there was the wrench left a big gouge in the pipe as it spun on the pipe. The pipe didn't move.

Ok, plan C was now ready. I sent Jessie to the workshop to get the propane torch and an extra tank. This was now getting personal.

Jessie came back with the torch and we started to plan this thing out. Fortunately, the collar was between joists so there was very little chance of starting a fire. Jimmy was going to operate the torch and I was going to attack the enemy pipe.

I got my wrench in place and slipped the pipe over the handle for more leverage. Then Jimmy lit the torch and adjusted the flame before starting on the collar. I let him get it good and hot before I tried to put any pressure on the wrench.

There was almost no give on the first try, so we let the torch do more work and then I tried it again. This time the pipe moved a bit and I kept pressure on it. It slowly gave way and began to turn. I took another bite with the wrench and it turned even farther. I took the pipe off the wrench handle and began to work it by just the wrench handle. Finally, some success with this monster.

That was the good news. The bad news was that the pipe I was on didn't let go. The collar turned with it and came off of the pipe that went outside. But at least it was off and we could always find another collar or take this one off in the shop where we had better conditions to get at it.

Jimmy shut the torch off and we both used hammers to remove the pipe supports from the joists. It finally came down and we were able to take it out of the basement.

We carried it to the workshop and began to search through the parts for another collar. As luck would have it, we found a new one. Maybe the day was beginning to go our way.

We returned to the basement and I taped the pipe with Teflon tape and then threaded the new collar one. I tightened it with a wrench and then taped the PVC fitting and put it in the other end of the collar.

After putting a short piece of pipe in the fitting on the collar, I put a shut off valve there. From there, we ran a short piece to the inline pump. I decided to eliminate the overhead line and run the pipes along the wall. It would be easier to work on and we wouldn't need so many "T's" and "L's".

Next I ran a line from the pump to the sink where I put an "T" in and reduced it to half inch to feed the basement and porch sinks. From there, I ran the three quarter inch line to the new pressure tank and hooked it up. From there, I ran a piece of pipe to the old water heater and put a "T" and ran another piece to the new water heater. Another "T" and then the final run to the kitchen supply that would hook up with the rest of the house. Once everything was dry fitted and we were sure we had all the connections for the cold water pipe, I got the cleaner and glue out and we began at the first fitting and worked our way over until it was all glued.

With that done, we began on the hot water side. I ran a pipe from each of the water heaters to the new thermal valve I had mounted on the wall. From there, I ran a short section of pipe and installed a "T" so I could go both ways. I cut pipe to run back to the sinks in the basement and the porch and put a "T" in so I could connect each of them to the hot water.

Then I ran a pipe from the "T" on the valve to the kitchen and that would supply the rest of the house. We double checked to make sure we had all the connections made and then glued everything.

For the next thing, I actually started with the instruction books on the new pressure tank and the thermal valve. I knew the tank needed some air pressure, but I wasn't sure how much. I found it and marked the place and set that book down. I asked Jimmy if he'd bring the portable compressor up from the workshop so we could charge the tank. He took some of the tools with him and returned a short time later with the compressor. There was enough air hose on the compressor to leave it upstairs and just run the line down. He plugged it in and I let it charge up before attempting to charge the tank.

Once it was charged up, I started putting air in the tank until I got the proper pressure. Then I told him to shut it off but leave it there for now. I opened the book for the thermal valve and found out how to set it the first time. I turned it to use the new water tank first and then to switch over when the temperature reached 120 degrees. As soon as the new water heater was full and the air had bled out, I'd switch it back. Once that was set, I plugged it in. Next on the agenda was to wire the new inline pump. I knew we had enough breakers so I hadn't bought one of them, but I had bought enough 10-gauge wire. I connected the wires to the box on the pump and closed that up. Then I ran the wire to the breaker box and stripped enough to run inside the box and secured it with a wire clamp. I stripped the ends and connected them to a 220-volt breaker and put the panel back on the breaker box. With that done, I connected the control panel to the new pressure tank.

I asked Jimmy to turn the water on in the pump house and asked Jessie to go to the upstairs bathroom and wait until the faucets quit farting and then close them. Then I asked Jimmy to do the same on the faucets on the first floor. I opened the faucets on the sink in the basement and waited until the new pump had water before turning it on.

Once I heard the water in the pipe, I turned on the main valve and the water forced the air out of the faucets in the sinks. Once that was running without any air farts in the stream, I had the guys shut off the cold water faucets upstairs and I did the same in the basement.

It took a while to fill the new pressure tank and the new hot water tank, but they finally began to top out. Once the pressure tank was full, it started forcing hot water from the old heater and we got all of the farts out of that line and then shut them off. Then I lit the gas on the new water heater as it was filling up.

We still had one more thing to glue up and that was the overflow line for the new water heater. That was a simple thing and was completed quickly. I carefully inspected all the glue joints and there were no leaks. As soon as the new water heater turned off, I'd test the thermal valve by running all of the hot water out of the old water heater and letting it switch over. That'd probably be after supper. I had Jessie tell the women that the water was back in working order. The last thing on the list was to change the pressure settings on the tank in the well house. I went out there and made the adjustment on the settings and closed it back up.

We gathered up all of our tools and stuff and took them and the compressor back to the workshop. When we got the tools put away and the extra parts stored, we washed and then headed for the front porch. I walked inside and got us a pitcher of tea and some glasses with ice in them. I returned to the porch and we drank our tea and congratulated ourselves on getting through this chore. Now, if it just worked like it was supposed to.

We each drank two glasses of tea and then decided to feed the calves. I checked inside to make sure that supper wasn't on the table and then we headed out.

It was still a bit of a hassle to get the feed in the troughs, but it was some better. It was a lot slower than it used to be because we had to move the chute so many times. But I was sure it would get better with practice. We headed back to the house and I hosed out the spreader and then we washed up in the workshop.

We got back to the house just as they were putting dinner on the table. Bonnie had fixed a pork roast with homemade applesauce, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy and a salad. It was great and we all stuffed ourselves. The work we did today wasn't that physically hard, but it took a lot of figuring out and brain power. That can drain you more than the physical stuff sometimes.

After we finished stuffing our faces, we sat back and sipped our coffee. We chatted and Bonnie said that they didn't do any canning this afternoon because of the lack of water. But they had all the tomatoes juiced and in the 'fridge so they could can them tomorrow. I told her I was sorry it took so long, but it was a stubborn thing and we hadn't planned for it being all galvanized pipe that we had to deal with. She said she understood and it wasn't a big deal. There'd be plenty of time to can the juice tomorrow.

Bonnie did mention that it seemed like we had a lot more water pressure now. I told her that it should have more pressure and it should maintain it better since we now had more capacity.

Once we finished our coffee, the women took care of the dishes and the rest of us headed for the barn and the chores. Jimmy, Jessie and I fed the animals while Donna and Chrissy milked. It didn't take us long and we were back on the porch after lugging the milk can to the springhouse.

As soon as the women finished in the kitchen, I went inside and turned on the hot water in the kitchen, back porch and the basement. It took a while, but finally the old water heater ran out of hot water and the switch worked and moved the outflow to the new heater. Once I was satisfied everything was working correctly, I turned all the faucets off and returned to the porch and joined the conversation.

Today had been mainly devoted to the installing of the new tanks. Tomorrow, us guys decided we'd check the herd first and make sure they were doing all right and then we'd see how the new log splitter worked. We'd put that off long enough and I was sure the women couldn't accuse us of not being able to wait to play with our new toy. But I sure didn't think that out loud. That could be hazardous to our way of life.

We stayed on the porch until it was getting dark and then moved inside and waited for the weather to come on. They were still calling for a possibility of showers on Friday and maybe Saturday, but it was a small chance.

Once the weather was over, Bonnie kissed everyone good-bye and she and Jimmy left for his place. The rest of us chatted for a bit and they asked about the new stuff we'd put in today. I told what we'd done and why and they were anxious as to when they could use the shower again. I told them that the shower was for everybody to use, but I was going to go to bed early tonight because I was tired. They thought for a bit and said they'd wait until tomorrow night.

I got a kiss from Chrissy and then we all headed for bed. Cammie, Donna and myself stripped down, used the bathroom and then slipped into bed. We snuggled and kissed for a bit and then drifted off to sleep. I guess the tension of today had gotten to me, because I was out like a light.

The rooster woke me up and I began to tease Cammie's nipple. It became erect and she moaned a bit and then Donna began to kiss on my ear and neck. I turned my head and she claimed my mouth with hers and her tongue invaded. That must have awakened Cammie because she turned over and was kissing my neck and ear from the other side.

When Donna broke the kiss, I turned and kissed Cammie. Her tongue invaded my mouth and dueled with mine. Once she pulled away, Donna and Cammie locked lips and I slipped from bed and headed for the bathroom. They joined me as I was washing up and I got another kiss from Donna as Cammie used the throne. Then they switched and Cammie came into my arms.

They washed up and we all got dressed and headed for our morning activities. Cammie started on the biscuits while I got the coffee going and sliced the sausage for frying. Bonnie showed up and I got a kiss from her as she started in on her duties. Once the coffee had steeped enough, I poured it in to the regular coffee pots and took them to the dining room. I lit the warmers and poured myself a cup of coffee.

I lit my first and just relaxed a bit and waited for the kids and Jimmy to return from chores. I thought about what we needed to do today and I couldn't think of anything outside of what we had talked about yesterday. We'd check on the calves. Then maybe check on the crops to see how they were doing with the rain we got, especially the hay fields. Then we could hook up the splitter to a tractor and begin to split the wood. We'd already let that thing set too long without putting it to use.

They came back from morning chores and I got a kiss from the girls after they washed. They each poured themselves a cup of coffee and we chatted. They couldn't think of anything that needed to be done beyond what we'd talked about. So we decided that would be our plan for today.

When the food was brought in, we all dove in and devoured it. I must have used up more energy than I thought yesterday, because I was starved. Once the food was gone, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

Bonnie said they were going to can the juice today and I told the women what we were going to do. They had no objections to our plans and I certainly had no objections to theirs. We heard the contractor and his crew arrive, but just ignored them and continued drinking our coffee.

Once the coffee was finished, us guys headed for the barn. We got our tack and I got the stallion saddled and brought their horses in for them. They saddled up and we headed for the pastures.

We checked out both herds and they seemed to be in good shape. They seemed a bit annoyed at us riding through them as they grazed, but went right back after we passed through. None of them seemed to be limping and they were all eating. That had to be a good sign.

We checked the fences while we were there and they seemed to be in good shape. The creek was almost back to normal after our extended rain and it was clearing up too. It always gets a bit muddy with the run off.

After we left the pastures, we headed for the hay fields. It looked like the rain had done the trick. They were starting to come back and we'd probably be able to cut and bale next week. I had been worried that we would lose most of this cutting, but now it seemed like we wouldn't lose too much.

Next we turned our attention to the cornfields. They say "Knee high before the fourth of July" and we were already past that point. Now if we could just get some rain on a consistent basis, we'd have a good crop. We would certainly have enough for our feed needs. Buying corn for feed is very expensive and buying organic corn is even worse. We'd probably need to buy one more load to see us through until we could harvest ours, but that couldn't be helped. This was our first year of operation and that comes with the territory.

We finished up on Jimmy's place and started back for the barn. When we got there, we brushed the horses down and then turned them out. We were just getting to the back porch when Chrissy came out to ring the dinner bell.

We washed up and then made our way to the dining room table. There was soup and sandwiches and a glass of fresh tomato juice at each plate. I salt and peppered mine real good and sipped it. It was chilled and tasted pretty good, but a bit flat. I didn't say anything, but Bonnie did.

"It needs something. I don't know what, but it's a bit flat."

"Bonnie, when Mom was cannin' juice, she always put in the juice from some hot banana peppers and a bit of vinegar. I don't know how much, I just remember her doin' it. I also remember it was apple cider that she used. I think she also put in either some garlic or some dill, but I can't remember which."

"Well, that would spice things up some. I might experiment on the next batch we do. We'll have some comin' ripe in about two weeks. I've got some garlic planted, but I don't know if it'll be ready by then. Our banana peppers will probably be ready in a few weeks too. I'm just not sure how hot they'll be."

"Maybe we should plant some jalapeno peppers next year?"

"God, no," Cammie said. "Them things'll burn your insides out."

"No they won't. They just have to be prepared right. They've got a great flavor."

"How can you even taste anything besides fire when you eat them?"

"Darlin', they have a great flavor."

"I've only eaten 'em once and I couldn't taste anything for a week afterwards. Besides that, I must've shit for two days tryin' to get them out of my system."

"If you're not used to them, they can set you free."

"Set me free? I don't think I could have been more free if I'd a swallowed and can of Draino. Plus, them things didn't lose no heat on the way through. My ass burned for a week."

"Hush up about your ass," Bonnie said. "That's no conversation for the dinner table."

By now everyone was laughing, but we tried to keep it down some. We all turned to eating our soup and sandwiches and then sat back to sip our coffee.

Once we were done, us guys headed for the equipment shed. We hooked up the log splitter to Jimmy's tractor with the fork on it and then got the hydraulic lines hooked up. We started the tractor and we did have to add fluid and bleed the lines on the splitter to get all of the air out.

Jessie and Jimmy drove over in the pickup and I followed on the tractor. It was time to test out our new piece of equipment. Our new toy.



-------

Chapter 16

I found a level spot and parked the tractor near the woodpile. I got off the tractor and pulled the latch so I could put the splitter upright and locked it in position. The one thing that the splitter didn't have was any instructions, so we had to wing it at first.

I had left the tractor engine speed on idle, which seemed reasonable to me. We worked up a system where Jessie would operate the lever to move the wedge down and up, but he was not allowed to touch it until either Jimmy or myself had our hands out to the side. We didn't need to split any fingers off with the wood.

I rolled the first log to the splitter and set it in place. I moved my hands out and Jessie tripped the lever. The wedge moved down, but very slowly and the wood stopped it. I had him move it back to the top and increased the engine speed. Once I thought about it, we had to operate the other equipment with at least 1500 rpms, so this would probably work the same way.

I increased the engine speed and had Jessie trip the lever again. This time the wedge came down and went right through the log. I pulled one half away and turned the other on 90 degrees and had him split it again. Then I tossed those two pieces to the side and put the other half in to be split. The wedge barely slowed down when it hit the log. This was going to work out great.

I moved away and Jimmy put his log up and Jessie tripped the lever. It was the same process as before and we were making short work of this wood. Even the pieces with an abundance of knots in them didn't slow the wedge down too much. It just went right though them. The only down side to the whole process was that we had to bend over to get the logs in place. We finished up the entire stack of wood and were back on the porch before 4.

We sipped some iced tea and then went to feed the calves. There had to be a better way than we had worked out to get the feed in the troughs. This was too tedious and slow. We'd just have to do some serious studying on the subject.

We finished up and went back to the house. We washed up in the workshop after I hosed the spreader out. We sat on the porch for about 15 minutes and then we were called for supper.

Bonnie had made some baked beef ribs and seasoned them with barbecue sauce while they cooked. Along with them, we had french fries, a salad, green beans and for dessert, Donna had made apple dumplings. I was stuffed by the time I sat back to sip my coffee.

After coffee, Cammie and Bonnie took care of the kitchen and the rest of us headed for the barn and chores. Us guys took care of the feeding and Donna and Chrissy took care of the milking. After we lugged the milk can to the springhouse, we washed up and sat on the front porch.

The women came out and sat with us when they were finished. We told them that we probably had two cords of wood ready for the fireplace when it got cold. They said they were glad our new play toy worked so good for us.

I asked Bonnie if she was going to make any horseradish this year. She said that they'd probably do that in the fall. I told her I'd call Jamie and have them bring another appliance down that would really help with that. Cammie rolled her eyes and asked what it was. I told them it was a food processor and it had a lot of attachments with it. One of them was a grater that would make short work of the radishes. Bonnie said if it worked as good as the juicer, she was all for it. I told them the only thing it wouldn't do was to protect them from inhaling the fumes as they ground it. They would still need to stand up wind to protect themselves.

We chatted until it was getting dark and then headed inside to watch the weather. The weather girl was saying that it was pretty likely that we would get some rain late on Friday and early Saturday. This was going to be a slow moving storm, but wouldn't leave a lot of rain behind. We'd be lucky to get an inch from it.

Once the weather was over, Jimmy and Bonnie headed for their place after Bonnie kissed everyone good night. The rest of us chatted and then there was an overwhelming vote to try out the new shower. I really wasn't in the mood, but everyone else had wanted it, so I was out voted.

We all stripped down in the bathroom and walked into the large shower area. I started getting the water temperature adjusted and soon we had all the nozzles going. This time there was a lot more pressure. The floor jets had no trouble reaching the girls' pussies and they were taking advantage of it.

I quickly grabbed a bar of soap and washed all the grime and sweat off of me. Jessie did the same thing and then we rinsed off. As I had my head under the water, I felt hands on my back. They began to massage me and I knew it was Donna. Along with the hot water, the massage soon had me very relaxed.

It wasn't long until Cammie moved in front of me and we began to kiss and caress each other. She was very aroused after being stimulated by the floor jet and she clung to me as we kissed.

We stayed like that for a short while and then I backed her up against the wall. She had her arms around my neck and was on her tiptoes as I leaned into the kiss. She moaned and then I reached down and cupped her ass cheeks and began to lift her up. Once her feet cleared the floor, she wrapped her legs around my waist to keep from falling. I got her a bit higher and then leaned in and began to penetrate her pussy.

She moaned even louder and used her legs as leverage to pull herself on to me fully. Thank God for the non-slip surface on the floor of the shower. I leaned in some and got her back securely planted against the wall and began to fuck her. This was not a slow fuck because our position would not allow that. I was banging into her and she was moaning into my mouth.

That lasted until her first orgasm when she ripped her mouth away and screamed. Her pussy locked up on me and I was held in that position as the waves of pleasure washed over her. Donna was leaning against me from the back and playing with Cammie's nipples.

As Cammie came down, she began to fuck at me, using me and her legs for leverage. Her mouth attacked me again and her tongue flew into my mouth. Donna leaned around and began to suck on Cammie's nipple. This only served to heighten Cammie's passion and her fingers were digging into my shoulders.

It didn't take too long before Cammie clenched up again and began to cum. Donna didn't let up, but I was trapped by her pussy and all I could do was to provide pressure and support as she rode out the current storm of pleasure in her body.

When her pussy released its grip on me, she began to pant, "Fuck me, Oh God, fuck me hard."

And that is just what I did. I began to pound into her and it wasn't long until I was close to cumming myself. As the tickle started, it was just an instant before I exploded inside of her. She felt it and screamed into my mouth and began to cum again.

I don't know how long my spurting lasted, but it lasted long enough for Cammie to almost faint. Her legs started to slip and I had to grab them to keep her in position. Her arms clung around my neck and she was gasping for air as our orgasms played themselves out. My knees were a bit shaky and I finally had to take a better stance to keep from falling to my knees.

When I did, her legs came out of my grasp and slipped down. I had to release her and my cock came out as her feet hit the floor.

Donna was on her knees instantly and captured my wilting cock with her mouth. Once I was clean, she turned her attention to Cammie and glued her mouth to her pussy to suck our cum out. Cammie and I kissed through her aftershocks with Donna kneeling and tending to her cleaning task.

As soon as Donna removed her head from between Cammie's legs, Cammie slid to the floor. Donna moved to her and they shared the treasure Donna had gathered.

I moved back under the shower and soaped up again. As I turned to rinse off, I saw Chrissy on her knees and Jessie mounted behind her. He was pumping away and she was pushing back at him. That didn't last too long and soon, Jessie stiffened and Chrissy and he both came.

Cammie and Chrissy both moved to a floor jet and rinsed out their pussies while Donna moved into my arms and we kissed under the warm spray of the shower. I finally back her against the wall and knelt down in front of her. I began to feast on her pussy and she moved her hips out to give me better access as she used my hair to grip and keep herself upright. It didn't take her long to orgasm and then she slid to the floor and we kissed again.

Cammie and Chrissy washed up under the shower and then rinsed off. Donna was the last to wash up and then we shut the water off. Fortunately, someone had moved towels into the new bathroom and we all grabbed one and dried off. Then Chrissy kissed me good night and her and Jessie headed up to bed.

Cammie, Donna and myself made use of the throne and then headed to our bed. I think we were all tired. We kissed for a bit and then drifted off to sleep.

I woke to the sound of the rooster and began to tease Cammie's nipple. She moaned and turned to kiss me. Our actions must have wakened Donna because I felt her move closer to me and begin to kiss my ear and neck. I turned my head to kiss her after Cammie and I broke our kiss. Then Donna and Cammie locked lips and I used that as my cue to slip out of bed and head for the bathroom.

I had finished using the throne before they arrived. I was washing up as Donna moved behind me and began to kiss on my neck. I turned around and kissed her and she molded her body to mine as her tongue explored my mouth. Then the women switched places and Donna used the throne.

Once done in the bathroom, we all got dressed and headed for our morning duties. I got the coffee going and sliced the sausage before Bonnie arrived and gave me a kiss. She started doing her thing and I poured water into the three presses. I filled the pans with water again and put them back on the stove to boil.

After the coffee had steeped enough, I poured them into the regular coffee pots and took them to the dining room. I lit my first and sat back to sip my coffee.

Jimmy and the kids showed up before too long and joined me. I got a kiss from the girls and we chatted about things we needed to do today. Actually, there wasn't a lot that really needed to be done. But I did some thinking and decided that we should check on the balers and the haybines and get them cleaned up and ready for next week. That gave Jimmy, Jessie and myself something to do. However, the women were through canning and they didn't have a lot that needed doing.

We chatted until breakfast was brought in and then we all chowed down. Cammie and Chrissy had a bigger than normal breakfast Afterwards, we all sat back and sipped our coffee. I heard the contractor and his crew drive up, but I really didn't need to talk with them, so I just ignored them for the time being.

Bonnie thought the females might go shopping today. They were all for that, but I didn't say anything that might get me in trouble. Sometimes I really do have some good common sense.

We finished our coffee and it was coming on 8, so I decided to call Jamie and Dianne. I figured they'd be up by now. Their internal clocks wouldn't let them sleep too long beyond milking time.

Jamie answered the phone and I asked him how things were going. He said they'd seen several shows and were going to Silver Dollar City today. I told him I wanted him to bring the food processors back with him and told him where to find them. He laid the phone down and went to the cabinet to get them. When he came back he said he'd put them in the car so they wouldn't forget them. Then I told him to hold on because I knew the women wanted to talk to Dianne.

I handed the phone to Bonnie and the guys and I left the table. Our first order of business was to take the jars the women had canned down to the basement and get them up on the shelves. Once that was done, we headed to the equipment shed.

I fired up a tractor and pulled the first haybine out so we could work on it. Actually, this was a "make work" project so we could kill time and look busy for the females. We sure didn't want to appear to have nothing to do. They might want us to go shopping.

We cleaned all the mowing discs and freed any debris that was caught in that area. Then we tightened all the belts and chains and checked out the flails to make sure they were in operating condition. We were about half way through with that machine when the women drove down in the van and said they were leaving. Jimmy and I went over and kissed our women goodbye and then watched them drive out the lane. Then we went back to work and finished cleaning and checking everything on this machine.

I pulled that one back in while Jimmy pulled the other one out. This one needed more tightening on the belts and chains. It was a few years older than the other one, so I guess it was normal. It's a lot better to do it here than out in the field when something breaks. All the cutting discs looked to be in good shape and none of them were bent. Once we had that one completed, we decided to have lunch. It was almost one by the time we got washed up and headed up to the kitchen.

I found some soup and heated that while Jimmy got the sandwich stuff on the table. I made a pot of coffee and had Jessie take the tea and glasses with ice to the table. Once the soup was hot, I took that pot and a dipper to the table and we had lunch. The women probably would have had a fit if they saw that we had the soup pot on the table and were dipping the soup out right there, but this was male territory right now and it just made sense. Fewer dishes to wash this way.

We finished lunch and then cleared the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher. Then we headed back to the equipment shed. I pulled the first round baler out and we began our inspection of it. The first thing I noted was that we were going to need more twine for this crop. I made a mental note of that and checked the feeds for the twine.

Then I opened the bale chamber and checked the belts. They seemed to be in good shape and that was a relief. Those are expensive and hard to replace.

The next thing was the pick up throat. We tightened the wings on it and I noticed that quite a few tines were badly bent. I did some thinking about that and went to the workshop and got a long handled box wrench. That seemed to be the best way to grip the tines and bend them without actually gripping them with some type of pliers. I would slip the box end over the tine and use the box as a fulcrum point to apply pressure to straighten the tine out. It worked pretty good, but it was time consuming. We were just finishing up with that baler when the women came home. I was pretty sure we'd hear about what they bought later on. There was just no way to avoid it.

We put that baler away and brought the other one out. This one didn't have nearly as many bent tines as the other one and I quickly got them back in shape. The belts were in good shape and we cleaned out the bailing chamber and then put it away.

Once that was done, we decided to feed the calves. Jessie worked the feed bin chute and loaded the spreader when I pulled it under the chute. Then we headed for the pastures. It still took a lot of time to fill the troughs, but it was getting better. At least now I wasn't having to make two or three attempts to line up the tractor. The main problem was repositioning the chute when it came to an upright. Maybe this was the best way, but I still needed to be convinced that it was.

After we finished feeding the calves, we drove back to the equipment shed and I hosed out the spreader. Then we washed up in the workshop and headed for the front porch. We sat there and chatted about things for about 20 minutes and then we were called for supper.

The women had been grocery shopping, among other things, and we had stuffed pork chops. They were great and we had all the trimmings with the meal. Then Donna brought out two apple pies and we stuffed ourselves even more.

We all sat back and sipped our coffee and I was informed that they had brought home wallpaper sample books to look at. Upon hearing this, my heart sank. I knew what I was in for and I just dreaded it. I knew that, somehow, they would find a way to get me involved in this process and I didn't know how I was going to escape that fate.

After we finished our coffee, Cammie and Bonnie took care of the kitchen and dishes, while the rest of us headed for the chores. The chores didn't take us too long and we were back on the porch before the women brought out their sample books.

All the females were crowded around the books and checking out each sample to see if it was something they might want. It was more than a half an hour before I was asked what I thought about one sample. I glanced quickly at it, from a distance, and said, "Looks fine to me."

"You didn't even look at it," Cammie said.

"Yes, I did. I can see it from here."

"This is something that's goin' in our bedroom. I'd think you'd be just a little interested in it."

"Why are you doin' this? I've told you, I don't know how many times, I have no sense of what matches in colors and I don't really care. If it was up to me, I'd have the ceilin's painted a bright white and the walls painted an off white. That way ever'thing would go with it and we wouldn't need to be changin' the bedspread or curtains or whatever. Pick whatever ya'all want, but just leave me out of it."

"Urrrrr. You are such a man at times. Why can't you just give us your opinion on this?"

"I just did and you didn't even listen."

"Your opinion is to paint it white?"

"Yep. It goes with ever'thing."

"But it's so plain and dull. Don't you want some bright colors in there?"

"White can be bright."

"No it can't. It's white."

"Darlin', the time that I spend in the bedroom is mostly with my eyes shut. So I don't see the color anyways. When my eyes are open, I ain't lookin' at the walls. I'm lookin' at the beautiful women around me or I'm lookin' for my clothes to get dressed so I can get out of the bedroom and get some work done. I don't care about the color of the walls."

"I don't even know why I ask you anything about this stuff. It's just a waste of time."

"And you're just now discoverin' this fact?"

"Urrrrr. You are such a MAN."

They went back to their samples and I relished in the temporary reprieve I'd just received from the dreaded decorating drudge. I knew that it was just temporary though.

The females went inside before us guys did because the light was failing and they needed to see the colors more clearly. We waited until the last possible minute before surrendering and going inside to watch the weather. The women were still sitting at the dining room table and studying their samples.

The weather girl said that our chances were looking better for some light rain beginning on Friday night and lasting until Saturday about noontime. If it was a light rain, we'd be dried out by Tuesday and could probably start mowing on Wednesday.

After the news, we shut the TV off and Jimmy waited for Bonnie to get done with her browsing. It was after 10 before he finally told her that he was going home. She looked up and then looked at the clock and said she hadn't realized it was this late. She kissed everyone goodbye and they headed to Jimmy's place. Cammie, Donna and Chrissy were still studying the books. I finally told them I had locked everything up and I was heading to bed. I'm not sure they even heard me, because they didn't look up.

I went to the bedroom and stripped down before using the bathroom. Then I slipped into bed and shut the lights off.

I felt them get in bed, but I was pretty well asleep, or real close to it. I didn't even acknowledge they'd gotten in and just drifted on off to sleep. They'd probably be pissed, but I had told them I was going to bed. It wasn't my fault they didn't take note of it.

I don't know how it happened. Maybe it is force of habit, or possibly just chance, but I woke up holding Cammie's tit. As I stroked it, she moaned and turned to kiss me. She was a bit more passionate this morning, but I sure as hell wasn't complaining. Then Donna awoke and moved behind me to begin kissing on my neck and ear.

When Cammie broke our kiss, I turned my head and Donna claimed my mouth and her tongue immediately invaded. Then she broke our kiss and moved to Cammie. I slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Both of them followed and used the throne when I was done.

We washed up and then headed to our morning chores. I got the water on the stove and ground the coffee before slicing the sausage for frying. Bonnie came in and gave me a kiss and then started doing her thing.

Once I had poured the water into the presses and it had steeped, I took them to the dining room and put them on the pot warmers I lit. Then I sat back and enjoyed my first and sipped my coffee.

Jimmy and the kids returned and I got a kiss from the girls. We all sipped our coffee and talked about today's needs. Jimmy, Jessie and I were definitely going to town to buy twine for the balers today. But first we'd need to look at the square baler. That needed some cleaning. I didn't know if we'd use it for this cutting, but we still needed to check it. The timing on the bales last time was just fine and the knots were also working great. But twine dust and slivers can accumulate in the needles and knotters and it always fails at the worst time. It's always best to check things before you start baling.

Breakfast was brought in and we all dug in. As usual, everything was great and we cleaned everything up, including all the grits. Folks who aren't used to eating grits and didn't like them when they tried them, probably never had them cooked properly. When they're cooked right and swimming in butter, they just can't be beat.

Once we were done, we sat back and sipped our coffee. I heard the contractor come in but didn't need to talk to him, so I just ignored their arrival. We all chatted about various things and last night's discussion about wallpaper was not mentioned, thankfully.

When we finished our coffee, us guys headed for the equipment shed and pulled the square baler out to work on. True to the nature of the beast, there was a lot of left over hay dust in the baling chamber. We cleaned that out and then inspected the needles and knotters. They weren't too bad, but there was some twine slivers. That stuff is tedious to work with so we finally got the compressor out and used the air hose to blow all the dust and strands out. It didn't look like new, but it was clean and ready to use.

I backed it into the shed and put the tractor away. Then we headed to the house and found the women sitting around the dining room table, looking at the sample books. I was not going to say a word, but I just wanted to get the checkbook so we could go to town.

"Can I ask you a question?" Cammie said, as I was passing through.

"Sure."

"I know you don't wanna have nothin' to do with the wallpaper, but what would you think about puttin' up wainscottin' in the hot tub room?"

"Well, it would simplify puttin' the wallpaper, since ya'all wouldn't have to run it to the floor. Ya'all could put it up and just make sure it went below a certain point. Then put up the wainscottin' to cover it. But you'd also need a chair rail to go around to cover the top of the wainscottin'."

"Would ya he'p with the wainscottin'?"

"Ya, I don't have a problem with that. What did ya'all have in mind?"

"I don't know. How's it come?"

"Well, the easiest thing is usin' beadboard. It comes in four-foot wide sections and that way it will match up with the studs in the wall for nailin'. The next best thing is tongue and groove floorin'. The worst thing is just different sized boards that have to be put on a joiner so they fit together properly."

"Well, they've got a section in this one catalog and we kinda like the way it looks. Would you take a look at it?"

I walked over and looked in the catalog. The sample they were using was beadboard, sawed to about a four-foot height.

"If ya'all went with something like that, it wouldn't be too much of a problem. It'd just be a matter of cuttin' the beadboard and then puttin' the chair moldin' up around it."

"What's chair moldin'?"

"It's that ridge on top of the wainscottin'."

"You mean that don't come that way?"

"Nope. It comes in panels of four foot by eight foot. That moldin' is put on as the last thing."

"Oh. I guess I can see that. Is it difficult?"

"As long as you stick with the beadboard and you don't want it stained some rare color, then no."

"You mean it don't come that color?"

"Nope. It either has to be stained or painted."

"Oh. Whataya think, Mama?"

"Well, I knew it had to be painted, but I didn't know none of the rest of the stuff. I think it'll work out fine if he'll put it up."

"I don't mind nailin' it up, or even paintin' it. We've got a spray gun out in the workshop that'll make short work of it. It'll probably take two or three coats, but that's not a problem. Nailin' it up is just a matter of findin' the studs and usin' the nail gun to secure it."

"Ok, we'll plan on that then."

"Ok, we're headed to town."

"What're ya'all shoppin' for?"

"We're not shoppin', we're buyin' balin' twine."

"Ok, we'll see ya'all for lunch."

We headed out to the truck and Jimmy was grinning as he got in.

"They roped you into anyway, didn't they?"

"I just said I wasn't gonna do wallpaper. I don't mind usin' a nail gun or a paint gun."

"You just watch. They're gonna get you roped into a bunch more stuff before it's all said and done."

"I ain't too sure about that. I do have my limits."

"Right."

"Ya know I wouldn't talk too much if I's you. They ain't started on your place yet."

"And I hope they never do. I'm worse than you on that stuff."

We headed for town and chatted along the way. We got to Elmer's place and waited until he had time to work with us.

"What ya'all need today, boys?"

"We's needin' some twine for balin', Elmer."

"You're in luck. I'm just ready to place my order this afternoon. It'll be here on Monday or Tuesday."

I told him what we had in the way of fields and how many bales we'd got of the last cutting. He figured up what we would need and I told him to just double it because we'd get at least one more cutting this year. He wrote the order up and said he'd call when it came in.

"Did ya'all get to use that splitter yet?"

"Sure did and it works great. We split up about two cords of wood in an afternoon. But there was all three of us workin' at it."

"That sure beats usin' an ax, don't it?"

"It sure as hell does. Even a maul ain't that much easier."

"Well, I'm glad to be shed of it and I'm glad ya'all are gettin' such good use from it. We all gained on that deal."

"I think we did, Elmer."

"Ok, well I'll call ya'all when it comes in. Anything else ya'all needin' today?"

"Nope, that should do it."

We got back in the truck and headed home for lunch. In the back of my mind I couldn't help but wonder what else Cammie and her crew were working up in their devious minds. I knew it couldn't be good for me.



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Chapter 17

We arrived home about a half an hour before lunch and waited on the front porch to stay out of the way. We were finally called in and dove into our soup and sandwiches. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

Bonnie said that her garden was growing faster than she expected since the rain and they were going to have to start picking again by the first of the week. She also said that they'd be canning the pickles that were soaking now, probably on Monday.

Then Cammie told us that they had pretty well decided on the wallpaper and the beadboard. Although they hadn't decided on the color of the beadboard yet. But they thought it would be a green shade or maybe a shade of yellow. I suggested that they stop at the paint store and get a paint sample chart and maybe a stain sample. She said they'd already decided on paint because they might want to change it sometime in the future. That statement made the future seem a lot less bright for me.

Cammie said they were going to go to town this afternoon and get some paint samples. None of us guys volunteered to go with them. We just nodded our heads, like the bobble heads that the women imitate when we're talking. None of us wanted anything to do with something that might turn into shopping.

After we finished our coffee, us guys decided to take a closer look at our crops to see how they were doing. We really didn't have much else to do, so we opted for that. We'd be away and a lot less likely to get into trouble.

We walked down to the barn and got our tack. I saddled the stallion and then got their horses so they could get mounted. Once they were ready, we headed out the lane for the first cornfield. When we got there, we took the edge and rode around it. We could see the interior of the field pretty good from the edges and this field was looking pretty good. It took us better than thirty minutes to get all the way around and inspect things at the same time. We didn't seem to have any worms working on what we could see. We got down and did a closer inspection. The stalks were sturdy and appeared to be in good shape.

Then we headed for the next field. It was in pretty good shape too; except for the very back that was a lot closer to the stream. It looked like the last ten or twelve feet had been washed away by the flood we'd had. We'd need to remember that for our next planting. No sense planting it if it's going to wash downstream.

We rode past the pastures and headed for the last cornfield on this side of the stream. It looked about the same as the first. It was growing as we expected and should produce a good crop of feed.

Once we were through with that field, we crossed the stream and headed for the fields on Jimmy's place. They all looked pretty good. There we unsaddled and brushed out the horses before turning them out. Then we put the tack away and headed for the house. The sky was starting to cloud up and it looked like the weather folks might be correct, this time

Jimmy said he was going to his place and do some paperwork and Jessie said he was going to play some computer games. I decided that I'd sign on and check my mail. After that, I'd see what I felt like doing.

Jessie and I were both in the new office and he was deciding which game he wanted to play. I signed on and pulled up my e-mail. There really wasn't too much there. My daughter had sent me a bunch of jokes and I had a couple letters from clients that really just needed some information. Nothing earth shattering at all. I clicked on the NOAA link and saw that we did indeed have some showers headed our way, but they didn't seem to be very large and no warnings were posted.

With that done, I really had nothing to do at all. I went to the living room and turned on the TV. Weekday programming is virtually worthless as far as I am concerned. Why would anyone go on National TV and confess something that they can't bring themselves to talk about in private? And Oprah didn't seem to have anything on that would interest any man that I know of. None of the stations had any storm warnings on, so I just shut it off.

I kicked my boots off and laid back on the couch. This was sure a comfortable couch. As I rested there, my eyes just naturally drifted shut. The next thing I knew, I heard a car door slam. I looked up and the women were back. I sat up and waited for them to come in.

They waltzed in, just as happy as could be. They had more wallpaper books and a bunch of paint charts.

"Well, that stuff oughta keep ya'all busy for a day or so."

"Don't even start," Cammie said. "The paper we've been lookin' at ain't right for a place where there's so much humidity. The guy said that regular paper would probably curl up and that we should look at the vinyl stuff."

"Now I'm sure that is really bad news for ya'all. Havin' to decide on somethin' new and all."

"Well, we had our mind all made up and now we gotta do it all over. We's figurin' we could get that started next week."

"Ain't no way in hell it could start that soon."

"Why not?"

"Well, first of all, we'll be hayin' next week. And secondly, the contractor has to finish in there before we can even consider puttin' that stuff up."

"What's this 'we' stuff? I don't carry a mouse around in my pocket."

"Ok. Before ya'all can start in there."

"So, when will we be able to get it done?"

"It depends on when the contractor gets done and what we've got goin' when he's done."

"How long will it take you to do it?"

"It won't take me long to do the beadboard at all. I have no idea how long it'll take ya'all to hang the paper."

"Well, how long will it take to paint the stuff you're gonna put up?"

"It'll probably take three days or so. The boards will need to be sanded and then primed. Then sanded lightly again and the first coat sprayed on. Then a very light sandin' and I'll be able to put the final coat on. Once that dries, it'll take a couple hours to put it all up. Just some cuttin' and trimmin' and that'll be it."

"Well, now I'm disappointed. I thought we'd be able to get this stuff up next week."

"You could probably put the paper up in the bedroom. I think he's finished in there. But the big room will take a while yet. He still needs to get the walls finished, get the fireplace installed, bring the stone over and get it laid, and then put the carpet down."

"How long will all of that take?"

"As long as it takes. He's had to make repairs, alterations because we changed things and he's still got to finish getting the hot tub installed. He can't do that until the tile is set and the grout sealed. All of this stuff takes time and it must be done in a certain order."

"Damn, will we have it done this year?"

"Yes, dear. I'd say it'd take a couple more weeks for them to get everything done. That is if there aren't any more problems or changes."

"Well, I guess we don't have to be in any hurry to pick a new paper. Here I was thinkin' we could get this done next week."

"Ever'thing comes in time, darlin'."

The women wandered in to the dining room and began to look through the vinyl wallpaper books. I pulled my boots back on and walked out to the porch and took a seat. No chance of continuing my nap when the women were home.

It wasn't too long before Jimmy pulled up and came up to sit with me.

"Dean, I think I might have a problem brewin' in the distance."

"What's that?"

"Well, I heard from Sarah and Dave and they want to come down after the fourth. I want 'em to come down, but I'm concerned with what Bonnie might think about us interruptin' our relationship. I think it's a bit early for them to see us sleepin' together. It might really upset 'em and I don't want that."

"Well, I'm not so sure it'll be a big problem, Jimmy. Bonnie might just surprise you on this point. She's a whole lot more together than Barb was. She's been through her husband dyin' and she might be able to understand about how your kids feel."

"Damn, I sure hope you're right about that. Although, I don't really know what they're gonna do around here for more than a couple weeks."

"Well, we can put 'em to work. Although right now, we're havin' trouble keepin' ourselves busy. Oh shit, I just thought of somethin'. When is the fourth?"

"Next Wednesday."

"Damn. We can't start hayin' then, we'll have to wait a day or two. I'd just bet the women have something planned for the fourth anyways."

"Well, puttin' it off a day won't make much difference."

"Nope. When was the kids plannin' on comin' down?"

"They was thinkin' on the weekend followin' the fourth."

"Well, would ya wanna take 'em up to the lake for a bit?"

"We might do that. I know they'd like to be out on the water. Sarah don't fish, but she likes boatin' and skiin'."

"I'm not sure the boat would pull a skier with two folks in it. But you could always rent one at the marina over to Buck Creek. The fishin' ain't gonna be much good, this time of the year, but ya'all are welcome to use it."

"We might just spend a week up there. I'll have to see how it goes. If Bonnie blows up, then I'm sure we'll spend time up there."

"Well, if I's you, I'd have a talk with her tonight when ya'all go home. That way it'll just be you two and others won't be involved in it and she won't need to show her strength. I'm just thinkin' though, she might just surprise you about this whole thing."

"Damn, I sure hope you're right about that."

About 4, Jessie, Jimmy and myself went to feed the calves. I was still upset about the difficulty of getting the feed in the troughs with the roofs in place. Trouble was, I couldn't think of a better way.

By the time we got back and washed up, the women were waiting for us. They had decided that we would go out to eat tonight since they had spent so much time with the wallpaper selection. Nobody said anything about that choice and everyone, except Jimmy and Bonnie, got into the van and we headed for the barbecue place. They took Jimmy's Navigator and followed us.

For a Friday night, it wasn't too crowded. They found us a table, large enough to comfortably seat everyone. We all decided on the buffet and the waitress said she'd have our iced tea waiting for us.

I think we all pigged out. I made three trips back to the line and I was stuffed by the time I finished my apple pie and ice cream. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee and chatted about things. We were almost through with our coffee when a loud crash of thunder was heard. That pretty well announced the rain we were expecting. We finished up and Cammie announced that she was paying for supper since it was her that took up everyone's time to look at wallpaper. I thought about saying something, but then I thought better of it and just accepted it. No need to start an argument about something so trivial.

We all made it to the vehicles and headed home. The hard initial rain had passed and it was now just a steady light rain that was falling. Cammie and Bonnie went inside and the rest of us headed for the chores. It didn't take too long to finish and soon we were back on the front porch, watching the rain. The women had taken a break from the wallpaper searching and sat with us. We just chatted about various things and nothing in particular.

We stayed out there until it was dark and then went inside to watch the news. The weather girl said that the rain should clear out by tomorrow afternoon and that we could expect less than an inch of total accumulation. That would be fine with me. If it stayed like this, it would dry out by mid-week and we'd be able to start haying on Thursday.

Bonnie kissed everyone goodnight and then she and Jimmy left for his place. Cammie went to the kitchen and got a yardstick.

"I wanna see how high to put the board stuff on the walls."

Reluctantly, I went with her and everyone followed us. She measured up four feet and asked me to hold the yardstick in place while she looked at it. I did and she backed off.

"That's too high. Hold it at three feet."

I lowered it and let her study it. She thought about it and then asked me to move it down to two feet. I did and she studied it for a bit and asked me to move it back to three feet. She did more studying and then said; "I think we should have it at three feet. What do you think about it?"

"I don't really care. This is your project and it really don't make any difference to me. Regardless if it is three feet or four feet, it's still gonna take the same amount of wood."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, it comes in sheets that are eight feet by four feet. Either way you choose to go, it will still take one sheet to make two panels."

"Wouldn't it take less since we're only doin' it three feet?"

"Nope. We'll be able to get two panels out of one sheet and there'll be two feet left over. This stuff can't be pieced because there'll be a seam that would show."

"Oh. Ok, I guess I understand now. So we can have it any height and it'll still take one sheet to make two panels."

"As long as each panel is under four feet."

"Oh. Ok, I understand."

She did some more studying and I took that as a cue to get the hell out of the way. I headed for the bathroom and did my thing. When I came back, they were still studying the situation. Jessie had taken my cue and headed upstairs. He was learning.

While they were still studying the walls, I closed everything up and turned off everything that they were not using. Then I stripped down and climbed into bed. Eventually, they took the hint and Chrissy kissed me goodnight and headed upstairs. Cammie and Donna stripped down and used the bathroom and then slipped into bed with me. We kissed and cuddled for a bit and then drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to the crowing of the rooster and began to tease Cammie's nipple. She moaned and crushed my hand to her tit as she turned over to kiss me. Donna awoke and began to kiss on my neck and ear as our kiss continued. Then I turned and kissed Donna. She snuggled even closer and wrapped her leg over mine and pulled herself tightly against me. When she broke the kiss, she reached for Cammie and I slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

They joined me as I washed up and Donna molded her body to mine for another kiss while Cammie was on the throne. Then they switched places and Cammie came to me for another kiss.

Once we'd finished in the bathroom, we got dressed and headed for our morning duties. I got the water on the stove and ground the coffee. Then I sliced the sausage for frying and waited for the water to boil. Bonnie showed up and I got a quick kiss before she started her duties.

Once I had the coffee in the three presses made and steeped, I emptied the contents into regular coffee pots and took them to the dining room. I lit the pot warmers and poured myself a cup of coffee and lit my first. I sipped and relaxed while I waited for everyone else to join me.

Jimmy and the others showed up and I got a kiss from the girls and then they each poured themselves a cup of coffee. We chatted about various things. I asked them if it was still raining and Jimmy told me that there was a light drizzle, but nothing too bad. He said the creek wasn't even muddy, so we hadn't gotten too much rain.

When the women brought the food in, we all chowed down and devoured everything in site. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. We talked about things to do today and there wasn't much that could be done with the rain. The women voted to work on trying to find a wallpaper pattern for the hot tub room. I told them they would need to pick a vinyl paper for the bathroom too, for the same reason they needed vinyl for the hot tub room. They just nodded at that revelation.

We continued on our coffee until it was gone and then us guys adjourned to the front porch. We needed to be out of the way of the women, lest we get into trouble. We sat on the front porch and chatted about various things and nothing in particular. We finally got bored with that and walked out to the workshop and messed around there for a while. We put things in order, cleaned up a bit and just stayed away from the house. Out of sight and out of mind.

The rain finally let up late in the morning and the clouds started to break up some. Just before lunch, Jamie and Dianne pulled up. We went up to greet them and the women came out on the porch to do the same.

They came inside and Cammie set two more places at the table and finally got lunch served. We all ate and then listened to their adventures on their "honeymoon" of sorts. They said they came back because it was raining and they didn't care much for the crowds in Branson. They said they really enjoyed themselves and thanked me for letting them use the place. They had been to Silver Dollar City, White Water, saw several shows and went shopping in Springfield. Even Jamie went shopping. I'm pretty sure it was just to keep peace, but he went.

After we finished our coffee, Jamie and Dianne went to the car and brought in a couple shopping bags. They had gotten gifts for everyone. They got Chrissy and Donna Tee-shirts from White Water and got Jessie a new computer game. For Bonnie they brought an Ozark cookbook with a lot of old time recipes from the hills in it. She just loved it and began reading it while they were giving out the rest of the presents.

For Cammie, they brought a "Guidebook for dating Cousins" and a sample family tree with no branches on it. Everyone broke up when she opened it up. Even she laughed at it.

For Jimmy and myself, they brought straw cowboy hats with "Rednecks Forever" printed on the bandana hatband. We immediately put them on and surprisingly, they fit.

We all thanked them for the presents and then Jamie went out to the car and brought the two food processors I had asked him to bring down with him. Of course, the women had to see what they were and I was asked what each did. I tried to explain each function of each machine. Each one had several functions and it was difficult for them to picture everything, since they'd never seen something like that.

I showed them the one that would chop vegetables and one function that ground things. Then I showed them how the one would grate almost anything to any size they wanted. They began to understand some of the functions, but said I would have to show them how to use it all when they were ready to do something.

It was after two before we finished up at the table. Then Jamie and Dianne went home to unpack and returned about 30 minutes later with their dirty clothes. They took them down the basement and put them with the other wash.

Us guys walked up to the front porch and relaxed while the women did whatever they were doing. I'm sure they were showing Dianne the wallpaper stuff and the paint chips. We chatted for about an hour and then decided to feed the calves. It was a bit easier with four people instead of the three. Jimmy and I both had a helper.

Jamie got to see the additions to the troughs for the first time and also got to see the problems we were having with the chute and the uprights. He thought there had to be a better way too. When we got back, I hosed out the spreader and then we washed up in the workshop and went to sit on the front porch while we waited for supper.

It wasn't too long before we were called to supper. Bonnie had fixed a big roast with all the trimmings. We all stuffed ourselves and then sat back to sip our coffee. There was more talk about Jamie and Dianne's trip and all they did.

After the coffee was done, us guys were told that we needed to get ready for the Grange Hall. I knew better than to complain, so I headed for the shower and cleaned up. I was out in the living room, waiting for everyone else to get ready. Jessie was the next one to show up and then Jamie and Dianne showed up. Jessie headed towards Bonnie's bedroom and yelled that they were leaving. He must have gotten an "ok" because he came back and left with Jamie and Dianne.

Jimmy showed up and then the rest of them slowly appeared. I grabbed my guitar and we all headed out. It was another Saturday night and we were headed for the Grange Hall.

When we got there, Jimmy and I set our guitars on stage to let them acclimate to the conditions there. Then I took a look at the playlist they had worked up. Since they now had their own copies of the songbooks, there was a bit more of a variety from what we had in the past. They now had time to study the various songs rather than just having the songbooks for about thirty minutes before we started playing. It makes a big difference in the selection process. They can actually take the time to look at some songs they thought they remembered and get the chord progression firmly planted in their memory. That is what I was hoping for when I printed them out. When you play the same songs week after week, you can get into a rut of familiarity and not even realize it.

I joined Jimmy at the table and we took our seats away from the women. In an almost whispered voice, I asked him how it went with Bonnie. He shook his head and said the jury's still out on that one.

"She says she sorta understands, but it seems like I'm ashamed of her and our relationship. I tried to explain to her that it just takes time for the kids to get over me not bein' with their mother. I'm hopin' that it will not build up into a big argument. I just don't need that right now."

"I agree with ya on that point. We just got over one clan problem and we don't need another. I sure hope ya'all can work it out."

Allen and Fran showed up and took their place at the table. It wasn't too long before Frank and Jenna appeared and joined our congregation. Us men talked about farming while the women talked about their women stuff. Then Elmer called us up for the first set.

We got tuned up and then began the first set. They had picked out a couple of Little Jimmy Dickens' songs. The first was "Sleeping At The Foot Of The Bed." Then, later on in the set, we did "Out Behind The Barn." Those weren't songs we had done before and there were a lot of folks were singing along. Of course they were the older folks who were alive when the songs were popular. Probably most of the young ones never heard of them before.

We finished with the first set and Jimmy and I each got us a Coke and returned to the table. As soon as I sat down, the twins appeared and I got a kiss on each cheek. They didn't say too much because us men were talking, mostly about farming. We told them we were going to start haying on Thursday and it looked like we were going to have a good cutting in spite of the lack of rain spell we went through. They said their hay was looking real good too and they'd probably be cutting next week or so.

Then Bonnie came over to us and informed us that we were hosting a cook out on the 4th and everyone was expected to be there. Us guys just nodded our head, kind of like the bobble head impression the women do when we're talking about something they have no interest in.

Then the twins began to get in on the conversation.

"Jessie said that ya'all got the shower workin'," Lana brought up.

"Yep, we sure did. It took a bit, but it's up and goin' now."

"I can't wait to see it," Leanne offered up.

"Well, there's not much to see. It's just a square area with shower heads in it and a glass wall with a door."

"Did you get ALL of the shower heads goin'," Lana asked.

"Yep, we sure did. We had to put in an extra pump and tanks, but they're all workin' great."

"You two run along now," Frank told them.

"Yes, Papa," they said, in unison.

Before they left, they each gave me a kiss on the cheek and made sure to lean against my arms with their tits. These two were definitely a handful (no pun intended).

We continued our conversation about farming until Elmer called us back up on stage. We went through our rowdy set and got a lot of folks up dancing and singing along with us on the songs they knew. That's what this is all about, getting folks to enjoy themselves.

After that set, Jimmy and I each got another Coke and sat back down at the table. I told them about the log splitter we bought and how good it worked. They said they would like to see it since they both had fireplaces and had been splitting wood with a maul and an axe. I told them I'd show it to them on Wednesday.

On the third set, we played mostly the belly rubbin' songs so folks could dance close together. It went well and we had a lot of folks up dancing. When they're enjoying themselves, I know we're doing things right.

After we finished the set, Jimmy and put our guitars in their cases and we went to sit at the table until the women were ready to leave. Us guys talked about guy things and the women were planning the 4th. I knew that I'd be cooking, so I really didn't need to be involved. There was nothing more I needed to know. The rest of the time, us guys would be roaming the farm and looking at various things that we we're interested in. That's just the way things go. It's part of life.

Finally, Frank announced that it was time to go home. That stirred the women from their conversation and we all said goodnight and headed for our vehicles.

We drove home and Jimmy and Bonnie followed us so Bonnie could be there when Jessie came home. Once inside, we chatted about various things and I was informed that we'd be cooking steaks on the 4th and that we'd be eating outside, so we'd need to set up the big table under the trees. I just nodded and accepted what I knew was fate. Maybe I was learning.

When Jessie arrived home, Bonnie kissed everyone goodnight and they left for Jimmy's place. I got a kiss from Chrissy and then we closed up and turned everything off.

We stripped down in the bedroom and made our way to the bathroom for our nightly draining. Then we slipped into bed and cuddled and kissed until we slowly drifted off to sleep.

I slept really good and enjoyed the fact that I had two beautiful women surrounding me. This was a great life, as long as I didn't weaken. I know I have my moments when I'd like to strangle all of them, but those were always minor situations that always passed. For the most part, I was a very happy man.



-------

Chapter 18

The rooster woke me and I began to tease Cammie's nipple. It became very erect and she moaned before turning her head to kiss me. Donna woke up and began kissing my neck and ear and molded her body against mine.

When Cammie and I broke the kiss, I turned my head to Donna and she attacked my mouth. Her tongue roamed my mouth and dueled with my tongue. When we broke the kiss, she reached for Cammie and I used that opportunity to slip from the bed and head for the bathroom. They followed after a bit and used the throne while I was washing up.

Once we finished in the bathroom, we got dressed and headed for our morning duties. Cammie and I headed to the kitchen and she went to work on the biscuits while I ground the coffee after getting the water on the stove.

Then I sliced the sausage and waited for the water to boil. Bonnie came in and I got a quick kiss as she began her morning chores. I got the three pots of coffee brewed and steeped and then took them to the dining room. Jimmy had the pot warmers lit and we each poured ourselves a cup of coffee. I lit my first and we sipped our coffee and chatted.

We had almost everything done that needed doing until we started haying, so I suggested that we clean out the barn real good. Normally, we kept it very clean, especially the milk area. But there is always dirt that accumulates and that needs to be taken care of. It really wouldn't take too much, but it would keep us out of the women's sight and that was important right now.

When the kids came back, we told them of our thoughts and they agreed with that. Us guys would get the barn taken care of and make sure it was clean. We could even clean out the old hay bales in the loft, if there were any left.

The women brought breakfast in and we all dug in. We stuffed ourselves and then scooted back to sip our coffee. I told the women what we had planned for today and Bonnie said they were going to work in the garden in the morning. They were probably going to have to start canning again tomorrow, but that would depend on how the plants were doing. She also said that sometime between now and Wednesday, the grass needed mowing. She wasn't going to have our guests walking around in deep grass. We told her we'd get on that too.

After we finished our coffee, us guys walked outside and decided that we tackle the grass first. Jamie and Jessie said they'd mow if we could get the extra riding mower over from Jamie's place. Jimmy and I said we'd take care of that.

We got into the pickup and headed for the old farm. It wasn't too much of a chore to lift the mower into the bed and we were back in no time. Jamie was already mowing with the one lawn tractor and we gassed this one up for Jessie and turned him loose with it. I was never real good with lawn care. My idea of lawn maintenance is to bale it three times a year. But I wasn't in charge of this part. It was the women that made sure the place was looking decent for our company.

Jimmy and I headed for the barn and we started up in the hayloft. There were two stacks of bales up there. The ones still left over from last year, which was very few and then the ones we baled on our first cutting.

Our first chore was to get everything organized. There were only 13 bales left from last year. We put them close to the edge so they could be used for feed and probably one used when we got the peeps. With that done, we restacked the newer bales closer to the front. We'd need to make a decision about baling some square bales on this cutting. We didn't have enough to last us all year, but we'd have at least one more cutting after the one this week.

It took us quite a while to restack the newer bales and Jamie and Jessie were done mowing by the time we finally finished. I had no idea what time it was, but I thought we were probably pretty close to lunchtime.

I hollered down to the boys to get the push brooms from the workshop so we could finish the loft. They returned in a couple minutes and we began to sweep out all the dust and hay leavings. We just swept it to the edge of the loft and pushed it over. We'd clean the floor of the barn later on. We just needed to get this done first.

We were just about finished when the dinner bell rang. Jimmy and I finished up our last little bit and then climbed down. The first thing we did was to take our shirts off and get all of the hay that had gathered around our body brushed off. Then we walked to the house and washed up on the back porch.

Jimmy and I both tossed out shirts down the basement to be washed. I got us each a shirt and then we sat down at the table. We dug into our lunch and washed all the hay dust out of our throat with several glasses of iced tea. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee as we chatted.

Once we were done, us guys headed back for the barn. Since we'd cleaned up the hayloft, the bottom of the barn now needed cleaning. With shovels and brooms, we attacked the chore and soon had it pretty well cleaned.

"Jamie," I asked, "don't we have some white paint in the workshop?"

"I think we've got a couple cans up there, but I don't know how good it is. It's been there since before we moved in."

"Well, let's check it out. I'm gonna have to use the paint sprayer on the wainscoting so I might just as well experiment on it in here. We can paint the milkin' area and it'll make it look a lot cleaner."

We all walked up to the workshop and found the two cans of paint. One had been partially used before and resealed. When we opened it, there was a thick crust on it and was probably useless. The other one was brand new and in good condition. It was latex paint so the cleanup and thinning could be done with water. We took the five-gallon paint can and the paint gun with the compressor to the barn.

Jimmy noticed that the walls needed to be scraped before we could do anything, so Jamie and Jessie went back to the workshop for some scrapers. They returned with three-twelve inch scrapers that are used for taping plasterboard. Those three worked on the walls while I fiddled with the paint sprayer and finally found the proper consistency for the paint.

There were just three walls to paint and they soon had them clean enough to paint. This was not going to be a fancy job, but basically a learning experience with the paint gun.

I had to adjust the pressure on the compressor several times before I found the right setting. Then it went pretty quickly. I was able to paint all three walls in about thirty minutes. I emptied the sprayer reservoir back into the bucket and we waited for the first coat to dry.

While we did that, we walked up to the front porch and Jamie and Jessie went inside to get us some iced tea. We sat down and sipped our tea in an effort to get all of the dust we'd breathed in washed down. It would take about an hour before we could put the second coat on.

Bonnie came out to the porch and told us that we needed to kill three chickens. She said they'd take care of everything after we killed them. I told her we'd do it as soon as we'd finished our tea. She said there was no hurry since there was plenty of time before supper. We sat back and sipped our tea and chatted.

When we'd drained our pitcher of tea, us guys went to the chicken coop and caught three non-layers and took them up to the clothesline. We hung them by their feet in the wire loops I had hung there and I got my pocketknife out and cut their throats. While they were bleeding out, we washed up on the back porch and told Bonnie they were bleeding out and would be ready when they were.

"I didn't hear any ruckus, how'd you do that?"

"Like I always do. We hung 'em up and I cut their throats. They're bleedin' out now."

"Oh, you don't cut their heads off?"

"Not until we dress 'em."

"I've never done it that way before. We just chopped their heads off and held 'em so they didn't fly around and get blood all over the place."

"This is a bit easier and they don't get all excited and pump adrenalin all through their bodies and I think they taste better this way."

"Ok, but I wanna watch the next time you do that."

"Sure. Next week we'll wait for you to be there."

She came out and looked at the chickens and they were just finishing bleeding out.

"Well, I guess we'd best boil some water so we can pluck 'em," she said, as she looked at them.

She headed back for the house and we headed for the barn. I filled the spray gun again and aimed it at the wall. Nothing happened and I realized that the nozzle had plugged up with dried paint while we were waiting for the first coat to dry. I wouldn't make that mistake again.

It took me a while to get it cleaned up and then I put the second coat on. There wasn't too much to that since I had learned how to use the sprayer on the first coat. I had adjusted the mix on the second coat and put on a much heavier layer this time. The first one had soaked into the wood too much. I used almost half of the five gallons to paint the three walls. But they were about ten feet tall and pretty wide. I didn't worry too much about how much paint I'd used because it was old and we didn't really need it for anything else.

We gathered up everything and carried it back to the workshop. I rinsed the reservoir out real good and then filled it with water. I used the water to clean the interior of the sprayer by hooking up the compressor and spraying water through it until it was completely clean. Then I took an old toothbrush and cleaned the outside real good. With that chore done, we went back to the front porch and the boys got more tea and ice. We chatted until the women came out to join us.

They had a little time before they needed to start cooking supper and we all sipped our tea and just enjoyed a wonderful Sunday afternoon. We chatted until about four and then the women went in to start supper. Us guys headed for the equipment shed and the tractors so we could feed the calves. We got that accomplished and returned to the front porch in time to chat a bit before we were called to supper.

Sunday supper is one of the highlights of the week. Now that we were butchering our own chickens, the meal just tasted better. There is just something about fresh meat that can't be duplicated with meat that has been frozen. Unfortunately, any meat that is bought in a grocery store/supermarket has been "flash frozen" so they can take their time getting them to market. It just tastes better when it's fresh. There is no way to describe it to anyone that hasn't had absolutely fresh meat. I guess it's the like the difference between a salad that has just been picked from the garden and one that you have in a restaurant. There is just no comparison. Since the meat was fresh, the gravy tasted better too. Bonnie always cooks up the hearts, livers and gizzards in a broth to use for the gravy, so that would just make sense. Actually, I like the livers fried up, but that's how she does it, so I don't say a word. No sense getting in any more trouble than I normally do.

We all stuffed ourselves and then had to make room for Dutch apple pie. These women always make meal time a very special event and a joy to anyone's taste buds. Donna told us that she got the recipe from the cookbook that Bonnie had gotten from Jamie and Dianne.

That started a new discussion. Bonnie found a recipe for sour dough and the women had made a starter batch from the potato water they boiled the potatoes in tonight. It had to brew for a couple days, but then they were going to start making a lot of sour dough recipes. Their first experiment would be sour dough biscuits. If that worked out all right, they would try some sour dough bread and probably pancakes. Bonnie said her mom used to keep a starter batch of sour dough going all the time. She had completely forgotten about it until she saw the recipe in the book.

We sipped our coffee and tried to settle all the food we had consumed. After the coffee was gone, Jimmy and I went to the front porch and sat, while the rest went to do their chores. The kids headed for the barn and the women headed for the kitchen.

Jimmy and I chatted and I asked him if Bonnie had come around to understanding about his kids coming. He said she had said a couple things, but nothing major. He didn't know if she was mad or accepting. I told him just to wait and see how she finally came down on the whole thing. I still thought she might surprise him and completely understand. He said that he sure hoped so.

The kids showed up first and joined us. We chatted about various things from what the week's schedule would be to the cookout on Wednesday. The women came out and also joined us. They mainly talked about the cookout, but Bonnie also said that they'd be doing some canning on Monday and Tuesday. The garden was just getting ahead of her. She continued that she was going to be doing some additional planting and that it would probably be the last planting of this year.

We chatted until it got dark and then adjourned inside to watch the news. The weather girl said we'd have clear weather until about next Sunday when we might have a shower or two in the area. That was good news for us because we would be able to get our haying done without losing any to the weather.

Once the weather was done, Bonnie kissed everyone good night and they left for Jimmy's place. Dianne kissed me goodnight and then she and Jamie left. I told everyone that I was going to take a quick shower before going to bed to get all the hay and sweat off of me. Chrissy gave me a kiss before I walked into the bedroom.

I stripped down and headed for the old bathroom and took a quick shower. Cammie and Donna were already in bed by the time I returned. I slid in between them and got a good night kiss from both before we drifted off to sleep.

The rooster woke me up and we went through our morning routine of kisses and everyone waking up. I slid out of bed while those two were kissing and made my way to the bathroom. They followed and I got more kisses as we washed up. Then we got dressed and headed for our morning duties.

I got the coffee ground after I put the water on and then sliced the sausage for frying. Bonnie came in and I got a kiss from her. Then Dianne came in and I got a kiss from her too. When I got the three pots of coffee brewing and put three more pots of water on the stove for the rest, I stood back and waited for the coffee to steep.

After about four minutes, I poured the coffee into regular pots and took them to the dining room. Jimmy had the pot warmers lit and we each poured ourselves a cup of coffee. I lit my first and we chatted about the things to do today.

The kids came back and joined our conversation. Since we couldn't bale on Wednesday, we ruled out cutting the hay. It would dry too much before we could get it in bales. But we did discuss about whether to bale some of the square bales on this cutting. Jamie thought it would be a good idea since we didn't really know how good of a cutting we'd get from the next one. Jimmy and I both agreed with him and we decided we'd use one field just for the square bales. The rest would be in the round bales.

The women brought breakfast in and we all dug in. Once that was done, we sat back and sipped our coffee. I heard the contractor and his crew drive in and just ignored it. I really didn't have anything to say to him and he'd be a lot better off just getting to work.

It was right at eight when the phone rang. Bonnie answered it and then handed it to me.

"This is Dean."

"Howdy, this is Bobby at the feed store. Your peeps will be here in about an hour."

"Thanks. We'll be in to pick 'em up."

"Ok, see ya then."

I hung up and told everyone that the peeps would be in today. That news cured us of not having anything to do today.

"Dean," Bonnie said, "while you're in town, would you mind pickin' up the steaks for Wednesday?"

"No, not at all, Bonnie. Does the butcher have the order?"

"Nope, I'll write it down for ya'all before ya leave."

"Just steaks, right?"

"Yes. I know better than to have ya'all go shoppin' for us."

"Ok, I was just checkin'. We'll stop there first so the peeps ain't left out in the heat too much."

We continued with our coffee until it was done and then us guys got ready to leave. Bonnie handed me a note to pick up seventeen T-Bone steaks about one inch thick. I changed that in my mind and decided they would be an inch and a half thick. We were going to have some good meat and not just some appetizers. Anyway, an inch and a half is ABOUT an inch thick.

I grabbed my checkbook and we headed out. My first stop was at the butcher shop. I told the guy what I wanted and he said they'd have to cut them for us. He hollered for another guy and they both walked to the back.

After a bit, he walked back in and asked me to come out to the cutting shop with him. He showed me three slabs of beef and asked if those looked good enough. I told him he knew a lot more about meat than I did and I would trust his judgment on it. I told him we were having a lot of company and we wanted the meat to be first class. He just nodded and turned on the band saw and began cutting. He didn't cut up the tails of the slabs, but moved to another as they started to get smaller. In the end, he wound up getting one more big slab of beef out of the cooler and cutting three steaks out of that.

He turned off the band saw and turned to me and said, "Them's some good cuts of beef. That's all prime Black Angus beef and it has been aged for about a week. That should be some great eatin'."

"Thanks. We've always got good meat from ya'all, that's why I trust your judgment more than mine."

He weighed everything and then put them all in two boxes and covered them with butcher paper. I had Jamie drive the pickup around to the shop door and they came in and loaded the meat while I paid the bill. While I was at the counter, I noticed some Mesquite chips and included them to put on the coals to help the flavor.

Once I had paid and got out to the truck, we headed for the feed store. I paid for the peeps and bought some feed for them and then we headed home.

When we arrived, I stopped at the back door and we carried the steaks inside. The women were in the garden and came in to take care of our purchases. Bonnie looked at them and said they seemed a bit thick. I told her I got them a bit thicker so we'd have enough to eat. She just shook her head and went back to the meat.

We drove down to the chicken coop and carried the peeps inside. We had to shoo the chickens out of our way as we opened the gate. I asked Jamie to get us a bale of hay so we could spread it around the floor of the peep portion.

Once inside the coop, we opened the door to the peep's side and set them down. Jimmy turned on the water for that side and the little troughs began to fill. They shut off just like they were supposed to and that was a relief. Jamie showed up with the hay and we all spread it around so they had a nice cushion of hay. Then we let them out. At first, they just stood there and took in their new surroundings. But then they began to explore their new world.

We put some feed out and then basically watched them to see how the acclimated. Donna showed up and helped us with them. She said she'd stay with them for a while so they'd get used to being in this new place.

It was kind of hot inside, so I turned on one of the fans and let it circulate some fresh air. Donna began to make some little nests for them to congregate in and they soon began to pick their way to an individual nest. They were already establishing a pecking order. There were about five different groups and they each had their own nest site.

The dinner bell rang and we all walked up to the house for lunch. We all washed up on the back porch and went to the dining room. We ate our soup and sandwiches and then sat back to sip our coffee. There was a lot of talk about the cookout and us guys decided we'd get the table set up this afternoon so we could concentrate on mowing tomorrow. Donna said she was going to spend more time with the peeps to make sure they were doing all right.

After lunch, I walked out to see the contractor and to see how far along they were. They had the tile set in the hot tub room and would grout it tomorrow. They also had pretty much of the upstairs done, but still needed to tape the walls and then paint. He said they'd seal the grout on Thursday and then he'd see about getting the mason over. They had the fireplace set and the flu pipe installed. They had framed around it, but hadn't put the dry wall on yet. I chatted with him for a bit and then headed out to the workshop to join the guys.

We got the parts for the table loaded onto the wagon and Jessie drove it up to the shade trees. We had done this so many times now it was almost automatic. I took a felt tipped marker from the workshop and, once we had all the pieces in place, numbered them so we wouldn't need to be sorting things out the next time.

We were finished by around three and had everything in place and the tools put away. The guys headed for the front porch and I decided to walk down to the chicken coop to see how Donna was doing. When I walked in the door, she was sitting on the floor of the peep's room. She had her head resting in her hands and was sobbing.

I walked up behind her and sat down with my legs straddling her.

"What's wrong, hon?"

"Oh, I'm just bein' silly. It's nothin'."

"Well, it's somethin' that's enough to make you cry. Tell me what's the matter."

"I'm just bein' a silly girl."

"Well, you may be a girl, but I'd put you closer to a woman, but you sure ain't silly. Now tell me what's wrong."

"I was just sittin' here, takin' care of the peeps and I realized that Mama wasn't here to see how good the last batch is doin' and can't see this batch either. It just made me real sad."

I put my arms around her and gently pulled her to me.

"There's nothin' silly about that. It's perfectly normal to cry about someone that you've lost. It's called grievin'. Ever'one does it."

"But, it's been a while now and I should be over these feelin's by now."

"Who said?"

"Well, I don't know, but it just seems like they should be gone by now."

I held her to me and gently caressed her head and hair with one hand.

"Darlin', there is no time table for these things. It's perfectly natural and each person is different. It takes as long as it takes. It's been several years since my Mama passed away and I still miss her and wish she were around to see this place. She grew up in the country and loved it. She would just love this place. There's nothin' wrong with your missin' her. It's just normal."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not thinkin' I'm a baby for cryin'."

"I don't know of anyone who would think that. We all miss your Mama. It's just that you miss her more because she was closer to you. You're allowed to cry all you want and I promise you that no one will laugh at you for doin' it."

"I am so glad I found you. You always seem to know just what to say and how to make me feel special."

"Darlin', you are special. Just because other people couldn't see it, doesn't make it not so. You are an important person. You're important to Bonnie, Cammie, your sister and especially to me. We all love you and just want you to be happy and to be yourself. If that includes some cryin' because you miss your Mama, that's just fine. It is just you bein' you."

I held her in my arms and let her cry things out. This was entirely normal in my view of life. Maybe others wouldn't think so, but our feelings are ours and they are personal to the individual having them. You can't always plan when emotions will well up and overwhelm you.

We stayed there for about an hour, just letting her get her emotions settled and then she gave me a kiss and said she was all right know. I kissed her again and then walked up to the front porch.

Us guys decided to feed the calves and get that chore done before supper. It was the same thing and I was sure there had to be a better way, but I just couldn't think of it. We still had to move the chute to get around the uprights of the roof. It wasn't much of slow down, but it took two people to do it and it was a delay in moving from one trough to the other. There just had to be a better way.

We got back to the shed and I washed out the spreader with the hose and then we headed for the back porch to wash up. We were still just a bit early for supper, so we walked around to the front porch and chatted until we were called to eat.

The women had fixed beef ribs with homemade noodles and gravy. That plus a salad, fresh peas from the garden, and apple pie for dessert, filled out the menu and our stomachs. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

Bonnie said that they were going to do some canning tomorrow, but not too much. They also had to prepare for everything on Wednesday. She said that Fran and Jenna were bringing most of the side dishes, but she still wanted to make some stuff. She was going to make the salad so it wouldn't wilt on the drive over here with the others. She was also going to put out some fresh celery and green onions to go with the meal. I had the distinct feeling that everyone would be stuffed by the time they left.

After the coffee was gone, the women went to the kitchen and the kids went to the barn. Jimmy and I went to the front porch and just relaxed. We chatted about a lot of things and waited until everyone joined us so we could all join the conversation.

The kids returned first and Donna claimed my lap. Something she hadn't done in a while. I guess she was still feeling a bit blue. I let her rest her head on my shoulder and put my arm around her to let her know I cared.

When the women came out, I told them what I had found out from the contractor. They said they might decide to paper the upstairs too. I told them to make sure they told the contractor so he finished the walls correctly. They said they would.

It was about seven when the phone rang. Bonnie went to answer it and talked for about twenty minutes. When she returned she said that we needed to get two more steaks from the butcher shop because her mom and dad were coming over on Wednesday, too. I told her that wouldn't be a problem and I'd be happy to run in tomorrow and pick them up.

We chatted until it got dark and then went inside to watch the news. The weather girl was still calling for clear weather through the weekend. We could rest easy about the hay.

Once the weather was done, Bonnie gave everyone a kiss and then she and Jimmy left. Dianne gave me a kiss and then she and Jamie left for their place. The rest of us chatted for a bit and then decided to head for bed too. Chrissy gave me a kiss and then headed upstairs, along with Jessie. Cammie, Donna and myself closed up and turned everything off before heading to bed ourselves.



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Chapter 19

Once we got into bed, Donna was all over me. It was like someone had turned on a switch and she was on all ahead full speed. Not that I was complaining, but it sort of made me wonder what was happening. Cammie picked up on things and began to work on Donna too.

It wasn't long until Donna pulled me on top of her and Cammie guided me in. Once I was inside, she wrapped her legs and arms around me and her pussy began to snap at me in a hungry manner. She was sucking on my tongue as I used it like a cock in her mouth. It only took her about ten strokes before she had her first orgasm. She had evidently been primed for this and my entry lit the fuse. It was a short fuse.

She exploded and her arms and legs tightened around me as her pussy contracted and expelled gushes of her passion. She held onto me until her contractions waned and then began throwing her hips up to meet my thrusts. I wasn't sure if I was actually fucking her or she was fucking me.

It wasn't long until her next orgasm. It was probably less than two minutes and she again clamped her legs and arms around me tightly and we both rode out her waves.

She finally had to pull her mouth away from mine and gasped for air. Tears were streaming from her eyes as the waves of passion roared through her. I kissed her neck and cheek as she gasped to gain enough air to sustain her increased physical activity.

As her orgasm passed and she could breath again, she whispered, "God, I love you so much."

Then her lips attacked mine again and she sucked my tongue into her mouth. Her hips returned to action and she treated my invading tongue like a cock she was blowing. She quickly built to another crescendo and it was just as large as the last one.

With all of this taking place, she was steadily moving me to the point of my exploding. It was only the fact that we quit moving during her orgasms that I was able to last as long as I did.

As soon as she recovered, we began to move again and I was drawn even closer. I could feel the tickle begin and I shifted my position so I was ending my strokes at the mouth of her cervix. This seemed to urge her to even higher passion and, after a few bumps at the interior mouth, she exploded yet again.

She froze me in place with the head stuck at her entrance. Her pussy was snapping and her legs held me firmly against her cervix. It was like she was practicing for the time when she would accept my sperm to produce a life inside of her. At one point, it was like she was trying to push her cervix onto my cock. She was quivering as she held me in place and used her legs to apply pressure.

As her orgasm slowed, she began fucking me again. This time I knew I was going to be with her on her next explosion. It was almost as if her pussy was sucking the cum close to the surface so she could get to it when she came the next time.

That next time was not long in arriving. And when she pulled me to her cervix, I exploded with her. My cum shot out and splattered against the mouth of her womb. I'm not positive, but it almost felt like her cervix opened to accept my offering and I could almost feel it swallowing my shot.

Each shot felt exactly like that. It was like she was sucking my cum from me and swallowing it with her inner being. Each time I expelled my offering, she moaned and seemed to cum even harder. Just as a passing thought, I felt she was trying to suck my being out of my inner self and swallow it within her.

I have no idea how many times I shot, but the contractions seemed to go on forever. At the end, I don't know if I was expelling anything except good thoughts or not. My body just kept on contracting like it had a never ending supply of sperm to give.

Finally, we both needed to gasp for air and our mouths ripped apart so we could breath. I maintained my position within her and stayed at the entrance to her womb. As we regained our senses, I noticed that she was silently sobbing.

"What's wrong, hon?"

"Nothin'."

"Then why are you cryin'?"

"Because I love you so much and you make me so happy. I can't help it."

"That's a reason to be happy, not sad."

"I am happy. I'm so happy that the tears just come out."

This is a foreign idea to me. Happiness shouldn't evoke tears, but a smile and joy. I'd seen it in Cammie, but that didn't mean I understood it. Instead of trying to figure it out or say anything that would break the spell, I just kissed her cheek and neck as we both came down from our high.

My cock was wilting and I rolled her hips higher so I could stay inside of her for as long as possible. Her pussy was still snapping and I was sure that I would be expelled before too long. I just wanted it to last as long as possible.

As I got smaller, I rocked so I moved a bit inside of her, but I was soon expelled. When I was, I moved my cock over her pussy lips as she shook through several aftershocks. Finally her legs fell to the bed and that was my signal to roll off.

As soon as I was on my back, Cammie was between my legs and nursing on my wilted cock to remove any remaining juices of mine or Donna's. Once she was satisfied I was clean, she moved to Donna and began to suck on her pussy to remove our juices from that cavity.

Donna and I kissed and caressed each other and she had several very strong aftershocks or small orgasms. It's always hard to tell which with these women. Her legs wrapped around Cammie's neck and she used her interior muscles to expel our juices into Cammie's sucking mouth.

Eventually Cammie determined that she had all there was to get and moved from her pussy to her mouth. Donna accepted her and they shared what Cammie had saved. At that point, it was as if I didn't exist anymore, so I rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I cleaned up and returned to the bedroom.

Donna's legs were wrapped around Cammie's waist and Cammie's clit was lodged in Donna's pussy. They weren't fucking like a man and a woman, but just rolling their hips to produce friction. Cammie's clit wasn't long enough to fuck in the conventional way. But I could see her cheeks clench each time she came inside of Donna.

I stood and watched the erotic sight in front of me for sometime. Finally, I gently slipped into bed beside them. I tried not to disturb them and just lay quietly and watched two people, in love, being together.

They finally realized I was there and opened their arms to include me in the embrace. We all kissed and caressed each other. Then I asked Donna what had brought all of this about.

"When you held me in the chicken coop today, I just felt so loved and wanted that I fell even deeper in love with you. You made me feel so much like a real woman and one that was loved and wanted and it just made my heart glad. I am so happy that I found you. I didn't know that life could feel like this before I was with you."

"Hon, you are loved and wanted. And not only by me, but by ever'one around here. We love and cherish you. You have to believe that we all love you."

"I know, but I don't mean that kind of love. I mean the bein' in love kind of love. The kind of love that just makes me want to tell the whole world how great this feelin' is."

"Darlin', just know that we all love you and Cammie and I are in love with you. That will never change so you never have to fear that you'll be without love for the rest of your life."

She kissed me, very passionately, and then kissed Cammie the same way. We cuddled and kissed until we got drowsy and took our sleeping positions and drifted off.

The rooster woke me up and a big smile came across my face. I had to be the luckiest guy in the world. I was laying between two beautiful women who loved me and who I loved. It just can't be any better than this.

I began to play with Cammie's nipple and she moaned and crushed my hand to her tit. Her head turned and we kissed as she held my hand in place. Donna woke up and began to kiss my neck and ear. When Cammie and I broke our kiss, I turned my head and Donna and I kissed. When we broke apart, the women reached for each other and I escaped from between them and made my way to the bathroom. They soon followed and we all washed up and got dressed. Then we headed for our morning duties.

Surprisingly, Bonnie was already in the kitchen when Cammie and I got there. She was working on the biscuits. I got a kiss and then moved to getting the water on and grinding the coffee. Cammie started slicing the sausage and I asked Bonnie why she was here so early.

"I'm makin' sour dough biscuits today. This is a bit different than normal so I wanted to be here to get things goin'."

"Ok, I just wondered."

"Once I remember ever'thing, I'm gonna show Cammie how to do 'em. But I need to remember before I show her wrong."

While I was waiting, Dianne came in and gave me a kiss and then started her duties in the kitchen. When the water was boiling, I poured the water from the three pans into the presses and refilled them and put them back on the stove. I waited for the coffee to steep and watched Bonnie. To me it seemed like it was normal biscuit making, but I didn't watch the full process. Cammie was working on the grits as I emptied the presses into the coffee pots. I took them to the dining room and placed them on the warmers that Jimmy had lit. We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and sat back.

I lit my first and we chatted about cutting the hay today. I told him I needed to run to town to get the steaks this morning, but I'd get him and Jamie going before I left. We continued chatting until the kids returned and I got a kiss from the girls. They each poured themselves a cup of coffee and then we filled the boys in on what we had planned and they seemed to agree. Jamie said he would go to town for me if I wanted to run the haybine. I told him that I trusted him and I'd relieve him when I returned. He just nodded and we all sipped our coffee.

The women brought in breakfast and all talking ceased and the eating began. I immediately grabbed a biscuit and buttered it. I bit in and said, "Damn, Bonnie these are really good. It's been a long time since I've had any sour dough biscuits, but these are as good as any I've ever tasted."

"I'm glad. I was worried about gettin' things right. It's been a long time since I made any. Now we just need to prepare the starter portion each night and then put half of it back when we make the biscuits. I'm thinkin' maybe tomorrow we'll have sour dough pancakes."

"That sounds great. They were always my favorite. Folks say that buttermilk pancakes taste the same, but I don't agree with 'em on that. The sour dough makes all the difference in the world."

"Yep, and just wait until we bake some sour dough bread. That's really good."

I had talked long enough and began to eat my breakfast. I sopped up the egg yellow with the biscuits and they just made everything taste so much better. Even the jelly tasted better and that's hard to do with homemade jelly.

After we finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee. Everyone else commented on how good the biscuits were and Bonnie had a big smile on her face. We chatted over coffee and Bonnie said they were going to do a bit of canning this morning and then would be preparing for the cookout tomorrow in the afternoon.

I told them we were going to be cutting hay all day. I said that Jamie was going to run the haybine while I went to town to get the steaks and then I'd relieve him when I returned. They said that lunch would be a quick affair since they'd be so busy, but none of us really minded.

Once the coffee was done, we all headed our separate ways. Us guys went to the equipment shed and hooked up the haybines. As they pulled up to the gas supply, I filled up each tractor for them. That would probably last them all day. Once I saw that everyone was hooked up and running, I took the truck and headed for town.

Instead of heading for the butcher shop first, I drove to the grocery store. It wasn't crowded yet and I looked around and found the manager. I told him who I was and I asked him if he had a case of the pure maple syrup in the back. He said he'd look and headed for the storeroom.

He came back in about five minutes with a case under his arm. He set it down at one of the registers and then went to find the case price on it. When he returned, he told the cashier what to charge me and I wrote a check for the purchase. Then I headed for the butcher shop. The other syrup may say it's maple flavored, but it can't compare with the real thing.

After I left the grocery store, I headed for Elmer's to see if the twine was in. He was still checking in the shipment and said he'd help me carry it to the truck as soon as he had everything checked off. It took him about twenty minutes to finish checking the shipment and then we carried my order to the truck. I paid him and the set off for the butcher shop.

I got to the butcher shop and told the guy I needed two more steaks just like the ones I'd bought yesterday. I followed him back to the butcher area and he went in the walkin 'fridge and came out with a big slab of beef.

"This is about the same quality that we cut up yesterday. Don't wanna slight the new comers."

"Yep, it's Bonnie's mom and dad. Wouldn't do to make them feel left out."

"God no. Bonnie'd skin both of us."

He cut two really nice steaks and then wrapped them for me. I paid the bill and headed home. When I got there, I walked into the kitchen carrying the steaks in one hand and the case of syrup under my other arm.

"What'd you buy now?" Cammie asked.

"Well, Bonnie said she's gonna make us sour dough pancakes, so I thought we'd need some syrup to go with 'em."

"We've got plenty of syrup."

"Not like this, you don't."

"What'd you buy now?"

I set the packages down and ripped open the top of the case. I lifted out a bottle of the syrup and handed it to her.

"You bought maple syrup. We've got maple syrup."

"No, you've got maple flavored syrup. This is the real thing."

"I've seen that in the store," Bonnie said. "That stuff is really expensive, that's why I never bought any."

"But it tastes so much better. And besides, we're havin' sour dough pancakes and you can't ruin them with fake syrup."

"I give up," Cammie said. "You tell me you don't like shoppin', yet we send you to town to get two steaks and you come back with this."

"I didn't shop. I walked into the grocery store; found the manager and asked him if he had a case of it in the back. He found a case and bought it out. I paid him and walked out. That ain't shoppin', it's buyin'."

"Same difference."

"Nope. I didn't look at another thing in the store. I just bought this and left."

"It's still shoppin'."

Rather than fight about this, I just turned and walked out to the truck. I headed out to the hayfields and found Jamie so I could relieve him. When he got to this end of the field, he shut off the PTO and put the tractor in neutral so he could climb down.

"You shoulda brought something to drink. It's dry and thirsty out here."

"Sorry, I was just tryin' to get out of the house without a fight. I didn't think."

"I know all about that. I'll get some water and bring it to you and Jimmy."

After you bring the water, how about unloading the twine from the pickup?"

"Sure. I'll get Jessie and we'll thread the balers this afternoon."

"That'll work. I really appreciate it.

He headed for the truck and I climbed up on the tractor and made the turn so I could start the next swath. Once I was lined up, I engaged the PTO and started down the field. I took it easy at first so I could get used to the operation. As I became at ease with things, I increased the throttle speed and settled into an easy pace.

Jamie showed up with a jug of water and handed it to me when I got to the end of the field. He said he'd be back to pick up Jimmy and me for lunch when it was ready. I thanked him and drank a several big gulps of water before turning around and lining up with the edge of the last swath.

I had just finished the field and was heading for the next field when Jamie showed up with the pickup. I shut everything down and climbed in with him. We picked up Jimmy and then headed for the house.

We all washed up on the back porch and made our way to the dining room. Lunch was just as Bonnie had said it would be, quick. We ate and then sipped our coffee. Both Jimmy and myself drank a lot of iced tea to wash the hay dust down. Once the coffee was done, Jimmy and I refilled our thermoses with ice water and Jamie drove us back to the fields.

We finished up this side of the stream and headed for the fields on Jimmy's side. We had three to cut over there and we were just about through with two of them when Jimmy came to get us for supper. We rode back to the house and washed up on the porch before sitting down to eat.

The women had fixed meat loaf for supper, with fresh vegetables and a fresh salad. Jimmy and I stuffed food down like we hadn't eaten in a week. Then we dug into the apple dumplings for dessert. Once we were through eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women that Jimmy and I were going to finish up the last field this evening. Jamie and Jessie had already fed the calves, so that was not a worry. Bonnie said they were going to continue preparing for tomorrow while we were out in the fields.

Once the coffee was drunk and we refilled our jugs, Jamie drove us back to our tractors. Jimmy and I mounted our tractors and headed for the remaining field. We cut this one in tandem. I took the first swath and Jimmy followed behind me for the next cut. It was almost dark before we finished up and headed back to the equipment shed.

We pulled the haybines in and disconnected them from the tractors. We'd clean them off tomorrow, but right now we were both tired and thirsty.

We walked up to the house and washed up on the back porch. I told him I was going to take a shower and he said he was going to run home and do the same. He headed for his vehicle and left. I stripped down and threw my clothes down the stairs to the basement and made my way to the old bathroom.

I got the water adjusted and stepped in to let the water cut through the dirt and grime and it seemed like it was brown as it ran down the drain. I didn't think I'd ever get all the dirt out of my hair, but it only took me two shampoos to get it done. Then I grabbed a bar of soap and washed the rest of me. I was really dirty.

I rinsed off and then dried off and found some clean clothes. I felt a lot better and walked out to the porch. The rest of the crew, except for Jimmy, was sitting there, mainly talking about tomorrow. I sat down and Donna came to sit on my lap. I listened to what they were saying as Donna rested her head on my shoulder and relaxed.

Jimmy showed up and joined the crew. We chatted a bit longer and then adjourned inside. The news and weather was already over, so Jamie and Dianne said they were heading home. I got a kiss from Dianne as they left. Bonnie talked a bit more about the plans. They didn't include Jimmy or me, so we just listened.

Finally, Bonnie ran out of steam and said they were heading home too. She kissed everyone good night and they left. I got a kiss from Chrissy and she and Jessie went upstairs to bed. Donna, Cammie and myself closed up and turned everything off before heading for our room.

We used the bathroom and then slipped into bed. A few kisses and I was ready for some sleep. You wouldn't think riding around on a tractor would be so tiring, but I was beat. I quickly slipped off to sleep, holding Cammie breast while Donna hugged me.

I awoke to kisses from Donna. I must have been very tired because I didn't hear the rooster crow. I turned my head and Donna kissed me and her tongue roamed my mouth. At the same time, I teased Cammie's nipple and she moaned and turned her head. When Donna and I broke our kiss, I turned to Cammie and we kissed. Then I slipped from bed while they kissed each other good morning.

I used the bathroom and began to wash up as they came in and made use of the facilities. Then we all got dressed and headed for our morning duties.

Bonnie and Dianne were already in the kitchen and working. Dianne was slicing the sausage and I warned her about the how sharp the knives were. She said that her dad always kept his real sharp too, so she was always careful. I ground the coffee because the water was already on the stove.

Bonnie took charge and began to show Cammie and Dianne how to work with the sour dough she had had working all night. She took half and put it back in the starter jar and used the other half to begin to make the pancake batter. They pretty well followed the recipe from the cookbook Dianne had brought back.

I got the water poured in the presses when it began to boil and refilled the three pans and put them back on the stove. I stirred each press and then put the lid on and pressed the plunger half way down and waited for them to steep.

After about four or so minutes, I poured the coffee from the presses into the coffee pots and took them to the dining room. Jimmy had the pot warmers lit and I set them on the heat. We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and sat down to chat.

I figured we'd have enough time to clean the haybines this morning before anyone showed up. He agreed and we went with that plan.

The kids showed up and I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy after they washed up. The kids each poured themselves a cup of coffee and joined our conversation. We told the boys about our plan and they agreed with us.

It wasn't too long until Dianne brought in a platter of sausage and said that they'd be bringing in the pancakes as they were cooked. Next she brought in three bottles of syrup and put them around the table. After a little bit, she brought in a big platter of pancakes and we dug in while they were hot. Some butter on them and then the real maple syrup and we began to stuff our faces.

The pancakes were fantastic. They weren't the thick, fluffy pancakes that come from a box, but these were flat, flapjacks that tasted of the sour dough and there wasn't a match that ever came from a box. These were definitely distinct.

Dianne kept bringing them in and we kept eating them. Finally, after three plates, I was full. Jimmy pulled back too and the kids had eaten their fill. Then, the women brought in a heaping plate of the pancakes for themselves.

We each told the women that the pancakes were great and they could make them anytime. They dug in while we sipped our coffee.

"Damn, that is good syrup," Bonnie said. "Now I know why it's so expensive."

"It is, Bonnie. But I figure we're worth it."

"Ya, this don't taste nothin' like that other stuff we've got in the pantry," Cammie said, between mouthfuls.

"Well, that's why I bought it. It don't matter how good the pancakes are if the syrup isn't good enough to go on them. Since we're havin' the best pancakes, we need the best syrup to top 'em."

"Um hmm," Bonnie muttered, with her mouthful and also nodded.

The women finished all the pancakes and what sausage was left over. Then they sat back and sipped their coffee. Besides the pancakes, sausage and syrup, we had gone through more than two gallons of milk for this meal. That's about half again more than we normally use. Cold milk just goes with pancakes.

We finished off the coffee and then us guys headed for the equipment shed. We pulled the haybines out so we could work on them. First of all we needed to clear out all the hay that had got lodged in the nooks and crannies. Then we hosed them down real good to get rid of all the dust and dirt that they'd gathered. We only found two tines that had been bent on this mowing. We straightened them out and then applied a light coat of oil to any exposed metal to keep it from rusting. Then we put them back in the shed to set until the next cutting.

It was a bit after 10 by the time we'd finished. When we walked up to the house, all of us were told to take a shower so we wouldn't stink when company arrived. Jamie and Jimmy headed home and Jessie and I headed for our showers.

When we came back to the living room, Jessie and I were told to start getting the chairs around the table in the yard. I was getting anxious for the company to get here so I could relax some. Jamie and Jimmy came back and helped us get all the folding chairs and benches out to the table.

It was just before lunch when William and Lena drove in the lane and parked. We walked over and said howdy and helped carry in the dishes she had brought.

Of course once they were inside, there was a lot hugging and kissing. Then Bonnie herded us all to the dining room table for a quick lunch.

We had soup and a sandwich and some green onions to eat and then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"This coffee tastes even better than I remember it," William said.

"Well, Dean bought some new things to make coffee with, Daddy," Bonnie replied.

"Yep, he's always gotta have his new gadgets," Cammie put in.

"Well, it tastes great."

Cammie got up and brought one of the presses from the kitchen and showed to them. She explained how it worked.

"Well, no wonder it tastes so good," William said, after he heard how it was made. "That's the way coffee is supposed to be made. None of them fancy filters or other stuff to ruin the flavor. We used to just boil it in the pot and then throw some cold water on it to settle the grounds."

"Grampa, don't be encouragin' him. He buys enough stuff as it is. If he hears that he's done good, he'll just buy more stuff," Cammie said.

"It ain't the encouragement that makes me buy the stuff. It's that I know how good it works before I buy it," I told her.

"Sure you do."

"What have I bought that hasn't worked out?"

"I don't know. I ain't knowed you all that long yet."

Most everyone chuckled and we sipped our coffee and chatted more. Lena and William were getting caught up on everyone and what they've been doing. After coffee, us men folk went outside and I could smoke a cigarette.

We sat on the front porch and chatted and just enjoyed the company. The rest of the company wouldn't be showing up until about 2 or so. It was warm out, but not real humid and that helped a lot. We told William how the farm was coming along and that we'd just finished mowing the hay yesterday and we'd be baling tomorrow.

He asked about the calves and we told him they were doing fine and we also told him we'd lost two in the tornado that came through. He asked more about that and we filled him in and told him that Jamie and Dianne had slept through it. He chuckled and said that kids could do that.

We walked around and showed him the new addition we were putting and how it was coming. I showed him where the fireplace would be and told him about the stone we'd bought for the hearth and mantle and the cobblestone material we were using for the surrounding wall. He seemed to like that idea. I told him that it was mostly Bonnie's idea so they could have some old time stuff on the mantle. He said that they had an old mantle clock that hadn't worked in about fifteen years that he'd bring over. We were welcome to it and could get it fixed if we wanted. I told him we would sure appreciate it and I knew that Bonnie would really like it since it would be something from her childhood. He also said not to buy any of the fireplace tools because he had some old ones over at his place that we could have. They were brass and black iron and were from around the Civil War time. I thanked him and told him we would sure make good use of them.

We walked back to the porch and took a seat. We chatted and just enjoyed the free time we had until the company came.

William seemed a bit on edge and kind of antsy. I figured something was bothering him, but he didn't want to talk about it right now. Maybe it was the other folks around, but I'd have to wait until I could get him alone to see what was bothering him.



-------

Chapter 20

The first of the crowd to arrive was Frank and Jenna and the twins, along with another daughter. I introduced them to William and then the females headed inside carrying their dishes of food. Frank stayed on the porch and chatted with us.

It wasn't long until Allen and Fran and their daughter showed up. Again, I introduced them to William and the females headed inside with their food. Allen joined us and Donna brought out a pitcher of iced tea and some glasses filled with ice. Once she filled our glasses, she returned to fill the pitcher again and then brought it out to us.

We chatted about various things but mostly it was farming. We sipped our tea and just had a nice conversation. Finally, Allen said he'd brought an additional grill so we could cook all of the steaks at once. I helped him unload it and we carried it around to the back porch area where our grill was set up. Then we walked back to the front porch and took our seats.

Frank wanted to see our set up with the grinder and Allen wanted to see how we had the chutes set up when we gave the shots to the new calves. We all walked down to the equipment shed and I showed them the grinder.

I explained how we set up the conveyor and positioned the discharge chute of the grinder to get the feed in the bin. I told them it took a bit of maneuvering, but it wasn't too bad. They had several questions about it and the operation and I tried to explain it as best I could. They seemed to understand how everything worked by the time we'd finished talking about that.

Then we got into two trucks and headed for the pastures. We stopped first at the active pastures and I showed them the current herds. Then we drove back to where the chutes were set up and I explained how we worked the new calves. There were a lot of questions about what we used and how we did it. I told them I bought the medication and the spray on line and that I got the dosage from Doc Tompkins. They asked about giving the actual shot and I explained that it wasn't that complicated. I just had to make sure I didn't hit a blood vessel and I did that by pulling back on the plunger after I had the needle in the calf. They seemed to understand. We went through more questions and I tried to answer them as fully as I was able. Then we got back in the trucks and headed back for the porch.

When we got back to the porch, all the kids were waiting for us and dressed in their swimming suits. As I sat down, the twins descended on me and I got a kiss on each cheek and then they hugged my arms to their brests and remained by my side.

"Dean," Jamie said, "ever'one wants to go swimmin'. Can I take the old tractor and the wagon?"

"Sure, just make sure ever'one is on and sittin' before puttin' it in gear."

"No problem."

"Also, be back about 4:30 so ya'all won't be late for supper."

"Ok, thanks, Dean."

The twins kissed me again and then they all headed for the equipment shed. The rest of us sipped our tea and chatted about various things, but mainly farming.

After a bit, they asked to see the progress on the addition. We walked around and I showed them how things were progressing. I told them about the fireplace and the stone that would be laid to surround it, along with the mantle and hearth. They were impressed with the size of the fireplace and didn't know that a freestanding fireplace could be that big. I told them there were some that were even larger.

Allen asked how we were going to fill the hot tub. I told him I thought the fire department would bring a tanker truck for a fee and that seemed the easiest way rather than try and fill such a large tub with the well.

"Won't it be cold water?"

"Yep, but there's a heater on the recirculation water line and that will heat it up. It'll probably take several days, but it's still easier than usin' the well and our hot water tanks."

Then I showed them the new shower and they asked about the water pressure. I told them we had to install a new pressure tank and a new water heater to take care of it.

"Well, it's sure big enough for the whole family to get in," Allen stated. "It might actually use less water than ever'one takin' separate showers."

"If they just took a shower and got out, that might be the case. But ever'one wants to stay in a lot longer than just showerin'," I told them.

"I'll bet that's right. Best not let Fran see this or I'll have to be buildin' one."

"Allen, I'm pretty sure that she's already seen it. It was the women that insisted on it and I'm almost positive they've already showed it off."

"You're probably right. Well, on the plus side, we don't have the room to put somethin' like this in."

"Yep, that is a plus all right."

I showed them the new bedroom and the walk-in closets and the new office that was made from the old bedroom. Then we headed back to the front porch and sipped on some tea.

The women finally came out and joined us and we all chatted, mostly about the new addition. The women really like the new shower and the hot tub and the liked the idea of a fireplace. They said it was all so romantic. Their husbands just shook their heads, but didn't say anything.

The phone rang and Bonnie went to answer it. She came back about ten minutes later, carrying the phone. She handed it to Lena. She was surprised and answered it. It was Charlene and Deanne. They talked for a bit and then she handed the phone to William. They also talked and then he handed it to me.

"This is Dean."

"Hi, sexy," they both said, in unison. "Do you miss us?"

"Of course I do. We all do. How's things up in Denver?"

"Lonely without you here, but we're doin' pretty good. We're workin' on the new catalog now and it's really interestin'. Sharon's showin' us a lot of things and we're helpin' get things ready for our next photo shoot. She's gettin' it organized as to what we'll be wearin' and we're helpin' her by tellin' her where it can be shot and what farm we should use. We're also helpin' her decide who will be wearin' what and what we'll be doin' in the pictures."

"Wow, it does sound like ya'all are busy."

"Well, we was hopin' to be able to come home for today, but since it's only one day and we have to be back at work tomorrow, we just couldn't make it. But we sure miss ya'all."

"Well, we miss ya'all too. When are they thinkin' about shootin' the next catalog?"

"Sharon isn't real sure yet. But it'll be some time around the middle of August. The decision will be made sometime in the next week or so when we know about the production schedule of the clothes."

"Are ya'all learnin' a lot?"

"We sure are. We're learnin' a lot about the computer and how to design on it. They've got this real neat program that will allow you to change almost anything in the design. And we're learnin' about how to fit things into the catalog in the proper place. Sharon calls it the flow of the product. She says that one thing should just naturally lead into the next. Like after you have jeans, then you should have the shirts and blouses. Then follow that with the light jackets and then the warmer jackets. It's really kinda cool how she does it."

"Well, she's kinda good at what she does, otherwise they wouldn't have hired her."

"She sure is teachin' us a lot. She's also teachin' us to plan our work schedule and to get things done completely before we move to the next thing. That way we don't have anything left over to come back to do."

"That's always a good idea. Do ya'all think you'll wanna do this again next year?"

"We sure do. We've learned so much this year that we'll be able to do more next year. Also, Sharon suggested that we try to work on the yearbook this year. She said it'll help us put things into practice."

"That sounds like a good idea. Do you think ya'all will have the time to do that?"

"I think so. They mostly meet durin' the day when we have study hall or something like that, so we wouldn't need to stay after school so much."

"That's good. That way we won't have to come pick ya'all up later on."

"Yep, until we get our drivers licenses. Then we can stay late and we won't put anybody out."

"That's a couple years yet."

"Nuh uh. I'll be 15 this year and then next October I'll be able to drive."

"Well, that's still two years."

"I guess, but it's really only a year and about four months."

"Ok. What else are ya'all doin'?"

"Well, we was workin' on tryin' to design women's shorts and jeans with no center seam. But we had to put that away so we could work on the new catalog. We might do that over the winter to see if we can get it right."

"Why would ya'all wanna do that?"

"Because the seam always rides up in our pussies and it bothers us. You guys don't have that problem, but we do. We wanna try to eliminate that. But the problem is cuttin' the material and the sewin' it. We just have to work out a few details yet."

"I'm sure ya'all are stubborn enough to keep at it until you've solved it."

"We're not stubborn, we're just persistent."

"That's the same thing."

"Nope, stubborn is what you men are. Us women are persistent."

"You've been around Sharon too long."

"I'm gonna tell her you said that."

"You wouldn't need to say who said it. If you told her, she'd know who said it."

"She probably would. Well, we need to get goin'. We're goin' to a picnic at the president's place. He's got a swimmin' pool and horses. I don't know if we'll be able to ride, but I know we're goin' swimmin'."

"Ok, you two behave yourselves, and tell ever'one we all said howdy."

"We will. We love ya'all."

"And we love ya'all too."

"Ok, bye.

"Bye, and take care."

I hung up the phone and handed it to Bonnie. She took it and put it back in the house. We chatted until the kids returned from swimming and then Bonnie said it was time to get the fire going and the ice cream churns working. Us guys headed for the back porch and I got some jugs of ice from the freezer and began to chip them into the churn buckets.

Once I had the bottom filled with ice, I opened the door to the kitchen and told them we were ready for the ice cream containers. While I was waiting for the containers, I loaded the charcoal in the grills and lit them. The brought out the three containers and I got them each in their own bucket and chipped more ice over them, adding salt as I went. Once they were full, we plugged them in and let them start churning. While the churns were working, I got the mesquite chips out and dumped them in a pan of water so they would soak up some moisture before I put them on the fire.

I asked the men if they wanted a beer and they all said they did. I got everyone a Dos Equis and then worked on getting the charcoal lit and burning. We stood around and sipped our beer and waited for the fire to burn down.

It was just about ready to cook when the women brought the steaks out. I asked everyone how they wanted their steaks done and there were only three "well done's" in the crowd and five "rare's." The rest all wanted theirs done medium.

I spread the mesquite chips over the coals on both grills and then I began to put the "well done's" on first and then the mediums. I waited a bit and put the "rare's on and we finished our beer as I kept an eye on the steaks to make sure there weren't any flare ups from the fire that would cook them too quickly.

As the ice cream churns stopped, I unplugged them and Frank and Allen took the beaters out. Then we replaced the lid and dumped some of the water out so it didn't leak into the ice cream. I covered them with old rugs so they would stay cold.

I turned the steaks and told the women it would be about five minutes and the meat would be ready. They acknowledged that statement and began to rush about putting the rest of the food out.

I pulled the "rare's" off first and then the "medium's" came off a bit later. The guys took them to the table and I stayed and waited for the "well-done's" to finish cooking. Once they were done, I took them to the table and we chowed down. Everything was great. There were two kinds of potato salad, cole slaw, bean salad, corn on the cob, green onions, regular salad, celery sticks, carrot sticks, and some of Bonnie's sweet pickles. It was a feast. There is no other way to describe it. There was way too much food to just call it a meal.

The funny thing was, there wasn't much left on the table by the time we finished eating. Even the kids were full, and that's almost a miracle in itself.

As the women cleaned off the table, Frank, Allen and myself got the containers of ice cream and brought them to the table. The women brought out spoons to dip the ice cream out and the apple dumplings to go with it. They also brought out six pots of coffee to top everything off. Anyone who wasn't stuffed was just too shy to eat anymore.

We all sat around and sipped our coffee until it was gone. Then us guys headed for the equipment shed. Allen, Frank and William rode in a pickup, while the rest of us loaded up the feed spreader and headed for the pastures to feed the calves. Jimmy and Jessie took the one tractor to put the bales in the hay rings.

Jamie worked the chute as I spread the feed in the troughs. It didn't take long and we were back sitting on the front porch. The kids headed to the barn for evening chores and us men sat on the porch to chat.

We chatted until the kids returned and then both Allen and Frank said they needed to get home so they could get their chores done. We went to gather everyone up and they all thanked us for a great holiday. They said the loved the steaks and everything else just tasted so good. I reminded them that they brought a lot of the stuff, but both Jenna and Fran said it just tastes better when they didn't have to cook and it was on someone else's table. We chuckled and they headed to their vehicles. We all watched them drive out the lane. Then the women went back to the kitchen to finish what they were doing and us guys went to the porch.

"Dean," William said, as we walked onto the porch, "let's take a walk down to the corral."

He and I headed that way and I could see he was struggling to think of the words. Finally he said, "Dean, I really need some advice. You've recently been through the buyin' part and I'm thinkin' Lena and I need to sell our place."

"How come, William?"

"Well, it's just gettin' too much for us. We've got the land leased out so we ain't farmin' no more, but it's the house that's the problem. The bedroom and the main bath is on the second floor and the stairs is just gettin' too much for me and her. I'm thinkin' we need to move to a place that just has one floor."

"William, that's always a problem. Stairs will wear ya'all down. What was ya wantin' to ask me?"

"Well, you know how the market is on sellin'. Do you think we should try and sell the place?"

"To be honest, William, I don't think that's a real good idea right now. Farmland ain't sellin' real good. If you've got the land leased, why don't ya'all rent the house out too?"

"I guess we could do that. It would provide us with more money comin' in."

"Ya know, William, Bonnie and the grandkids don't get to see nearly enough of you and Lena. It would be great if ya'all could move close so they could be with ya'all more often."

"That would be nice. Bonnie is our only kid left and we sure miss seein' the grandkids."

"Well, I'll have to talk it over with Cammie, but I've got that house on the other end of the property that ya'all could rent. It's got two stories, but it's got a bedroom and a bathroom on the first floor. That would save ya'all from walkin' up and down the stairs all the time. Plus, I'm sure Bonnie and Cammie would just love to have ya'all around."

"I don't know, Dean. That's askin' an awful lot of ya'all."

"William, it ain't askin' nothin' of us. The house is settin' empty and it would be a lot better if ya'all were in it. Plus, I'm sure that ya'all would be a big help around here. I know that ya'all know stuff that we don't and we could always use a few hints on how to do stuff."

"Looks to me like ya'all are doin' just fine."

"There's always somethin', William. An extra head is always helpful when we're tryin' to figure out things."

"Well, it sure would cut down on them stairs. My knees just ache when I think about goin' up 'em. And Lena's hips ain't all that good no more."

"Well, why don't ya'all plan on stayin' the night and we'll all talk about it tomorrow?"

"We really hadn't planned on doin' that. But I don't know as it would hurt nothin'."

"Let's walk up to the house and talk with the women."

We wandered back to the house and the women were just comin' out to the porch. I told everyone that I'd invited William and Lena to stay the night. They were all happy about that.

"Mama, you can he'p me with the sour dough biscuits tomorrow."

"Are you makin' sour dough stuff now?"

"Yep, Dianne bought me a cookbook that had a sour dough starter recipe in it and the recipes for bread, biscuits and pancakes. We might even be able to make some sour dough bread if you're up to it."

"Heaven's chil', I'd be happy to he'p with that. They ain't much to it, mostly just plannin' and expandin' the starter so you've got enough to put back."

"Well, then you can show me. I always put some starter out before I go each night."

"Well, come on in. I'll show ya'all what you need."

Dianne, Cammie, Bonnie and Lena headed for the kitchen and the rest of us just sat and chatted. They returned about thirty minutes later and joined us again. We talked until it was getting to be bedtime. We had completely missed the news, but that wasn't a big thing at all.

Bonnie kissed everyone goodnight and her and Jimmy headed home. Then Dianne kissed William, Lena and me goodnight and also headed home. The rest of us walked inside and Cammie showed William and Lena to their room and got new towels out for them in the bathroom.

Chrissy kissed me goodnight and her and Jessie headed upstairs. Donna and I closed up and turn off everything and then headed for our bedroom. Cammie joined us just a bit later. We all made use of the bathroom and then slipped into bed.

After a few kisses, I said, "William and I had a talk and they need to move away from their house. Their bathroom and bedroom is upstairs and it's gettin' difficult for them to climb up ever' night. So I suggested that we rent them the Miller's old house. It's got a bedroom and a big bath on the first floor. They wouldn't even need to use the second floor. What do you think about that idea?"

She almost flung herself at me. "I love it and I love you so much for wantin' to do that. No one else woulda done that. Thank you so much for bein' that way."

"Darlin', it just makes sense. Ain't no reason not to have 'em there. Plus, they'll get to see Bonnie and all the grandkids a lot. They don't make it over here near enough and grandkids need to have their grandparents in their lives."

"I know, but only you would think of that. I love you so much."

She almost sucked my tongue out of my mouth. When we broke the kiss, I turned to Donna and asked her how she felt about it.

"I love it. I miss seein' them. We never got to see 'em much when we's livin' at home. I hardly remember bein' around 'em much at all. I think family should be together. Me and Deanne don't have no other kin except what's here and them and we both need 'em around more."

Donna almost had tears in her eyes as she was talking. I guess I couldn't understand fully how it was not to have either one of my parents around and be 16. That had to be very difficult, especially for girls. She kissed me and almost melted in my arms.

"Cammie's right, nobody else would have thought about doin' that. Only you would do somethin' like that."

We all had some kisses and then settled down for the night. I sure hoped that Bonnie would like the idea too.

I woke up to the rooster crowing and began to play with Cammie's nipple. The second crowing woke Donna and she began to kiss on my ear and neck. Cammie moaned and crushed my hand to her tit and turned her head so we could kiss. Then I kissed Donna and her tongue attacked mine. When we broke, I slipped from between them and headed for the bathroom while they welcomed each other to the morning.

I used the bathroom and they followed and made their claim to the throne. We all washed up and headed for the bedroom to get dressed. Then we went our separate ways for our morning duties.

Bonnie was already in the kitchen when Cammie and I arrived. I went to work on the coffee while Cammie got the water on to boil. Dianne showed up and began to slice the sausage after I got a kiss. Lena was the last to show up.

"Mornin', Mama."

"Well, good mornin' to ya'all. This is sure a busy place."

"I was waitin' for ya to help me with the biscuits, Mama."

"Ok, well show me what you've done."

They started in on their mixings and I poured the water into three presses and put more water back on the stove. I put the tops on the presses and then pressed the plunger down about half way and waited for them to steep.

While I was waiting, I made sure I stayed out of the way. Wouldn't do to get trampled by busy women in the morning.

Once they had steeped long enough, I poured the contents into regular coffee pots and carried them to the dining room. Jimmy had lit the pot warmers and he and William were sitting at the table. I told them to bring the cups and carried the pot and the warmer outside to the front porch.

They followed and we each poured ourselves a cup of coffee. I lit my first and William followed suit and then we sat back and chatted. It wasn't too long before the kids joined us. I got a kiss from the girls when they came out and everyone poured themselves a cup of coffee. We all chatted about various things and waited until we were called for breakfast.

We had our usual and it was great. Lena had helped with the biscuits and they tasted even better than when Bonnie had made them. They had made extra this morning and there wasn't any left over. What wasn't used to sop up eggs or with jelly and sausage, was just eaten with butter and jelly. Even all the grits were gone. The only thing left on any plate was some grease on the sausage platter. The rest were squeaky clean. Then we all sat back and enjoyed our coffee.

When we were all settled and sipping our coffee, I spoke up.

"We're gonna have a quick family meetin' this mornin'. William and Lena are havin' some problems livin' in their house because ever'thing is on the second floor and the steps are gettin' too much for 'em. So I suggested that they rent the old Miller's place. They can have ever'thing on the first floor and not worry about the upstairs. But ever'one else has to be all right with that decision. Any comments?"

Bonnie had a tear in her eyes as she scooted back from the table and almost ran over to me.

"Dean, I love you so much for this. You don't know how much this means to me."

She sat on my lap and gave me a big kiss and then almost squeezed my head off by hugging my neck so hard.

"I knowd they's havin' problems, but I didn't know how bad and I didn't know how to solve it. I woulda offered 'em my place, but Jamie and Dianne are already livin' there. Thank you so much."

She kissed me again and then went to Lena and William and kissed each one of them.

"Well, I can see that Bonnie is on the fence about this decision, anyone else have any comments?"

"Well, Dean," William spoke up, "We ain't talked about how much yet. We're kinda on a limited budget and can't afford too much."

"Well, I done some thinkin' about that last night. I was rentin' it to Barb for $400 a month, but she was usin' the whole house. I figure since you and Lena are only gonna be usin' the bottom half, $250 a month oughta be about right."

"That's awful cheap rent, Dean. Are you sure about that?"

"Yep, I done pondered on it and figured that was fair. Plus, we've got ever'one else on the payroll around here and I know that you and Lena can't do a whole lot, but I's figurin' that we could pay you and her a total of $100 a week for ya'alls help."

"What do you think we can do around here for that money?"

"Well, I figure Lena can help in the kitchen. Them biscuits was great this mornin'. You, I figure, can help us on the farm. I know you can't do a whole lot of heavy work, but we could use your experience around here."

"Like what kind of work?"

"Well, if you're willin' to stay another night, we'll put you on Bonnie's old tractor, haulin' the hay wagon and Donna and Dianne can throw the hay bales up and Jessie can stack 'em. Jamie's gonna use the square baler on one field for this cuttin'."

"Well, I guess I can still drive a tractor. Last I heard that tractor was runnin' kinda poorly. Do ya think it'll haul a load of hay?"

"Jamie and I rebuilt it last fall, so it will pull most anything ya'all can load on it."

"Ok, well I'm in. How 'bout you, hon?"

"Well, I don't 'spect to be paid for helpin' cook. I do that for fun and to keep busy."

"We can't take advantage of you, Lena. Besides, if we're payin' ya, then we can holler at ya."

"Ok, well I guess we got a deal then."

"Works for me. Anyone else?"

It was silent and I told them the meeting was over. We sat back and sipped our coffee.



-------

Chapter 21

After we finished our coffee, all of us guys headed outside. I told them I'd meet them at the equipment shed and headed to the back to see the contractor.

"Howdy, how's it goin'?"

"Well, we're gettin' there. Actually, considerin' all the changes and the storm damage, we're doin' right well."

"Great. I've got a favor to ask. Could ya'all get the house with the roof damage taken care of pretty quick? I've got a couple of older folks wantin' to move in. They're relatives of the women and they're havin' a hard time of things where they're livin', so I've told them to move in there when they can."

"Sure, that's not a problem. At least for the roof. But it might be a week or so before we can get the guy out for the plaster."

"No problem there. As long as it's dry, they'll be all right. They're just gonna live in the downstairs anyway, so the second floor won't be in use at all, except maybe for some storage."

"Then we don't have a problem. I'll be able to get to the roof by Monday at the latest. It shouldn't take more than a day to get it done."

"Good. Could ya'all replace the insulation that I had to tear out? It's right above the plaster damage."

"Sure. We'll take care of that when we do the roof."

"Thanks, I sure do appreciate it."

I walked down to the equipment shed and they were just pulling the tractors and balers out. I manned the gas hose so I could fill all the tractors. Once Jamie had his filled, he drove mine over and I filled that one too. As I was finishing up, Chrissy, Dianne and Donna walked down to work with us. They brought a big jug of water for each tractor and an additional one for the wagon. I thanked them because I had forgotten about that completely and we were sure going to need it.

I suggested that Jamie take the nearest field to make the square bales and he agreed. Jessie, Chrissy, Dianne and Donna climbed onto the wagon and William followed Jamie to the field. Jimmy and I made one last check of our round balers and then we headed for the fields too.

I had Jimmy take the field next to Jamie and I headed for the next one. I pulled in and lined up the baler pickup with the windrow and engaged the PTO. I went a bit slow at first so I could get used to the timing of this again. Once I was through the first row, I increased my speed a bit and let the big baler do all the work. I just steered. That might sound like an easy job, but it takes a lot of concentration. When the baler kicks a bale out, you definitely know you've expelled something and it can throw off your path a bit. Hay is too important to leave any laying in the field.

I had almost finished the field when Cammie showed up in the pickup. When I got to the end of the windrow, I shut everything down and walked out to see her.

"Get in, it's lunch time."

"I'm ready for that, but I gotta get my jug first."

I went back to the tractor and got the jug. I took one last swig and then walked to the truck. After I got in, I leaned over and kissed her.

"Mmmm, I might make more trips out here if you keep that up."

"I don't know about that, I've never done it on a runnin' tractor before."

"Me neither, but it sounds like fun."

We stopped and picked up Jimmy and then the crew from the last field. We made room for William in the cab and the kids got to ride in the bed. Everyone had brought their jug to refill. It was hot and this was dusty work.

When we got to the house, we all washed up on the back porch and then headed for the dining room table. We had soup and sandwiches and lots of iced tea.

Bonnie and Lena had baked some sour dough bread and it was wonderful. Bonnie's bread was always good, but this was much better. Its consistency was denser and the taste can't be described unless you've had homemade sour dough bread before. If you have had it, then you know exactly what it tastes like. You are able to actually taste the bread along with whatever you have on the sandwich.

We finished lunch and I told them how good the bread was and everyone else commented on how good it was too. We sat back and sipped our coffee and then filled our jugs with water and ice and Cammie drove us back to the fields. I gave her a kiss when she let me out and then climbed back on the tractor.

I finished that field and headed for the next one. Just about the time I made my turn and came back on the second row, Jimmy was moving to the field next to mine.

Baling is just slow and boring work. But there isn't any other way to get it done. Someone has to run the tractor and control the baler, and they haven't come out with the automatic system yet. We probably couldn't afford it if they had.

I finished up my field and pulled out to wait for Jimmy. He was about two rows from being done, so I just shut my tractor down and waited for him while I gulped a bunch of water down. We still had one field on this side of the stream to do and three on Jimmy's place.

He finished up and parked his rig next to mine and shut it off. He climbed down and brought his jug with him. We were both drenched in sweat and dusty from head to toe.

"Anything wrong?"

"Nope," I told him, "I was just waitin' for ya to finish. I'm figurin' we've done a good days work and we can get back at it tomorrow."

"I agree. I'm wet and tired."

We climbed back on the tractors and headed for the equipment shed. Before we pulled in, we gassed up the tractors and then parked them. Jamie had finished his field and had the conveyor hooked up to his tractor and parked at the barn. We walked over there to see what was happening.

They were taking off the buckets that we had used when we put the corn in the grinder. Jimmy and I helped out and William pulled the wagon around so it was right at the conveyor.

Once the conveyor was ready, Jimmy, Jessie Jamie and I headed up to the loft and the rest of them put the hay on to ride up so we could stack it. It took us about an hour to get it up and stacked. By that time, we were all worn out. We climbed down from the loft and welcomed the cooler air. Actually, it was still very hot out, but not near as hot as the loft was.

After draining our water jugs, we got everything put away and the tractors gassed up for tomorrow. We left the tractor and the conveyor at the barn since they still had a load of square bales in the field. They would pick them up tomorrow morning and then the square bales would all be taken care of.

We walked up to the back porch and washed up. At least we washed our hands and face. I told them I was going to take a shower and they all agreed that would be a wonderful idea. Jimmy and Jamie headed for their places and William headed for Bonnie's old bathroom. The girls and Jessie headed upstairs and I headed for our old bathroom.

The water coming off of me was almost brown as it ran down the drain. But the water felt good on my sore muscles and I let it beat some of the kinks out. When I finished, I got in some clean clothes and walked out to the porch. Someone had put a big pitcher of tea and glasses with ice out there. I filled one and then quickly drained it and then refilled it. I lit a Camel and sat back to relax a bit.

William came out next and had on a pair of my jeans and one of my shirts. They were a bit big on him, but he had the cuffs rolled up some and his belt cinched tight around the waist.

"Well, William, how's it feel to be back farmin'?"

"Actually, it felt pretty good. But then I didn't do any of the hard work. Them kids sure know how to work, I'll give 'em that."

"I think that's just a way of life around here, William. I ain't never knowd any of 'em to slack off any."

"I'll say. Them girls work just as hard as the boys do."

"Ain't no reason for 'em not to. They're part of the family and it's ever'one's work. There ain't no women's and men's work around here. It's just work."

"Ya know, that's one of the more sensible things goin'. Nowadays it seems like ever'thing is divided into men's and women's and that just don't cut it. When there's work, it just needs to be done. The hay bales don't care what sex someone is."

"William, even when I was raisin' my daughter, the only thing I ever let her get by with sayin' she couldn't do it because she was a girl, was some real heavy liftin'. Anything else, she had to pitch in and help. I had to rebuild an engine in her car a couple times and I made her crawl under and work right along side of me. In fact, she helped me lift the engine out. It was only a little four-cylinder, but she still helped. I just don't buy that women is too weak crap. And to even things out, I also made sure my son knew how to cook well enough to keep from starvin' to death. This women's and men's work thing is just plain bull."

'Well, I can honestly say that I agree with ya fully on them points."

"Not to change the subject, but I talked with the contractor this mornin' and he said he'd have the house ready for ya'all to move in by Wednesday at the latest. It had some roof damage and he'll get that taken care of. There was also some damage to the plaster ceiling upstairs, but that won't affect you folks. They'll repair that sometime later."

"I don't think we'll be ready to move that quick. I don't think rentin' the place will be much of a problem. The guy that leases the land has a boy that just got married and they're livin' in a trailer home right now. I'm pretty sure they'd jump at the chance to move into a house. But we've got to get ever'thing packed up and then moved over here. That'll take some doin'."

"Well, I think we can he'p with that. We could just rent a truck and make it in one trip. No sense in makin' a bunch of trips with pickups. We'll just set aside a day and do it. Ya'all just let us know when you're ready and we'll get it taken care of."

"That's awful kind of ya'all, Dean. I really can't tell you how good it makes my heart to see that Cammie chose someone like you. That asshole that Barb married wouldn't even let us visit. We visited over here quite a bit, but it's never long enough to just visit. We have really missed the grandkids and missed seein' Bonnie. They're all we've got left in this world."

"William, I tol' you the first time ya'all came over that you were always welcome here and I meant it. I really believe that family should stick together. That's one of the main reasons I bought all this property. Bonnie's farm wouldn't support the kids and their families. I wanted them to have a choice of stayin' or movin' away and not be forced to move just because there wasn't enough land to support 'em."

"Well, we sure do appreciate it and ever'thing you've done for this family. It just makes my heart proud to see this happenin'."

Jimmy drove up and joined us on the porch and then Jamie showed up and sat down. About ten minutes later, Jessie came out and sat with us and we all chatted about the farm. It wasn't too long before Donna came out and told us that supper was ready.

We carried our glasses and I took the pitcher inside as we went. I took the pitcher to the kitchen and then took my seat at the table. The women had fixed two big pork roasts and all the trimmings to go with it. We all stuffed ourselves and then Donna brought in dessert. There were three big peach pies. We somehow made room for the pie and then sat back to sip our coffee.

I drank my first cup of coffee at the table and then took my next out to the porch so I could smoke. William followed me and we both enjoyed our after meal cigarette. The rest of the guys came out after a bit and joined us. We chatted until the coffee was gone and then headed for our evening chores.

The boys quickly fed the horses and cows and then came to help us. Jamie loaded up the feed spreader and then climbed up with me to ride out. William was also up on the tractor, so it was a bit crowded, but we managed.

When we got to the pasture, Jamie climbed down to move the chute. We did our usual thing and soon had the calves fed. Jessie and Jimmy took care of the hay bales for them. When we got back, I hosed out the spreader and we all headed for the porch.

"William," I said, as we sat down, "here's something you can do some thinkin' on. There's got to be a better way to spread the feed than what we're doin' now. But for the life of me, I can't think how to change things. It's a two man operation and it shouldn't be like that."

"Ya, I noticed that. Seems to me like we could work somethin' up. Me and Rube Goldberg got the same type of thinkin'. I'll have to do some thinkin' on that problem."

"Well, you can put me in that category too. I've always been able to rig somethin' up that would work. I just ain't been able to think about this situation enough."

"Ya know, sometimes we're just too close to the problem."

"Yep, that happens."

The girls came back from chores and joined us as we chatted. Then the women came out and they joined the conversation. Mostly, the men had their conversation going and the women had theirs. But William told everyone that I had said the house would be ready by Wednesday at the latest.

"My goodness," Lena said, "we couldn't get ready to move that quick. I don't even know if we can rent that ol' place."

"He didn't say you had to move then, Mama. He just said it'd be ready."

"Yep," William joined in, "and they's gonna rent a big truck to move all our stuff too."

"That'd sure he'p. But I'm not sure we need all that stuff. We've got three bedrooms of stuff and we only really need ours to be moved."

"Well, we could sell it or just leave for whoever rents the place."

"You got any idea who would wanna rent it?"

"Ya, I figure that Lucas's boy and his new bride might be interested in it. They's livin' in a trailer house now and I'm sure they'd like to get outta there."

"They seem like kinda good folks. I wouldn't mind leavin' the furniture for them. They's havin' a real hard time anyway."

"Well," I spoke up, "ya'all won't need any appliances. There's already a stove and 'fridge there, plus ya'all will probably be takin' your meals up here. There's also a washer and dryer, but we generally do all the laundry up here too."

"I know they'll be needin' them things," Lena said.

"I think they'll be needin' most things," William put in. "They don't hardly have nothin'. It was a real quick marriage, so they didn't have time to gather a bunch of stuff."

"Well, then why don't we just plan on givin' it to them?" Lena asked.

"If they rent it, I'm all for it."

The conversation moved to other things and we stayed outside until it got dark. Then we moved inside and watched the news and weather. Once that was over, Bonnie kissed everyone goodnight and left with Jimmy. Then Dianne kissed Lena, William and myself before Jamie and she left for their place.

"What's on the agenda for tomorrow?" William asked.

"Jimmy and me need to finish the balin'. And then we need to move the round bales to our storage area and get them covered."

"How in the world do ya move them big bales?"

"We've got forks that fit on the high lifts of the two big tractors. The one that Jamie was usin' and the one that ran the conveyor. We just spear 'em and then lift 'em and drive 'em to where we want 'em."

"Well, I reckon I could work on that. Don't seem too difficult."

"If ya'all are gonna stay tomorrow, we'll just take you up on that offer. You and Jamie can gather 'em and Jessie, Chrissy and Donna can cover 'em."

"Sounds like that'd work. Well, it's 'bout bedtime for me and Mama. We ain't used to all this work."

"Me neither, William. I try to do a little as possible."

They said good night and left for Bonnie's room after they got a kiss from everyone. Then Chrissy gave me a kiss and she and Jessie headed upstairs. Donna, Cammie and I closed up and turned everything off before heading to bed too.

We all used the bathroom and then slid into bed. I got kisses from both women and they kissed each other goodnight and then we drifted off. I was tired and it didn't take me long at all.

Donna woke me up. I didn't hear the rooster and I didn't hear anything else until I felt Donna kissing my neck and ear. I turned my head and kissed her and her tongue invaded my mouth. That must have woke Cammie because she turned and began kissing my ear and neck as Donna and I were kissing. Then I turned and kissed Cammie and toyed with her nipple as I did.

As we broke our kiss, I used the opportunity to slip out of bed as they kissed and made my way to the bathroom. I was a bit sore, but not too bad. Sitting all day is not the best thing for muscles. They get kind of cramped up.

The women came in and used the facilities and we all washed up before getting dressed. Then we all headed for our duties. Bonnie was there already and working on the sour dough. I got a kiss from her and then Cammie started getting the water on while I began to grind the coffee. Dianne showed up and she gave me a kiss. She started work on the sausage and then Lena showed up. I waited until the water was boiling and poured three pans into the presses. I stirred them and put the top on and pressed the plunger half way down. I waited for them to steep, out of the main flow of the women's traffic. Bonnie and Lena began working on the biscuits and Cammie had the grits working.

Once the coffee steeped, I poured it into regular coffee pots and took the three into the dining room. Jimmy had the warmers lit and I set them in place. Jimmy, William and I took a cup and headed for the front porch. I carried the coffee pot out and Jimmy took the warmer. We each poured ourselves a cup and William and I lit our first. We chatted about the upcoming day and I told Jimmy that he and I were going to finish baling while Jamie and William moved the bales. We'd have Jessie, Chrissy, Donna and Dianne covering the bales to keep the weather out. He agreed that it was a workable plan.

The kids joined us and I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy. They all poured themselves a cup of coffee each and we told them of our plan for the day. Jamie reminded us that we still had some square bales in the field and they needed to be gathered and put in the loft. I told him I'd forgotten about that and that should be their first priority. After that, they could move the round bales. They all agreed that was the way to go.

We finished that pot of coffee and Donna took it in and brought another pot out. We sipped and chatted and just enjoyed the morning until we were called for breakfast.

The breakfast was just like yesterday's and we all stuffed ourselves. Lena said it did her heart good to see so many people eating like there was no tomorrow. I told her that shyness disappeared around the table when us folks sat down to eat. She chuckled and said she'd much rather pay the food bill than the doctor bill.

We sipped our first cup of coffee after breakfast and informed the women what we had planned. They said they were going to do some canning and maybe go to the store this afternoon. Then us guys took a pot outside and chatted while William and I smoked.

We finally finished up our coffee and took our cups and pot inside. We filled our jugs with water and ice and then headed for the equipment shed. We rigged up the tractor that Jamie was using yesterday and put a set of hayforks on the front. I showed William how to operate the hydraulics and he said he thought he understood it well enough. They would pick up the square bales and then move to the round bales. They'd wait for us to show up before putting them in the loft.

Jimmy and I got our tractors running and headed for the remaining field on this side of the stream to finish that off. I took the first pass and he followed on the next windrow and we attacked that field. This field was one of the smaller ones and we finished that off in about two hours. Then we headed for Jimmy's fields.

I took the first field and Jimmy headed for the next. We were just about finished when Cammie showed up in the pickup to take us home. We shut the rigs down and climbed in the cab and she drove us back to the house.

We washed up on the back porch and headed for the table. Lunch was soup and left over roast for sandwiches with homemade sour dough bread. We ate heartily, but mostly drank large amounts of tea. It was hot working in the Arkansas July weather. Even though we were driving and had a breeze moving the air some, it was still hot and sweaty work.

Once we'd finished eating, we sipped our coffee and I asked William how he was making out with the tractor. He said it had taken him a bit to get the routine down, but now it was working out real good.

We finished our coffee and refilled our jugs before Cammie drove us back to the fields. We had to finish the current field we were on and then we could double up on the final one.

It was after 3:00 before Jimmy and I drove back to the house. We were both sweaty and dusty and very thirsty. The wagon was sitting by the conveyor, waiting for the bales to be unloaded. We both drove our tractors over and unhooked the balers and I drove mine back and hooked it up to the conveyor. There was only about a half of the wagon that was loaded with bales, so Jimmy climbed up in the loft and I fed the bales onto the coveyor and he took care of them in the loft. It only took us about 45 minutes.

Then we lowered the conveyor to its park position and I hauled it back to the shed and unhooked from it. Jimmy drove the old tractor and wagon over and then we called it quits. We washed up some on the back porch and then decided to take a shower. He headed home and I headed to the bedroom. I stripped down and made my way to the shower.

It was just like yesterday, dirty water running off of me. You wouldn't think a person would get so dirty just driving a tractor. I finished up and got dressed and went to get a large pitcher of tea from the 'fridge. Instead I found a pitcher of lemonade and took that and some glasses to the front porch.

I drank the first glass in one gulp and then poured a second that I sipped. I lit a cigarette and sat back to relax.

Jimmy showed up and poured himself a glass of lemonade and sat back too. We both agreed that we were glad the baling was over for now. We'd have to do it again the first of September probably, but we were done for now.

It wasn't too long until the rest of the crew showed up. They washed up and then joined us and drained the pitcher of lemonade. Donna went inside and brought out a pitcher of tea and we worked on that.

"We got all the bales on this side of the stream picked up and covered," Jamie said. "But we didn't know what you wanted done with the ones on the other side."

"I thought we'd store them over there for when we move the calves," I told him.

"Good idea."

After they had quenched their thirst, they all headed for the showers. Jamie drove home to take his and the rest of them went inside for theirs. It was about twenty minutes before they started filtering back out, clean but tired.

We chatted for a bit and the women showed up from their shopping. We helped them carry the groceries in and they put them away where THEY wanted them. Us guys don't get involved in those decisions.

Bonnie announced that we were going out for supper. Everyone was too tired to argue with her, so we just agreed. We did say we wanted to feed the calves first and she said we had about an hour before they'd be ready to leave. Cammie said for the boys to go with us and she and Dianne would help with the chores at the barn. We agreed and headed out for the equipment shed.

William rode with Jamie and me and watched the routine we went through with the feed spreader. He didn't say much and just seemed to watch what was happening.

Once we got the calves fed, we headed back to the house and washed up on the back porch. Once we were decent, we told the women and they said they were ready to go. We loaded into the van and Jimmy's Navigator and headed for the barbecue place.

It wasn't too crowded and we only had to wait about five minutes before they had a table arranged for all of us. We sat and the waitress came over and took our order. We all opted for the buffet and ice tea to drink. She told us to help ourselves and she'd get out tea. We all filed up to the buffet line and pretty much wiped out what they had setting out.

We returned to the table and began to devour our food. The waitress finally gave up on trying to keep our glasses full and brought us three pitchers for the table. All of us went back for thirds on the buffet and I really think they were happy to see that we were finally full. Us guys did go back for a second helping of cobbler and ice cream, but that was just normal for us.

Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. The waitress didn't have a much trouble keeping up with our coffee cups. We chatted about various things and then decided to head back home. Bonnie insisted that she was paying since it was her idea. I know better than to argue when a woman insists, so I didn't. Dianne had to chat with a couple girls there before we could actually leave. The drive home was quick and I was getting tired. Too much tractor driving in the last two days.

When we got back home, it was dark so we sat in the living room and chatted for a bit. We watched the news and weather. They said we were scheduled for some rain starting on Wednesday of next week and it would probably last a couple days, on and off. Actually, that wasn't bad news. We could use some steady moisture around here; it was getting dry again.

Finally, Bonnie said they were going and kissed everyone good night. Then Dianne kissed William, Lena and myself and she and Jamie left too. The rest of us chatted for a while and William said they were going to go home tomorrow after lunch. I told him we really appreciated the help and he said that he had a good time working again. Lena said she really enjoyed cooking for a bunch of folks again and she just loved to see folks eat so much. It just did her heart good. I told her we really loved the sour dough bread and biscuits. She said that she had pretty much quit making any sour dough stuff since it was just the two of them. But she really enjoyed it too. She also told us we were having sour dough pancakes tomorrow. I just grinned at the good news.

After a bit, William said he was tired and was going to bed. They got kisses from the girls and left. Then Chrissy kissed me and Jessie and she went upstairs. We closed up and headed for bed. I was tired and sore and could use some sleep.

We all made use of the bathroom and then slipped into bed. After a few kisses, we all drifted off to sleep.

As I drifted off, I let my mind wander and thought how good it was that William and Lena could finally spend time with their remaining child and all their grandkids. I just couldn't imagine how Barb's husband could ban them from visiting. I don't understand how anyone could cut off contact between kids and grandparents. It is so important for the kids to have access to them and to learn the things they know. It is also important for the grandparents to share their knowledge or it will die with them. Only through our passing along our knowledge do we live on. Our bodies may perish but our knowledge will allow us to live forever, if only we share it with others.



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Chapter 22

The rooster woke me and I began to play with Cammie's nipple. She moaned and held my hand against her tit as she turned her head to kiss me. Then I felt Donna begin to kiss my ear and neck. As I broke my kiss with Cammie, I turned my head and Donna claimed my mouth. Her tongue invaded my mouth as she molded herself to my body. As soon as she released me, she reached for Cammie and I ducked away so I could get to the bathroom.

I used the facilities and then both of them appeared. We washed up and then got dressed before heading for our morning duties.

Bonnie was already in the kitchen and I began to grind the coffee while Cammie put the water on. Dianne showed up and began to slice the sausage after she gave me a kiss. It wasn't long until Lena appeared and began to supervise Cammie and Bonnie. I got the three pots of coffee made and put the pans back on for the next ones. I waited, out of the way, until the coffee steeped and then poured it into the regular coffee pots.

I carried them to the dining room and put them on the pot warmers that Jimmy had lit. I carried one warmer and pot to the front porch so William and I could smoke. Jimmy joined us and we sipped our coffee and chatted about today.

"What time do you have to pick up the kids?" I asked Jimmy.

"Their plane gets in about 10:30 and I figure it's about an hour to Little Rock, so I should leave around 9 or so."

"How's Bonnie takin' it?"

"Well, nothin's really been said. But she seems a bit distant, so I really don't know. I'm just lettin' it play itself out. I just hope she don't blow up when the kids are here."

"I guess we'll find out later on today."

"It's kinda like waitin' for the other shoe to drop. I don't know if she's gonna throw it or just lay it on the floor."

"Ain't much tellin' with women. I sure hope she understands and don't make a big thing about it."

"You and me both."

We sipped our coffee and William said he was kind of looking forward to getting back home so he could talk to the boy and ask him about renting his place. I told him I understood completely and that I hated not knowing about stuff like that too. He was pretty sure the boy would jump at it, but there was always a question until it was settled.

He asked what our plans were for today and I told him that we'd probably work on getting the bales on the other side of the stream put in place and covered up. He said he'd work until lunchtime and then they were leaving for home.

The kids came back and I got a kiss from the girls and then they all poured themselves a cup of coffee and joined our conversation. I filled them in on what we talked about and they were all for getting the bales taken care of. Chrissy said that her mom had mentioned that the females were going to go to the other house and start cleaning it for when Grandpa and Grandma move in. I told her that was fine since we'd have Jamie and Jessie to cover up the bales while William and I moved them.

We were called for breakfast and we all headed for the table. It was a great feast. Sour dough pancakes with lots of homemade butter and pure maple syrup and good pork sausage. We washed it down with lots of ice-cold raw milk until we were stuffed and then sat back and sipped our coffee. I drank my first cup at the table and then took a pot out to the porch so I could enjoy a cigarette. William followed me and soon all the males were sitting out there. When we finished the first pot, Jamie got us another one and we sipped and chatted and just enjoyed the morning.

After we finished our coffee, we all walked down to the equipment shed and Jimmy helped me mount the lifting forks on my tractor. Jamie and Jessie took the old pickup with plenty of bale covers and we headed for the other side of the stream. Jimmy went back to the house to say goodbye to Bonnie and then he was going to go home and get ready to leave for the airport.

Once we got on the other side of the stream, we decided where we wanted to stack the bales and Jamie and Jessie set up there. William and I headed for the first hay field and speared a bale. We drove them back to the stacking spot and deposited them at that point. Jamie and Jessie took care of covering them to keep the weather out. That's pretty much how the morning went.

We had finished up the first field and were working on the second. I knew it was getting close to noon and as we brought our bales to the stacking area, Jamie waved at me to shut the tractor off. He told me that he'd heard the dinner bell and we should be getting back for lunch.

William shut down his tractor and we all climbed in the pickup and headed for lunch. Lunch was soup and sandwiches on sour dough bread and it was great. There wasn't much talking while we ate, but afterwards, we told the women how good the bread was.

William said he was going to miss that when they were at home, but Lena said they'd be back before he missed it too much. The women told us they'd cleaned the old Miller house and it was ready to move into. Lena said they'd need to store some of their furniture in the upstairs if the kids didn't want it and I told them that was fine. We finished our coffee and said goodbye to Lena and William and then headed back to the fields.

Jamie took over William's tractor and Jessie was left to cover the bales by himself. That wasn't too much of a problem since we didn't move them very quickly. He always had the two bales covered by the time we brought two more.

We were almost done with the second field when Jimmy and his son, Dave, showed up. Jamie and I shut our tractors down and climbed down to say howdy. Dave had really grown since I had last seen him. Jimmy introduced him to Jamie and Jessie and we chatted for a bit. Jimmy had brought a big jug of water for us and we almost finished it while we were talking.

Then Jimmy sent Dave back with the Navigator to get more ice water and Jamie and I got back on our tractors and went back to moving bales. It was slow work, but needed to be done. They needed to be in a central place so we could move them to the pastures when we fed the calves. Also, they needed to be covered so the rain didn't rot them.

Jamie and I were almost through when Jimmy signaled that he'd heard the dinner bell. I yelled to him that we only had two more bales to get and then we'd be done. He nodded and Jamie and I headed back to the field. Once we brought the bales in, Jessie and Dave covered them and we headed the tractors back to the shed.

We parked them and Jimmy, Jessie and Dave showed up in the vehicles. We all washed up on the back porch and then made our way to the dining room. I got a hug and a peck on the cheek from Sarah. She had grown into a lovely young woman. It's amazing how children grow so fast when we don't see them for long periods of time.

The women had made chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, green beans and green onions. The meal was fantastic. We could cut the steaks with our forks. After we finished the meal, Donna brought out apple dumplings for everyone and we all made some extra room for them. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

We told the women that we'd finished moving the bales and all we had to do now was to feed the calves and evening chores.

"Don't forget that you have to shower and get ready for the Grange hall," Bonnie said, with almost a smirk.

"Dern, I forgot all about that," I told her.

"I'll just bet you did."

We told her we'd hurry and get things done. We finished our coffee and then headed for the evening chores and feeding the calves. It didn't take too long and then everyone headed for their own showers. I really could have foregone the Grange Hall tonight, but this was the women's thing and we weren't going to get out of it without a fight. Jimmy and his kids headed for his place and Jamie, Jessie and I headed for our bathrooms.

I finished up and got dressed in one of my fancy western shirt and a pair of clean Levi's. I put on my non-work boots and then headed for the front porch after putting my guitar in the van. I was joined by Donna and Chrissy and then Cammie showed up too. Jessie was the next person and then Jamie and Dianne drove up. Jessie ran into the house and told Bonnie that they were leaving and then ran back to the pickup and those three left.

Jimmy and his kids showed up and joined us as we chatted. I asked Dave and Sarah about school and found out that Dave was majoring in Computer Science and Sarah was majoring in Business. I really didn't put too much stock in that since major's change almost as quickly as the wind does, but we chatted about their schools until Bonnie showed up. Then we headed for the Grange Hall.

Bonnie rode with Jimmy and his kids while the rest came with me. I was a bit surprised that Bonnie had left with Jimmy, but didn't say anything. It's best not to stir up a hornet's nest.

We arrived at the hall and I carried my guitar in and set it out so it could acclimate to the place. Jimmy was not far behind me and he set his guitar out also. I took a look at the play list the guys were working on and there didn't seem to be any surprises. There were several songs that we had not done before, but I figured that was from them studying the songbooks I had given them. I was glad to see they were being put to good use.

Jimmy and I went to the table and took a seat. Sarah was with the women and they were all talking up a storm. Dave sat with us and we talked about various things. It wasn't too long before Frank and Jenna and Allen and Fran showed up. The women filtered to the other part of the table while Frank and Allen took a seat with us. Jimmy introduced Dave and told them he was here with his sister for a visit. Then the conversation turned to farming.

I told them we had gotten all of our hay in and it wasn't the best cutting, but it wasn't the worst either. They both said they were still working on theirs but would have it done by Tuesday at the latest. I told them we were getting additional help since William and Lena would be moving over into the old Miller place. Both Frank and Allen thought that was a great idea. They both agreed that it was good to have the grandparents around and, since they were getting older, it would be great for them too.

Elmer signaled us it was time to tune up and we walked up to the stage. It didn't take long and we were in our first set. I started off with the Billy Joe Shaver song "Ride Me Down Easy" and then the other singer followed with the Bobby Bare song "Five Hundred Miles Away From Home." We switched back and forth and the first set went pretty quick. Lots of folks were up dancing and that showed they were having a good time. That's what this was all about.

After the set, Jimmy and I each got a Coke and set back down at the table. We chatted and Dave wanted to know how we convinced his dad to get up and play. I told him we didn't give him a choice and told him it was mandatory if he was going to live down here. He just chuckled and said he was glad to see him getting out of his shell. He would never have done anything like that in D.C.

We chatted and the talk returned to farming. Both Frank and Allen reminded me to let them know when we got the new calves so they could see how the shots and spraying worked. I told them I thought it would be about a couple weeks yet but I would be sure to let them know.

As our conversation continued, I was suddenly surrounded by the twins and got a kiss on each cheek. Then they held onto my arms and made sure they had their tits rubbing against my shoulders.

"We sure enjoyed ourselves at the cookout. Thank you for havin' us over," Lana said.

"Well, it was our pleasure. We like havin' company," I told them.

"When is the hot tub gonna be ready?" Leanne asked.

"I'm not sure. Probably in a couple weeks, but we have to wait to get it filled and then for the water to heat up."

"Can't you just use hot water to fill it up?" Lana asked.

"If we did, we'd probably run our well dry. I'm gonna have the fire department fill it and then wait for the heater to warm the water."

"Oh," Leanne said, "I didn't know it took that much water."

"It would be like filling up about twenty bathtubs at once."

"Wow," Lana said, "that's a lot of water. How many can fit in there?"

"I think it can hold twelve or so."

"You could have a big party in there," Leanne giggled.

"Ok, you two," Frank said, "we're talkin' about important things. Run along and find your boyfriend."

"Yes, Daddy," they both said, in unison.

"Them two will just talk your ear off if you let 'em," Frank said, as he shook his head.

"I don't mind it, Frank. They're just curious."

"Curious and a pest at times."

We got back to talking about farming and then Elmer called us up for the second set. We got tuned up and the other singer walked over to me and said we'd had a bunch of requests for some old '60's, '70's and '80's songs. I told him that was fine and he said he'd changed the playlist. I looked at it and it had me leading off with Roger Miller's "Dang Me." Then he came back with the CCR's tune, "Looking Out My Back Door." Next up was me with "Jones On The Jukebox" and he came back with Roger Miller's "Kansas City Star." I was up next with the Bellemy Brothers' "He's An Old Hippie," which he followed with the Porter Wagoner song, "Just Someone I Used To Know." It went like that for the entire set. There wasn't a song newer than about '88. But the dance floor was crowded and everyone seemed happy and a lot of them were singing along.

Jimmy and I each got us another Coke and sat down at the table. Our conversation continued about farming and other items of interest. Then it was on to the third set. This was mostly slow songs and that's how we finished the night.

Jimmy and I packed up our guitars and sat down at the table to wait for the women to be ready to leave. The twins showed up and stood by me until Jessie came by to round them up so Jamie and Dianne could drive them home. Finally, Frank said it was time for them to leave and that broke up the women's conference. We all headed for our vehicles and again, Bonnie rode with Jimmy and his kids.

They followed us home and we chatted in the living room. Sarah wanted to know how we convinced her dad to get up and play and I told her the same thing I'd told Dave, that it was just mandatory if he was going to live down here. She chuckled and said she was glad to see him coming out of his shell. He was always so quiet in D.C. and she liked him this way much better.

Jessie finally arrived home and came inside to join the group. Shortly after that, Jimmy said they were going home and would see us for breakfast tomorrow morning. He got up to leave and Bonnie walked him to the porch. I couldn't see what was happening out there and I sure wasn't going to get up and look. All the girls eyes were on me to see what my reaction was going to be. I didn't know why, but I figured something was up. I just sat back and waited to see what was going to blow up.

Finally, Bonnie came back inside and sat down.

"Well, Dean, I've got to hand it to you. I thought for sure you'd have a double standard, but it don't seem like you do."

"What? I don't have the slightest idea what you're talkin' about."

"Well, when you jumped on us for takin' Dianne's side, we figured you'd sing a different tune if the situation was reversed. We've all been waitin' to see if you'd jump in and say somethin' about me and Jimmy and his kids comin' down. We all figured you'd take his side and try to prevent an argument between Jimmy and me."

"Is that what this is all about?"

"Yep, we wanted to see what you'd do when things was reversed."

"Bonnie, I told ya'all that it was a private affair between Jamie and Dianne and it was the same between you and Jimmy. As long as it didn't affect the happiness of everyone else, it wasn't anyone else's business. That's exactly what I meant."

"Well, most folks have two sets of rules. They's the rules for others and then the rules for them and their friends."

"It ain't that way around here. Jimmy mentioned something about it and I told him I thought you'd understand his situation. Beyond that, nothin' much was said. It wasn't any of my business or really anyone else's either."

"We're all glad to know that."

"So, ya'all have all been in on this?"

"Yep, we've all been waitin' for you to bring it up."

"I'm right sorry to disappoint ya'all on that point."

"Well, it is kind of a let down. Now we ain't got nothin' to argue about."

"Damn, it's right hard to tell that you're Irish, never lookin' for a fight or nothin'."

Everyone chuckled at that and we all decided it was bedtime. Once the kisses were taken care of, Cammie and I turned out the lights and closed everything up before heading for bed. After we all used the facilities, we slipped into bed and spent some time kissing and cuddling before drifting off to sleep.

The rooster woke me up and I teased Cammie's nipple until she moaned and crushed my hand to her tit. She turned her head and we kissed. Then Donna joined the fray and claimed my mouth when Cammie released me. As they reached for each other, I slipped from the bed and headed for the bathroom. They followed and we all washed up and got dressed. Then we headed for our morning chores.

Cammie and I went to the kitchen and Bonnie was already there, working on the biscuits. She gave me a kiss and then I got the water going for the coffee and Cammie got the grits ready and then helped Bonnie. Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her before she started slicing the sausage.

Once the water was boiling, I filled the three presses and put more water back on to boil for the next batch. Once it had steeped, I poured them into regular coffee pots and carried them to the dining room. Jimmy had the pot warmers lit and we each poured ourselves a cup of coffee. I lit my first and sat back.

"How's the kids like the place?"

"Well, they seem to approve. They were a bit amazed that I was up on the stage playing last night, but I guess that's normal. They're helpin' with the mornin' chores now. I know Sarah has never milked a cow before, so this should be a real education for her."

"Are ya'all goin' up to the lake?"

"I talked to them about it and we decided we'd leave tomorrow mornin'. That way we'll miss the weekend crowd."

"Ya, a lot of them idiots stay till the last minute and then drag their boat home in the dark when they're really tired and probably been drinkin' all day."

"I can understand that mind-set. They work at the rat race all week and just want to get away from ever'thing and forget about it. Glad I don't have to do that no more."

"I'll bet. That could get real old, real quick."

"Well, we decided we'd rent a ski boat at the marina. The kids ain't got much interest in fishing, but they would like to go skiing."

"If you're interested, there are a lot of places to dive up there too. There's lots of underwater caves and spear fishing is legal in Arkansas. You just have to have a fishing license."

"Now there's a thought. Is there a place to rent equipment?"

"Yep. On the road to the marina is a place called the Diving Bell. I have no idea what the rates are, but it can't be all that much."

The kids came back from chores and I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy and they all poured themselves a cup of coffee each.

"Kids, Dean was just tellin' me that there's a place that rents scuba gear up there and spear fishin' is legal in Arkansas. Would ya'all be interested?"

"Hell yes," Dave said.

"You mean spearing fish?" Sarah asked.

"Yep. We could get our supper."

"I'd prefer to get my supper at a restaurant," she replied.

"Well, Dean says there's a lot of caves up there too."

"I wouldn't mind diving, but I don't want to be killing fish. We could look at them, but I don't want to spear them."

"Well, it would be somethin' to do," Jimmy told her.

"You don't have to kill the fish, but me and Dad can."

"If that's what you two are going to do, I'll wait in the boat and just get a tan."

"Let's talk about that later. So, Sarah, how did you like milkin'?" Jimmy asked.

"At first it was kind of yucky, but once I found out how to do it, it wasn't too bad. I don't think I'd like to make a living at it, but now I can say that I know how to do it."

"Dad, could we go riding today?" Dave asked.

"I guess we might be able to, if Dean don't mind lendin' us a couple horses."

"That's not a problem. Maybe some of us will come with ya'all. In fact, I've been thinkin' about movin' the calves to another pasture so they don't overgraze the ones they're in."

"You kids wanna go on a cattle drive?" Jimmy asked them.

"What would we have to do?" Sarah inquired.

"Basically, you'd have to move the cattle and stay on the horse. The horse does most of the work, but you have to be able to hang on."

"Dad, I have ridden before, you know."

"This is completely different than anything you've ever done on horseback. This won't be on a marked trail and this horse is not some barn-bred horse that only wants to walk around on a path so they can get back to the barn. These are workin' horses. They're out there to do a job, not to satisfy your need for adventure in a park."

"Dad, I've had two years of riding lessons. I think I can handle myself."

"Well, Dean. It's all set. My daughter can handle herself so we might just as well move the herds today."

Sarah started to say something, but thought better of it.

The women brought breakfast in and we all dug in. Sarah passed on the grits, but stayed with the eggs, sausage and biscuits. None of us minded, since it just meant more for us. She kind of turned her nose up when she tasted the raw milk, but didn't say anything, but she only drank one glass. Once breakfast was eaten, we all sat back and sipped our coffee.

We chatted and decided that Dave and Sarah would accompany Jimmy, Jamie, Jessie, Chrissy, Donna and myself for moving the herds. We decided to move them over to Jimmy's place and the pastures over there. Later on, we'd move the feeding troughs with the wagon and tractor.

After we finished our coffee, we headed for the barn. We all got our tack and I saddled the stallion and then brought the other horses in from the pasture. Sarah had a bit of a problem getting her mare to take the bit, but she finally managed.

"Sarah," I started, "these horses are trained differently than most of the horses you've been around. They respond to body movements. If you move your feet forward, they will stop, and do so very quickly. If you press your knees into their sides, they will go faster. Of course, they neck rein and they'll respond to your heels to move. These are working horses and are not very gentle animals. I'm sure you can handle yourself, but just be careful."

"I will. These stirrups are kinda long. I'm used to having my feet up higher so I can cushion myself during the ride."

"That's not a good idea with cattle horses. You'll need your legs around the horse to help keep you in the saddle."

"You make these horses sound like they're still wild."

"They're not wild, but have a no nonsense attitude when they're workin' the cattle. If a cow breaks away, they'll take off after them without bein' told. You wanna be able to keep yourself seated when that happens."

"Ok, I'll try it your way."

I had watched her cinch her horse and I just held my tongue and waited. I figured that this was one way to take the wind from her sails without her getting hurt.

We mounted up and headed for the first pasture. Sure enough, about a hundred yards from the corral, her horse finally blew his wind out and Sarah and her saddle slid sideways. She wound up on the ground, but held onto her reins.

"I thought you could handle yourself," Jimmy said, as he rode up to her and dismounted.

"I can. The cinch must have slipped."

"No, the cinch didn't slip. Horses have a real tendency to inflate themselves when you're cinchin' them up and then blow it out later. You have to make sure they haven't held it in when you cinch 'em."

"Well, I never did much of the tack work."

"I can tell. Let's try this again, unless you still think you can handle yourself?"

"Well, I can handle myself when I know what's coming. This is just a new thing."

Jimmy helped her recinch the saddle and showed her how to get the horse to blow.

"Doesn't that hurt the horse?"

"It hurts him a lot less than it would hurt you if you were goin' full speed and fell off because your cinch wasn't tight."

They got remounted and we headed for the pasture. This was going to be an interesting day.



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Chapter 23

When we got to the pasture, Jessie opened the gate and he, Chrissy and Donna stayed outside to begin moving the calves as we pushed them out. I told Jamie, Dave and Sarah to stay on the outside of the herd and force them towards the gate as they moved up. Jimmy and I went around to the back of the herd and began to push them forward. I put Jimmy on the side that Sarah was on so he could kind of keep an eye on her.

At first they moved slowly and were very hesitant to head for the gate. Jimmy shouted at Sarah to move them as they came up the pasture. She headed her horse towards them and was having a difficult time trying to control her mount. Jimmy finally rode up to her and told her to let the horse do the work and just hang on. I couldn't hear the actual exchange of words, but I did hear Jimmy say something in a loud voice that sounded more like an order than a suggestion.

He rode back and we kept pushing the herd towards the front of the gate. I wasn't too much worried about anyone else and was just keeping an eye on the herd and the ones that were trying to escape. Several made a run for it and I turned the stallion loose on them. He quickly put them back and we continued our efforts.

It wasn't long until I saw Jimmy leave his area and head forward again. This time, I saw that Sarah's horse was without a rider. I stopped what I was doing and just watched. Pretty soon, I saw Sarah stand up at the edge of the herd. Jimmy caught her horse and held it for her while she got mounted again. She didn't seem to be hurt, but I was sure her pride had been severely injured. I could see Jimmy making his point with his hand as he was talking to her. She didn't seem to be smiling about his comments.

Jimmy rode back to his post and we kept the herd moving until most of them were out. I was sure there were some left in the back of the pasture that were hiding, so I told Jamie to ride with me and wait about half way back and take charge of any that I drove out. Jimmy and Sarah continued with the herd.

I found several hiding in the brush at the back of the pasture and let the stallion flush them out and move them forward until Jamie could take over. He pushed them through the gate and then came back for any more I found. I wound up flushing out a total of five and then made one last trip around to make sure none of them had hidden. Once I was sure, we rode through the gate and picked up the stragglers from the herd.

Jessie rode back and asked which pasture we wanted to put them in on Jimmy's place and I told him we'd use the one closest to the hay bales. He nodded and took off for the front of the herd.

The calves were reluctant to leave the stream once we got to it. They wanted to drink and use it to cool off in. Chrissy and Jessie had to move through them and actually push the leaders out before they would budge. Once they left the stream, it was easier to get the others to move on through.

When we got to the new pasture, the calves were a bit hesitant about going in, however Chrissy and Jessie provided the extra incentive for them to move through the gate by letting their horses charge the leaders. Once they were in, the rest followed. There were only a few that held back and I let the stallion work on them. Once they were in, we closed the gates and headed back to the house for lunch. This had taken longer than I thought it would, but this was a new herd and not used to being moved.

We tied the horses in the shade after watering them and then washed up on the back porch. I had been correct lunch was almost ready. We took our seat at the table and everyone filled their glass with tea and quickly drank it. Donna got another pitcher from the kitchen and we refilled our glasses. Cammie and Dianne brought the soup and the bowls in and Bonnie brought the meat and bread in. We all dug in.

It was pretty quiet at lunch. Not much was said and Sarah never lifted her head from looking at her food. I knew Jimmy was sort of steamed but sort of chuckling on the inside. I really didn't want to get in the middle of this. I figured it was a private thing between them and it wasn't affecting the rest of the group.

We all ate a healthy meal and then sat back and sipped our coffee. I broke the ice and told them we'd take the other herd to the pasture next to the one we had just put the herd in. Everyone nodded and just kept quiet. I knew that Bonnie and Cammie were dying of curiosity, but they didn't say anything.

Once lunch was finished, we walked outside and kind of stretched our legs some. Jimmy took Sarah off to talk with her and out of earshot of the rest of us. When they came back, she had her head down and didn't offer a word. So we walked back to the horses and mounted up to head to the other herd. Sarah kind of rode a bit back from us.

Jessie opened the gate and we took the same positions we had on the other herd. This time, I noticed that Sarah had one hand on the reins and the other hand on the saddle horn. Jimmy and I headed to the back of the pasture to start the herd moving.

This herd showed the same reluctance to leave the pasture as the others had. They just needed some encouragement, which Jimmy and I provided. Once they got moving, it was pretty easy to keep them moving. Several managed to slip away and Jamie and Sarah let their horses work them back to the herd. I could almost see Sarah's white knuckles on the saddle horn. Maybe the fall taught her a lesson.

Once the main body was out, I went back to pick up any strays. I found several and pushed them up to Jamie and he took them the rest of the way out. I made one last trip around the pasture to make sure we had all of them. Then Jamie and I caught up with the back of the herd and just rode drag.

They showed resistance to crossing the stream, but Chrissy and Jessie convinced them to move on through. Then it was just a matter of keeping them in the herd until we got to the pasture. Once they were in and the gates shut, we all breathed a sigh of relief and headed back to the house.

Once we got to the corral, we unsaddled the horses and I got the hose to cool their legs down. Then we brushed them out and turned them out into the pasture. I tore open a couple cigarettes and held the tobacco in the palm of my hand for the stallion to lick it off. He sniffed it and then used his tongue licked my palm clean. He chewed it a bit and then went to the water trough and took a big drink of water. We all walked to the back porch and washed up and then walked around to the front porch to sit and relax.

Cammie had seen us coming and her and Dianne had brought out two big pitchers of ice-cold lemonade. That went great and really quenched our thirst.

Jimmy sat back and then said, "Well, Sarah, did you learn anything about horses today?"

She turned red and I didn't know if she was blushing or mad.

"Yes I did. I learned that these horses are a lot different than what I am used to."

"Sarah," I said, "these are workin' horses. They know what is expected of them and they expect the person on their back to hang on while they work. About all you have to do with these horses is point them in the direction of the calf and hang on. They'll do the rest."

"So I found out. Also, the saddle is completely different than what I'm used to. In some ways it's a lot more comfortable and in others it's difficult to really use right. But I do like having the saddle horn to hang on to. It helps a lot."

Up until now, Dave hadn't said a thing. But he had an evil smile on his face and he said, "It was really different watching you wind up on your ass them two times. I know you can out ride me with an English rig, but I can sure whip your ass on a western rig."

"I guess you can. But I'll still whip you on jumping any day of the week."

A smile finally broke out across her face and the tension seemed to lessen quite a bit.

We chatted for a while and then Bonnie came out and told us she needed us to kill some chickens. I asked her if she wanted to watch, because she had said she did last week. She said she didn't have time this week, but she'd probably do it next week. She also told me that she'd need four chickens this week because we had company.

Us guys got up and headed for the chicken coop. Jimmy asked if Sarah wanted to come along and she said that she'd prefer not to participate in the killing of something she was going to eat. Jimmy just shook his head and we walked off.

Jessie and Jamie caught for chickens for us and we carried them to the clothesline pole. I sent Jessie to the workshop to get the baling wire and dykes. We only had three wires hanging and I didn't want to leave one chicken alive to watch the slaughter of the others. It makes them very nervous to watch that.

Once Jessie returned, I hung up another piece of wire and then we hung the chickens upside down and waited for them to calm down some. Once they did, I slit their throats and waited for them to bleed out.

Once they'd bled out, we took them to the back porch and left them on the sink drain for Bonnie. She was waiting for the water to boil so she could dip them before taking the feathers off. After we'd laid them on the drain, we headed to the front porch and more lemonade.

While we sat there, Jimmy said they were going to leave for the cabin tomorrow, after breakfast. I gave him instructions on how to get to Buck Creek Marina. I also told him to stop at the neighbors and tell them they were going to stay there so they didn't have any armed visitors checking them out. I told him where the keys to the boat and locker were and which tackle box to use.

It was getting on to almost four in the afternoon and we decided it would be a good time to feed the calves. It would take us a bit longer since they were on the other side of the stream now. Us guys headed to the equipment shed and got the tractors going. Before we could feed them, we needed to move the feeding troughs and the shelters to the new pastures. That was the first order of business.

We got the wagon hooked up to Bonnie's old tractor and Jimmy and took our tractors with the forks on them and we all headed for the old pastures. We loaded the feeding troughs first since they took the least amount of room. We stacked them in the front of the wagon to leave room for the shelters. Then Jimmy and I used our high lift forks to place the shelters on the wagon and the boys made sure they were stacked properly. Once everything was secure on the wagon, Jessie drove off with Dave on the wagon to the new pastures and Jimmy followed with the two hay bale rings loaded onto his forks.

Jamie rode with me and we went back to the shed and hooked up the spreader. Then Jamie worked the feed bin chute for me. Once the spreader was full, he climbed on board with me for the ride.

When we got to the new pastures, they already had the feed rings in place and were working on placing the shelters. Once they were lined up, they wrestled the feeding troughs into place and I lined up the spreader to start the process. Jimmy left to get two bales and Dave and Jessie cut them apart for the calves. After I spread the feed in the troughs in both pastures, we all headed back to the house. I hosed the spreader out and then we put everything away and headed for the porch to wait for supper.

We chatted for a bit and then were called for supper. It was our usual Sunday feast. We had fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, green beans and sour dough bread. Then Donna brought out her apple cobblers and they were fantastic. We washed everything down with milk during the meal and coffee afterwards. I don't know of a way to top this meal. Certainly nothing I've ever had in any restaurant could compare. I know we ate more than we should have, but we had an extra chicken with only two extra mouths to feed, so we couldn't let it go to waste, or even be leftover for the next meal. Once we finished our coffee, the kids headed for the evening chores and the women headed for the kitchen to clean up, while Jimmy and I settled on the front porch.

"Well, it appears that Sarah did learn a little bit today," I said, as we sat down.

"Yep, but I don't think she learned any humility. She's got this really bad, superior attitude and I was hopin' she'd lose that in college, but it don't seem to be happenin'."

"Maybe her tumbles on the ground helped some."

"I sure hope they did. I didn't want her to get hurt, but I sure wanted her pride to be bruised some."

"I think kids all go through that at one time of another. She'll probably grow out of it."

"I don't know, Dean. I sure hope you're right about that. It seems she's been like this forever. I don't even think her mother dying slowed her down any. She's got to learn that she ain't the queen of the world."

"As long as there's time; then there's hope. It's hard when you're so close to see any improvement, but maybe she came down a couple notches today."

"Here's hopin'."

"How long are they stayin'?"

"They're scheduled out next Tuesday around noontime. We'll probably stay up at the lake until Saturday morning and then drive back. I don't wanna fight the crowds up there on the weekend."

"I can't say as I blame ya on that."

"We'll probably eat out most of the time. What's the best places up there to eat at?"

"Well, you know about The Mug. Then there's a place over by the marina in Theodosia. They have a pretty good prime rib on Friday and Saturday, but their meals on other days are good too. Then, there's a Mexican place just on the other side of Theodosia. They're pretty good. In Yellville, there's the Front Porch. They have great barbecue all the time. Other than those, you'd probably need to drive to Branson or Springfield for any decent food."

"Those oughta be enough. I don't feel like doin' a lot of drivin'."

"Well, if ya'all go to Yellville, make sure you go early. The ferry don't run after dark and it's a long way to go around the lake."

"Damn, it's a good thing you reminded me of that. I'd a sure forgot about that if you hadn't."

We continued chatting and the kids finally joined us after they got done with the chores. We talked more and then the women came out to join us. They joined in the conversation until Bonnie asked a question.

"When are the builders gonna finish the new room?"

"Well, I talked with them on Thursday and he said they's gonna do the roof on the old Miller place tomorrow. I asked them to do that since William and Lena probably wouldn't want to live in a place with a tarp for a roof. After that, I think the stone mason is gonna be over sometime this week to start on the fireplace."

"Ok, so back to my question. When're they gonna finish?"

"Well, assumin' ya'all don't have any more changes, probably sometime next week or so. It'll probably take the mason three days to get the stone set. Then the carpenters have to do the finish work and then the painters come in. The last thing they'll do is to lay the carpet. It all takes time and it's all gotta be done in order."

"So we can think about puttin' the wallpaper up in a couple weeks?"

"I'd say that's a good guesstiment."

"Well, I guess we'd best be orderin' what we want," she said, looking at Cammie.

"I guess we should," Cammie put in. "He said it'd take about a week to get it in if they didn't have it in stock."

"Well, then I s'pose we should plan on makin' a shoppin' trip tomorrow."

"Do they have the stuff for the bottom in stock?" Cammie asked me.

"I don't know. They probably do. Have ya'all made up your mind how high up the wall it's gonna be?"

"I thought we made a decision that it'd be three foot high?"

"No, WE didn't make any decision. I am not makin' the decisions on this. I held the yardstick and you looked at it. You said that you thought you liked it at three feet, but I never heard a final decision."

"Ok, well I guess three foot would do."

"Don't go guessin'. Once I cut it, we can't put it back together."

"Oh, OK. It'll be three foot high."

"Now, have you decided what kind of chair rail you want around the top?"

"I thought that was your job?"

"Nope. I'm just hired he'p on this job. You pick out what ya'all want and I paint it and nail it up."

"Where do we get the chair rail?"

"At the lumberyard. They have a bunch of different kinds, so ya'all will have to make a decision as to what ya want."

"Hell, I don't even know what a chair rail looks like. How're we s'posed to make that kind of decision?"

"Well, I'd go to the lumberyard and ask them to show you samples. Then select the one you want."

"Why can't you do that?"

"Because this is your project, not mine. I'm just the one that paints it and nails it up."

"Ok. Well, that's somethin' else we gotta do tomorrow, Mama."

"We can stop there after we get through with the wallpaper," Bonnie said.

"I don't wanna gum up the works or nothin', but sometimes they have the chair rail painted a different color than the wainscotin'," I put in.

"Oh shit," Cammie said. "That's another thing we need to decide."

"Well, when you decide, don't buy the paint. Bring a sample chip home and I'll do the buyin' on that."

"What difference does it make?"

"A lot. It has to be a specific kind of paint that I can use in the paint sprayer. Not all kinds will work with that type of sprayer."

"Ok, so now we need to order the wallpaper, pick out two colors of paint and decide on the type of chair rail we want. Anythin' else?"

"I don't know. I'm just in charge of paintin' and nailin'. I ain't in charge of plannin."

"I don't see why you couldn't do this for us."

"Do what for you?"

"He'p us pick out this stuff."

"Not only no, but hell no. I ain't standin' around a store while ya'all decide on somethin'. Ya'all have your own decision makin' process and I don't have a clue as to how that works. I'll do the paintin' and nailin', but ya'all get to do the plannin'."

"Urrrr, you are such a man."

Almost everyone chuckled and I said, "Yes, dear."

"Urrrr."

It was getting dark and Jimmy announced that he and the kids were going home to get packed for next week. They stood up and he walked over and gave Bonnie a kiss and then the three of them walked to his vehicle and drove off. The rest of us went inside and waited for the weather to come on.

The weather came on and it said we were still looking at some rain on Wednesday. That would give the contractor two days to get the roof fixed. We could use the rain as long as it wasn't a gully-washer. We needed a good soaking rain to keep the corn from drying up.

Once the weather was over, we all got our kisses and then headed for bed after closing up and turning everything off. Jamie and Dianne said they'd see us in morning as they left. Donna, Cammie and I made our way to the bedroom and then to the bathroom. I told them I was going to take a shower and asked if they wanted to join me. They both declined and I took a quick shower to wash the dust and sweat off.

When I was done, I joined them in bed and we kissed and cuddled until we got drowsy and drifted off to sleep. My legs were a bit sore from holding on to the stallion's side today. But that comes with the territory when you don't ride often enough.

I awoke to the rooster and teased Cammie's nipple as I kissed her neck and ear. She moaned and held my hand to her tit and turned her head to kiss me. She sucked on my tongue and then I felt Donna begin to kiss my ear and neck. When Cammie and I broke our kiss, I turned my head and Donna captured my mouth and sucked my tongue into her mouth. For about twenty seconds, she gave my tongue what can only be described as a blowjob. When she finally let go, she reached for Cammie and I slipped from between them and made my way to the bathroom.

They joined me in a bit and we all washed up and then got dressed for the day. We headed for our different chores. Donna went to the barn and Cammie and I went to the kitchen. Bonnie was already in there and working on the biscuits. I went to work on the coffee after I got a kiss from Bonnie. Dianne joined us while I was grinding the coffee. I got a kiss and then she began to slice the sausage.

I waited for the water to boil and then filled the three presses and put more water on for the next three. Once they had steeped, I poured them into regular pots and took them to the dining room. Jimmy hadn't made it yet so I lit the pot warmers and poured myself a cup of coffee. I lit my first and sat back to contemplate today's activity.

I knew I wanted to check on the contractors to make sure they got to Miller's old place. I also knew I needed to appear very busy until the women left, lest I get roped into going with them.

Jimmy showed up and poured himself a cup of coffee and said that they were finally ready to leave for the lake. It seems his daughter objected to the way he dressed and had him change the wardrobe that he was taking with him. I told him I knew exactly how he felt. My daughter was always trying to get me out of my boots, jeans and western shirts. If she had her way, I'd be dressed in khakis and pastel cotton shirts with buttons, and sneakers, or what I call tennis shoes. We both had the same idea; they just couldn't stand to see us comfortable. We continued our chatting and sipping our coffee.

The kids returned from their chores and I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy. They all poured themselves a cup of coffee and sat around the table. I asked Donna how the peeps were doing and she said they were doing just fine and eating all the food they could get. Then Chrissy told me it was about time to get our other two milk cows pregnant again so they'd be fresh next spring. I told her I'd call the vet and have him come out.

The women brought the food in and we all dove in. Everything was cleaned up and every plate was clean. I guess the work Sarah and Dave did yesterday improved their appetite. Although Sarah still passed on the grits. Once the food was gone, we applied our talents for making things disappear to the coffee. We all chatted about various things and just enjoyed the morning meal.

I heard the contractor drive in and I got up and walked out to meet with him. I asked him how things were going and he told me he was here to get some measurements on the fireplace and the rest of his crew was at the other house to work on the roof. He said the mason was going to be ready to work on the fireplace this week and would probably be here on Wednesday to set the hearth. He just wanted to make sure everything was ready to go.

We chatted a bit more and then we walked around to the new room and I started back to the coffee. Just before I opened the door, another vehicle drove up the lane. I waited for him to park and then walked out to greet him.

"Howdy. Can I he'p you?"

"Well, maybe. Do you know where Bonnie moved to?"

"Yep. Why are you lookin' for her?"

"Oh, hell. Where's my manners. I'm Dwayne Stephenson. I'm from the loggin' company and I told her I'd be by this year to see about her timber. Are you the one that bought this place and the Miller place?"

"Yep. I'm Dean Trimble. I was just thinkin' about talkin' with Bonnie about the timber on my property. I don't know if it's ready or not, but both Miller and Grishom tol' me they was gonna have the property timbered off in a couple years."

"Yep. I generally do Bonnie's place one year. Then Miller's place the next and finally Grishom's place."

"Did you do the Bairds place too?"

"Yep. I heard they sold too. Do you know the guy that bought 'em?"

"Yep. Both Bonnie and him are sittin' inside. Would you like some coffee?"

"I can always drink some coffee."

We walked to the house and I opened up and hollered in, "We've got company. Get more coffee goin'."

We walked into the dining room and Bonnie looked up.

"Dwayne, you ol' fool. What're you doin' around here?"

"Oh, I just come to see if I could steal some timber from ya'all. I'm so poor that I need to steal it or I can't afford it."

"Dwayne, you lie worse than any person I know of. You ain't been poor since you was cuttin' timber off'n my daddy's place in the next county."

"Well, I've always got some beans to eat, but the smart widows like you are always beatin' me out of my money by makin' me pay way too much for their timber."

"That'll be the day. I don't know anyone whose ever beat you on a deal. Hell, you could buy a blind plow horse and then sell him as a Kentucky Derby winner."

"Now, Bonnie, you know I ain't never gilded the lily. I always tell folks exactly what they're gettin'."

"Whoa boys, get the hip waders on. He's shovelin' it out with a high lift today. Dwayne, sit down and we'll get you a cup. We're makin' more coffee just for you."

I got him an extra chair and he took a seat.

"Dwayne, this is Jimmy Meyers. He's the one that bought the Baird's places. We've kinda thrown in together and tryin' to make some money with cattle."

"Well, it's an easier job now than it was back in the '70's."

"Yep, we're tryin' to make it all organic."

"Hey, that stuff brings a lot of money in the city markets."

"That's what we're hopin' for. Plus, we're savin' a lot of money on the pesticides and herbicides."

"If you can get a decent crop, then you're way ahead of the game."

"Well, so far things are workin' out all right."

Bonnie poured him a cup of coffee and we sat around and chatted for a bit. Then Dwayne got down to business.

"Bonnie, I'm here to see if we can cut a deal for your timber."

"Dwayne, you know we can always cut a deal. As long as you treat me fair, we ain't got no grumbles at all."

"Well, the market's up some. That hurricane in '92 down in Florida really boosted the price of lumber. I can't make you rich, but I'll give you a fair price, just like always."

"I know you will, Dwayne. If you don't treat this poor ol' widow right, nobody else around here will sell to you."

"Yep, I know just how much weight you carry around here."

"Are you callin' me fat?"

"God no. I would never do that. Not when I'm sittin' this close."

"You'd best not."

"Are you two guys interested in timberin' off your places too?"

"Well, if it's not too early," I told him.

"I can take a look see and let you know. It'll take me some time to get through Bonnie's place, but then I can look ya'all's over too."

"How do ya'all take care of the limbs you cut off?"

"That depends on ya'all. We can bring in a chipper and haul 'em all away. Or, we can leave 'em for the wildlife. It's ya'all's call on that."

"How much difference in price?"

"Nothin'. We bring the chipper in and then we can sell the chips for mulch and get more than we spend doin' it."

"Well, I'd like for ya'all to leave the bigger stuff so we can cut it up for firewood. But the little stuff ya'all can sure have."

"You just tell us the size you want left and we'll handle it from there. We'll even stack it so ya'all can get to it, but we don't cut it to length. That costs too much."

"That's not a problem. I'm thinkin' that anything under four inches in diameter we don't want. Over that size, we'll burn."

"Does the same go for you, Bonnie?"

"Yep. We're livin' here now."

"Oh, so that's why ya'all weren't at your place."

"Yep. Jamie and his mate are livin' there now."

"Jamie's mated up? Wow, I can remember him still in diapers. Time sure does fly."

"Yep. Probably won't be long until all of 'em are gone. Jamie and Dianne will be graduatin' this year and then they'll be off to college."

"Dern. I think we're all gettin' old."

"Speak for yourself, Dwayne. I'm still just 21."

"Who's shovelin' it with a high lift?"

We all chuckled and sipped our coffee as we chatted. He stayed for about an hour, mostly catchin' up on things and then said he'd best get busy and earn some money. He told us he'd probably talk to us tomorrow and let us know about the timber. We thanked him and he thanked us for trusting him and for the coffee.

After he left, Bonnie said, "I was just thinkin' it was about time he showed up. He always treats everyone so good and he's always got the best prices around. It's got to the point where most of us don't even look for a second bid anymore. A few do, but they always wind up sellin' to him anyway."

Jimmy said it was time for them to head to the lake. Dave and Sarah got up and headed for the door. Jimmy walked over to Bonnie and gave her a goodbye kiss and then told the rest of us he'd see us on Saturday. I walked him out and told him to have fun and enjoy his time off with the kids. He said he would and then climbed in his Navigator and drove out the lane.



-------

Chapter 24

We finished what coffee was left and then the women decided they'd get ready for their shopping trip. Jamie, Jessie and myself quickly made ourselves scarce. We headed for the equipment shed. We decided that we'd clean up the balers and make sure they were ready for the next time we needed them.

We pulled them out, one at a time, and began cleaning them of any left over debris. I got the compressor out and hooked up a nozzle to spray air at high pressure so we could reach the inaccessible places. The square baler was first on the agenda. There was hay wrapped around every roller and we had to cut some of it out. Once it was clean, we put new twine in and threaded it in the needles. Then we used the grease gun and lubed everything that needed it.

The round balers were less of a problem since their chambers are much bigger and easier to access. There was still some hay twisted around the rollers, but we made short work of that. We tightened the belts and greased up each fitting before we put them away.

It was very close to lunchtime by the time we finished and we headed for the back porch to wash up. Since the women weren't home, we had to forage for ourselves. There wasn't any chicken left over from last night, so we looked for other items to make sandwiches with. We found some ham that was sliced for sandwiches and took that, along with some green onions. I found a jar of soup and I put that on to heat while we gathered other items.

We wound up having soup and ham sandwiches with some green onions. There were also some sliced tomatoes that we topped our sandwiches with. It wasn't pretty, but it was filling. I think we each had two sandwiches along with our bowl of soup and an abundance of green onions. The sour dough bread really made the sandwiches taste good.

Once we finished our meal and drank our coffee, we set about cleaning up. We almost had the dishwasher loaded when the women returned. They had eaten at the barbecue place and had been worried about our ability to make our own lunch. I told them we were not helpless and could survive by making our own meal if we had to. They were happy that we were resourceful enough to get along for one meal without them and they voiced their delight in a very sarcastic manner. I just passed it off because I didn't want to start an argument. No sense fighting when it wasn't necessary.

They had the paint chips and insisted on showing them to me. I really tried to look interested as I looked at them. To me, it was just paint and it was a color they wanted. It just wasn't a big thing. Then Cammie brought out a sample of chair rail to top the wainscoting. I looked at it and nodded. To me it wasn't spectacular, but it was to them, so I pretended to be interested. In my mind I was calculating how much we'd need and how difficult it would be to miter it for joints and corners.

"You're gonna have to go to the hardware store and order the amount we're gonna need to do the job," Cammie said. "I didn't know the dimensions so I thought I'd just leave that to you."

"I'll do that. Did they say it was a special order item?"

"They didn't say but said they'd need to order it along with the beadboard since they don't keep either one in stock."

"Not a problem. I'll make a run in talk to them after I measure the room to make sure how much I need."

"Ok. That's not something we could do."

"Tell me somethin'. If you didn't know the measurements, how could you order the wall paper?"

"Well, we told him about how long each wall was and about how high the ceilings were and he figured the rest out."

"About? You can't order wall paper without knowing exactly how much you need to cover."

"Well, we did."

"Well, what if it ain't correct? Do they keep the paper in stock?"

"No, it has to be a special order."

"So if you don't have enough, then you'll have to wait until they order more for you. Is that right?"

"Ya, I guess. What difference would that make?"

"A lot. Wallpaper is made up in large batches and each batch is just a little bit different than the last. I've never seen two batches that are the same. If you didn't order enough, then you might get paper from a different batch and it won't be the same and won't match."

"I didn't know that. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I figured that you'd have the correct measurements before you ordered."

"Well, you know I don't know a lot about this stuff. That's why I wanted your help."

"Let me see the measurements you gave the man."

"I gave him the piece of paper."

"Do you at least remember the size you gave him?"

"No."

"Did you at least measure the room?"

"Yes. Mama and I used a yardstick and we measured it ourselves."

"Wonderful. The boys and I will take measurements and then we'll go to town and I'll give him the correct measurements before he goes too far with the order."

"See, if you'd done this in the beginning then we wouldn't be in this fix."

"Yes, dear."

"Don't you start that shit with me."

I just turned around and us guys headed for the workshop. I was cussing under my breath because I didn't want to get in a bigger argument that we already had going.

I got my 25-foot tape measure and some writing materials and then we headed back to the room. Once we got there, I drew a sketch of the place and we took the measurements. After we double-checked our numbers, we walked out to the pickup and headed for town.

My first stop was at the paint and wallpaper store. I asked around and found the person the women had ordered the paper from.

"I understand they gave you some measurements of the walls."

"Yep. They said they were pretty sure they were correct."

"Well, they weren't. I took the measurements and here's the new ones."

He looked at them and then walked back to the office and got the piece of paper they had given him.

"They were short a bit. But I was gonna order a couple rolls additional anyway. I know how women are."

"Did they also tell you that we're puttin' up wainscotin' too?"

"They mentioned something about it, but weren't real sure about it."

"Ok, well we're puttin' up a three foot wainscoting all around the room. That's what they wanted the paint for."

"Well, that makes more sense."

"That should cut down on the number of rolls they'll need."

"Yep, by about a third."

"Ok, well let's not get that drastic. I think this is their first paperin' session, so I'm sure there will be a lot of mistakes when they try to match the pattern."

"Actually, the pattern is pretty easy to match, but I'll make sure they have enough for any mistakes."

"Ok, I appreciate that. Now, I've got an old-fashioned paint sprayer that works off of a compressor. What kind of paint do I need to buy?"

"Actually, you'd be much better off if you bought one of the new airless sprayers. They were wantin' latex paint and that's difficult to do with a compressor."

"How much are the new sprayers."

"We've got one that most folks like. It's around ninety dollars, but it works great. Plus, it's easy to use and to clean up."

"I'm gonna be sprayin' beadboard for the wainscoting and a different color for the chair rail."

"It'll work great on them. It's got enough pressure to get the paint in the cracks of the beadboard and there's not a lot of over spray like with the compressor types."

"Do you have one in stock?"

"Yep, they're over here."

We walked over and he showed me the various ones he had. Then he pointed out which one he recommended. It wasn't the most expensive one, but he said it was plenty for what we needed. I looked at the instructions and quickly read through them. It did seem a lot easier than using the sprayer with the compressor.

I told him I'd probably be back to buy one and asked if he kept the paint they wanted in stock. He said they could mix it up in about fifteen minutes and they always had the colors for the mixing machine on hand. I thanked him and told him we'd be back when I got the beadboard and chair rail from the lumberyard.

Our next stop was the lumberyard. I found the guy I generally dealt with and told him what I needed and how much. I included an extra sheet of the beadboard and an extra length of the chair rail. In addition, I ordered a panel saw blade for the table saw. The ones I had were all meant for rough cutting and I needed a fine tooth blade for this work. He wrote out the order and I paid him. He said it would be in sometime next week. I thanked him and we left and headed home. I was thankful that the women hadn't involved me more than they had in this business. But it wasn't over yet and I was still leery about how much I would get roped into.

By the time we got back to the house, it was time to feed the calves. We were short a hand with Jimmy gone, so Jamie took over his job and Jessie worked with me on the spreader. It took us a bit longer with only three of us to do the work, but we got it done without any problems. Jessie and I spread the feed and then he and I cut the bales apart that Jamie had put in the rings. When we got back to the shed, we washed out the spreader with the hose and then made our way to the back porch to wash up.

After that, we walked around to the front porch and chatted for a bit until we were called for supper. Bonnie had fixed pot roast and it was delicious. She had cooked carrots, onions, and potatoes with the roast and everything was wonderful. Afterwards, Donna brought out some peach dumplings and we topped off the meal with them.

While we were sipping our coffee, Cammie broached the subject that I didn't want to bring up.

"Well, were our measurements correct?"

"No, but I got them corrected before he ordered them, so everything is fine."

"How much were we off?"

"About three feet on one wall and two and a half on another."

"Well, he said he would order a couple additional rolls so that would have taken care of it."

"You also forgot to tell him that ya'all were puttin' wainscoting up."

"So?"

"So that makes a big difference. That will cut your need about a third."

"So, see we would have had enough paper."

"Yes, dear."

"We may do things different, but it always works out."

"Yes, dear."

"You just can't admit that we were right, can you?"

"You were right."

"Now you're just sayin' that so you don't have to discuss it any more."

"Yes, dear."

"Why can't you admit that things would have been fine with what we did?"

"Everything would have been fine with what you did."

"Urrrrr, you make me so mad. You are such a man. You just can't see how we do things."

"Yes, dear."

She picked up some dishes and walked out to the kitchen. Taking a hint, I finished my coffee, very quickly, and headed for the front porch. There was no need for the argument she was spoiling for and I wasn't going to give her any ammunition. I took a seat on the porch and smoked a cigarette.

The kids left to do the evening chores and the women were working on the dishes. I had some quiet time and I decided to make the best of it. It probably wouldn't last.

Things were getting out of hand and I wasn't really sure why. It seemed like she was spoiling for a fight and was going to keep pushing until she really pissed me off. I made up my mind that I wasn't going to fight and if she persisted, I would just walk to another room. I never did enjoy fighting, even if it was just verbal. It just didn't make much sense. Life is too damn short to be doing something that you don't enjoy. Between this and the shopping thing, I was being pushed to the edge and I really wasn't enjoying it. It was time to dig in my heels and hold my ground.

The kids came back from chores and we chatted about various things. Donna said the peeps were doing fine and that Lena had given her some tips for caring for them that seemed to have helped some. They had been doing all right before, but now they were doing even better. It was just little things like moving the feeding troughs farther apart so the dominant ones weren't hogging the food all the time. And then making sure the hay was crushed down so they wouldn't have any trouble getting over some of the bigger clumps.

The women finally came out and we all chatted until it got dark. Cammie had finally let the argument go and there were no more words about "their way of doing things." That was a relief, but I still felt something was brewing. It was almost like waiting for the second shoe to fall. The silent anticipation was deafening.

We all went inside to watch the weather. They were still calling for rain on Wednesday, but it would start in the west and slowly move over to us. The size of the storm looked like it would last the entire day and maybe even into Thursday. That was good. It would be a slow moving storm and probably not a frog strangler that would just run off.

Once the weather was over, Jamie and Dianne left for their place after they gave out their kisses. The rest of us chatted for a while and then decided to head for bed also. Cammie, Donna and I closed up and turned everything off and then headed for the bedroom. We got undressed and then used the bathroom before slipping into bed. We shared kisses and cuddled until we got drowsy and slowly slipped off to sleep.

I awoke to the rooster and blinked my eyes several times to make sure I was really awake. My dreams had been mostly about the new room and all the problems that might come up. I just knew I was going to get roped into a lot more work than I had bargined for. Then I began to tease Cammie's nipple and it became rigid almost instantly. She moaned and held my hand on her breast as she turned her head for her morning kiss.

Her tongue met mine as they dueled to excite our senses. I felt Donna move against me and drape her leg over my hip. She began kissing my neck and ear and waited for me to break my kiss with Cammie. When I did, she kissed me as she ground herself against me. Once we broke our kiss, the girls reached for each other and I slipped from between them and headed for the bathroom. They soon joined me and we washed up before getting dressed and heading for our morning duties.

Bonnie was already in the kitchen when we arrived and I immediately got the water on the stove before grinding the coffee for the six pots. Dianne showed up and gave me a kiss and then went to work on the sausage.

Once the water was boiling, I poured it into the three presses and refilled them before putting them back on the stove for the next three. As the coffee steeped, I stayed out of the way of all the activity going on. Cammie and Bonnie were making the biscuits and Dianne was putting the sausage in the frying pans.

Once the coffee had steeped enough, I poured it into regular coffee pots and took them to the dining room. I lit the pot warmers and poured myself a cup of coffee before lighting my first and sitting back and relaxing.

The kids showed up from their chores and I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy. Then they all poured themselves a cup of coffee each and sat down. We chatted about various things and waited for breakfast. This was always a calm time during the day. Everything was starting anew and we could relax before jumping into the day's activities.

When the women brought the food in, all conversation ceased and we stuffed our faces with the delicious food they served. I don't care what anyone says, there is no meal better than a good breakfast. It just sets the mood for the rest of the day. The sour dough biscuits with homemade jelly made this meal even better. The grits were fantastic and swimming in butter. The eggs were fresh and the yolks stood high and proud. And, of course, the milk was fresh and very cold. Everyone partook of all the goodies and then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"What do ya'all have planned for today, Bonnie?" I asked.

"Well, we've got to get out in the garden. We've got enough tomatoes ripe, or nearly there, that we need to pick 'em and probably do some cannin' in the next couple days. Also, our peas need to be picked and we've got some pole beans that are comin' ripe. Our okra is gettin' real close too."

"What have ya planned on plantin' later on?"

"Probably some more tomatoes and a last batch of onions. Oh, and some potatoes too. It's gettin' too late for most anything else."

"I guess it was a good thing I bought that big tiller. It seems like the job it did on the soil really worked out."

"Yep, it sure did. The way it prepared the ground and mixed the manure in has really given us a good crop. What do ya'all have planned today?"

"Actually nothin', until we need to feed the calves this afternoon. We took care of the balers yesterday mornin', so they're in good shape."

"So, ya'all just gonna laze around all day?"

"Nope, I had other ideas. How 'bout I trade you Jamie and Jessie for Cammie. I figured I'd take her with me today. I wanna check on some things around the farm and figured I'd take her with me."

"I guess that would work."

"Didn't Dwayne say he'd be back sometime today?"

"Yep, but you never know when he's gonna show up. He'll spend a bunch of time out there, measurin' the trees and goin' over what can be cut and what needs to wait for a while."

"Well, we'll probably run into him while we're checkin' things out. It occurred to me that we never checked the woods after the tornado came through. Also, I wanna check to see how the roof on the Miller's place is comin'."

"How long're we gonna be out there," Cammie asked.

"I don't know. Why don't you pack a lunch for us and that way we won't need to interrupt anything to get back to eat?"

"I could do that. Do you want tea or lemonade?"

"Don't make no difference to me. Whatever we've got the most of."

"Ok, well I'll need to change clothes. Are we takin' horses or the truck?"

"I was thinkin' horses. That way we can get back in places we can't with the truck."

"That'll work. I guess I'd best not use any mayo on the sandwiches. It'd spoil in the heat this time of the year."

"Yep, I don't think a cooler would fit in the saddlebags."

"Nope, but we can tie the thermos to the saddle horn and the drinks will stay cold."

We continued our chatting about various things while we finished our coffee. Once that was done, Cammie headed for the kitchen to make our lunch and thermos up and I headed for the bedroom. I got my .45 with the clip on holster and put it on my belt and then grabbed my hat before I headed for the corral.

I got the tack for Cammie and me out and put hers on the rails. I got the stallion saddled and then got a horse for her and saddled it. I checked the .243 to make sure it was loaded and the scope wasn't too dirty. I wasn't expecting any trouble, but riding around the woods can produce a lot of surprises. We've got rattlers, copperheads and cottonmouths around here. Not to mention the wolves, bears and coyotes and an occasional mountain lion. It's just best to be protected.

I led the horses up to the house and tied them at the back porch. I opened the saddlebags and made sure they didn't contain any surprises, like a mud-dobbers nest. Them things can bring about a bunch of surprises when you're riding. No need to be treating any broken bones from the horses getting stung and deciding it was our fault and taking it out on us by bucking.

I walked inside and Cammie was working on the sandwiches. She handed me the thermos and I took it out and tied it to my saddle and then returned. She had two sandwiches for each of us along with some green onions, salt and pepper, a small bag of potato chips, and some apples. I got two-one gallon plastic bags with the closing tops and filled them ice cubes. That would keep things a bit cool and the bags would keep the ice from running all over the saddlebags. I also grabbed four additional apples from the back porch as I helped carry the stuff out.

She still had to change, so I packed the saddlebags and waited until she came out. She was carrying an old blanket and two towels. I tied them behind her saddle since mine was taken up by the saddlebags.

"Why are you wearin' a gun?"

"Just in case."

"In case of what?"

"Whatever. Snakes or anything else."

"You ain't expectin' no trouble, are you?"

"Nope. I just don't want to need one and not have it."

"Ok. Maybe you can teach me how to shoot it if we have enough time."

"We can do that. I just need to get more ammo. I'll be right back."

I had two extra clips that were in pouches sewn on the holster, but I didn't want to use up the good hollow points on targets. I grabbed a box of ball ammo from the closet and returned. I stowed them in the saddlebag and then we mounted up.

We headed for the Miller place so I could check on the roof. We hadn't been alone for a long time and it felt nice to be out riding with my love. We chatted as we rode along the path down to the other house. The stallion would allow her to ride even with me but never to get ahead of me. Fortunately, her mare knew the rules and didn't try to force the issue.

We rode to the Miller house and they seemed like they were just finishing up. We tied our horses away from the house to make sure they didn't step on any nails that had been dropped off of the roof. As I walked up, the contractor walked over and I asked him how things were going.

"We're just about to finish up here. We had to cut back more shingles than I thought we would, but that's kinda normal with these things. You can never know the true nature of the damage until you actually tear into it."

"Did ya'all need to replace any sheetin'?"

"Nope, that was in good shape. Where ya'all screwed down the tarps had put holes in the shingles and felt, so we had to tear back past that point. Then we just tore back until we had full shingles and could continue the existin' stagger with the shingles right to the edge."

"Well, it looks pretty good to me. The shingles are a bit newer, so they show up right now, but I'm sure they'll weather pretty quick and no one will be able to see where the old ends and the new begins."

"Yep. It'll probably take about a month in this weather. The sun will bleach them out pretty quick."

"Have you heard when the plasterer will be able to get here?"

"It'll probably be a couple weeks yet. He's over in the next county right now and will finish up this week or the next. We're second in line, once he gets back over here."

"That shouldn't be a problem. The folks movin' in are just gonna be livin' in the downstairs part, so they won't be disturbed by him or any stuff he tears out."

"When he tears out the plaster, we'll put the new insulation in. It's a lot easier to do it then than to climb up there and fight with the lack of space now."

"Not a problem. As long as it's done by winter, I don't really care. I just didn't want all the heat goin' out through there."

"Well, like I say, it'll probably be a couple weeks and we'll get to it."

"Any word on the mason?"

"The stone will be delivered today and we'll set the hearth this afternoon. He should be here tomorrow, first thing. Even if it's rainin', it won't make any difference since it's all inside work."

"Any idea when ya'all will be finished over there?"

"Well, it'll take him a couple days to get the stone laid and then we'll get to work on the rest. We can't do the finish work until he's done, so it'll probably be the end of next week, at the earliest."

"Sounds good to me."

"This job is takin' a lot longer than we thought it would in the beginnin'. But the tornado had a big say in that."

"Yep, it sure did. I'm not worried about how long, I'm just concerned that it gets done right. Have ya heard from the guy on the barn roofs?"

"Last I heard he was way behind on things. There were a lot of barns that were torn up in that storm. I'll check with him and let ya'all know where he stands on things."

"Well, again, no big rush. I just want it done before winter sets in."

"I'm sure that won't be a problem."

We said our goodbyes and headed across the road to look through the woods. I wanted to see if any trees were blown down by the storm. We'd been so busy with everything else that we didn't even think to look over there. There had been a couple knocked down on the edge of the road, so I was sure there was probably more on the interior that had been blown over.

"How come you decided to take me along today?" Cammie asked.

"Well, darlin', it's been a very long time since we had any time by ourselves and I thought we could use some. It seems like there's always someone around or somethin' goin' on that keeps us from bein' together by ourselves. So I just thought that today would be a good day to get away, just you and me."

"You're right, it has been a long time. We need to do more of this."



-------

Chapter 25

We rode side by side on the trail that wound through the woods, but we didn't see any sign of Dwayne's truck. I did see one tree that was down. We got down and walked over there. It wasn't a really big tree, but the roots had been pulled out. The taproot was very small and I assumed that was the problem. It should have been twice the size for a tree that big. We got back on the horses and continued our ride.

We chatted about various things and finally came to Bonnie's place. I saw fresh tracks of a pickup on the trail and figured it had been Dwayne. We saw another tree down and went to investigate it. This was the same story. Big tree and small tap root. When I say big tree, I mean it was about eighteen inches in diameter. It seemed to be in good condition except for the fact that it had been blown down.

We continued our ride and eventually came across Dwayne. We both got down and walked over to talk with him.

"How's it goin'?" I asked, as we walked up.

"Pretty good. Bonnie's gonna have a good crop here."

"I noticed a couple trees down. One on this property and one just south on Miller's old place."

"Yep. We get that now and again. The taproots are probably right over some bedrock and don't get a chance to get deep enough to get a good hold. I saw both of them and the tap root's're awful puny lookin'."

"So I guess you've already looked at the trees on Miller's old place?"

"Yep. They're a few years away from a good crop. Probably about three."

"That's kinda what I figured, but since you's out here, I figured I'd get your opinion on 'em."

"Miller was always a few years behind Bonnie on the cuttin'. And Grishom was about the same. I haven't been over there yet, but I'm pretty sure what I'll find. I haven't been close to the Bairds' places yet."

"Not to worry none. We're not in that big of a hurry."

"Well, you just can't rush these trees. They've got their own schedule for growin' and nothin' we can do will speed that up."

"So, do ya think you'll be cuttin' Bonnie's place this year?"

"Probably. What I've seen so far looks good."

"Do you wanna keep that one that's been blown down?"

"Yep, we can salvage that with no problem. It won't rot before we get here."

"Ok, well then we'll go ahead and cut the one up on Miller's old place."

"Might as well. It was a few years away from a good tree. Them tornados sure weed out the weak trees right quick like."

"They can get to some pretty strong trees too. The one standin' by Bonnie's ol' place got took down."

"Really? That's been standin' there for as long as I can remember."

"Yep, it sure did. Not only that, but Jamie and Dianne slept through it."

"Damn, I wish I could sleep like that. Did it hurt the house?"

"Nope. Not a scratch. We lost part of the roof on Miller's old place and a couple barns lost their roof, but that was about it, save for some of the new construction on our place."

"Them tornados are some strange things. Never know how they'll strike. I've seen 'em take out a house and then leave the barn like there never was a storm, when they weren't more than a hundred feet apart."

"Well, as long as they don't damage me or anyone around me, they can have the other stuff. Houses and barns can be replaced, but folks is a different story."

"Yep, you got that right. Well, I guess I should get back to work. I'll walk through Grishom's old place and let you know if I change my mind. I'll get over to Bairds' old places tomorrow, probably."

"No rush on that either. Jimmy'll be gone until Saturday."

"I'll look 'em over and let you know, then you can tell him."

"That'll work. Take care now."

We got mounted and headed up the trail. I wanted to see if we'd lost any trees on the next place. As we wound our way through the trail in the woods, we chatted about a lot of things. We hadn't done that in a long time. In fact, we hadn't had the chance in a long time. Everything had been so hectic that it seemed there was no time left for just us.

As we got into the next area of woods, we found three trees that had been uprooted by the storm. It was the same story on all of them. A very small taproot. In one crater left by the tree, I was able to scratch around and got down to a very large rock in no time at all. I wasn't sure if it was just a big rock or actually bedrock that varied in height. When I struck it with another rock, it sounded pretty solid. If it was bedrock, then planting any crops over here would be very iffy. For one thing, plowing would be very chancy. Plowshares don't stand up well to rocks that don't move.

After I got through with my exploration, we moved on. We finally crossed the road and followed the creek until we got to a gravel bar. The way I had it figured, it was fairly close to lunchtime and I was hot and hungry. Arkansas can be a tad bit hot in July. There was a light breeze, but when it's blowing hot air, it doesn't help much. However, the gravel bar was mostly in the shade and the breeze blowing across the water helped to cool the area some.

We got down and led the horses to the water and let them drink. Then we tied them at the edge of the gravel bar where they could nibble on some grass.

Cammie got the blanket and the towels from behind her saddle and I brought the saddlebags and the thermos. She spread out the blanket and I helped her set up lunch. The lemonade tasted really good. We'd been riding all morning and the dry mouth had set in on both of us. It was a good thing she made a large thermos for us. The sandwiches were kind of dry since we didn't use any mayo, but they still tasted good and hit the spot.

After we finished our sandwiches, we sipped our lemonade and just relaxed. The shade and the breeze blowing across the water helped us relax some. We both sort of stretched our and reclined on the blanket. This day was to relax and not worry. That is what I had in mind when I decided to do it and I was going to see that was exactly what we did. We stretched out and chatted. She was lying with her head on my shoulder as I caressed her arm. Nothing was of any importance except for us, and us alone.

We must have chatted for about an hour when she suddenly said, "I know, let's go swimmin'. We haven't been this year and it's hot enough that the water will feel really good."

"I'm all for it," I said, as I sat up and began to remove my boots.

We both stripped down and headed for the stream. The gravel was hot where the sun was hitting it, but we "light-footed" it across and made it to the water. We waded in until we were about knee depth and then I dove in and came up about fifteen feet away. The water felt cool and very refreshing.

Cammie eased her way in and finally just stooped down and then glided over to me without putting her head underwater. I was standing in shoulder deep water, but she could barely stand on her toes without going under water. So she put her arms around my neck and pulled herself to me and wrapped her legs around me.

"This feels great," she said, as she nestled up to me.

"Yep, it sure does and you feel even better."

"Flattery will get you 'bout anything you want."

"Darlin', all I want is you."

She leaned in and kissed me, very gently, and her tongue invaded my mouth. Then she slowly broke the kiss and laid her head on my shoulder.

"We haven't done this in forever," she almost whispered. "We need to spend more time by ourselves."

"I agree, but it seems like there is always somethin' goin' on and it always involves the others. When we decided to live together, I didn't think we'd have a house full of people."

"Well, you're the one that bought the property down here. Then you decided to have ever'one move in with us."

"I know, but this house was a better place to live for ever'one and it's just easier if we all take our meals together."

"Yes it is, and I'm so happy that you've taken care of my family. It almost seems like we've all been together forever. It's hard to remember when you weren't here and we weren't all livin' together."

"Well, maybe we can begin to set aside some time for just us to be alone. I don't know how, but maybe we can find a way."

"I know. It's difficult to find time when somethin' don't need bein' done. We're gonna start cannin' again tomorrow and that'll probably take most of the rest of the week. It always seems like there's somethin' to keep us apart."

"Yep, and we've got more calves comin' in the next couple weeks, too. That'll probably be an all day affair. Then, once they cut the trees on your mom's place, Jimmy and I'll be busy clearin' that off. That's gonna take some doin'."

"Maybe we can just get away sometime. You know, like take a vacation."

"That's a plan. Where would you like to go?"

"I don't really care as long as we're together, by ourselves."

"Well, if we don't go up to the lake, we'll have to fly to get there."

"Ain't no way in hell. Where ever we go, we're gonna drive. I don't care if it takes up a week to get there, we're not flyin'."

"Not even to someplace like Hawaii?"

"I don't think I wanna go there. It's too far away and I don't wanna do a lot of travelin' to get someplace and just stay a couple days and have to come back home."

"It would only take us a day to get there on a plane."

"Ain't gonna happen. We either drive or stay at home."

"I sure am glad I didn't hook up with a stubborn lady."

"Don't start. I just don't like flyin' and I wanna have fun on a vacation, not worry about crashin'."

"Ok, then you think of a place."

"I don't know. Maybe we could go down to the ocean in Texas or Florida."

"If we're gonna go to the gulf, then we should go to Mississippi or Alabama. It's not near as expensive as Florida is."

"I think I heard they got gamblin' places in Mississippi."

"They probably do. But do you really wanna blow your money on gamblin'?"

"Well, we could win."

"Darlin', them places don't stay in business by lettin' folks win."

"Some folks win."

"Yep, but more of 'em lose than win."

"Well, we could just be the ones who win."

"That's a good attitude to have. We'll keep that in the back of our minds as a place to go. I don't really wanna go down there durin' hurricane season, though."

"When's that?"

"It runs from about May to December."

"It's too hot to go down there then, anyways. We should go in March or April."

"It'll be too cold to swim then."

"We can swim up here."

"So you're just gonna spend your time gamblin'?"

"I don't know. There must be other stuff to do, like shoppin' and such."

"Just like you ain't flyin', I ain't shoppin'."

"You don't have to. I'll do the shoppin' and you can stay in the hotel and gamble or just sleep."

"Well, if you're gonna do that, then I'd best get a camper shell for the pickup."

"Why?"

"So we'll have room for all the crap you buy."

"I don't buy that much."

"Don't start lyin' like that when we're standin' in the water. Lightnin' will get both of us."

"I don't."

"Darlin', I remember that shoppin' trip in Denver when we first went out there. We had to ship the stuff back because there wasn't room on the airplane for all of the stuff you bought."

"Well, that was because I hadn't been in such a long time and I needed to buy stuff for ever'one. I never had any money before then and couldn't buy stuff."

"Yes, dear."

"I mean it. I don't buy that much stuff."

"Well, we could always go up to the lake."

"I'm not all that comfortable up there no more. Ever since I seen how that place was shot up, I just don't rest easy up there."

"Hon, that's all history."

"I know, but it keeps flashin' through my mind when I'm up there. I'm just uneasy."

"Well, you'd best get used to it, 'cause I ain't sellin' it."

"I know. Maybe the memories will fade in time, but right now, it's just scary to me. It's only been a few months since it happened and it seems like it was just a couple weeks ago when I'm up there."

"I know that things like that are hard to get out of your mind, but that's all behind us now and it ain't gonna happen again. That was just a fluke and it's all over."

"I know, but the sight of that place they showed on the TV just keeps poppin' up in my mind."

"It'll get less as time goes on. I promise."

"God, I hope so. That was so scary. Sometimes I wake up at night and see that. But then I feel you holdin' me and I know it was just a dream, so I can go back to sleep."

"Darlin', that happens to ever'one from time to time. We all have bad dreams that repeat themselves. Sometimes it comes from real life, but we just have to remember that it's all in the past."

She leaned in and kissed me, as we stood there in the stream. Her tongue explored my mouth and dueled with mine, as our kiss grew more passionate. Even in the cool water, I became hard as she pulled herself closer to me.

We must have held that kiss for five minutes and then I slowly began walking out of the stream and carried her to the blanket. I gently laid her down and then lay myself beside her. Our kisses continued and I began to caress her. Her nipples were very rigid and she draped her leg over my hip, as our embrace grew more passionate.

It was a sudden move on her part that changed things. She used her leg and arm to roll me on top of her and then she used her hand to guide me into her. Just having emerged from the cool water, she felt like she was boiling hot as my cock slid into her. She moaned as I slowly moved farther inside and her pussy began to grip me.

Slowly, I went deeper into her and finally hit bottom. She moaned and wrapped her legs around me as her fingers dug into my back. She had sucked my tongue into the mouth and was giving it a blowjob as we began to fuck. I began to use my tongue in time with my cock and slid it in her mouth as I slid my cock into her pussy.

It wasn't long until she screamed into my mouth and her pussy clamped down on my cock. I felt her squirt and she clamped down on me until I couldn't move. I just remained in my position, but moved my hips around so I could create friction. Her legs were wrapped tightly around my waist and her fingers were trying to insert themselves through my skin.

She finally tore her mouth away from mine so she could breathe and her pussy released me so I could move again. I kept a slow pace since I wanted this to last. It had been a very long time since it was just her and me and I sure didn't want to rush this. I think the water had helped deaden my nerve endings in my cock, because I wasn't even close to cumming. That was just fine with me. The longer this lasted, the happier I would be.

Her second orgasm crept up on her and soon she was rigid and clasping me again. Her screams were muffled by my mouth and her body began to tremble as her orgasm peaked. As she came down, she again ripped her mouth away to breath. Once again, I began a slow fucking motion and began to move her towards another peak.

As we continued, her orgasms became closer together and she was bringing me close to mine. The difference was, once I came, it was over and I wanted to postpone that as long as possible. But she was not having any of that.

As soon as her orgasm waned, she began to work on me with her pussy and her hip motion. It wasn't going to be long with that kind of incentive. I tried to slow down, but that wasn't in her plan. We were both covered with sweat and our bodies were slick as we slid against each other.

Just as she was beginning her next orgasm, I felt the tingle. Fortunately, her pussy went into its fluttering mode and I was lost. I banged against her cervix and exploded. Then I repeated the action many times. I have no idea how many squirts I loosed against her cervix, but it seemed as it would never stop. I didn't care. I could easily die like this and go out happy.

As I ran out of cum and steam, I positioned myself against her cervix and tried to remain there. I would just gently bump it, knowing I had no more cum to give, but trying to extend her pleasure as long as I could. That was my only goal in this. My pleasure came from being with her. My orgasm was just a plus as far as I was concerned today.

Slowly, I began to wilt, but I held myself in her as long as I could. But the inevitable finally happened and I was squeezed out. I maintained my position and rubbed myself across her pussy and comforted her against her aftershocks.

It became too much for her and she let her legs fall to the side, releasing me. I rolled gently off of her and to the side. She twisted and moved her mouth to my cock to clean me. Her tongue did a wonderful job and she could have probably gotten me hard again if she had kept it up.

Once I was clean, to her satisfaction, she slowly stood and walked to the stream. I watched for a couple steps and then forced myself to get up and follow her. We were both dripping wet with sweat and we needed to wash off.

She stopped in about knee-deep water and knelt down to wash her pussy off. I continued out farther and dove in. The cool water felt great and I kept going under to cool off completely.

About my fifth trip to the surface, she appeared by my side and I took her under with me. As we lingered underwater, I kissed her. She accepted my tongue and sucked gently on it. Then I stood up and held her to me as our kiss continued.

When we broke our kiss, she said, "Wow, it's been a long time since it was just you and me doin' that. We definitely need more of that."

"I agree, completely."

We kissed and caressed each other in the stream for a bit and then slowly walked back to the blanket. We had to move to the edge of it to get away from the sweat, but we lay down and continued our caresses and kisses. It wasn't too long until we both drifted off to sleep.

I have no idea how long we slept, but it sure felt good. I woke up and gently kissed Cammie awake. She cuddled up to me and we kissed again.

"We'd best get dressed and head back," I told her.

"What time is it?"

"I don't know. I don't wear a watch when I'm here, only when I go out."

We kissed some more and then slowly got dressed. We packed up everything and loaded it on the horses and made our way back to the trail that led to Jimmy's place. Once we were there, we turned onto the lane that led to our house. When we got to the corral, we unsaddled the horses and brushed them out real good. They hadn't been worked, so they really didn't need to cool down any.

I got a couple apples from the saddlebag and quartered them. I gave one to Cammie and she fed it to her horse while I fed mine to the stallion. When that was gone, I quartered two more and we let them eat those before Cammie turned her horse out to the pasture and I put the stallion in the corral.

We put the tack away and carried the house stuff up to the back porch. We rinsed out the thermos and put everything else away. Then we walked into the kitchen.

"Well, it's about time ya'all came home," Chrissy said as we walked through the door.

"Why, what time is it?" Cammie asked.

"It's 4:30 and we's wonderin' if ya'all got lost."

"Nope, just spendin' some time alone."

"Well, I'd do somethin' with your hair or no one will be able to get into bed with you."

Cammie's hair had a bad habit of almost exploding if it wasn't dried properly. She looked almost like she had one of those teased out hairdos from the 60's.

"Oh shit. I forgot about that. Is it really bad?"

"It's about five times its normal size right now and it's still growin'."

"Damn, see what you do to me?" She said as she turned to me.

"Me? I didn't do nothin'."

"You're the one that pulled me under water."

"You didn't seem like you was fightin' too much."

"Well, no. I couldn't. You were kissin' me, so I couldn't fight."

"Now it comes out," Chrissy said, as she chuckled.

"Damn, I've got to take care of this hair," Cammie said as she put her stuff down and headed for the bathroom.

The females were all sitting at the table, working on all the vegetables they had picked today. It was stacked with bowls of green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions and peas. Plus, there were baskets of tomatoes and cucumbers sitting on the floor beside them.

I walked outside and found Jamie and Jessie sitting on the front porch. Since Cammie was going to be tied up with her hair for about an hour, we decided we had time to feed the calves. I opened the door and hollered to the women that we were headed to feed the calves. Bonnie shouted an "ok" back at me and we walked down to the equipment shed.

Jessie operated the feed bin for me as I pulled the spreader under it. Then he climbed up with me and we all headed for the pastures.

It was the same as it always is with just three of us, Jessie and I worked on getting the feed spread in the troughs while Jamie speared the round bales and placed them in the feeding rings. Then Jessie and I cut them apart so the calves could munch on them without swallowing the baling twine. It took us about three-quarters of an hour to get it all done and then we drove back to the shed and hosed the spreader out.

After we washed up on the back porch, we walked around to the front porch so we didn't disturb the women, and took a seat and waited for supper. We chatted about various things and it was about thirty minutes before we were called to eat.

We had a big pork roast and Bonnie had fixed some stuffing that was made with sour dough bread. It was fantastic and we all said so. There was also gravy, mashed potatoes, fresh peas, and green onions to complete the meal. Cammie was in her "famished" mode and ate almost every thing in sight. Chrissy chuckled, but didn't say anything. Then Donna brought out some peach cobbler and we all made room for that.

While we were drinking our coffee, I asked Bonnie what the plans were for tomorrow. She told me she'd be canning the sweet pickles and starting the dill pickles in the crocks, once they were cleaned. Then they were going to work on the tomatoes, and green beans if they had time.

I told her about the trees we'd found in the woods that had blown down and that we would probably cut them up tomorrow. We'd have to use the pickup to get back to them because there wasn't room to turn the tractor and wagon around once we got back there.

We finished our coffee and then the kids headed for the barn to take care of evening chores and the women began clearing the table. I headed for the front porch and tried to relax some. I thought about the time Cammie and I had spent together today and decided that we'd needed to find the time to do this more often. A relationship needs some time together without anybody else around so it can renew its promise. Otherwise, it begins to grow in ways that neither of us had planned. We would just need to make time for that in the future.



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Chapter 26

The kids came back from chores and we chatted until the women came out. Bonnie said she needed to go to the grocery store in the morning because her garlic wasn't ripe yet and she needed some to put in the pickles. Since she had so much to do tomorrow, I suggested that she just send a couple of the girls and the rest of them stay home and work on the canning. She said she had thought about that, but no one wanted not to go shopping. I just shook my head and silently chuckled. She said she'd just pick up the groceries we needed while she was there.

As we discussed the next day's needs, the phone rang. Bonnie got up to answer it and brought it out to me.

"This is Dean."

"We's wonderin' if ya'all were ready for some new calves?"

"Yep, we could probably stand a few more."

"Well, we've got 27, just like we said we would."

"When was ya'all plannin' on bringin' 'em down?"

"Well, next week some time. Probably towards the middle or end."

I told them to hold on for a second. "Dianne, do you know what your dad has planned for next week?"

"No, I really don't. I know Mama does the wash on Monday, but that's about all. Generally, he just works the fields if it's not too dry."

I got back on the phone. "Why don't we set it up for Wednesday. If there's a problem, I'll give you a call in a day or so. I've got a man that wants to be here when we process 'em and I'll have to see when he's free."

"That'll work. We'll just plan on Wednesday unless we hear from you."

"Ok, see ya then."

"Yep."

We hung up and I handed Dianne the phone and had her call her dad. She talked for a bit and then handed the phone to me.

"Howdy, Allen. We're gonna be gettin' our next load of calves on Wednesday, if you're gonna be free."

"Yep, I sure am. I've been scratchin' for things to do since the hayin's done."

"Ok. I'll let you know if anything changes."

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

I handed the phone back to Dianne and she took it and walked inside, probably to talk to her mom. Once she returned, I sent Jessie inside to call the twins and see if Frank was going to be available. He came out after a bit and handed me the phone.

"Howdy, Frank. We're gettin' a new load of calves in next Wednesday. You had said you wanted to watch what we did when we sprayed and gave 'em shots. Are you free that day?"

"I'm pretty sure I am. Let me check real quick."

He came back to the phone and said he'd be over to help us.

"Ok, thanks. Here's Jessie again."

I handed the phone back to Jessie and he headed back inside to talk with the twins.

"Well, we've pretty well got Wednesday taken care of. But we'll have some extra help this time. Both Frank and Allen are gonna be here."

"Did you invite the women too?" Bonnie asked.

"No. I didn't think they'd be interested in messin' with the calves."

"I'm sure they ain't, but it's a chance for us to get together too."

"I'm sure that Jessie's still on the phone, you can ask Jenna over if you want too. And I'm pretty sure that the phone lines are still up to Fran's place."

"You men don't think about nothin' except gettin' the work done. There's got to be some socializin' too."

"Yes, dear."

"It's a good thing we're around or ya'all'd just wander around like hermits."

"Yes, dear."

She got up and walked inside. Pretty soon Jessie came out and said that his mom had taken over the phone and she'd probably be on there the rest of the night. We all just chuckled and went back to chatting.

As we talked, we began to plan out a strategy for handling the calves. We were going to put them in one of the pastures we had just emptied and process them from there. Later on, we would divide up the other two herds and make a total of three separate herds. They would be more manageable and wouldn't deplete a pasture so quick.

It was almost dark when Bonnie joined us again.

"Well, the women are all comin' over and we're gonna have hamburgers for supper and just our regular lunch, since ya'all probably won't be done with the calves by noontime."

"I can almost guarantee that we won't be done by noontime. But, did you stop and think that these folks also have farms? They probably won't want to be hangin' around here when they've got evenin' chores to do."

"We've got that all thought out. If they get here when the calves first get here, then ya'all should be done by about three or four, so we'll have plenty of time to eat and let them get home to take care of chores."

"What if we ain't done by that time?"

"Well, just make sure ya'all are."

"Yes, dear."

We all headed inside to watch the news. They were calling for rain tomorrow, but beginning in the west and slowly spreading over to us. We probably wouldn't be getting any rain until the afternoon. Once the weather was over, Jamie and Dianne gave out their allotted kisses and left for their place. The rest of us chatted for a bit and then headed for bed. We closed up and turned everything off and then Cammie, Donna and I made our way to our bedroom and stripped down. Once we used the bathroom, we slipped into bed and kissed and cuddled until we drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to the rooster and woke Cammie up in my usual manner. That woke Donna up and we shared a kiss. Then I slipped out of bed while they shared a kiss. They joined me in the bathroom and we all washed up before getting dressed and heading for our morning duties.

Bonnie was already in the kitchen and working on the biscuits. I got the coffee going and Dianne showed up. After a kiss, she worked on the sausage and I stayed out of the way.

Once the coffee was ready, I took the three pots into the dining room and lit the pot warmers. I poured myself a cup of coffee and then lit my first. I sipped and tried to refine the plans for the new calves.

The kids came back from milking and chores and we all chatted, mainly about working the new calves. Then the women brought the food in and we all concentrated on breakfast. Evidently Cammie hadn't filled up last night, because she had a big breakfast this morning. Everyone stayed out of her striking distance with a fork so they weren't injured as she struck out for food.

Once the food disappeared, we sat back and sipped our coffee. The women were in their own world, planning the events for next Wednesday. Evidently, this was not a working day for them, but a social occasion. Us guys kept quiet, lest we be included in some of their plans.

I heard the contractor and his crew drive in and then I heard a bigger truck come up the lane. I got up to see what was arriving and saw a truck with all of our stone for the fireplace pulling up. I went back to the table and told them that the stone had arrived and they'd be working on that today. That stirred some chatter and I warned them about bothering the stonemason. They said they wouldn't, but they wanted to see what the hearth was going to look like. Silently, I said, "Oh no," but kept it to myself. I did tell them that it was too late to even consider changing their minds. They looked at me like I had two heads and said they'd never consider something like that. I thought, "Right."

We finished our coffee and I heard them firing up the Bobcat. I walked around back and watched them maneuver the big hearthstone off of the truck bed. They had chains wrapped around it and it was just about all the Bobcat could handle.

Once it cleared the bed, the Bobcat turned towards the French doors that had been opened. Two people kept the stone in place as the driver headed for the door. Once he reached it, they swung the stone so it was almost perpendicular to the house and the driver began to slowly inch forward. Once the stone had cleared the doorway, they swung it back around so the Bobcat would fit through the door.

Once inside, it was easier going. They turned so the stone was in the proper position and eased it close to where it was going to be set. They had two long pieces of angle iron set in front of the fireplace and they carefully lowered the stone onto them. Then they unhooked the chains and pulled them from around the big hearth. Once they were clear, the Bobcat put the forks under the stone and lifted one side so they could remove the piece of angle iron and then did the same thing with the other edge.

He eased it back down on the floor and moved it so it was very close to being in the correct position. He lifted it up and a worker put a small wedge under the center of the stone so he could remove the forks. The driver backed the Bobcat away from the hearth and took it outside.

The mason came in and he had four people on each side of the stone with big steel prying bar to pry the stone into place. Under his directions, they removed the wedge and moved the stone about a half an inch at a time until it was positioned where the mason wanted it.

It sounds simple, but it took them more than an hour to get it in place. It wasn't until the crew backed off that I saw there had been very small cutouts in the base of the stone that would allow the crew to get the levers under it enough to move it. They weren't big enough to notice before and they were small enough that they would be covered by the carpet, once it was laid.

As I turned around, I saw all the women standing in the back of the room and watching all of the proceedings. I walked over to them and they commented that it looked different now that it was against the fireplace. I had a brief sinking feeling as they made that remark, but they stopped there and didn't say if it looked good or bad. I sure didn't ask for any additional information about their thoughts. It was set in place and there was no going back now. I didn't want to give them any ammunition for changing their minds.

The mason went to work and started by using his level to check if the stone was plumb. Evidently, he was satisfied, because he walked away and went outside to supervise the stacking of the stones to be cemented around the fireplace and chimney framing.

Once he left, I ushered our crew back into the house in an effort to keep them from being in the way. Once they got back inside, the discussion began about how it looked. Before they could get going too much, I asked Bonnie if she had her list all planned out for the shopping trip.

That stirred them out of their current mode and focused things back on shopping. They began to scurry around and checking their supply of items they needed, and would need, for next week's get together. It wasn't too long until they were in the van and headed for town. I breathed a big sigh of relief.

The boys and I went outside and took a look at the sky. It was still clear but we could see the clouds gathering farther west. I suggested that we get the chain saws and head for the trees that were down. They agreed and we drove the pickup to the tool shed and got the chain saws, bar oil and gas. After that, we put the sideboards on the pickup so the wood wouldn't fall out. I figured we'd have a pretty good sized load and we didn't need to be losing it as we drove. Then we headed for the lane that would take us back to the one tree on Miller's old place.

We drove back to the tree and found that I couldn't turn the truck around. So we backed up to a wide spot and I got the truck turned around and backed up to the area of the tree. We got out and Jamie and I got the saws fired up and began to cut away the limbs. The smaller stuff we had Jessie drag away to a pile and the bigger limbs, we cut up into burnable lengths. Then we started on the trunk.

It took us almost three hours to get the thing cut up into lengths and then we set about loading it into the truck bed. Some of the bigger logs had to be handled by Jamie and myself because they were just too big for one person to pick up. By the time we were finished, the rain had started. It wasn't coming down hard, but enough to get us wet. We toughed it out and finished getting the wood loaded and then drove out and back to the house.

We put the chain saws in the tool shed and walked up to the house. We washed up on the back porch and walked inside. The women weren't home, so we decided we fix us some lunch.

I got the soup out and heated it, while Jamie got the leftovers of the pork roast out for sandwiches. As the soup was heating, Jessie set the table and I sliced the roast into manageable pieces for our sandwiches.

Once everything was ready, we carried it all into the dining room and began to chow down. The roast tasted even better today than it had last night. We each had two sandwiches and washed it down with iced tea. Then we sipped our coffee and talked about things that needed doing.

There wasn't much we could do outside, since it was raining, but we did decide that we should clean the saws up and sharpen them. We had more trees to cut up and that would keep us out from under foot of the females.

Once the coffee was gone, we cleaned up the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher and everything back in the 'fridge. We had just walked out on the porch when the women drove in. Cammie drove to the back porch and backed up to it so they could unload their purchases. We went back and helped them bring everything in and get it in the kitchen. We never bother with putting things away because we'd never do it properly. So, to avoid an argument, we just set them on the counter or table and went back for more.

Once the van was empty, the women set about putting everything away and getting ready to can. Us guys took that as our cue to get out of their way and we walked down to the tool shed.

We had a few hours to kill, so I decided to take the saws completely apart and really give them a good cleaning. We went at them one at a time. The chains came off and then the bar. I gave Jessie the job of cleaning out the slot the chain rides in and making sure all the oil holes were not clogged.

I took the job of inspecting the chains and links to make sure they were in good shape. Jamie was left with the chore of using the shop vac to get any sawdust off and cleaning the oiling holes on the frame.

I found one of the chains was beyond sharpening. It has just been worn down to the nubs and needed replacing. When we put it back together, I put a new chain on. That one didn't need to be sharpened.

We got them all cleaned up and I began to sharpen the old chains for the other two saws. With the rotary grindstone that I chuck up in the cordless drill, it didn't take too long to do that. But, by the time we were done with that chore, it was almost 4.

It was still raining a bit, mostly just a drizzle, so we decided to feed the calves before it picked up again. We put on our rain gear and headed for the tractors. Jessie operated the feed bin chute and filled the spreader for me. Then we tied a tarp over the grain so it didn't get completely soaked on our trip over there.

He climbed up with me and we headed for the pastures. When we got there, he worked the chute on the spreader as I slowly drove along the troughs. The shelters were working good and there was no water in the troughs. Once we had spread the feed, we cut apart the bales that Jamie had speared and put in the feeding rings. Then we headed back for the house. Once there, I hosed out the spreader and we walked up to the house.

We came in on the back porch and took off our rain gear there. Then we washed up and made our way to the living room, walking quickly past the women so we didn't disturb them. They were working over the crocks, washing them and then putting the brine in for the dill pickles. Bonnie had six canning pots working on the stove, evidently canning the sweet pickles.

The kids went to the office to play a game on the computer and I signed on the Internet to see about the storm. I pulled up the NOAA site and looked at the radar picture. It looked like we were about a third of the way through the storm. The echo stretched all the way back to the Oklahoma line and almost over to the Kentucky line. This was a very wide spread system. According to the stats, it was moving at about twelve miles an hour. At that rate, we'd have rain until at least tomorrow afternoon. That was fine, we needed it. This was a good soaking rain and wasn't running off.

Then I clicked on my e-mail. I had a couple from clients that just had a couple questions. I answered them and then moved to the other mail. I had a couple from my daughter that was mainly jokes she was passing on. There was one from Sharon and I opened that one.

She said she'd talked with Fred and it looked like the next catalog shoot would be the week of August 19 through 24. She said they'd plan on coming in on the 17th, and they'd get set up and ready to shoot on Monday. She also asked if I could give her the numbers of the barbecue place and the steak restaurant in Searcy. I looked them up and included them in the reply.

I replied and asked her about how many she would be bringing with her this time and explained that William and Lena would be living in the old Miller place, so there wouldn't be as many beds available. Then I sent it off and deleted all of the spam that had accumulated in my mailbox.

After I closed down the computer, I walked out on the front porch and sat down. I was shielded from the rain and I liked watching the rainfall and the land renew itself with the needed moisture. Not that I could see the grass growing, but I could see how the water washed the dirt off of things where it had accumulated. I was glad that the big truck had been there this morning because he would have left some very big ruts if he came tomorrow.

I sat there about 45 minutes and then was called for supper. Bonnie had made a couple pot roasts and they sure were good. For some reason, the vegetables that are cooked with the roast taste so much better than when cooked separately. It must be the meat juices that soak into them as they cook.

After our dessert, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"I got an e-mail from Sharon today," I said. "She said that they were plannin' on the catalog shoot the week of August 19th and would be coming in on the 17th to get set up."

"Yep. I got a letter from her too, last week." Cammie said, "And she's lookin' forward to comin' down here."

"And I heard from Charlene," Bonnie put in, "and she said the same thing."

"Ummm, were ya'all gonna tell me about it?"

"Well, we just figured she'd write to you too and tell you," Cammie said.

"Ya know, there are a bunch of things that need to be taken care of before they get here, don'tcha?"

"What?"

"Well, for starters, we need to know how many folks are comin' with her and where they're gonna stay. With William and Lena movin' in, there won't be as many bedrooms available."

"They're only takin' up one bedroom, so that shouldn't be a problem."

"What if they don't wanna have them folks stayin' upstairs in their place?"

"That's just nonsense. They won't mind at all."

"Have ya'all asked them if they would mind?"

"No. But I know they won't."

"That's takin' a lot for granted. Then there's the fact that our barn roofs need to be repaired before they can be in a shoot."

"Oh, damn. I forgot about that. Will they be able to get it done by then?"

"I'm hopin', but I don't know. The contractor don't do that kind of work and the guy that does it has been tied up with all the other roofs that called before us. I don't know when he can get to us."

"When will you know?"

"I'll have to talk to the contractor tomorrow and explain the problem to him and see if he can put a rush on our jobs."

"Well, we've got almost a month. Surely he can get it done before they show up."

"Darlin', them roofs ain't like a normal roof on a house. It takes a lot more to do them and I don't know what his schedule is. It'll probably take him at least a week over here to get ever'thing taken care of. Ya'all should have tol' me about it when you found out."

"Well, you found out, so there's no sense cryin' about it now."

"Is that the same response you'd a had if I had found out and not tol' ya'all?"

"I don't know. Probably, as long as we found out in time to get ever'thing done before they got here."

"I'll remember that."

"What?"

"Well, if I forget to tell ya'all somethin', I'll remember what you just said."

"You found out in time. What's the big problem?"

"Nothin'. We'll get things taken care of."

"Boy, you sure do get cranky when things don't go your way."

"Yes, dear."

We finished up our coffee and then the kids headed for the barn and the women began cleaning up the supper mess. I headed for the front porch to try and relax some. I just sat there and enjoyed the peace and quiet until the kids returned from their chores. The boys sat down with me and Chrissy and Donna went to the kitchen to help with any canning chores.

Us guys chatted and talked about various things. I told them we had three more trees to cut up and maybe more because I hadn't gone through Jimmy's place yet. We planned on doing all the cutting first and then we'd work on the splitting. By the time we got done cutting, we might be able to stack the wood in back of this place. I hoped the contractors would be done by then. We had a bunch of stacking to do. With these four trees and the ones we'd cut up and split before, we were going to have plenty of wood for the winter and it would have enough time to season before we started burning.

The women finally came out and asked what we were doing out in the rain. I told them it wasn't raining on the porch and we were just enjoying watching it. They kind of shook their heads, but then sat down and joined us.

Bonnie had asked what I had planned for tomorrow. I told her that until it quit raining, there wasn't much we could do. Then she asked if we would help with the canning. I told her that wouldn't be a problem as long as she told us what needed done. She said that the big thing would be processing all the tomatoes. She said that if I could run the juicer that would help a lot. I didn't see any problems with that at all.

We chatted until it got dark and then went inside to watch the news. Their radar picture looked the same as the one I pulled up from NOAA and they confirmed that the rain would probably be around here until tomorrow afternoon.

Once the weather was over, Jamie and Dianne gave out their kisses and left for their place. The rest of us chatted a bit and then headed for bed too. After we closed up and got our kisses from Chrissy and Jessie, we turned everything off and headed for our room.

We stripped down and used the bathroom. Then we slipped into bed and kissed and cuddled until we drifted off to sleep.

The rooster woke me and I opened my eyes. I could hear the rain, but it wasn't raining very hard. I teased Cammie's nipple and kissed her neck and ear. She moaned and held my hand to her tit as she turned her head to kiss me. Donna awoke and began to kiss my neck and ear as she molded her body to mine.

When Cammie and I broke our kiss, I turned my head and Donna claimed my mouth. Her tongue invaded my mouth and dueled with my tongue. As we broke, the women reached for each other and I slipped away and headed for the bathroom.

They followed after a bit and we all washed up and then got dressed. Cammie and I made our way to the kitchen to find Bonnie already working on the biscuits. I got the water on and then ground the coffee. Dianne showed up and gave me a kiss before she started slicing the sausage for frying.

Once the water was boiling, I made the three presses of coffee and put more water back on for the next three. Once they'd steeped, I poured them into regular pots and took them to the dining room. I lit the warmers and then lit my first and poured myself a cup of coffee.

When the kids showed up from chores, I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy and then everyone poured a cup of coffee for themselves. We chatted and waited for breakfast to be brought out.

Once breakfast arrived, all talking stopped and we dug in. It seemed that since Bonnie was making the sourdough biscuits, there were never any left over. They tasted so good that no one wanted to leave any on the plate.

After we devoured all the food, we sat back and sipped our coffee. Bonnie said that the boys could scald and peel the tomatoes and I could run them through the juicer. We agreed to that and I asked her if she was going to can any tomato sauce. She said that she hadn't thought of doing that, but guessed she could. I told her that the food processor could chop up the tomatoes fine enough to can as sauce. She said she'd see how much juice we made before making up her mind on this batch.

I heard the contractor and his crew drive in and I walked through the house to the addition. When he came inside, I asked him how things were going.

"Well, pretty good. We're at the point of working inside and don't have to worry too much about the rain."

"Have you talked to the guy about the barn roofs?"

"Nope, not yet. Ever'time I try to get in touch with him, he's out on a job."

"Well, we've had a slight change of plans. We've got people comin' for a photo shoot the middle of August and we need to have the roofs on by then."

"Ok. Well I'll give him a call tonight after dark and get his schedule. If it's gonna be later than that, I'll ask him if he can move ya'all up so he can get that done by then."

"I sure would appreciate it."

"How do ya'all like the fireplace so far?"

"I really haven't looked at it since they put the hearth stone in."

We walked out to the big room and he showed me how it was going. They had the stone about halfway up and it looked great to me. I didn't want to speak for the ladies, because they have a whole different idea of what stuff should look like.

He had the fireplace pretty well covered with the stone. There were still about three rows of stone to be laid before he could set the mantle. Then he would narrow things down to just the chimney instead of making it one size the whole way up.

I asked if he had enough stone to make it the same size and he told me he did, but didn't think I wanted it that way. I told him I thought it would make the room balance out more if he did. He said it wasn't a problem as long as he hadn't started narrowing it yet. He did tell me it would be hollow behind the level of the fireplace and I told him that was just fine with me. Then I left and walked back to the dining room and finished my coffee.



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Chapter 27

When I walked back to my coffee, I told the women that the contractor was going to try to get in touch with the man that did the barn roofs and ask him if he could get ours done before Sharon and folks got here. They just nodded and we worked on our coffee.

After the coffee, the women cleaned up the dishes and us guys waited until it was safe to go into the kitchen. Bonnie had two pots of water on the stove and the three of us began washing all of the tomatoes we could fit into the sink. After they were rinsed off, we put them back in the baskets and set the baskets on papers by the table where we'd be working. We had about two and a half bushels of tomatoes to process.

I got us each a paring knife and made sure they were very sharp. Then I brought the garbage bucket over and showed them how to core the tomatoes. We set about that job until the water was boiling. I got a large potholder to keep the hot pan from burning the table and set the pan on that. Then I speared a tomato with a fork and dipped it in the water. I held it there a couple seconds and then brought it out. I showed them how easily the skin came off and told them to have at it.

I got a large pan to put the skinned tomatoes in and then got the juicer set up. I asked Bonnie what she wanted me to put the juice in and she handed me a three large mixing bowls. I placed the first one under the juicer and began to feed the skinned tomatoes into the juicer.

Although the juicer makes things easier, it is not as fast as it sounds. After about five tomatoes, I had to remove the pulp from the grinder part. I put the pulp in a separate bowl and set that aside. It wasn't too long before I had the first bowl filled with juice. I took that to Bonnie who was working at the stove.

She had a funnel set up for the jars she had sterilized and began to pour the juice in those. Then she would add the spices and cap it before putting it in the canning pot.

I returned to the juicer and went about my job. We kept swapping bowls until I had the pulp bowl full. I asked her for another bowl and she looked at me like I was asking for a miracle.

"Why do you need another bowl?"

"Because the pulp bowl is full."

"Well, empty it."

"Where?"

"In the garbage."

"But this is what you make the tomato paste from."

"Oh. I've never done it that way before. We always just chopped up the tomatoes to make the paste."

"They ain't no sense in wastin' this. It's still got some liquid left and you just can this. Then you just add the water you need when you open it."

"Well, I guess that would work."

She rooted around in a cabinet and found four more mixing bowls and handed them to me. I took them and went back to work.

The boys said that they needed more water to scald the tomatoes and I pointed to the stove. They took the pan they had been working with and swapped it for the one on the stove and went back to their job.

It took the better part of the morning before we finished with the tomatoes. But we finally exhausted the supply and then we began to clean up our mess. Bonnie told us to put the garbage in a plastic bag and she'd add it to her compost later on. We did that and I cleaned up the juicer and put it away. Then us guys headed to the front porch and sat down for a breather. I lit up my first since breakfast and we all just relaxed.

It was still raining, but not too hard. This kind of a rain was very welcome. It was going to really soak in and help the crops.

We were out there for about a half an hour before they called us for lunch. It was soup and sandwiches again, but we had some fresh tomato juice with it. We each got one glass and then we were told to switch to tea.

Once we finished eating, we sipped our coffee and chatted a bit. Bonnie asked if we would bring up some more jars after we got through here. I told her we would and asked how many she needed. She said she really didn't know, but she thought she'd need at least two-dozen pints for the paste and about the same amount of quarts for the green beans and peas. I told her we'd make sure they were brought up.

After we finished our coffee, us guys made several trips up and down the basements stairs, bringing up the jars Bonnie needed. She was still busy canning tomato juice and the girls were mixing up the brine for the dill pickles. Cammie was busy peeling the garlic and was having a very difficult time doing it. Garlic can be very sticky when you peel it.

"Darlin', why don't you let me show you an easier way to do that?" I said, as I watched her fumble with the toes.

"You're gonna show me how to do this?"

"Only if you want. I don't wanna start nothin', but there is a lot easier way to do it."

"This I gotta see."

I took an entire clove and cut off the point so I could get at the individual toes. Then I began to break them off and put them on the cutting board. I grabbed the cleaver that was hanging on the wall and brought it over to the sink and washed it off. I didn't want to be accused of using something that had grease on it.

"You're gonna use that big thing to cut up them little pieces?"

"Dear, just watch and learn. It'll save you a lot of time and frustration."

"Yes, dear."

By now, all the women had gathered to see the demonstration. Actually, I think they were gathered around to watch me make a fool of myself.

I turned the clever on its side and just barely put enough pressure on the toe enough to break the skin. I did that to about five of them and then used a paring knife to pull off the skin.

"See? Isn't that a lot easier than trying to peel them off like you were doin'?"

"I seen it, but I don't believe it. Where did you learn that trick?"

"I really hate to admit this, but I was watchin' a PBS cookin' show with an Oriental chef on it and that's the way he did it."

"Well, it does seem a bit easier. Let me try it."

I back away and Cammie picked up the clever. The first toe, she absolutely smashed. There wasn't any way to tell the peel from the meat.

"No, darlin'. You don't need to crush it real hard. Just enough to break the skin."

She tried it on the next one and was a bit too gentle and it didn't do anything. She tried one more time and got it just right. She picked it up and the skin just peeled away in her fingers.

"Well, I'll be damned. It worked."

"See. I do know a thing or two."

"I guess you do. But I would have never believed you knowed anything about cannin' at all."

"Darlin', I was cannin' before you were ever born."

"Yep, I did get hooked up with an old man. Thanks," she said, and stood on her toes to give me a kiss.

I washed my hands to get the garlic smell off and then us guys headed for the front porch with a pitcher of tea and some glasses with ice in them. We sipped and watched as the rain clouds slowly slipped away and the sun came out.

As the sun returned, it started evaporating the moisture, turning the place into almost a steam bath without the steam. The humidity was awful and it was very close outside. Just sitting on the porch, I broke out in a sweat. It had heated up very quickly and it was going to be a scorcher for the rest of the day.

We sipped our tea and chatted about things that needed to be done. We still had the trees to cut up and needed to explore Jimmy's place to see if there were any more trees down. We'd have to explore on horseback since we couldn't get where we needed to with the pickup. If we found any that were down, we might have to cut a path to get back to them to cut them up and haul them out.

We chatted until about 3:30 and then decided to feed the calves. The ground was a bit squishy under our feet as we walked to the equipment shed. We got the tractors fired up and Jessie operated the feed bin chute as I pulled under it. Then we followed Jamie out the lane and headed across the stream to the pastures.

The stream was up a couple inches, but that wasn't too bad. I figured we'd had about two and a half inches over the last 24 hours. It might get higher, but it shouldn't flood anything.

When we got to the pastures, we went through our usual routine. Jessie operated the spreader chute while I slowly moved forward and discharged the feed. Jamie speared two bales and put one of them in each pasture. Then Jessie and I cut them apart and took the twine so the calves didn't eat it. Then we headed back home.

When we got there, I washed out the spreader with the hose and we put everything away. We had left some pretty deep ruts around the equipment shed, but they'd get leveled out when the ground dried some.

We walked back to the porch and Jamie went to get us a pitcher of tea and more ice cubes. We chatted until we were called for supper. Bonnie had cooked a stew for us and we had some homemade noodles to put it on. It was great, but I hadn't remembered her doing any of the cooking when I was there helping. I wondered when she made it, but I wasn't going to say anything. It was on the table, it tasted great, the noodles were great and what more could a person ask for. No sense rocking the boat about something that really doesn't matter. We all ate our fill and there was enough left over for lunch tomorrow. I had two helpings and had heaped my plate with noodles and poured the stew and gravy over them. There is just something about homemade noodles. The gravy sticks to them and they aren't the real slick pasta stuff you get from a package. You can almost taste the love that they are made with.

We finished up and Donna brought out some apple dumplings for dessert. We had those with some ice-cold milk to wash them down. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. It just don't get no better than this.

Once we were finished, the kids headed for their chores and the women cleaned off the table and worked on the kitchen. I headed for the front porch and just sat and relaxed. It was now that I missed Jimmy. He was someone to talk with. An adult male that had similar thought processes and ideas. Oh well, he'd be back on Saturday.

The kids returned from their chores and the girls went inside to help finish cleaning up from canning. The boys sat and chatted with me until the women finally came out. Then we all chatted and Bonnie said they were going to can some green beans and peas tomorrow. She said that the garden would be too muddy to walk in and they were just going to finish what they had picked and wait until the garden dried some.

I told them we couldn't work on the trees until it dried some because we'd get the truck stuck. We figured it would be a good two or three days before we could get back out there. The garden was a different story. It had direct sunlight so it would dry a lot quicker.

We chatted until it got dark and then went inside to watch the weather. The weather girl said that the rain had moved out of the viewing area and we'd be clear and hot at least through the weekend. The clear I liked, but the hot wasn't all that welcome. She said that the temperatures would approach 95. With the water in the ground and air, it would be really hot and humid. There wasn't going to be a lot going on tomorrow during the day. It would be too hot to work the horses and it was too wet to use the machines.

Jamie and Dianne gave out their kisses and then headed home. The rest of us closed up and headed for bed after the mandatory kisses. Cammie, Donna and I headed for the bedroom and stripped down before using the bathroom. Then we slipped into bed and cuddled and kissed until we got sleepy.

The rooster woke, as usual, and I woke Cammie in the usual manner. Then I kissed Donna, as Cammie and I broke our kiss. I slipped from between them so they could have their morning kiss and I headed for the bathroom. They soon followed and we washed up and got dressed.

We headed for our morning routines and Bonnie was already there, working on the biscuits. I got the coffee going and got a kiss from Dianne when she appeared. I stayed out of the way until the water for the coffee was boiling and then filled the three presses. I put water back on for the next three pots and waited for the current ones to steep.

Once I put the coffee into regular pots, I took them to the dining room and lit the pot warmers. I poured myself a cup of coffee and lit my first, as I sat back to enjoy the last bit of quiet of the morning.

It wasn't too long before the kids showed up and I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy. The kids each poured a cup of coffee for themselves and we chatted about the upcoming day. The girls were scheduled to work on the canning project. That was already carved in stone. However, us guys really didn't have a lot to do. Most everything was caught up and we would need some chore to stay off of the women's radar.

We talked about stuff in the workshop and I suggested we check the chicken coop to make sure the fans were working properly. Heat and humidity can really kill off the poultry very quickly.

It wasn't long until the women brought in breakfast and we all ceased our planning and began to work on the food. Once we had decimated anything edible, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

Bonnie said they were going to work in the kitchen and get the peas and green beans canned for sure. Then they'd see what else they could work on. I told her about our plans for the workshop and the chicken coops and she just nodded and sipped her coffee.

I heard the contractor pull in and went to meet him. He told me that he'd talked to the barn roof man and he'd be out here the middle of next week. I thanked him for that and then he asked if he could get some money from me as partial payment. He said he had a lot of money going out and nothing coming in and he had to pay the mason for his work. I told him I'd write him a check as soon as I went back in. Then he asked if I liked the fireplace work. I told him I hadn't seen it and we walked around back and then into the new addition.

The mason had a couple rows left to get the stone up to the ceiling. He hadn't put the mantle on yet, because he was waiting for the mortar to set up before putting that much weight on it. That would be the last thing he would do today. The braces had been mortared in, but the mortar had to cure before he could set the mantle on them. After that, all he would have left to do would be to score the mortar to the depth he wanted it and washed any excess mortar off the stone with some muriatic acid.

I told him it looked great to me and I was happy I'd decided to go with the stone all the way up in one continuous wall, instead of slanting in to just cover the chimney. It just looked better. We'd lost a bit of wall room, but that wasn't all that important. This was a big room and we had plenty of wall space.

After we finished chatting, I walked through the house and back to the office. I got a check out and wrote out half of what we had agreed to on the initial bid. Then I took it out to him and told him I realized that there would be additional charges for all of the changes and for him to just let me know what they were. He thanked me and went back to work. I headed for the dining room and my coffee.

I told everyone that the barn roof man would be out next week so it looked like the photo shoot would be all right. Then I told them the fireplace would be finished sometime today, probably. They perked up at that news and asked how long the rest would take. I told them I really didn't know, but the finish work could now begin. It might take a couple days or a week, but I really didn't have a firm deadline for them to get it done. I just wanted it done right.

The phone rang and Bonnie got up to answer it. Then she handed me the phone.

"This is Dean."

"Howdy, this is the lumberyard. Your beadboard and chair rail order is in."

"I thought it wouldn't be in until next week."

"Well, our supplier had it in stock and we got our weekly shipment this mornin', so it's here."

"Ok, we'll be in to pick it up this mornin' sometime."

"Ok, thanks."

I handed the phone to Bonnie and she hung it up.

Then Cammie said, "What's in?"

"The beadboard and chair rail."

"Oh. I wonder if the wallpaper is in too?"

"They'll call us when it comes in. Ya'all couldn't start puttin' it up if it was here."

"I know, but I'm kinda anxious."

"It'll be here when it gets here. No sense in worryin' over things we ain't got no control over. Ya'all can't do a thing until they finish up in there."

"I know. But I can't want."

"I'm sure you can't. Nobody is gonna control your thoughts."

"So, how long will it take you to get the beadboard and chair rail ready?"

"I don't have any idea. I'm not in a rush to get it done. I know we'll need to put a sealer coat on and then a couple coats of paint. Each one of them'll take a day to dry. In this weather, it might even take longer."

"So, ya'all could start on it today, right?"

"We probably could. We'll see what happens."

"Oh, you're no fun. If it was me, I'd be chompin' at the bit to get it from the store and painted."

"Well, I can let ya'all do it."

"Oh no. You agreed you'd do that. You ain't backin' out now."

"Ok, well then it's gonna be on my timetable, not yours. I don't wanna be rushed."

"Yes, dear."

We all chuckled at that and worked on finishing our coffee. We chatted about other things and finally drained the last drop of coffee. Then we broke up into our work groups and headed out.

The boys and I headed for the pickup. The first thing we'd need to do would be to empty the wood out of the bed. We decided to put it by the splitter, in a dry section of the equipment shed that was not closed in.

Once that was done, we swept out the bed and removed the sideboards. We probably had about two-thirds of a cord of wood from that tree. Then we headed for the workshop.

The workshop needed to be cleaned up and prepared for the work with the beadboard. We cleared everything away from the center of the floor and positioned the table saw and the extensions that would support the 4 X 8 panels. I made a mental note to buy some plastic drop cloths for the painting. I wasn't so much worried about the floor, but I didn't want to paint the tools and workbench. I did some measuring and determined that we would have enough room to stack the panels around the room and paint them in one session without moving them when they were wet. But we'd definitely need to clean all of the sawdust up before we started painting. This simple project was getting more and more involved as we progressed.

Once we had the workshop ready, we drove the pickup to the house and I grabbed the checkbook before we headed for town. I figured the sooner I got this project over, the sooner the women would be off of my back. At least that was what I was hoping for.

We got to the lumberyard and I tracked down the clerk I had talked to when I ordered the beadboard. He had the order written up and I told him the brand of nailer I had and that I needed nails to put up the beadboard. I told him I was going through the beadboard and drywall. He asked what color I was going to paint the beadboard and I told him the general color. He got a package of light colored nails to fit my gun and added them to the bill.

Then I asked him about the chair rail and how the best way to attach it to the wall. He said that a good finishing nail was the best and got me a package for my nailer. I also asked about the offset in the chair rail and if it was wide enough to rest on the beadboard. He said there was no offset.

I silently cussed and told him I'd need a dado set up for my table saw so I could put one in. I think he saw my frustration on my face and kind of chuckled.

"How'd you get roped into this project?"

"Women and their decoratin' ideas. They have no conception on how to do it, they just want it done."

"Been there. Many times."

He got me a dado set up for the table saw and asked if there was anything else.

"I don't think so, unless you know of someone who'd do this for free."

"Nope, we all got our own problems with women. We don't wanna take on more than we already got."

I chuckled and then said, "Oh, I do need about a dozen plastic dropcloths so I don't spray the workbench and tools."

He got them and then asked if I could think of anything I'd forgotten. I told him no and he totaled up the bill.

I paid the bill and he told me to pull around back and they'd load the material for me. I thanked him and we walked out to the pickup.

We pulled around to the loading dock and I handed the slip to the guy in charge. He had the material already setting out. Evidently they hadn't stocked it when they got it in and just left it on the dock for when I would pick it up. We helped him load it and then I initialed the ticket and we drove off for the paint store.

When we got there, I found the guy that I'd talked to before and told him what we needed. He remembered me and had the paint chips in the file. He asked how much I needed and I told him what we had. I also told him I thought we needed to put a sealer coat on before we painted it. He agreed and said he'd put some color in that too so it didn't bleed through the final coats. I told him to put the paint sprayer on the bill too.

He mixed up the paint and marked each can as to what it was for. I also had him put a couple good paintbrushes in with the order so I could touch up anything I needed to. Once everything was mixed and he totaled the bill, I paid him and we carried the paint and other stuff out to the pickup and headed home.

When we arrived home, I pulled up to the tool shed and we began unloading our cargo. Cammie hollered from the porch for us to come to lunch. We stopped what we were doing and walked to the house. We washed up and then sat down to eat.

"Did you get ever'thing?" Cammie asked, as we sat back to sip our coffee.

"I sure hope so. Here's the bills for ever'thing."

She looked at the two bills and then said, "What is all of this stuff?"

"Things we need to do the job."

"A paint sprayer? I thought you had one of them."

"I do, but it's the old fashioned kind and this will do a lot better job with no mixing."

"What in the world do you need all of these saw blades for and what is a dado set?"

"The saw blade is a very fine tooth blade for cutting the beadboard so it don't splinter. The dado setup is for putting an offset on the chair rail so it will sit on the beadboard properly."

"Why don't it come like that?"

"I have no idea why they don't take more time in the milling of it to make an offset to fit each possible individual use of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, not ever'one uses it for what we're gonna use it for. Some have much narrower set ups and some have much wider set ups. How could they know how wide to make the offset?"

"Well, they shoulda said somethin' about that when we bought it."

"Did you tell 'em what it was gonna be used for and how far the offset should be?"

"No, but they shoulda asked."

"What good would it do? The folks that make the stuff still don't put the offset on it before they sell it."

"I guess. It just seems like an awful lot to pay for stuff we're gonna have to do work on before we can use it."

"Kinda like them only makin' boards in one length, huh? They should anticipate how long each board should be that we're gonna use and cut them all before we get 'em."

"Oh, that's just silly. Buyin' lumber to build with is a whole 'nother thing."

"Nope, it's the same thing. There isn't just one use for this stuff. They would have no idea how to manufacture it for one person and it workin' on another person's job."

"You always stick up for men and their stupidity."

"Yes, dear."

We finished up our coffee and then headed back to the workshop and finished unloading the material. I told the guys I thought it was too humid to do much work with the wood today, especially any painting. They agreed and we just concentrated on getting things set up for the future.

We adjusted the extension tables for the table saw and made sure they were level for the work we would be doing. I removed the current blade and put the panel blade on. I got out a big trash bag from the cabinet and we emptied the shop vac so it would be ready for use. I also cleaned off the filter. It was caked with old dust and debris from years past. Then I got the new sprayer out and got it set up and read the instructions. It seemed pretty straightforward to use. The only variable was the setting of the nozzle. I really was kind of anxious to get started and use my new toys, but I'd never let the women know that I was. Men's secrets must be kept private. Ain't no sense giving them more ammunition than they already have to use against us.

Once we did all we could do in the workshop, we walked down to the chicken coop and walked inside. The fans were going and working great. It's wasn't real cool, but it was tolerable. We checked the watering troughs and they were all full, so they were working too. As long as they had water and it wasn't stifling hot they would be all right.



-------

Chapter 28

It was getting close to the time to feed, so we just decided that we'd get it done. We walked over to the equipment shed and fired the tractors up. Jessie worked the feed bin chute as I pulled under it and then got on board with me for our trip to the pastures. It was still pretty squishy on the lanes we ran the tractors on, but I was sure it would be drying out in the next day or so. It couldn't last with this heat.

Jessie and I got the feed spread in the troughs and then I got down and we cut the bales apart that Jamie had put in the feeding rings. We took the twine with us and headed back to the house. Once we got to the shed, we washed out the spreader with the hose and then walked up to the front porch. Jamie and Jessie went inside and came back with iced tea and glasses with ice in them. We sipped our tea and talked about how we were going to process the calves. I made a mental note to make sure I had enough of the meds to get through the 27 calves we were getting. I still had time to order and get it here by Wednesday if I didn't. I'd just have to pay for express delivery.

We were just sitting on the porch, but it was hot enough to make us sweat just being there. There was a slight breeze going and that was the only thing that was helping with the humidity. It was too hot to get up and walk around to check the thermometer, but it had to be in the mid 90's, at least.

We figured with the extra help, we wouldn't have any problems processing the calves. But I reminded them that Frank and Allen had no idea what we were doing. Plus, they might want to learn how to give the shots and that might make for a pretty long day. They agreed but still thought we'd have enough time for just 27 calves. I tended to agree with them.

We finished our tea just in time to be called for supper. Bonnie had fixed pot roast with fresh vegetables cooked with the roasts. Then she had made gravy from the drippings. It was wonderful and we all ate our fill. Then Donna brought out her apple cobblers and we devoured those. Afterwards, we sipped our coffee and chatted about our day.

Bonnie told us that they'd finished up the peas and green beans today. They weren't sure they'd be able to get in the garden tomorrow since it looked kind of wet still. I told them we'd checked on the chicken coop and everything seemed to be fine. The fans and the water troughs were all working and the chickens appeared to be fine.

Bonnie asked what we had planned for tomorrow and I told her that we'd probably get the new pasture ready for when we made a third herd. We had to put a hay ring in there and a couple troughs. She asked why we were making a third herd and I told her so they didn't wear out a pasture so quick. She said that made sense. I told her we'd have two herds of 47 and one of 48. That way the grazing would be about equal.

We finished up our coffee and the kids headed for their chores and the women started cleaning the table. I headed for the workshop so I could check on the meds we would need for the new calves.

I did an inventory and found we had plenty of the injection meds and would have more than enough of the spray on. With that done, I checked out the spray bottles and they seemed to be in good shape too. We were set for Wednesday.

I walked back to the front porch and took a seat. The kids joined me after a bit and we chatted. I told the boys that we should probably move the squeeze chutes close to the pasture where we were going to put the new calves. They agreed and said we would probably need to move a hay ring and a couple feeding troughs to the pasture they will eventually wind up in too. I agreed with that. That would give us something to do tomorrow.

The women joined us and I asked them if they'd been to look at the fireplace since it was finished. They said they hadn't so we all decided to see the finished product.

We walked around the new construction and then into the hot tub room. Since I had been there, the last two rows had been completed to the ceiling and the mason had installed the mantle.

"I didn't think it was gonna be this big," Cammie said, as she looked at all three sides.

"Well, I thought it would look better if it was all one size goin' up, rather than havin' it slant in to the narrow chimney."

"I guess you're right. I just wasn't expectin' it to be so wide."

"The good thing is, this will cut down on probably two strips of wallpaper that you have to put up."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it was gonna slant in so it was just coverin' the chimney and that would have needed to be covered."

"Oh, I see. Ya, I guess you're right. I really do like the mantle. That clock is gonna look so good up there and we can put a couple of them oil lamps up there too. One on either side of it."

"Does this clock make a lot of noise?"

"Well, it don't make no noise now," Bonnie said. "It's been broke for a long time, but I was hopin' we could get it fixed."

"How much noise does it make when it works?"

"Oh, we could hear it chime all over the house. It was such a nice sound and it always told me that ever'thing was just fine. I just love that ol' clock."

"Well, maybe we could find a way to make the chime not so loud."

"Why would ya wanna do that?"

"So I can sleep without wakin' up ever' hour."

"It chimes ever' fifteen minutes and then it strikes the hour number on the hour."

"Oh good, that means I'll be able to get fifteen minute naps between chimes, all night long."

"Oh, once it's been here a couple days, you won't even notice it."

"You just said you could hear it all over the house."

"I know, but that was just when we'd listen for it. Other times we'd never hear it, especially when we was sleepin'."

"I'm not real sure about that. I'm fine with the clock. Maybe we could just dampen the chimes some."

"You mean we wouldn't be able to hear it?"

"We could hear it in this room, but not much farther than that. Besides, with this humidity, I'm not sure it would be good for the clock."

"You're just sayin' that to keep us from gettin' it."

"Nope, I'm not. Them old clocks have metal springs that react to heat and humidity, plus the wood can swell up and make it not run too good."

"Well, how 'bout we try it for a few weeks and see if we can get used to it?"

"We'll see."

"If it bothers you too much, then we can dampen the chimes."

"We'll see."

"I think you're usin' that 'we'll see' shit to put off decidin' about it."

"Ain't no sense in arguin' about it, we don't even know if it can be fixed."

"Oh, I'm sure it can. They's this guy just outside town that can fix any clock and make 'em work like new."

"We'll see."

I think they decided not to push the point at this time and just shut up about it.

"When can we fill the hot tub?" Chrissy asked.

"Not until everything is all done. If we get too much humidity in here, the paint won't dry and the wallpaper will never stick."

"Dern, this has been a long time a comin'."

"Yep, them things happen. With the storm and the changes, it just takes longer."

The women looked around a bit longer and then we all headed back for the porch. We chatted until it got dark and then headed for the living room and watched the weather. They said there might be a slight chance for some rain on Sunday, but just a very slight chance. After that, it was going to be clear until next weekend. That would be perfect. We would have dry weather for new calves.

Jamie and Dianne gave out their kisses and then left for their place. The rest of us chatted a bit and the kisses were exchanged and we closed up, turned everything off and headed for bed. Cammie, Donna and myself made use of the bathroom and then slipped into bed and cuddled and kissed until we got sleepy.

I awoke to the rooster and woke up the two females in the usual manner before heading for the bathroom. They followed and we washed up and got dressed. Then we headed for our morning duties.

Bonnie was in the kitchen when we got there, working on the biscuits. Cammie joined her and I worked on the coffee. Dianne showed up and gave me a kiss before slicing the sausage for frying.

Once I had the coffee made, I took the three pots to the living room and lit the pot warmers. I poured myself a cup of coffee and lit my first and sat back to relax some.

When the kids showed up, they joined me after I got a kiss from Chrissy and Donna. We chatted about what needed to be done today. We knew the new troughs and a hay ring needed to be moved, but that wouldn't take all that long. Jamie said that we needed to build the shelters for the troughs. I nodded and then another thought hit me.

"We also need to move Deanne's and Donna's bedroom furniture up here so there will be room for ya'all's grandparents to move in."

"Are the rooms ready for that?" Jamie asked.

"I don't know if we could set them up, but we could at least drain the beds and dismantle them to get everything ready. That's gonna take some time and we don't wanna be rushin' around when we're tryin' to move them in."

"I guess we could do that. Have we heard from Grandma and Grandpa when they're movin'?"

"No, they needed to get the place rented and decide what they're gonna do with their furniture first."

"Well, then I'd vote for the shelters first and the furniture next."

"Sounds like a good idea."

The women brought in the food and we all chowed down. We had our usual feast of eggs, sausage, grits, and biscuits, along with juice, milk and coffee. Once we'd eaten, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

We told the women what we had planned for today and they acknowledged it. Bonnie said they were going to check to see if they could get in the garden yet. I reminded them that Jimmy and his kids would be back sometime tomorrow and the kids would be flying out on Tuesday. They just nodded their heads and continued with their coffee.

I heard the construction crew drive in, but I didn't need to talk with them before they went to work, so I just continued with my coffee and after breakfast cigarette. This was a peaceful time in the day and we could all relax before all the hustle and bustle started and we took advantage of it.

Once we finished, I walked around to the new construction and looked around. I found the contractor and asked him when the upstairs would be finished. He told me that it should be done by the end of the day and then they'd all be working on our bedroom and finally the hot tub room. I thanked him and walked back around so us guys could get to work.

I suggested that we get the lumber for the shelters first and then we wouldn't need to interrupt our day by driving to town. They agreed and I got the checkbook from the office and we headed for town.

We got to the lumberyard and I told the clerk what we needed. He wrote it up and I paid him before driving around to the loading dock. We helped the guy load the material into the pickup and then headed back home.

Once we got there, Jessie hooked up the wagon to the old tractor and I took the tractor with the forks on it and we headed for Jimmy's place. We got the two troughs and hay ring from his second place and loaded them on the wagon. Then we drove them to the pasture next to where the calves were and placed them in a convenient place for us to feed. We left plenty of room to make the turn with the spreader and get back out without much of a problem. Then we drove back to the workshop.

Building the shelters wasn't much of a problem. The big time consumer was cutting the half-lap joints and measuring everything. We were almost done with the first one when the dinner bell rang.

We walked up to the back porch and washed up before making our way to the table. We ate our soup and made our sandwiches. Bonnie had fresh tomatoes for our sandwiches along with some fresh lettuce and green onions. We ate our fill and then sat back to enjoy our coffee.

Once that was done, we headed back for the workshop and finished off the one shelter and began work on the next one. The half-lap joints still took up the majority part of the time, but we finally got the shelters finished and carried them outside and loaded them on the wagon. Then we drove them to the pasture and set them up. They were exactly the same as the others, so there were no surprises. We set them in place and made sure they were not sitting on any rocks and were completely solid and wouldn't blow over.

We headed back to the house and put everything away and cleaned up the workshop. The shop vac got a good workout cleaning up all the sawdust that we created. Once we got all the tools put away, we decided that we might just as well feed the calves. It was too late to start another project, so that's what we agreed on.

Jessie worked the feed bin chute and Jamie took the tractor with the forks on it. Then we headed back for Jimmy's place and discharged our feed and cut the round bales up for the calves. Once the calves were feeding, we started back for the house. When we got there, I hosed out the feeder and we put the tractors away.

We walked up to the porch and Jessie went inside to get us some tea and glasses. Chrissy came out with him and asked me if I'd called the vet to get the two milk cows impregnated.

"Are they in season?"

"Yep, both of 'em. It's a good time."

I told her I hadn't but I would do it right now. I poured my tea and then got the phone and called Doc Tompkins. I told him what I needed and we made an appointment for Friday morning.

With that done, I went back to the porch and enjoyed my tea. We chatted until we were called for supper.

Bonnie had made a pork roast with all the trimmings. She also made some stewed tomatoes to go along with the meal. Then Donna brought out her peach cobblers and we dug into them. The meal was great and I was glad I was working a lot, otherwise I'd be so fat I'd have to stick out my arms to see if I was rolling or walking.

We sat back and finished our meal with coffee. We chatted and Bonnie said that they should be able to can the pickles next week sometime. She thought they'd probably work on them on Thursday since Wednesday we'd have company.

After we finished our coffee, the kids headed for their chores and the women began to clear the table. I walked out to the porch and took a seat. I thought about what needed to be done and thought we probably should start on the bedroom furniture tomorrow. We could get them drained and probably move them later in the day. It shouldn't take too much to do that. They already had all their clothes here, so the beds and dressers were all that remained. It would take about 3 hours to drain the beds and another hour to take them apart and get them loaded.

The kids came back and sat with me. I told them my thoughts on tomorrow and they agreed. We chatted until the women came out and we filled them in on what we had planned. Cammie asked if the rooms were finished and I told her I thought they were.

That was all they needed to hear and we all headed for the new bedrooms to check out everything. It looked pretty good. There were still a couple things that needed to be completed, like putting the covers on the electrical outlets and switches, but that was minor. The rooms were identical, like mirror images of each other.

Next we checked the new bathroom and it was completed. Everything was in place, even the outlets and switch plates. There were now six bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs, plus the office. Since Jamie had moved out, there was a spare bedroom upstairs. We had all of the computers in the office. It was a bit crowded, but it was a central place and it wouldn't be easy for the kids to hide and shirk their homework.

Once the inspection was complete, we went back to the porch and chatted until it got dark. Then we went inside and watched the news. The weather was the same but the chances for any rain this weekend looked a lot slimmer. That really didn't make any difference since we'd had that good rain and there was plenty of moisture in the ground.

Once the weather was over, Jamie and Dianne gave out their kisses and left for their place to be by themselves. Being with family is great as long as you can get away and have time by yourselves.

The rest of us chatted for a bit and then we all headed for bed. We closed up and turned everything off and then used the bathroom before slipping into bed. We cuddled and kissed for a bit and then Donna said, "I'm really gonna miss sleepin' with ya'all. It's just so comfortable to be next to ya'all when I'm sleepin'."

"I know, hon. But you've still got a year before you finish school and it's important that you have time to yourself."

"I think my time with you two is much more important than bein' by myself. I really don't like bein' alone."

"But you won't be alone. We're always here."

"I know, but I won't be next to you when I'm sleepin'. I'll miss that."

"Well, we'll miss you too. But it's for the best. With you sleepin' down here all the time, it could make it look like me and Cammie's playin' favorites and we don't want that. We all know that you're special to us, but we don't wanna rub their noses in it. It's just best for all concerned. And, Cammie and I need time to be alone together too. It's not that we don't love you, but we need time for ourselves. Can you understand that?"

"Oh, yes. I wouldn't ever want to come between you two, I just wanna be part."

"Hon, you are part of us and you will be even more when you graduate from high school and Dean takes you as his bitch," Cammie put in. "Then ever'thing will change. I've got a feelin' that Mama will be movin' in with Jimmy by that time and you can move down to her bedroom."

"Really?"

"Ya, I think that's probably gonna happen. But you can't move down until you finish high school. And then you have to make sure you get ready for college, just like you promised."

"Oh, that's no problem. This year I'm gonna work with the counselor and she can help me get ready for college. She graduated from college in Little Rock and will know all about the teachin' courses."

"Well, I'm sure she can help you," I said. "But it is still you that must do it."

"I know and I'm gonna do it. I already promised ya'all that I would and I wanna be a teacher. I think I can really help the kids."

"I'm sure you can too. Both Cammie and I are countin' on ya."

She settled down a bit and we kissed and cuddled until we drifted off to sleep.

We woke up in the usual manner and then used the bathroom and washed up. After getting dressed, we headed for our morning duties.

Cammie worked with Bonnie on the biscuits and I worked on the coffee. Dianne came in and began slicing the sausage after I got a kiss. After the coffee had steeped, I took the three pots to the dining room and lit the pot warmers and my first. Then I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat back.

Jimmy would be home today so I wouldn't be without company in the mornings and evenings. Being alone gave me time to think, but I really preferred to have someone to talk with. I was looking forward to that.

The kids showed up and we chatted after they poured their coffee. We agreed that we'd start on the bedroom furniture this morning and we could probably move the beds this afternoon sometime. The girls said that Bonnie had plans for the garden today, so they wouldn't be able to help much. I told them that us guys could handle it.

The women brought breakfast in and we went to work on the food. It was great as usual and then we sat back and sipped our coffee. Bonnie confirmed that they were going to work in the garden today. She said that after they canned the pickles they were going to start on the sauerkraut. She told us that most of the cabbage should be ready by then and we were going to have a lot of sauerkraut put up.

"Dean, can the food processor handle the cabbage?"

"I'm sure it can, but for sauerkraut, I'd think the slicer would do a quicker job."

"I never thought about that. We could probably cut up a couple heads at a time with that."

"Probably could. Mom used to cut it with a knife, but it seemed like it took forever and she was always cuttin' herself."

"If you sharpened the knives, I can sure believe that."

"Actually, I didn't start sharpenin' until after she was done with her cannin'. I was a bit young when she was puttin' up kraut. But my dad's father had been a butcher and taught him to sharpen them. He could never quite get the hang of it, but did a decent job. But it was eventually passed to me as my chore. It was Mom's dad that taught me to sharpen knives."

"Well, he musta been a good teacher. We're almost afraid to use 'em. And we sure don't get our fingers anywheres close to 'em."

"That's the idea, Bonnie. They're supposed to cut up what you're slicin', not your fingers."

"Well, they'd probably take a finger off if we got anywheres near the blade. I ain't never seen things so sharp, 'cept for Daddy's ol' razor."

"Actually, a dull knife is more of a danger than a sharp one. You have to use more force with a dull one and they can slip. This way, you just slice and it cuts."

"Yep, they do. Anything in its path."

I told the women what we had planned for today and they didn't have any objections. We chatted as we finished our coffee. We talked about various things and finally drained the last pot.

Us guy headed for the pickup and then to the workshop. We got two hoses and some tools and started out for the old Miller place.

When we got there, I got the hoses in the mattresses and started them draining. That was about all we could do with them until they were done.

Since the dressers and the chests were empty, we started carrying them down to the truck. We found out that we could only get one set in at a time, so that's what we did. We hauled Donna's dresser and chest to the house and I walked out to the garden and asked her which bedroom she wanted. She said the one on the south side since it had the sun.

I walked back and we carried the furniture up there and just set it in the room. There was no reason to put in any particular place since I knew it would be moved as soon as she came upstairs. Then we went back for Deanne's furniture.

We got that loaded and drove it to the house. We did the same with that and then went back to check on the beds. They had only drained about one third of the water, so we just left them and drove back to the house.

Just as we were pulling up, Jimmy and his kids drove up the lane. We waited for them to drive up and then greeted them as they got out of the vehicle.

"Well, how was your vacation?" I asked.

"Interesting, I guess," Jimmy replied. "We did a lot of boatin' and swimmin'. Sarah insisted that we do some shoppin' and Dave wanted to see some shows. We made a trip to Springfield so Sarah could roam through the big mall there. Then we went to see The Baldknobbers and the next night we went to Presley's. I used your computer to see who all was there, but nobody was in town that anyone wanted to see. So them's the only two shows we went to."

"What did ya think of them?"

"They were entertainin', but overpriced in my book. But I guess that's the goin' rate now. I would have never paid thirty dollars a person to see anyone, but that seems to be normal."

"I guess it is. To be honest, I've never been to a show over there. I just don't like the crowds or the traffic."

"Well, me neither, but the kids insisted."

"Been there."

By this time, the women had made their way around and Bonnie walked over and gave Jimmy a kiss. His kids didn't seem to blink an eye and that surprised me. But I was pleased that they were accepting it.

We walked up to the porch and took a seat. Donna and Chrissy went inside and returned with two big pitchers of iced tea and glasses with ice in them for everyone. We chatted about their visit. They had done a lot of diving but didn't do any spear fishing since Jimmy wasn't in the mood to cook. They also did a lot of water skiing. Basically they had a great time.

"So what's been happenin' around here?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, we've got the rest of the calves comin' on Wednesday," I told him. "And Frank and Allen are gonna be here to help with the shots and spraying."

"You forgot to tell him that the women were comin' over too," Bonnie added.

"Oh ya, the women are comin' over too," I put in, with a smile.

"How many are we gettin'?" he asked, when he could get a word in.

"27, just like we were expectin'. We've moved new troughs and a hay ring to the pasture where we'll put 'em after the shots. Then us guys built the shelters for the troughs and got them over there, yesterday."

"Will we be able to get enough feed in the spreader for the extra calves?"

"Yep. That shouldn't be a problem. We've figured on splitting the current herd and makin' three herds. We'll have two herds of 47 and one of 48."

"And we'll be able to get enough feed in the spreader with one load?"

"We should. Maybe next spring, when they're bigger, we might have to make two trips, but right now it should be just fine with one."

"Works for me. Any word on William and Lena movin' over here?"

"Not yet. But we're startin' to move Donna's and Deanne's bedroom furniture over here. The upstairs is finished and they should finish the downstairs sometime next week."

"Well, that's good news."

"Oh, and the photo shoot is gonna be the third full week in August. Sharon and the crew will be gettin' here the Friday before to get set up. The guy for the barn roofs is comin' over next week to get started on them."

"Damn, looks like I missed a lot. It also looks like ya'all had some rain."

"Yep, we did. Didn't ya'all get any up there?"

"Nope, just a few sprinkles, but it probably didn't even settle the dust."

"We had a good two day rain. It came down slow and all soaked in. We really haven't been able to do much until yesterday. The ground was just too wet. We left tracks where ever we went."

"Well, I'm sure the corn needed it and it probably didn't hurt the pastures or the hay fields none, neither."

"Nope, but we really haven't been able to check. And I think the last thing is that Bonnie's wood lot is gonna be cut off before too long."

"Well, that'll give us some play time. We'll be able to use up some of them caps I brought."

"It's kinda strange. The big storm we had took down some trees and the ones that came down hardly had any taproot at all. We might not have to do too much shootin' to get 'em out. In fact some of 'em might just pull out."

"Aw hell, that ain't no fun."

"Maybe it was only the ones that blew down had the small tap root. I don't know for sure. We'll need to check things out when we start."

"Well, ya'all can sit and BS all you want, but it's gettin' time for lunch," Bonnie spoke up. "Us women need to start gettin' it ready. Ya'all wash up and it'll be ready in about a half an hour."

"We'll be there," Jimmy said. "I'm tired of restaurant food."

Bonnie got a big smile on her face as she and the girls headed for the kitchen.



-------

Chapter 29

We all chatted until we were called for lunch. As we sat around the table, after devouring all the food the women had served, we chatted over our coffee.

"I've been divin' in a lot of places before," Jimmy said, "but that's the clearest lake I've ever been in. We were down almost 30 feet and it looked like we were next to the surface."

"It is clear," I responded. "Did you see any caves?"

"Not where we were divin'. I talked to some people when we got our tanks charged, and they told me that there was a bunch of caves a lot farther up the lake. Somethin' about Buzzard's Bluff, but we didn't venture up that far. We stayed pretty close to the cabin. We went west to the next point and found a pretty deep bluff just before we got to the next point marker."

"That would be Shoal Creek. It does get real deep there, over a hundred feet just west of the entrance to the creek. Buzzard's Bluff is about two or three more point markers up the lake. That's where the Buzzards roost and sometimes nest up there. Their nesting holes are the air holes to caves. But the entrances are under water about fifty feet or so. I've never dove on them, but I've talked to some folks who have. They say it's interesting, but they haven't gone in too far."

"Well, we really didn't know where it was and didn't wanna spend time searchin'. We saw a lot of fish when we were divin', but they didn't appear to be feedin' on anything. They were just keepin' cool. There are some very big fish in that place."

"That there is. A couple years ago, a guy caught a forty-seven pound striper up by Buzzard's Bluff."

"Hell, somethin' that big wouldn't even fit in your live well."

"Nope, I'd have to fold 'im to get 'im in. I think they said he was close to forty three inches long, but I ain't real sure about that."

"Damn, that musta put some strain on the line."

"Well, he was fishin' for 'em and had a pretty stout rig. About a year before that, I was fishin' up across from where ya'all were divin' and was talkin' to a guy. His brother had come down and they were fishin' top water in the spring. He said he watched a striper snatch his brother's lure and take off. His brother was usin' an open face spinnin' reel with six-pound test on it. He said he set the hook and the fish took off. Once he'd run out the fifty yards of line he had on the reel, the line snapped and the fish didn't even slow down."

"Damn, that's a tale of the one that got away."

"Yep. I always use at least fifteen-pound test on mine. When he runs out of line, I wanna at least be able to slow him down some."

"Well, we had a pretty good time. The kids got to do a lot of skiin' and I got to do a lot of boat drivin'. It was a good vacation. But now I'm ready to get back to work."

"About the only thing we've got left to do before the calves get here is to moved the squeeze chutes close to where we're gonna put 'em when we they get here. I've checked on the meds and we got plenty. We're gonna move Deanne's and Donna's beds to the upstairs as soon as they drain and we dismantle them."

"Have ya'all done the wallpaperin' yet?"

"Nope. Ever'thing is ordered and we got the bead board and chair rail sittin' in the workshop, but it's been too humid to paint 'em. They should finish up next week sometime and the wallpaper is supposed to be here by then. They had to special order it."

"That should be a real interestin' project. I'm lookin' forward to watchin' it."

"Don't even go there. You're just beggin' for trouble."

We finished our coffee and us guys headed for the front porch while the women cleaned off the table and worked on the dishes. We continued our chat on the porch. It was good to have Jimmy back. I had someone who I could actually talk to who had similar thoughts to mine.

"So when we get the calves processed, where are we gonna put 'em?" he asked.

"We've picked out a pasture next to where we have the current herds. That way we won't be runnin' all over the place when we feed."

"Makes sense. How're ya gonna split the herds?"

"Well, we'll have two herds of 47 and one of 48. I figured we'd take the loners out of the current herds to make up the balance of the new herd. That way we won't be breakin' up the peckin' order too much. We'll probably wait until Thursday to move 'em over. Frank and Allen will probably be wantin' to get home after dinner on Wednesday. They'll still have their chores to do."

"Do ya think we'll have any problems cuttin' the loners out of the current herds?"

"We shouldn't, but we can always rope 'em and drag 'em if we do."

"I'm thinkin' we'll probably have to rope a good many of 'em. My recollections are they don't like to leave the herd, even if they are the low ones on the totem pole."

"Yep, they do get set in their ways. But that'll give us a chance to laugh at each other. None of us do enough ropin' to be good at it no more."

"I'll say. It does take practice."

I checked the time and thought the waterbeds were probably drained by now, so we decided that we could head over there and finish them off. Us guys headed for the pickup and then stopped at the workshop so I could get the cordless drill to use as a screw gun.

When we got there, the beds had drained as much as they were going to with just the siphon hose. We pulled the hoses out and then capped the mattresses. It took two of us to roll each mattress up and drag it to the bathroom with the water that was left in them. Once we had them in the bathtub, I uncapped them and let the water drain completely out.

As they were draining, we went back to the beds and removed the brads that were holding the liner in the frames. Then I got the screw gun working and dismantled the bed frames. After I marked the individual pieces, the boys carried all the parts down to the truck. It took a while for the mattresses to finally drain. Once they did, I capped them and we carried them to the pickup and loaded them in, being careful not to snag them on anything. We sure didn't need a leak on the new construction.

We hauled everything back to the house and the boys began to carry everything upstairs. I went to the garden and told the women what we were doing and asked them if they wanted to come upstairs and show us where they wanted everything. That was a no brainer. They had to be the ones that designed the rooms, including the placement of the furniture.

Of course everyone had to help with the design, so all the females followed us upstairs. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Well, I know I don't want the bed under the window," Donna said, "and it won't fit on the wall with the closet, so it's just this wall or close to the corner between the two windows."

"I think it would look good if you put it between the two windows," Cammie offered.

"That would leave me more room in the center, but I don't know if I wanna be that crowded and close to the wall."

"Why don't we see how it looks?" Bonnie put in.

"Ok, this is not a normal bed. It's a water bed and it can't be moved around after it's set up," I told them.

"Oh, we know that," Bonnie said. "We mean just put the headboard and the footboard up and the two night stands next to them."

I grabbed the headboard while Jimmy grabbed one of the nightstands. He set it down next to the wall and I put the headboard next to it. Jamie set the other nightstand next to the headboard while Jessie held the footboard in place.

"I don't know. Can we see what it'll look like on this wall? Donna asked.

So we moved everything to the other wall and put it in place. This was going to be a long afternoon.

"What about if we put the bed cattywampus between the windows," Cammie suggested.

"Ya, then we could put a floor lamp behind the bed," Bonnie put in.

So we moved everything over there and held it in place while they studied it.

"Well, if we put the dresser over there and the chest by the closet, that might work."

"I don't know," Cammie said. "Wouldn't that be a bit crowded?"

Jimmy and Dave moved the dresser and then the chest so the women could see how it looked. They studied on it for a bit and then asked us to move the bed back so it was straight on the wall.

Once again, we moved the headboard and night stands for them. Once again, they studied it.

"We didn't see how the dresser and chest looked with the bed on this wall," Donna said.

I silently growled and picked up the headboard and moved it to the wall after Dave and Jimmy moved the dresser. Jamie and Jessie moved the nightstands and then Dave held up the footboard.

Once again, they studied it with a designer's eye and looked at it from several angles.

"No, I think I like it better when it was cattywampus," Donna finally said.

"Me too," Cammie put in.

"Well, it does seem like there's more room that way," Bonnie brought out, "but it sorta makes things outa whack."

"No, I think I like it cattywampus," Donna said again. "If we get a floor lamp for behind, that would give me light from behind the bed and the overhead light. Then I've got two lamps for the night stands."

"If it's cattywampus, then you could put a nice chair in here to sit in when you get dressed," Cammie brought up.

"Ya, we've got one down at the house that would fit perfectly in here."

"And, you could put one of the night stands by the chair or maybe buy a little table for there," Chrissy said, after holding her silence all this time.

"Ok," Donna finally said, after studying it in silence for about five minutes, "let's put it cattywampus."

"Are you positive?" I asked. "Because once it's set up, it don't get moved."

"Yep, I'm sure. That's the way I want it."

"Ok, ya'all let us do our job and decide how you want Deanne's room set up."

"Oh, we can't decide that without her," Bonnie said. "Let's call her."

They all left for downstairs and the phone and I quickly began assembling the bed before they could change their mind. I didn't want to leave even a slight chance that they would want it changed after talking to Deanne.

I got the side rails attached to the headboard and footboard and then put the support braces in the middle. Once they were assembled, I laid the decking on them and secured it to the side rails. Then we spread out the liner and began to tack it in place.

Once that was secure, the mattress was spread out and all the wrinkles were smoothed out. I hooked up the hose and began to fill the mattress. It was too late for any changes now. This was history.

While we were waiting for the mattress to fill, we went down to the front porch and Jamie and Jessie brought out iced tea and glasses. We all poured ourselves a glass and sipped while the women talked on the phone. I was praying for a quick decision on the next set up, but I wasn't banking on it.

We were out there about twenty minutes before the females came out. They had talked to Deanne and she really didn't care how we placed it as long as she wasn't sleeping under a window. I asked them how they were planning it and they thought it should be the same as Donna's. I just nodded my head and didn't offer up anything that would change their minds.

We finished our tea and then we all went back upstairs. Very quickly, I began to set things in place and Jimmy and Jamie held them while I began using the screw gun to assemble them. Dave and Jessie moved the dresser and chest into place and waited until we had the bed assembled before putting the night stands in place.

With the mattress spread out, I ran a second hose to the other bathroom and began to fill the mattress. I told the females someone would need to stick around upstairs to make sure the water didn't run cold. If it did, then they needed to shut it off and wait for the water heaters to recover before turning them back on again. I also told them not to let it fill beyond the side rails and after it was filled they needed to plug in the heater. They said they would take care of that. Donna said that all of the bed linen was still at the old house. Cammie said she'd drive down and get them while they watched the water.

Us guys took that as our cue to disappear. We gathered up our tools and made our way downstairs. It was getting close to four, so we decided to feed the calves.

We went from the shop to the equipment shed and got the tractors going. Jamie worked the feed bin chute as I pulled under, while Dave and Jessie rode with Jimmy.

We headed over to the pastures and I discharged the feed while the others speared the round bales and put them in the hay rings and cut them apart for the calves.

After that, we drove back to the equipment shed. I hosed out the spreader and we put everything away. Then we walked to the front porch and Jamie and Jessie got us more tea and ice for our glasses. We sat there for a bit and just chatted. Finally Bonnie came out and told me I needed to start the fire so I could cook the steaks.

Jimmy and I headed for the back porch and I got the charcoal in the grill and lit. He got us a Dos Equis each and we sat and chatted while the charcoal burned down.

"I didn't think we were ever gonna get a decision out them women about the furniture," I said, as I sipped.

"Actually, I think we got off pretty easy. With that many women tryin' to make up their minds, we coulda been there for hours."

"I think it took 'em about an hour to make up their mind."

"It probably did, but with that many women it could have been four or five hours. It's a good thing those are waterbeds or we'd still be movin' after they were set up."

"I'm afraid you're right about that."

Cammie came out and asked, "Can we shut off the hoses and finish them tomorrow?"

"Yes, as long as they plug the heater in, but why would ya'all do that?"

"Well, we all need to get a shower for tonight and we don't think they'll be full by then."

"Oh damn. We've got the Grange Hall tonight."

"Yes we do and don't even try to think about gettin' out of it."

"I'm not, I just forgot about it."

"Uh huh. After you eat, it'll be your turn to get showered and dressed."

"Yes, dear."

I got a quick kiss and she went back inside.

"Now we know why it didn't take any longer. They'd be cuttin' into tonight's fun."

"I'm sure that was in the back of their mind, but they could have kept goin' and left the final decision until tomorrow."

"Geez, don't let them hear that. They might have us drain the damn things and start all over."

"Do you honestly think they hadn't thought about that already?"

"They probably have, but ain't no use in give 'em any ammunition."

We chuckled and then I checked the fire. It was about burnt down so I spread the coals around evenly and walked inside to get the steaks. I carried them out and put them on the grill. I put them in order as to who wanted them done in what way. The rare ones on the edges and the mediums and well done closer to the center.

Cammie opened the door and asked how long it would be. I told her about ten minutes and she closed the door and disappeared inside.

Jimmy and I finished our Dos Equis and watched the steaks cook. I turned them and had to sprinkle some water on the coals to quench a flare up. We chatted and I told him that I thought his kids were taking his relationship with Bonnie pretty well.

"Ya know, it surprised me, but they think I should be lookin' for someone. Sarah actually told me that I was way too young not to be tryin' to find a lady. It surprised the hell out of me. Of course, Dave just goes with the flow. Nothin' seems to upset him too much."

"Yep, sons are like that. The girls are interested about the relationships and the boys are just interested in them if it is gonna affect them. If not, then they really don't care that much."

"I think their age has a lot to do with it. They knew how unhappy I was in D.C., so I think they're seein' how bein' out here has improved things."

"That's a real plus. At least they won't be expectin' you to move back there."

"No, and they know that they'll be on their own in a couple years, so it's not like they're losin' a home or nothin' like that. I think Dave really likes it out here. Of course, Sarah wouldn't be here if her life depended on it. There's no place to shop or to be with the high society folks."

"Well, males and females have different priorities about these things. I know that Sue would never consider livin' out here. She loves to ride and to spend time in the country, but she's got to be where the action is. If her only entertainment was the Grange Hall on Saturday night, she'd go nuts."

"Yep, they do have different interests in life. I don't know what Dave wants to do. He's majorin' in Computer Science, but he'll probably get very bored with that in the future. He's more of an outdoor person and I really don't think that he'll survive in an office atmosphere. Now Sarah just loves that kind of environment. She'll probably wind up with a major corporation and be completely happy there. They're just different."

I started taking the steaks off and Jimmy put the cover back on the grill and closed the vents so the coals would go out. Then we carried the steaks to the table and took our seats.

The women brought in baked potatoes and corn on the cob. We also had salad and green onions with our meal. It was great. Then Donna brought out her apple cobblers and we all made room for them. Afterwards, we sipped our coffee and chatted.

Once the coffee was gone, us guys were given instructions to get our showers and get dressed so the women could have access to the showers when they were done with the dishes. Jimmy and I acknowledged our orders. The kids headed for the barn and the chores. Jimmy and his kids headed for his place and I headed for the bedroom.

I took a quick shower and then knocked off the few whiskers I needed to and finally got dressed. Then I carried the guitar to the van and took a seat on the front porch to wait for everyone else. When the kids came back from their chores, they all scrambled to get a shower. Jamie and Dianne took off for their place and the rest made use of the bathrooms here.

Jessie was the first to join me on the porch. We talked and pretty soon, Donna joined us. Then Chrissy came out and joined our conversation. It wasn't long until Jamie and Dianne showed up. Jessie made a beeline for the door and went to tell Bonnie that they were leaving. He wasn't one for sitting around when he could be on his way to pick up the twins.

Jimmy and his kids arrived and joined our discussion group until Cammie and Bonnie showed up. Bonnie rode with Jimmy and his kids and the rest came with me and Cammie in the van. I was pleased to see Jimmy's kids get in the back seat and leave the front seat for Bonnie. They were taking this very well.

At the Grange Hall, I carried the guitar inside and set it out. Then I took a look at the play list and I didn't see anything that would raise any red flags. I'd played all of the songs before.

Jimmy set his guitar out and then we took our seat with the women. It wasn't long before Frank and Allen showed up and joined us. Jenna and Fran took their seats at the other end of the table, with the women.

"So, how's this operation work with the calves?" Frank asked.

"Well, after they're unloaded into the pasture, we have Jessie and Donna force them into the squeeze chutes and we go to work on them. We've got four chutes that we use and that cuts down on the processin' time. Then I give them the shots and the others spray them and put ear tags in after I'm done. Once they're finished, they're let out and driven to the next pasture and we start on the next four."

"Sounds pretty simple. How long does it take?"

"A lot longer than you would think. The spraying takes the longest time. We have to make sure they're completely covered and that's the big time killer."

"What do you spray 'em with?"

"We've got some hand sprayers that you pump up and it takes about three charges per calf."

"Well, I'm sure lookin' forward to this. If it's as simple as you say it is, then I can save myself a good sum on my next herd."

"Me too," Allen put in. "Even if it would take me a couple days to get it done, it'd be cheaper than payin' the vet to come out and do it."

"It's not difficult, but it sure is time consumin'. One person would be hard pressed to get very many through in a day."

"Oh, help is easy to find. We swap work with the other farmers around me. Once they see how it works, they'll probably wanna do it too. Plus, I've got the kids. They'll hate it, but that's part of growin' up."

Elmer called us up on stage to get started. We all tuned up and then I lead off the first set with "I'm Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old." Then the other singer took the next one with "Where Am I Gonna Live When I Get Home."

We swapped back and forth until we got through the first set and then took a break. Jimmy and I each got ourselves a Coke and took our seat at the table. I had no sooner sat down when the twins surrounded me. I got a kiss from each of them on the cheek and they held my arms as they stood by me.

"Are we gonna get to help on Wednesday?" Lana asked.

"I'm pretty sure we can find somethin' for ya'all to do," I told them.

"Good, because we don't like just hangin' out with the women," Leanne said.

"Well, Jessie generally stays in the pasture and forces the calves into the squeeze chutes. Can ya'all ride a cuttin' horse?"

"Sure," Lana answered. "Well, we can ride, but I don't know about a cuttin' horse."

"I guess we can try ya'all in there. If ya'all fall off too much, then we'll find somethin' else for ya to do."

"How many calves are ya gettin'?" Leanne asked.

"27 this time. They'll be in a pasture and they have to be run into the chutes. Then we work on them and let them out so they can be put in another pasture."

"Oh, we can do that," Lana said.

"Ok, well then ya'all have a job."

"Ok," they said, in unison, and I got a kiss on the cheek from both of them.

"All right, you two, we're talkin' here. Take off and be with your friends so we can have some peace and quiet," Frank told them.

"Ok, Daddy."

They left and we went back to talking about farming and cattle stuff until Elmer called us back up on stage for the second set. We played mostly rowdy songs and had a lot of folks up dancing and singing along. When they're doing that, I know they're having a good time and that's the entire reason we're up here. All of us had broken a sweat during that set. The rowdy songs will do that.

When the set was over, Jimmy and I each got ourselves a Coke and then we sat down at the table. We continued our conversation where we'd left off and talked about giving the shots and the spraying. I explained how I gave the shots and told them it wasn't really that difficult. The main thing was to pull back on the plunger to make sure no blood appeared in the syringe.

We chatted until it was time for the third set. We all tuned up again and played our last set. It was mainly slow songs so they could dance close and rub bellies. The dance floor was always occupied and some folks were singing along. When the final song came around, I was happy to see it over. It had seemed like a long day for me, but I guess that was just normal at times.

Jimmy and I packed up our guitars and sat at the table to wait for the women to get ready to leave. We weren't there too long before the twins were on either side of me, holding my arms and rubbing their tits against me. They didn't say anything, but just listened to what we were saying.

We sat there about a half an hour before Allen finally said it was time to leave. The hen party at the other end of the table broke up and we all made our way to our vehicles and drove home.

We got home and everyone came in to chat and wait for Jessie to arrive. There wasn't really any one subject we covered, but a variety of things, from school to the work that needed done around here.

When Jessie finally got home, Bonnie kissed Jimmy good night and he and his kids left for his place. Jamie and Dianne had come in and gave out their kisses before they left for their place. Then we turned everything off, gave out our kisses and closed up before heading for bed. It had been a long day and I was tired.



-------

Chapter 30

We got undressed and headed for the bathroom. Then we slipped into bed and cuddled and kissed for a bit and then drifted off to sleep. It came easily to me, for some reason I was tired.

I awoke, not to the rooster, but to Donna sitting on top of me. Somehow, she had rolled me on my back and had impaled herself on me. She was gently rocking and grinding her pelvis against me. As I reached up and gently caressed her nipples, she came and froze in place. She stayed in that position for a few seconds and then almost collapsed on me. Her mouth found mine and her tongue invaded my mouth. She quietly moaned and she rode out her orgasm.

As she slowly came down from her high, she pulled her mouth away and whispered, "Now that you're awake, you can get on top and really love me."

I gently rolled her over and her legs immediately circled my waist.

"Darlin', I really do love you."

"I know, but I want to feel you lovin' me. I need you and just want to feel you on top of me and inside of me."

She pulled my head down for more kisses and I began a very slow fucking motion. She matched my strokes and shivered almost everytime I bottomed out. Her nipples were like pebbles digging into my chest and she had me in her grasp with her legs and arms.

Our combined motion was hardly enough to make any waves in the bed. It was a very slow love making session that was happening.

I began to use my tongue in time with my cock, sliding it in and out in time with our fucking. When I began that, she began sucking on it like she was giving it a blowjob and caressing it with her tongue as it slid out.

With that action, it didn't take long for her to orgasm again. Her legs and arms locked me in place as her pussy snapped at me. She was flooding the bed with the juice that oozed out around my cock and she was shaking under me.

As she released me, she gasped for air and her hips went back into motion, which I matched.

"Oh God, I love you so much," she whispered. "When you're inside me, I feel like I'm part of you."

"Hon, you are part of me. A very big part of my life."

"But I mean I feel like I'm attached to you and we're actually just one person. You just make me feel so good about myself."

"You should feel good about yourself. You're a good person and that can never change."

"I just never knew what love could actually be until I found you. It's like you gave birth to me when I found you. I can hardly remember how it was before we were together. It seems like this is my whole life."

She pulled me back into a kiss without giving me a chance to respond. It was clear that this was a woman in love and a woman possessed with love. This is what she saw as the pinnacle in her life. I couldn't understand it, but I sure wasn't questioning it. I had been given two women that loved me and that was far more than I deserved. Finding one woman to love you is a blessing and I can't imagine how I could define having two.

Our lips never parted until she came again and needed to gasp for air. Her pussy was snapping at me and I was trying to hold out for as long as I could. I wanted this to be just for her and I sure didn't want to cut it short by cumming too soon.

As we progressed, the time between her orgasms became less and less. They were occurring about every two minutes and getting stronger. If it was possible, I think her nipples were getting harder and sticking out more and digging into my chest.

With the next orgasm, she clamped even tighter to me and held me in position. I could only rock a bit to try and increase her pleasure a bit. Her entire body was shaking as she rode the waves of her pleasure over the peak and back down the other side.

Once she recovered, her fucking motions increased and I matched hers. This probably created more waves and must have woken Cammie. The first I knew she was awake was her kissing my ear as Donna sucked on my sliding tongue. Then Cammie moved down and kissed on Donna's ear.

Donna moaned at the arrival of more stimulation. Her hips began moving more strongly and she was almost slamming them against me. We still weren't moving fast, but hard. Then I felt Cammie move down slightly and begin licking Donna's breast and trying to get to her nipple. I raised my side just a bit and Cammie took advantage of that motion and captured the nipple. When that happened, Donna exploded.

Donna's legs and arms clamped tight and Cammie was trapped in the sandwich. I don't think she minded, but her working on Donna's nipple brought an even stronger orgasm. Her body shook and she moaned into my mouth as she soared to even greater heights. Her pussy gushed so much that I'm surprised we didn't have a puddle on the bed. I know the wet spot was rapidly spreading, but no one cared about that.

When Donna finally came down, her hips began moving faster. At this rate, I was not going to last very long at all. I altered my position so I was ending my stroke at the entrance to her cervix. This drove her to begin to fuck even harder. With that new urgency, my organs must have told the rest of my body that it was time.

The tickle started and my balls drew up tightly to my body and I knew I was fading fast. It was only a few more strokes before the first shot exploded from me and against the mouth of her cervix. Considering how strong it was, I'm surprised it didn't terminate inside of her ovaries. It felt like I had unleashed a shot that had been held back until enough pressure had cleared the final blockage and mushroomed out like an exploding volcano expelling its molten lava high into the atmosphere.

Donna moaned loudly as she felt the invasion and the second expulsion was just as strong and was delivered in the same place. I could almost feel my body recoil as the shot left the barrel.

Then the third shot exited and Donna was lost in her own orgasm. We were both lost in a fog of sexual pleasure that had no signs of lifting in the near future. At each shot of cum, Donna's body would shake harder and my muscles would lock up and try to expel the entire load at once.

I lost track of the number of contractions I had and couldn't have counted them if I had tried. My mind was concentrated in the end of my cock and was not the least bit interested in counting any thing. We could have been going at this for hours, for all I knew, but I'm sure it wasn't that long. Even when I was down to just oozing, I was still contracting, trying desperately to shoot harder so I could plant the seeds deeper.

When the realization finally hit me that I was out of cum, I just held myself in place, against the mouth of her cervix and tried to extend her pleasure by rocking. She finally ripped her mouth away so we could both breathe and gasp for the air we so desperately needed.

Very slowly, I began to wilt within her and I altered my position so I would not be squeezed out so quickly. She rolled her hips up some and helped hold me in place. I gently moved around to aid in the stimulation of her as we kissed and slowly came down from our extreme high. Slowly, very slowly, we came back to reality and to our senses. I also began to shrink and was eventually squeezed out by her.

As I rolled to the side, Cammie was there to clean me with her mouth. Once she was satisfied she had done her job, she moved to Donna's pussy and began to suck the cum from it. I lay by Donna's side and kissed and caressed her as she shuddered through many aftershocks, aided, I'm sure by Cammie's tongue.

When Cammie had extracted all she could from Donna, she crawled up Donna's body and shared her treasure with her. As they became completely lost in their embrace of love, I slid from the bed and headed for the bathroom.

I drained my tank and then washed up. My groin and legs were covered with our juices and I didn't think I'd be appreciated at the table with the permeating odor of our lovemaking.

Once I was clean, I made my way back to the bed and crawled in beside them. I don't even think they knew I was there. Donna's legs were wrapped around Cammie's waist and their mouths were locked together. Cammie was rocking her hips on Donna and moving her clit in and out of Donna's snapping pussy. She couldn't penetrate that far, but it was enough to make her cum several times while I was there.

They both moaned into each other's mouth as they came and continued their own personal dance of love. I finally heard the rooster crow for the first time and moved beside them and kissed each of them on the ear.

"I hate to disturb ya'all, but the rooster just crowed and that means others will be getting up and arrivin' here before too long."

I got a kiss from both of them and then they locked themselves in an embrace again. I got up and got dressed as they slowly got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

I made my way to the kitchen and Bonnie was already there, working on the biscuits. I began to work on the coffee and Bonnie asked where Cammie was. I told her that she'd been distracted for a bit, but would be in shortly. She just smiled and went back to the biscuits.

Dianne came in and I got a kiss before she began to work on the sausage. Then Cammie showed up and began to help with the finishing touches on the biscuits.

Once the coffee was ready, I poured it into regular pots and took them to the dining room. Jimmy was already there and had the pot warmers lit. I sat them down and we both poured ourselves a cup of coffee. Then I lit my first and we began to chat.

"So what's planned for today?"

"Well, the ground's still a bit soft to be doin' too much. We probably should check on the herds to see if they're doin' all right and the fences are holdin' up. The other thing we need to do is to ride through your woods and see if there are any trees down. We won't be able to get to them probably until next weekend, but we should check so we can plan. We've got three on my northern lot that need to be cut up and we've got one already cut up in the shed that needs to be split. The only other thing we really need to do is to move the squeeze chutes so they'll be ready for Wednesday, but the ground is still a bit soft for that."

"Well, we could take the horses and check the herds and then ride back to check the woods. That would please the kids. They both love to ride and they've only got today and tomorrow left here."

"Well, then let's plan on that."

We continued our chatting until the kids returned from the chores. Then we filled them in on what we had planned for today. Chrissy said that she thought that her mom had plans for the girls in the garden today. I told her that Bonnie's plans outweighed mine, but I didn't think us guys were included in her plans.

We all sipped our coffee and chatted until they brought breakfast in. Both Donna and Cammie had large servings and we all kept clear of their area so we didn't get stabbed by a fork. But Bonnie had made extra biscuits since we had company, so it really didn't matter too much. Since Sarah still wasn't eating grits, her portion was quickly devoured by Cammie and Donna. Even with the extra biscuits that Bonnie had made, there were none left on the plate. All of the dishes were clean.

We sat back and sipped our coffee and told the women what we had planned for today. Bonnie said that her and the girls were going to be working in the garden and that we were free to do what we wanted as long as we were back by meal time. I reminded them that they needed to finish filling the waterbeds. Donna said that was first on her plans for today. I told her I'd help her I'd help her burp the mattresses when they were full.

Bonnie also said that probably Thursday and Friday, the girls, along with Jenna and Fran and their girls, were going to a place to get a bunch of apples, peaches and berries. Then they'd be working on jellies, jams and preserves, along with applesauce and sliced peaches. I asked her when she was going to work on the sauerkraut. She said she thought they'd can the pickles on Tuesday and maybe get me to slice the cabbage then too. She would prepare the brine and they'd start it soaking that evening. I told her I'd be happy to slice up the cabbage for her. We continued our chatting and coffee until it was gone, then we broke into our two groups and went our separate ways.

Jimmy and his kids, along with Jamie and Jessie and myself, walked down to the barn and got our tack out. I got the stallion saddled and then got horses for them to ride. Sarah took more time saddling her mount this time and asked Jimmy to check if she had done it right. Jimmy undid the cinch and had her hold it tight. Then he kneed the horse and Sarah was able to tighten the cinch.

Once everyone was saddled, we got mounted and headed for the pastures. The first pasture we went to the calves were grazing and milling about, not paying any attention to us at all. We split up and rode around the fence in opposite directions and then turned into the herd when we met. All of the calves moved fine and none seemed to be limping at all.

We moved to the next pasture and did the same thing. Those calves appeared to be fine also. Then we went to the pasture we planned on putting the third herd in. We rode the fence and found that this was one of the pastures that we had moved the fence in so the calves could get to the water. We decided we'd need to fix that before we even started on the new calves. Maybe this afternoon we could restring the wire.

Then we headed for Jimmy's wood lots. We picked our way through the trees and found only one down on the first lot. It had a very small taproot, just like I'd found with the others that had blown down. After we examined that tree, we moved on our way through his woods.

We found only one other tree down and that was at the far edge of his other wood lot. This one had not been blown over, but twisted out of the ground. This one looked like the one that had been taken down beside Bonnie's old place. This was definitely not straight-line winds, but tornado damage. The trunk was twisted and was severed just above the ground. There were splinters of wood still standing straight up, while the tree was moved over about 10 feet before it was dropped. We made our inspection of the area and then we mounted up and rode back to the corral. We found during our ride that the ground had dried out more than I thought it had. I suggested that we go ahead and move the squeeze chutes today and get that out of the way. He agreed.

We brushed the horses down and then turned them out. We had just finished when the dinner bell rang. We all washed up on the back porch and made our way to the table. We had a fresh salad and a bowl of soup waiting for us. Then we each made a sandwich for ourselves. Once that was gone, we sat back and sipped our coffee and chatted.

Jimmy and I agreed that we should tend to the fence first and then move the squeeze chutes into place. Bonnie reminded us that we needed to kill four chickens this afternoon sometime so we could have our usual Sunday meal. She also told us that she would be canning the pickles on Monday and Tuesday, so we could plan on slicing the cabbage on Tuesday. We agreed that was not a problem. Jimmy said he'd be here to help after they took the kids to the airport in Little Rock and he should be back by noontime.

Once lunch was over, us guys headed for the workshop and got the tools we'd need and a partial roll of barbed wire. Jessie got the old tractor going with the wagon hitched up and he drove us over to the pasture we needed to work on.

We removed the wire from its current posts and wound it up so it wouldn't be left behind. We decided that we should just put the new wire on the old posts that formed the original fence. That required some wading, so Jimmy, Jamie and myself took off our boots and waded in.

I tied the wire off on the first post and Jamie carried the roll of wire down to Jimmy, who was standing at the other end. He tied his off loosely and then we began to work the wire stretcher. We did that with both strands and soon had that chore done. We only needed two strands because the water would form the last barrier and no strand was needed there.

Then we rode over to the next pasture and moved that fence line back to the original placement. With that chore done, we put our boots back on and rode the wagon back home.

I walked up to the house and asked Bonnie if she wanted to watch the chickens being killed and she said she was too busy now, but to just lay them on the porch sink when we were done and she'd take it from there.

We walked down the coop and got four chickens. We hung them by their feet and I sliced their throats and we waited for them to bleed out. Then we laid them on the sink and I went in and told Bonnie that they were ready. She acknowledged my telling her and I left for the equipment shed.

Jimmy and I got the two tractors with the forks on them and we all headed for the squeeze chutes. We moved them close to the pasture we'd be using, but left them far enough away that the semi could back in and discharge the new calves. With that job completed, we drove back to the shed and I swapped tractors so we could feed the calves.

I picked up the tractor with the spreader on it and Jamie operated the feed bin chute so I could load. Then we headed for the pastures. When we got there, Jamie and I took care of spreading the feed and Jimmy speared the hay bales while Jessie and Dave cut them apart for the calves. With our chores complete, we headed for the house.

I hosed the spreader out when we got back to the shed and then we parked everything and walked to the front porch to rest. Jamie and Jessie went to the kitchen and brought out a couple pitchers of tea with glasses and ice. When they came out, Jamie told me that I should go inside and help Donna with the waterbed.

I headed inside and she was waiting for me at the stairs. We walked up to the first bedroom and I checked the water level and decided it was fine. I took the hose out and made sure I didn't leak any water while I took it to the bathroom.

When I returned, I showed Donna how to move the air bubble towards the filler tube and we got most of the air out. It's difficult to remove it all, but we got out what we could. Then I added a bottle of algae killer to the water. Once that had drained, I pushed down on the tube until water was ready to come out and capped it. Then I helped Donna put the pad on the mattress.

"What was all of that about this mornin?" I asked her.

"Well, I figured that was probably my last night for sleepin' with ya'all for a while, so I wanted to make the best of it. Did I do wrong?"

"No, hon, you didn't do wrong at all. But you don't normally wake me up like that."

"I know, but I wanted my last night to be special."

"It was special," I told her, as she came into my arms. "Actually, you are very special and we love you very much."

She kissed me in a very loving and passionate way. Her body molded to mine as she stood on her toes to be able to reach my lips. We shared a lingering kiss and then I held her to me as we broke the kiss.

"I'm gonna miss bein' with you and Cammie, especially in the mornin'."

"I know, hon, and we'll miss you two. But this is the best way for all of us. Cammie and I need some time by ourselves and you actually need time to yourself too. It will help you grow as a person. The greatest growth spurt of a person is in knowin' themselves. And that can't happen when you're constantly with other people. You need to know exactly who you are and define yourself. That can't happen if you're never alone."

"I don't understand."

"Well, if you're always with someone else, then you really don't know how you'll react to things on your own. If you're with someone else, then you are always reactin' to their expectations of you and not to your true feelin's. Trust me, this will help you to grow a lot."

"I guess I can see that. You mean that I'm always bein' the way folks want me to be instead of how I really am."

"That's right, hon. Once you find your true self, then you can be completely happy with yourself and love yourself. Until you can really love yourself for who you are, you can't really love someone else because you don't know how."

"I know I can really love you and Cammie."

"That's different, hon. That's romantic love. This is really lovin' ever'thing about that person, not just how they make you feel."

"Oh, I guess I see what you're sayin'."

"Just trust me on this. It'll make you a much better person and you'll be able to love in a much deeper way."

"I'm still gonna be lonely without you two."

"Hon, there's a big difference in bein' lonely and bein' alone. You can be lonely, even if you're in a crowd. But bein' alone gives you the time to discover a lot of things."

"Will I still be able to visit with ya'all at times?"

"Of course. We would never stop that. We still love you and want you. We just want you to grow and learn about yourself."

"Ok, I guess I understand."

She kissed me again and we held each other for a bit just so she could feel that she was still wanted. Then we moved to Deanne's room and got the mattress done in there. Once that was done, we both headed downstairs.

I returned to the front porch and poured a glass of tea before sitting down. We chatted about what we should do tomorrow and came up with a plan to start cutting the trees in my wood lot. We could take both trucks over there and use them to haul the logs out after we cut them up. With three chain saws going, we should be able to finish those three tomorrow.

That would be the last of the cutting until probably next week. Tuesday, Jimmy had to take the kids to the airport and I had the slicing of the cabbage to do. Wednesday would be for the new calves and Thursday would be moving them to a new pasture. Moving a new herd and then sorting out some others from each of the current herds was gonna be a full day's job. None of us was any good at roping anymore. That should be a fun day. A lot of frustration but a lot of laughing at each other too.

Friday would probably be filled up by Bonnie and the stuff she bought to can. I really didn't want to be around when they were making jelly, but I didn't see a way around it. I liked the results, but I sure didn't like having to work at getting the results. It's messy and hot and slow. There aren't too many short cuts that can be taken.

It was close to 5:30 when Donna came out to get us for supper. We were all ready and starved. It was our typical Sunday evening meal. Pan fried chicken, fried in lard, with mashed potatoes and gravy, sour dough biscuits, fresh peas, salad and green onions. Then Donna brought out her peach cobblers. By the time we were finished we were all stuffed. Fresh chickens can't be beat for flavor and being fried in lard gives them a flavor that you can't match with the vegetable oils. Plus the gravy has a special flavor to it that just can't be duplicated with the vegetable oils that seem to be in everyone's pantry. It's a shame that folks don't realize it's not the fat we cook with that gets us in trouble, it's the life style we have that is the problem. If you work off what you eat, like the old timers did, you won't have the cholesterol problems. But it's hard to work up a sweat sitting behind a desk. My own personal opinion is that the air has something to do with it too. The fresh air has to help keep a person healthy.

I remember my grandparents and how they lived and ate. Every fall, they would butcher a hog. Grandma would fry up the sausage and then store it in the grease. It was kept in crocks in the springhouse until they needed it. Then they would pull the sausage out and cook it in the grease to heat it up. Both of them lived beyond 85 and never had a heart problem in their lives. Grandma lived to be 87 and Grandpa lived to be 93. Both of them smoked. Grandpa smoked cigars and cigarettes. Grandma smoked a pipe when company was not around and dipped snuff other times. We always had pork sausage, ham, bacon, pork chops, and beef steaks when they could afford it. At every meal, there was always either grits that were swimming in butter, or mashed potatoes with good home made gravy that was made from the pan drippings. We always had butter. Grandpa would not allow margarine in the house. Grandma cooked and baked with lard. Crisco was too expensive. All pan drippings were saved to bake with or make lye soap. The lye was obtained from the ashes from the wood burning stove that Grandma used. Finally when they moved to their last house in St. Louis, she relented and got a gas stove. We always ate good and never wanted for a meal. It wasn't always the fancy food you see today, but we ate good and it was always delicious. It wasn't until I was in the service and had some of their chipped beef and gravy that I realized why folks bitched so much about it. When Grandma made it, it tasted great. It was always served over buttered, home made biscuits. Green beans were always cooked with a piece of fat back. That's uncured bacon for you city folks. Ham and beans were a delicacy. They were always served over good homemade corn bread. Generally, the corn meal was from the corn they grew and had ground at the mill out on the river.

We might have a great society now, but I'm not sure that life is as good as it was back then. Sure, we have more money and can afford more things. But the things don't last as long and we don't normally eat any better than I did when I was growing up. I'm also quite sure that folks aren't near as happy as we were. Nothing that the movies or TV can produce can ever match my imagination when I was listening to the radio or reading a book. That's why most of the old radio shows that switched to TV never made it. There is no way that TV could ever duplicate what we all saw in our minds when someone opened Fibber McGee's closet on radio. I'm pretty sure that we lost a lot when we lost our innocence in the 50's and the 60's.

We chatted over our coffee and then the kids headed to the barn for chores and the women cleaned up from supper. Jimmy and I chatted on the front porch and kind of planned out our attack on the trees tomorrow.

When the kids came back from chores, we filled them on our plans and they agreed. Jamie thought it would be a good idea if we would make sideboards for his truck. That way we could haul more. We already had them for my truck. We couldn't get the tractor with the wagon back to the trees because there was no place to turn around.

Finally the women joined us and we all chatted. Bonnie told us that almost anything except the Grange Hall was out of the question for this week. When they got the fruit, they'd be too busy to do anything until they got the jelly made. She was also going to make peach preserves and then put up sliced peaches. They would also make apple jelly and apple sauce. I asked her if she had enough jars and she said that she thought so. All of the jelly would go in the pints and they hadn't used a lot of them yet. The peaches would be in quarts, but there wouldn't be more than about four dozen of those. She thought they'd probably have about seven or eight-dozen pints of jelly and jam. She didn't know how much sauerkraut they'd have, but she hoped a lot.

We chatted until it was dark and then went inside to watch the news. The weather girl said that the rain had bypassed us and went south of us and that we weren't expecting any more rain until maybe next weekend. Once the news was over, Jimmy gave Bonnie a good night kiss and he and his kids headed for home. Jamie and Dianne gave out their kisses and they headed home too.

The rest of us chatted and then everyone got their kisses and we all headed for bed, after closing up and turning out all the lights. For the first time in a very long time, Cammie and I were alone in our bed. We kissed and cuddled and slowly drifted off to sleep. I was gently holding her breast as we snuggled up in our sleeping positions.



-------

Chapter 31

I awoke to the rooster and realized that we were sleeping alone. This hadn't happened in a long time. I also realized that I wasn't hearing thundering footsteps coming down the stairs any more either. Only one thing could account for that, Jamie was no longer living here. I smiled at my realization of both of those items.

I gently caressed Cammie's nipple and it hardened under my attention. She moaned and clasped my hand against her tit and turned to kiss me. We shared an intimate kiss and then she draped her leg over my hip and said, "This is the first time we've been alone in a long time. I kinda like havin' you all for myself."

"And I kinda like bein' all yours."

We kissed again and then she pushed me back and scrambled out of bed. "We've got a lot of cannin' to do today and I don't wanna give you any ideas that might keep me here too long."

"Party pooper."

She stuck her tongue out at me as she retreated to the bathroom. I climbed out of bed and followed her. When she was done with the throne, I took my turn and we both washed up. As she was washing her face, I got behind her and reached around and cupped her tits.

"Damn, that feels good, but you can't do that today. We've got too much to do to be playin' around like this."

As I pushed my cock against her ass, I asked her, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, damnit. Now don't try to distract me. Otherwise, I'll be wet all day and I won't be able to concentrate."

She turned her head and kissed me and then went back to her washing. Then we both got dressed and headed for the kitchen.

Bonnie was working on the biscuits and Cammie worked with her while I went to work on the coffee. Dianne arrived and I got a kiss before she started on the sausage. I basically stayed out of the way until the water was boiling and then I poured the water into the presses and refilled the pans and put them back on the stove.

I took the coffee into the dining room and set them on the pot warmers that Jimmy had lit. We each poured ourselves a cup and then sat back to chat. We pretty much rehashed our plans for today. We figured we'd get the wood cut up and then we could split it at our leisure. It wouldn't be too long before the contractor would be done and we could start stacking it behind the patio so we could get to it easily.

The kids came back from chores and I got a kiss from Chrissy and Donna. They all poured themselves a cup of coffee and joined our conversation. We chatted about various things and finally the food was brought in. We all chowed down and soon devoured everything in sight. Every plate was clean and then we attacked the coffee.

We all chatted while we sipped our coffee. Bonnie said that she was going to check the pickles and maybe start canning some of them today if they were ready. I told her that I liked my pickles crunchy and she replied that they would be crunchy, but she needed to see if they had soaked long enough to have the proper taste. I quit while I was no farther behind.

After we finished our coffee, Jimmy asked Sarah if she wanted to come clear brush with us or work with the women. She said she had absolutely no interest in brush but might learn something about canning with the women. With that question settled, I asked Cammie if she would fix us a couple thermoses of water. She and Donna went to do that. Once we had our water, us guys headed for the trucks and then to the tool shed.

Our first order of business was to build sideboards for Jamie's truck. It was a pretty simple set up. We found six 2x2's and cut them to length and stuck them in the holes in the rim of the bed. Then I got the screw gun, some screws and some scrap 8-foot 1x4's. The guys held them in place and I screwed them to the uprights. There was no need to put any across the cab since we weren't hauling very far and there was little chance of any wood coming through the back window.

Next was finding a place to stack the wood once we'd cut it. We walked up to the house and went back to the new construction and I tracked down the contractor. I asked him if we stacked some wood back there if it would bother him. He said they were pretty much through with anything outside and we could stack it anywhere we wanted as long as it wasn't on the patio or next to the house. I thanked him and walked outside.

I walked over to an area that was away from everything and wouldn't disturb the gray water pit and picked out a spot. I told the guys we could stack the wood there and that way we wouldn't have to move it so far after we split it.

Then we went back to the tool shed and we got the three chain saws loaded and I mixed some 2-cycle gas so we would have enough to last the day. Then we loaded up a couple axes, the cordless drill and a couple sharpening bits. Once that was accomplished, we headed for the trees on my north wood lot.

As we worked our way back to the trees, we found we needed to cut a couple saplings to make a trail so we could get back to the ones that had fallen. They weren't that big, so we just used an axe to fell them. Two swings on each sapling did the job. Once we got in, we found there wasn't enough room to turn around, so we back up, turned around and backed in close to the trees.

We gassed up the chain saws, filled the oil reservoir and got them running. I took one tree, Jimmy took the next and Jamie took the third and we began to trim the tops and branches from the logs. Jessie and Dave dragged the small branches away and stacked them in a wildlife pile so the critters would have some place to hide.

Once the small stuff was out of the way, we started in on the trunks. It was going pretty good and we soon had the two beds loaded up. We shut down the chain saws and all took a break and had some water. Even in the cool woods, a person can sure work up a sweat cutting wood.

We let Dave and Jessie drive the trucks back to the farm and dump the wood. The rest of us took a break and tried to cool down some. It was amazingly quiet in the woods without the chain saws going. There was no noise pollution like you'd hear almost anywhere close to a city. It was just peaceful and quiet. The only sounds were that of birds in the area that had started back up since we had quit cutting.

We chatted for a bit and finally heard the trucks coming back. We guided them back so they didn't hit any trees and then gassed up our chain saws and filled the oil reservoir again. I spent a couple minutes on each saw with the cordless drill and a sharpening bit and touched up each chain. I always do that when I'm cutting. It helps keep the chain sharp and makes cutting a lot easier.

We started back to the trees when I saw some movement. "FREEZE," I shouted. Jessie was a couple steps behind. "Jessie, get me an axe."

Jessie took a couple steps back and grabbed an axe and handed it to me. I took a couple steps forward and extended my arm and let the axe swing down.

"Damn, that's a good sized copperhead," I said, as I turned around and the body of the headless snake twisted around on the ground.

"Damn," Jimmy said, "I didn't even see him."

"I wouldn't have seen him if he hadn't moved. I just caught a glimpse of copper as he moved in the sunlight and then I could make him out. Keep your eyes open, guys. There's probably more around."

I walked to the trees and used the axe to poke around under each tree to see if I could flush out anymore, but nothing moved. It appeared we were safe.

"What should we do with the snake?" Jessie asked.

"Well, might as well skin him. He'll make a good hat band."

The body was still twitching a bit, but I got it and cut a little slot on the side and pulled back to get the skin started. They aren't real hard to skin if they're fresh. Once I got a finger hold, Jamie held the meat while I pulled the skin back. He flung the body out into the woods and I put the skin in the cab for later. I'd flesh it out and then salt it down real good. I measured it with my hand and it was about twenty-two inches long.

I found the head and showed it to Dave, who had never seen a copperhead up close before.

"See how it's in a triangle? That's always a good sign of a poisonous snake. Also, see these little holes under the eyes? That's why the call them a pit viper. Water moccasins, rattlesnakes and copperheads all have them. But the biggest clue is the shape of the head."

Then I opened the mouth and showed him the fangs, very carefully, using the blade of my pocketknife to put the fangs out in striking position. His eyes were as big around as saucers as he watched.

"These are the things that do the damage. You may not die, but you'll be so sick you'll wish you were dead. Plus, a lot of skin will have to be removed because it will be dead and useless."

"Are there a lot of these things around here?" he asked, almost in disbelief that there might be danger.

"Dave, there are snakes all over. Not just here, but in all of the continental U.S. Some are poisonous and some are not. But, around here, it is best to consider them as poisonous until you can determine different. There's quite a few snakes that will look like a copperhead or a rattler, but the head gives them away. Always look for that triangle and the pits. But don't get too close when you're lookin'."

Once all the excitement of the snake was worn off, we got back to cutting and soon had two more truckloads ready to go. We all took a break while they drove the wood to the house. We drank water and chatted and tried to cool off a bit. It wasn't too long until Jessie returned in a truck and hollered at us that it was lunchtime. We all piled in the bed and let him drive back. He drove the tractor all the time, but it was a thrill for him to drive the truck.

We all washed up on the back porch and brushed off the wood chips that clung to us. Then we made our way to the table.

We had soup and sandwiches and fresh pickles. They were good and they sure were tart. They would almost make you pucker when you bit into one. They weren't quite as spicy as I would like them, but the other folks had to eat them too and I know they wouldn't like them as hot as I do.

When we finished our meal, we sat back and sipped our coffee and chatted. I told them about the snake and then Dave filled them in on the wonders of it all. To us, it was just another happening, but it was very new, and probably very scary, to him. We chatted until we finished our coffee and then headed back to the wood lot.

It only took one more load, but it took Jimmy and me to be able to load the bottom parts of the trunks. The one tree had a lot of burl at the bottom and he and I loaded that too. We would cut that up and make knife handles and pistol grips. It would oil up real purdy like.

When we got back to the house, we drove back to the spot to unload and began dumping the wood. We left the piece of burl in and would take that to the workshop to cut up and dry.

Just as we finished unloading, the contractor came out.

"We should be finished tomorrow. We've just got a bit of touch up to do and then we're done."

"What about the plaster in the other house?"

"He'll be out next week to do that. Also the guy for the barns will be out and start on them."

"Works for me."

"I'll have the bill tomorrow. I'll do some figurin' out of things this evenin'. I won't charge you for the plasterin'. You can just pay the guy when he's done. Same for the guy with the barn roofs."

"Ok, well I'll be here all day tomorrow. I've been drafted to cut up cabbage for kraut."

"Been there. We'll see ya'all tomorrow."

We drove down to the tool shop and put the stuff away. I figured since the contractor was leaving, it was close enough to the time to feed the calves, so we just walked to the equipment shed and got ready for that chore. Jamie worked the feed bin chute and then rode with me, while Jessie and Dave rode with Jimmy.

Once we got them fed, we headed back home and put the tractors away. I washed out the spreader with the hose and we all decided it would be a wonderful idea if we took a shower. We'd probably smell a whole lot better at the supper table.

Jimmy and Dave headed for his place and Jamie headed for his. Jessie and I walked inside and headed for our own showers. I took a quick shower and washed all the sweat and stink off. Then I got dressed and took a pitcher of iced tea and some glasses with ice to the front porch.

I poured myself a glass of tea and sat back. We had gotten a lot of wood cut today. I would estimate almost three full cords. These trees were a lot bigger than the one on my south wood lot. The one I was working on required a cut on each side with my 18-inch bar in order to get through. It was probably about 28 to 30 inches in diameter. It would provide a lot of wood for us this winter.

Jessie joined me on the porch and poured himself a glass of tea. Jamie was the next to show up and he got some tea. We chatted a bit and then Jimmy and Dave showed up. We were all drinking tea when Donna came out and said I was supposed to get the grill going so I could cook hamburgers.

Jimmy and I walked around to the back porch and I got the grill fired up. I also got what Mesquite chips I had left and put them in some water so they'd soak some before I put them on the coals.

Jimmy and I basically watched the fire and sipped our tea while we chatted. It was mostly about tomorrow and Wednesday. He figured he'd be back by noontime and could help with the cabbage. I had no idea how much cabbage Bonnie had for us to slice. I didn't think it was a good idea to ask her about that. She'd probably take time to count and that would put her behind on what she was doing. Then I'd get blamed for slowing things down. No matter what happens, it's always the man's fault.

Once the fire had burned down, I spread the coals around and went inside to get the burgers. There was a big tray of them and I carried them out to the grill and put them on after I sprinkled the wood chips on the coals.

Jimmy and I watched them as we chatted. He said that Dave had been very impressed with the snake. Jimmy had told him about the snakes before and had pretty well said what I had, but it just sinks in better when it's not the parent doing the telling. Plus, there was the actual snake to demonstrate on. Dave had told him the next time he came down, he'd be wearing boots and not sneakers. At least he'd have a little bit of protection. I was glad to hear that Dave was planning on returning.

I flipped the burgers and covered them back up after sprinkling some water on a flare up from the grease. I kept a pretty close watch on them and began to pull them off when I thought they were done. Jimmy held the tray and then carried them in when I was done. I put the lid on the grill to smother out the coals and then followed him inside.

We all took our seats at the table and the women soon had the rest of the food on. Besides the burgers, we had a salad, just fried french fries, corn on the cob, baked beans and homemade sour dough bread for our burgers. There were also a lot of pickles and green onions.

Us guys all ate at least two, but Jamie, Jessie and Dave ate three burgers and chowed down on the rest of the meal like they hadn't eaten in a couple days. It's great to be a kid and not have to worry so much about spreading out. It's also difficult to provide enough food for them to actually fill them up. It's almost like trying to choke up a garbage disposal while it's running. But I'd much rather pay the food bill rather than the doctor bill.

Once the main meal was consumed, Donna brought out some apple dumplings and we devoured them. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"I sure hope you can get that slicer to work on the cabbage tomorrow," Bonnie said. "We've got a lot of cabbage to cut up."

"I'm pretty sure it will do the job. What I had planned on doin' was to quarter the heads, cut the core out and then I'd probably be able to run three quarters on the slicer at once."

"Ok, but we've got eight of the big crocks to fill. They'll hold about twenty pounds of cabbage each."

"Damn, that's a lot of sauerkraut."

"Yep, but we shouldn't run out until next spring."

"Well, Jimmy should be back before noontime, so he'll be able to help."

"While you're slicin', I'll be puttin' the cabbage in the crocks and beatin' it down and addin' the salt. Then you guys will get to carry them down the basement so they can ferment proper."

"You're gonna beat it down?"

"Yep, the cabbage needs to be squished real good so it will accept the salt and water and start to ferment. The fibers of the cabbage need to be broken so it will release its juice and accept the salt and water."

"Ain't that kinda dangerous to be doin' in a crock?"

"Not when you know what you're doin'. I've got a tool I use to crush the cabbage. I've been doin' this since I can remember. Mama taught me when I was about 8 or so."

"What kind of special tool crushes cabbage?"

"Well, it's really a big wooden masher on a hickory saplin'. I've had it since I got married. My aunt and uncle gave it to me for a weddin' present. I use it ever' year."

"Hey, I'm just the cutter. You're the expert on that. I'll cut up all you got and let you do the rest."

"I just hope you can get 'em all cut up. It's gonna take a lot of doin'."

"I'm sure the slicer can hold out."

We finished our coffee and then the kids headed for their chores and the women cleared the table and disappeared into the kitchen. Jimmy and I walked outside and I told him I thought I'd finish the snake.

We walked down to the pickup and I got the skin out of the truck. I took it in the shop and washed it off real good and slit it up the side, just above the stomach ribs.

I found a board that was wide enough and long enough and set it across the sink. I got an old hacksaw blade and used the back of it to begin scraping the meat from the skin. Jimmy held the edges as I worked. This is always the hardest part of working any hide. Fleshing it out takes a lot of patience and at least two people to do it right.

The boys showed up while we were doing that and I asked Jessie if he would go to the house and get me a box of table salt. He left and Jimmy and I got back to fleshing it out. The sink was a mess and it didn't smell all that nice either, but we finally got the skin to the place I wanted it.

Then I got some brads and began to stake it out. This is even more tedious because the skin has to be stretched tight, but not so tight that it tears. I put a brad about every inch all around the skin, making sure all the wrinkles were out.

Once that was complete, I got the salt out and rubbed it into the skin real good. Then I sprinkled some water over it to get the salt working. With that accomplished, I suspended it from the ceiling, using some baling wire. I made sure it was over the sink so any discharge would drip in there and not on the floor. It has a tendency to soak into the floor and the stink remains for a very long time.

Then Jimmy and I scrubbed our hands to get the stink off and not smell so bad when we went to the house.

"Is that all there is to it?" Dave asked.

"Nope. That'll have to work for a week or so and then I'll need to take it off of the board and work the fibers over a board to make it flexible. Then I'll oil it up real good and hang it back up to cure. That'll take a couple more weeks and then it'll need to be washed real good and dried out again. If it's not flexible enough then, I have to repeat the process to make sure it'll stand up to wear and not deteriorate."

"Damn, that sounds like a lot of work for a hat band."

"Yep, but you can't buy them anywhere, except maybe from some trapper."

"Well, I guess you'll have a one of a kind hat band."

"Yep, no two snakes are alike. It looks like it's got a real purdy pattern on it. It should look real good on my white Stetson."

"You sure Cammie'll let you have that on a hat and be seen with you?" Jimmy asked, laughingly.

"I don't know. I hadn't planned on tellin' her what it was. I was just gonna put it on and not say anything."

"Good luck with that."

"I hear ya."

We walked back to the house and Jessie took the box of salt to the kitchen and joined us on the porch.

"What were ya'all doin'?" Cammie asked, when we sat down.

"I was stretchin' the snake skin."

"Why would you wanna do that?"

"It'll make a nice conversation piece."

"Who's gonna see it?"

"Oh, I thought I'd hang it over the fireplace."

"You musta thought wrong, 'cause that ain't gonna happen."

"Why not?"

"Because we ain't gonna have no damn snake skin over our fireplace. That's just stupid."

"I think it would look great. We could hang it under the deer head."

"What deer head?"

"The one I've got up at the house. I thought I'd bring it down here for the fireplace."

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"That's not gonna be no dead animal room. That's a place where we can relax durin' the winter. I don't wanna have no dead animals starin' at me when I'm sittin' and tryin' to relax."

"You're bein' kinda unreasonable, don't ya think? We should all get to put things in there. The deer head makes a nice conversation piece. It's got them unusual antlers."

"Us women don't wanna talk about dead animals."

"What about when I have company? I know the men would enjoy seein' that. It's a good head and it always starts a conversation with them funny antlers."

"If you wanna have the heads hangin' up, then use the shop or the shed. The animals don't live in the house when they're alive, and they ain't gonna hang in there when they're dead."

"So I don't get any say in how it's decorated?"

"You already had your say. You picked the fireplace."

"Well, ya'all picked the hot tub, so I'd say we're even."

"If you had any kind of decoratin' sense, I'd consider it. But so far, all you've come up with is something to do with dead animals. I don't consider that havin' good taste."

"How can you say that? That deer tasted real good."

Everyone laughed at that and Cammie got a sour look on her face.

"We ain't gonna have no dead animals hangin' on the walls. This ain't no redneck bar we're makin'. It's a sittin' room and a hot tub room. It ain't no zoo mortuary. We's gonna have things that are soothin' in there."

"But the deer head is soothin'. So is the snake skin."

"How in the world could they even be considered as soothin'?"

"Well, we all survived the snake. It didn't bite us and that's kinda soothin'. The deer head will remind us that I killed the deer and how good it tasted when we ate it."

"Now you're just makin' things up. That's just stupid."

"What was you plannin' on put in there?"

"Well, you're gonna build that small bar in the corner. Then we'll have that clock on the mantle along with some lanterns. I thought maybe we could get some pretty paintin's to hang on the walls to break things up some."

"Well, the deer head would do just that. It would break things up and give the folks a focus point. I heard that's what's supposed to be in a room when you're decoratin' it. And, I've got that big fish that Mom caught and Dad had mounted for her. We could put that in there too."

"No. You're not hearin' me. No dead animals on the walls."

"Well, actually, the fish ain't no animal. It's a fish."

"No dead fish either. Maybe we'll get some soothin' landscape paintin' scenes to put in there."

"I was kinda thinkin' about puttin' the deer head in there and puttin' my fancy muzzleloader that I made underneath it. All the old time fireplaces had muzzleloaders hangin' over them."

"This ain't no wildlife room. Why can't you understand that?"

"But it would look so nice in there. It's got this real fancy stock on it and it's really very pretty. It would look so good hangin' over the fireplace."

"Well, we can think about that."

"And the deer head would look so good right above it."

"No. No dead animals."

"Well, I can see that you're completely undecided on this. We'll talk about it after you've had time to think on it some."

"Urrrrr, you are such a man. I don't wanna have any dead animals in my house."

"Ummm, but I live here too. This is my house too."

"But you don't have any decoratin' sense and I don't want it uglied up with no dead animals."

"Ok. Well, we'll talk about this later. You need time to think on it some."

"Urrrr, we're gonna have a knock down, drag out about this. I can see it comin'."

"Nope. We'll just have a sensible discussion about it. But first you need time to think about it. I'm sure you'll see things different after you've thought about it for a while."

"Urrrrr."

It was gettin' dark and we all went inside to check on the weather. The weather girl hadn't changed her mind and it was still looking clear for Wednesday. That was the important day. We could live with rain on any day except then.

Once the weather was over, Jimmy said they were going home so the kids could pack for their trip. He gave Bonnie a kiss and then they left. Jamie and Dianne gave out their kisses and left too. The rest of us turned off everything and closed up. We all got our kisses and then we headed for bed.

Cammie and I stripped down and used the bathroom before slipping into bed. We kissed and cuddled until I got drowsy. It had been a long day with the chain saw and I was tired.



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Chapter 32

I awoke to the sound of the rooster and took a minute to reflect on what a wonderful life I had. I think that we take for granted what we have all too often and never realize how blessed we actually are. I had the love of the women in my life and the comfort of their caring. I wasn't in debt so I had no worries about making enough money to make a mortgage payment. We always had good food and there was plenty to eat for everyone. We were not fighting to stay alive and could enjoy the company of each other. The kids had time to be kids and weren't being pressured by their peers into illegal activities. They were receiving a good education and they worked at making the most of the gift. They are our future and, from what I can see around here, our future is in good hands.

The second crowing brought me back to reality. I gently caressed Cammie's nipple and she stirred as I did. She turned to kiss me and her body molded to mine as our embrace deepened.

Once she broke the kiss, she gently pushed herself away and rolled out of bed.

"This is gonna be a very busy day and we don't have time to play right now."

"Who was playin'? I was dead serious."

"I know and you were drawin' me into your web of passion. You're contagious at doin' that."

She headed for the bathroom and I followed her. Once we washed up and got dressed, we headed for the kitchen. Bonnie was already there and working on the biscuits. Cammie went to help her and I began to get the coffee going. Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her before she went to work on the sausage.

Once the coffee was ready, I carried the pots into the dining room and set them on the pot warmers that Jimmy had lit. We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and sat back to enjoy it.

He said the kids were ready to leave except for changing clothes after the chores and breakfast. They had packed last night and had everything ready to go. All they had to do was to wash up, change clothes and stuff the work clothes in their luggage.

We chatted until the kids returned from chores and I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy. Then our conversation turned to the work we had to do today. Making sauerkraut is not a difficult job, it is just time consuming and requires a lot of hands. The women still had two crocks of pickles to can. They would be doing that while Bonnie worked on putting the cabbage in the crocks and preparing it to ferment. Us guys would be in charge of cleaning the cabbage and cutting it up. It was going to be a long day.

The women brought breakfast in and we all chowed down. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee while we chatted. Dave and Sarah thanked everyone for the hospitality and said how much they enjoyed their visit. I told them they were welcome any time they wanted to be here. Bonnie and Cammie told them the same thing.

I heard the contractor, and his crew, pull in and went to greet them. The crew went to work and he handed me the bill.

"Here's what I came up with. I think I've included everything. I've been keepin' a diary as we went along. My memory ain't as good as it used to be, so I have to do that now."

I looked over the bill and everything seemed to be in order. I checked what he had listed and it seemed like he had included everything and not charged us for anything that wasn't there.

"Looks right to me. I'll get you a check."

"Thanks. We should be finished by this afternoon. We've just got some touch up to do and then we'll wrap it up."

"Works for me. I wanna thank ya'all for doin' such a good job. If we ever need anything else in the buildin' area or repair work done, you'll be the first one I call."

"I do like havin' satisfied customers. This took a lot longer than I planned on, but that happens on most ever' job. Once we get into it, it just expands when folks see things."

"Well, the women do have a tendency to change their minds. Plus, the storm helped a lot in that area."

"Yep, it sure did. Most of the contractors in this county and the surrounding ones are busier than a three-legged cat with the green apple two step."

"I'll bet. I'll get you a check and bring it around to you."

"Thanks. Time for me to get to work."

I walked back inside and got the checkbook. I brought them back to the table and sat down to write a check.

Of course, the women had to see the final bill.

"Whoa, that's a lot more than we'd bargained for," Cammie said, as she looked over it.

"Well, we changed our minds a lot and the storm helped with that too."

"Still, it seems to be pretty high."

"Darlin', changes cost money. That's just part of life. I don't think there's anything out of line. I went over the bill and it all seemed to be there. We can't fault him for the storm damage nor for ya'all changin' your minds."

"I guess you're right, but I just hadn't planned on this much."

"I don't think we planned on a tornado comin' around here neither."

"I guess."

I wrote out the check and sipped my coffee while Cammie and Bonnie studied the bill. As the coffee dwindled, the conversation drifted back to Dave and Sarah leaving. They both said they had a lot of stories to take back with them and would be able to entertain their friends with the tale of their summer vacation.

Once the coffee was gone, we said goodbye to them and Jimmy drove them back to his place to wash up and change. I took the check out to the contractor while the females cleared the table and washed everything so we would have room to work on the sauerkraut.

The boys and I had to cool our heels for a bit until it was safe to venture into the kitchen. Our first job was to carry all of the bushels of cabbage into the kitchen. Actually, she had so many that we couldn't fit all of them in and still have room to work.

"Ok, this is how things go," Bonnie began. "First you need to cut the outer leaves off so we don't have any dirt mixed in with the cabbage."

"What about washin' them off?" I asked.

"They don't get washed. Washin' them slows the process in the crocks down. Just cut the outer leaves off so all the dirt is gone. You said you were gonna quarter them, so they need to be cut and then the core needs to be cut away completely. The cores will not work in the crocks."

"Ok, we got it from here. When I start slicin', I'll ask you how thick you want it sliced. Then we'll take care of ever'thing else."

"Just slice it like you were doin' it by hand. Not real thin, but not real thick either."

"See, I don't know what them terms mean. I'll just ask you when it's time."

We got a trashcan and put a liner in it and I got us all a paring knife each and a good butcher knife for me. We began to strip off the outer most leaves until the soiled leaves were removed. Once we had several heads cleaned, I stopped that process and began to quarter the heads.

I took my paring knife and showed the boys how to slice around the core and pull it completely out, leaving only the leaves in tact. Once they got the hang of that, I got out the slicer and plugged it in. I adjusted the depth of the cut until I thought it was correct. Then I took a quarter and ran it through a couple times.

"Bonnie, come see if this is right."

She came in from the porch and studied the cuttings.

"That's just fine. If you keep it like that all day, then it'll be great."

"Ok, we got it from here. What should we put the cabbage in after I slice it?"

"I guess a clean garbage bag would work. There's gonna be a lot of it and I know we don't have a bowl big enough to hold it until I can start put it in the crocks."

"Works for me."

She returned to the porch and I began my chore. I put three of the quarters on the working surface and put the pressure arm down so it would keep the cabbage in contact with the blade. Then I began to move the tray back and forth so the machine could do its work.

Very quickly, I determined that this set up was not going to work. I was piling up sliced cabbage quicker than I could put it in the bag. So I stopped the slicer and moved it close to the edge of the counter. I put the edge of the trash bag under the outside feet of the slicer so it would stay and place and hang over the edge of the counter. Then I went back to work

It was still too much for one person to do. I couldn't work the slicer and put the cuttings in the bag at the same time. I stopped the operation again and looked around to see who wasn't busy.

The girls were all tied up with canning or helping Bonnie and I daresn't interrupt them. That was just asking for trouble. The boys were rapidly gaining on me, so they were the logical choice.

"Jessie, I need you over here. Ya'all are far enough ahead of me, so Jamie should be able to keep up by himself. You come over here and help me."

He put his knife down and came over.

"What I need you to do is to scoop the cuttin's in the bag as I slice. This is a two man job."

He looked at the situation and took a stance at the end of the counter. I went back to slicing and he pulled the cuttin's into the bag as they piled up. I had to stop after I finished the quarters I was working on and get more to work on.

Jamie was keeping up with us, but just barely. It wasn't long until we had a full bag of cuttin's. I stopped the slicer and took the bag from under the feet of the slicer and carried it out to Bonnie.

"You ready for this?"

She looked up at me and saw the bag was full.

"Damn, that does work good. I'm not quite ready to start on that yet. Tie off the top and set it over by the clean crocks. I have to get all of these scrubbed out real good before I can start on the kraut."

I tied the bag loosely and set it by the crocks and went back to the kitchen. Jessie had a new bag set under the slicer feet and I began to work on the next load. Jamie was running out of room and still hadn't finished what cabbage we'd brought in. I told him to take a break until we got caught up and see if he could help his mom. Then Jessie and I went back to work.

We worked our way through the quartered heads and soon had another bag full of the cuttings. Our job was going pretty smoothly, but my arm was getting tired from moving the feeder tray back and forth. It was just a repetitive motion constantly and that can get to a person.

I took the second bag out to Bonnie. Jamie was helping her scrub out the crocks. They still had a couple to do. I told her I had another bag and she told me to tie it and put it with the other one. I told her we were going to take a break until she got caught up a bit. She just nodded her head and kept working.

I walked outside and lit a cigarette to relax a bit. I really had no idea what time it was, but I figured we'd been working a couple of hours, at least.

Jessie brought me a glass of iced tea as he sipped on his. We just relaxed a bit. We were pretty far ahead of Bonnie and I was beginning to wonder if we'd get all the cabbage made into sauerkraut today. I stopped that train of thought since I was sure she knew what she was doing. It's not a good idea to question a woman when they clearly have the advantage of knowledge that you don't.

We finished our tea and went back inside to start work again. Instead of working on slicing, we sat at the table and began to clean more heads of cabbage. I looked around and didn't see any of the cores sitting out.

"What have ya'all been doin' with the cores?"

"Throwin' 'em out with the leaves."

"Oh no. You shouldn't waste them like that."

"You save 'em."

"Oh yeah. They taste great."

I quickly grabbed a salt shaker and returned to the table. I quartered a head that we had cleaned and cut the core out of each piece. Then I put some salt on it and popped it in my mouth.

"Damn, that's good. Here, try one."

He followed my example and agreed that it tasted good. From then on, we set the cores aside as we cleaned the heads of cabbage.

Once we had the table stacked up with quarters of cabbage, we went back to slicing. We had the bag about half way full when Jimmy walked in.

"Damn, you ain't got that job done yet?"

I turned around and asked what he was doin' back so early.

"Hell, it's 11:30. It's time for me to be back."

"Wow, time sure flies when you're havin' fun."

"Well, let me wash my hands and I'll join in the fun."

He washed up in the sink and then asked what he should do. I told him he could relieve me with the slicer and I'd do some cleaning and coring.

I showed him what to do and he took over. After a couple of tries, he had it down and went to work on slicing up the quartered heads. I sat down and ate a couple cores before beginning to clean and core what remained of the supply we had in here.

They soon had the bag filled and Jimmy carried it out to the porch. He wasn't back as quickly as one would expect, so I had to assume that Bonnie was happy to see him.

The girls were finishing up their canning of what pickles remained when Bonnie, Jimmy and Jamie walked into the kitchen. She told the girls to finish that pot of jars and she'd get lunch ready.

She got the soup on the stove and heating and then began to put everything else on the dining room table. Once the girls finished with that pot of jars, they helped out and we soon were sitting down to our lunch.

After we finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee and chatted. The girls said they just had about two more batches to can and they'd be done. Bonnie said she was ready to start on the kraut and they could help when they'd finished canning.

She told us guys that it would go a lot quicker now that she was able to work on the kraut. We said we'd do our best to keep her in cabbage. Jimmy said the kids got off on time and they had said they had a real good time while they were here. It was just general conversation that would go on with a normal family.

Once lunch was over, the women cleaned up the table and got the dishes in the dishwasher and turned it on. The rest of us went back to our jobs.

We carried more cabbage in and began to clean and core it. All of us kept eating the cores and everyone agreed that they tasted great. Homegrown cabbage has a much different taste than store bought. It takes so long from the time it's picked that it looses some of its flavor from the field to the table. That was not the case here. These heads were picked in the last two days.

Once the women were done with the dishes, they came over to see our progress. They saw us eating the cores and questioned our sanity. I fixed a piece for each of them and let them try it. They all agreed it tasted great and began to take all that we had ready.

Once we had a bunch of heads quartered, Jessie and I went back to slicing. We had the bag about halfway filled when Bonnie brought in an empty bag and said we could reuse it. She had been correct about it going faster. Jessie filled the bag we were working on and took it out to her and brought a second bag back for us to fill again. At this rate, we'd be hard pressed to keep up with her.

Jimmy and I took turns on the slicer. Jessie stayed in charge of pulling the cuttings into the bag while Jamie stayed with cleaning and coring along with whoever was not slicing. The girls kept coming over to get some cores to take back to everyone and we were really having a difficult time getting enough for ourselves.

It was closing in on 3:30 before we finished cleaning and coring the last of the cabbage. Bonnie was doing a good job in keeping up with our efforts. We were barely able to stay ahead of her.

Since we had more free time now, Jimmy and I switched at every third tray to give our arms a rest. As we got down to the last bag, Bonnie came in and told us not to slice anymore once we had that bag filled up. We still had quite a few heads of cabbage to slice once we'd finished filling the last bag. She said to leave them and we'd have them on Thursday night for supper.

Us guys started cleaning up our mess and we noticed that all of the cores had been eaten. They sure didn't go to waste. Once I had the slicer wiped down good and dried, I put it away. The boys carried the garbage bag full of leaves out and Bonnie told them to dump it in her compost area. There were about five bags just stuffed full of the outer leaves from the cabbage we'd cleaned.

Bonnie called Jimmy and I out to the porch. She wanted us to carry the crocks downstairs and warned us to be careful and not spill them. I asked her why she had rocks on top of cloth that covered the cabbage.

"That's to keep the kraut below the water line. Under the rocks is a clean cloth. That cloth is wrapped around a piece of wood that keeps all of the kraut down. I use the wood and cloth every year. I just have to make sure they are real clean after we get done with them. I'll have to keep an eye on each crock and skim the scum off of it ever' day. Then I have to wash the cloths, board and rocks and put them back. It'll take about four or five weeks for this to get done."

"Ok, that works for me. Now we have to feed the calves, it's gettin' late."

"Well, I've decided that we're goin' out to eat tonight. Nobody's had time to cook anything and it's too late now."

"I'm all for it."

Us guys headed to the equipment shed and fired up the tractors. It took us about 45 minutes to get the calves fed and get back to the house, then get the spreader cleaned up. We headed for the house and washed up. The women were waiting for us.

The kids all climbed in with me and Bonnie went with Jimmy. We arrived at the barbecue place and parked there. It took them a while to find a table big enough for us, but we were soon seated in the back, pretty much by ourselves. And that was a good thing. The cores of the cabbage began working on us and we were all soon trying to hold back a lot of gas. The holding back was not working very well at all and it wasn't long before it sounded like growling coming from under the table.

We all opted for the buffet and the waitress brought us our iced tea and left a pitcher on the table. I don't know if she was being thoughtful or just didn't want to visit the area too much with all the gas being released.

It seemed the more we ate, the more gas we squeezed out. By the time we were finished with the meal and dessert, we were all laughing. Bonnie was not amused at all since she hadn't had many cores.

The ride back was with the windows wide open and everyone laughing about our situation. Between laughing, Cammie asked, "Why didn't you tell us this would happen if we ate them cores?"

"To be honest, I didn't remember. I don't eat that many very often and it just didn't occur to me."

When we got home, I didn't even bother to close the windows. It wasn't supposed to rain and the van really needed to be aired out.

The kids left to do the chores and the rest of us sat on the porch to chat. It was difficult to hold a conversation between the farts and the laughing, but we managed to talk about tomorrow.

It was going to be a long day. I was hoping the calves would get here early and we could get started. With Allen and Frank helping and asking questions, that would slow the process. We should be able to get the 27 through, but it was going to be slow.

Between farts and laughing, we stayed and talked until it got dark and then went inside to watch the news for the weather. The weather girl still had it clear for tomorrow and that was all that really mattered to me.

The weather was no sooner over when Bonnie and Jimmy said they were leaving. She gave the kids a kiss and then they left. Jamie and Dianne left shortly after that.

The rest of us stayed and talked, but mostly laughed about the farts. I was constantly berated for not telling the girls that this would be the result. But they couldn't do it without laughing or farting. Both seemed to go hand in hand. At least it hadn't produced the squirts to go with the farts. If it had, tomorrow would be a big problem.

After we had chatted and laughed for a while, we all headed for bed with the proper kisses all around. Cammie and I closed up and turned everything off and then headed for the bedroom. We stripped down and headed for the bathroom. The farts didn't stop when we took our clothes off, but they were less muffled.

When we got into bed, I pulled what I know every man has done and what every woman hates. I had a very long fart and then pulled the covers around my neck and waved the rest of the covers to get the odor out from its hiding place. Cammie, who had just let one also, was highly indignant about the entire operation, but I couldn't stop laughing. Finally, we settled down and cuddled together and drifted off to sleep.

The rooster woke me up again and I teased Cammie's nipple awake. The gas must have worked its way out during the night, because both of us were gas free this morning.

Cammie moaned and clasped my hand to her tit and turned over to kiss me. We shared a kiss and then she rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed and we both washed up and then got dressed.

When we got to the kitchen, Bonnie was not there yet. Cammie went to work on the biscuits and I started on the coffee. Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her before she started on the sausage. Bonnie finally showed up just as I was pouring the coffee into the regular pots.

"Not a word about anything from none of ya."

"Yes, dear."

I smiled as I carried the pots into the dining room and put them on the warmers that Jimmy was lighting. We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and then sat back and chatted.

We decided that today's work would depend a lot on what time the calves arrived. We were both hoping they would get here early so we could get things moving.

The kids showed up from chores and each poured themselves a cup of coffee and joined our conversation. I told Jessie and Jamie that they were in charge of moving the cattle. Jessie would take the inside of the pasture and Jamie would take the outside and move them after we'd finished with them in the chutes. Jamie said that Dianne could help him move the calves to the pasture, since Jessie would have the twins on the inside. I agreed and used that as the basis of a plan. Cammie, Chrissy, and Donna would help me and Jimmy in the chutes. I told them that I was sure that Allen and Frank would want to help, but I didn't know how much help they would actually be.

The women brought breakfast in and we all chowed down. The release of the gas must have made a lot of room because we were all starved. However, Bonnie had her extra large breakfast and almost dared anyone to say anything about it or try to steal any food.

Once the food was devoured, we all sat back and sipped our coffee. We filled the women in on our plans so far and they all agreed. Bonnie wasn't concerned at all since her and the women would be at the house preparing the meals.

I heard a vehicle pull in the lane and got up to see who it was. I saw Frank and Jenna and the twins get out of the vehicle and I opened the door for them.

"Have the calves gotten here yet? Frank asked.

"Nope, ain't seen nothin' of 'em yet. Ya'all are the first to arrive. Come on in and join us."

We walked in and everyone said howdy. Bonnie asked if she could make anything to eat and Frank told her that they'd eaten breakfast about an hour ago, but they could use some coffee. Cammie got everyone cups and I went to make more coffee.

I found the presses hadn't been emptied. I guess the women did that when they washed the dishes, so I emptied three of them and rinsed them out. I put on three more pans of water for coffee and ground the beans. Then I waited until the water was boiling and poured it in the presses. Once it had steeped, I poured it into the regular pots that I'd retrieved from the table and carried them back to the dining room.

I sat down and went back to work on my coffee when I heard another vehicle pull in. I got up and saw that it was Allen and Fran. I opened the door for them and told them to come on in. Bonnie also asked them if they'd eat anything and was told they'd already had breakfast. Cammie got them cups and we all enjoyed our coffee.

Jessie and the twins were getting a bit restless and I suggested that they go down to the barn and get their horses saddled and get two horses out for Jamie and Dianne. They instantly agreed and headed for the barn. They'd have probably shoveled an entire stack of manure in order to get away from the adults.

We all sipped our coffee and chatted about various things. The women had their own private conversation going and us men had another going. Ours was about the calves and how we were going to handle them. I have no idea what the women were talking about, and really didn't care.

We were just about finished with the last of the coffee when I heard the semi pull up the lane.

"They're here," I said, and grabbed my hat and the checkbook and headed for the door.

Everyone was right behind me, anxious to see what was going to happen.

I greeted the guys as they climbed down from the semi and they asked where I was going to put the calves. I told them I'd lead them out to the pasture after I paid them. They gave me a bill and I wrote out a check and handed it to them. I gave Cammie the checkbook and she took it back inside.

Jamie and Dianne had already walked down to the corral to saddle their mounts. When Cammie came back, I told her to take the old pickup down to the workshop and Chrissy would help her load the supplies we needed for today. Jimmy, Allen, Frank and myself got into our pickup and headed to the pasture, leading the semi with the calves. The activity had begun and it was going to be hectic for the next several hours.



-------

Chapter 33

We pulled past the gates for the calves and parked the truck. Jimmy and I got out and opened the gates and then directed the driver as he backed up. We got him positioned just inside the gates and told him that was far enough.

He stopped and set the brakes and climbed down. We all helped him put the ramps in place and then he opened the doors and climbed in. He forced his way to the front of the trailer and began to move the calves out. They were reluctant at first, but soon the ones in back were pushing the ones up front and the migration began.

Once the last one was out and down the ramp, he came out and we all helped him secure the ramps under the trailer and close the doors. He thanked us and climbed back up into the cab and drove away.

"Now the fun begins," I told them.

Jimmy and I drove back to the equipment shed and got the two tractors with the front-end forks on them. Then it was back to the pasture so we could put the squeeze chutes in place.

Jessie and the twins showed up and we opened the gates for them to get into the pasture. Once they were in, Jimmy and I each picked up a squeeze chute and positioned them so we had walking room between but the calves couldn't get out of the pasture without going through a chute. We placed them in a fan design with the narrow end of the fan in the opening of the pasture.

Once we had the chutes in position, we drove the tractors back to the shed and got the pickup. Then we picked up the tables we had built for between the chutes. I looked around to see if we'd forgotten anything, but I couldn't find any item that we needed. I had to assume that Cammie and Chrissy got all of the rest of the stuff.

Once we got back, we got the tables set up and we put everything out. Chrissy had been alert enough to get a cooler for the meds and had the syringes in with them.

"Ok, guys, here's how this process works. Jessie and the twins will drive the calves into the chutes and we'll squeeze them tight. Then I'll swab them with alcohol and give them a shot. Chrissy will put the ear tag in at the same time. Once that is done, then we spray them. They have to be covered completely, all over their body. After that's completed, we cut 'em loose and Jamie and Dianne will push them to the next pasture. Any questions?"

Nobody had any, so I gave Jessie the signal to drive four calves in the chutes. Jimmy, Allen, Frank and myself manned the chutes and Jessie and the twins finally succeeded in getting four calves inside each one. We locked them down and I grabbed a syringe and filled it with the proper amount of serum. Then I swabbed a place on the hindquarter and grabbed it between my thumb and forefinger. Next I inserted the needle and pulled back on the plunger. No blood appeared so I pushed the medication in. Then I pulled the needle out and swabbed it again with alcohol.

In the meantime, Chrissy had worked on the ear. We had already decided on the black tags for the ears and she had that inserted. While that was going on, Cammie, Donna and Jimmy had filled up the sprayers and pumped enough air in them to get the liquid out and began spraying the calf we had just worked on.

Chrissy and I moved the next calf and worked him over. Frank and Allen watched every move we made and I guess they were impressed. I told them they could fill the other sprayer and take care of the calf if they wanted. They immediately went to work.

Chrissy and I moved to the next calf and did him. And finally the last one in this shift. Then we waited until they finished spraying.

Once all four calves were done, we turned them out and Jamie and Dianne moved them to the next pasture.

"That is time consuming," Allen said. "But it doesn't really seem all that difficult."

"It's not. It's just gettin' used to it. Ever'thing has to be done and in order. Other than that, it's just not that big of a deal."

While we had been chatting, Jessie and the twins drove another four calves in and we went to work on them. These went a bit smoother, since Frank and Allen knew what needed to be done and didn't have to wait to be told. By the time we had the next four in the chutes, we had all broken a sweat.

We were about half way through the next four when we heard the dinner bell ring. We finished what we were doing and then all piled in the two pickups and drove back for lunch.

We all washed up on the back porch and then made our way to the dining room table. Bonnie had put an extra leaf in and there was just barely enough room to sit. It was cozy, but no one even minded. We were hungry.

We had soup, sandwiches with cole slaw and some cold baked beans. It tasted great and we all ate our share. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee while we talked about the morning.

"Could you show me and Allen how to give the shots?" Frank asked.

"Sure. It's not a problem. It just takes a bit of practice. Once you've done it a couple times, you'll be an old hand at it."

"How did you get the information about what drugs to buy?"

"Doc Tompkins gave me a list of what I needed and I bought it on the Internet."

"He just gave you the information?"

"Yep, he seemed to be kinda happy not to have to spend a full day givin' shots."

"I guess he could do a lot more important things. How long did it take you to get the routine down?"

"The first load of calves we put through was a mess. It took us about twice as long as it does now. By the second day, we had improved things and it just kinda fell in place. Ya'all might find an easier way of doin' things once you start."

"I don't know. It seems like you've got it down pretty good."

"Well, I had thought about gettin' a sprayer that could be powered by a tractor or a generator or maybe even a self powered one. They might work a bit quicker and maybe get better coverage in a shorter time. I haven't made up my mind yet. If we did that, we would only have one person sprayin' instead of four. I'm not sure that would speed things up or not."

"That is somethin' to think about. Also, you'd need to think of how much the sprayer would cost and how that would cut into your profits. These pump sprayers are only about fifteen dollars, aren't they?"

"I don't know. They were here when I bought the place."

"Well, them pressure sprayers are over a hundred a piece. If you get one that is run from a PTO, then you've got the tractor runnin' all that time too, and that eats up some gas."

"Yep. That's why I really haven't considered changin' yet. As long as we get the calves in smaller lots, we don't have to work that long to get them done. The largest lot we got was eighty and that took a lot of work. But we were still learnin' too. But I wouldn't wanna have a lot much bigger than that."

"I hear ya. That would be a lot to handle at one time."

"Yep. I think we're gonna limit our herds to a total of about one hundred and fifty. That way we can have three herds of fifty. They won't overgraze a pasture too quick and they're easier to manage at that size."

"Well, that's a bit big for my spread. Of course, I don't have the he'p that ya'all do around here. I'd be hard pressed to herd more than thirty or so in one batch. Plus, you've got more land. I'd run out of pasture real quick if I had that many."

"Well, you do need the land."

We finished up our coffee and then headed back to the pastures. Jessie and the twins climbed into the pasture and got mounted. I explained in detail to Frank and Allen how to give the shots. They listened attentively and then I had the kids run four more into the chutes. We got them locked down and I went with Frank to help him with his first shot. First, I talked him through getting the serum in the syringe. He didn't realize that he had to put some air in before he withdrew any liquid or it would form a vacuum. Once I explained it to him, he understood. He got the proper amount in the syringe and I showed him how to clear any air bubble from the syringe and needle. Then I showed him where to swab the calf and told him to use a goodly amount of alcohol. He did and I pointed to where he should grab the muscle.

He was a bit hesitant on sticking the needle in, but I assured him it wouldn't hurt the calf. He jabbed it in and I told him to pull the plunger out a bit to see if there was any blood that showed up. He did that and nothing came out, so I told him to inject the serum. He did and I handed him the alcohol rag and told him to hold it around the needle as he withdrew it. The process took about four times as long as it would take me to do it, but he was learning.

Next, I worked with Allen and talked him through the shot. He had the same problems as Frank did, except he knew from listening pretty much what to do. Then I watched Frank give a shot and wasn't going to say a word unless he made a mistake. The only thing he did wrong was to not put some air in the serum bottle before trying to remove the amount. I corrected him and he did everything else by himself.

Then I did the same with Allen. He got through it without any mistakes. Once the shots were done, we sprayed them and turned them out for Jamie and Dianne to push to the next pasture.

On the next batch, I let them do a calf each and I did two. It went a bit smoother and they were definitely learning. It was still taking way too long, but they were in the learning mode and we had the time.

The next batch went smoother and we had them out in about normal time. The last batch of three went pretty quick and we had the entire herd of calves done. Jamie and Dianne drove the last three to the pasture.

Jimmy, Frank, Allen and myself grabbed the end squeeze chute and lifted it away from the gate so Jessie and the twins could get out. They rode back to the corral with Jamie and Dianne while the rest of us cleaned up everything and packed it in the trucks. Then we drove back and unloaded everything and put the meds back in the 'fridge.

I used the sink and some soap to wash out the sprayer real good and then set them out to dry. Once that was done, we stowed the tables and took the cooler back to the house.

We all washed up on the back porch and I asked them if they wanted a beer. They all agreed they did and I got us four Dos Equis out. We opened them and walked around to the front porch to rest. It had been a long day and it wasn't done yet.

We rested on the porch and chatted about the day.

"I sure as hell learned a couple things today," Allen said. "I'm pretty sure I can do that and save myself a good bit of money. But I got a question. How did you know how much to use in a shot?"

"Doc Tompkins told me. He gave me the dosage for several different weights."

"Well, that makes sense. I gotta tell you, I sure thought it was gonna be a lot harder than it was. I'm pretty sure I can do that with my next herd. Plus, I can teach some of the guys around me when they come over to help and we'll all save some money."

"Well, I feel about the same way, Allen," Frank said. "I know I can do that and I know several others that would just love to do that. What do you figure it cost you for each calf for the shots and the spray?"

"Oh, probably between eight and nine dollars."

"Hell, I've been payin' the doc fourteen dollars a calf. That's quite a savin's."

"Not only is it a savin's, but I don't have to wait for the doc to have the time to come out. He'd need to spend three days out here and I'm sure he's got more important things to do with his time."

"Ya, the last I talked to him, he tol' me he was thinkin' about hirin' a student vet to help in the summer time because he was so swamped."

"Well, you sold me on the idea. When it comes time, I'll probably ask you about where you bought the stuff on the Internet."

"That's not a problem. I've got it saved on my computer. It's not a big deal. I just ordered it and gave them my credit card number and they shipped it the next day."

"Well, I'll have my kids help me with that. I ain't much on the computer. I can't type at all. I have to hunt for the letters all the time. They can sit down at the thing and type for an hour and not make a mistake."

"They probably make mistakes, but the computer checks it and corrects them."

"Damn, those machines do ever'thing."

"Nope, they're only as smart as the person usin' 'em. You still gotta tell 'em what to do, or they'll just sit there and gather dust."

"Well, I know that my kids grades has come up since we bought the thing. It's a good thing you moved down here. If you hadn't, they'd still be writin' their reports by hand."

"The computer's a wonderful tool, but that's all it is. It still takes a person who wants to do things before they're worth a damn."

"Well, since we got the computer, we ain't had no problem gettin' the kids to do their homework. It's almost like they want to do it. Kinda like it's play for 'em."

"Mine too," Frank put in. "Now I have to ration out who gets to use the computer when. They all seem to want to be on it. I've watched them on there and they can find just about anything they want on the Internet. I've seen 'em get stuff from some library in Fayetteville at the University there. Before, I'd have to stand over 'em to get 'em to write a two-page report. Now, they write a ten page report and don't even blink."

"What I've found in my dealin's with kids is that if you give 'em the proper tools, and a bit of incentive, plus make it a bit of fun, they'll do the best work they can. Once they find out how to get information, they'll go to all kinds of places to find what they're lookin' for. It was that way with my kids. Once I got 'em set up on the Internet, they did all the rest themselves. All I did was to show 'em a few things and they did all the rest. It's amazin' how resourceful they can be."

"Boy, I'll say," said Allen. "They're findin' things and places I didn't even know existed. When I was in school, all we had was the library in school. If you couldn't find it in the encyclopedias, then you were shit outta luck."

"Yep, them days is gone for sure."

Donna came out on the porch and told me that I needed to light the grill so I could cook the hamburgers. I thanked her and we all walked around to the back porch and I got the grill out. I put the charcoal in and fired it up. Then we sat back and chatted until it was ready.

I walked inside to get the burgers and I was handed a tray that was loaded. There was no way the grill would be able to hold this many at once. I told them it would be about twenty minutes, at least. Bonnie just nodded and went on with what she was doing.

I went out to the grill and put a layer of hamburgers on the grill and watched them as they cooked. We chatted about other things, but mostly about farming. I flipped the first batch and had to sprinkle some water on the coals to dowse a flare up.

Once the first batch was done, I took them off and put the next grill full on. I had forgotten how many mouths we had to feed. By the time I was done with this batch, the coals were starting to burn down. It was a good thing we didn't have any more to cook.

I pulled the last batch off and carried the tray inside. The guys all followed me and I set them on the table. We had cole slaw, baked beans, corn on the cob and our hamburgers. Bonnie had an abundance of sliced tomatoes and onions for our hamburgers and plenty of sour dough bread to put them on.

Once everyone got seated, we dug in. Us guys really devoured the food. We were all hungry and showed it. I'm pretty sure everyone got enough to eat, but there wasn't any hamburgers left on the tray.

Then Jenna and Fran each brought out a cake in a long pan. One was chocolate and the other one was kind of like a gingerbread cake. But both of them had a butter icing and they were delicious. Once us guys got into them, there was hardly any cake left by the time we pushed back to sip our coffee.

We all chatted around the table and the women said they were going fruit shopping tomorrow and maybe on Friday. It depended on how much they could get done tomorrow. Us guys just nodded, like bobble heads and didn't say anything. It's best not to try and dampen any female's plans for a shopping frenzy.

Once we had finished our coffee, there was a mad scramble to gather up what belonged to Fran and Jenna so they could get ready to leave for home. They still had chores to do after they got home.

Us guys chatted out on the porch while we waited for the women to get done. They thanked me for showing them everything and I thanked them for the help. They said they might have some questions in the future and I told them I'd be happy to help any way I could.

Fran and Jenna showed up with their containers in their arms and the two couples departed. Our kids headed for their chores and the women began the task of cleaning up the meal mess.

Jimmy and I headed for the equipment shed. It would be just the two of us feeding tonight. We fired the tractors up and he operated the feed bin chute while I pulled under it. Once we had enough feed in the spreader, we headed for the pastures. When we got there, he parked his tractor outside the gates and followed me in on foot. He worked the chute while I pulled into the feed spreading position. We did that on both pastures and then I parked my tractor and he speared a bale for each pasture and I cut them apart as he dumped them in the hay ring. Then we headed back to the house. I washed the spreader out with the hose and parked the rig.

I walked over to Jimmy and told him it would be a good idea to move the rest of the chutes so we wouldn't have do that tomorrow before we moved the calves. He agreed and headed his tractor out the lane to the pasture. I fired up the other tractor with the front end forks on it and followed him.

When we got there, we each carefully put our forks through the opening just below the upper rail and lifed the chutes. Then we put them out of the way on the other side of the lane. I pointed Jimmy to the one we had moved by hand and he went for that one, while I moved back to the last one by the gate. We got both of them placed by the others and then headed our tractors back to the shed. Once we got there, we parked them so they wouldn't be in the way of or normal routine of feeding.

We walked up to the front porch and joined the kids. We chatted and Jamie told us if we'd waited, he and Jessie would have helped us. I told him we just wanted to get it done and they already had chores to take up their time tonight. It had been a very long day and we'd all put in a lot of time.

The women came out and Bonnie reminded me that we hadn't carried the crocks downstairs yet. I sighed and Jimmy and I got up and headed for the back porch. We each carefully picked up a crock and carried it down the stairs. I decided that we should set them by the sink down there, so Bonnie would have ready access to it. Once we had them all carried down, I took a look around to see what all we had on the shelf. She had used about two-thirds of the jars, but mostly quarts. It looked like a grocery store aisle down there. She had labeled all of them with the date she'd canned them and what they contained. It didn't look like we run out of tomatoes this year and maybe not until next year. But there were also other vegetables down there too. We could live a long time with this stock. It would be good eating this winter.

Jimmy and I returned to the front porch and Bonnie asked where we had set them. I told her they were close to the sink and she said they'd need to be moved from there because they'd be in the way when they did laundry. I told her we'd move them later because we were both tired tonight. She just nodded.

We chatted and Bonnie told us that all of the women were going shopping tomorrow. She said they'd need to take the two pickups so they could carry all the fruit and such they were going to buy. I must have looked stunned, because she said that a bushel of apples takes a lot of room and so do peaches. Then we'll have a bunch of flats of berries. I asked her if she wanted us to put the sideboards on the trucks for her and she said they couldn't be stacked up too high or they'd bruise the fruit under them. I thought, but sure as hell didn't say, this is going to be a hell of a shopping trip. I was sure glad I wasn't going.

We chatted until it got dark and then went inside to watch the weather. The forecast said that we might have some rain on Sunday, but it would be light. The next chance was possibly on Tuesday of next week.

When the commercial came on, Jimmy and Bonnie got up to leave. After she gave out her kisses, they departed and then Jamie and Dianne did the same. The rest of us chatted for a bit and then headed for bed after all the kisses. Cammie and I closed up and turned everything off before heading to our room.

We stripped down and then used the bathroom. After we slipped into bed, we kissed and cuddled for a bit and then drifted off to sleep. I was tired from the long day we'd put in. We could have done it a lot faster if we weren't teaching Frank and Allen, but that's just part of friendship. Down here, neighbors do help out neighbors. That's just the way it is.

I awoke to the sound of the rooster and teased Cammie's nipple. She moaned and turned over to kiss me. As soon as she broke the kiss, she scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and we washed up and then got dressed.

We arrived in the kitchen and we were the only ones there. Cammie started work on the biscuits and I went to work on the coffee. Dianne showed up and kissed me before starting on the sausage. Bonnie finally showed up and almost dared anyone to say anything with the stare she gave everyone.

She went right to work on the biscuits with Cammie and I got the coffee made. I took the three pots to the dining room and set them on the warmers that Jimmy had lit. We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and I lit my first. Then we sat back to chat.

"It's just gonna be us guys movin' the cattle today," I told him.

"I know, but we should be able to handle it. Our only problem will be the ropin' from the other herds to make up the third."

"That should give us some grins."

"Most likely."

We chatted until the kids came back from chores and then we filled them in on our plans after they poured themselves a cup of coffee. The boys thought it would be fun and I told them it should be funny. They agreed with that too.

When the women brought the food in, we stopped all talking and began eating. Bonnie had made a large breakfast for herself and nobody dared say anything about it. But we sure kept our distance from her reach. There was a very good chance we'd get stuck with her fork as she stuffed her face.

Once we finished eating, we all sat back and sipped our coffee. We told the women of our plans for today and they just nodded as they worked on their coffee. Of course, their day was planned with shopping for fruit. Bonnie also told us that most of next week would be taken up with canning. They would be making jelly, jam and canning a lot of apples and peaches. I asked her if they were going to make apple butter and she said that would probably be made later on with the fall apples.

I heard a vehicle drive in the lane and went to see who it was. It was a strange truck so I went outside to greet them. The guy got out and introduced himself and said that he was here to do the plastering. I told him to wait a minute and I'd take him over to the house.

I grabbed my keys and told the folks I was leaving to show the plasterer what needed done. I just got a wave as I walked out the door.

I got in the pickup and led him over to the old Miller place and opened it up. Then I took him upstairs and showed him the damage. He looked at it and said that shouldn't take him too long. I asked him if he wanted any trashcans for what he needed to tear out and he said he had all that he needed. I also asked him if he was going to replace the insulation and he told me that the contractor had said it needed to be done. He had some batting in the truck that should take care of what little insulation we needed done. It was R-19 and would fit in the 2x6 joists. I told him that was fine and we'd be working with the cattle today and he'd need to track us down so I could pay him. He said he'd catch up with us around noontime. I told him we'd be at the house around then. I left and returned to the house while he and his helper were getting things out of the truck to get started.

When I got back, I started in on my coffee and told them the ceiling should be done by this afternoon. The women didn't say anything and I didn't offer anything. I didn't want to get into a discussion about this item. It had to be done and the guy was going to do it. It was just that simple. No use in making it more difficult by discussing it.

I had just finished my cup of coffee when I heard another vehicle drive up. I got up and went to see who it was and I saw a bigger truck with a lot of metal on the roof rack. I figured it was the guy for the barn roofs. I walked out to greet him.

He introduced himself and told me he was here to work. I told him what we had and he made some notes. Then I told him I'd get my keys and lead him to the first barn.

I told everyone that the barn roof guy was here and I was taking him to the old Miller place. Again I got a wave and I headed for the pickup.

I took him to the barn and told him this was the worst one. He looked at it and said they'd work on this one first and then I could show him the rest. I asked if he needed anything and he said he had everything on the truck. I told him we'd be working cattle today but would be back at the house around noontime if he needed anything. He thanked me and walked back to his truck. I got in mine and headed back to the house, again.

Fortunately, they'd left me some coffee. I poured another cup and sipped it. The women were in the kitchen, working on the dishes. I told the guys about the roofer and they nodded. I sipped my coffee and we talked about our strategy for today.

We figured our first order of business was to get the calves we'd just got over to the new pasture. Then we could separate the others in the two pastures to make up the balance. We all agreed on that plan and I finally finished my coffee.

I took my cup and the pot into the kitchen and set them in the sink. The women were planning their day and I didn't even think about interrupting them.

As I was walking out the door, Cammie asked me where the keys were to the pickup. I told her I'd left them in the ignition and got an "ok" from her.

Us guys grabbed our hats and headed for the corral. We all got our tack and I saddled the stallion and then got their horses from the pasture. Once everyone was saddled, we checked our ropes to make sure they were in good shape and tied off properly.

We stayed around the corral until the women got ready to leave. Then we rode up to the house and we all got our goodbye kisses as they headed off for their day of shopping. With the women on their merry, we mounted up and headed for our day of work.



-------

Chapter 34

As we got to the pasture where the new calves were, we opened the gate and I asked Jessie to count them as we pushed them out and make sure we had all 27. He nodded and took his post just outside the gate.

Jamie, Jimmy and myself headed into the pasture and began to push the calves towards the gates. These calves were not used to being driven and didn't take kindly to the horses pushing them. They would move a bit and then scatter. It was kind of like a Chinese fire drill at first, but then they got the idea they were supposed to move through the gates. It was slow going, but we finally convinced them it was the right thing to do and they wouldn't be pressured so much if they left this pasture.

Once we got the main body through, I went back and looked for the reluctant ones. I had to chase each one up to Jimmy so he could move them on out. Evidently, these calves liked being loners.

I made several passes around the pasture and picked up a calf on each trip. I finally got up close to Jessie and asked him how many we'd pushed out. He told me that he'd counted 25, so I turned the stallion back to the pasture and went looking. I found one hiding behind a bush and pushed him to the gates. Jimmy picked him up and I went looking for the last one.

I found him in a depression, hiding behind a tree. I put the stallion on him and we soon had him moving out of the gates.

"That's the last one," Jessie shouted, as he passed through.

Jimmy and I rode through the gates and caught up with the tail end of the herd and rode drag to keep them from darting away before we got them to the next pasture. Several of them tried to escape, but the stallion put a quick halt to their flight for freedom.

When we got to the stream, they were very reluctant to go across. I guess they'd never crossed a stream before and really didn't want to get in too deep. I told Jessie to ride across in front of them so they could see how deep it was. He did, but they still didn't budge.

I told him to come back across and put a rope on one of the leaders and drag him across. He put the loop around the calf's head and then secured it to the saddle horn and started across. The calf dug his heels in and Jessie really had to drag him across. Once he got to the other side, Jessie released him and the rest of us put pressure on the back of the herd and they finally started to cross. They were reluctant, but they did all make it through the stream.

With that obstacle behind us, we continued to move them to the next pasture. Jessie rode ahead and opened the gates to the pasture we'd agreed to and then stood guard on the one side to make sure they didn't dart off to the side before they got in. Jamie took the position on the other side of the gates and Jimmy and I pushed them through.

We only had one that was very reluctant to enter, but I put the stallion on him and he finally thought it was better to be inside and not being chased by us. With him in the pasture, Jessie and Jamie closed the gates.

We took a bit of a break and planned our strategy for the next phase of our operation. The first thing we needed to think about was which ones we would select from each herd. I told them I thought we should get the loners. They would be the easiest to separate and their leaving wouldn't upset the pecking order. We all agreed on that. Next was how we were going to proceed. We couldn't leave the gates of either pasture open, so there had to be some provision for that problem.

Jamie thought that we'd select one person to rope at a time, then there would be one to keep him away from the herd if we missed. That would leave two. One to open the gate to each pasture. After that, we could rotate on who was doing what. We agreed on that and I was unanimously selected to be the first roper. There was no room for any argument since this was my idea in the first place.

We mounted up and headed for the next pasture. Jessie opened the gate and then closed it behind us. Jamie stay close to the gate and Jimmy and I rode towards the back of the herd. I took my rope from its tie down and opened the loop farther. As I rode, I twirled over my head a few times to get used to the feel. It had been a long time since I'd done any serious roping and it's never as easy as it looks.

Jimmy and I got to the back where the loners were off grazing. I picked one out and pointed to it. Jimmy nodded and I moved the stallion towards it.

As I got close, the calf decided that was not a good place to be and began to move away from me at a right angle. I put the stallion on him and lined him up. He wasn't running at full speed and as we got closer, I threw the loop at him.

The loop hit his back and he just scooted away. I reined in the stallion and regrouped. I got my rope back in place and a good loop and we went after him again. This time I got the loop over his head and stopped the stallion. The calf turned with a jerk and looked at me. He ran towards us about four steps and the loop came loose. He shook his head and the loop just dropped off. I had forgotten to move the stallion back and set him after we got the calf stopped.

I got the rope ready again and we took off after him. This time, I nailed him and stopped the stallion. The calf turned and I hitched the rope around the horn and then moved the stallion backwards to keep the tension tight. As the calf began to come along, I turned the stallion and we began our trip from the pasture.

Jamie had the gate opened by the time I got there. I led the calf to the next pasture and Jessie opened the gate for us. Once inside, I set the stallion and climbed down. I walked up the rope and stilled the calf while I took the loop off of his neck. Once I turned him loose, he backed away from me and then turned and took off running. I guess he thought that this was his last chance to escape and he was going to make the best of it.

I coiled my rope and headed out of the pasture. When I got back, I backed up Jimmy for his try at this game. Jimmy picked out a calf and urged his horse forward.

His first throw was a good effort. The only problem was his loop was too big and the calf just shook it off before he had a chance to get it tight. He recoiled his rope and went after the calf again. This time the calf anticipated what was going to happen and stopped just as he threw the loop. Of course, the loop sailed completely over the calf and Jimmy and his horse flew by the calf.

I heard Jimmy cussing as he gathered his rope up and got set for another try. It was different this time. Jimmy had his loop made but wasn't twirling it. He urged his horse forward and waited until he was almost next to the calf and then just leaned out and draped the loop over the calf's head. He stopped his horse and pulled the loop tight and hitched it around the saddle horn. Then he turned his horse and led the calf, who was not at all happy about this, out of the pasture. The calf was trying to dig its heels in, but the horse was not allowing that at all. Jimmy took him to the next pasture and turned him loose.

Jimmy took Jamie's place at the gates of this pasture and Jamie uncoiled his rope. He had watched Jimmy and evidently decided that was the strategy he was going to use. He had his loop built and urged his horse after one calf. Well the calf must have watched the proceedings too, because as soon as Jamie caught up with him, he stopped. Jamie and his horse just flew right by.

He got his horse turned around and started back after the calf. The calf took off running and Jamie threw his loop. Unfortunately, he was off the mark a bit and caught his hind feet. But, a catch is a catch and Jamie reined his horse up and drug the calf off of its feet. Then he got down and went to the calf, along the rope and knelt on his neck. He took the rope off of its feet and replaced it around its neck. He tightened the loop and got up. He held onto the rope as he walked back to his horse and then climbed aboard. He turned his horse and headed out of the pasture, making sure the calf didn't slip the loop.

Jamie took Jessie's post at the second pasture and Jessie took his turn. He didn't fare any better than the rest of us. It took him three tries to rope the calf. He led him out of the pasture and over to the new pasture.

Since we'd all had a shot at making ourselves look foolish, we decided to make a new plan. There's a big difference between roping horses and cutting horses. We were basically riding cutting horses. They could rope, but they were not trained for that. A roping horse is trained to slide to a halt as soon as the cowboy pushes his feet forward in the stirrups and flicks the rope up by his eyes. Contrary to common belief, most animals do not have great peripheral vision. They can basically see very good in front of their noses. They can sense movement to the side, but can't really see what it is. So a cowboy must flip the rope up high enough for the horse to see it before he will react. The next time you get a chance, watch the roping event at a rodeo. You'll see the cowboy flip the rope up after he successfully ropes the calf. When that happens, the horse will actually set his feet and almost squat to a sliding halt. That's the way they are trained.

What we decided to do was to have me cut the loners out and drive them up the pasture where a loop could be draped over them and they could be removed from the pasture. I was confident that the stallion and I could pick off the loners and move them. The rest would be up to Jimmy, Jamie and Jessie. We had four from this herd and we needed six more.

With that plan in mind, I moved the stallion to the back of the herd and put him on a loner. He went to work and soon had the calf running in the direction I had pointed them. The guys had their ropes out and formed a place for him to run through. Just as soon as he came close enough, Jimmy draped the loop over him and hitched the rope to the saddle horn and he was caught. I headed back for another loner.

It worked about the same with the next, except that Jamie caught him. While they led those two over to the pasture, I went back for the next. This calf made a run for the main herd and I had to hang on as the stallion made an abrupt turn to cut him off. The stallion was successful and soon had him running for where Jessie was waiting for him. He put his loop around him and led him out of the gate that Jamie was holding for him. That was seven and we only had three more to go from this herd.

I had to wait a bit for everyone to get back. They had to open and close the gates by themselves while leading the calf. We could have used a couple more hands, but we all work with what we have. The last three went basically the same as we had with the last three. This was a much better system than us trying our hands at roping. It would have been a different story if we were practiced at this. But this was not our everyday job. This was just a way to get calves from one herd to another. The pay was the same no matter how we did it.

With the last from that herd in with the new herd, we decided it was about lunchtime. We rode slowly back to the house and put the horses in the corral. We put out a bit of feed for them and they had access to water there too. Then we walked up to the house.

We washed up on the back porch and found it was almost one. I found two jars of soup and got them heating in a pan. Jimmy got the sandwich makings out and Jamie got the bread and fixings while Jessie got the tea for us. I also made a pot of coffee while I was waiting for the soup to heat.

We were just about to sit down when I heard a vehicle drive up. It was the plasterer and I greeted him on the porch.

"Howdy. Are ya done already?"

"Yep, I sure am. We got the insulation up and the plaster just has to dry now. We can't help that process at all. You'll need to paint it in about three weeks, after it's cured."

"We can do that. Would ya'all like some lunch?"

"Nope. We've already had our lunch and we're headed for another job."

"Ok. How much do I owe you?"

"Here's the bill."

I took the bill and invited him in. He said he was too dirty to come in, but he'd wait on the porch. I went inside and wrote him a check and took it out to him.

"I wanna thank you for gettin' this done. My woman's grandparents are gonna move in there and I didn't want that needin' done."

"Not a problem. We've just been so busy since them storms came through. It's been great for business, but we just can't keep up. I haven't had a day off since they blew through."

"Well, maybe ya'all can take some fishin' time this fall?"

"I plan on it. I'm also gonna do a lot of quail huntin' this year too. I plan on bein' done by the middle of September or the first of October. Then I ain't liftin' a finger to work until next year. I don't wanna pay the guvmint too much money. They might get to expectin' it."

"I heard dat. Well, thanks again. I do appreciate it.

"Ok. Let me know if ya'all need anything else, next year."

"Will do. Have a good 'un."

"You too."

He left and I went to the table to eat. The others had finished their soup and I was playing catch up. We ate and then sat back and sipped our coffee. We decided that the last solution we used was the best method of getting the calves we wanted and it was a lot faster too. Although we didn't get to laugh as much, it's really not that funny when it's around 90 degrees out.

After we finished our coffee, we all cleaned up our mess and put the dishes in the dishwasher. Then we fixed a big thermos of water to take along with us. It would be hotter this afternoon and some cold water to drink would go really good.

We walked down to the corral and got our horses and headed slowly back. We didn't want to heat the horses up before it was necessary.

When we got to the pasture, they took up their positions and I headed for the back of the pasture. I started with the loner that was closest to them because I didn't want to alarm the other loners and chase them back into the herd.

I pointed the stallion at the calf and let him do the work. I just held on. It worked great. The stallion ran him between Jimmy and Jamie and Jimmy put his loop over the head and hitched the rope to his saddle horn. Jessie opened the gate and Jimmy led him out. I went back for the next one. Again, I took the closest one and ran him forward. Jamie put his loop around him and led him out.

I returned again and found one out away from the group and put the stallion on him. He took off for the herd and the stallion cut him off and almost unseated me in the process. It took a bit, but the stallion worked him into position and Jessie looped him and led him away. Three down, seven to go.

I headed back to the herd and found one by himself and put the stallion behind him and hung on. The stallion worked him up to where Jimmy was and he put a loop on him and led him away. Then I headed back.

I found that the herd had bunched up a lot from when I started. I rode down in the back of the pasture and found one down there. I let the stallion run him up to Jamie and then returned. I only found one other by himself. The stallion pushed him up to Jessie and I headed back to look for more.

I circled the herd and couldn't find any that weren't in the confines of the herd. They'd gotten smart and realized that the loners were being picked off and had all bunched up. I rode around the herd and looked for any that stood out in their behavior. There was a couple on the edge and I just put my loop over one of them and drug him to the gates. Rather than try to switch, I took him over to the other pasture myself.

In the meantime, the other guys had observed what the cattle were doing and followed my lead. By the time I got back, they each had their loop around a calf and were leading them out. I held the gate for them and closed it as they passed through. Then I went around them and opened the gate to the new pasture so they could lead them in and turn them loose. That was our quota. We now had one herd of 48 and two of 47. With that accomplished, we all took a big drink of the cold water we'd brought along and then we headed for the corral.

Once we got there, we took the tack off and put it away and I got the hose out and cooled the legs of the horses. Then we brushed them out real good. I asked Jessie to go to the back porch and see if he could round up four apples. He came back with them and we all quartered an apple and fed it to our horses. After that, we turned them out and headed for the back porch and washed up to get the smell off of us. We found that washing wasn't enough and that we really needed to change clothes. Horse sweat just lingers on the clothes and don't go away.

Jimmy and Jamie headed for their places and Jessie and I headed for our showers. We each took a quick shower and then put clean clothes on. By the time I got out to the porch, Jessie had a pitcher of iced tea and glasses with ice in them for all of us. I poured my tea and we sat back and sipped our tea and just relaxed.

Jamie and Jimmy showed up and they poured themselves some tea and joined us.

"Well, that was an interestin' day," Jimmy said, with a smile on his face.

"Yep, reckon we'd best not go into rodeoin' for a livin'." I replied.

"Well, I wouldn't recommend it. A fella with our skills could starve to death real quick like."

"Since I like to eat, I guess I'll stay clear of goin' pro. It's not the life for us ol' guys."

"It's definitely a young man's game.

We chatted and sipped our tea until it was gone and then decided we should feed the calves. It was coming up on 3:30 and there had been no sign of the women. Since they didn't fix anything for supper, we'd probably eat out. This way, we wouldn't have to feed after we got back.

We walked down to the equipment shed and got the tractors running. Jamie opened the feed bin chute when I pulled under it and I reminded him we needed extra for the new herd. He nodded and began filling the spreader.

Once he'd put in what he thought we needed, he climbed on with me and we headed for the pastures. Jimmy and Jessie had already left to get the hay bales taken care of.

When we got to the pasture with the new calves, they were milling all over the place. As soon as we pulled in, the calves from the older herds made a beeline for the feeding troughs. Jamie manipulated the discharge chute and I pulled slowly forward as I put the feed in the troughs. As we finished, the new calves had gotten curious and were around the troughs. They had to wait their turn since the older calves were taking up most of the room. There were a couple head butting incidents as they all fought for their place in the pecking order. It would probably take a week or so to get things sorted out as to which calves were in which place. I wasn't too worried about it. They would all get fed. Some would just have to wait until the others moved away from the troughs.

We went to the next pasture and loaded up the feeding troughs and then to the next. It appeared like we had a bit too much feed, but we could adjust that tomorrow and would eventually get the right fill level on the spreader. The last herd got a slightly larger helping than normal.

Jimmy and Jessie finished up with the hay bales and we all headed back for the house. We parked the tractors and I hosed out the spreader to get the residue out. Then we walked up to the house. Jessie got us another pitcher of tea and we sat back and chatted.

It was almost 5 before the women drove in the lane. They went directly to the back porch and we walked back to help them unload. The beds of the pickups were loaded with fruit.

Bonnie got out and said that we should just find a place on the back porch to put the baskets and flats and not to worry about where, as long as they weren't stacked on top of each other and there was a path to get from the door to the kitchen.

Us guys began unloading and we did have the good sense to put all of the types together. They had eight bushels of apples, and six of peaches. There were quite a few flats of berries but they could be stacked since they weren't over flowing and the wood on the flats protected the berries underneath.

While we were doing that, the women began carrying in bags and boxes. I didn't bother to ask them what was in there because I was afraid they'd tell me. I just wanted to get this chore done and head for supper.

As soon as we had everything unloaded, we walked into the house and the women were setting the table. They had stopped at the barbecue place and brought dinner home. We each had a barbecued chicken and there were big containers of cole slaw and baked beans to go with the meal.

Us guys washed up and then we were told to get to the table. We didn't hesitate since we were all hungry. Donna brought the iced tea in and we began to devour our meal. Jamie and Jessie both ate their entire chicken. The rest of us had some left over. I had a half of breast left and Jimmy had about the same. The women ate the breast, but left the drumsticks and wings and a couple left the thighs too. Quickly I figured out what we'd have for lunch tomorrow. We also put a real good dent in the cole slaw and beans. Then Donna brought in two German chocolate cakes for dessert. We didn't quite finish them, but we sure did our best.

Once we finished eating, we all sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Well, we got quite a bit bought today." Bonnie said. "We've got to go back tomorrow and pick up more berries. We've already paid for them but we didn't have room for them today. It shouldn't take us too long tomorrow. The big thing will be the grapes. I think we've got enough to fill one pickup and then we also bought some strawberries. They're not as nice as I'm used to, but that's all they had left. We really shoulda got them earlier in the season, but we just didn't have the time."

"Well, we got the new calves moved and got the new herd set up," I told the women.

"That's all ya'all did today?" Cammie asked.

"That's a lot. It takes time to weed out calves that don't wanna be moved. We had to rope 'em and drag 'em to the new pasture. Plus, the new calves ain't used to bein' driven any place and they were a bit reluctant to go."

"I just think ya'all were playin' at bein' a cowboy."

"Trust me, ain't none of us entertainin' any thought of bein' a cowboy. Our ropin' techniques leave a lot to be desired."

"So, I guess ya'all ain't plannin' on enterin' the rodeo when it comes this year?"

"Not only no, but hell no. We'll sit and watch, but I don't think any of us wanna get out in the arena and make a fool of ourselves."

"Well, that's a relief."

The phone rang and Bonnie got up to answer it. All I heard was, "Oh, that's great." Then she handed me the phone.

"This is Dean."

"Howdy, Dean. This is William. We've got things all taken care of and are ready to move."

"When did ya'all have in mind?"

"Whenever ya'all can get over here."

"How much do ya'all have to move?"

"Well, we've got the livin' room stuff, our bed room furniture and a couple beds that the folks don't want. But the big stuff is the dinin' room furniture. We've got a big sideboard and a big table, plus a dozen chairs."

"I guess our thoughts about rentin' a truck was the best idea. We'd never get all of that in pickups."

"Not hardly. I don't think the sideboard would fit at all. It's about ten feet long."

"That is a big one. I guess we could get a truck tomorrow up at Searcy and get ya'all moved tomorrow."

"That would be great. Lena has been chompin' at the bit to get over there. She knows that Bonnie's cannin' and wants in on it. We've got all the china in boxes and our clothes we can just lay in the truck someplace. Pretty much ever'thing else will just stay in the drawers. It'll be easier that a way."

"I'm sure she'll get plenty of time to he'p can. They've been out buyin' fruit all day and they're goin' back tomorrow."

"Well, you know how women are. They don't wanna miss a beat on them important things."

"I heard dat. Listen, we'll get movin' right after breakfast tomorrow and get a truck and be over there as soon as we can. It shouldn't take more than one trip and we'll be done before the day's up."

"Ok. I appreciate it, Dean. Now Lena wants to talk with Bonnie."

"See ya tomorrow mornin'. Here's Bonnie."

I handed the phone back to Bonnie and she headed for the kitchen to talk. The rest of us finished our coffee and then the kids headed for their chores. Jimmy and I walked out to the front porch and took a seat to chat.

"Well, we've got tomorrow's activities planned. We're helpin' William and Lena move. I figure we'll take a car and the van up to Searcy and get a decent sized truck and then head over to their place. We should be able to make it in one load. Then I can just drive the truck back and nobody'll have to follow me. I can drive the car back home."

"That'll work. How much stuff they got?"

"William said they had their bedroom stuff and two other bedrooms, plus their dining room furniture. Their sideboard is about ten feet long, so that'll be the big thing. They've got ever'thing else packed or it can just stay in drawers when we move it."

"With one trip, it shouldn't take too long. We've got enough muscle to get that stuff moved. I'd get a truck with a lift gate on it though."

"I've already thought about that. Ain't no sense in killin' ourselves."

"Yep, they do make things easier. I'm thinkin' that sideboard will be heavy as hell if it's that long."

"Me too. I'm gonna see if they've got some dollies at the rental place. It's a lot easier to roll things than carry 'em."

"I hear ya."

The women came out to join us. Since they didn't have the dishes to clean up, it didn't take them very long to throw stuff away and just put the plates and cups in the dishwasher.

"We've got to move some stuff before Mama and Daddy get here," Bonnie said, as she sat down.

"What stuff?" I asked.

"Well, the dinin' room stuff. We're gonna put their dinin' room furniture in here. I figure we can put the stuff that's here now, down in Jamie's place. Their table's bigger and their sideboard is way bigger. It was all hand made by Daddy's granddad. He really did beautiful work. He did cabinet work besides farmin'. He made more money doin' the cabinet work than he did farmin'. I think that Daddy's still got all of his old tools."

"Are you sure their furniture will fit in here?"

"Oh ya. I done measured it out."

"Well, we'll need the table to eat on in the mornin'."

"Yep. I'm figurin' we can move the sideboard tonight and then the table can be moved whenever we get a chance."

"I guess that would work. What about all the dishes?"

"We'll keep them here, but Mama is givin' ya'all her good china. It's got sixteen place settin's. And so does her good silverware."

"You mean she's givin' all of that to us?" Cammie asked.

"She sure is. They won't need it anymore and you're the first born, so it goes to you."

"Wow. I've seen them things. They are really pretty."

"Well, remember, they can't go in the dishwasher. They gotta be washed by hand."

"Oh, we'll take real good care of 'em."

"You'd best. They can't be replaced."

"Are ya'all gonna empty out the sideboard tonight?" I asked.

"Yep, we are. Just as soon as I sit and rest a bit. We've had a long day."

"Well, ya'all rest and I'm gonna go inside and reserve a good sized truck at the place in Searcy for tomorrow. I think I can do it on the Internet."

I walked inside and fired up the computer. I got on line and went to the Ryder website. I rented a truck for tomorrow that would hold 3 to 4 rooms of furniture. I figured that would be big enough.

By the time I was done, the women were unloading the sideboard. As soon as they were done, us guys carried it out to the pickup that I had parked by the front porch. We loaded it in and then carried the drawers and contents out.

Then we drove it to Jamie's place and put it in the old dining room. Once we had it set in there, the women began to put everything back. Us guys took the pickup and headed back home. We sat on the porch and chatted about tomorrow.

If the moving were just up to me and the guys, I knew it wouldn't be a problem. However, when the women are involved, it always gets complicated. The only saving grace would be that only Lena would be around to "guide" us. The rest of the women were going to pick up the rest of the fruit they'd bought today.

The women were back just about dark and we all went inside to hear the weather. It was going to be clear tomorrow and that was the only thing I was worried about. I really didn't care about the rest of the weekend. As long as we got their belongings moved without getting them wet, we'd be fine.

Once the weather was over, Bonnie and Jimmy said good night and Bonnie gave out her kisses. Then Jamie and Dianne said good night and left too. The rest of us chatted for a bit and then closed up and turned everything off. The appropriate kisses were given out and we all retreated to our bedrooms. I think it had been a long day for all of us.

Cammie and I used the bathroom and then slipped into bed. We snuggled and kissed and then drifted off to sleep. I know I was tired and Cammie seemed like she was also. It didn't take me long to fall asleep.



-------

Chapter 35

Friday dawned for me with the crowing of the rooster. This was going to be a long and important day. It was moving day for William and Lena. We would finally have all of Cammie's family on the property. With Barb now gone, her only other family that wasn't here was her grandparents. It has always been my opinion that family is the most important thing. That includes grandparents. They have so much wisdom to teach the children and it's only natural that they all be together. We would be in separate houses, but everyone would be together for meals. That brought a sense of belonging for everyone. This is where everyone could be together and no one was excluded. Parents, children and grandchildren would all be included. My parents and grandparents had passed away and my children were in college. If they wanted to be here, I would find room for them. But, for now, we could gather all of Cammie's family together.

I came back to the reality of the moment and teased Cammie's nipple. It hardened and she moaned as she clasped my hand to her tit and turned to kiss me. Her body molded to mine as she draped her leg over my hip and pulled herself close.

She no sooner had moved next to me when she broke the kiss and gently pushed me back as she slid out of bed.

"We've got a lot to do today and we can't be lingerin' here doin' that."

"I wasn't lingerin' at all."

"I know and I'm very tempted, but we've all got a lot to get done today. We've got to get the rest of the fruit and you've got movin' to do."

"Yes, dear."

She scurried to the bathroom and I followed as soon as I got out of bed. We both washed up and then got dressed. Then we headed for the kitchen.

Surprisingly, Bonnie was already there.

"This is a busy day and we've got to get things movin'," she told us, as she worked on the biscuits.

Cammie joined her and I went to work on the coffee. Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her before she went to work on the sausage. I basically stayed out of the way until the water was boiling and then poured it into the three presses and put more back on the stove to heat. Cammie was working on the grits now and I had to dodge around her to get the pans back on the burners.

Once the coffee had steeped, I poured the contents into regular coffee pots and took them to the dining room. Jimmy was there and had the pot warmers lit. We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and I lit my first and we sat back to chat.

We reviewed the plan of my taking the car to the rental place and them following me in the van. I would leave the car there and would take the truck and follow them to William and Lena's place.

"Wouldn't be quicker if we just headed for their place while you got the truck?" Jimmy asked. "We could get things ready for your arrival."

"That would be great, but Jamie is the only one that knows the way. I'm not sure I'd trust Jessie to be able to get there."

"Well, that makes sense."

"I'm not sure how far it is, but Searcy shouldn't be too far out of the way."

"We'll just have to take care of things when we get there. We've got all day to do it and I guess we could take part of tomorrow too, if we needed to."

"I'm pretty sure we can make it in one trip with the truck I've rented. No sense in stretchin' it out. After we get the stuff moved, I can take the truck back and ya'all can put things in the house where they want 'em."

"That'll work."

The kids came in from their chores and put the eggs in the 'fridge. Then I got a kiss from the girls and they all poured themselves a cup of coffee.

We went over the plans we'd made and they approved. We chatted while we sipped our coffee, then the women brought in breakfast.

All talking stopped and we began to stuff our faces. It seemed like everyone was in a hurry. That was very unusual for this place, but this was an unusual day. Once the food was gone, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

Bonnie told us that we could set the dining room table in the living room until we could take it to Jamie's place. That way it wouldn't interfere with moving in the new furniture. We all agreed.

She also said that they shouldn't be gone all day today since they just had to pick up what they'd bought yesterday. They hoped they'd be back by noontime. I didn't say anything, but I wasn't holding my breath at that happening. I don't care how simple it seems to be, women can make shopping complicated.

As we finished our coffee, the women scurried to clear the table and allow us to move it to the living room. We had to take two leaves out and then slide it together. In this configuration, it would seat eight people. Even with all the leaves in it, we might have a problem getting all of our family members around it. It was going to be interesting to see how large the table that William and Lena had.

As soon as we had it moved to the living room, we all grabbed our hats and I took my checkbook. I was sure they'd want my credit card, but I would prefer to pay for it with a check. Since it was local, I was hoping to bypass the credit card.

I took Cammie's car and Jimmy, Jamie and Jessie took the van and we headed for Searcy. It took me a bit to find the place, but I did find it and without asking for directions.

Once inside, we went through the process of renting the truck. I had filled out most of the paperwork last night, on the computer, but they still had to verify my driver's license. I told them I would prefer to pay with a check and the guy at the counter went to find the manager.

When he came back, he asked me a couple questions and I told him that it was a local bank and they could verify that I had enough in there to cover the charge. He looked at my checkbook and gave the ok to the clerk to accept the check. The check would be held until I returned the truck and then I would write another check for the total. I had them include a bunch of the heavy quilts to cover the furniture with so it wouldn't get scratched during the move and a couple flat dollies's to move the heavy stuff.

I parked the car in the patrons lot and Jamie and I found the truck and climbed in. It was full of gas and there were even maps in there for us to use. We didn't need them since Jamie knew the way, but they did think about it.

Jamie directed me out of Searcy and put me on the road to Enola. Once we got to Enola, he directed me on the turns I needed to take and we finally arrived about an hour after we'd left Searcy. It was almost 9 when we arrived.

Jimmy and Jessie pulled in behind me and we all got out to be greeted by William and Lena. Of course, we had to have some coffee before we could get to work and we chatted.

They were excited about the move and were very happy they were going to be living with their family again. I told them that everyone was anxious for them to finally move in. I told Lena that next week would probably be taken up with canning and she got a very big smile on her face. She said she couldn't wait for that. They hadn't canned much since they weren't farming any more and they missed the good food and she missed that activity, but it just wasn't worth it with just the two of them.

After we finished our coffee, William showed us what needed to be moved. I did some mental calculations and decided that the first thing that should go out was the sideboard. Then we could put the table and leaves in the front of the truck and tie it down so it wouldn't slide. That would be the last to be unloaded since it was going in our place.

Then I went out and took a close look at the porch. It had a railing all around it, so I couldn't get the lift gate real close to it. But I could get within a foot or so and we could lift everything that far.

The first thing I did was to put the gate down and lower it to about the height of the porch. Then I had Jimmy guide me as I backed the truck up to the porch. The truck was a 5-speed so reverse was very low geared and I could just inch backwards. It took me a couple tries to get centered and then I eased it back until Jimmy told me to stop. I simultaneously braked and depressed the clutch to hold me in position. Then I shut the engine off and let the clutch out so it wouldn't move at all. I depressed the parking brake and then climbed down. Jimmy had me positioned about six inches from the porch and the tailgate was almost perfect. It was close enough that we didn't bother trying to adjust it and risk moving the truck any.

I opened the rear door and got a couple dollies out and we headed for the dining room. Jimmy and I lifted one end of the sideboard up and Jamie put a dolly under it. Then we went to the other end and repeated the process. This was a very heavy piece of furniture. There was no veneer on this. It was all solid oak.

We began rolling it towards the door and it quickly became clear that it wasn't going to fit through the opening with the door and the screen door still attached. William grabbed a screwdriver and we took the pins out of the hinges on the big door and then removed the closer on the screen door. Once we removed the safety chain on the screen door, we were able to swing it completely open and out of the way.

We eased the sideboard forward and found that we had about a half an inch clearance on each side. It was fortunate they had a large porch so we didn't have to make a turn until we were outside. None of us guys would have been safe if we'd put a scratch on this heirloom.

We had a bit of a problem getting over the threshold, but we finally made it. Once on the porch, we positioned it so the dolly was right next to the step. Then Jimmy and I picked up that end and Jamie pulled the dolly out and we walked onto the lift gate and finally onto the truck bed. Jamie put the dolly under the sideboard and we could set it down. Then we went back and picked up the other end and repeated the process.

We wheeled it in to place and then removed the dollies. I covered it with a couple quilts and we secured it with web straps to the side. Getting that in the truck safely was a big relief to me. Getting it out would be the next challenge.

Next was the table and all the leaves. It had four leaves and I could see that it was easily a lot bigger than Bonnie's old table. It was also solid oak and very heavy. But Jimmy and I managed to carry it onto the truck and I placed quilts around it and secured it. We wrapped the leaves in quilts and secured them against the wall of the truck so they wouldn't wind up with any marks on them. Then we went back for the hutch. Fortunately, that was in two pieces. It's a good thing too, because it was about seven feet tall. It was solid oak with leaded glass panes in the doors. They would need to be secured and padded very well. They are extremely difficult to replace and were most likely original.

Then we began to disassemble the beds and put them in the truck. Those were not difficult, just bulky. We left the stuff in the drawers of the dresser and nightstands, but did remove the mirror from their dresser. That was carefully wrapped and placed in the truck. Lena would have a fit if that got broke. We got them moved in and secured and then went to work on the living room furniture. The last of the furniture to be loaded was the living room pieces. That wasn't too difficult, but we had to secure the lamps. William had boxes, but they wouldn't completely cover them, so we improvised by using two boxes and stuffing them with bed linen to protect them.

Then we were down to the boxes. The china was the big thing. We had to cushion those boxes very well if we wanted our life extended beyond today. They were precious and could not be replaced, ever. We were very meticulous on how we positioned them and padded them with quilts. Then it was the rest of the boxes they had packed and they were carried in and secured so they wouldn't slide around during the drive.

Last were the clothes. Rather than trying to lay them on the other furniture, Jimmy and I strung a web belt across the truck and hung everything on that. It sagged a bit, but worked great.

I asked them if that was all and they said it was. Then I asked William about his tools.

"Do you want all them old things?"

"Hell, yes, William. Those are priceless in my book. I'd almost bet you've got tools in there that aren't made any more."

"Well, you'd be right about that. But they're all old hand tools."

"That's the important stuff. There are just some things that require precision work that only they can do. Like a spoke shave or a draw knife. And I'd bet you've got a lot of the old time chisels that are specialty stuff too."

"Sure do. The old mortisin' chisels and a bunch of gouges of all sizes."

"Well, why don't we load them up in the van and your pickup? I sure wouldn't want them to be lost."

"We've got some extra boxes that we can pack some stuff in. I guess the rest we can just lay in there and take 'em that way."

He got the boxes from the house and we all carried some down to the workshop. When we walked in, I was amazed at the amount and the varied tool selection he had. There were planes of every description. From the big joiner planes to the molding planes and everything in between. He had two chests of them and we lugged them to his pickup and set them in there.

Then we began to pack up all the rest that wasn't contained in anything. It took a while, but we finally cleared out his workshop. We had his pickup loaded with seven chests of tools besides the planes. The other boxes and loose tools went in the van where they would be protected by the carpeting in there.

We put the doors back together and then we made a cursory inspection of the workshop and then the house before we declared that we had everything. We had every vehicle loaded to the brim with what they were moving. If I had known this, I would have rented a larger truck. But it's always like that. We never know how much stuff we have until we have to move it.

Jamie and I took the lead because we had the heaviest load and would be setting the pace. Also, Jamie knew where we were going, Jimmy didn't. William and Lena brought up the rear.

It was a slow trip back, but we made it by 1. Since the women said they'd be back, we drove to our house first.

Sure enough, they were waiting for us. We all got out and William and Lena were beset with hugs and kisses. That was a happy sight for me. Family together is the best thing in my book.

Once that activity had calmed down, the question of lunch arose. Since we didn't have a table set up in the dining room, Lena suggested that everyone just stand at the counter that couldn't find a seat at the kitchen table. We all agreed to that and traipsed into the house.

Bonnie already had the soup hot and the sandwich fixings setting out. William, Lena, Bonnie and Cammie were given the seats of honor at the kitchen table. The rest of us stood around at any place at the counter we could find a clear spot.

Bonnie served everyone soup, but we had to fend for ourselves when it came to the sandwiches. The four at the table had some left over chicken from last night, but nobody begrudged them that delicacy. We all had enough to eat and that was the only thing important.

Once the food was gone, we all sipped our coffee and chatted. William told everyone that I had almost demanded that he bring all his tools. He had no idea what they could be used for, since the machines could do the same job, only quicker. I told him that history should never be lost or thrown away and that I was sure we'd make good use of them.

We finally finished our coffee and got back to the job at hand. Everyone made the trip to William and Lena's new home. I took the truck around the road since the back way was a bit bumpy and I didn't want to harm any of the contents.

When I arrived, Jimmy guided me as I backed up to the porch. This porch had a wider entry and I was able to back up so the lift gate would drop on the floor of the porch. That made things much easier for us.

We began by unloading the clothes we had hung on the web strap. Lena already had the closets planned out. She looked at what we had in our arms and directed us as to what closet we should take them. Once we were there, the women were in charge of hanging them.

With that chore out of the way, we moved to the other items. We had to remove some of Barb's old furniture from the house and put it on the porch so we could bring the new stuff in. Lena also had all of that planned out. As we brought a piece of furniture in, she directed us where to put it. We had to keep a path clear through the living room, so we had to keep their living room furniture out of the way until we had everything else moved in.

We quickly had their bedroom furniture assembled and place in the proper setting, as directed by Lena. There were a few adjustments, but it went fairly smoothly. It wasn't long until we had everything in their house that belonged there.

We took a well deserved break and had a seat on the front porch. Our next item of business would be to move the dining room furniture into our house and get it set. Then we had to take Bonnie's dining room furniture to Jamie's place. Next up would be moving Barb's old furniture. Jimmy suggested that we put it in his spare house and we all agreed on that. We hadn't set the extra beds of Lena's up. We could do that at our leisure. Right now, we wanted to get this chore done.

After our break, I drove the truck to our house and got it positioned so the lift gate would drop directly onto the porch. We carried the hutch in first. It was in two pieces and Cammie had already decided where it was to go. We placed it in the desired location and went back for the table. Jimmy and I carried the table in while Jamie and Jessie carried the leaves in.

We sat it down and opened it up so we could put two of the leaves in. Once that was done, we closed it up and set it to the side so we could get the sideboard in.

We really couldn't get to the sideboard until we carried all the dishes in, so that was our next order of carrying. Each box was carefully carried in and placed tenderly on the table. Once that was complete, we focused our efforts on the sideboard. Since we'd had problems getting it out of the old house, I quickly measured the maximum opening of the door. Then I went in the truck and measured the sideboard. We found we needed to remove the storm door completely. The jam was too narrow to allow passage. I sent Jessie to the workshop to get the screw gun.

I began to take the screws out and Jimmy and Jessie held it in place while I did that. Once I had them removed, they carefully moved it to the side of the porch and set it against the house. Next, we removed the hinge pins from the front door and set it out of the way. I measured again and found we had about an inch clearance. This was the same as it was at the old place.

We went into the truck and removed the straps that held it in place and the quilts we had covering it. Then Jimmy and I lifted one end while Jamie slipped a dolly underneath. We did the same on the other end and then, very carefully, began to wheel it out of the truck.

We ran into a problem with the threshold. It was about a two-inch step up and we couldn't get the dolly to make it over. Since I was inside, Jimmy came around through the back door and we lifted the end while Jamie moved the dolly over the threshold. Then we set it back down.

Jimmy and I both went around and did the same with the other end. Once we lifted that end, we could move it farther inside and Jamie slipped the dolly under it. Then we could just gently push it until we could both get in the door.

We wheeled it to where Cammie directed us and then we removed the dollies from under it and placed it in the proper position. Cammie was almost beside herself with our new possession. And I really didn't blame her. It was not only a great piece of furniture, but it was a piece of history. It had been passed down in the family for four generations and it was now in our possession. It was an awesome piece of furniture and history.

Once Cammie was satisfied with the placement of the sideboard, we moved the table back into position after we moved the china boxes to the sideboard. Then the women took over and we were no longer needed. Us guys went outside and began to reassemble the door. Once that was back in working order, our next order of business was to unload all of William's tools. Fortunately, the workshop wasn't too messed up. We drove William's truck and the van to the workshop and began to unload them.

Finding places for all of these tools was a totally different story. We'd need to expand our workbench a lot. I thought about making a new workbench for the opposite wall and just having the old tools over there. Everyone else seemed to like that idea, so we just placed the tools inside so they'd be out of the weather for now. That could be our next project. We had everything unloaded, so drove the vehicles back to the house.

Next, we needed to take Bonnie's old table to Jamie's, so we loaded that in the truck and I drove it down there. They rode in the back and we carried that inside. Then we headed for William and Lena's place and took Barb's old furniture off of the porch and drove it over to Jimmy's spare place and took it inside. Jimmy was a lot quicker in deciding where to place things. Once we had it all set in place we drove back to the house.

When we got inside, the women were putting things away. They had washed all of the dishes and were arranging them in the sideboard. They seemed to have everything under control and I sure didn't want to disturb them, but I did tell them I was going to take the truck back and I'd be back in time to feed the calves and for supper.

"Dean, why don't you just take the truck back later," Bonnie said. "I'm takin' ever'one out to the steak house in Searcy tonight as a celebration for Mama and Daddy movin' here."

"Ok, but I've got Cammie's car up there."

"That's all right, Jamie and Dianne can drive it back."

"That'll work. I guess we can go feed the calves right now."

"Yes, and then ya'all can take a shower. Ya'all are kinda ripe."

"Yes, dear."

Us guys headed out to the equipment shed and got the tractors fired up. William rode with me and Jamie operated the feed bin chute while I pulled under it. He put in a bit less than yesterday and then climbed up with William and myself. It was a bit crowded, but we made room. Then we headed for the pastures.

When we got there, Jamie opened the gates so I could drive in. Then I pulled around to the troughs and Jamie put the spreader chute out. I pulled forward, discharging the feed, until I got the next upright. I had to shut the spreader off and Jamie had to moved the chute until I pulled forward. Then he put it back in place and I filled the next trough.

We did that in the next two pastures and finally Jamie climbed back up and we began our trip back to the house.

"I think I see a solution to your problem," William said, as we drove back. "If you's to make the uprights on the spreadin' side into a braced-dovetail joint, you'd eliminate the wide point of the troughs. Then I think we can make the chute a bit shorter and attach an extension that's secured on each side with a pivot so it could pull up out of the way as you moved between the troughs. You could have a jerk line that ran from the top of the extension to the rail of the spreader and then up here to the seat. That way you could just pull it up as you passed the upright and let it back down once you'd passed it."

I thought about it for a minute and then said, "You might be on to somethin' there, William. I never thought about it in that light before. Maybe we can work on that next week. It don't sound too difficult."

"I think the only thing would be that it would be time consumin' to make the dovetails in the shelters. It would be easier if we were working in the shop, but we can probably do it out there. It'll just take some doin'."

"Well, I'm all for it. That would cut down on our feedin' time a lot. Plus, one person could do the job. Right now, it takes two. That's not normally a problem, but it could be in the future."

We got back to the shed and I hosed out the spreader before we parked it and William took a close look at the spreader's chute.

"See here, Dean. If we cut it off even with the wheels, then we could drill a hole on each side. Then you'd need an oversize extension to fit over it. It slopes down, so there won't be any grain layin' in the chute when you raise it. But that way, we could fit the extension on and secure it at the pivot point. Then we can run a cable up to the rail and attach it to a pulley. Then run it up to the seat and put a good sized handle there. When you pulled the cable, the extension would raise up and allow you to pass the upright."

"Sure sounds like it would work. We'll have to work on that next week. We need a good project anyway."

We all walked back up to the house and found the women just finishing the china project. The told us they were going to Lena's and get the bed all made up for tonight and that we should all take a shower.

We had our orders and dutifully obeyed. Jamie, William and Jimmy left for their places and Jessie and I headed for our showers here. It had been a hot day and all that activity had worked up a sweat on all of us. We probably did have a ripe odor to us.

I took my shower and then got dressed. I settled myself on the front porch. Jessie had beaten me there and had some tea for us to sip on. He had more glasses out there, waiting for everyone else's arrival. The women were the first ones back and they all scrambled for a shower. Now that we had four bathrooms in the house, it wasn't a problem. Bonnie headed for Jimmy's place to take her shower.

William and Lena were the first to arrive and they sat with us and sipped some tea. We chatted and just relaxed. Jamie and Dianne were the next to arrive. They joined us and soon Cammie came out too. Donna and Chrissy were the next out and now we just waited for Jimmy and Bonnie to show up.

They weren't long in arriving and we all got ready to leave. Donna and Chrissy took the tea and glasses inside and the rest of us stretched a bit before the drive.

William and Lena rode with Jimmy and Bonnie and the rest rode in the van while I took the truck. I told them I'd meet them at the restaurant as we departed. I let them go ahead since it would be hard for me to keep up with them in the truck.

I got to the rental place just before they closed at 6. I'm not sure they were real happy to see me, but they took the truck to fill it with gas and take inventory of all the items I had rented. In the meantime, I worked on the paper work and the manager worked with me.

The one guy came back and gave him the fuel slip and another said that everything was in the truck. He figured up the mileage and then added it to the bill. He handed me my old check and I wrote him a new one for the exact amount. He thanked me and I departed for the restaurant.

The folks were already seated and had a place for me beside Cammie. They had us in a back room, apart from everyone else in the place. There were two waitresses that were assigned to us and we had excellent service.

Of course, we all ordered steak and all the trimmings. Bonnie told me to order some wine and I got three bottles of cabernet to go with the steak. The waitresses brought the glasses and set a glass at everyone's plate, even Jessie's. I got to smell the corks and taste the wine and gave them the ok to serve it. They didn't pour Jessie's, but gave me the bottle and turned their backs as I poured him a half of a glass.

Bonnie made a toast to the family being together again and for the good times that would follow. I seconded it and we sipped our wine before the Caesar salad fixings arrived. The chef asked how much anchovies we wanted on it and I told him to make it mild, since I didn't know if William and Lena liked them. He nodded and prepared the salad.

We were all served and began to eat. It was delicious and we all said so. The chef smiled as he packed up his cart to leave. Once we had finished our salad, they brought the French onion soup. We had to go slow on that because it was so hot, but it tasted great.

Just as we were finishing our soup, they brought the steaks in. I don't know what they put on them while they're cooking them, but I did taste the hint of garlic. I couldn't make out what everything else was, but mine was great. Our baked potatoes were topped with butter and sour cream with chives in it and then we were asked if we wanted any bacon bits on it. Some took them, but I prefer mine with just the butter and sour cream.

We ate in silence as we all had our mouths full of the delicious meal. We sipped our wine and the waitresses made sure our glasses were full.

Once the main course was eaten, we sat back and sipped our coffee. Then the chef reappeared with the cherries jubilee cart and made us all a wonderful dessert. Then we had more coffee and I told the waitress I needed a glass of green crème d'menth on the rocks. She returned with it and I sipped that, along with my coffee. I needed that to settle all the food I'd eaten. I was very full.

We finally finished up and the one waitress brought the check. She made the mistake of bringing it to me and Bonnie corrected her instantly. Bonnie got out her credit card and gave it to the waitress. A bit later, she returned with the slip and left.

"Dean, how much should I tip?"

"Well, normally, I leave about fifteen to twenty percent, depending on the service. But we've had two waitresses that were devoted to us and they didn't have any other tables. So I'd make it twenty five percent since they did such a wonderful job."

"Ok, I just didn't know."

She did her figuring and wrote the figure down and then signed it. The waitress came back with coffee for all of us and then took the credit card slip. She tore it apart and gave Bonnie her copy. She thanked us and said if we needed anything else to just wave at her.

We sipped our coffee and decided it was time to leave. None of us had any more room for anything. We were all stuffed.

We drove back home and we all almost collapsed in the living room when we got there. We were in time to catch the weather and they were saying that there was just a small chance of showers on Sunday evening, but it was a slim chance. The next chance would be possibly Wednesday.

As soon as the weather was over, everyone said they were going home. After the appropriate kisses, everyone departed and left Donna, Chrissy, Jessie, Cammie and myself. We chatted for a bit and then closed up and turned everything off and then we all headed for bed. It had been a long day and we were all tired.

Cammie and I used the bathroom and slipped into bed and kissed and cuddled until we got drowsy and then drifted off to sleep.



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Chapter 36

The rooster woke me up and I stretched a bit and discovered that I had some sore muscles. Considering all that we did yesterday, it wasn't that surprising. However, it did bring up a thought that I didn't want to even consider. Maybe I was getting a bit old. Hell, I was only 40 and that shouldn't be happening yet, should it? Well, that sideboard was a bit heavy and we did lift it in positions that were not recommended. That was probably it. We were just in an extended position when we made the lift and it put more strain on that it should have. I couldn't be getting old. I was way too young for that.

I put those thoughts out of my head and teased Cammie's nipple. That was a much more pleasant thing than thinking about getting old. She moaned and turned over to kiss me. We shared our kiss and then she pushed away and climbed out of bed and scurried to the bathroom.

I followed her and we washed up and then got dressed. Then we headed for the kitchen. Bonnie and Lena were already there and working on the biscuits.

I got the water on for the coffee and grits and then ground the coffee beans. Bonnie reminded me that we had more people now and that I'd need to make two more pots. I acknowledged her comment and kept on grinding.

Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her before she began to work on the sausage. Bonnie also told her that we had more people eating here now. She said "ok" and kept on working.

Once the water was boiling, I filled three presses and then put more water on to boil. Once those had steeped, I emptied them into regular pots and then emptied the grounds of two of them into Bonnie's garbage pail for use in her compost. Then I ground beans for two more pots and put them in the empty presses.

I carried the pots into the dining room and greeted Jimmy and William. I put the pots on the warmers and we each poured ourselves a cup of coffee. Then we took our cups and adjourned to the front porch and I lit my first and so did William.

We chatted and William told us how good it felt to be in the new place where they didn't have to walk up the stairs to go to bed. He told us that Lena had to really take her time with the stairs and that she was worn out in the morning by the time she got down to the kitchen. But today, he said, she was up and going like she was a spring chicken. I told him that we all have aches and pains and that it's just a sign of a life that required work. He said they'd both had plenty of that.

We sipped our coffee and the kids returned from chores and brought a full pot of coffee out to the porch with them. They had filled their cups inside and the three of us poured ourselves more coffee. I got a kiss from the girls and so did William, but his was on the cheek.

"What do ya'all think about buildin' a new workbench in the shop today? I asked.

Everyone was for that idea. It would give us guys something to do and keep us out of sight from the women. I'm sure if they saw us sitting around, they'd find some work for us. So we decided that would be our project for today.

"Oh, Dean," Chrissy said, "I forgot to tell you. Doc Tompkins was out yesterday after ya'all left and inseminated the two cows."

"Oh, damn. I had forgotten completely about that. I'm sure glad ya'all hadn't left yet. Did ya'all pay 'im?"

"He said he'd send you a bill. I had to help him round them up and then I held 'em while he worked on 'em."

"Well, thank you, Chrissy. I do appreciate that. I just plumb forgot about it. Too much on my plate, I guess."

We sipped our coffee and it wasn't too long before the women called us for breakfast. We all took our cups and the coffee pot and headed for the table. There wasn't much talking until the food had disappeared. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women what we had planned for today and they just nodded. Then Bonnie said that they were going to be canning all day. She asked me if they could use the juicer on the berries and I told them I didn't see why not, but to make sure they had all the stems completely removed.

"You're gonna like this, Mama," Bonnie said. "We don't need to try and squeeze the juice out through a strainer any more. This does the job so much easier."

"Anything that'll make the job easier, I'm all for," Lena replied.

"Well, Dean's always got these gadgets that he brings in, but this one actually works great."

"Bonnie," I said, in mock anger, "what gadgets have I brought in that don't work?"

"I'm not sure 'cause we ain't tried all of 'em yet," she said, with a big grin on her face.

I didn't push it. It's best to quit when you're not any farther behind. But us guys began to talk about building the workbench. The one thing I knew we really needed, and didn't have, was a wood vise. It would take some good measuring to install it, but they were invaluable when you needed one. The machine vises mar the wood and leave imprints from their metal jaws.

We continued chatting. The women talked about canning and us guys talked about our project. It went like that until the coffee had disappeared. Then we all split up and went our different directions.

Us guys headed for the workshop and took measurements as to how long we wanted the workbench. I figured we could cover the entire wall on that side of the shop with it. Then we could put up shelves and pegboard to hold all the tools. I sent Jessie to the house to get some paper so we could make a sketch.

When he got back, I took a pencil and began to sketch out what I thought we should have. William spoke up and asked how I was going to attach the cross members. I told him I generally used lag bolts.

"There's a better way and we won't have to weaken the wood by drillin' in it. We can cut in dovetails on the joints and it'll be real solid and won't loosen up with time. Bolts tend to strip out when you put a lot of pressure on them. Dove tails won't do that."

"William, I'm all for it. We'll let you show us how to do that."

"Oh, it's not difficult. With all the power tools you have around here, it'll go pretty quick. It's just knowin' where to make the cuts."

I handed him the pencil and he drew the cross members in where he thought they should be. It didn't take him long until he had everything all sketched out.

We all looked at it and it seemed a bit strange to me, but I trusted his knowledge on things like this. Then we began to measure and make a list of what all we needed in the way of materials.

It was a long list, but it was something that we needed. It soon dawned on me that this was not going to be a quick project. This was going to take some time to do properly.

"Once ya'all see how the dove tail joints work, then you'll be able to cut them with no problem. I was figurin' we could do that on them shelters for the troughs too. 'Course, it'll take longer since we won't have the power tools out in the field."

That got me to thinking some, but I didn't say anything. We had our list and we double checked it to make sure we weren't forgetting anything. The lumberyard and hardware store wouldn't be open tomorrow. I hate to be in the middle of a project and have to quit because we forgot to buy something.

Once we were sure we had everything, we walked up to the house and I got the checkbook. I told the women we were leaving and didn't get more than a wave to acknowledge my statement. They were in their own little world. Then we all piled in the big pickup and headed for town.

Our first stop was at the lumberyard. We found a free clerk and I read off the list of things we needed. He wrote everything down and then excused himself so he could check and see if they had all the lumber we were going to need.

While he was gone, we walked around the store to see if there was anything we couldn't live without. There were some interesting things there, but we had most of the things we saw or we really didn't need it.

He came back about five minutes later and said they had everything. He totaled up the bill and I wrote him a check. He gave me my copy and told me they'd load it for me out back. We piled into the truck and drove around back.

I handed the worker my slip and they began to gather all the material we'd paid for. It wasn't too long until they had the pickup bed loaded with our purchase and it looked like we should have overload shocks on the truck. Then we headed for the hardware store.

When we got there, I got the list out and found a clerk. I told him I needed a wood vise. He said they had two models and led me over to where they were displayed.

"William, you're the expert here. Which one should we get?"

"Well, Dean, it looks to me like this one doesn't have enough capacity, so that just leaves this one. I think it'll do the trick."

I told the clerk we'd take that and that I also needed a Foresner bit big enough to bore a hole for the screw. He measured the large screw that operated the jaws and then went to the drill bits and got a two and a half inch bit for me.

As we were walking to the drill bit section, I saw they had a portable generator on sale. It was only a one thousand watt output, but that would be large enough for what I needed. I told him to put that on the bill too.

I asked him if he had any bench dogs and he told me they didn't carry them and he didn't know anyone that did.

"There just ain't a lot of call for them no more."

"Dean," William interrupted, "I think I've got some of them in the stuff we brought over."

"Well, that solves that problem. Let's see what else we need."

I looked over the list and got a pound of wood screws for the bench and other projects we'd probably have before too long. We also got some good glue and some other items that we had put on the list.

"Dean, don't forget to get a block of bees wax," William said, as we were looking over the list.

The clerk got us a big block of that and then asked if we needed anything else. We read over the list and couldn't think of anything, so I told him to add up the bill and we'd be on our way.

He totaled it up and I wrote him a check and we carried everything out to the truck. I could almost hear the springs and shocks moan as we loaded our latest purchases.

Our next stop was Elmer's.

"Hey, Elmer, how's things goin'?"

"Howdy, Dean. If you're here to buy, then they're goin' right well."

"Well, that depends, Elmer. If you got what we need, then we'll both be doin' good."

"I sure hope we do, 'cause I could use some good about now. It's always slow this time of the year. Hayin's done for a bit and harvest ain't here yet."

"Elmer, this here's William. He's Bonnie's dad and he's livin' in the old Miller place now. So he's liable to be in here from time to time. Anything he wants, just put it on my bill."

"Sure, I think I've met him before, but it's been a good while back. I sure hope you can keep these boys from gettin' in more trouble than they already do."

"Well, from what I've seen," William said, as they were shaking hands, "they're doin' pretty good. I don't know how much trouble they get in, but they've got a pretty good operation goin'. I've seen a lot worse from folks who were a lot more experienced than them."

"You got that right, William. They do seem to have things together. What are ya'all lookin' for, Dean?"

"You know that feed spreader we got, the one with the round discharge chute?"

"Yep. I sure do. I sold that to Grishom many years ago."

"Well, we're needin' an over-sized discharge chute for it."

"How big of over-size?"

"Oh, just so it will pivot on the current one. We need to pull it up out of the way when we're feedin' so we can get by the uprights on the shelters."

"How long does it need to be?"

"Probably not more than a couple feet."

"I think I've got just the thing for ya'all. I've got some old parts from some machines that ain't made no more and I think I've got somethin' that'll fit the bill."

He walked in the back and rooted around for a bit and then came back with a chute that was just about two feet long.

"I think this will do the trick. It's about an inch larger than the chute you've got. These people have been out of business since the '80's and I've had this settin' around forever."

"What ya think, William?" I asked.

"Looks like it'll do the job. We might have to undercut the chute you got on now to get it to swing properly, but I think it'll work."

"You got yourself a sale, Elmer."

"Well, let's see. How 'bout we make it an even ten dollars. I wrote this part off about ten years ago. That'll pay for my time lookin' for it and stumblin' over it so much."

"Works for me."

I handed him a ten-dollar bill and thanked him. Then we headed home. We had everything we needed, for the time being, and it was still just 10 in the morning. Of course, I'd spent way too much, but this project would help everyone. We'd have our new workbench and William would feel like he was needed. Both were very important.

When we got home, I backed up to the workshop door and we all piled out. Our first order of business was to clear a place for the new workbench and get the tools set up that we were going to use.

We had to stack the tools that William had brought in the back of the shop and out of the way of where the new bench was going. Then we needed to set up the table saw and the rollers to support the panel we needed to cut. Once that was done, I told William he was in charge of what needed to be done.

We brought several of the 4x4's that we were using as the legs and supports inside and William began to lay out the cuts that were needed. First we cut everything to length. With a ten-inch blade, we could make the cuts on the 4x4's with one pass.

William measured for the legs first and Jimmy and I cut them. With the length, we needed to have eight legs for the support. Next he measured for the cross members on each leg. Once we had them cut, he laid out for the half lap joints we would be using. He measured for the depth and marked them on each side of the legs and cross members.

While he was doing that, I set up the dado blade on the table saw. Once he had them marked, I cut out the half lap joint that he had marked. We did that for the four sets of legs.

Once we had those dry fitted, he measured for the center member to run the length of the bench on the top and bottom. It would need to be in two pieces for each and fitted with a half lap joint in the middle. For that, we would need to use screws to fasten them together. But that wouldn't be our only fastening point.

William laid the pieces out and I cut them and then used the dado blade to cut the half lap joints in the middle and for each cross piece. After I had them cut, we dry fitted all of them and stood them in place.

With them standing in place, William got a pencil and began marking the lower timbers on the top face. Then he held the speed square on one of the marks and had Jamie take the framing square and hold it on the 45 degree side of the speed square and make a mark on the top timber. He did that in four different locations. Then he had Jamie use the framing square to take a measurement from one mark to the other. He wrote those measurements down on a piece of paper.

Once the top and bottom timbers were marked, we took them apart and he went to work on his marks with the speed square. Once he was done, he turned to me.

"Ok, Dean. Now you get to do some precision work. From this mark, make a 45-degree cut down to this mark. Then make a 90-degree cut on this mark, down to this bottom mark. Then you can use your dado set up and hog out all of the remaining. Once you've done that, we'll use a chisel to finish it off and take out the rest of the dove tail."

"Why don't I make all the 45 degree cuts at once and then the 90 degree cuts. Then we can switch to the dado set up and hog all the stuff out at once."

"Now you're thinkin' like a carpenter. Make this as easy as you can."

We took each timber to the table saw and I adjusted the blade to the 45-degree cut and set the proper depth. Once I had made all of those cuts, I set the blade back to 90 degrees and reset the depth to match the marks William had made.

With all of those cuts made, I changed to the dado set up and we hogged out all of the excess wood we could.

"Ok, William. What's next?"

"Next is to clear out that last little bit for the dove tail."

"Couldn't we do that with a hand saw?"

"Now you're thinkin'."

I got my good crosscut saw down and we set up each timber so I could work on it in a comfortable position. It took a while, but I had all of them cleared out just before the dinner bell rang.

We all walked up to the house and washed up on the back porch. We walked through the kitchen on our way to the dining room. It was jam packed full of canning stuff. The women were in full swing.

We sat at the table and ate our soup and sandwiches. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. The women told us they were just about half way through the blackberry jelly and then would start on applesauce. After that, they'd probably do the peaches and then the strawberries and finally the grapes, since that would take the most time. I asked Bonnie how she was doing on jars and she said she thought they had enough for this canning session, but they would need more for this fall when they made apple butter and finished canning from the garden. I told her we'd get her some more after she got finished with this round of canning. She agreed and said she was way too busy to even think about that stuff now.

We finished our coffee and us guys headed back to the workshop.

William got his list out and told me to start by cutting one of the 4x4's at a 45-degree angle on one end and then he'd give me the measurement for the next cut. I did that and he read off a measurement for one leg and I marked it and cut it. He took it and marked it and then gave me the next length to cut.

Once I had all of them cut to length, he told us now the fun began. He had Jessie and Jamie get under the bench and hold the individual lengths I had just cut up in their proper place, but on the far side of the dove tail cut on the cross member. He took a pencil and marked the outline of the tail on the piece they were holding up. He told them to stay there, but took the length from them and brought it to the saw. Then he took the speed square and penciled the marks all around the ends.

"Leave the lines, but cut away all the rest," he said, as he handed it to me.

"These are the pins, right?"

"Yep. Just make sure you leave the lines."

I looked at what he had marked and I could only make two cuts on each end on the table saw. I set the blade to the depth and had Jimmy support the top of the 4x4 for me as I guided it through. With that notch taken out, I had to switch to the handsaw for the final two cuts.

I got my fine-toothed backsaw and had Jimmy hold the piece while I went to work on it. It took a bit, but I finally had both ends cut the way he had it marked.

By the time I had it cut, he had the rest of the pieces marked. He took the one I had just cut and got the bar of bees wax and coated the exposed areas I had cut. Then he had Jamie and Jessie get back under the cross members and guide the piece into place. It bound up just a bit and he used a rubber mallet to persuade it to go all the way in.

"That's some good cuttin', Dean."

"Actually, I think it was some good markin', William. I just cut where you said to."

"Yep, but you followed what I told you to do. That's the big thing. Now, if you can do as good on the rest of them, we'll have a work bench in no time that you'll be able to drive on and it won't give."

I went to work on the other lengths he had marked and we finally had them done. He and the boys put them in place as I cut them and they all fit like a glove.

Next, we got the 2x4's cut for the top and put them in place and finally we got the three quarter inch ply wood cut and screwed it on to the 2x4's. We only had one more thing to do.

We cut the 2x12 we had bought and got it ready to be attached to the front and back of the front legs in the middle of the bench. William had the boys hold it in place and he made a couple marks on each one of them.

Then he hand them to me and said, "Use that big bit you bought to drill a hole in each of these. I've marked the center of each one.

I chucked up the new bit in the drill press and drilled the holes. He took the boards and we attached them and he made sure they were aligned perfectly. Then we got the wood vise out and mounted it. I had to cut a piece of plywood for each face of the vise and we screwed them on. Once that was done, we had our new workbench. William was right, we could drive the truck on it and it wouldn't give at all.

We all stood back and admired our work. Then Jamie asked, "Grandpa, I thought dovetails were tapered on both sides."

"On a straight dovetail, they are, Jamie. But this is on an angle and used as a support. There's no possibility of it kickin' out on the rear end of it, so it don't need to be tapered there. The main force is on the front end of the pin and the tail. And since it's at an angle, the rear can't possibly kick out. Now if we were doin' a drawer, then they'd have to be tapered on both ends."

"Oh, that makes sense. It'll hold with just a straight cut back there."

"Yep, now you're learnin'."

With the bench up, we began to put up the 2x4's for the pegboard. That wasn't a difficult job and we soon had that accomplished. Then we got the tools and began to sort them out as to where they would hang.

We kept the planes and the chisels in their chests. They were well protected in there and didn't need to be hung. Other items were sorted and we began to hang them. The chest we neatly stacked under the bench. There were tools here that I hadn't seen since I had been a boy and working on the farm back in Illinois, many years ago. There were spoke shaves of almost every description. Most had a flat blade, but some had a hollow blade to work on round pieces. He had about a dozen drawknives of different sizes. All of them were razor sharp. There were screwdrivers of almost every size imaginable. Then he had some devices that I had only heard about. He had a cutter for making wooden screws and nuts, the kind that were used on the old cider presses. He had sizes from three quarters of an inch up to a full two inches. I sure was glad that I insisted that he bring these tools over here. History like this can't be replaced.

Once we had everything put away or hung up, we took a breather. This had been quite a project. If it had been one person doing this, it would have taken at least a couple days. But, with everyone working, it went kind of smooth and quick.

"I guess we'd best check to see what time it is," I said, while we rested. "It's probably pretty close to feedin' time for the calves."

William pulled out his pocket watch and said it was quarter to four. We decided we'd feed the calves now rather than wait and be rushed later. We knew we had the Grange Hall tonight and I was certain that Cammie and Bonnie wouldn't let us out of that, regardless of how tired we were.

We all walked to the equipment shed and I got the tractor with the spreader fired up and pulled under the feed bin while Jamie operated the chute. Once he had the feed in the spreader, he walked to the tractor to climb up with us William and myself.

"Jamie, before you get up, would you get a tape measure from the shop so I can do some measurin'?" William asked.

Jamie headed for the shop and returned with a tape measure and then climbed up. We headed for the pastures to get this chore done.

When we got there, it went like it normally does, except that William got down with Jamie and did some measuring as I pulled forward. When I got to the upright in the middle of shelter, he told me to stop there for a bit. I did and he did a bunch of measuring and writing on a pad he had with him. Once he had his measurements, I pulled forward and Jamie swung the chute back in place so I could fill the next trough.

As we finished that pasture, William climbed back up with me and we rode to the next pasture. Jamie opened the gates and then rode with us.

We got all three herds fed and then followed Jimmy and Jessie back to the shed. I washed the spreader out and then parked it. We walked up to the porch and Jamie and Jessie got us some tea and glasses with ice. Then we just rested and sipped our tea.

"Dean, I think I've got the spreader problem figured out," William said, as he sipped his tea. "We'll make a dove tail joint to support the roof by each upright. That'll allow you to get a bit closer. Once that's done, then we'll just measure how much of the extension we need and install that."

"I'm with you, William. If it'll work, then we're ahead of the game. It shouldn't take near as long to feed."

We sipped and chatted about what we had accomplished today. The kids had questions about the construction of the workbench and how he measured for the dovetails. He explained his method of laying it out and how he marked it. He told them that, on the first cut, the lines had to be sawed off. But, on the second cut, the lines had to stay to insure a good fit.

I was very happy to see this happening. If William and Lena hadn't moved here, Jamie and Jessie would have never had that knowledge. You can read all you want about it in a book, but, unless you've done it, you really can't understand the complete process and why things are done in a certain order. I was certain that they'd learn a lot more as time went along.



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Chapter 37

Jessie and I headed for our showers and the rest took off for their homes so they could clean up. When I was dressed again, I grabbed my guitar and took it to the van. Jessie was already on the porch, sipping tea and waiting for someone to join him. I took my seat and we chatted and sipped our tea until the rest returned.

Jamie was the next to show and he joined us, followed by Jimmy. William was the last to show up. We all sipped our tea while we waited for supper.

"Boys, I gotta tell you that today was just preparin' for tomorrow," William said. "We really didn't need that much bracin' under the workbench. I just wanted ya'all to know how to do it so it wouldn't take so much time tomorrow out at the shelters. Now it should go pretty easy out there, since ya'all know what you're doin'."

"Well, the only thing I can see," I replied, as we sipped and waited, "is that we won't have the table saw out there with us. It'll be a bit trickier cuttin' with the little circular saw."

"Well, ya it will be, but we'll only be cuttin' in the 2x12's ya'all have on the roof of the shelters. I would've put 4x4's on the outside, but we'll just have to work with what we have."

"That's the difference in knowin' what you know and what I know, William. I designed them, but I didn't think about usin' the wood like you are. That's why we need your knowledge around here."

"Dean, my boy, the knowledge is cheap. It's the experience that's expensive. Probably if you'd had another 20 years, like I do, you'd already know that."

"Only if I had someone to teach me, William. If this setup works with the spreader, you'll have earned your paycheck for this month and a couple others just for that. We've been fightin' this since we put the shelters up."

"Well, a fresh look at things always helps."

Donna came out and told us that dinner was ready. We all took our glasses inside and Jamie and Jessie carried the pitchers and the ice cube bowl.

The women had fixed a big pork roast and it smelled delicious. Plus, we had fresh applesauce to go with it. This was like eatin' in heaven. Great food and family to share it with.

We all dug in and devoured the meal. Everything was absolutely delicious and we all told the women it was. The applesauce was just the right taste. It was a bit tart and that's what makes great applesauce. It complimented the pork roast perfectly.

Once the meal was done, we all sat back and sipped our coffee. The women didn't make a lot of coffee, so we didn't spend a lot of time at the table. Once we were done, they shooed us out of the dining room and we all headed for the porch.

The kids left to do their chores and William, Jimmy and myself sat on the porch and chatted while William and I had an after dinner smoke. It wasn't long until Lena came out and told William she needed to be taken home so she could get ready. They left and pretty soon Bonnie came out and took Jimmy's vehicle and headed for his place to clean up too. Dianne was the last one to appear and she took the old pickup and headed for their place.

When the kids came back, the boys washed up and the girls headed for the showers. We chatted as we sat there and just talked about various things.

It wasn't too long before Donna showed up and claimed my lap and gave me a kiss. She nestled her head on my shoulder and listened to the conversation. Chrissy was the next to arrive and she joined us. She told us about all the canning today and what they had left for tomorrow.

Cammie was next to arrive and she took her seat by me and joined in the conversation. It wasn't too long before Bonnie appeared and sat with us. As soon as Dianne appeared, her, Jamie and Jessie said goodbye and headed off to pick up the twins.

William and Lena were the last to show up. Once they were there, we all loaded into the vehicles and departed for the Grange Hall. William and Lena rode with Bonnie and Jimmy and the rest all came with me.

We arrived at the hall and Jimmy and I took our guitars inside and set them up on the stage. I looked over the play list and then we walked down to the table and joined William, who had been excluded from the women's conversation.

We chatted and it wasn't too long until Allen showed up at our end of the table, followed by Frank a short time later. They greeted us and joined our conversation. They had met William previously and I told them he was now living in the old Miller place. They welcomed him to the county and then the conversation turned to farming.

They both said that they'd been talking with their neighbors and everyone thought it was a good idea to give the shots themselves. They already had a plan for next spring when they got their new herds. I told them if they needed any help that I'd be glad to come over. They thanked me and said that I'd already helped them more than I could imagine.

Elmer called us up on stage for the first set. We all tuned up and then led off with Margaritaville. The other singer followed with the old Merle Haggard song, Strangers. We switched back and forth like that until we finished the first set.

Jimmy and I each got a Coke and returned to the table. I hadn't more than sat down when I was surrounded by the twins. I got a kiss from them, one on each cheek and they said hello. I said hello to them, but called them by name. It still puzzled them as to how I could tell them apart. Evidently, Jessie had kept the secret very well and I wasn't about to reveal it to them.

They asked some questions, while they each held my arm and rubbed their breasts against them. Finally, Frank told them that we were discussing things and they should be with their friends. They said, "Yes, Daddy," and departed after giving me a kiss on the cheek. Then we got back to talking about farming.

Both Frank and Allen were interested in how our corn was doing. I told them we'd really been too busy to check on it recently, but it appeared to be doing good. They had questions about buying the organic seeds and I explained to them that it was a bit more expensive, but they would easily make up the difference when they sold the cattle. They asked how long a field needed to be free of herbicides to be considered organic. I told them I really didn't know, but I was sure the county agent would be able to give them that information.

Elmer called us up for the second set and Jimmy and I walked up on stage. We tuned up and then Elmer told me we'd had a request for City Girls. I just nodded and we kicked off the first set with that song.

We switched back and forth with our rowdy set and we had a full dance floor and a good many people singing along. That always indicates that folks are having a good time and that's really why we are there.

When we returned to the table with our Cokes, the conversation picked up where it left off. They basically wanted to know what I spent on the seed and how many acres I had planted. I had to do some figuring and finally came up with the answer for the acreage. They said that a lot would be told when I had my harvest and found out how much I was able to pick and grind into feed. I agreed with them.

Jimmy and I were called up for the last set. Once we'd tuned up, I started it off with Waltz Across Texas. The other singer came back with "He'll Have To Go." We alternated back and forth until we'd played out the set.

Elmer thanked everyone for coming and said we all hoped they'd had a good time. Jimmy and I packed up our guitars and walked back to the table. The women were in their own little world, so us guys just chatted amongst ourselves.

It wasn't long until the twins showed up and hugged my arms, rubbing their tits against my shoulder. Finally, Frank told them they should find their date and be on their way home. They responded with "Yes, Daddy," and I got a kiss on the cheek from each of them as they departed.

Then Allen said it was time they headed home too, and the women finally broke up their group. We all headed for the vehicles and began our trip home.

When we got there, everyone came inside to wait for Jessie to get home. We chatted and us guys talked about the shelters while the women talked about canning. I guess that's the way it is after you've been together for a while. Each has their own focus group and we go about our own ways. The women and men were separate, for now.

When Jessie got home, Jamie and Dianne came in with him. William and Lena said they were going home because it was so late and they weren't used to these late nights, but they sure had had a wonderful time. They got their kisses from everyone and then departed.

Then Dianne and Jamie gave out their kisses and departed. Once they were gone, Jimmy and Bonnie departed after Bonnie gave out her kisses to the kids.

The rest of us chatted for a bit and then closed up and turned everything off before heading for bed. Cammie and I stripped in the bedroom and then used the bathroom before slipping into bed. We kissed and cuddled for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off to sleep.

I awoke again to the rooster and teased Cammie's nipple. She moaned and turned to kiss me. Then she scooted away and headed for the bathroom. I turned in bed and felt some sore muscles. This was getting old and I was sure I wasn't.

I followed her to the bathroom and then we both got dressed and headed for the kitchen. We were the first ones there, so Cammie started on the working the starter and putting half of it back in the container. I worked on the coffee and got water on before I ground the beans.

Lena was the next so arrive and she went to work with Cammie. Bonnie finally showed up at the same time Dianne came in. I got a kiss from Dianne before she went to work on the sausage. Bonnie almost dared anyone to say anything. I didn't even think about talking on such a dangerous subject.

Once the water boiled, I poured it in the three presses and waited for them to steep. While I was waiting, I ground enough beans for two more pots and got more water on to boil.

When they had steeped enough, I emptied them into the regular pots and then emptied two of the pots into Bonnie's compost pail. I rinsed out the presses and put the coffee grounds in the presses. Then I took the three pots of coffee into the dining room.

Jimmy and William were both there. We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and then carried them to the front porch where William and I could light our first of the day.

"I didn't realize you boys were such good pickers," William said, as we sat down.

"Actually," I replied, "Jimmy's the picker, I'm just a chorder and a pretend singer."

"Well, ya both done good. 'Bout the only thing I can play is the radio. My pap tried to teach me guitar, but I just couldn't get my fingers to work right. He tried to teach me the mouth organ too, but I could never get the hang of that, either. I guess I just ain't musical natured."

"Don't feel bad, William. It takes a lot of work. I didn't have anyone to teach me. I just picked up a guitar and bought a book of the chords and then learned myself. It was slow goin', but I finally ran into someone that gave me some pointers and he really helped me learn a lot of things."

"Well, ya sing halfway decent too."

"That I just picked up. I can't sing for nothin' if I ain't holdin' a guitar next to me. I can feel the notes when it's right. Now if you take the guitar away, I can't carry a tune in a washtub."

"Well, folks was enjoyin' things last night and that's all that's important. I don't think you're shootin' for the Opry stage, so I wouldn't worry about it too much."

"William, the only way my singin' would make it on the Opry stage was if it was a comedy act. I never pretended to be a great singer. I'm content with bein' an entertainer. I have fun up on stage and because I'm havin' fun, the folks in the audience have fun too. That's the important thing. If they're happy, then I'm goin' a good job."

"I agree, Dean. It's not worth worryin' about if ya'all ain't havin' a good time."

"Nope, it takes way too much effort and time to become an overnight success in the music business. Too many folks starve to death while tryin' that. I'm content to just have fun."

The kids joined us and Jamie brought out a pot of coffee and Jessie carried a pot warmer out to keep it hot. I got a kiss from the girls and then Donna claimed my lap. She nestled her head on my shoulder and just listened while we chatted.

Us guys talked about working on the shelters today and what all we would need to get everything done. Chrissy and Donna didn't say anything but did listen without interrupting. Then Cammie came to the door and told us that breakfast was ready. All of us headed for the table.

There were three platters of pancakes setting on the table. We were told to dig in and eat our fill because there was more frying. We did just that. Sunday morning sourdough pancakes can just make the entire day. We each took a big helping of pancakes and smothered them with butter and then real maple syrup. They tasted great and everyone ate until we couldn't hold anymore.

By that time, Bonnie, Lena, Cammie and Dianne had joined us at the table and had their mouths stuffed too. Any left over syrup on my plate I sopped up with the sausage. Even that tastes better with the maple syrup. Once we were all done, we sat back and sipped our coffee and chatted.

The women were going to continue their canning and us guys were going to work on the shelters. They were almost finished with the berries and would be starting on the grapes. This would take the most time since they were the largest purchase they made. She didn't know if they'd be done by supper time or not. If not, they'd have to continue their efforts tomorrow. She also told me that they would definitely need more jars, but we'd discuss that later.

We told them that we'd be out in the pastures, working on the shelters. They just nodded their heads and were not the least bit interested in our work. If we were like that, we'd catch hell, but I sure didn't say anything about it. Discretion and all of that.

Once the coffee was finished, us guys left for the workshop. I had Jessie get the old tractor with the wagon on it and drive it up here. The rest of us went inside and got all the tools we'd need for the job we were going to do.

I got the new generator out of the box and put some gas in it. It only took a couple of pulls to get it running. Just to make sure, I plugged the saw into it and it ran fine. That would take the most juice, so I didn't test anything else. I shut the generator off and took that and a can of gas out to the wagon. Jimmy carried out the electric drill and the bits that William said we might need. Jamie carried out the circular saw and a couple handsaws. William opened several chests and came up with the chisels he thought we would need. I got the cordless drill and a bunch of screws of various sizes and took them to the wagon. Then I got two wrecking bars and carried them out. Jamie brought out a couple hammers and a mallet that William had told him to take. Next we loaded up some 2x6's and 2x4's to use for the new bracing system. Finally, I got an extension cord and took it with me and we were set for our lesson for today. Jessie drove the wagon and I took the pickup and we headed for the pasture.

When we got there, we pulled in and Jamie closed the gate behind us. We parked the wagon by the first shelter and turned the engine off. It wasn't long before we had the herd of calves investigating us. We finally had to shoo them away so we'd have room to work. I guess they realized we didn't have any food for them and went about their business of eating hay and grazing.

William surveyed what we had and then did some measuring. He made some notes on his pad and then did more measuring.

"Dean," he said, as he looked at things, "I think we can make this a lot stronger with not much effort. These 2x6 end joists need to be put in the upright in a lap joint. That will give them a lot more support. Then we can dovetail the supports into the upright and the joist."

"William, you're the boss on this project. We're just the laborers here. We'll do what you tell us."

"Well, I think we should take off the end stringer joist and cut a lap joint in the upright. That'll make it more sturdy and then we'll work on the dovetail joints to support it."

I got the cordless drill with the screwdriver bit in it and began to disassemble the outer stringer joist from the upright and the roof. It took a bit since we had used a lot of screws in it. While I was taking the screws out of the roof joist section, William made a mark on the upright as to where it currently fit. Once I had it loosened from the roof ends, I removed the screws from the upright and it came free.

"Ok, Dean, now you get to use your new toy and plug in the saw. I've marked where to make the cut. Make it deep enough to accept the depth of the 2x6, but leave the lines."

I got the generator off of the wagon and fired it up. I used the 2x6 to set the depth of the blade and locked the saw into place. Then I plugged it in and went to the upright. Very carefully, I made the cut just inside the line William had made and then made a bunch of cuts to hog out the rest. Once I was done, William had Jamie get the big framing chisel and take out the channel I had cut. When he was done, we put the 2x6 up and it fit perfectly in the groove Jamie and I had made.

"Ok, Dean, hold it in place, exactly where it will be when we put it back."

It took us a couple tries, but we finally got it exactly where it should be. William took the speed square and made two marks on it. Then he had Jessie get the big square while he held the speed square in place. Jessie held it along the 45-degree side and Jamie made a mark where it came to rest on the upright. Then William took the speed square and made marks on the upright.

Once that was done, William had us draw a line that started on the upright and continued over the joist and back onto the upright. This would allow us to position it exactly where it was presently. Then we removed the joist and carried it to the wagon.

William made his marks on the joist and then told me to cut, but leave the lines. This was a true dovetail, so I had to set the blade on the saw at the angle he had drawn on the joist. I made the two angle cuts and then Jamie went to work with the chisel to hog out the waste. Once William was satisfied with the work, we put it back in the upright. Then William had me cut through the edge of the upright where he had made his marks. He warned me not to go any deeper than the marks he had made. This was a bit trickier than just a plain cut, so I changed to the handsaw and didn't go beyond his marks.

Next he had Jamie get the chisel and begin to work on this end of the dovetail. It was more difficult than the other one. We were only going into the upright the depth of the 2x6, so he had a lot of wood to take out. He outlined it with the chisel and then began to hog it out. William watched over him as he did his work and gave him tips on how to handle some of the more tricky aspects of it.

In the meantime, Jimmy and I went to the other end of the shelter and removed the joist from there. I made sure to mark the upright like William had done so we'd know where it went. When we got it removed, I cut the lap joint for it in the upright. I had Jessie get another chisel and take out the wood in that joint while William and Jamie were working on the other end. He was happy to be involved and I worked with him so he would get it right. When he was done, we put the joist back in and it fit. Then we moved it around to where it would be when we'd finished with it. Once we had that done, we made a mark from the upright, through the joist and back onto the upright. Then we waited for William and Jamie to finish their job.

Once Jamie was finished, William had Jessie hold the piece of 2x6 up against the cuts that had been made and used his pencil to mark the pins for the dovetail. It was a little difficult with the one on the 4x4, but he managed. He told me to make the cuts, but to leave the lines. I made the initial cuts with the power saw and then switched to the handsaw to finish the job.

We took it back and just had to use a chisel to shave a bit more off of one end and then it fit perfect. Then William had me chuck up a drill bit in my electric drill and drill a hole on each side of each dovetail. He said this would keep the wood from splitting when we put the screws in. We needed the screws to keep the dovetails secure if they got bumped by the spreader by accident. With that end done, we went to work on the next one.

All of this sounds like a long and drawn out process, but it actually takes longer to describe it than it takes to do it. We were almost done with the second pasture when we heard the dinner bell ring. We finished the cut we were making and then piled into the pickup and headed for lunch.

We washed up on the back porch and went to the table. The entire house smelled like grape jelly, delicious. We had soup and left over pork roast sandwiches. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. We chatted about what we'd accomplished and the women told us that they should be done with the jelly by suppertime. We told them we should be done with the shelters in a couple hours and then we could work on the spreader. Bonnie reminded me that I needed to kill four chickens for supper and I told her we'd do that when we came back for the spreader.

After our coffee was gone, we headed back for the pastures. We finished up the one shelter we had been working on and then moved to the next pasture and did that one. The shelters were now all braced and ready for the spreader. The outside uprights were gone and we could get closer to the troughs.

With everything done on the shelters, we piled everything back on the wagon and Jessie drove it back to the workshop and I drove the pickup. We unloaded everything and put the tools away. Then we stashed the spare lumber and made sure the workshop was pretty clean for our next project.

I sent Jamie and Jessie to the chicken coop for four chickens and the rest of us walked up to the porch. I told Bonnie we were going to kill the chickens and she told me just to lay them on the sink drain on the porch and she'd get to them when she could.

The boys came back with the chickens and we hung them by their feet. I waited for them to calm down a bit and then slit their throats. Once they'd bled out, we carried them into the back porch and left them. I opened the door and told Bonnie the chickens were done and we were going to work on the spreader. She waved at me and I walked down to the equipment shed.

I got the tractor with the spreader fired up and William and I headed for the pasture. He opened the gate and I drove through. This time the calves were all over us. We had to shoo them away so I could get a run at the troughs. William swung the chute out of the way as I pulled up to the first upright and then let it swing back after I had passed. He used a screw to make a mark on the chute and then took a couple measurements. Once he'd done that, he swung the chute in and we headed back to the workshop.

When we got there, I shut the tractor off, William and I got down and he walked inside and got the extension. Then he made some measurements on the spreader chute and connected the marks with a line.

"Dean, we need to cut this chute at an angle so the new chute will not hang up when it's pulled up."

I nodded and went inside and got the sawzall. I put a new metal cutting blade in it and strung an extension cord out to the spreader.

The blade was not long enough to cut the entire chute in one pass, so I had to make two cuts, one from each side. In the meantime, William had sent Jamie in for a good file and had him clean up the cut when I was through with the sawzall.

Then William fitted the new extension chute over the current chute and marked a line around it. He pulled it off and checked to see that it was close enough to the end to work. When he was satisfied with the mark, he made two marks on the new chute and told me to drill a quarter inch hole at each mark. I took it inside and had Jessie hold the chute over the anvil while I used a center punch to mark the holes. Then I got my bit and plugged in the electric drill and made the hole on each side.

When we went outside, William said that I needed the drill out there, so I ran an extension cord out and brought the drill with me. Jamie held the new chute over the old chute and William made a mark on each side with a screw point. Then he told me to drill a hole where he had marked.

Jimmy held the chute in place while I drilled the holes. I had to go slow since there wasn't anyway to use a center punch on the moveable chute. But I got them through in the proper place and William sent Jamie in for a rattail file so he could clean up the holes.

Then William pulled two bolts from his pocket. Each one had several nuts on it and washers. He put the bolts through each side of the chute and put a lock washer and a nut on each one. He didn't run the nuts down yet, but then had Jamie hold the new chute in place. He reached inside and began to turn the bolts by hand until they were almost to the new chute. He put a washer each side and continued turning the bolt until it protruded through the new chute. Then he put on another washer and a nut on each bolt. He told me to get the socket set and some opened end wrenches so we could secure this set up.

I got the socket set and put the half-inch socket on it and handed Jamie the open-end half-inch wrench. William had Jamie tighten up the inside nut until it was against the old chute. Then he went to work on it with the socket and tightened down the bolt against the lock washer and nut on the outside of the chute. Once that was tight, he did the same thing to the other side.

Then they tightened the outside nuts until they were secure against the washer, but not really very tight. He threaded on a second nut and asked if I had any thread locking gunk. I was sure I did and went to the shop to find it. It took me a couple minutes, but I finally found it and took it to William. He applied a liberal amount to the threads and then tightened the second nut against the first nut. Then he got an open-end wrench on the inside nut and the socket on the outside nut and tightened them against each other so they would not come undone with the vibration. He did the same on the other side and then tested the chute. It swung upwards just fine and would now clear the uprights.

"Ok, Dean, now you need to drill a hole in the top of the chute, close to the end."

I did that and William attached an eyebolt and secured it in place. Then he went to the spreader and marked a spot for another hole. I drilled that and he attached another eyebolt.

Next he got the cable we had bought and put it through the eyebolt on the chute and used two cable locks on it. Then he put it through the eyebolt on the spreader and ran it up to the seat of the tractor.

"Dean, I need you to drill a hole in the fender so that it's easy to reach for the driver."

I took the drill with me and climbed up on the tractor. I figured out where would be a comfortable place to reach while I was driving and marked the spot. Then I drilled a hole through the fender.

"While I'm cleanin' out the hole, take this eye bolt and open it just enough for the cable to pass through. That way we can take the cable free from the tractor if we're not usin' the spreader."

I climbed down and took the eyebolt in the shop and put it in the vise. Then I got a big piece of iron that would fit through the eye and pried it up until there was about a half an inch opening.

I took it out to William and handed it to him. He threaded two nuts on the threads and ran them up almost all the way. Then he put some thread tightener on the threads and tightened the nuts together. He put the eyebolt through the hole and applied some thread tightener to the threads and put two more nuts on and tightened them down securely.

Then he climbed up into the seat and pulled a piece of copper tubing out of his pocket and put the cable through it. Next he put two cable clamps on the cable and tightened them down. Then he put the cable through the opening I had made in the eyebolt and let go of it. It hung down a bit, but didn't hit anything.

"Ok, get up in the seat and pull the cable."

I climbed up and pulled on the cable and it worked perfectly. The chute extension came up and was out of the way of the uprights. But it didn't come up so far that it wouldn't fall back down.

"William, I think that's perfect."

"Well, not quite. Do you have any foam pipe insulation laying around?"

"I think we do."

I went in the shop and found a couple pieces that was left over and brought it out to him. He put one part of it over the cable locks and then trimmed the other pieces to fit over the tubing and the sides of the loop leading to the tubing.

"Now, it shouldn't bang around so much."

"Well, I guess all that's left now it to try it out."

We headed for the feed bin and Jamie loaded the spreader as I pulled under. Jimmy and Jessie got on the tractor with the hayforks on it and we all headed for the pastures.

After I got in the pasture, I lined up the tractor with the shelters and slowly pulled forward. As I got to the first upright, I pulled the cable and the chute came up. I pulled forward and let go of the cable and the chute dropped into place. I started the PTO and began discharging the feed. When I got the next upright, I had to shut off the PTO and raise the chute. Then I lowered once I had passed the upright and started the PTO again. It worked perfectly. It would be better if I had three hands, but that couldn't be helped. This worked.

We finished up the other two pastures and headed back for the house. We parked the tractors and I hosed out the spreader and then we headed for the back porch to wash up.

Without going through the house, we walked up to the front porch and took a seat.

"William, you sure made your wages today. That works perfectly. Now one person can do the feeding and it will cut down on the time a lot."

"Well, that's what we started out to do and we made it. The boys did a good job on the woodworking, and the joints fit perfectly."

"They sure did. I think we all earned our wages today."

We sat and chatted on the porch. The boys had some questions about what they had done and William was very patient in answering them. This is the way it should be. Knowledge being passed through the generations.



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Chapter 38

Jessie and Jamie finally got thirsty enough and went inside for some tea. They brought a pitcher out with enough glasses, filled with ice, for everyone. We sat back and sipped our tea while the boys asked questions and William answered them.

It was about an hour later that Donna came out and told us that supper was ready. We were all starved and quickly headed for the table. It was our usual Sunday dinner. Fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. Today, we were having fresh string beans, cooked with an onion and some fat back for flavor. We also had a salad with fresh garden ingredients and sour dough bread. It was a fantastic meal and we all ate like there was no tomorrow.

Once we had finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee. The women told us they would be done with the jelly tonight. We told them what we had accomplished and they didn't seem all that impressed, but that was normal, I guess. I don't think women understand the skill it takes to construct something that will work, nor do I think they understand about the knowledge being passed to the boys on the old skills. We, obviously, didn't take that much interest in the canning of all the jelly and vegetables they had done. We just have different interests.

Cammie told us that the store had called on Friday and their wallpaper came in on Thursday, but they had been too busy to even think about that until now. They were going to make a trip to town tomorrow to get the wallpaper and would probably begin the process on Tuesday.

This was not good news to me. I just knew that I was going to get pulled into this mess and I dreaded it. I simply hate wallpapering. But I really didn't see a way out of it. I know they had said they would do it, but that was probably a hollow promise. I was not the least bit sure they had the skill and knowledge to keep their word on that point.

Once our coffee was done, the kids headed for their chores and I told William and Jimmy that I was going to get on the computer for a bit. They nodded and headed for the front porch. I went into the office and fired up the computer.

After I signed on, I found that I had several e-mails and answered them. Most were from my daughter and contained jokes that she loves to send out. There was a couple from my clients, asking about something on their web sites. I answered their questions and then pulled up the web site to order more coffee presses. I placed an order for four more presses. Since William and Lena were here now, we were making eight pots every morning. Once Charlene and Deanne returned, we would be making even more. Once that was done, I signed off and turned the computer off and headed for the front porch.

I joined William and Jimmy and we chatted about other things that we needed to accomplish on the farm. Priority number one was to check on the crops. It had been a while since we took a good look at the corn. I told them we also needed to paint the beadboard so it would be ready to put up in the new room. William asked about how we were going to do that and I told him I had bought a new airless sprayer just for that purpose. He said he'd never seen one operate and would be interested in this process.

The kids returned from chores and the girls went straight to the kitchen to help with the rest of the canning. The boys came to sit with us. We told them of our plans and the agreed that we still had a lot of work that needed doing and this week would be very busy.

The women finally came out to join us just before dark. They had finally finished all the jelly and had everything washed and put away. Bonnie told us that we had a lot of jars to carry down the basement. With that notice, us guys got up and began our part of the canning process.

Fortunately, the women hadn't destroyed the boxes the jars came in and we could use them to carry the jelly down. Even with that stroke of luck, we were carrying jars down for over an hour. We stationed William and Jessie in the basement to put the jars on the shelves and the rest of us did the heavy work. William organized things and kept all the jelly separated by variety. It was good that Bonnie used the labels I gave her and marked everything. It is difficult to tell the different kinds of jelly just by color.

After we had the jelly all put away, William took it upon himself to inspect the sauerkraut. It was evident that Bonnie had been keeping the crocks skimmed and it smelled great. William took a taste and pronounced it very good. We took his word for it, since none of knew what it should taste like at this point. It did taste very good, but I wouldn't have known the difference.

We got back upstairs just as the weather was coming on. The weather girl was predicting a possibility of rain on Wednesday, but it didn't look like it was going to hit us. They were predicting it would stay south of us. Actually, we could use some rain, but we just can't control the weather.

As soon as the weather was over, William and Lena gave out their kisses and headed for their place. Then Jamie and Dianne did the same. Finally, Bonnie gave out her kisses and she and Jimmy left. The rest of us talked for a bit and then closed everything up and turned off all the lights. The kids went upstairs after I got kisses from Chrissy and Donna. Then Cammie and I headed for our bedroom and got ready for bed. It had been a long day and both of us were tired.

We used the bathroom and then slipped into bed and kissed and cuddled for a bit before assuming our sleeping positions. I snuggled up close to her and held her tit as we drifted off to sleep.

The rooster woke me up and I blinked several times to get myself awake. As usual, I had my morning hardon and it was nestled against Cammie's ass. Very gently, I moved back just a bit and slid it between her legs so it was riding on her slit. I moved back and forth and her pussy quickly dampened with her slick juices and probably some of mine too.

When she was very wet, I positioned myself at her entrance and slowly moved forward. She moaned as I got the head inside. I began to tease her nipple that was already very erect. She moaned even more and grasped my hand to hold it against her tit. With that, I slid in as far as I could and she pushed back.

"Oh, God, what are you doin'?"

"I'm fuckin' the woman I love."

"Oh, we can't do this. Gramma will be here and she'll hear me."

"She's family and you don't worry about family," I said, as I began a slow, steady stroking in and out of her.

"No, she's not the close family, she's not use to my screamin'."

She turned her head and we kissed and her tongue flew into my mouth. Her hips began to pick up on the pace and I was now burying myself all the way in her. She moaned as I hit bottom and pushed back even harder. Then she went rigid as she began to cum.

She finally had to pull her mouth away to gasp for air and I heard a low moan.

"Oh, fuck. Yes. Unnnnhhhh."

I gently bit her neck and ear lobes as she rode out her orgasm. Then her mouth attacked mine again. Her tongue went wild in my mouth and she pulled her top leg up.

"Get on top of me and really fuck me," she whispered, as she broke our kiss.

I repositioned myself and managed to keep the head in as I got between her legs. She pulled me into a kiss and wrapped her legs around me as soon as I finished getting in place.

It wasn't long until she orgasmed for a second time and I felt her squirt against my pubic bone. Her pussy clamped down on me and I couldn't move, so I rode out her orgasm with her.

"Fuck," she hoarsely whispered, as she pulled her mouth away to gasp for air. "It's been a long time since you've been inside me and I've really missed it."

"Me too," I said, as I resumed fucking her.

Her hips began to move faster than I really wanted to, but she was not to be denied. It had been a long time and I wanted to last as long as I could. But, with her taking control of the action, I knew it wouldn't be too long until I was spurting inside of her. She was almost slamming herself against me as she came again. Her pussy clamped down again and I could only move around in circles to keep the pressure going and increase her pleasure.

When she released her grip on me, she pulled her mouth away and whispered, "Oh, God, fuck me hard. I really need it."

I began to slam into her and she matched every stroke, pulling herself up to me by using her legs that were securely wrapped around me. It was only a couple minutes or so before she came again. This time her pussy went into its fluttering mode and began to snap at me.

She screamed into my mouth and I altered my position so I was bumping her cervix. That just drove her even higher and her fingers began to dig into my back. At this rate, I knew it wouldn't be many seconds and I would be dumping my load inside of her and I wanted to be in the correct position when I did it.

It didn't seem like she stopped cumming before I felt the tickle begin. This was going to be a big one and it felt like my entire body was poised to explode inside of her. I made two short, quick strokes and the cum raced up the tube and shot out of the end, directly against the mouth of her cervix.

She screamed again and I exploded again. I knew my balls must be up in my body someplace, pumping the sperm directly into the cum I was shooting out. Each time I would spurt, her scream would go up several notes and neither one of us could alter our actions.

I have no idea how many times I spurted inside of her, but she accepted each one and her body begged for more. I could feel our juices oozing out of her as I pumped even more in.

But it wasn't long until I was down to oozing the remaining cum against her cervix. I kept trying to pump more, but there just wasn't much left to expel. I remained against her cervix as the last drops oozed out. I kept up a bit of motion to keep bumping the mouth to help her maintain her ongoing orgasm.

We both finally had to rip our mouths away so we could breathe. Each of us was completely out of air and we needed to gasp for air so we could stay connected and not pass out.

Once we gained enough air to survive, our mouths came together and we kissed and cuddled until I was beginning to soften. She altered the angle of her hips to try and keep me inside of her. It worked for a bit, but I was finally squeezed out.

I stayed on top of her, rubbing my wilted cock along her slit to lengthen her pleasure, but it was a losing battle. Her legs finally dropped from around me and I gently rolled off of her.

She immediately moved and captured my wilted member with her mouth and cleaned me of our combined juices. She was gentle with my sensitive cock, but made sure that I was completely clean. Then she rolled out of bed, holding her pussy, and scurried to the bathroom. I tried to gather my sanity and finally followed her.

When I got there, she was sitting on the throne, squeezing out all of our juices. She gently put her hands on my legs and pulled me over to her. Her mouth captured my very wilted member and her tongue began to work wonders on the deflated thing. I knew there was no possibility of me even getting very hard, so I just let her do her thing. It felt wonderful and it wasn't hurting a thing.

When she finally finished expelling our juices, she released me and wiped. I bent down and kissed her, very gently.

"Quit now. We've got to get to the kitchen. Ever'one'll know what we've been doin'."

"So what? It's not like they think we're virgins."

"I know, but they don't need to know ever'thing we do."

She got up and I emptied my bladder. Then I got behind her and cupped her tits and played with her nipples.

"Oh, God. You have no idea how much I like that," she said, as she leaned back against me.

I kissed her ear and she turned her head and attacked my mouth. Our tongues dueled as we shared our kiss. It had been a long time since we'd been together like this and I really missed it. As she pulled away from the kiss, she gently moved my hands away and told me we needed to get moving.

We both washed up and then headed to the bedroom so we could get dressed. Then we headed for the kitchen and found out we were the last ones there. Nobody said a word as we went to work. I got the coffee ground since someone had already put the pans of water on to boil.

Once the water was boiling, I poured the three pans into the presses and put more water back on the stove. When the coffee had steeped enough, I poured them into the regular coffee pots and rinsed two of the presses out and put more ground coffee in each.

Then I carried the three pots to the dining room and was greeted by William and Jimmy. We each filled our cups and then I took a pot and Jimmy took the warmer and we headed for the front porch. We took a seat and William and I lit our first and then sat back and chatted about today.

We all decided that we should check the corn first. Then we probably should put the primer coat on the beadboard, so it would dry and we could put the first coat of paint on tomorrow.

The kids came back and all poured themselves a cup of coffee. Then I got a kiss from Chrissy and Donna and then Donna claimed my lap. She rested her head on my shoulder and listened to the conversation. We informed the boys what our plans were and they agreed.

It was agreed that we start with the corn and get that out of the way before it got too hot. The women were all going into town to pick up the wallpaper, and probably a bunch of other shopping too. I didn't even want to know about that.

It wasn't long until Dianne came to the door and told us that breakfast was ready. We headed for the table and dove in. It was quite obvious that Cammie had her large breakfast and everyone steered clear of anything close to her plate. We all ate, but Cammie was wolfing her food down. Chrissy had a big smirk on her face, but didn't dare say anything.

Once we'd devoured all the food, we sat back and sipped our coffee. The women concentrated on their conversation and left us guys to talk about other things. I paid very little attention to their conversation since I didn't want anything to do with their shopping trip. We talked about painting the beadboard and then we could concentrate on splitting the wood. I told them I wanted to talk to the guy that was doing the barn roofs. I wanted him to cut some strips out of the old roof metal so we could stack the wood on that and keep it off of the ground. They all thought that was a good idea.

We had almost finished our coffee when all hell broke loose outside. The dogs were barking by the chicken coop and I suspected that something was trying to get at the chickens. Us guys jumped up from the table and I grabbed the .30-30, that was sitting by the door, on my way out.

We trotted down to the chicken coop and I looked around. The dogs were looking in the fence and just raising hell. Then I saw it.

A red-tailed hawk was on the ground and his wing had been injured. Evidently, he had made a dive for one of the chickens and hit one of the wires I had strung over the yard.

I leaned the rifle against the fence and went through the gate. The guys all followed me and I took off my shirt and gently draped it over the hawk. He was not the least bit happy about that, but I didn't want to get bit or grabbed by his talons.

By this time, the women had made it to the coop. I gently held the hawk down, but it was panicking and I didn't want it to hurt itself any further.

"Chrissy, go get me an old blanket and an old dark sock. Also, bring a good pair of scissors out with them."

She headed for the house and I told Jamie to go call the game warden. He followed her and I continued to try and calm the hawk and tried not to get injured.

Chrissy showed up with an old sock and an old blanket. I told her to gently hold the hawk like I was doing and be careful not to get anywhere close the beak or the talons. She took my place and I grabbed the sock and scissors.

I cut one end of the sock off so it wasn't so long and then cut a small section out of the toe. With Chrissy holding the bird, I slowly removed the covering over his head and gently, but quickly slipped the remaining portion of the sock on his head. I adjusted it so the bill protruded through the hole I had cut and it would be able to breathe. Since it could no longer see, it slowly quieted down a lot. Then I got the blanket and had Chrissy remove my shirt and covered it with the blanket.

The dogs were still raising hell and it wasn't helping the disposition of the bird. I gently picked it up and we all walked out of the coop and up to the front porch. Jamie came out and said he'd talked to the warden's wife and she contacted him by radio. Evidently, he wasn't too far away and his wife said he'd be here as soon as possible.

I gently set the bird on the porch and Chrissy came over and sat down next to it. I let her take over and she gently stroked its head and talked quietly to it and was successful at getting it to calm down a lot. I'm sure it was in a lot of pain and was upset at being in this position. They aren't used to being around humans and it couldn't be too happy about that, either.

I walked back inside and got another cup of coffee and returned to the front porch. Jessie had brought my shirt back from the coop and it was covered with bird shit. I also had some on my jeans. We sat there and waited for the warden to show up.

It only took him about ten minutes to get here. He had to have been close. When he arrived, I went to greet him and explained what had happened. He grabbed a cage from the back of his truck and we walked up to the porch. He gently removed the blanket and examined the bird's wing.

"Yep, it's broke all right. But it'll probably heal up and he'll be as good as new. Thanks for callin'. Most folks woulda just buried him and we'd a lost another hawk."

"Well, I like 'em around. They take care of a lot of varmints that we don't really need around."

"They don't normally go after chickens. I wonder how come he headed for yours?"

"Probably because the chicks were out," Donna said.

"That'll explain it. They'd have a hard time flyin' away with a full growed chicken, but they can handle chicks with no problem."

He got the hawk out from under the blanket and put one of the game commission wraps around it and then gently inserted it into the cage.

"Ya'all don't mind if I keep that old sock you've got on him, do ya?"

"Not at all. We don't have much use for a cut up sock."

"Would you like some coffee?" Bonnie asked.

"Nope, I'd best be on my way. I need to get this fella up to Searcy to the commission vet up there. We don't want him to die from shock and the quicker I get him there, the better it'll be."

He carried the cage out to the truck and put it in the back of the cab to keep it out of the wind. He thanked me again and then headed off. I walked back to the porch and grabbed my cup. Then we all headed inside.

"Well, that got the day started off with a bit of excitement," I said, as I sat down and poured myself another cup of coffee.

"I always wondered why you'd put that wire up," Jamie said, "but now I see why. That sure saved us at least one chick."

"That will ruin a hawk's day. Generally, an owl won't bother them since they're usually inside before the owls get huntin'."

We chatted and laughed about our excitement until we were out of coffee. Then us guys headed for the pickup and then the cornfields.

We stopped at the first field and walked around the outside. The field looked in pretty good shape and we inspected the ears of corn that were growing. They felt firm and had good silk.

William walked a bit farther into the field and began inspecting the plants.

"Dean, it looks like ya'all might have some corn bores here. See the little holes in the leaves?"

I went over and inspected the stalk he was looking at and then we walked down the row and found more evidence of it.

"Damn, and we were doin' so good. I sure don't want to spray this crop. I really wanna keep it strictly organic."

"Well, when we were doin' a lot of corn growin', we'd always try and find ladybugs and capture them. Then we'd turn 'em loose in the corn and they'd pretty much take care of our problem."

"Then we're in luck, William. We can order them over the Internet now. Let's take a good look at all the fields and then I'll place an order. I'd like to catch this before it goes any farther."

We inspected all seven fields and found some evidence of corn bores in all of them. I was kind of down about the bores, but I was glad that William was here and knew a solution to the problem. It sure helped to have someone with that kind of knowledge around.

On our way back, we passed the barn and the roof guy and his crew were working on the barn at William's place. We stopped and he came down to chat with me.

"Look's like ya'all are movin' right along."

"Well, we're gettin' there. We should finish up here today, then we'll move over to the next barn."

"You've got metal cutters, right?"

"Yep. Got one that operates off of a compressor I've got in the truck."

"Could I get you to cut some strips of the old roofin' into strips about 24 inches wide?"

"Sure, how many do ya'all need?"

"Well, they'd be eight foot long, so I guess maybe eight or ten would do the job."

"I'll cut up six of the old sheets. That'll give ya'all twelve pieces. Whata ya'all gonna use 'em for?"

"We're gonna stack wood on 'em so it ain't settin' on the ground."

"Good idea. I'll have 'em for ya before we leave tonight. I'll drop 'em off over at your place."

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

We climbed back in the pickup and headed for home. When we got there, it was close to 11 and the women hadn't shown up yet. I figured I'd give them another hour and then we'd see about fixing lunch.

I headed for the office and fired up the computer. Then I signed on and did a quick search to find a place that sold ladybugs. I found several and I picked the one that was closest to us. I read the information on the web site and they recommended that we buy two packages of 2,500 bugs per field for the size of fields that we have. I ordered fifteen packages and they only had two-day delivery to insure the safety of the insects. So we would have them by Wednesday. I gave them my credit card number and the order was completed. Then I signed off.

I found the guys sitting on the porch and they had a glass of ice for me, so I poured a glass of tea and joined them. I told them what I had ordered and said that I'd ordered an extra box so Bonnie would have some for her garden. They thought that was a good idea. No sense in not taking care of the ladies.

We were just about to finish our tea when the women drove up. They all piled out of the van and then opened the back gate. We went out to help them carry the stuff in. I really didn't like the looks of this at all. There were a lot of rolls of wallpaper and some tools to work the paper with.

"Where's the wallpaper paste?" I asked, not really wanting to know.

"We don't need it with this paper," Cammie said.

"Why not?"

"Because this is the kind that has the paper that peels off and you just put it on the wall."

"Ok. I was just curious."

"We're gonna get this done so you don't have to worry. We even got a book on how to do it."

That was the last thing I needed to hear. I just nodded and helped carry the boxes in.

"We'll have lunch ready in about twenty minutes, so don't go no place," Bonnie said.

We acknowledged her order and walked back to the porch and poured more tea. We chatted and sort of planned our afternoon. We figured we'd split the wood we had dumped behind the house and then get the wood we'd stacked by the equipment shed. That should keep us busy for most of the afternoon. We still had the beadboard to paint, but I figured that would go pretty quick and we'd be splitting wood most of the afternoon.

We were finally called to lunch and we all washed up on the back porch before sitting down at the table. We dug into our soup and sandwiches and then sat back to sip our coffee. I told them what we'd found and what William had suggested. I also told them I'd ordered the ladybugs and I'd got a box for their garden. Bonnie liked that idea and they told us about their shopping trip.

They'd stopped at the grocery store and bought a big pork roast so we could have it with some of the fresh applesauce. We all liked that idea. They said they could put that in the oven and not worry about it while they were working on the wallpaper. I almost cringed at that announcement, but I refrained from saying anything. I just knew that I was going to be involved in this before it was all said and done.

After our coffee, us guys headed for the shop. We cleaned up and made sure that we had all the sawdust vacuumed up and then we sat the beadboard panels up along the two workbenches. I got the primer out and opened it. I had Jessie stir it up real good while I got the new sprayer out.

I set up a piece of old plywood to use as a place to try the new sprayer out. I poured some paint into the sprayer reservoir and plugged it in. Then I aimed it at the piece of plywood and pulled the trigger. It came out, but in a stream. I looked at the nozzle and adjusted it some and tried again. It was better but still not a wide enough spray. Two more adjustments and I had it working right. I made several passes of the plywood and got the timing down so I wasn't going too slow and having the paint run, nor going too fast and not getting enough coverage. Once I was sure of what I was doing, I moved to the beadboard.

It took less than five minutes to paint each panel. I was getting good coverage and it was not running. I was very pleased with the new gun. I poured what was left in the reservoir back into the paint can and had Jessie seal it up, while I washed the gun out and made sure the nozzle had all the paint out of it.

The clean up was a lot easier than the old compressor gun. Since this was latex, I just used soapy water and kept spraying it through the gun until the nozzle was completely clear of any trace of paint. Then I washed the reservoir and set everything up to dry.

I took a close look at my work and was very happy with my new toy. However, I could never say that it was a toy to the women. That would be like admitting to a murder. This was a necessary tool that was desperately needed in our workshop.

With that chore done, we turned our attention to the next item. Splitting the wood we'd cut. And we got to use another one of our new play toys.



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Chapter 39

We walked over to the equipment shed and I got the tractor without any implements on it backed up to the wood splitter. Jamie and Jimmy hooked it up and I got the hydraulic lines secured on it. Then I drove it to the back of the house and parked it close to the pile of wood we had previously dumped there.

I pulled the pin so the splitter would pivot to an upright position. I locked it in place and then we decided where we would be stacking the wood.

Just off of the patio were two trees that were pretty good size. The ground was fairly level there, so that was the place we decided on. Since the roofer hadn't brought the metal to us yet, we really couldn't stack it properly, but we could put it near and stack it later on.

"Ok, William, we're gonna make you the machine operator on this job. That'll save your knees and back from the bending over and let us young guys do that chore. The way this operates is with this handle. When you pull it down, the wedge comes down and it will split the wood. Just keep it held down until it goes through the wood. Then raise it and the wedge will return for the next piece of wood. Just don't pull the handle down until we have our hands out of the way."

"Gotcha, Dean. No need to try and put any fingers with the wood."

"Jamie, you and Jessie can stack the split pieces close to where we'll be puttin' 'em when we get the metal up here."

They nodded their understanding and we were ready to start work. I increased the rpms of the tractor and Jimmy brought the first log over and set it upright on the splitting platform. When he pulled his hands away, William pulled the lever down and the splitter did its job.

Once the two pieces fell away from the wedge, William raised the lever and the wedge returned. Then Jamie picked up the two pieces, while I brought another log over. We repeated that process until the roofer brought the metal strips over.

He and two of his crewmembers walked around the corner carrying the metal strips. We hadn't even heard him pull up. The tractor was making enough noise to drown out any other noise in the area.

"Where do ya'all want these?" he asked, as we stood up from our work.

"Just lay 'em over by them trees," I told him, while I was trying to get my back out of a permanent bent over position.

They laid the metal over in the area and then came back to look at the wood splitter.

"That's quite a contraption you've got there."

"Yep, it sure does save a lot of axe swingin'."

"I'll bet. How's it work?"

Jimmy stood a log on the platform and William pulled the lever down and the log split into two pieces.

"Dang, that's a sight easier than splittin' by hand. How does it do on knots?"

"The same way. It don't even slow down none."

"Really? That's surprisin'. When we're splittin' by hand, we can't even consider anything with a knot in it. I generally have to cut through the knot with the chainsaw and then split it."

I rooted around and found a log with about five knots in it. I set it on the platform and William pulled the lever and the wedge came down. It was just a bit slower going through the knots, but not much. It just powered its way through.

"Dang, I need to get me one of them things. What'd ya'all have to give for somethin' like that?"

"Well, if you've got a tractor with hydraulics, they're not to expensive. We got this used for a couple hundred. New they're more. But if you have one that has to have its own motor and hydraulics, then they get kinda pricey."

"Hell, for a couple hundred dollars, that's a steal. It'd be worth that in one season. I'm gonna have to look into that. Where'd ya'all get it?"

"I got it from Elmer, just outside of town."

"I'm gonna have to stop by and see him. Maybe he can find me a used one."

"They're sure a labor saver."

"I can see that. Well, we'd best be on our way. If we stick around too long, I'll have to pay these guys overtime. It got too hot on the roof, so we just called it a day. We'll be back tomorrow to finish that barn off, then we'll start on the next one."

"Ok, thanks, guys. I appreciate it."

They left and we decided to take a short break. I shut the tractor down while we were on our break. No sense wasting gas and making the tractor work too hard. It was getting kind of hot, so we headed for the front porch and the boys went inside to get some iced tea and glasses.

We sipped our tea and cooled down a bit. It was about 90 outside and, even though we were not swinging an axe or a maul, the work we were doing worked up a sweat.

Once we'd finished our tea, I asked Jamie and Jessie to take the pickup to the equipment shed and get 10 or 12 steel fence posts and the small sledge. Jimmy, William and I walked back around to the woodpile. Jimmy and I laid the metal strips out about where we wanted them so we could see how they'd look. They were about eight feet from the patio and between the two trees.

The boys returned with the fence posts and the hammer. I got the first post and used the hammer to pound it in so it would form the boundary of one stack of wood. At the end of the metal strip, I pounded in another post. Then I moved the closest strip of metal up against the other side of the post and pounded another post in at the far end of it.

I told the boys they could begin stacking the split wood on the metal between the posts. They nodded and began to stack what we'd split so far. William, Jimmy and I went back to splitting.

I started the tractor back up and got it up to speed. Then we went back to our routine of Jimmy and I putting the wood on the platform and William split it.

We were making pretty good progress when the women came out. Of course they had to know what we were doing, even though it was obvious. I shut the tractor down again so we could satisfy their curiosity.

"Why are you stacking it there?" Cammie asked.

"Because it's close to the door and we won't have to carry it too far."

"Why do you have that metal under it? That looks junky."

"So the bottom layer of wood don't get wet and rot."

"It looks like what trailer trash would do."

"I don't think they'd have a fireplace so they wouldn't need to wood."

"You know what I mean. It just looks trashy."

"Well, what would your solution be to keep the bottom layer of wood from getting wet and rotting?"

"I don't know. It just don't look nice bein' this close to the house."

"Do you wanna walk farther in the cold weather to get the wood for the fireplace?"

"No, that's men's work."

"Then it's our choice where we put it."

She just looked at me like I'd done something unspeakable. I started to laugh, but thought better of it. That would probably be a big mistake.

"Do you have a, what'd they call that, Mama?"

"A plumb bob."

"There's probably one in the workshop. Why do you want one?"

"Because the book says we should one to get a starting point for the wallpaper."

"Do you need it now?"

"I guess not. We just needed to know if you had one."

"Well, I'm sure there's one in the workshop someplace. If not, we can make one."

"What is it?"

"It's a heavy piece of metal in the shape of an old time top with a string in the center of it."

"Oh. Well, we'll probably need it tomorrow."

"Ok, we'll look for one when we go back to the shop."

With that, they went back inside and I had a sinking feeling that no one knew how to put up wallpaper. Well, there was nothing I could do about it now. So I went back over and started the tractor.

The boys had finished stacking what we'd split before and were now working on what we'd just split. Jimmy, William and I went back to work and the boys quickly caught up with us and were waiting as we split each log.

The splitting was going pretty good and we were about half way through this pile of logs when the women came back outside. This time I didn't shut the tractor down, but let them continue working and walked over to talk with them.

"Do you have a chalk line? Cammie asked.

"Yes. It's in the workshop."

"Ok. Ya know it's almost 4. Did ya'all wanna stop to feed the calves?"

"Ya, we probably should. We can pick this up tomorrow. We're makin' good progress and we should have all the wood split by the end of the day tomorrow."

She returned inside and I walked back to the guys.

When they finished the log they were working on, I told them it was about time to feed. They just nodded and backed away from the splitter.

I turned off the hydraulic pump and lowered the engine speed on the tractor. Then I walked back to the splitter and put it back in the towing position so I could take it back to the shed. They weren't expecting rain to get up here, but it could and there was no sense in leaving the tractor or the splitter out if it did rain.

Once it was stowed in the towing position, I drove the tractor back to the shed and got the tractor with the spreader on it. Jamie operated the feed bin chute to fill the spreader as I pulled under and William climbed up with me. Once the spreader had enough feed in it, Jamie climbed up with us and we followed Jimmy and Jessie out to the pastures.

The new system on the spreader worked like a charm again and everyone was very pleased with it. Now, two people could do all the feeding. The one driving the hayforks could fill the spreader and the one driving the spreader could cut the hay bales apart after he spread the feed.

Once the chore was done, we headed back for the house. I hosed out the spreader and then walked over to the workshop. I quickly found the chalk line and then dug around until I found the plumb bob. It even had string on it. I had lucked out on that. I took them both to the house.

We washed up on the back porch and then walked around to the front porch to wait for supper. Jamie and Jessie took the pitcher back into the house and brought another out, along with ice for our glasses. I held on to the chalk line and plumb bob and figured I'd make an entrance with them. I was sure that Cammie was waiting for me to forget so she could use that in some kind of deal to get me involved in the wallpapering. I knew I was fighting a strategic retreat, but I was determined to hold out as long as I could and, just maybe, they'd be able to do it themselves. Or maybe it was just a pipe dream of mine to not be involved.

Women have different strategies to get us to do things. One is to appear helpless and almost shame us into helping them. Another is to just constantly do things wrong until we break down and just do it so they won't screw it up any more than they already have. There are a lot more of their little games they play, but I was counting on one of those two. Now all I had to do was to figure out how to dodge them and escape without getting involved.

We sipped our tea and chatted about the wood splitting. William was really impressed with the machine. He'd never seen one work before and was amazed at how well it worked. I told him I had done a lot of splitting by hand, using an axe and a maul, and this was, by far, the best way to do it. He agreed and said if they had been available when he was cutting wood, he would have had one.

We chatted until we were called for dinner. It was great. They had fixed a large pork roast and it tasted delicious. Besides that, we had potatoes au gratin, fresh applesauce, green beans fixed with an onion and fat back, and sour dough bread. Then Donna brought out two peach cobblers that topped the meal off perfectly. I think we were all stuffed by the time we sat back to sip our coffee.

We chatted about our day and I told them we had put the primer coat on the beadboard and then went to work on the wood. They said they'd gotten the paper and some groceries and then spent the afternoon getting ready to wallpaper.

"That reminds me," I said, "I've got the plumb bob and the chalk line."

I got up and walked out to the porch and brought them back in.

"Where do ya'all want these?"

"Oh, just sit them in the hot tub room," Cammie said.

I walked in there and put them in a conspicuous place and then walked back to the dining room. It was almost silent when I walked in. I knew the women were deep in thought about something, but I didn't even think about asking.

"Tomorrow, we're gonna finish the wood out back and then do the wood that's still in the equipment shed."

They were still silent and I didn't talk any farther either. I figured I could play their little game too and I wasn't going to ask any questions that might lead to something I wasn't wanting.

We finished our coffee and then the kids headed for their chores and us men headed for the front porch. The women, silently, began clearing the table.

"Ya know," I said, after we sat down and lit up a cigarette, "I think it would be a good idea if we made ourselves scarce tomorrow mornin'."

"Only if you don't wanna wind up wallpaperin'," Jimmy answered, with a grin.

"I think it would be good idea to make a trip into town and maybe talk with the county agent. I'm thinkin' we ought to leave shortly after breakfast. I know it'll take a long time in there. We might not even make it back until after lunch."

"Ya know you're just delayin' things and probably fixin' to get into a lot of trouble, don't ya?" Jimmy asked.

"Yep, but the deal was that we'd put up the wainscotin' and the chair rail and they'd take care of the paperin'."

"You actually believe they know how to use a plumb bob and a chalk line?"

"About as much as I believe they'll be able to do the paperin'."

"So, you're just delayin' things?"

"For as long as I can. I don't like wallpaperin' and I think I'll just play their game. If we make ourselves scarce, then they can't come cryin' to us and get us to he'p out of pity."

"You sure like livin' dangerously."

"Ya, well a deal is a deal. Ain't it?"

"Yep, and women are notorious for changin' their minds. How long you plannin' on dodgin' this thing?"

"As long as I can get by with. After a bit, I might give in and consent to show them how to get started, but then I'm gettin' the hell out of dodge while the Chinese fire drill commences."

"Well, if you don't, they'll just keep screwin' up until you get so frustrated that you do it yourself."

"I know and that's probably one of their plans. But I can't get that way if I'm not here."

"Damn, you sure do live dangerously."

The kids were coming back from chores, so we stopped our speculation about the plans that were afoot. The boys pulled up a chair and the girls went inside to help the women "learn" about wallpapering.

We waited until the girls were out of ear shot and then I told them I was going to get on the computer and look up some stuff about organic farming that only the county agent could answer so we'd have a reason to go to town in the morning.

I went to the office and fired up the computer and then signed on. I pulled up the search engine and then typed in organic farming for Arkansas and started clicking on the hits. I finally found one that was a lifesaver. Each organic farm needed to be certified by the state agriculture department before they could operate as organic. That would do it. This was the reason we needed to go into town.

I walked back outside and told the guys what I had found. We agreed that we'd make the trip the first thing in the morning and that it should probably take until at least noontime to get everything accomplished.

William had been silent through all of our discussion, but he finally spoke up.

"Ya know, boys, I've been through a lot of this. Ya'all will probably wind up doin' the paperin', but if they said they's gonna do it, then I'd make 'em put forth a pretty good effort before I stepped in. Now I know that Lena's done some paperin' before, so she might be able to give the girls enough hints on how to do it, but I know she can't climb no ladder to do nothin', so they'll be doin' it themselves. I remember that Bonnie helped her one time, but that's been some years ago. Ever'time they done something like that, I had to lay it out for them. They couldn't read a level or use a plumb bob, so it was always me that done the plannin' and startin', but I did make 'em do the rest. I had to do a lot of the trimmin', but they did most of it. I'm like ya'all, I don't like wallpaperin' at all."

"William," I said, "the pattern they've picked out is gonna be difficult to match up if they don't work from two rolls at the same time. I don't wanna do it, but I'm not sure I wanna see them waste the money they've spent because they don't know how to plan. My idea is to wait until they ask for help before volunteerin' anything."

"Well, you're on the right track there. If you get involved too soon, they'll just say that you couldn't keep from buttin' in on their business. If you don't do anything, then you'll be someone that can't be counted on for help. You have to pick someplace in the middle and get your timin' right."

We all chuckled at that and moved on to other subjects. They were all interested in what all we had to do to get certified as organic. I told them I didn't have much of a clue, but we'd probably find out tomorrow when we got to the county agent's office.

We chatted until it was dark out and then went inside to watch the weather. The girl was still calling for the rain to stay south of us. We weren't completely dry yet, but we could use a gentle soaking rain for a day or so. We could interrupt our wood splitting that long without hurting our feelings at all.

The women came in from their studies about wallpapering just as the weather was over and asked what they were predicting. I told them what the girl had said and they just nodded. Then I told them we were going to town tomorrow morning to talk to the county agent. Of course, they wanted to know what for and I explained about getting certified as an organic farm. That took them by surprise, according to the look on their faces. I fought to keep from smiling in a gloating way. That would not help the mood around here at all.

It wasn't too long after that that William and Lena gave out their kisses and said good night to everyone. Jamie and Dianne were next and Jimmy and Bonnie followed them. The rest of us chatted a bit and then closed everything up and turned everything off and headed for bed after I got my kisses from Chrissy and Donna.

Cammie and I stripped off in the bedroom and headed for the bathroom. I decided I needed a quick shower and asked her if she wanted to join me and got a look like I had four heads. I took that as a no and got the water in the shower running and stepped in. I soaped up to get the sweat off of me and then dried off and headed to bed.

I slipped in next to Cammie and we cuddled and kissed for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions. I scooted close to her and gently held her tit as we drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to the rooster crowing and began teasing Cammie's nipple. She moaned and turned to kiss me. Once the kiss was broken, she quickly scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed and we both washed up and headed for the kitchen.

Surprisingly, Bonnie was already there and working on the biscuits. Cammie joined her and I went to work on the coffee after I got the water on the stove. Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her before she began working on the sausage. Lena was the last one to show up and she joined us.

As soon as the water was boiling, I got the coffee going. Then I washed out two of the presses I used and put more coffee in them to make later.

I carried the pots into the dining room and Jimmy and William were there. We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and headed for the front porch. I carried a coffee pot and Jimmy carried the pot warmer. We took our seats and William and I lit our first.

We chatted until the kids came back and I got a kiss from the girls. The kids each poured themselves a cup of coffee and Jessie took the empty pot inside and brought another one out.

We chatted about various things and I told the guys we'd need to sand the beadboard when we got back from town and put the first coat of paint on. They agreed and Chrissy said she wondered how the hawk was doing. Of course no one knew, but I told her that the Conservation folks had good vets and I was sure it was in good hands.

It wasn't too long until Dianne came to tell us breakfast was ready. We all took our cups and headed for the dining room. Breakfast is always a favorite meal around here. It gets everyone going.

After we finished eating, we all sat back and sipped our coffee. We chatted for a bit and then, before I could get into any trouble, I said I was going to take my coffee out to the porch so I could smoke. The guys all followed me with two pots of coffee.

William and I lit up and we all sat back and chatted. It was mainly about getting the rest of the wood split and stacked. We still had about half of what was in the back yard and we hadn't even touched what was in the equipment shed. We still had a lot of work to do.

When we finished our coffee, we took our cups and the pots back inside and told the women we were heading for town. We got kind of a sour look, but nothing was said. I was happy just to escape.

We all piled in the pickup and headed for town. I found a parking spot in front of the courthouse and we all walked in. Fortunately, the agent was there. He was busy with another person, so we had to wait a bit until he was finished.

"Howdy, what can I do for you boys today?"

"Well, I read in the Internet that we need to get our farm certified to be organic. How do we do that?"

"Well, I can he'p, but we don't do the certifyin'. That's done by an independent place out of Indiana. But I've got some forms here and I can he'p ya'all fill 'em out."

He went into his office and returned with an envelope full of papers.

"Let's see. Why don't I ask you the questions and we can probably get the answers filled out between us all. Ok, first question, county? That's easy. Next question, type of operation?"

"Well, we're raisin' beef and raisin' our own feed for 'em."

"Ok, beef and grain. Next question, how long have ya'all been in business?"

"One year, almost."

"One year will do it. What was the ground used for the last four years?"

"Well, Bonnie was runnin' cattle, but I'm not sure what Miller and Grishom were doin' all them years."

"They haven't farmed any grain for at least five years and I think they sold off their last herds about three years ago. That'll have to satisfy 'em."

"Ok, size of herd?"

"148, in three herds."

"Shots?"

I gave him the information that Doc Tompkins gave me.

"Did Doc give the shots?"

"Nope, we did."

"Ok, what did ya'all spray 'em with?"

I gave him the brand name.

"Ok, acreage?"

We all did some figuring and came up with an answer for him on that.

"Fertilizer."

"Lime, foliage and manure."

"How often?"

"This year. They were fallow before that for four years."

"Pest control?"

"We just ordered some Ladybug beetles to attack the corn bores."

It went on and on like that for seven pages. They wanted everything about our farm and its history. They also wanted a plan for the future. When we were finally finished, the agent told us that someone from this company would be out to see us in about 3 weeks or so. He would need to take soil samples and feed samples. He also said that we could figure on a full day just getting all the questions and samples taken care of.

We thanked him and finally left. It was almost noontime.

"Should we go home or risk ever'thing and eat at the barbecue place?" I asked.

"Man, you really like to live dangerously," Jimmy replied. "If we don't go home, there'll be hell to pay.

"You're probably right. Guess we should go home and eat and then get on that wood."

"You wish."



-------

Chapter 40


We got home just as the women were sitting down for lunch. They got our plates and bowls of soup and we all enjoyed our lunch. After we finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee. Cammie asked me what I'd found out at the county agent's office. I told her we'd filled out a bunch of forms and that someone would be out to visit us and look the farm over in about three weeks. Then she wanted to know why someone had to come out here and I told her to verify we are running an organic operation. There were more questions and I think I answered them to her satisfaction.

I didn't utter a word about the wallpapering for fear of being dragged into the process. After we finished our coffee, I told the guys that we needed to lightly sand the primer coat on the beadboard and then put the first coat of paint on it. The agreed and we pushed back from the table to go to the workshop.

"Before ya'all go down there, could I ask ya a question?" Cammie said.

"Sure," I replied.

"Would ya show us how to use the plumb bob and chalk line?"

"Sure. Are they in the hot tub room?"

"Yep, we've been tryin' to figure them out."

Reluctantly, I walked in, followed by everyone else, and found the plumb bob and chalk line exactly where I had left them. The string was still wrapped around the plumb bob, so I knew they hadn't even tried with that.

I unwrapped the string on the plumb bob and took it over to the wall. I held the string up until the plumb bob was just above the floor. I used my feet to keep it from swinging in such a wide arc and, when it finally stopped moving, I told them that the string was perfectly perpendicular to the floor.

"How would we make a mark with that?" Cammie asked.

"Well, take a pencil and make a mark in two places on the wall without moving the string. Then you get the chalk line and hold it on each mark and snap it against the wall. That will give you a line to follow."

"Can I do that while you're holdin' it?"

"Sure, is this where you want your mark?"

"No. According to the book, it should be one and a half times the width of the paper away from a corner."

"Ok, well why don't you make a mark where you want to make your line to start and then I'll hold it there?"

"Ok."

They got the yardstick and measured away from the corner and then made a pencil mark on the wall. I went over to the mark and got the plumb bob line on that mark and finally got it hanging still right on it. It took some adjusting the top of the line so the bottom was over the mark.

"Ok, very gently press the string against the wall about here," I told her, pointing to a spot that I knew was below the wainscoting mark.

She did and I held my end tight.

"Now, make a mark next to the string with your pencil."

Bonnie had to hand her the pencil and she made the mark. Then I took the pencil and made a mark higher up on the wall. I dropped the string for the plumb bob and retrieved the chalk line from where I had set it down last night. I shook it up to coat the line with chalk and then pulled it out from its container. I told her to hold her end of the sting on the line she'd just made. She did that and I stretched the line tight and snapped it.

"There's your line."

"Ok, thanks. We didn't know how to do that."

"Not a problem."

Us guys walked out and headed for the workshop. Once we got there, I found the fine grit sandpaper and we each took a panel and lightly sanded them. After that was done, I got the shop vac and cleaned up any dust that I could.

Then I got a gallon of the finish coat paint and had Jessie stir it while I got the sprayer ready. I practiced on the scrap piece of plywood until I got the spray adjusted the way I wanted. Then I moved to the panels.

It went pretty smoothly and we soon had the first coat of paint on all of the panels. The clean up was a bit more with the finish paint than it was with the primer. But we finally got it all cleaned and everything put away.

Then I headed for the equipment shed and got the tractor with the wood splitter on it. The rest of the guys walked to the woodpile behind the house and I drove over there. Once I got the tractor parked on a level spot, I got down and moved the splitter to the upright position. With that done, I increased the engine speed and we began to split the wood.

It was going pretty smoothly. Jimmy and I were getting the logs to the splitter and William was operating the lever. Once they were split, the boys were stacking them on the metal we had put down yesterday.

Once we got the woodpiles up to the level of the top of the fence posts on the two stacks, we had to stop so I could get the next two sections set up. Naturally, I hit a rock with the first post and had to reposition it so I could drive it in. But we got the three posts in and the two pieces of metal laid down and they were ready for the wood. We'd been working for a bit, so we decided to take a short break and drink some tea and cool down some.

I shut the tractor off and we walked around to the front porch. The boys went inside and brought a pitcher of tea and glasses with ice out for us.

"Well, you kinda dodged the bullet with the chalk line and the plumb bob," Jimmy said.

"Ya, but I don't think it's over yet. I'm sure there's more surprises waitin' for us."

"You're probably right. How're ya gonna get out of it tomorrow?"

"I don't have a clue. I know we'll need to sand the panels and put the last coat of paint on, but I don't have any ideas beyond that."

We chuckled and sipped our tea as we tried to cool off. When it's 90 degrees out, there's not much cooling off you can do.

Once we were done, we walked back around to our work and I fired the tractor up again. We got back into a routine and were going pretty good until the women interrupted us. Everything stopped as I slowed the engine rpm down so we could hear them.

"We're havin' problems with the wallpaper," Cammie said.

"I thought ya'all knew how to do this."

"Well, we can't seem to get the pattern to match up unless we throw a lot of it away and we don't wanna do that."

"Are you operatin' from two rolls?"

"No, why would we do that?"

"So you don't have to throw so much paper away."

"What do ya mean?"

"Well, you cut one section from one roll and get it up, then you use the second roll to match up with the one you just put up. That way you don't have to have so much waste."

"The book never said anything about that."

"No, the book was put out by folks sellin' wallpaper. They want you to use more."

"Could you show us how that works?"

Here it was. I was trapped. If I said no, I was a bastard. If I said they could figure it out by themselves, I was uncaring. If I gave in, I was trapped. There was no way out.

"Ok, I'll show ya'all, but you folks are doin' the work."

"Ok, we will. We just need to know how to do it."

We all walked inside and they had one piece of paper hung, total. I took the current roll they were working off of and held it up and unrolled it until I could get a match. They would have had about three feet of waste if they did it that way. So I got a second roll and opened it. I unrolled it until I got the pattern to match. There was only about eight inches of waste by doing it that way.

They made a mark on the paper as I held it up and then I laid it on the table so they could cut it. Once they had it cut, they peeled the back off and carefully put it into place. They had to trim the top off at the ceiling, but it matched perfectly.

"Now, take the first roll and use that to match what you've just put up."

They took it over and unrolled it and finally matched it up. They had about nine inches of waste. They marked it and brought it back to the table and cut it. Then they peeled it off and hung it. Then I told them to use the second roll again.

I happened to glance at the clock and it was closing in on 4.

"We need to feed before it gets much later," I told the guys.

They agreed and we headed outside. I moved the splitter back into the horizontal position and drove it around to the equipment shed. Then I got the tractor with the spreader on it and pulled under the feed bin so Jamie could fill it up. William and Jamie rode with me and we followed Jimmy and Jessie to the pastures.

We were getting better at feeding and it wasn't taking us near as long as it had before. I was getting better at coordinating the operation of the spreader and all the moves I had to make. First I had to line it up and pull forward. Then I had to lower the chute, turn the PTO on and pull forward. Then I need to shut the PTO off, pull the chute up, move forward and lower the chute before I could turn the PTO on again. I really needed three hands, but it was getting easier with practice.

Once the feeding was done, we headed back to the equipment shed and I washed the spreader out with the hose and then parked it. Then we walked up to the front porch and the boys got us more iced tea and ice for our glasses. We sat back and sipped our tea and tried to cool off.

We had been sitting out there for about an hour when the women came out.

"You guys go take a shower," Bonnie announced, "we've been too busy to cook anything for supper, so I'm takin' us all out for dinner at the barbecue place."

We all stood up and everyone headed for their place to shower. I guess the women hadn't worked up too much of a sweat with the wallpaper. But then again, it is air conditioned inside, so I had to assume they weren't too hot with what they were doing.

It was about a half an hour before everyone reappeared. William and Lena rode with Bonnie and Jimmy and the rest all squeezed into my van. We chatted on the way to town but nothing was said about the wallpaper and I sure wasn't going to bring it up. Sometimes I do have a little bit of common sense.

By the time we got to the barbecue place, the crowd was thinning out some. They found us a table in the back and we all got seated. The waitress came and we all had decided on the buffet. She took our drink order and said we could help ourselves to the buffet.

We all streamed up there and almost emptied it on our first trip. I took some barbecued chicken and some ribs. To that, I added cole slaw, potato salad and some baked beans. Everyone but Lena made a second trip to the food. They had partially restocked it by the time we got back up there.

We did have plenty to eat and then we descended on the line again for dessert. I had apple cobbler topped with ice cream and made a second trip for more of that. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

We chatted, but nothing came up about the wallpapering. The women wanted to know more about the organic certification and I told them all that I knew about it. That wasn't much and I wasn't able to answer all of their questions. I told them we'd find out when the person arrived to do the work.

The waitress brought the check and Bonnie snapped it up. We finished our coffee and then went outside. William and I lit up and we all had to wait for Dianne while she chatted with her former co-workers.

Once everyone gathered in the parking lot, we climbed into our vehicles and headed home. When we got there, we all took a seat on the front porch and chatted. Cammie finally brought up the wallpapering.

"We're makin' some progress, but it's slow. We have to keep climbin' the ladder to get the stuff positioned right."

"Well," I told her, "I can bring in another step ladder and we'll put a couple boards between them and make a platform so ya'all won't have to climb up and down all the time and more than one person can work on it at a time."

"That would be great. It's hard for one person to hold it up and put it in place at the same time. That's what's takin' so long. We can match it up, but gettin' it up on the wall at the same time is the hard part."

"I'm pretty sure that'll probably solve your problem."

We chatted until dark and then went inside to watch the weather. Sure enough, the rain had stayed south of us and the entire area was in the clear for the new few days. We might have something on Sunday, but it was still just a possibility. I never put too much stock in what they say anyway.

After the weather was over, everyone got their kisses from everyone else and they all departed, leaving us folks here. We chatted for a while and then Chrissy and Donna gave me a good night kiss and those two and Jessie went upstairs. Cammie and I closed up and turned everything off before heading for our room. We got shed of our clothes and then snuggled into bed. We kissed and cuddled for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off.

I awoke to the rooster crowing, but it must have been the second crowing, because Cammie was awake too. She had rolled over already and was about to kiss me. I must have been more tired than I thought. We kissed and then she scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her but noticed some sore muscles, I guess from bending over and moving logs yesterday.

We both used the throne and then washed up before getting dressed. Then we headed for the kitchen. Everyone was already there and Cammie immediately went to help Bonnie and Lena. I went to work on grinding the coffee because the water was already on the stove.

Once the coffee was ground, I poured the boiling water into three of the presses and refilled the pans and put them back on the stove. I waited for the presses to steep and then poured the coffee into regular coffee pots.

I emptied out two of the presses into Bonnie compost pail and rinsed them out before putting more coffee in them. Then I took the three pots to the dining room. Jimmy and William were waiting for me and we took our cups, a coffee pot and a warmer out to the front porch.

We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and William and I lit our first. We sat back and chatted about what needed to be done today. We wanted to try and finish the wood and get it all stacked so that would be out of the way.

The kids came back and joined us, bringing their cups and another pot of coffee out with them. I got a kiss from the girls and then the kids each poured themselves a cup of coffee. We told them what we had planned so far and Jamie said that we shouldn't forget about the wood we have stacked by his place. That had completely slipped my mind. I suggested that he and Jessie take the pickups over there and load it up while we split the wood in the equipment shed. They agreed to that and said they'd do that after we finished the wood in the back. The girls said they'd be working with the women and doing the wallpapering.

"That reminds me," Jimmy said, "I brought a step ladder over from my place so they could set up the scaffoldin'."

"Great. We can get that done after breakfast. Then we can concentrate of the wood."

We went back to chatting about various things and Dianne came to the door and told us breakfast was ready. We all descended on the dining room with our cups in our hand. No one wanted to be late for this meal. It just started the day off right.

After we finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee. We chatted about various things, but no one mentioned wallpapering. Certainly us guys didn't want to get involved in that and the women didn't say anything either.

With the coffee done, us guys headed for our day. The first thing was to get the scaffolding set up for the women. Jimmy got the stepladder from his vehicle and Jamie and I walked down to the workshop and got two-2x6's about eight feet long. We carried them around the back of the house and in through the French doors. Jimmy and I set the ladders about seven feet apart and then slid the 2x6's between them on the bottom rung. I tested it to make sure it would hold them and it seemed sturdy enough.

With that chore out of the way, I walked down to the equipment shed and the rest of them went out behind the house. I drove the tractor with the splitter on it back there and parked it. Then I set it upright and increased the engine speed and we began. While they began to split the wood, I put up two more rows of posts and metal strips so we would have a place to stack all the wood. Once that was done, I joined the crew working on the wood.

We hadn't been going more than about ten minutes when the guy doing the barn roofs showed up. I hadn't heard him drive up, but I saw the movement out of the corner of my eye. I stood up and walked over to him while the rest of the guys continued what they were doing.

"Howdy," I said.

"Howdy, we've finished the one roof and we're ready for the next one."

"Sounds good. If you go to where you've just finished up, you can take the lane over to the next one. Once you cross the stream, it'll be the first buildin' you see."

"That'll work. We'll catch ya'all later."

He left and I went back to work. It couldn't have been five minutes when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye again and stood up. It was the UPS guy and I walked over to greet him.

"I've got some packages for ya'all out front."

"Ok, I'll be right there."

I walked back and told Jimmy we had packages and he just waved at me. Then I walked around to the front and signed for the packages. He had them all stacked up on the front porch. One of them was from the place where I'd ordered the coffee presses and I took that one inside and set it in the dining room. I'd take care of that later.

The rest were the ladybugs I'd ordered. They had been refrigerated to keep them dormant, but that wouldn't last in this heat. I walked around back and told the guys we had the ladybugs and that we needed to take them to the fields. They agreed and I shut down the tractor.

I asked Jessie to get the tractor with the wagon on it so we could take it to the fields. He headed for the shed and I took one of the boxes into the house and told Bonnie the box contained the ladybugs for her garden. She dried her hands and asked what she should do with them. I told her to take them to the middle of her garden and open the box and just leave it there. They'd fly out and start to work once they'd come out of their dormancy. She nodded and got a knife from the drawer and headed outside, followed by all the females.

I went back outside and Jessie had the tractor waiting by the front porch. We loaded all the boxes on the tractor and headed for the first cornfield.

When we got there, I gave Jimmy one package and told him to walk in about 30 steps and open the box. He asked if he should dump it out and I told him to just cut the top off and let them fly out by themselves. He nodded and I walked to the back of the cornfield and did the same thing.

The ladybugs were still chilly and didn't move much when I opened my box. I cut the top off and just left the box there and walked back. Jimmy had about the same experience.

Then we headed for the next field. There were two fields pretty much together and I had Jamie and Jessie take one field and Jimmy and I took the other. Mine were still very lazy and hadn't warmed up yet. So I just left the box there and walked back to the wagon. The other had had the same experience. I figured the sun would warm them up enough to get them moving.

Then we headed for the next place. It was on Jimmy's farm and, again, there were two fields together. Us four performed our release tactics and mine were a bit more alive this time. Some of them flew out as I opened the box. I walked away and headed back for the wagon. The others said the same thing about their release.

Then we headed for the last two fields. When we got there, we split up and walked into the fields. This time when I opened the box, they were more than ready to get out. It was like a cloud of ladybugs arose from the box as I cut the top off. I had to brush several of them out of my hair and off of my arms and even get a few out of my nose. I was able to take the box back with me. The others had the same experience. The sun had brought them out of dormancy, quickly. Jimmy was still brushing ladybugs out of his hair.

Then we headed back to the house. We parked the wagon and tractor and went back to the woodpile. The women were waiting for us to appear and Bonnie said she thought all of her bugs were dead. I asked her why she thought that and she said that they didn't leave the box. I told her they were shipped to us refrigerated and that kept them dormant during the shipping. Once they warmed up some, they'd fly out. She nodded and the women headed back for the garden. We heard a couple screams and figured the ladybugs were more active now.

I fired up the tractor and we went back to splitting wood. We were almost done with this pile when the women came to get us for lunch.

We walked around to the back porch and washed up there before going to the dining room. We sat down and ate our meal of soup and sandwiches. When we sat back to sip our coffee, Cammie said that the boards between the ladders were working better, but they had to move them to the next step up because it was too low the way we had it. I just nodded and didn't offer anything else. Before we could escape, the women wanted us to see how they were doing. I had a sinking feeling that we were not going to like what we saw.

When we got there, it wasn't too bad. There were a couple places they had messed up and still had air bubbles trapped under the paper.

"What are ya'all gonna do with them bubbles in that piece and that one?"

"We can't get 'em out," Cammie said.

"Just peel the paper back and have two people hold it out from the wall and one person smooth it back onto the wall."

"We can do that?"

"Yes."

"Will it stick back again?"

"It should."

"What if it don't?"

"Then cut another piece of paper and replace it."

"I guess we can do that. I think we'll have enough."

"Ok, well we're gonna get back on the wood."

"Before ya'all go, could you help us with the one piece to get the bubble out?"

I really wanted to say no, but I knew if I did, there would be hell to pay. There was just no way out of this trap. I wanted to tell her that SHE said they would do the papering, but that didn't make for good relations afterwards. So I gave in.

"Ok."

Unfortunately, the bubbles were in pieces that they had already put the piece next to it on the wall. So I had to carefully peel the corner of the piece that wasn't a problem off the wall and then peel the problem piece off, up to the bubbles. I pulled the corner of the uninvolved piece until it was past the overlap and then kept going just on the one side all the way up the wall. I had Jimmy hold that piece away from the problem piece and began to peel that off.

Once I got it peeled off up to the bubbles, I held it away from the wall and had them smooth it down so there were no bubbles in it and I could let go. It adhered to the wall just fine. Then Jimmy and I put the piece next to it back in place. With that done, us guys beat a hasty retreat.

We got back to the woodpile and I started up the tractor and got the engine speed up to the proper rpm's. Then we worked on finishing that pile of wood.

When we had the last piece finished, I shut the tractor down and lowered the splitter back into its moving position. Then I drove it to the equipment shed while William and Jimmy walked down there. The boys got the two pickups and headed for Jamie's place to get the wood from there.

I found a level place to park the tractor by the shed and got the splitter back into the upright position and increased the engine speed. We started in on the pile of wood we had there and made a pretty good dent in it before the boys showed up.

They asked if we wanted to take a break and get some tea. We all nodded and I shut the tractor down so we could take a break.

The boys got the tea and glasses with ice in them and we all sat back and relaxed a bit. We sipped our tea and chatted about the ladybugs. William said they should do a good job on the corn bores and we all hoped we had caught them in time.

We finished our tea and then went back to the wood chore. The boys had two more loads of wood from Jamie's house to stack and then they came to get what wood we had split. They kept hauling the wood from the shed to the back of the house until they had caught up with us. Then they filled up their pickups as we split.

When we finally finished, I figured we had about four cords of wood split and stacked. I asked William what time it was and he pulled out his pocket watch and told me it was a bit after four. We got the splitter stowed and unhooked from the tractor and then got the feeding tractors going.

Jamie operated the feed bin chute while I pulled under it. When it had enough in it, he climbed up with William and myself and we headed for the pastures, following Jessie and Jimmy.

When we got there, I got the feed spread and tried to get a bit more efficient with the new set up. It just took some getting used to and I needed to get a pattern down so it would go a bit faster. That would come in time, I guess.

Once we were done, we all headed back to the shed and put the equipment away. I hosed out the spreader before I parked it and then we walked up to the house and took a seat on the porch.

The boys got us more tea and ice and we chatted about what we'd got done today. All in all, we'd had a really good day. We'd finished the wood and got the ladybugs released. However, we were going to need something to do tomorrow so we could dodge the wallpapering project that was still going on.

We had been out there about 30 minutes when Dianne came out and told us that dinner was ready. We all walked to the back porch and washed up before making our way to the dining room.

Bonnie and Lena had fixed a roast and we had mashed potatoes with gravy, peas, and a salad. Then Donna brought out an apple dumpling for each of us. By the time we finished eating, we were all stuffed. We sat back and sipped our coffee. We chatted for a bit and then the kids left for the chores.

"What's in that box?" Cammie asked.

"I think it's the coffee presses I ordered. I didn't have time to open it before."

I got my pocketknife out and opened the box and it was the new presses. I took them out and removed them from their individual boxes and then took them to the kitchen to be washed with the supper dishes.

When I returned, Cammie asked, "How many do we need?"

"Well, with William and Lena here, we're makin' two additional pots every morning. And when Charlene and Deanne get back, we'll need to make even more."

"Oh ya, I forgot about that."

"Well, I got these four and that should hold us for a bit."

"I would hope so."

Us guys headed for the porch and we sat down and chatted until the kids came back. The girls went inside and the boys stayed and chatted with us. I told everyone that I thought we should take a ride out and check on the herds and the fences tomorrow after we put the final coat of paint on the beadboard panels. They all agreed about the calves because we hadn't checked since we'd moved them.

That would be our strategy for tomorrow to dodge the wallpapering detail.



-------

Chapter 41


We stayed on the porch until it got dark and then headed inside to watch the weather. The women joined us and the weather girl was still talking about a slight possibility of rain on Sunday. We needed some moisture, but we'd survive if we didn't get it, at least for a couple more weeks. After that, we would be in desperate need of some.

Once the weather was over, William and Lena, Jimmy and Bonnie, and Jamie and Dianne all gave out their kisses and headed for their places. The rest of us chatted for a bit and then I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy before we closed up and turned everything off.

Cammie and I headed for the bedroom and stripped down. I told her I was going to take a quick shower to get some of the sweat off. She used the throne and I got the water adjusted in the shower and got in to wash up.

After the shower, I used the throne and headed for bed. We cuddled and kissed for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions.

The rooster woke me up and I gently played with Cammie's nipple until she grabbed my hand and turned over to kiss me. We shared a kiss and then she scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and felt the twinge of some sore muscles. All of this bending over wasn't helping me at all. But there is no way I could be getting old.

We washed up, got dressed and headed for the kitchen. Bonnie was already there, working on the biscuits. Cammie joined her and I got the water on the stove and began grinding coffee. Dianne came in and I got a kiss from her before she started on the sausage. Lena was the last to show up and worked with Cammie and Bonnie.

Once the water was boiling, I filled three presses and put the pans back on to boil for more coffee. Once they had steeped, I poured them into regular coffee pots and took them to the dining room. William, Jimmy and myself grabbed a coffee cup each and I took a pot while Jimmy took a pot warmer and we walked to the front porch. I poured everyone a cup of coffee and then William and I lit our first and we sat back and chatted.

"William, can you ride?"

"Well, I used to could."

"Well, that's how we check the calves and the fences. Do ya feel up to it?"

"I feel up to it. Now whether I am or not, we'll see when I get on."

"We'll make sure we don't put you on no rank horse. Just one that is used around here."

"I shouldn't have no problems. I've been ridin' since I can remember. As long as I don't make any unscheduled dismounts, I should be all right."

"Well, we sure don't want you hurtin' yourself. Lena would never forgive me."

"Nor me. She's not that understandin'."

When the kids came back from chores, the girls gave me a kiss and then everyone poured themselves a cup of coffee. Jessie had brought out another pot of coffee and we put that on the pot warmer, replacing the one we had drained.

We chatted until Dianne called us for breakfast. We all descended on the dining room table and dug into our food. All thoughts of anything are put back while we eat, especially during breakfast. It's what gets us going every morning.

After we finished eating, we all sat back and sipped our coffee. I told the women what we had planned for today and they said they would be working on the wallpapering. I nodded but didn't say anything, lest I get myself involved. We continued chatting until we finished our coffee and then us guys headed for the workshop.

I got out some 440 grit sandpaper and we began to work on the beadboard panels. We just needed to knock the sheen off of the semi-gloss paint that was on them so the final coat would adhere to the surface.

Once that was done, I got the shop-vac going and cleaned up all the dust in the shop as best I could. There was no way to get all of it, but we could make it a safe painting environment. After that was done, we each took a damp cloth and wiped the surface of each panel to remove any lingering particles. Since we had to wait for them to completely dry, we decided to leave them and go inspect the herds.

We each got our tack and I let William select a saddle he would feel comfortable with. He got Cammie's saddle and bridle and we all walked to the corral. I got the stallion saddled and then went to the pasture to get horses for the rest. Once they had saddled their mounts, we headed for the first herd.

At the first pasture, we split up and rode the fence line and met at the back of the pasture. The fence seemed in good shape so we walked our horses through the herd. These were the new calves and they scattered fairly easily. They all seemed to be moving with no problems.

The next pasture, we found a couple places that needed some fence repair. It wasn't a problem yet, but could become one very quickly if we didn't repair it. Then we rode through the herd. This group was not happy about us moving them from their grazing, but they gave way to the horses and all seemed to be in good shape. Then we moved to the next pasture.

We found a couple places that needed mending there also. When we began our journey through the herd, a couple of them wanted to challenge our intentions. I put the stallion on them and they gave way very quickly. They all moved fine and didn't seem to have any problems.

Since we were close, we rode over to Jimmy's other place to check on the progress of the roofers. They were hard at work and we didn't want to slow them down any, so we just rode on past.

The lane took us back to William's place and we stopped there to inspect the work that had been done on the barn. It looked great and we went inside to see if there were any gaps we could see. There was no light coming through the roof that we could see, so we judged it as good work and headed back for the corral.

Once we got back, we unsaddled the horses and turned them out. Then we stowed our tack and headed for the shop.

The panels were completely dry, so we got ready to paint them. Jessie was just about to open the can of paint when the dinner bell rang. We stopped what we were doing and headed for the house.

We washed up on the back porch and then made our way to the dining room table. We dug into our soup and sandwiches and then sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women that we needed to repair a couple of the fences, but the herds were in good shape. They just nodded and we chatted for a bit until we finished our coffee. I was in a hurry because I didn't want any questions to come up about the wallpapering that would get me involved. Fortunately, we escaped before that could happen and made our way back to the shop.

Back at the shop, Jessie returned to the paint can and I got the spray gun out and prepared it for use. Once he had the paint stirred up, I poured it into the reservoir and walked over to my test piece of plywood. I made a few passes and adjustments until I got it to the point that I wanted it. Then I began to carefully spray the final coat on the beadboard. I was a lot slower painting this time because I wanted to make sure it was exactly correct. Jessie had to open another can of paint and stir it up good because I ran out of paint on the second panel.

Once I had the panels sprayed, I went back and checked each one to make sure the paint wasn't running and that I had the coverage I wanted. They all looked good and I poured what paint I had left back into the can and then cleaned the sprayer out with soap and water. With that done, we gathered up a roll of barbed wire and the tools we would need and Jessie went to get the tractor with the wagon on it.

We all rode out to the pastures and found the places that needed repairing. Jamie and Jessie ran the wire between the posts and I stapled it in place, twisted what needed to be twisted, and then waited for Jimmy to use the wire stretcher to get everything taught. Then I stapled it in place and made sure it was secure on both ends. It wasn't hard work, but it was time consuming. We had to set up at each place. That meant cutting the old wire off. Next I would wrap the wire around the post and staple it in place. Then the boys would roll the wire out to the next post and Jimmy would get the stretcher on it. I would staple it in several places on that post before he released the tension. Then we would wrap it around the post, twist it in place and I would put a couple more staples in that section to secure it. Driving staples is a chore under the best of conditions, but when you're doing it on a springy fence post, it is a very trying task.

We finally finished and headed back to the shed. Jessie pulled up in front of the workshop and we unloaded all the tools and wire. He drove the tractor around to park it while we put the tools and wire away.

I asked William what time it was and he pulled his watch out and said it was just a bit before four. Since it was that late, we decided to feed now and then rest when we got back.

Jimmy and I fired up the tractors and I pulled under the feed bin so Jamie could load the spreader. Then we all headed for the pastures.

Feeding was getting easier with this system. I guess that it just takes time. I still needed three hands to work everything, but that just wasn't going to happen. I still had to stop the tractor, turn off the PTO, raise the chute, move forward, lower the chute, engage the PTO and start forward at the proper speed. It sounds difficult, but it was getting better every day.

Once we were done, we headed back to the shed. I hosed out the spreader and we parked both tractors and headed for the front porch.

The boys went inside and got a pitcher of iced tea and glasses with ice in them for us. Then we sat back and sipped our tea and just sort of relaxed.

"Well, I got my ridin' legs back," William said.

"You feelin' the muscles from our trip?" I asked him.

"Yep. Them muscles ain't been used in a while, but they responded like they remembered what to do from long ago."

"I guess it's good that we broke you in on that chore and not one of movin' the calves. That can get the muscles complainin' a lot in a short time."

"I don't think I wanna do much cuttin' anymore. That's a bit too much to ask of these old bones."

"We won't make ya do anything like that, William. We'll let you ride flank when we move 'em."

"I can do that as long as none of 'em make a break for it."

"That's what me and Jimmy are for. We take care of them."

"Then I shouldn't have any problems. It's been a long time since I worked on a cuttin' horse. I'm not sure I could keep my seat anymore."

"Well, we sure don't want you fallin' off. Lena would skin all of us if that happened."

"She sure would. And it'd be me first for doin' such a fool thing in the first place."

"Ya know I've found that women ain't all that understandin' when it comes to somethin' like that."

"I know. They just have no sense of humor at all."

We chuckled and sipped our tea. It wasn't too long until Donna came to the door and said that supper was ready. We were all ready for supper, too, and made our way to the back porch and washed up.

We sat down at the table to pot roast with all the trimmings. We also had the vegetables that were cooked with the roast. Carrots and potatoes and someone had made gravy from the drippings left by the roasts. There was a salad that was fresh from the garden and sour dough bread to push the vegetables onto the fork with. It tasted great. Then Donna brought out two peach cobblers for dessert. By the time we got to our coffee, we were all stuffed.

I told the women we got the fence taken care of and we also painted the beadboard. We would give that a couple days to completely dry and then we could cut it to size. After that, we would paint the chair rail.

"Well, you've got lots of time because we ain't near done," Cammie said.

"Well, maybe it'll go faster now that ya'all got things goin'."

"We're havin' problems cuttin' around things. The first cuts we made were great, but now we can't seem to get the scissors to work right."

"Have ya'all washed them after each time you make a cut?"

"No. Why would we?"

"To get the glue off of the edge. It coats the edge when you cut and makes it seem like the scissors are real dull."

"I've never heard that before."

"Well, I'd bet most anything that's your problem."

"Well, we even used a razor blade around the door trim and it got dull too."

"And ya'all didn't wash that either, did ya?"

"No. I've never heard of anything like that before."

"I'd be willin' to bet there's quite a few things ya'all never heard before. But that don't make them wrong."

She got up from the table and walked out to the hot tub room and then returned with an old piece of wallpaper, the scissors and the razor knife they were using.

"Are you tellin' me that these are dirty and that's why they won't cut?"

"No. I'm tellin' you that the edge of the blade is coated with glue and that's why they won't cut."

I got up from the table and walked into the kitchen. I got a couple paper towels and put some water and soap on them. Then I walked back to the dining room.

"Try and cut that piece of paper with the scissors."

She looked at me like I had four heads but picked up the scissors and tried to cut the scrap piece of wallpaper. The paper actually tore as she closed the scissors. I took the scissors from her and washed both blades. It took me several tries because the edges were so coated with the glue. Then I handed them back to her.

"Now try it."

She took the scissors and cut the paper. The scissors cut it very easily with a very clean cut."

"I'll be damned. I've never heard of that before. I just thought the scissors had got dull and the razor blade too."

"What happened was that glue coated the edge and made them seem dull. Once the glue is removed, you have a sharp edge again. It works the same way with knives when you're butcherin'. Fat collects on the edge and makes the knife seem dull. After you wash it, it becomes sharp again."

"I've never heard of that. Have you heard of it, Mama?"

"Nope. How 'bout you, Mama?"

"Well, William done most of the meat cuttin', so I never had the problem."

"All right, smart ass. So you solved our problem. Thank you."

"You're quite welcome. It should go some quicker now."

"Probably. We'll know to wash the scissors after we cut somethin'."

"And the razor knife too."

"Yes, the razor knife too."

We finished our coffee and us guys headed for the front porch. The kids went to do the chores and we sat back and relaxed a bit.

"Well, you dodged the bullet again," Jimmy said, with a big smile on his face.

"Hopefully, they'll be able to get it done and we won't have to get involved."

"What do you mean we, White Man?"

"Hey, if I go down, I'm takin' ya'all with me."

"Sure, just take all the fun out of seein' you lose the battle."

"You bet your ass."

We chuckled and chatted about things. William asked about our chair rail and I told him that the women had picked out some molding but I had to use the dado on it so it would have the offset to lap over the beadboard.

"What are ya'all gonna use around the ceiling?"

"That hasn't been discussed yet. They'll probably find some molding they want to use and we'll have to paint it and then cut it to fit. With my luck, they'll pick out some crown molding and we'll be at it for days.

"Well, I think the boys and myself could make some moldin' for the ceilin' with the tools I brought over."

"I'll bet ya'all could, but wouldn't that be a lot of work?

"It's not really that much. We could get enough 1x4 stock and use the table saw to cut the back edges to 45 degrees, then it would just be a matter of decidin' what design ya'all want. I've got enough planes to make near 'bout anything."

"Well, if ya'all wanna do that, I'm all for it. I think the only big problem would be gettin' the women to decide on a pattern."

"That'll be a lot easier than you think. They don't know what planes I have so I can limit the possibilities. We can make up some samples and let them choose from about three or four. That way they won't have too many to cloud their judgment. If you give 'em too many choices, they'll stall forever. Just limit the choices they have and it'll make it a lot easier."

"William, I'm all for anything that'll make is easier."

"Ok, we'll ask the boys when they come back if they wanna do that."

We chatted until the kids came back from their chores. The girls went inside to resume the wallpapering and the boys took a seat with us.

"Boys," William said, "how would ya'all like to make the moldin' for the ceilin' in the new room?"

"How would we do that?" Jamie asked.

"Well, we'd start with 1x4 stock and use the planes and table saw to make the profile."

"That sounds great," Jamie responded.

"It sure does," Jessie added. "Does that mean we'll be doin' it all by hand?"

"It sure does. The way we start is to cut the edges of the stock to 45 degrees on each side and then usin' the sets of planes that we've got in the chest to make the design."

"The first thing we need to do," I told them, "is to get the women to agree on this. Without their agreement, it ain't gonna happen."

"I think we can do that without any problem," William put in. "We'll tell them we'll work up some samples and then they can decide."

"Ok, but I think you're gonna find this ain't as easy as it sounds. Both Cammie and Bonnie have some pretty strong ideas about what they want in there."

"Well, we'll just have to take that risk."

Actually, I was all for William and the boys doing this. It would give them time together and allow them to bond even more. It would also give the boys some valuable experience and knowledge. I was just hoping the women would go for it.

They didn't want to disturb them right now, because they were working with newfound knowledge about the scissors and we didn't want to disrupt that. William thought they might talk to them in the morning after breakfast.

We chatted about various things until it got dark, then we went inside to watch the weather. The women joined us just before the weather came on and the girl was still talking about a chance for rain on Sunday. Once the weather was over, everyone gave out and accepted their kisses and hugs and left for their respective places. The rest of us chatted for a bit and then closed up everything and turned off all the electricity before heading for bed.

Cammie and I headed for the bedroom and stripped down before using the bathroom. Then we slipped into bed and cuddled until we got sleepy and assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to the rooster and teased Cammie's nipple. She moaned and turned over to kiss me. As soon as she broke the kiss, she rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and we both used the throne before washing up. Then we got dressed and headed for the kitchen.

Bonnie and Lena were already there. Cammie joined them and I went to work on the coffee. Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her before she started on the sausage.

As soon as the water was boiling, I filled three presses and put the pans back on the stove to boil more water. Once the three presses had steeped long enough, I poured the contents into regular coffee pots and carried them to the dining room.

William, Jimmy and I each grabbed a cup and I took the pot of coffee while Jimmy took a pot warmer and we all headed for the front porch. We poured ourselves a cup of coffee and then William and I lit our first. We sat back and chatted about things that needed to be done today.

The first thing was to check the panels to see if they were completely dry. With this heat, they should be, but we'd check to make sure. If they were dry, then we needed to cut them to size and work on the chair rail. I'd need to use the dado set up to cut an offset to fit over the panels. After that, we'd need to paint it. That would require brushing it on. It was too narrow to use the sprayer on. I just wasn't that talented with the sprayer. The chair rail would require three coats also, but they were to be painted a contrasting color so they would stand out from the panels.

When the kids came back, they each poured themselves a cup of coffee and we filled them in on our plans and they agreed. We chatted as we sipped and Jamie went back inside and brought out another pot of coffee. The girls said they would be working on the wallpapering and it was getting old. It had lost its allure when the new wore off. Now it was just a chore that had to be completed.

We chatted until Dianne called us for breakfast and then we all made our way to the dining room for the meal that got our day off the right way. It's real difficult to beat starting the morning off with homemade tomato juice, eggs, grits that are swimming in butter, sausage, sour dough biscuits, homemade jelly, ice cold milk and plenty of good coffee. It just gets the day going. Once we'd cleaned our plates, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"What would you women think about me and the boys makin' a moldin' for the ceilin' for ya'all?" William asked.

That caught the women off guard, because they all looked at each other to see if anyone had any idea this was coming. Finally, Cammie spoke up.

"I don't think we've thought that far ahead. But it sounds like a good idea. How are ya'all gonna make it?"

"Well, we thought we'd buy the wood and use some of the tools I brought over with me. The boys could learn about what all they do and we could probably make it cheaper than ya'all could buy it."

"Well, what would it look like?"

"There's several different choices. Why don't we make up some samples and ya'all can pick the one you like?"

"That sounds good. We've still got a lot of work to do on the wallpaperin', so there ain't no rush."

"Darlin', it's gonna take us some time to make the stuff, so we really need to get started as soon as we can. I think we'll work on some samples today and ya'all can decide. Then we'll go buy the lumber and start it."

"It can't take too long, can it? I mean a machine can work pretty fast."

"We ain't gonna use a machine. These are all hand tools that we'll be usin'. Plus, that's a pretty good sized room. It'll take a while to get it all done."

"Oh, I didn't realize ya'all were gonna do it by hand. That's a lot of work. Are you sure ya'all wanna do that?"

"Yep, we're sure. It'll give the boys some experience with the ol' time tools and how to use 'em. Anyone can run a piece of wood through a machine, but a craftsman does it by hand."

"Well, if ya'all are sure you wanna do it, we'll pick one that ya'all bring us."

The women said they were going to work on the wallpaper again today and they thought they could make some progress now that they didn't have to fuss with the trimming around the doors and windows. They said that washing the scissors and the knife worked great. I really wanted to say something, but I thought better of it. Ain't no sense in rubbing it in. That would only get me in more trouble.

We finished our coffee and us guys headed for the workshop. We inspected the panels and they appeared to be dry. With the heat we'd been having, it wasn't that much of a surprise. It would have been better if they had been outside, but the dust would have messed up the finish.

We moved the panels to one side of the shop so we could set up the table saw and the panel-cutting jig. That took a bit but we finally got it accomplished. Once that was set up, Jimmy and I could handle things.

I got some 1x4 stock from our scrap lumber bin and gave it to William and the boys. William asked if I would run it through the saw and cut a 45 degree angle on each side, but leave about a quarter inch of meat on the edges so they could work with that.

I adjusted the saw blade to the 45-degree angle and set up the fence so it was the proper distance away. I asked William to check how much I was going to leave and he approved of the cut. I ran a small piece through on each side and asked him again if that was what he wanted. He looked it over and said that was great. So I ran all of the pieces we had set out for them so they would have some material to practice on.

I took that blade out and put in the fine-toothed panel blade. It wouldn't take chips out of the finished panels, if we were careful.

Then Jimmy and I set up the panel jig and measured it to take a three-foot cut. We double-checked everything that we could and finally were satisfied that we had it correct. He helped me set a panel up on the jig and I turned the saw on.

Very carefully, we moved the panel forward so we weren't forcing the blade to make to fast of a cut. We eased it all the way through and I turned the saw off. I got the measuring tape out and checked the cut on each end and it was perfect. That eased my mind a lot.

We set that piece aside and turned the panel around and made a second pass to get another three-foot section out of this panel. It went fairly fast after that first cut. Once we were confident about the saw and the measurement, we could work with ease. We still didn't rush the saw and let it cut at its own pace so we didn't chip the finish.

Once we got all the panels cut, we took the panel jig apart and stowed it so we would have room in the shop again. Next I removed the fine-toothed panel blade and put the dado set up in. I set it for as wide as I could and then put the cover back on.

Then I got the chair rail molding and moved it to the saw. I got a scrap piece of paneling and set the depth of the blade to match the thickness of it. When I set the chair rail on the table for the saw, I found it would take about one-third of the width of the rail. That was fine since it just needed to cover the top of the paneling. I set up the fence and Jimmy and I ran all of the chair rail lengths through.

With that chore done, we put the table saw away and got the shop-vac out and cleaned up all the sawdust. The dado blade makes a lot of sawdust, but we finally got most of it cleaned up. Then we went to see what William and the boys were doing.

They had the chest pulled out from under the workbench and an assortment of planes laid out on the bench. These planes were of all shapes and sizes and some had moveable fences and depth stops on them. William had Jamie working at one end of the bench and Jessie at the other. He was going back and forth between them and giving them instructions and encouragement. It was amazing how the planes were making short work of designing molding from a plain piece of 1x4.

Jamie was working with a rabbet plane and had a couple hollow and round planes laying on the bench next to his work. Jessie was working with a rabbet plane also, but had a moving fillister plane with a depth stop laying next to his work. I was really glad to see this happening. The boys were learning some valuable information and skills and William was able to feel fulfilled by sharing his knowledge. This is the way it should be.



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Chapter 42


Rather than starting to paint the chair rail right now, I took the board the snakeskin was tacked to down and washed it off. It didn't stink near as much now, but it was very stiff.

I got all the salt washed off and examined it. All of the flesh and fat seemed to have been taken off by the salt and it was pretty clean. I carefully removed the tacks from the skin and board and examined the outside of the skin. It still had all the color and would look very good on my Stetson. At least, that was my opinion. I wasn't sure that Cammie would share that opinion.

I got the Neet's foot oil out of the cabinet and put some on my fingers. I began to rub it into the skin to soften it just a bit. The skin was very dry and accepted the oil eagerly. I didn't want too much oil on it, just enough to work into the skin so I could break down some of the fibers.

When I got enough oil rubbed into the skin, I took an old piece of 2x2 from our stock of leftover wood and put it into the metal vise, so it was standing upright. Then I took an old block plane and knocked off the sharp edges so the skin wouldn't get caught and tear.

Once that was accomplished, I began to work the skin over the end of the 2x2 to break down the fibers that made it so stiff. It's a slow and tedious process, but it's the old way of doing things and it turns out the best skins. I was careful not to apply too much pressure so I didn't dislodge the scales or the ribs on the skin. I worked it as much as I thought prudent and got most of the fibers broken down. Then I applied a fairly liberal coat of oil and gently tacked it back to the board. It would stiffen up again, but not as bad as it had been. A couple more times of working it and it would be ready to put on my hat. Once it was hung up again, I washed my hands to get the Neet's foot oil off.

Jimmy had been watching the boys work the planes and seemed almost awestruck. They were progressing nicely and almost had their short pieces of 1x4 formed into a very fancy piece of molding. William was giving them some hints on how to finish each piece off when the dinner bell rang. We all walked up to the back porch and washed up before heading for the dining room table.

We ate our soup and sandwiches and then sat back to sip our coffee. I told the women we had the panels cut and ready to put up when they were finished and the chair rail had been run through the saw and was ready to paint.

William told them the boys had been working all morning on a couple designs for the ceiling molding and were almost through with those. Next they would each work up another design so they'd have some different choices for their final selection.

Cammie said the wallpapering was moving a bit faster now that they were able to cut around things and not tear the paper. She thought they'd be finished in another couple days. I said that was good to hear, but didn't comment beyond that for fear I'd get drafted to help them. We finished our coffee and then escaped back to the workshop before we could get into any trouble.

William and the boys went back to work on the molding and finished up what they had been working on. Then William showed them how to lay out the next pieces they would be working on. As they say, the devil is in the details and the lay out of the design was the most important. Working the planes in a particular order was fairly simple after that.

Jimmy and I set up the chair rail so we could paint those pieces. Three sides of the rail needed to be painted and there was no way we could do all three of them at the same time. So we decided to do the large frontal area first and the bottom of the rail that was very narrow and didn't touch the bench because of the offset we'd cut. Then we'd work on the top after those parts dried.

I got the primer out and we found two smaller paintbrushes to work with. I stirred up the primer and opened the can. I found a clean can and poured some primer in it for Jimmy to work with and I took the larger can.

We started at opposite ends and worked towards the middle of each piece. When we got to the middle, one person worked on blending the two painting surfaces together. No two people paint the same way, so they had to be blended together. Working this way, it didn't take too long to get the two surfaces of each piece painted.

With that done, there was nothing left to do until the paint dried except clean up our brushes. Since it was latex, it cleaned up with soap and water. We just had to make sure we cleaned the brushes all the way to the base so they wouldn't stiffen up. Once that chore was accomplished, we hung them up to dry and took a look at what the boys had accomplished.

They were each working on a separate piece of wood and each had a different design. They had several different planes laid out that they were working with. Each piece had several ridges in it and a hollow area in the middle. It was amazing how much design was in a small piece of board. Looking at it from the face made it appear much thicker than it really was. My only concern was that it might be sort of fragile to nail in place. But we'd worry about that when it was time.

I asked William what time it was and he pulled out his watch and told us it was quarter after three. I told them to keep on working on the moldings and Jimmy and I would go feed. They agreed and we left for the equipment shed.

I got the tractor and spreader pulled under the feed bin and Jimmy operated the chute to fill the spreader. Once that was done, he got the tractor with the hayforks on it and we headed for the pastures.

I opened the gates when we arrived and pulled forward. He went to spear a hay bale and I lined up the tractor to spread the feed. This was new. Two people doing the feeding, but with the new system, it worked pretty good.

Once I had the feed spread in the first pasture, I got down and cut the hay bale apart that Jimmy had put in the ring. Then we moved to the next pasture. It worked the same way for this pasture and the final one. It was a bit more work for two people, but it could be done. That was what we had been trying to get to when we started this. It probably only took us about ten minutes longer than it would with all the guys working. We closed up the final pasture and headed back for the house.

When we got back to the shed, I washed the spreader out and we parked both tractors. Then we walked to the shop to check the progress of the boys.

They were still working on their piece of molding and were almost finished. William told us that Donna had walked down and said that we were supposed to start the fire in the grill so we could barbecue some hamburgers tonight. I thought it was a bit early for that, but only the women had the answer to that question. I really didn't want to interrupt them in their wallpapering mode. I was afraid I would get dragged into the process, but there wasn't any other way to get the answer.

Jimmy said he would stay in the shop so he could see what the boys were doing, leaving me to venture into the lion's den alone. He had a big smile on his face as he said it.

Reluctantly, I headed for the back porch and washed up before going into the house. I found the women in the hot tub room, diligently working on the wallpapering. They only had one more full wall to do and then the two partials that led to the fireplace. I had to admit they were doing a good job.

"It's a bit early to start the fire, ain't it?" I asked, as I looked at their work.

"Well, we didn't know how long ya'all would be out feedin'," Cammie said. "We'll probably start cookin' about 5 or so. Just so the fire and burgers will be done by about 5:30."

"Ok, I just wanted to check."

They were getting ready to move the stepladders to work on a new area. They were just about to take the two boards out and I asked them what they were doing.

"Well, we've got to move ever'thing so we can work on this next section," Cammie said.

"Why are ya'all takin' the boards out?"

"So we can move the ladders."

"Why don't ya'all just leave the boards where they are and carefully move the ladders with them in place?"

"Won't they fall out?"

"Not if you move both ladders at the same time."

She thought for a few seconds and then said, "Oh, we never thought of that."

Two of them got by each ladder and picked them up and shuffled to the next area and then set the ladders down. I told them to adjust the placement of the ladders to they could take full advantage of the length of the boards. They did that and then stood back and looked at it.

"That is quicker," Cammie said. "We never thought about that. We just took the boards off and then moved the ladders and put the boards back. Thanks for the tip."

I just nodded my head and retreated from the room before I could be drafted for their project. I figured my contribution saved them some time and that was enough. This was their project and I didn't want any part of it.

I still had about 45 minutes before I needed to start the fire, so I got a pitcher of iced tea and took it to the front porch. Then I returned to the kitchen and got enough glasses with ice in them for the guys and returned to the porch.

I poured myself a glass of tea and sat back to relax a bit. It wasn't too long until the rest of the guys came up from the shop. I think they had been watching and saw me out of danger of being involved with the wallpapering and decided it was safe to come up.

Once they got to the porch, I said, "Well, they finally come up after they see the sacrificial lamb they sent is safe."

"Damn right," Jimmy said, with a big smile, "ain't no sense in riskin' ever'one's life."

"Well, I forgive ya'all and even brought out glasses for iced tea for ya'all."

We sat and chatted about various things and sipped our iced tea. William asked how the feeding went and I told him it went just fine, thanks to his solving the problems. He said he was just usin' some of the ol' time Rube Goldberg ingenuity that we are all given. We all chuckled at that but had to explain who Rube Goldberg was to the boys.

We finished our tea and Jimmy and I went around to the back porch and got the grill filled with charcoal and then lit. I told him about the women moving the scaffolding and he just shook his head. Then he told me I was lucky to have escaped with just that little bit of help. I agreed with him.

Once the charcoal had burned down, I spread it around and put the grill on. Then I went inside to ask for the hamburgers. The women had them on a big tray and I took the tray out with me. They were busy fixing the rest of meal. I told them it would be about 15 minutes for the burgers to cook and they just nodded their heads.

I walked out to the porch and Jimmy held the top of the grill while I put the burgers on. He covered it when I was done and we chatted for a bit and then checked on them. They were doing good and we went back to chatting. After a bit, I turned them and covered it back up. I saw a lot of smoke coming out and opened the lid. I had to get some water to quench a fire that had flared up from the grease, but that wasn't a big thing. It just gave the burgers the grilled taste.

When I judged they were done, I pulled them off and carried the tray in to the dining room. The rest of the meal was just about ready and we were told to go tell the boys to wash up. We did and they headed for the back porch. By the time they made it to the table, the women were putting the final dishes on the table.

Besides the hamburgers, we had garden fresh salad, green onions, baked beans, and corn on the cob. The baked bean dish was still hot, having just come from the oven, so we had to get up to help ourselves since it was too hot to pass around. I don't know what their recipe was for the baked beans, but it sure beat anything I've ever tasted from a can. We all ate our fill and there wasn't a burger left on the tray and very few baked beans left in the dish.

Once we'd finished, Donna brought out an apple dumping for each of us and we feasted on that and then sat back to sip our coffee. We were all stuffed. We chatted and the women told us they were hoping to get the wallpapering done on Sunday. William told them that the boys had four pieces of molding made up for them to choose from. Cammie and Bonnie said they were anxious to see them. So the boys got up from the table and headed for the shop to retrieve them.

When they got back, they handed the samples to the women and sat back to wait for comments. They both said they didn't understand how they would fit on the ceiling. William told them they would be nailed at an angle so they would look like they were from a half of a square piece. They still didn't understand, so I took one of them and stood on a chair to hold it against the ceiling and wall.

"Oh, I see now," Cammie said, and then they went back to studying them more closely.

I sat down and went back to work on my coffee. They finally selected one that had a round bead surrounded by a hollow on each side and then two square ridges on each side of the hollows. That one was probably the most difficult to make, but the boys were thrilled that they had come up with a design the women liked.

"Well, we'll go into town in the mornin' and get the lumber to do the job," I told them.

I knew that once we'd spent the money on the lumber, they wouldn't back out because they wouldn't want to waste the money. We'd need to select the lumber very carefully since there couldn't be any knots in it and it had to be very straight.

We finished up our coffee and the kids headed for their chores and William, Jimmy and myself walked out to the front porch and took a seat.

"Well, William, ya'all've got yourselves in for some hard work."

"Oh, it won't be so bad. I'll get the kids goin' on it and it'll fly by. I'll put Jessie on one plane and Jamie on the hollow and rounds. It's really not as difficult as it looks. It'll take some time, but we've got plenty of that."

"Yep, time we've got. The photo shoot won't be here for about two and a half weeks, so you've got at least that long."

"How long will that last?"

"Well, they'll arrive on a Friday and we'll spend Saturday and Sunday settin' up. Then they'll shoot all that week and probably be gone the next weekend."

"That's plenty of time. We should be able to turn out two or three of those a day without too much trouble."

"Well, they come in eight foot sections, so we'll need about thirteen sections. We probably should get a couple extra for spares, just in case."

"Wouldn't hurt too much to have some spares. We've got a few corners to go around. The fireplace could cause us some problems fittin' it to the stone."

"I'm not sure they was plannin' on goin' around the stone with the moldin'. I was thinkin' they were gonna leave that plain."

"Well, that'll cut down on some miter cuts."

"My big concern is nailin' it up. Some of that seems kinda fragile."

"Oh, that's a simple thing. We just drill holes in the moldin' where we're gonna nail it. That way it'll never split."

"That would cut the chances way down. They have finishin' nails now that have colored heads so we won't have to worry about coverin' them up."

"That'll cut down on the time some."

We continued our chat until the kids came back. The girls went inside to help with the wallpapering and us guys sat on the porch to plan the molding. William told them what he had thought about with Jessie working one plane and Jamie working the others. They seemed to agree with that strategy and didn't have any negative comments.

We stayed outside until dark and then went inside to watch the news. The women joined us and the weather girl was still saying we stood a chance of rain on Sunday. Once the weather was over, everyone gave out and received their kisses and hugs and then departed for their houses. The rest of us chatted for a bit. I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy and then we closed up everything and turned off all the lights and headed for bed.

Cammie and I stripped down in the bedroom and made our way to the bathroom. I decided to take a quick shower to get the sweat off and she used the throne and went back to the bedroom. It didn't take me long in the shower and then I used the throne and slid into bed beside her.

We kissed and cuddled for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions. I scooted up close to her and cupped her tit as we drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to the rooster and teased Cammie's nipple. She awoke and kissed me and then slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and used the throne after she was done. We both washed up and then got dressed and made our way to the kitchen.

Bonnie was already there and Cammie joined her. I put the water on to boil and then ground the coffee. Lena showed up and went to work with Bonnie and Cammie. Dianne was the last to show up and I got a kiss from her before she began slicing the sausage.

Once the water was boiling, I filled three presses and put the pans back on the stove for more coffee. After the coffee had steeped, I emptied the presses into regular coffee pots and carried them into the dining room.

William picked up three cups and Jimmy took the pot warmer as I carried the coffee pot out to the porch. We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and then sat back. William and I lit our first and we relaxed and chatted.

When the kids came back from their chores, I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy and then all the kids poured themselves a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a full one back. We chatted about various things until Dianne called us for breakfast.

We all sat at the dining room table and dug into our breakfast. Everything was wonderful, as it always is, and always starts the day off great. Once we finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women that we were headed for town to get the lumber for the molding and they said they would be working on the wallpapering. We were also reminded that today was Saturday and we would be going to the Grange Hall tonight. Like they'd ever forget to drag us off to that place. But they needed their time away too, so I guess it wasn't too much of a sacrifice for us to make them happy.

Once we finished our coffee, us guys headed for the pickup and pointed it towards town. We went directly to the hardware store for the lumber. I found a clerk and told him what we needed. He checked his inventory cards and said they had about forty 1x4's that were the higher grade lumber. I asked him if we could pick through them and he told me we were welcome to spend as long as we wanted. He told me to ask the man out in the yard to show us where the top grade 1x4's were stacked and we could look to our hearts content.

We found the man outside and he took us to a far bin and showed us where they were stacked. Fortunately, they weren't on the top bins, but in the second bin up. We thanked him and began to pick through them to find what we wanted.

It took us about an hour, but we found sixteen boards that were straight and didn't have any knots. The grain was fairly straight for lumberyard boards, so we stacked them off to the side and I left the guys with the stack and went inside to pay.

While I was waiting for the clerk, I had talked to previously, to finish with another customer, a flyer for an auction caught my eye. I went over the list and saw they had a 5,000 watt generator on the list. The auction was today and it was supposed to start at 10. It was now 9, so we had plenty of time.

The clerk finally got free and I got his attention. I told him we had sixteen-1x4's set aside from the stack and he wrote up a bill. I paid him and took the slip with me. I drove the truck around and parked it near where we had the boards stacked.

I handed the man the slip to show him we had paid and he counted the boards and helped us load them. I thanked him and we all piled in the truck.

"Jamie, do you know where the old Johnson place is?"

"Ya, it's off the Hickory Plains road. Why?"

"They've got an auction over there and there's got a generator on the list."

He gave me directions and we headed over there.

When we arrived, it was pretty crowded. We had to look around to find a place to park. Then we walked up in the yard where everything was stacked. After some searching, I found the generator and it looked to be in pretty good shape. I found someone from the auction company and asked them when the generator would come up for bid. He looked at his list and said it would be around 11 or so, at least. I thanked him and went over to the table to get my bidding number.

Once I got registered, we looked around at the other stuff they had. I didn't see anything that we couldn't live without. There were some interesting things, but the women would kill us if we dragged a bunch of stuff home. Plus, we'd never hear the end of our "shopping" at auctions if we weren't very specific in what we bought.

Since we were going to be a bit later than normal, I used my cell phone to call home. Bonnie answered and I told her we were at the auction and were going to stay to see if we could buy the generator for a decent price. She asked what we needed it for and I told her that Jamie's place didn't have one and we needed it. That seemed to take care of her questions and we said good-bye.

They finally started the auction and we sat through a bunch of things that were on the block before the generator finally came up. They started the bidding at one hundred dollars and there was only one person that even looked interested. They waited for a bit and then lowered it to seventy-five dollars and the guy raised his card. The auctioneer went through his singsong and I waited for a bit and put my card up for eighty dollars. He acknowledged my bid and then put it to eighty-five. The other guy raised his card and the bid went to ninety. I waited a bit and then raised my card. This went back and forth until we got to one hundred and thirty-five dollars. The other guy finally just waved it off and I bought the generator for one hundred and thirty dollars.

I took my checkbook to the cashier stand and had to wait until she got confirmation of the sale price before I could pay her. I wrote the check and showed her my driver's license and she gave me a receipt.

The generator was on wheels, but they didn't roll very well on the grass, so we had to wrestle it down to the road. Then I got the truck and brought it around so we could load it. We had to pull the boards out so we could get it in the back. It took Jimmy, Jamie and myself to lift it and get it in the bed. I got some tie downs and we secured it so it wouldn't roll around. Then we loaded the lumber back in and headed home.

When we got home, the women had already sat down to eat. They got us a bowl and plate and we each got ourselves some soup. Then we sat down and ate the soup and dug into the sandwiches. After we finished, we sat back to sip our coffee.

"So, what did ya'all buy?" Cammie asked, with an almost snide look on her face.

"Just the generator," I told her, but not gloating with the satisfaction I knew we had because we didn't buy anything else.

"Is that all they had for sale?"

"Nope. But that's what we went for and that's all we bought."

You could almost see the smugness melt from her attitude. I think her and Bonnie were just chomping at the bit to jump on us about what all we had bought.

"Did you even look around to see what else was there?"

"While we were waitin' for the generator to come up, we looked around, but there wasn't anything we couldn't live without."

"You men just don't know nothin' about shoppin'. I'm sure there was a bunch of interestin' stuff there. Ya'all coulda bought us somethin'."

"We didn't know what ya'all needed."

"It's not about needin', it's about surprisin' us."

"Oh, well ya'all seemed happy with what ya'all had, so we didn't think you'd want us to waste our money like that."

"You have absolutely no conception of shoppin'. You're all just, just, ummm, ya'all are just men."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrr."

We finished our coffee and us guys escaped outside. We walked down to the shop and unloaded the lumber and stacked it on the new workbench where the boys would be working. Then we drove the truck over to Jamie's place.

I drove around to the back and backed up to the porch. Jimmy, Jamie and I muscled the generator off of the truck and onto the porch. Fortunately, we didn't have to drag the thing through the house. We could get to the basement right by the kitchen.

When we got to the stairs, I went first and Jamie and Jimmy held the generator from going down too fast. We took it one step at a time and finally got it down the stairs with no serious problems. We rolled it over by the breaker box and left it there. I would have to make a trip to Searcy and buy a new box and the knife switch before we could hook it up. But we had it here and that was all that was important. We walked back upstairs and drove back to the shop.

When we got there, William and the boys began stacking the lumber to the side and kept one piece there to lay out. Since they needed me to cut the 45 degree angle on each side of the boards, I got the table saw set up and they helped me run them through. Then Jimmy and I checked on the chair rail and it was dry so we decided we put the primer on the remaining surface. We set up all the pieces so we could work on them. Then I stirred up the primer and poured some in a can for Jimmy to work with.

It didn't take us too long to paint the top. Once we were finished, we cleaned the brushes and put the top back on the primer. That's the last we would use of that on this job. We would probably be using it on the ceiling molding, but that wouldn't be for a while yet.

Since we didn't want to venture to the house with nothing to do, Jimmy and I stayed and watched the boys and William work on the molding. Jessie had to work his planes first so Jamie would have a starting and ending point. With the plane that Jessie was using, it didn't take too much skill. The plane had a fence and a depth gauge, so he just worked the plane until it wouldn't cut anymore. Then he would move to the next groove to cut.

Jessie finished his part while we were watching. He had been working on it while we were painting, so he had a big head start. Jamie took over and he started with a hollow. He kept to the marks and soon had the one side done. Then he moved to the other side and worked it the same way. Next was the round and he worked on that. It was a bit more difficult because he had to keep it midway between the last two cuts. But it didn't take him very long until he had the first board complete.

It did look great and really hadn't taken that much time. We all checked it out and pronounced it perfect. The boys were proud of their work and rightly so. But it was time for feeding.

We all headed for the tractors and I pulled under the feed bin while Jamie operated the chute. Jimmy and Jessie took the other tractor and headed for the pasture. As soon at the spreader was full, William, Jamie and myself headed there too.

Jamie operated the gates and I operated the spreader while Jimmy speared the hay bales and Jessie cut them apart. It does go a lot quicker when you have help. We were soon done and headed back for the house. We pulled back to the shed and I washed the spreader out and then we all headed for the front porch. The boys went inside and brought iced tea and glasses out for all of us.

We sat on the porch and chatted about the work and how long it would take to get the molding completed. We hadn't been there for too long when Donna came out and told us we were supposed to go take our showers for tonight.

William, Jamie and Jimmy departed for their places and Jessie and I headed for our showers. I took a quick one and then knocked off what few whiskers I had. Then I got dressed and took my guitar out to the van. Jessie came down just as I was getting back to the porch. He brought more ice out and we poured ourselves a glass of tea and sat back and relaxed.



-------

Chapter 43


The rest of the guys drifted back to the porch and we sipped our iced tea and chatted until we were called for supper. Someone had made a meatloaf and it tasted great. I don't think it was Bonnie because it tasted a bit different than hers generally does. We also had new potatoes that had been cooked in butter, peas, a salad and some green onions. It all tasted great. Then, Donna brought out two peach cobblers and we devoured those.

While we were sipping our coffee, we chatted and talked about how they were doing with their wallpapering. Cammie said it was going faster now that they could cut the paper without it tearing. I wanted to say something, but thought better of it. I told them we had put the primer on the chair rail and would be putting on the first coat of paint as soon as that dried properly.

Our coffee didn't last very long because they hadn't made the usual amount. They didn't want us sitting around the table because they'd have to stay if we did. Plus, they couldn't wash the dishes if we didn't leave. They still needed to take their showers and we had to be out of the way before they could finish up with the dishes and then get ready for tonight.

We were shooed outside and left graciously so they could do their thing. We sat and chatted and it wasn't long before Bonnie came out and headed for Jimmy's place. Dianne was next and she took the old pickup and drove off. Then Lena came out and William had to drive her to their place. Jimmy, Jamie, Jessie and I remained on the porch and chatted about various things, but mainly about them making the molding.

They were excited about doing the molding. It was new to them and they were actually creating something from a plain piece of lumber. With all the modern conveniences and power tools of today, boys miss the creative concept of working with their hands to make something. They can use power tools to do things, but it's just not the same as doing it by hand. They never get the feel of the wood as they work it.

We chatted until Dianne came back. Then Jamie, Dianne and Jessie left to pick up the twins. Bonnie pulled in just as they were driving off. It wasn't too long until Donna showed up and claimed my lap. She rested her head on my shoulder and just listened to the conversation. Chrissy was the next to appear and she joined into the chat going on. Cammie came out the door just as William and Lena drove up. Everyone was here and we were ready for our Saturday night at the Grange Hall.

William and Lena rode with Jimmy and Bonnie and the girls came with Cammie and me. The girls talked about their wallpapering while I drove and kept silent. There was no need for me to get involved in that conversation at all. My comments might indicate that I could do it better than they were and I sure didn't want that.

When we arrived at the Grange Hall, I carried my guitar inside and stood it up so it could acclimate to the conditions there. Jimmy did the same and then we took our seat at our end of our table and joined William. The women had the other end staked out and we were banished to this end. It's just as well, because they weren't talking about anything we could contribute to anyway.

We chatted and it wasn't long until Frank and Allen put in their appearance and joined our conversation. It started out about farming, but then I moved the conversation to woodworking by telling them that William was teaching the boys how to make custom moldings and they would be used in our new room. They seemed impressed by that and began asking William questions.

It wasn't long until Elmer called us up for the first set. We all got tuned up and I took a look at the playlist. There weren't any surprises on the first set. It was pretty much what we had been doing since I arrived on the scene. The second and third set had some different songs on them, but nothing I hadn't done before.

I started off with "14 Carat Mind" and the other singer followed with "Achy Breaky Heart." We switched back and forth until the first set was done and got through it with no major errors. It was a pretty straight forward set.

Jimmy and I each got ourselves a Coke and took our seat at the table. William was still explaining about woodworking to Frank and Allen. We sat and listened while sipping our Cokes.

It wasn't too long until I was surrounded by the twins. I got a kiss on each cheek and they each held one of my arms and made sure it was next to their tits.

"When are ya'all gonna have the hot tub workin'?" Leanne asked.

"Probably not for another couple weeks. The women are still wallpaperin' and the boys are makin' the moldin' for the ceilin'."

"Jessie told us they were doin' that, but we didn't understand how they could do somethin' like that," Lana put in.

"Well, their grandpap is teachin' 'em how to do it with the tools he brought over when they moved."

"Wouldn't it be quicker to buy it?" Leanne queried.

"Sure it would, but then they wouldn't learn how to make it."

"That is kinda cool that they can do that," Lana said. "But it sure is slow doin' it that way."

"Well, the wallpaper ain't up yet so we couldn't put the moldin' up if we did buy it."

"What's takin' so long?" Leanne asked.

"It's a big room and the women are doin' it their way. I don't have control over that."

"But you could get it done quicker, couldn't you?" Lana injected.

"I don't know if I could or not. I don't do wallpaper."

"Why?" was Leanne's response.

"Because I don't like to."

"That's silly," Lana added. "I'm sure you could do it a lot quicker and the hot tub would be ready quicker."

"I doubt it, but I still don't do wallpaper."

"Men are sure stubborn sometimes," Leanne put in.

"You girls stop pesterin' Dean and let him enjoy his time away from the farm."

"Yes, Daddy."

I got another kiss from each of them on the cheek and they left this area. They were cute and they knew it and would use their charms to get what they wanted, if they could. I just hoped that Jessie knew that and could handle them.

I went back to listening to William explain things to Frank and Allen and sipping on my Coke. It wasn't long until Elmer called us back to the stage for the second set.

We tuned up and then I led off with "I'm Goin' Back To Texas." The other singer followed with "Teenager In Love." This was our rowdy set and we had the folks dancing and singing. That meant they were having a good time and that was what we were here for.

We finished out the set and kept them dancing while we did it. We were having a good time and that usually translates into the audience having a good time.

Jimmy and I picked up a Coke before returning to the table. William had Frank and Allen almost mesmerized with his woodworking tales. We listened and enjoyed the conversation and I was happy to see William dominating the conversation. It meant, at least to me, that he was becoming comfortable in his new role and enjoying the folks around here. That was important to me. Both he and Lena needed to feel included in the community before they could be at ease.

We both basically just listened to William tell Frank and Allen about how to lay out certain woodworking projects. It was interesting and I learned that William had an abundance of information stored in his brain about woodworking. He probably could have been a first class carpenter, but chose farming instead. I don't know how he would handle the new technology we had today, but he sure knew how to do it by hand.

Elmer called us back to the stage for the third set and we all tuned up. I led off with "This Is The Last Cowboy Song," and the other singer came back with "Amarillo By Morning." I was up next with "My Hero's Have Always Been Cowboys," and he followed with "Waltz Across Texas." It seemed like everyone had requested cowboy songs and songs from or about Texas.

When we finally finished the set, Jimmy and I packed up our guitars and carried them to the table. We sat down and joined in the conversation, basically waiting for the women to realize it was time to go home. I doubted that they would ever come to that conclusion, but Allen finally told them it was time to leave.

They broke up their discussion group and we headed for the vehicles. I stowed my guitar in the back of the van and Donna, Chrissy, Cammie and myself climbed in for the ride home.

"The twins came over and asked me why you weren't helpin' with the wallpaperin'," Cammie said, as we got underway.

"Yep, they asked me the same question and I told 'em I don't do wallpaper."

"That's what I tol' 'em too. They seemed to think you could do it quicker."

"I doubt it. First there would be the fight and that would take a long time, right there."

"You sure are set in your ways."

"Well, us older folks get that way."

"You're just sayin' that as an excuse. You ain't old and you know it."

"Darlin', you ain't feelin' how my bones ache in the mornin' after a hard day."

"That's just bullshit. You can do anything you want to."

"Probably, but I don't wanna do wallpaper."

"Why?"

"Because it's a pain in the ass and I don't wanna get involved in stuff like that."

"But you'll work on other stuff that is just as tedious and not complain about it at all."

"Maybe it's tedious for you, but I like doin' that. I don't like doin' wallpaper."

"Why are you men all like that?"

"Probably just a flaw in our character."

"That's not an answer."

"Yes it is."

"No, that's an excuse, not a reason."

"Well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it."

"Urrrr."

"Yes, dear."

The girls chuckled and Cammie gave them a hard look. That didn't stop them, but she still did it.

When we arrived home, everyone came in to wait for Jessie to get home. We chatted and basically talked about various things. I really didn't want Cammie breeching the wallpapering issue, but it never came up so I was saved.

It wasn't too long until Jessie returned. Jamie and Dianne came in with him and everyone got their appropriate hugs and kisses. Then everyone departed for their different places. Jessie, Donna, Chrissy, Cammie and myself remained in place, of course, and we chatted for a bit. Then we turned out everything and close up. I got my kisses from Donna and Chrissy before they headed upstairs for bed. Cammie and I stripped down in our bedroom and then made use of the bathroom. Then we slipped into bed and cuddled and kissed for a bit before assuming our sleeping positions and drifting off.

The rooster awoke me and I teased Cammie's nipple to wake her up. She moaned and turned to kiss me. When she broke the kiss, she scooted out of bed and scurried for the bathroom. I followed and we used the throne and washed up. Then we got dressed and made our way to the kitchen.

We were the first to arrive and Cammie went to work on the biscuits. I got the water on for coffee and grits and then ground the coffee. Dianne showed up and began working on the sausage after giving me a kiss. Lena was the next to arrive and she worked with Cammie.

Once the water was boiling, I filled three presses and put the pans back on the stove with more water. Bonnie showed up while I was waiting for the coffee to steep. She didn't say anything and almost dared anyone to question her being late. No one did and I filled the coffee pots with the steeped coffee.

I carried the three pots to the dining room and set two of them on pot warmers. Jimmy carried a pot warmer out to the porch and William carried our cups out with him. I took the pot of coffee and poured everyone a cup when we got out there.

William and I lit up our first and we sat back and chatted while we waited for breakfast. When the kid returned from chores, they each poured themselves a cup of coffee and Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought out a fresh one.

We chatted about various things and the girls told us they would be helping with the wallpapering today and were hoping to finish up this afternoon. It was wearing thin on them. I told them we'd be working in the shop on the chair rail and the molding.

Dianne called us for breakfast and we all headed for the dining room. All talking ceased while we ate our first meal of the day. Once we finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

Cammie told us they hoped to get the wallpapering done today. I told her that we would be working on the chair rail and the molding so we could get them ready to put up when they were done. We chatted and finally finished our coffee. Then us guys headed for the workshop.

William and the boys began working on the molding immediately, while Jimmy and I got the chair rail set up to take its first coat of paint. We lightly sanded the primer coat and I used the shop vac to get up all the dust I could.

I opened a can of the color they wanted on the chair rail and stirred it up. Then I poured some in a can for Jimmy to use and I took the paint can to work from.

We worked the same way we had with the primer. He painted from one end and I from the other. When we met in the middle, we used the brush to blend to the areas together. Since the rail wasn't all that wide, it didn't take us that long to do each piece. Once we had all sixteen pieces painted with the first coat, we closed up the paint can and washed our brushes out in soapy water. Then we used a brush comb to make sure we got all of the paint and soap out before hanging them up to dry.

It was just before noon by the time we finished. The boys were moving right along on the molding and had over half of them completed. They had just started another section when the dinner bell rang.

We all walked up to the back porch and washed up. The sky was clouding up and it looked like we might get a shower. We could use one as long as it wasn't a gully washer. However, it would slow down the paint drying, but that couldn't be helped.

We sat down at the table and dug into our soup and then made our sandwiches. Everything was good and we sure did appreciate the food. It's amazing how hungry you can get while working on something that don't seem to take much energy. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I asked the women what color they wanted the molding painted. I knew as soon as I said it I had made a mistake. After a lengthy discussion among themselves, they finally asked me what I thought. I told them that it was usually painted the same color as the chair rail. That gave them something else to think about. Finally, we just gave up. What I should have done was to paint it and not ask them. But hindsight is always better than foresight.

We finished our coffee and departed back to the shop while they discussed the various possibilities. I should have just kept my mouth shut.

Back at the shop, the boys went back to work on the molding and Jimmy and I took the finished pieces and decided to put a coat of primer on them. Regardless of what the women decided, it would need primer. Plus, this gave us something to do.

The rain started about 2 and it appeared like it was going to be a soaking rain. I didn't know how long it would last, but we needed whatever we could get.

By 3:30, the rain had let up some and was now just a drizzle. I told the boys we needed to kill some chickens for supper and they agreed. We all walked down to the coop and they rounded up four chickens. We carried them back to the clothesline post and hung them upside down. As soon as they settled down, I slit their throats and let them bleed out. While they were doing that, we took shelter on the back porch.

After about five minutes, we went back outside and took them down. We laid them on the drain board of the back porch sink and I went in to tell Bonnie they were ready. She thanked me and they continued the wallpapering. They were on the last section and had about three panels to put up before they'd be done. Before they could say much of anything, I escaped.

Everyone had gathered on the front porch and was sipping tea. I poured myself a glass and sat down to chat with them. The rain had picked up again and it was coming down pretty hard. However, we could see some clearing back to the west and it probably wouldn't last much longer.

We finished our tea and then headed back to the shop. The boys took up where they had left off and Jimmy and I watched. Every job needs a stupidvisor, so Jimmy and I assumed that role. With the rain coming down like it was, we really couldn't feed because the feed would get soaked before we could get it out to the pastures.

We watched as the boys worked on their project. Jessie's job seemed to be the more simple of the two. His plane had a depth stop and a fence to prevent him from going too deep or over too far. Jamie, however, had to use his fingers as a fence for the first couple passes with the hollow plane. Once he made a few passes on each side, the plane would ride in the groove that he had begun. When he was using the round plane, he had also had to use his fingers as a fence, but he didn't have to worry too much about the depth. When the round got to the hollow on each side, he knew he was done.

The thing that was most obvious to me was that William had kept these tools very sharp. I realize that pine is a soft wood, but these planes cut through with no chatter or digging in. I know that William had arranged the boards as they worked and had them using their plane so the planes wouldn't grab the grain of the wood and dive down, but these planes were shaving wood and leaving a very smooth finish. That can only come with a very sharp tool.

As the boys finished a piece, William would instruct them to use the shavings to burnish their work. It was a better finish that sanding would have ever done. Plus, Jimmy and I found out that the painting was a lot easier using that method.

We could hear the rain had let up some and was now mostly a drizzle. I was just thinking about feeding the cattle when the dinner bell rang. We put everything away and made sure the brushes were hung up to dry and then headed for the back porch. We washed up and made our way to the dining room.

The women had a wonderful table ready for us. Besides the fried chicken, we had a fresh salad, green beans that were cooked with an onion and fat back, mashed potatoes and gravy, and they had made biscuits to go with the meal, instead of bread. We all stuffed ourselves and the Donna brought out apple cobbler for dessert. We were all stuffed.

We sat back to sip our coffee and Cammie said they were finally done with the wallpapering. I was very pleased with that announcement. It meant that I had escaped being dragged into that chore. I told her that we would begin to put the panels up once we cleared the room of all the tools. She told me that they had everything stacked up and ready to be carried back to the workshop. I thanked her for that.

Then Bonnie told us that the next two days would be spent canning the sauerkraut. It had been ready a couple days ago, but they didn't have time to get to it with the wallpapering. I nodded, but my mouth was actually watering while I was thinking about the fresh kraut and how it would taste when they cooked us a meal from it. Then she told me that the reason she was telling me that was because Jimmy and I would need to carry the crocks up from the basement so they could can. I told her that wouldn't be a problem.

Once we finished our coffee, the kids headed for their chores and William, Jimmy and me headed for the equipment shed. William operated the feed bin chute when I pulled under it. Then he climbed up with me for the ride out to the pastures. He climbed down and opened the gates for us and cut apart the bales as Jimmy put them in the rings. I think he was coming back to life now that he had something meaningful in his life. He was teaching and participating in things around here and I actually think his color was improving. It was like he had found new life inside of him. He was back at work and was loving it.

I washed out the spreader when we got back from feeding and then we headed for the front porch. The kids were already there and it wasn't too long until the women joined us. It had been a while since they had come out to be with us on the porch.

We chatted in a relaxed atmosphere since Jimmy and I weren't worried about getting dragged into wallpapering. We told Bonnie that we would get the crocks carried up first thing in the morning after breakfast and then begin our work on putting the panels up. She asked the boys if they would carry a bunch of quart jars up also. They said they'd be happy to.

We chatted until dark and then went inside to watch the weather. The radar showed the rain had moved past and we had clear skies for now. The forecast showed a possibility of rain for next Friday, but it was slight. What we had was nice, but we needed about four more days of it.

Once the weather was over, everyone gave out and received their hugs and kisses and then departed for their homes. The rest of us closed up and turned everything off. Donna and Chrissy gave me a kiss and then we all departed for bed.

Cammie and I stripped down and used the bathroom before slipping into bed. We cuddled and kissed for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions. I think we were both tired. I know I was and I drifted off quickly.

The rooster woke me up and I teased Cammie's nipple to wake her up. She moaned and then turned and kissed me. As soon as she broke that off, she scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed and we both used the throne and washed up. Then we got dressed and headed for the kitchen.

Bonnie was already there and Cammie joined her. I went to work on the coffee and Lena showed up to help. Dianne was the last one to arrive and I got a kiss from her before she went to work on the sausage.

Once the coffee was ready, I poured the three presses into regular coffee pots and carried them to the dining room. William took our cups and Jimmy carried the pot warmer. I followed them with a pot of coffee and we made our way to the front porch.

"Well, we survived the wallpaperin' without gettin' involved," Jimmy said, with a grin.

"Yep, and I consider that close to a miracle," I replied.

"I'd say it comes close. Now all we gotta do is get the panelin', chair rail and moldin' put up."

"Yep, then I can call the fire department and get the hot tub filled up."

"Well, that is why the room was built."

"Actually, the addition was built so Donna and Deanne would have their own bedrooms. The bottom floor was just something that we had to fill up. Cammie decided it would be our new bedroom and the hot tub room."

"Well, might as well put it to use."

The kids came back from chores and I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy. Then they all poured themselves a cup of coffee and Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a fresh one out. We chatted about what was going to happen today and I told them our first chore was to bring the crocks of sauerkraut and quart jars upstairs. Then our next item would be the paneling in the hot tub room. The boys agreed with that. The girls said they would be busy helping with the canning.

Dianne called us for breakfast and we all headed for the table. There was little sound while we stuffed our faces with the good food. There wasn't a scrap left on the table when we had finished. It seemed like everyone was hungry.

We sat back and sipped our coffee and I told Bonnie that we would bring the kraut and jars up first thing. She nodded and kept on sipping her coffee. I told the women next that we would be working on the paneling for the hot tub room and once we had that done, we would put the chair rail up.

William reminded them that they needed to decide on a color for the molding before it could be put up. Cammie said they'd been talking about that and pretty much decided on using the same color as the chair rail. That was a relief to me. It meant that we wouldn't need to go through another round of them picking out a color. Then William asked what we intended to put around the base of the room. That was another can of worms that was opened up.

There was a lot of discussion about that but no decision was made. William suggested that he and the boys could make some plain molding since we didn't want it to stand out and take away from the rest of the room. The women liked that idea and asked what he thought it should be. I was amazed that they would ask a man about design, but I didn't say anything.

William told them that a 1x4 molding with just the top rounded would probably be the most simple to make. It would look good and wouldn't take a lot of time. They said they'd think about and he told them to take their time since they still had to work on the ceiling molding to finish it up.

We finished our coffee and Jimmy and I headed for the basement to carry the crocks up. The boys followed us and began carrying quarts jars up in their boxes. Once we had that done, Jimmy and I walked into the hot tub room and gathered the tools we would need to take back to the workshop.

We left the stepladders there because we would need them to put the molding up. We would also need the chalk line but not the plumb bob. We also cleared up the women's tools that they had used for the wallpaper.

Once we had the room pretty well cleared of the items, we took what was ours to the workshop. Then I got the pickup and we loaded the pieces of paneling in the bed and I drove around to the back and backed up to the patio. We opened the doors and carried the panels inside. When we had them stacked, we drove back to the shop and I got the electric brad nailer and the rolls of colored nails I had bought for this job.

Then we took stock of what we had. We decided we also needed the sawhorses, a hammer, an extension cord, a couple tape measures, a couple C-clamps, the level and circular saw. We got everything loaded and drove back to the patio.

After we got everything carried inside and set up, we began to plan on how to get this job done. The first thing was to snap a chalk line along the walls and make sure that everything was level and plumb. I figured we'd need a little fudge room because of the probability of the floor being a bit off. Things like that happen and you just can't avoid it. So I left a half an inch at the bottom that would be covered up by the molding and not be noticed. We made a mark at each corner at thirty-six and a half inches and we snapped the chalk line. Once we got all the way around the room, we went back and measured at various places along the walls.

It was a good thing I had left the fudge room because there were several high spots in the room. They were not more than a quarter inch off, but it would have made the panels be off when we tried to nail them if we'd used the exact measurement.

Our next chore was to locate the studs in the room. I knew they were sixteen inches on center, but I didn't know which end to begin with. So we started in the middle of the room and found our first stud. I had Jimmy hold the tape on that stud and measured and marked sixteen inches on center all the way to the corner. Then we went in the other direction. I checked each mark and found I was on the stud each place except for a couple places by the corners. We got them located and marked on the floor because any mark we made on the wall would be covered up. Then I used the level to extend the mark to the ceiling for when we would put up the molding. We would need to hit the studs there too.

With that chore done, we got the first panel up on the sawhorses. I set the circular saw blade at a 45 degree angle and used the table on the saw to get a measurement for the blade placement and then made a mark on the panel. I measured that distance and made another mark at the other end.

"What are you doin'?" Jimmy asked.

"I'm gonna cut a 45 degree angle on the edge."

"Why?"

"So when we fit a board up to it on the next wall, it will match up and not look out of line."

"Huh?"

"Ok, when we butt two boards up in a corner, there will be a difference because of the beadboard not matching up. But if we cut a 45 on the edges of each panel going in a corner, they will match up perfectly."

"Oh. I guess that'll work."

"Yep, and it'll save us from havin' to get corner molding and gettin' the women's permission and color advice."

"Gotcha."

I set the level on the marks so I would get a perfect cut and clamped the edges down with the C-clamps. Then I plugged the extension cord in and connected the saw. I checked my placement of the level when I set the saw on the work and it was perfect. It's always best to double check things like that. I pulled the guard on the saw back and pulled the trigger switch on the saw. I eased my way into the cut and made sure I was doing what I wanted to do. Once I saw the cut was all right I moved a bit faster. I kept the edge of the table of the saw against the level all the way down the cut and it worked just like I had planned.

Then we took the level free and I plugged in the brad nailer and got one roll of nails in the gun. Jimmy and I positioned the panel in place and made sure we were on the line at the top edge. I lined things up with the mark I had made on the floor and put a couple nails in where I was kneeling. Then I moved over closer to Jimmy and did the same thing. When I got those nails in, he could let go and it wouldn't move. I got nails in all the studs with at least three nails on each stud.

Before we went any farther, I got the level out and checked the open edge of the panel. It was dead on and I was relieved that we didn't have to take the panel down. I should have done that before I started putting a lot nails in it, but it worked out so I didn't say a word.

The next panel was easy. We just set it in place and I put a couple nails in where I was kneeling and then moved to Jimmy's position and put a couple more in. This time I did check it with the level first and then finished nailing it to the wall. We were just getting ready to cut the next piece to fit in the corner when Donna came in to tell us that lunch was ready. I think we were ready for a break anyway and I was hungry.



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Chapter 44


The guys showed up from the workshop and we all dug into our soup and sandwiches. After we had finished that, we sat back and sipped our coffee. The women said they were still canning kraut and we could start carrying jars down the basement anytime. The boys said they would do that after lunch and then get back to the workshop. I told them we were just getting started on the panels but had everything laid out so it should go fairly quick. We were just about to finish our coffee when the phone rang and Bonnie answered it.

She handed me the phone.

"This is Dean."

"Hello, sexy. Are ya'all ready for the photo shoot?"

"Howdy, darlin'. Actually, we've been in the buildin' and constructin' mode and haven't done much of anythin' else."

"Well, ya'all had best get prepared pretty quick. It'll be that time before you know it."

"Yep, it probably will. We're gettin' all the barn roofs repaired from the tornado damage right now. Plus, Jimmy and I are puttin' the panelin' up in the hot tub room. Beyond that, we ain't done much of anythin' about the shoot."

"You do have a couple weeks before we'll be there, but we're sendin' some tools down next week so ya'all can get 'em set up. We'll be doin' most of Cammie's shots when we're down there too."

"What all is bein' shipped?"

"I'm not sure. I don't pay too much attention to tools until I have to put the pictures in the new catalog. Even then, I have someone put them in the order they want 'em to appear. I just know that a shipment will be goin' out the first of next week to ya'all."

"Well, we might have to make room for them in the workshop. We just built a bench for woodworkin' in there. There's still some room, but we'll have to make a decision when the tools get here as to what needs to go where. If there's anything real big, we might have a problem."

"I'm sure ya'all will work it out. Also, there'll be a shipment of clothes comin' your way. How's your closet space."

"Fortunately, the women have been too busy to go shoppin' so we probably have some room there."

"That's good, because we're introducin' a line of square dancin' clothin' this fall."

"I hope that don't mean ya'all want me to dance."

"Probably not. But we would like to take some pictures of ya'all up on stage and of the women at the place ya'all go on Saturday nights."

"I don't see a problem with that. Although I ain't sure that the females'll be comfortable with all them petticoats that go with the dancin' stuff."

"I'll bet they'll love it."

"Fortunately, I ain't a bettin' man. By the way, how many of ya'all are comin'?"

"Well, let's see. There's me and the two cameramen. Then there's two lightin' guys, two makeup girls, two laborers to help move things around, my assistant who does the schedulin', and I think that's it."

"So that's ten, right?"

"Yep, I think that's what it adds up to."

"Ok, we'll have to do some plannin'. William and Lena, Bonnie's parents, have moved over there, so we're short one house from last time. But I think we can get things taken care of. We've still got Jimmy's other house that's free. We could probably put the guys up in there if they don't mind doublin' up. The females we can scatter around without any problems."

"I'm pretty sure the guys won't have a problem doublin' up. It'll sure beat gettin' a motel in Searcy and drivin' down each day."

"Then we probably won't have much of a problem."

"Ok, well I just wanted to check on things. Is Cammie available?"

"Yep. The females finally finished the wallpaperin' so we've taken them out of chains and they can walk around free now."

"You mean you didn't he'p with the wallpaperin'?"

"I don't do wallpaper. Jimmy and I are puttin' the panelin' up in the room, but I don't do wallpaper."

"You are such a man."

"I've heard that a couple times over the past week. Here's Cammie."

I handed the phone to Cammie and she took it to the kitchen so they could talk privately.

"Well, we're gonna have company in a few weeks," I told everyone around the table. "The folks from the photo shoot will be stayin' here. I'm pretty sure that the guys can double up and stay at Jimmy's spare place, but there's six women comin' with 'em. Lena, do you and William have any problems with a couple girls stayin' in your upstairs?"

"No, that's fine," William said. "We don't use it, so there won't be any problems at all."

I looked at Lena but she didn't say anything, so I had to assume that it was all right with her too. I always go by that old country sayin', "Beware of the man that says he's the boss of his house, because he'll lie about other things too." But Lena had her chance to speak up and didn't. That might change tonight, but right now, it was fine.

"How 'bout you and Jamie?" I asked Dianne.

"No, that'll be fine," Dianne answered. "We'll still be eatin' here, won't we?"

"Yep, that's the way we worked it last time. We'll have lunch and supper catered, but breakfast will be here."

Cammie came to the door and called Bonnie to the kitchen. I guess to talk to Charlene and Deanne. We didn't leave the table because I was pretty sure they'd want to talk to everyone else too.

I was correct about that and it wasn't long until Bonnie brought the phone to Lena. She chatted and then handed the phone to William. I was the last one to get it.

"Are you two behavin' yourselves?"

"Sure, we're always angels."

Both of them were on the line, evidently talking from the office on different phones.

"How's your job doin'?"

"Fine, but we're gettin' a little bit homesick. We're ready to come back home."

"It won't be long now. Ya'all'll be here in a couple weeks."

"We know and we won't be comin' back here. We're gonna stay home after the shoot."

"Well, we'll be glad to get ya'all back. There's a bunch of chores that've been pilin' up here and we can just put ya'all right to work."

"We don't even mind that. We just miss ya'all. We're sure glad that Grandma and Grandpa are livin' there now. We can't wait to see 'em."

"I know you can't. I'm sure they feel the same way. We've missed ya'all too. By the time ya'all get home, we'll have the hot tub goin', probably."

"We don't even care about that right now. We just miss ya'all."

"Have ya'all helped design a bunch of stuff?"

"Yep, we sure have. We've been workin' on the square dancin' stuff all month. We really like doin' that. I think all the clothes are really pretty and they'll sell good."

"I'm sure they will. Ya'all will have a lot to write about for your classes this year in school."

"I know. We've done so much that other kids don't have the chance to do. We probably won't need to do much lookin' up of stuff we write about because we've done it."

"That's good, and we'll be expectin' all As from you two this year."

"We always get all As. That won't be nothin' new."

"Well, then A plus should be on all of ya'all's report cards."

"I don't know about that, but we'll try."

"I know you will. Do ya'all wanna talk to Bonnie again?"

"Yep. We was just gonna ask you to give the phone to her."

"Ok, we'll ya'all be good and we love you and miss you."

"Thanks and we'll be home soon."

I handed the phone back to Bonnie and she took it to the kitchen. Since everyone had talked to them, we could now go back to our projects we were working on before lunch.

William and the boys left for the shop and Jimmy and I went back to the hot tub room. We checked our measurement and then laid out the next panel. I attached the level to use as a straight edge to run the saw table against and double checked the measurement from the end. Then I got the saw going and cut it off. I was sure glad I had learned this trick sometime ago. It sure eliminates the wobbly hand when you're making a precision cut. Once I had that section cut, I set the level up on the other side so I could cut the miter for the corner. With that done, we nailed it in place and moved to the next piece.

Unfortunately, it was just a short piece to go between the corner and the first door. Since it was such a short piece, I cut the miter first and then made the width cut. If I had done it in the opposite order, there would not have been anything to attach the level to for the second cut.

On the other side of the door, we put a full piece and nailed it in place. This went on until we were at the hot tub. Things were a bit cramped behind it, but we managed to get the paneling up and nailed in. Then came the corner and the French doors. After the doors, we put in one panel and then we were ready to put a piece against the stone for the fireplace.

The problem here was that the stone was not flat and the mortar joints were indented. So if we butted the panel up against the stone, we would have gaps between the stone that would show. My first instinct was to put it up and then paint the gaps the same color as the panels, but I really didn't like that idea. I also didn't want to consider using a cold chisel to notch the stone so the panel would fit behind them. There was no way to get an abrasive blade in that close to cut them either. It was just too close. I studied for a bit and then decided to walk down and ask William what he thought the solution might be.

We took a break from our paneling and walked down to the workshop. The boys were finishing up the last piece of molding when we got there.

"William, I've got a problem that I think you might be able to help with."

"What's that?"

"Well, we've got the panelin' done up to the fireplace. But the stones are not flush and there'll be a gap with the indent in the mortar joints. I thought about just puttin' the panel up and then paintin' the gap, but that don't seem right."

"Well, the only other solution would be to scribe the panel and use your scroll saw to make it fit exactly to the shape of the stone."

"How would we do that?"

"The first thing you need would be a very tight compass so it won't slip on you while you're workin'. Then you set the panel next to the fireplace and hold the compass level and keep the point on the stone and the pencil on the panel. Then you just move down and transfer the contour of the stone to the panel. After that, you use your scroll saw and cut along the line."

"I think I know what you're talkin' about, but could you show us?"

"Sure. We're just finishin' up here. You find your compass and a sharp pencil and we'll get 'er done."

I went over to the drawer with my instruments in it and found a good compass. Then I found a pencil and sharpened it in the pencil sharpener. I put it in the compass and made sure the pencil was secure and the compass joint tight. William and the boys finished up and we all walked up to the hot tub room.

William looked at the stonewall and told Jimmy and me to hold a piece of paneling up and make sure it was at the level we wanted it. We took a panel and put it in place and made sure it was on the chalk line we had put on the wall.

"Ok, hold it in place now," William said.

He took the compass and put the pencil on the top of the panel and then moved the point of the compass to the stone. Then he began to work his way down the wall, keeping the point next to the stone and the pencil on the panel. When he was done, there was a line on the panel that was a perfect match of the contour of the stonewall.

"Now, you just need to cut along the line and it'll match up perfectly."

"Well, while you're here, how about doin' the other side too?"

"Sure. Just get the panel stood up and I'll mark it."

Jimmy and I held a panel up and he scribed it for us. I thanked him and he asked if they could start painting the molding. I told him that was fine and they could even put the final coat on the chair rail if they had time.

We all walked down to the workshop and I got my scroll saw. Then I hunted up a fine blade for it and took a second for insurance and Jimmy and I walked back to the house.

We set the panel on the sawhorses and I plugged in the scroll saw. It was slow going but I finally got the first profile cut out. We set it up and it was almost a perfect fit. I had to take out one little place that the saw had skipped over, but then it did fit perfect.

Next we measured the distance and cut the panel to length. When we stood it up, it was a perfect fit on both sides. Jimmy held it while I nailed it in place.

The other side of the fireplace was a bit different. There was a window to fit around and we had to cut out for that also. Then we cut the scribed lines that William had put on and it fit perfectly.

We stood back and admired our work and we both had to admit that it looked pretty good. Of course it would look better when we had the moldings on, but that would come after they were painted and dried.

We gathered up some of the tools that we wouldn't need for the molding and carried them down to the workshop. The boys were painting and we worked around them as we put things away.

I had checked the time when we left the house and it was close to 3:30. I told William and the boys to just keep doing what they were doing and Jimmy and I would do the feeding. William said the boys could paint by themselves and he would help us feed.

We walked out to the equipment shed and got the tractors. William operated the feed bin chute when I pulled under and then climbed up with me for the ride out to the pastures. When we got there, he opened the gates as we drove in and then cut the hay bales for Jimmy as he put them in the rings. This worked great with three people but could be worked with just two. William's solution to the spreader chute worked like a charm.

We got back and we parked both tractors and I washed the spreader out. We walked to the workshop and the boys were just finishing putting primer on the molding. They washed the brushes out and we all walked up to the front porch.

Jamie and Jessie got us a pitcher of tea and some glasses with ice and we sat and sipped our tea.

"William, your idea worked great with the panelin'. It was a great fit."

"Well, what you're doin' is transferrin' the pattern of the wall to the panel and then when you saw on the lines, it has to fit. The two big things are to keep the compass level and saw on the lines."

"Ya, I had one problem with the sawin', but I took off a little sliver and it fit great."

"Well, I'm glad ya'all got that job finished. Now all we have to do is to put up the moldin's."

"I think we'll put the final coat on the chair rail this evenin' and maybe we can get it put up sometime tomorrow."

"I'm sure the women would like that. Maybe the boys can make up a couple pieces of moldin' for the floor this evenin', too."

"That would be a good idea. The sooner we get this project done, the better I'll like it."

While we were sitting on the porch, a vehicle drove up the lane. I walked out to see who it was and Dwayne stepped out of the cab.

"Hey, Dwayne, how's thing's goin'?"

"Doin' right well. We wanna start tomorrow over here and I was wantin' to drop off some equipment, if it's all right with ya'all."

"Sure, that's not a problem. I'm sure nobody will bother it. If we get more than two vehicles up this road in a day, we consider it a parade."

"Well, that's a good thing. At least ya'all got your privacy."

"Yep, we like that."

"Ok. I won't hold ya no longer, I just wanted to drop the equipment off."

"Thanks, I'll tell Bonnie that ya'all are comin'."

He got in his pickup and headed back out the lane. I walked back to the porch and told the guys what was happening. We continued to sip our tea until we were called for supper.

We all walked to the back porch and washed up and then made our way to the dining room table. The women had made pork short ribs and sauerkraut for supper. It smelled delicious. Along with that, we had a salad, mashed potatoes, and glazed carrots. It was really good. We all stuffed ourselves and then had to make room for some bread pudding topped with fresh cream.

After we finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee. I told Bonnie that Dwayne had been here and was dropping off some equipment since they'd be starting on her place tomorrow.

"I was wonderin' when he'd get around over here. He's such a card but he pays good money."

"Well, he said they'd be startin' in the mornin', so I reckon he'll be here for a while."

"Yep. They work pretty quick, but they are really thorough. I doubt he'll be here longer than a week."

We sipped our coffee and I told the women that we had the paneling up and would be putting the chair rails up as soon as they dried from their final coat of paint. They immediately got up from the table and went in to see how the room looked. Us guys just sat at the table and sipped our coffee.

When they came back, Cammie said, "It sure looks different with that up. I'm anxious to see how the chair rail will look and the moldin'."

"Well, the boys are just paintin' the moldin', so it'll be a couple more days before we put that up. They're also gonna work up a couple pieces of floor moldin' for ya'all to look at."

"That'll be good. Then we can get the hot tub filled."

"Yep and it'll take about a week for it to warm up to where we can use it."

"Why don't we call 'em now so it can be warmin' while we're workin'?"

"Because I don't wanna be workin' over the water while I'm usin' an electric nailer. Water and electricity don't mix real well."

"No, I guess they don't."

We finished our coffee and the kids headed for their chores. Jimmy, William and I walked down to the workshop and we put the final coat of paint on the chair rail. Jamie and Jessie joined us when they finished their chores. They didn't get a chance to work on the floor molding. It was just too late to start a project. Once we finished the painting and washed the brushes, we walked up to the porch and took our seat.

When we got there, Bonnie told the boys there were a bunch of jars that needed to go to the basement first thing in the morning. They told her it wouldn't be a problem and they'd get to it first thing after breakfast.

We chatted until it got dark and then went to watch the weather. It was the same as last night and we watched the final part of the news and then turned it off. Everyone got their kisses and hugs and then departed for their homes. Jessie, Chrissy, Donna, Cammie and myself closed everything up and turned off all the electric stuff. I got my kisses from Donna and Chrissy and we all headed for bed.

Cammie and I stripped down in the bedroom and used the bathroom before slipping into bed. We kissed and cuddled before assuming our sleeping positions and drifting off to sleep.

The rooster woke me up and I teased Cammie's nipple until she woke up. She moaned and then turned to kiss me. She slipped out of bed as soon as she broke the kiss and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and we both used the throne and then washed up. We got dressed and headed for the kitchen. Bonnie and Lena were already there and Cammie joined them. I went to work on the coffee and Dianne showed up. She gave me a kiss and then went to work on the sausage.

Once the water was boiling, I filled three presses and put the pans back on the stove to boil. Once the coffee had steeped, I emptied the presses into regular coffee pots and carried them into the dining room. I took the coffee pot, William took the cups and Jimmy took the pot warmer and we went to the front porch.

I poured each of us a cup of coffee and then we sat back and chatted. William said he and the boys would get on making the floor molding first thing this morning. I agreed and if they could get the women to agree on one, we could go get the lumber this afternoon.

The kids came back and poured themselves a cup of coffee. I got a kiss from Chrissy and Donna and Jamie took the empty coffee pot inside and brought a full one out.

We chatted about various things and the girls said they thought they were going shopping today for groceries. They hadn't been for a bit since they'd been wallpapering and were running low on some things.

We chatted until Dianne called us for breakfast. We took our cups and the coffee pot in and sat down for our first meal of the day. Everyone ate like they were hungry and there wasn't a scrap left on the table.

Once we were done, we sat back and sipped our coffee. Bonnie reminded the boys about the jars and they said they hadn't forgotten. Then she confirmed that they were going grocery shopping today. We chatted until the coffee ran out and then we all went to work.

The boys took the jars down the basement and William supervised putting them on the shelf. Jimmy and I headed for the workshop and checked the chair rail. It wasn't completely dry yet, but it would be by this afternoon. Then we started cleaning up.

I got the shop vac out and ran it over both workbenches and then attacked the floor. Jimmy grabbed the broom and dragged the stuff out from under the workbench where the shop vac couldn't reach. I don't know what we did before shop vacs were introduced. This was so much easier than trying to get everything onto a dustpan and then empty that.

William and the boys showed up and asked me to get a couple pieces of 1x4 down so they could make a couple pieces of floor molding. I found a couple short pieces and William and the boys went to work. William showed them how to lay it out and then turned them loose. Jimmy and I finished our cleaning and then just watched the boys work.

The first piece was rather simple. Jessie took a jackplane and narrowed the top of the piece. Then Jamie used a hollow plane and rounded the top edge to give it a softer look. That one didn't take them long at all.

The next one was a bit more complicated. Jamie used a smaller hollow plane to make bead at the top edge. Then Jessie used a moving fillister plane to make two smaller grooves below it. It took a bit longer, but it looked very nice. It was like you see in the older houses that have very fancy moldings.

We caught the women just as they were leaving and asked them to come down and look at the moldings. They walked in and the boys showed them the moldings and they studied them. They asked a couple questions about how long it would take to make each one.

Then Cammie and Bonnie talked by themselves and decided that they would be happy with the plain one. I couldn't believe they had made a decision in such a short time, but was relieved that they did. They departed for their shopping trip and us guys cleaned up a bit and then decided to head for town to buy the lumber for the molding.



-------

Chapter 45


We drove directly to the lumberyard and I found the clerk that had waited on us before. I told him we needed more of the good 1x4 pine. He checked his inventory and said they should have enough for our project.

We went outside and found the yardman to tell him we needed to look through the stock they had. He walked us back to the bin that held what we were looking for and told us to take our time.

We sorted through the stack of lumber and found enough for what we needed. Then I went inside and told the clerk we had found the sixteen pieces we needed. He wrote up the ticket and I paid him and took the ticket outside to the yardman. He looked at it and then told me to back the truck up and he'd help us load it.

I got the truck and pulled it around. He came over and counted what we had and helped us load it in the bed. With that chore done, we headed for home.

We unloaded the lumber at the workshop and Jimmy and I took a look at the chair rail. It seemed dry enough and we decided that we'd start putting it up after lunch.

Of course the women weren't home yet, so we had to fix our own lunch. I got the soup out and heated it in a pan. Jimmy got the sandwich fixings out and put them on the table. I fixed up a pot of coffee and Jamie got the iced tea and Jessie got glasses with ice and put them on the table.

Once the soup was heated, I used a dipper to fill a bowl for everyone. They had to carry their bowl the table and then we dug in. We all ate our fill and then sat back and sipped our coffee. The boys were going to work on the floor molding and Jimmy and I were going to work on getting the chair rail up. William said they would also put the first coat of finish paint on the ceiling molding to hurry the process along some. I think we were all anxious to get this job finished and get onto other things. It had gone on way too long.

After we finished our coffee, we carried our dishes to the kitchen and I rinsed them off and put them in the dishwasher. Then we all headed for the workshop.

Jimmy and I loaded the chair rail in the bed and I put the new miter saw in so we could give it a baptism. This was something that I had needed for a long time, but could never justify buying. When B&T sent it to us last year, I knew it would come in handy.

Jimmy and I got everything carried inside and set up. I got a spare piece of paneling and set it on the sawhorses to put the miter saw on. I hate working bent over, so using it from the floor was not an option that I even considered.

We knew the first piece would be full length, so I put it on the miter saw and had Jimmy hold it. I cut both ends at a 45-degree angle.

"Why are ya cuttin' both ends of the rail?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, one is for the corner so the adjoining piece will match it. Then the other end is cut so we don't have a square joint. We'll cut the next piece in the opposite direction so it will match up and the joint will be almost invisible."

"Ok, that makes sense."

With that explanation taken care of, we set it on top of the paneling. Then I remembered that we had the paneling nails in the brad nailer. I walked down to the workshop and got the nails for the chair rail. It wouldn't look good to have light colored nail heads in the darker chair molding.

Once I got back and loaded the new nails in the nailer, Jimmy held the molding while I used the nailer to secure it. The contrasting color looked great and really defined the border between the wallpaper and the wainscoting.

Putting up the chair rail was a lot easier than the paneling. It was not as bulky and was easier to move around. Cutting the pieces was also a lot easier. Jimmy held the longer section to keep it in the correct position and I used the miter saw. The new saw was a real blessing. The cuts were perfect everytime and there was no worry about the angles being off.

It took us about two hours to get the entire room done. We stood back and admired our work. It did look great and we were happy this part was done. We took the balance of the chair rail back down to the shop and found the boys working on the floor molding.

We figured we'd best clean up the sawdust from the hot tub room, so Jimmy and I loaded the shop vac in the pickup and drove it up to the patio. Since we'd done all of our cutting in one place, it wasn't a difficult job. With that chore done, we took the shop vac back to the shop and put it away.

It was a bit after 3, so Jimmy and I decided we would do the feeding. I told William and the boys to just keep on working and we were going out to feed. William suggested the boys switch over to painting the ceiling molding and he would help us. They agreed and put their planes away.

The three of us walked to the equipment shed and got the tractors fired up. William operated the chute on the feed bin when I pulled under. Once it was filled, he rode with me to the pastures. It was plain to me that William didn't want to be left out of anything. He enjoyed working and doing what he could around the place. The jobs we let him do were not overly strenuous and he was more than happy to be able to participate.

William opened the gates for Jimmy and me and then cut the bales apart as Jimmy put them into the feeding rings. With that chore done, we headed back to the house.

I was washing the spreader out when the women drove up. The three of us walked to the house and helped them unload the groceries.

They had bought a ton of stuff, but they hadn't been in a couple weeks, so I guess that was natural. They had two cases of juice and two cases of coffee. Jimmy and I carried them to the freezer and put them in place. We did know where they went, so there was no chance of us getting in trouble.

When we came back to the kitchen, I told the women we had the chair rail put up and they all left to see it. After a careful inspection, they announced that they liked it and how it set off the border between the wallpaper and the wainscoting.

It wasn't long until the boys came up from the workshop and they took a look at the room too. They nodded and then told us they'd finished putting the first coat of paint on the ceiling molding. Once that dried, they could sand it and put the final coat on and then it would be ready to put up.

Cammie told us to clear out of the kitchen so they could make supper. We got a pitcher of tea and glasses and headed for the front porch. We sat back and chatted while we waited for supper.

"Ya know, William, I'm a bit concerned about the floor moldin'," I said.

"Why's that?"

"Well, the floor ain't level and some places are about a half an inch off."

"That's not a problem. We'll just scribe it out and then cut it off to make it level. That shouldn't be as hard as the panelin' was around the stone."

"I guess that'll work. I hadn't even thought about that idea. That's pretty new to me. I would have probably tried to bend it to fit."

"Well, that'll work for the ceilin' moldin' because it'll go up at a 45 degree angle. But bendin' the floor moldin' won't work that way. It sets at 90 degrees to the floor and it don't bend to easy in that direction."

"You got that right. I was even considerin' pullin' up the edge of the carpet and hidin' the gap with that."

"That would probably work, but scribin' it is the best solution."

"I have to agree with ya on that."

We chatted until we were called for supper. We all walked to the back porch and washed up and then made our way to the table.

The women had bought barbecued chicken in town and we each had a half of a chicken on our plates. There was also potato salad and the women had made a garden fresh salad and put out green onions for us. The only thing left over was some potato salad. Everything else had been devoured. Then they brought out pecan pies that they had bought at the grocery store. We made room for that and stuffed ourselves even more.

Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. Bonnie told us that we needed to set the beds up in William and Lena's place. We had just put them upstairs and not assembled them. They would be needed for the folks from the photo shoot. We said we would get to that before the week was out. Then she asked if lunch and supper would be catered for the shoot, like last time. I told her I thought it would be since Sharon had requested the phone numbers for the places. She said that was a relief since they weren't looking forward to cooking three meals a day for the whole crew.

When we finished our coffee, the kids left to do the evening chores. William, Jimmy and I retired to the front porch while the women worked on the dishes. We chatted and the kids finally came back to joined us.

Donna claimed my lap and rested her head on my shoulder and listened to the conversation. Then the women joined us and the talk turned to what they were going to do with the windows in the hot tub room. Us guys steered well clear of that conversation. But it was inevitable that we were asked our opinion.

"Well, my thought would be to put up vertical blinds. It would allow light and privacy at the same time. When they were opened, it would also provide a good view of the patio."

That kind of took them by surprise and they had to discuss that. After a lengthy discussion on the subject, they wanted me to find a place on the Internet so they could get an idea of what it would look like. I had been lured in and now couldn't escape.

Bonnie, Cammie and I walked inside and I fired up the computer. After signing on, I did a search for vertical blinds and found a bunch of sites. I clicked on them and let the women see what I was talking about. Fortunately, about the third site I brought up showed a larger room with the blinds that was about the size of what we had. They studied it for quite a bit and then said they had a pretty good idea of how it would look.

I closed the windows and signed off. Then I returned to the porch and the conversation with the men. We chatted until it got dark and then went inside to catch the news. The weather was still calling for a possibility of rain on Friday.

Once the weather was over, everyone gave out and received their hugs and kisses and departed for their abodes. The kids and I talked for a bit and then closed up and turned everything off. I got kisses from Chrissy and Donna and everyone headed for bed.

Cammie and I used the bathroom and then slid into bed and cuddled and kissed until we got sleepy. Then we assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off.

I awoke to the rooster crowing and teased Cammie's nipple until she woke up and turned over and gave me a kiss. Then she slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and we both used the throne and washed up. After we got dressed, we headed for the kitchen.

Bonnie and Lena were already there and Cammie went to help them. I worked on getting the coffee ready. Dianne showed up and gave me a kiss before she started on the sausage.

Once the water was boiling, I filled the three presses and waited for them to steep. Once they had brewed enough, I transferred the contents to regular pots and carried them into the dining room. William, Jimmy and I carried out our necessities and adjourned to the front porch. I poured everyone a cup of coffee and we sat down to chat.

William said he thought the boys could finish the ceiling molding today and we could probably put it up tomorrow. Then they could continue work on the floor molding. Jimmy and I agreed that would be a good idea.

The kids returned from chores and each poured themselves a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot inside and returned with a full one. William told the boys what he thought the schedule should be. They agreed and figured they might be able to finish the floor moldings today.

I told them I needed to go to Searcy to get the electrical supplies for Jamie's place so we could hook up the generator. They thought that was a good idea since we never know when the next storm is going to arrive. It's not critical this time of the year, but it is very critical in winter because of the furnace.

Dianne called us for breakfast and we all made our way inside. All talking ceased and we devoured the food on the table. There wasn't a scrap of food left. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee and chatted.

Cammie told us they were thinking about going to Searcy to look a drapes and blinds for the hot tub room. I said that was a good idea while we had time. Then I made the mistake of telling them Jimmy and I were also going to Searcy for electrical things.

"We could just go together," Cammie said.

"No we couldn't," I responded.

"Why not?"

"Because ya'all are goin' shoppin' and Jimmy and I are goin' buyin'. We'll be back before ya'all hit the second store."

"Why are you always like this? You never wanna do anything with us."

"That's not true. I just never wanna go shoppin' with ya'all. I'll be happy to do other things."

"But you could he'p us a lot."

"And ya'all could drive us out of our minds."

"Now you're just bein' silly."

"No, I'm not. We go through this ever'time. Please understand that I do NOT want to go shoppin' with ya'all. It drives me nuts the way ya'all shop. We know what we're goin' for and we'll go to the electrical supply house, tell them what we want and pay for it. Then we'll drive back home and get to work on completin' the job. Ya'all'll still be shoppin' for somethin' that ya'all don't know what you're actually lookin' for. You'll go to fourteen different places and then start back through the list. That's not fun for me. I don't like it and I don't want to do it."

"There's not fourteen places like that in Searcy."

"Well, however many places there are, ya'all will visit each one of them, at least once today and probably still not buy what you're goin' after."

"Well, we've got to see all the choices."

"Fine. Just don't make me go with ya'all. I really don't care if you take the next year makin' up ya'all's mind. I just don't wanna be part of that process."

"I just don't understand you."

"Well, that makes us even. I don't understand how ya'all can spend the day lookin' at a bunch of stuff that ya'all probably have no intention of buyin' and call it fun. That's not my idea of fun, nor of efficient use of time and resources."

"It don't cost us nothin' to look."

"It costs ya'all time. That time could be spent doin' so many other things."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Workin' in the garden comes to mind. Or whatever ya'all have that needs doin'. Standin' around lookin' at things is just not productive."

"Yes it is. We're eliminatin' all the things we don't want."

"If you don't know that, then you're in serious trouble."

"Well, we don't know that until we see it."

"See, that's the problem. If you're goin' to buy somethin', then you should at least have an idea what ya'all are gonna buy."

"We know what we're gonna buy. We're gonna buy somethin' to cover the windows."

"If that's your only criteria, then get some paper and staple it up. That'll cover the windows."

"Now you're just bein' plain silly. We're not sure if we want drapes or blinds. We have to compare what we see and then we can make up our minds."

"Well, ya'all have fun. We know what we're goin' after and we'll be back here and workin' before ya'all make it to the second store."

"You probably will, but you won't know if you bought the thing that would look the best or not."

"There's not too much difference between breaker boxes, nor the breakers that fit in them. Maybe a couple different colors for the boxes, but no one sees the boxes unless they need to get into it."

"But ever'one will see the windows and they have to be what looks best."

"Fine. Ya'all have fun and enjoy yourselves. This is your thing and not ours. We'll get the electrical taken care of and ya'all take care of the windows."

"You are so stubborn."

"Yes, dear."

"Don't start."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrrr."

The coffee had long since disappeared, so us guys headed for the workshop. I looked over our supply of electrical and found a piece of 8-3 grounded and 10-3 grounded that would work fine. Then I looked at the supply of three-quarter pipe. We didn't have a lot of that.

"Jamie, is there any three-quarter pipe over at your place?"

"Ya, there's bunch of it in the shed. What do you need it for?"

"To vent the exhaust from the generator."

"Ya, they's a bunch in the shed and a bunch of fittin's too.

Jimmy and I left for Jamie's place and stopped in front of the shed. We went in and I found enough pipe and fittings to do anything that we needed to do. Then we walked to the house and down the basement. We checked around the basement for placement of the generator.

The breaker box was located at the back of the house and that was the part that had very little dirt on the outside of the concrete blocks. I did some checking and then I told Jimmy, "I think we can vent this through the concrete blocks and save us a lot of effort, plus it'll be a straight shot outside. We'll just have to run a bit more wire than I would like to. But it's a trade off."

"I'm with you on this. I know nothin' about this stuff."

I did some measuring to determine how much extra wire we would need and it wasn't that much. We could place the generator by the concrete wall and only need an additional six feet of 8-3 grounded wire. I also wrote the name of the breaker box down so I wouldn't forget it.

We drove back to the workshop and I measured the wire we had. There was no piece that was long enough for what we wanted, so I'd have to buy that. But that was still cheaper than running the exhaust pipe out the frame of the house and having to insulate the wood against the heat. With that information in my head, we left for Searcy.

Once we got there, we drove directly to the electrical supply house and I told the clerk what I needed. He wrote it up and brought all the stuff back. Then I told him I needed a fifty-amp breaker for the box in the house currently. He went back and found them and came back with a forty and a seventy.

"That's a really old box and these are the only breakers we have for that model."

"Well, it's just gonna run from the old box to the new, so we'll take the seventy. We don't wanna be blowin' it all the time."

He added that to the bill and then totaled it up. I wrote a check to pay for it and then we headed for the Wal-Mart. We walked to the tool section and I found the largest masonry bit they had. I also got some patching concrete that expands as it sets so we could fill around the hole when we were done. With that done, we headed home.

It was closing in on 11 by the time we got home. It was too early for lunch and too late to start something before lunch. So we decided to walk down to the workshop and see how things were progressing down there.

The boys were almost finished making the floor molding and already had the final coat of finish paint on the ceiling molding. The floor molding was kind of plain, but that is what the women wanted, so none of us would even think about complaining about their choice.

We took a look at all they had accomplished and told them they had done a good job. They, of course, were proud of their work and that they had a hand in completing the room. We chatted until they finished what they were doing and then we all walked to the house for lunch.

We had our usual soup and sandwiches and finished it off with coffee. I told them Jimmy and I were going to work on the generator this afternoon and they could do what they needed to at the shop. Jamie said they needed to put primer on the floor molding and then they were done until the paint dried. I told him I'd need him at the house to decide which circuits we should include on the generator.

Once we'd finished our coffee, I rinsed the dishes off and put them in the dishwasher. I had to take the breakfast dishes out and put them away before I could put the lunch dishes in. Once that was all accomplished, we all headed for Jamie's place with a stop at the workshop to get the tools we'd need.

When we got there, Jamie and I walked through the house and picked out which circuits he wanted on the generator breaker box. The bedroom, upstairs bathroom, the dining room where they did their studying, the kitchen, the furnace and the living room. I added the pump because they needed it to flush the toilet and a circuit for the basement lights.

We started upstairs and I told him to turn on the lights in the bedroom and the bathroom. I also had him plug in a lamp in the same circuit that the bed heater was plugged into. He stayed upstairs and I stationed Jessie at the stairs to the basement. When I found the circuit, Jamie would yell out which one it was and Jessie would relay it to us, then I would mark it.

It took a while, but we finally identified all the circuits that needed to be switched. Since there were only two 220 circuits and one was for the dryer, it wasn't difficult to isolate the pump. With that done, Jimmy and I went to work.

The first thing to do was to mount the new breaker box. It had to be close to the other box so we didn't need to splice wires to reach it. Then I began to take the breakers out of the old box that were to be moved. Once I had them out, Jimmy removed the wires, put them through the access holes in the new box, and connected the new breakers for the new box. That was pretty simple.

Next was to run a piece of 8-3 grounded from the old box to the new for normal power. That was a bit more strenuous. Number 8 wire doesn't bend all that easy. But we got it fitted through the connectors and attached to the breakers. Now for the test.

I threw the switch for the 220 to supply power to the new box. Then I turned on each breaker and waited to see if it would hold. They all did. So far, so good. I had Jamie go upstairs and check the circuits to see if they were all working. When he returned, he said they were all on and working. The next thing was to position the generator.

I measured from the new box to a place where we would mount the knife switch. I drilled holes for that and mounted it. Then I connected a short piece of 8-3 grounded that I had brought from the workshop to the knife switch. I turned off the power to the new box and ran the new piece of 8-3 from the knife switch through a connector and into the new box. I connected it in the main input with the wire coming from the old box. Once I made sure everything was tightened down securely, I closed the new box and turned the power back on. The breaker didn't blow, so we had evidently done it correctly. One side of the knife switch was connected.

Then I looked at the set up on the generator and moved it into place. I made a tentative mark on the concrete and made sure the new piece of wire would be long enough to get to the knife switch. Next I removed the muffler from the generator and put a short piece of pipe in and moved it close to the wall. I made a mark on the wall and then moved the generator out of the way.

I got the big drill plugged in with the new masonry bit in and began drilling a hole. It didn't take long to eat through the concrete block. Then I drilled two other holes and knocked out what was between the holes. I slid the piece of pipe in the hole to make sure it would fit and it did. I measured exactly where the hole was on the block and made a note of that. Then I counted the blocks away from the window so I could locate the same block outside.

I ran an extension cord outside and located the concrete block from my notes and then measured so I could be pretty close to the hole on the other side. I chucked up a small masonry bit and drilled a test hole to make sure I was in the correct location. Once I broke through, Jessie shouted out that I was in the right spot. Then I put the larger bit in and drilled the holes. After I broke the middle out of the three holes, I had Jessie slid a piece of pipe out the hole just to make sure. It looked good.

We went back inside and I lined up the generator with the hole and threaded a piece of pipe that would extend through the wall into the exhaust port. With that secure, I went outside and threaded the muffler on the pipe and we were ready for a test.

Jamie got a gas can from the shop and we put some in the generator. It took several pulls for it to start, but it finally kicked over. Once it got up to speed, we checked to see if there were any exhaust leaks and couldn't find any. So we shut it down.

I told Jamie to get the bag of concrete patch from the truck and mix up a small amount and put it around the pipe on the outside of the block. He left and I went to work on the wiring.

I made sure the knife switch was not putting any electricity through it and then connected the wire to the input end of the switch. Then I ran it back to the generator and stripped a section and connected the plug.

Once Jamie was done with the patching cement outside, I fired up the generator again. I threw the 220 switch from the main box to the small box and then threw the knife switch to allow power from the generator to get to the new box.

Then I had Jamie check out all the circuits to see if they were working. He came back and said they were all working. Then I had him turn the lights off upstairs and I turned on the water in the sink in the basement. It took a bit, but the pump finally kicked on. The generator held and no circuits were blown. That was success as far as I was concerned. I turned off the generator and the knife switch and then turned the power back on from the main box.

"Ok, Jamie, here's how this works. Everything MUST be done in order and nothing skipped. When the power goes out, the first thing you do is to turn off this breaker in the main box. This is a MUST. It keeps electricity from going to the outside lines. The power company workers get a bit upset if they are working on a line that is supposed to be dead and get shocked because of power coming from your place. Next, start the generator. Once it's running and up to full power, throw the knife switch and that will put the power to all the circuits we've connected to it. Do NOT leave all the lights on if you're not using them. The 'fridge and the pump are always on, and if you have all the other circuits on at the same time, there might not be enough power to run everything. If the lights go out, that is probably what happened. Then you come down here and there is a circuit breaker on the generator, right here. Turn that back on and everything should power up again. But you just can't have all the circuits on all the time.

"Ok. So I turn the breaker in the big box off first. Then I start the generator and wait for it to power up and then throw the knife switch, right?"

"Yep. That pretty well covers it. Now, mix up a small batch of concrete to patch the hole on this side and we'll clean up the tools and we're done here."

He patched the hole and the rest of us carried the tools out to the truck. Once he was finished and had washed the tools off and dumped the unused portion of what he had mixed up out, we headed back for the house.



-------

Chapter 46


When we got back to the workshop, we put all the tools away. It was almost 4, so we decided to feed the calves. The women still weren't home, but that wasn't all that unusual. They had a lot of things to look at and that took them time.

I got the tractor, with the spreader, out and pulled under the feed bin. Jamie operated the chute and filled the spreader. Then he climbed up with William and myself and we followed Jimmy and Jessie to the pastures.

Feeding was getting easier each day. It was just matter of getting used to the system and the routine. With more than two people working, it goes very smooth. Today, Jamie opened the gates while Jessie cut the bales apart as Jimmy put them in the hay rings. William just rode with me and took everything in.

I made a point of including him in everything we did. I wanted him to feel at home and to feel like he was part of the family. We could always find room for him to ride along and that would keep his mind busy. That's important for folks that have stopped working. Technically, he was working over here, but he had stopped making a living at farming and was now just helping out. The more he felt needed, the better it would be for his mind. I know that Lena was feeling the same way and you could tell how much of an improvement it was making in her life too. She was always raring to go. It didn't matter what the chore was, she wanted to be part of it. Everyone needs to feel like they are needed. It gives importance to their life. I wanted this for them and I'm sure that Cammie and Bonnie did too. As long as I had anything to say about it, these two were not going to be warehoused some place. They had family and their family would take care of them for as long as they could.

Once we got back to the shed, I washed the spreader out and we put everything away. The women were home so I thought it would be a good idea if we acknowledged that fact.

We walked up to the back porch and washed up and then went inside. They were busy in the kitchen and barely looked up when we came in. I took that as a good sign and us guys each got a glass with some ice and Jamie carried a pitcher of iced tea to the front porch. What's that old saying? "It's real easy to poke a stick into a hornets nest but a hell of lot harder to take it out." No sense in poking a stick in the nest they were buzzing around. They'd talk to us when they wanted to.

We sipped our tea and chatted about various things. The ceiling molding should be ready to put up tomorrow and the boys could start painting the floor molding.

We chatted until we were called for dinner. The women had brought home barbecued ribs from the place in town and there was a bunch of them. Plus they had potato salad, cole slaw and the women had cleaned some green onions for the table.

We sat down and ate all we could. There were several slabs of ribs left over, but that would be cleaned up at lunch tomorrow. Then they brought out a couple pecan pies they had bought for dessert. We made short work of them and then sat back and sipped our coffee.

The women said they had spent the day looking at stuff to cover the windows with. They had decided on the vertical blinds. They had placed an order and it should be here next week sometime.

I told them that the ceiling molding was ready to put up and the boys would be painting the floor molding starting tomorrow. While they're working on painting, I have to run in town and get some nails to put the ceiling molding up with.

"Why can't you use what you have?" Cammie asked.

"Because we need colored heads on the nail."

"Didn't you use colored heads on the chair moldin'?"

"Yes, but they were for the brad nailer."

"Why can't you use that on the ceilin' moldin'?"

"Because the ceilin' moldin' is too fragile to use it on."

"What? It's just wood."

"Yes, but it is thin in the places we need to drive the nails and the brad nailer would probably drive the nail all the way through the wood and split it. We need to drive these nails by hand."

"Why can't ya just take the nails out of the nailer?"

"Because they're way to expensive. We'll need them for the floor moldin' and we need the regular nails for the ceilin'."

"I just think ya'all wanna go shoppin'."

"Darlin', we don't shop. We're goin' to buy and comin' right back."

"Well, if ya'all had been shoppin' before, you'd a probably remembered that ya'all needed nails and bought them then."

"But we'd a probably spent more time doin' that than we will just goin' in to buy some nails."

"See, there is an advantage to shoppin'."

"Maybe in your mind there is, but not in mine. We only go to the store when we need to."

"Ya, well now ya'all need to go back."

"Yep, and we'll have spent less time in the store than ya'all have buyin' nothin'."

"But you could have saved a trip."

"And wasted a day. This way we got stuff done and still have time left over."

"Ya'all just don't make no sense."

"Darlin', that is your opinion. You can think that all you want, but our way of thinkin' works for us and we'll stick with that."

"See, ya'all ain't even willin' to consider changin'."

"Not when we know it won't work for us."

"Why is it so difficult to get ya'all to do somethin' with us?"

"We do lots of things with ya'all, we just don't wanna go shoppin'."

"And now it's costin' ya'all."

"Yes, dear."

"Don't start."

"Yes, dear."

With that, she got up from the table and began clearing it. Us guys took that as a signal that supper was over and departed for the front porch.

The kids went to do chores and William, Jimmy and I sat of the porch and chatted.

"You realize that when you put the ceilin' moldin' up you can't cut a normal 45 degree miter and expect it to fit, don't ya?" William asked.

"No, I didn't, William. I figure it's like anything else and a miter will work."

"Nope, not with this kind of moldin'."

"Well, then how do we do it?"

"First of all, you make a 45 cut on the first piece and then use that cut to scribe a line on the piece that butts up to it. Then you have to use a copin' saw to cut that scribe out. It's not as bad as it sounds, but it does take some doin'."

"Then you're gonna earn your salary again, showin' us how to do that."

"Oh, that's not a problem. Just make sure you've got some fresh copin' saw blades for us to use. That material is kinda delicate and you need a good blade to cut it right."

"I'll pick some up when we get the nails tomorrow. It's sure a good thing you moved over here. Otherwise, I'd be doin' a lot of cussin' tomorrow."

"It all comes with experience, Dean. Once you've done it, it'll be a lot easier the next time."

"Hopefully, they ain't gonna be no next time. I'm hopin' this is the last addition and remodelin' we do here."

"You hang on to them hopes. It never stops with just one."

"You ain't paintin' a very pretty picture."

"Well, that's just the nature of women."

The kids came back from chores and joined us. We all chatted and then the women came out. They chatted about the vertical blinds they had bought and how they were going to look. As they were talking, I could hear a lot more work for us guys. I just knew they needed to be hung and that would fall on our shoulders. But there wasn't anything I could do about it unless I was willing to hire someone to do that. I'm not cheap, but I just hate to spend money to pay someone for something I can do myself. I just prefer to pick the jobs I do. This was the women's choice and I didn't have much say about it. It was either this or I would be putting up curtain rods, or drapery rods and maybe even hanging shades. Either way, us guys would be working.

We chatted until it was dark and then went inside to watch the weather. They were still calling for showers on Friday, but it wasn't a sure thing. We could use the rain, but I wasn't going to bet on their being correct.

Once the weather was over, everyone got and gave their hugs and kisses and then departed for their place. The rest of us turned out the lights and closed everything up and I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy. Cammie and I headed for the bedroom and stripped. Then we used the bathroom and slipped into bed. We cuddled and kissed until we got drowsy and drifted off to sleep.

The rooster woke me up and I played with Cammie's nipple until she moaned and crushed my hand to her tit. She turned over and kissed me and then scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and we washed up and got dressed before heading for the kitchen.

Bonnie was there and Cammie joined her to work on the biscuits. I got the water on the stove and began to work on the coffee. Lena arrived and went to work with Cammie and Bonnie. Then Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her before she started to work on the sausage.

Once the water was boiling, I poured it into the three presses and put more water back on the stove to boil. I stirred up the grounds and put the lids on the presses and waited for it to steep.

Once it had brewed enough, I emptied them into three regular pots and carried them to the dining room. I took the coffee pot, Jimmy took the pot warmer and William carried the cups and we adjourned to the front porch. I poured each of us a cup of coffee and we sat back to chat.

When the kids showed up, they joined us and each poured themselves a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot inside and returned with a full one.

We talked about our plans for today and the girls said they'd probably be working in the garden. I told them we were going to be putting the ceiling molding up and the boys would be painting the floor molding.

We chatted until we were called for breakfast. We all walked inside and sat down at the table. There was no noise at the table while we ate. The food was just too good to interrupt our eating to talk. There wasn't a scrap of food left on the table when we were done. Then we sat back to sip our coffee.

I told the women Jimmy and I were headed for town this morning to get the nails and would be back to start putting up the ceiling molding. They told us they would be working in the garden most of the day. William told them he and the boys would be working on the floor molding and getting it painted so it could be put up. We all pretty much had our day planned and we sipped our coffee and chatted.

Once the coffee was finished, we all departed the dining room. Jimmy and I used the pickup to drive to town and we stopped at the hardware store. I found a couple boxes of colored nails and some fine toothed coping saw blades and paid the clerk. I really didn't see anything else I couldn't live without, so we headed for home.

Once there, we put all the ceiling molding in the truck and told William we'd probably need him to show us how to cut the molding. He said he'd be up in just a bit. The boys were putting the finishing touches on the floor molding. They almost had the primer on and would then just have to clean the brushes and they'd be done until the paint dried.

Jimmy and I got the molding carried into the hot tub room and then set the miter saw up and plugged it in. I realized that I needed the drill, so I walked back down the shop and got it and a box of drill bits, the hammer and a nail set. The boys were just finishing up and we all walked back to the house together.

"Ok, William, we'll be starting at a corner, so show us how to do this."

"Well, the first thing you have to realize is that this sets at a 45 degree angle between the wall and the ceilin'. That means you can't just put it in the miter saw and cut it. You have to hold it like it's going to set on the wall and cut it. One person will need to hold it and the other will have to operate the saw."

I took a piece of molding and held it in the saw. Then I saw what he was talking about. I had to the bottom edge of the molding against the back fence of the saw and keep it steady. This was a much more complicated than I thought it was going to be. I moved the edge over so it was just past the blade. I had Jimmy operate the saw while I held it in place with my hands away from the actual cut.

"Ok, now what, William?"

"First you need to cut along the outline of the molding along the angle."

I put a new blade in the coping saw and began to make the cut while the boys held the end in place.

Once that was done, William said, "Now you need a very sharp pencil and a person to hold the two pieces together at a 90 degree angle."

This was going to take more than two people. I got the speed square and put it on the table of the miter saw and against the molding. Then William had the boys hold the end of the piece I was holding and the piece that was going to match up to it. We got it lined up and Jimmy held it in place. Then William took a pencil and traced the outline of the piece we had just cut onto the piece that butted up to it.

"Ok, now you need to get your copin' saw and cut along that line at a 45 degree angle."

The boys held the piece up and I began to very carefully cut along the scribed line. Once I was through, we held it up and it was a perfect match.

"Damn, that's a lot of work, William. But it does fit nice."

"Yep, but I don't know of another way to do it. There might be, but that's the way I was taught."

"Well, fortunately, we only have to do it four times. We won't be putting any around the fireplace, so it will just be the four corners."

With that done, we held the first piece in place and I marked the places for the studs on the molding. Then I got a drill bit just a hair smaller than the nails we were going to use. I drilled a hole at each location on the molding and then we put it back on the wall.

"Before you nail that up, you should cut a 45 on the opposite end so we can match up to the piece that will butt up to it," William said.

I thought about what he said and then it dawned on me. We moved the piece down so we could make a cut on the other end of it. It took two people to hold it in place and one to operate the saw. This was definitely not a one person job.

"Does this need to be scribed too?" I asked William.

"Nope, because it ain't at a angle to the other one. Only when the joint is at an angle do ya'all need to scribe it out."

I got the hammer and some nails and began to nail the molding to the wall. I didn't drive the nails all the way in because I didn't want to risk hitting the molding with the hammer. Once I had that section nailed to the wall, I took the drill and made several holes for the ceiling side of the molding and then attached the molding to the ceiling. Then I got the nail set and drove the nails so they were flush with the molding. It looked good and you couldn't see the nails from the floor.

Next up was the piece we'd cut to match the other one at the corner. First we cut a 45 on the opposite end as the miter and then we held that up and I marked the stud placement on it. I took it down so I could drill the holes. Once it was up and nailed to the wall, I drilled the holes for the ceiling and drove the nails in there. Then I got the nail set and drove the nails home.

We held the next piece up and butted the one end against the fireplace. I marked it and we took it to the saw and I made the 45 cut on it. Then it was marking the studs and nailing it up.

The women came to get us for lunch before we had finished the ceiling molding. This was a very time consuming project. It might have gone easier if it wasn't the first time we were doing this, but this was a learning process at that same time. Hopefully, we wouldn't need to do this again.

We washed up and then made our way to the table. We had our soup and then finished up the ribs from last night. Us guys also had a sandwich, since there really weren't enough ribs to fill us up. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women we had started on the ceiling molding and would probably be through today sometime. Bonnie said they'd been working in the garden and we'd be having a lot of corn on the cob for the near future. She said it was pretty much ready to go and they had to start picking it. They were going to can some of it, but most of it we'd be eating at supper. She said that the next batch of cucumbers was coming ripe and we'd probably be having a lot of them on the salads. We all agreed that it wouldn't be a problem for us at all.

When the coffee was gone, we all headed back to our jobs. Us guys went to the hot tub room and picked up where we had left off.

We began going in the opposite direction from the fireplace. I cut a 45 on the piece and we put it up. There was only about six inches left to get to the corner and William suggested that we use the big piece for the corner and piece the small part in between the two larger pieces. He said that it would be less noticeable that way. We agreed with him and we put the big piece down on the miter saw. Jamie and I held it in place and Jimmy operated the saw to take off the corner. Then Jimmy and Jessie held another piece up at 90 degrees and William marked it. I got to use the coping saw to make the cut. This was very tedious work and I was glad there were only two more corners to do. We did a test fitting and it fit great.

We put the first piece up and I marked the studs on it and then took it down to drill the holes. Once I had them drilled, we put it up and I got the hammer and nails and attached it to the walls. Next, I drilled holes for the ceiling part and put nails in to finish it off.

I got a short piece that was left over from the fireplace and held it up to mark the gap that we had left between to the two pieces. I made a mark at each end and then took it to the miter saw. I made the first cut and instantly saw I had messed up. I swung the saw to 45 degrees in the other direction and made another cut. Then, just to be sure, I held it up and fixed it in place on the cut end and marked the other end. We didn't have a lot of this to spare and I didn't want to waste any. I even made a mark to show the direction of the cut so I wouldn't get confused at the saw.

I made the cut and then put it up. It was just a hair long, so I took it back to the saw and just shaved a bit off. This time it fit perfect. Since this short piece was in between studs, I held it up and drilled a hole on each end, catching both pieces. Then I drilled a hole in the center and nailed it up. I did the same thing for the ceiling part and that wall was done.

The next wall was almost a disaster. It was mainly my fault because I wasn't paying attention to the direction of the 45-degree cut. But we were able to salvage the piece and use it in another section. It took us about two hours to finish the ceiling and I was very glad to be done with that. I just don't think I'm cut out for the fine detail work that is required on something like that. I was sure glad William was here to make sure I didn't screw up any worse than I did. Now all that was left for the hot tub room was to put up the floor molding and then I could get the fire department over to fill the tub.

We cleaned up our mess and neatly stacked our tools so they would be out of the way. Then we took a break on the front porch with some iced tea.

"William," I said, "I sure am glad you were here to help us with that and show us how to make them cuts. I'd still be in there and we'd a probably already run out of moldin' because of my mistakes. I can do dovetails and lap joints, but this really fine detail work is just beyond me."

"Dean, it's just a matter of experience. If you'd a been doin' this for as long as I have, then you wouldn't have needed any he'p at all. I've probably got forty years experience on this stuff. It's mostly just a matter of it gettin' in your mind by doin' it over and over."

"Well, I hope I never learn then. I don't wanna go through this again. Like I say, I can do the bigger stuff, but the fine stuff I'd just as soon leave to someone else. I get tense when stuff like that don't go right."

"You just have to learn to relax and take things as they come."

"That'll be the day," Jimmy said. "He ain't never been able to just accept things. He needs to control the things he does. He's been like that since I've known him."

"I beg your pardon. I resemble that remark."

"Yes, you sure as hell do."

We all chuckled and sipped our tea.

Once we had drained the pitcher, we decided it would be a good time to feed. Jamie and Jessie took the glasses and pitcher to the kitchen and then we all walked down to the equipment shed. We got the two tractors going and I pulled under the feed bin and Jamie operated the chute and filled the spreader. Then he climbed up with William and me and we followed Jimmy and Jessie out to the pastures.

Our feeding routine was getting easier and consuming less time as we got used to the new system. Once we finished in the pastures, we headed back for the shed.

I hosed the spreader out when we got there and then we put the tractor away. We walked back to the front porch and Jamie and Jessie got us more tea and ice filled glasses.

"I think we're gonna need to grind up the rest of the corn we got stored. I haven't checked but I'm sure we're below 'bout a quarter in the feed bin."

"Probably so," Jimmy responded.

"Well, they're talkin' 'bout rain for tomorrow, so we'd probably be better to put it off until next week."

"Yep, it wouldn't do to get it soaked while we were grindin' it."

We finished up our tea and decided we'd go take a look at the timber they were cutting. We had heard them working over there, but have just been too busy to check on them.

We drove the pickup over to the wood lot and parked on the edge. We walked towards the sound of the saws and found Dwayne about halfway there.

"Hey, how you boys doin'?"

"Fine, Dwayne. How 'bout yourself?"

"Been sweatin' up a storm here. But that goes with the territory."

"Ya'all sound like you've been busy."

"Yep. We're 'bout a quarter way through. We'll probably start skiddin' some out tomorrow. We've almost got a good sized truck load down."

"Have ya'all found any that just weren't worth the cuttin'?"

"Just one so far. It must've been hit by lightnin' some years back. It's amazin' how these trees hang on. It was full of leaves, but almost hollow on one side. I'm surprised the woodpeckers hadn't got to it before now. They usually tells us when the wood is good for the saw mill or not."

"Maybe they was savin' it for hard times."

"Could be. The rest seem to be in real good shape. We're gonna bring the chipper out tomorrow too and start cleanin' up some of this mess. We don't like to bring it out and just leave it sit, so we wait until we've got a good couple days work before we haul it out to the job site."

"Well, ain't no sense in havin' it and a worker sittin' idle."

"Nope and we use it to clean up folks yards when we take a tree down for them. It had been kinda busy after the tornado, but it's slacked up now on that count."

"So ya'all will probably be here another week, at least, right?"

"I'd say so. Maybe longer. We try not to mess up the standin' trees when we skid 'em out, and that takes some time to dodge them. But we're cuttin' most of the trees so that won't be too big a problem."

"We ain't decided what we're gonna do with this parcel yet. We might just clear it and plant somethin'."

"Well, there's lots of good top soil. It's been in woods for the last forty years or so, at least. Once it's plowed, it should produce a hell of a crop."

"Ya, we're tryin' to do ever'thing here organic and not use any pesticides or herbicides. So that'll he'p a lot."

"Ya know, I heard ya'all were doin' the organic thing. How's that workin' out?"

"Pretty good, so far. We'll know more when we pick the corn. The calves seem to be doin' all right without any hormones. But we had to get a bunch of ladybugs for the corn. We had some problem with corn bores and we're hopin' that they might take care of the problem for us."

"Well, with the price of chemicals nowadays, you could lose about twenty percent of your crop and still be ahead."

"Maybe, but I don't wanna lose any of it. We need it for feedin' the calves this winter and next season."

"I heard dat. Someone was tellin' me that ya'all will probably be able to get about fifteen to twenty percent more for your beef by doin' the organic thing."

"That's the plan, but I'm just worried about how long we'll need to feed 'em to get 'em up to weight."

"You might have a point there, I don't know about that part of it."

"Well, Dwayne, we don't wanna keep you from you work. We just stopped over to see how things were goin'. We'd heard ya'all workin' over here, but hadn't checked to see ya'all. If ya'all need anything, we're generally always over there. Just holler at us."

"Will do. We're generally pretty well self-contained. We bring our own water and lunch, so we don't want for much."

"Well, we're there if ya'all do need somethin'. Ya'all take care now."

"You too. Have a good 'un."

We climbed back in the pickup and headed back to the house. We had just pulled up when we heard the dinner bell ring.



-------

Chapter 47


We washed up on the back porch and then took our seats at the table. The women had fixed a big roast with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, a fresh salad, and cucumbers with green onions in sour cream. It was delicious and we all stuffed ourselves. For dessert, Donna had made peach cobblers and we forced more into our stomachs. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women that the ceiling molding was up and the boys had put the primer on the floor molding. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, the women all got up from the table and walked to the hot tub room. They came back about five minutes later and said it looked good. I told them that William was the main reason it looked so good. He was the one that had made it possible. He beamed as the women thanked him.

Bonnie said that they were probably going to be out in the garden tomorrow too. They still had a lot of things to do out there. I asked her if she needed more jars for any canning and she said she'd have to do some checking and she'd let me know. I reminded them that the crew from the photo shoot would be arriving two weeks from tomorrow and that set them to thinking. We were told that we needed to get the beds set up at William and Lena's place and we needed to move the bed that Jamie had taken apart from their room to his old room here. I told them we could get on some of that tomorrow. Jimmy said that we could move the beds from William and Lena's place that we take down to his place in the rooms upstairs. Two of the rooms could handle two beds each and that would give us more space for the crew when they arrived. That pretty well set our agenda for tomorrow.

We finished our coffee and the kids headed for the chores and the women began clearing the table. Us guys headed for the front porch. We chatted and just enjoyed the evening. It had been a pretty full day for us. It wasn't hard, but it was enough to keep us busy.

When the kids came back, they joined the conversation and it wasn't too long until the women joined us too. We chatted for a bit and then Cammie asked if I was ready to get the water in the hot tub. I told her that we'd do that as soon as we got the floor molding taken care of. She asked when that would happen and I told her it would take at least two days because the boys had two coats of paint to put on the molding and that would take a day to dry. After that, we would be able to put it up. She nodded and talk turned to other things.

We chatted until it got dark and then went inside to watch the news. They were now pretty sure we were going to get showers tomorrow. They wouldn't last long, but it would give us some moisture and we could use that. They said the weekend would be mostly sunny and they weren't expecting any more rain until the end of next week.

Once the weather was over, everyone gave out and received their kisses and hugs and departed for their homes. The rest of us closed up and turned everything off. I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy before they went upstairs to bed. Then Cammie and I stripped down in the bedroom and used the bathroom. Then we slipped into bed and kissed and cuddled until we drifted off.

I awoke to the rooster and played with Cammie's nipple until she moaned and turned over to kiss me. Then she scooted out of bed and scampered to the bathroom. I followed and we both washed up and got dressed before making our way to the kitchen.

Bonnie and Lena were already there and Cammie joined them as I made my way to the coffee. I ground the coffee for all the presses and waited for the water to boil. Dianne showed up and gave me a kiss. Then she began slicing the sausage.

As soon as the water was boiling, I filled three presses and put water back on to boil. I stirred the contents of the presses and put the lids on for them to steep.

When they had brewed enough, I emptied them into regular coffee pots and carried them to the dining room. I took one pot, Jimmy carried the pot warmer and William carried our cups to the front porch. I poured everyone a cup of coffee and William and I lit our first and sat back to chat.

We all agreed that we should concentrate on getting the beds put in place since we would probably have time with the rain coming. It was just a matter of moving and assembling the beds in the proper place. It wasn't a big deal but it needed to be done. It would be more time consuming than anything.

When the kids came back they joined our conversation after they poured themselves a cup of coffee. They agreed that we should work on the beds today. The girls said they'd be in the garden until it rained and then they didn't know what they'd be doing. I was pretty sure that Cammie and Bonnie would have something that needed to be done if they couldn't be in the garden.

Dianne called us to breakfast and we all carried our cups inside with us and made our way to the table. There was no talk while we were eating and we cleared up everything they had cooked. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women that we were going to move the beds around today and get them set up. Bonnie said they were going to work in the garden until the rain came and then they'd work on some canning. We continued to sip our coffee and chat until we had exhausted the eight pots we'd made. Then we departed for our jobs for today.

Us guys got in the pickup and headed for Jamie's place. We got the bed that had been taken out of their room and carried it down to the pickup. We drove up to our house and carried it up the stairs. It didn't take much to assemble it and then we made sure it was set in the proper place so the women wouldn't bitch about it.

With that taken care of, we headed to William's place. We took apart the beds in to the two upstairs bedrooms and carried them to the truck. Then we set about putting the two beds that they had brought from their old place. We relied on William for the placement since he was the one that would have to deal with Lena if they weren't in correct spot. They weren't that heavy and we could move them if we messed up, but we'd prefer not to have to do that.

Then we went to the truck and drove over to Jimmy's spare place. On the way over, we heard some thunder in the offing, so we decided we'd carry everything inside before the rain came.

We had just finished carrying the two mattresses inside when it started to sprinkle. We just set them in the living room and returned to get everything else out of the truck.

This storm had much more than just some sprinkles in it. It started coming down hard. We concentrated on getting the furniture set up. We put the two beds in the upstairs bedrooms. It was a little crowded, but I didn't think the guys from the crew would mind at all. Then we carried one dresser up and put it in the room that didn't have one. That left us with a dresser and four nightstands. The dresser and two nightstands could go in the room at our place, so we took the other two and put one of them in each room we had put the bed in upstairs. That made it even more crowded, but they fit.

It was raining too hard to move the furniture, so we just left them there. We made a dash for the pickup and didn't get too wet. Then we drove back to the workshop.

Once we dashed inside, the boys stirred up the paint and began to apply it to the floor molding. I didn't know how quickly it would dry with the moisture in the air, but they could get it done and we'd just have to wait until it dried to put on the final coat. They were just closing the paint cans when we heard the dinner bell ring.

It was still coming down pretty hard, so we drove back to the house. We made a dash for the back porch and washed up before making our way to the table. The women had soup and sandwiches waiting for us on the table. We all ate and then sat back to sip our coffee.

Bonnie said they were going to do some canning this afternoon and I told them we'd probably work in the shop and get it cleaned up. They had no comment about that which meant they didn't have anything serious for us to do. I did tell them we had the beds set up but we needed to carry the dresser and two nightstands up to Jamie's old bedroom. They just nodded their heads and continued sipping their coffee.

We finished our coffee and us guys went to the pickup and drove it back to the shop. The rain had let up some, but it was still coming down fairly hard.

I got the shop vac out and began to vacuum up the dirt and shavings from the boys' mess they had made working on the floor molding. The boys cleaned the top of the bench and William and Jimmy worked at putting things away that we had used in the hot tub room. All in all, the cleaning took us about an hour and it was still raining outside. If it kept up, we were not going to be able to feed tonight. We puttered around the shop and basically waited for the rain to let up.

We stayed there until about 4:30 and finally decided to just go to the house. It was still raining fairly hard, so we drove up to the front porch and made a dash to get out of the rain.

The boys went inside and got tea and glasses with ice in them and brought them to the porch. We each poured a glass of tea and just sat back and watched the rain and chatted about various things. It was after 5 before the women called us for supper.

They had fixed a dinner of roast pork, boiled cabbage with an onion, new potatoes, a fresh salad with a lot of cucumbers, and corn on the cob. We ate until we were full and then Donna brought out bread pudding for dessert and we stuffed ourselves even more. After that, we sat back and sipped our coffee. We chatted about a lot of things and Bonnie told us she was going to check on the jars tomorrow to see if we needed to order any more. I told her to just let me know and I'd try and we'd get what she needed.

After we finished our coffee, the kids went to do the chores and William, Jimmy and I walked out to the front porch. It was still raining, but not as hard.

"If you're afraid of gettin' the feed wet, why not just put a tarp over the spreader?" William said.

"I guess we could do that," I answered. "The troughs are covered and it's not blowin' too much. I guess as long as it don't get too wet when we load it, it'll be all right."

"I think it will be," he said.

We got our hats to keep the rain off our heads and a slicker jacket to shed the rain from the rest of us and then headed for the equipment shed. We found a tarp that would cover the spreader and used some baling twine to secure it to the corners of the spreader. We left two corners untied and I pulled under the feed bin.

I got down and walked back to the spreader as William operated the chute to fill the spreader. Once he had it filled, we tied the tarp to the corners and climbed up to follow Jimmy to the pastures.

William climbed down and opened the gates as we came to them and I pulled under the roof of each trough to fill them. William watched to see that the tarp didn't droop down in the spreader and get caught in the auger and we got the feed spread without an incident. He also cut the bales apart as Jimmy put them in the feeding rings. Then we headed back to the house.

I hosed the spreader out when we got back and then parked under the shed roof. We all walked up to the house and took a seat on the porch. Our jeans were soaked, so William and Jimmy took off for their places to change. I walked inside and did the same.

By the time Jimmy and William returned the kids had made it to the porch from doing their chores. We chatted and I told them that we wouldn't have been able to feed if William hadn't thought of using a tarp. Then I added that we wouldn't be able to do that if it had been raining much harder.

"William, do you think we could build a roof type structure around the feed bin chute that would protect us from the rain when we were fillin' the spreader?" I asked.

"I'm pretty sure we could. It would take some studyin', but I think we can come up with somethin'."

"I know it wouldn't hurt the calves to miss a day, but I don't want to miss too many and have them not be up to weight when we get ready to sell 'em."

"Ya, a day or two now and then wouldn't hurt much but you do want as much weight as you can get. We'll have to do some thinkin' on the thing, but I'm pretty sure we can rig somethin' up."

It wasn't long until the women joined us. We chatted about various things and stayed there until it got dark. The rain had slowed to a drizzle and would probably be gone by morning. We all walked in and watched the weather.

They were calling for clearing tonight and hot and humid tomorrow. In August in Arkansas, that is not unusual after a rainstorm. I was just hoping that the rain actually did some good and soaked in rather than running off.

After the weather, everyone gave and got their kisses and hugs and then departed for their places. The rest of us closed up and turned everything off and headed for bed. I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy and then Cammie and I stripped down and used the facilities before slipping into bed. We cuddled and kissed until we got drowsy and assumed our sleeping positions.

The rooster woke me up and I teased Cammie's nipple to wake her up. She moaned and then turned to kiss me. As she broke the kiss, she scrambled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed and we both washed up before getting dressed.

As we entered the kitchen, I noticed that Lena and Bonnie were already there and talking instead of working. They both shut up as we walked in and the three women went to work on the biscuits. I got the water on to boil and began grinding the coffee beans. Dianne showed up and I got a kiss before she went to work on the sausage.

When the water boiled, I poured three pans into the presses and stirred them before putting the lids on so they could steep. I filled the pans with water and put them back on the stove to boil for the rest of the presses. I waited for them to brew and then poured the contents into regular coffee pots and carried them into the dining room.

Jimmy had the pot warmers for two of them lit and I set two of the pots down. Jimmy carried another pot warmer, while William carried the cups and I took the other pot of coffee out to the front porch. William and I lit our first and we chatted.

"Lena and Bonnie were talkin' when we walked into the kitchen, but they shut up as soon as we got there. As paranoid as I am, I couldn't help but think they was talkin' about me."

"Nope," Jimmy said. "Bonnie's gonna call for a family meetin', so that's most likely what they were talkin' about."

"What's the meetin' for?"

"Well, we finally decided to move in together and she says you have to be involved, since you're the head of the clan."

"Shit. I don't really understand this crap, but I guess if I have to give my approval, I'll listen politely and then make a speech sayin' ya'all can do it."

"I sure as hell don't understand it. But I'm just a participant in this mess anyway."

"I kinda feel like I am too."

"Well," William said, "it's a bit more complicated than just givin' a speech. With them matin' up, it's almost like you're the marryin' man, so you have to make sure that things are right before you give your blessin's."

"And how am I supposed to make sure things are right?"

"Well, you need to ask a bunch of questions to make sure they ain't makin' no mistakes in their decision."

"Damn, William, they're both free, white and 21. To me that qualifies them to be able to make their own decisions."

"If they's livin' somewheres else, that would. But they're livin' here and you're the head of the clan. So it's up to you to make sure they've considered ever'thing."

"If I'd a know'd this was comin', I wouldn't a built that addition on. With her and her kids movin' out, this place is gonna be almost empty."

"Oh no, the kids probably won't be movin'. They'll stay with the head of the clan. That is unless you kick 'em out. Now, if they's movin' far away, it would be different, but since they's just across the stream, they'll probably stay here."

"I'm not sure I approve of that. I think the kids should be with their mother."

"That's not the way it works down here. If the woman leaves, she must be givin' up somethin' and, in this case, she'll be givin' up you and her kids. She's got to make a sacrifice for her man."

"I sure can't say I'm all for that. One of the reasons Cammie and I hooked up was because she can't have kids. I've already raised my family and I hadn't really wanted to have another one."

"Well, when you took Cammie as your mate, you inherited a family. Her's. So you're just pretty well stuck."

"I figured I'd have responsibility for Donna and Deanne because I'm their guardian, but I didn't figure on Chrissy, Charlene and Jessie, too."

"Well, you're just gonna have to refigure, because you got 'em."

"Great. Another day in the life that no one would believe if I ever wrote a book about my life."

"Then you should be used to this shit," Jimmy said, with a big grin on his face.

"How in the hell would anyone ever be expectin' somethin' like this?"

"Hey, look at what you've been through so far. Would you have been expectin' all the shit you've been through?"

"Well, some of what we did in the service, ya. And some of what I've done since then, I could have expected it. But it's just been on thing after another since I got hooked up with Cammie. I never knew about clans before. And the really bad thing is they don't have any of this crap written down. I'm inclined to believe that they mostly make it up as they go. They keep springin' things on me and it just seems like it comes out of the blue."

"Well, Dean," William interrupted, "think about what you said. If someone was to write all of this stuff down and it got into the wrong hands, we'd be flooded with outsiders and none of them for the right reasons. Especially nowadays, we'd have reporters and guvmint do-gooders down here, pokin' their noses where they don't belong."

"I guess you're right, William. That run in I had with the social worker was bad enough and she just suspected. If she'd a know'd for sure, she'd a had all the major news folks down here. We'd all probably wind up on Jerry Springer."

"Probably. That's why we kinda keep things to ourselves."

The kids came up and joined us. I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy and then they all poured themselves a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot inside and returned with a full one. We chatted about various things and just relaxed until we were called for breakfast.

We carried our cups inside and took our seat at the table. There was not a word spoken while we stuffed our faces. Once we were finished, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the folks that I thought it was too wet to do any grinding today because we would make a lot of ruts in the area and any corn that spilled on the ground would be wet by the time we ground it. The guys agreed and Bonnie said that she was going to check the supply of jars this morning.

Then she said, "Dean, I want to have a family meetin' this afternoon."

"What about," I asked, not wanting to let her know that Jimmy had spilled the beans.

"Well, we'll discuss it at the meetin'. We can start after we have lunch and do the dishes."

"All right. I don't think we have anything scheduled. Maybe we should go look at the stream and the cornfields to see what the rain did."

Jamie said they should put the final coat of paint on the molding. I told them to make sure the last coat was completely dry before they sanded it. He said they would.

We continued sipping our coffee and chatting about various things and just enjoyed the lull before we started work. Once we had finished our eight pots of coffee, we all headed for our chosen jobs.

Us guys headed for the workshop and inspected the molding when we got there. The paint seemed dry, but a couple places we touched it left fingerprints. So we decided to wait and let them dry more before sanding them. Another day wouldn't hurt anything.

Then we got into the pickup and headed for the stream. It was a bit swollen, but not real bad. It appeared like a lot of the rain had just run off instead of soaking in. The stream was muddy and running fast.

Next we headed for the cornfields. We stopped at the first one on Jimmy's place and walked around the edge to check for any damage. There was a bit of erosion, but nothing very serious. Then we walked to the next one. It was about the same, so we headed for the pickup and drove to the others.

The erosion was about the same at all of them, but I noticed that there were a lot of deer tracks at the back edge of four of them. I followed them into the field and I could see that the deer were helping themselves to our crop. I didn't mind them eating a couple of ears, but I knew they wouldn't stop at that.

"Looks like we've got some uninvited guests here," I told the guys.

"You sure do," William replied.

"This is gonna have to stop or they'll probably wipe out the entire crop."

"They could do that easily. The only way to stop 'em is to shoot 'em. You can't scare 'em away."

"What we always had success with was to shoot one and gut it right there. That seemed to keep 'em away after that."

"Well, that might work. But they'll probably just move to another field."

"Ok, then we'll have to shoot eight deer."

"Maybe if we spread their guts around to the different fields, we wouldn't need to shoot all of 'em."

"I hope you're right, William. I don't wanna have to be butcherin' eight deer. Especially in this heat."

"I heard dat. We'd have blow flies on them quicker than we could shoot 'em."

"Since we're the only ones around with a crop, they'll probably stay around until they understand they'll be killed if they do. I don't like doin' that, but that's the only way I know to stop it. I sure don't wanna let the carcass just rot. They taste way too good to do that."

"Yep, corn does taste a lot better than acorns do."

"Well, I guess we'll be spreadin' guts around so they'll get the idea they shouldn't be grazin' in the corn."

"We can only hope."

Jimmy and I took one last look at the tracks and thought they were probably made sometime early this morning. There were still some very distinct imprints of their hooves that would not have been there if they had been there much longer than about three hours.

This was fairly hilly country, but right around here, there were not a lot of spots that were too much higher than the fields. From the hoof prints, we determined that they were coming from the stream. They were probably using that as cover to move around. The fences would not prove much of a barrier if they were threatened since they could just hop over them. In order to view the back of these fields, we would need to be in a tree or about 400 yards away on a hilltop. The tree would be a very close shot, but we would have limited visibility. The hilltop would give us a view of probably four of the fields. Well, at least a partial view of the back of the fields. I was just wondering if we would actually be able to see the deer through all the foliage.

We made our way back to the workshop and parked the pickup. Then we walked down to the equipment shed and used the hose to wash our boots off. After that we walked over to the feed bin and I climbed up and opened the top.

It appeared like we had about a quarter of the bin full yet, so we'd need to grind before too long. I closed the lid and climbed back down. I told the guys what I'd seen and they agreed with me about grinding. I told them maybe we could do it on Monday.

It was still a bit early for lunch, so we walked to the workshop and just stayed out of sight of the females. I didn't want to chance a confrontation before the family meeting took place. I really wasn't happy about all of this, but I had been selected as the head and I would uphold my part. The thought ran through the back of my mind and I wondered if I had known what all of this entailed if I would have agreed to become Cammie's mate. When someone says "head of the clan," you really can't imagine what all the duties are. In today's "enlightened" society, nobody would even consider all the duties that had been placed on me. Certainly not deciding the fate of the members of the clan. I was always raised to believe that we were in charge of our own future, not that someone was going to have to approve of what we did. This was something out of the mid eighteenth century, not the twenty-first century.

I had to get myself out of that mindset. This was not a good idea to carry into the meeting.

"Jimmy, what do you think of sittin' on that one hill and watchin' for deer? It's about a 400 yard shot, but my .243 will make that shot easily."

"Well, it's either that or climbin' a tree. I've got a .243 too and I'm pretty confident about a shot like that. I've got some 90 grain bullets that come out better than 2900 foot a second."

"Ya, I do too. I figure if we kill two of them, we can scatter the guts around the different fields and maybe keep the deer away. It looked to me like they're in there early in the mornin', so if we got to the fields before daylight, we should be able to pick a couple off as soon as it gets light."

"Yep, plus if we use the pasture hill, we can drive right up to it and wait for them in the truck."

"If we use the pasture field, we'll lose the one field. We won't be able to see through the trees."

"Well, that'll still give us three fields to watch. We should be able to get something from those. There were tracks in all three of those fields, so I'm sure they'll be back."

"Ya, I am too. Well, maybe we can do this tomorrow mornin' and get this out of the way."

"Can Jessie and I come with ya'all?" Jamie asked.

"I don't see why not," I replied. "I think the girls can milk and feed the cows by themselves and ya'all can feed the horses when we get back."

"What time do ya'all want me at your place?"

"I don't know yet. Let's see how this meetin' goes and we'll make our final decisions then."

We continued our strategy meeting until we were called for lunch by the dinner bell. We walked up to the house and washed up on the back porch. Then we made our way to the table for a lunch of soup, salad and leftover roast pork sandwiches. It was good and we all ate our fill and then sat back and sipped our coffee.

We told the women what we had found and that we were going to ambush the deer in hopes of stopping them from ruining our corn crop. Cammie asked when we were going to do this and I told her probably tomorrow morning. We would probably get there before sun up and be back by breakfast. I got some different looks from the women, but I just let it pass.

We finished up our coffee and then I asked when we were going to have the meeting. Bonnie said as soon as they cleaned the table and did the dishes. I asked them if they'd make some iced tea for us to sip while we talked and they said that wouldn't be a problem. With that, us guys got up from the table and headed for the front porch to await our call to the meeting.



-------

Chapter 48


We rested on the front porch while the women cleaned up from lunch and I was a bit nervous. I wasn't happy being in this position and I wasn't happy that Bonnie was giving up her kids. Although, if I thought seriously about it, she wasn't really giving them up. She is here most of the day and is already sleeping over at Jimmy's, so it really wouldn't be that much different than it is now. Still, it just rubbed me the wrong way. But I had to consider the "ways of the clan." Here, Jimmy and I were the outsiders. Just because we didn't understand traditions, that did not make them wrong. These rules had been set up for a reason, although I couldn't ever determine why, they were still the rules they lived by here. I could see how things could easily go astray if the head of the clan was a tyrant, as Barb's husband had been, but it was cast upon my shoulders now and I was the one who had to be "fair minded" and uphold the clan's rules.

Until I had hooked up with Cammie, I had been on my own since my divorce and didn't have any responsibility for anyone except myself. Now, in a period of ten months, I had not only taken on the responsibility of a relationship, I also had a family that I was responsible for. That's a lot for a man who has been on his own for a while to accept. Even while I was married, I wasn't home enough to be considered the responsible one. That fell on my ex. It seemed like I was always on a mission or training some group of allies. My time at home was mainly catching up on what I had missed and then preparing to leave again. My main concern back then was staying alive and keeping my teammates alive. Beyond that, I took orders and did my job. I guess life isn't all that easy for a military wife.

I was shaken from my thoughts by Cammie coming to the porch and telling us it was time for the meeting. It was time for me to put on my disguise as the head of the clan.

When we got to the table, there were seats all around the table, but what confused me was an ashtray setting at my place and the place where William sits. After we all sat down, Bonnie said that Lena had something to say before we got into the other business.

"I think I owe you an apology, Dean. Ya'all have been smokin' outside because ya'all thought I had an allergy to cigarette smoke. I don't. I just told William that because I wanted him to quit and thought that would get him to do it. But, it's been almost ten years now, and he hasn't. So we just might as well go ahead a let ya'all smoke in the house. I felt bad when ya'all were on the porch and it was rainin' and it was all because of me."

I just had to grin at the situation.

"Lena, I don't have a lot of experience with a lot of things, but the one thing I do know is that men don't take hints. We are absolutely clueless about stuff like that. Ya'all need to just come out and say what you want. Hints just go way over our heads."

Everyone had a chuckle at that and the women all nodded their heads. Then Bonnie spoke up.

"The reason for me callin' this meetin' is that Jimmy and I wanna move in together. So we have to get your permission."

I knew this wouldn't fly, but I was going to try it anyway.

"Ok, you have my permission. Is the meetin' over?"

"No. It don't work that way."

"What do you mean? You asked for my permission and I gave it. What more do I need to do?"

"You have to ask questions to make sure we're doin' this for the right reasons and not just to shack up. I'm still your bitch and you have to release me from that."

"Ok, I release you from bein' my bitch. What else?"

"No, you don't understand. Daddy, can you he'p him?"

"Dean," William started, "you need to ask them questions about how they decided to do this and make sure they're doin' this for the right reasons. This must be an in-depth thing before you can decide to allow them to mate up. Somethin' like ya'all probably did with Jamie and Dianne."

"Well, the thing is, as I see it, these two ain't 16 anymore and should know how to make a decision on their own."

"Yes, but as head of the clan, you need to make sure your members ain't messin' up their lives."

"Damn, this puts a lot of pressure on me. If I allow them to do this and it don't work out, then it's like it's my fault."

"Sorta. But that's part of your responsibility."

I knew this was going to get to this point, but I had been dragging it out so I could frustrate Bonnie and put more pressure on her. After William's last statement, I didn't say anything for a bit. I reached for the pitcher of tea and poured a glass for myself and set it back down. Then I lit a cigarette and took a couple puffs and then a sip of tea while I was "thinking." I already had most of this planned out in my mind, but I didn't want the women to know I had advance warning of this or how my part was supposed to go. That would put Jimmy and William on the spot.

When I figured I had milked the silence thing about all I could, I spoke up.

"So, ya'all have decided to mate up? Have ya'all given this a lot of thought?" I said, as I looked at Bonnie.

She was the one insisting on this and I was going to put her on the spot first.

"Yes, we've been talkin' about this for a few weeks now. We didn't just decide this and we think we've covered all the angles."

I knew my next question was going to raise a bit of her Irish temper, but I was going to play this game all the way.

"Ok, well are YOU doin' this because you ain't gettin' any younger and you figure you'd best find someone to grow OLDER with, or before you get too old to find anyone?"

"NO! That never even came into my thinkin' at all. It's not that I need someone, but that we want to be together."

"Well, ya'all are pretty much together now. You're sleepin' over there most nights, so why change?"

"Because this way it puts more of a commitment on our relationship."

"I'd say it does that. But have you really looked at ever'thing? For instance, have you talked to your kids and told them of your decision and what it means to them?"

"I've talked to Cammie and she agrees that it's the next logical step."

I knew the answer to this before I asked it, but I was going to make her say it.

"Have you asked Jessie and Chrissy what they think about movin' over there?"

"They won't be movin'. They'll be stayin' here, with you, since you're head of the clan."

"You're runnin' out on your children?"

"Absolutely not. They'll be here and I'll see 'em ever'day. Nothin' will change about that, except all of my clothes will be over there."

"But it's like you're givin' them to me."

"I already done that when you took over as head of the clan. The only way they can go with me is if you don't want 'em and kick 'em out."

"I'm not real happy about a mother desertin' her kids. I don't think that's right."

"I'm not desertin' 'em. I'll see 'em ever'day and I'll always be available to 'em for anything they might need from me. I'm not even gonna be a half mile away."

"Still, they're not with you."

"No. That's the price I have to pay to mate up with Jimmy."

"That's a hell of a price."

"Well, that's just the way it is down here."

"I would never kick 'em out, but I'm not sure I approve of this arrangement for the kids."

"They realize what it means. It's just part of our lifestyle."

"Ok, we'll put that aside for right now. Are you doin' this because you're lonely?"

"No. I'm doin' this because we love each other and want to be together."

"Is it possible that Barb's death has somethin' to do with this? I mean ya'all have just been seein' each other a couple months now. Are you sure that it's not partially because of her not bein' here anymore?"

"I'm real sure about that. Losin' Barb was a real blow to me and I am still sad about it. But that don't have nothin' to do with this, at all."

"You just said that you two love each other, but are ya'all IN love with each other?"

"Yes. And I do know the difference between the two. It's been a long time for me since I've felt like this and I don't want to ever lose this feelin' again."

"Well, if ya'all have this feelin' then it'll still be there in three or four months. Since this is so quick, why not wait a while and see if it's really what you say it is?"

"Because too many things can happen in that time and we don't want to waste it not bein' together."

"You mean like the way Barb died so suddenly?"

"Well, yes. There is that, but that's not the reason for not waitin'. We're a bit older and it's just time for both of us to get together."

"Ah, you're gettin' older and maybe runnin' out of time?"

"NO! I probably didn't explain that right. We're older and know the difference between a crush and bein' in love. We don't wanna wait and risk anythin' happenin' to where we'd lose this chance."

"Ok. I can understand that. But we haven't heard from Chrissy or Jessie yet on this. It does affect them too. Chrissy, what do you think of this arrangement?"

"I like it. It's 'bout time Mom found somethin' for herself. She's been mean-mouthin' the guys around here for years and now she's found someone that makes her happy, so I say, go for it."

"You don't mind that she's movin' away and won't be here with you?"

"She's gone now as much as she'll be gone if she moves in, so I don't see that it makes a difference."

"But you won't have someone to confide in when you have problems."

"I have you and Cammie. Cammie and me talk as much as Mom and me do. Besides, she'll be here ever'day and I can talk to her anytime I want."

"Ok, Jessie. What about you?"

"I feel the same way. I don't really see no difference, 'cept her movin' her things over there."

"Jamie. You got anythin' to say 'bout this?"

"Yep. It's 'bout time. Chrissy's right. She's been puttin' the men in this county down for so long, we all thought she'd be single for the rest of her life. I'm happy for her."

"Ok, Cammie. It's your turn. What's your thoughts on this situation?"

"I'm all for it. Mama ain't been this happy in a long time and I'm happy for her."

"Ok, well I can respect ya'all's opinion. So, now it's your turn, Jimmy. Why are ya'all rushin' into this?"

"Well, so much has happened to me over this last year, that I really don't know where to start. I can only say that I've never been happier than I am since Bonnie started stayin' over. We get along great and don't have too many fights. I mean, she ain't never hit me yet and she ain't real hard to look at, so I figure I'm all for it."

"Ok, let's start with all that's happened to ya. Less than ten months ago, you were injured in an accident and lost your wife. I know that has to play a big part in the way you look at things. Then you lost Barb. Again, suddenly and tragically. Is it possible that you're startin' to see yourself windin' up alone for the rest of your life?"

"I'm sure that might've been in the back of my mind, but it didn't figure in my decidin'. I'm not sure those losses will ever leave me completely alone. But this is somethin' that we came up with on our own."

"But those losses had to create a great void in your life. Are you sure it ain't cloudin' your judgment on this?"

"Yep, I'm dead sure on that point. I mean, I loved Barb, but I wasn't in love with her. But Bonnie and I have a different kind of relationship than Barb and I did. With Bonnie, it's much more about the two of us and enjoyin' bein' together. We just seem to be more together than we are apart. I don't know if you can understand that or not. But it's like we both take on a different light when we're together. Kinda like each of us grow bigger together and shrink when we're apart."

"Ya, I can understand that. But I'm just concerned that you're graspin' for somethin' to hold on to in order to keep from sinkin' into loneliness."

"Nope. I don't think so. I've been both lonely and alone and I know the difference between the two. I don't think I was ever so lonely as I was in D.C. But here, even when I was alone, I wasn't lonely. But when Bonnie and I are together, it just seems like that void disappears completely."

"What do you think you're kids'll say?"

"Well, they told me they were all for me findin' someone when they were here. So I don't think they'll be that surprised. I mean, we spent a lot of time together when they were here and they didn't disapprove."

"What if they do?"

"Well, it won't make a whole lot of difference. I've still got to live my life as I see fit. I love them dearly, but they don't control my life. Just like I know I won't be controllin' their lives as they get older and go out into the world."

"Well, the last ones we need to hear from are William and Lena. We'll go with Lena first. What's your take on this."

"Heavens, I'm all for it. Bonnie's been on her own for so long now that we both wondered if she'd ever find someone she approved of. I know she's had a tough time of it, raisin' all the kids on her own, and I know it woulda been a lot easier if there'd been a man around, but she was so protective of her kids that she just never allowed anyone to come around. So, if she's happy, then I'm right pleased about ever'thing."

"What about you, William?"

"Well, I ain't seen no signs of him beatin' her. Plus, she does seem happy. Them's 'bout all I'm concerned with. If she's convinced that it's right, then I vote for it."

"Well, that leaves Donna. You are part of this family too. Do you have any feelin's about this?"

"Yes. My feelin's are that I'm happy for her. I know what it feels like when you finally find someone to love and who'll love you. There's not a better feelin' and I know she don't wanna lose that. So my vote is yes."

"Well, I don't think we're votin', but I'll put you down for a yes. I guess I've got some serious contemplatin' to do about all of this."

I poured myself another glass of tea and took it with me as I left the room. I walked out and sat down on the front porch. I knew I wasn't going to deny them their happiness, and I'm sure that Jimmy knew it too. But the women didn't. They put me in this situation so they could just wait while I took my time making my decision.

This couldn't be like it was when we were deciding about Jamie and Dianne and walked around waving our arms. I didn't have anyone else to confer with. So I just sipped my tea and smoked my cigarette and sat in my chair, staring out at the countryside.

Once the cigarette was done, I put it out and finished my tea. Then I walked inside and took my seat at the head of the table.

"Well, I said, very slowly, "I don't have any doubts that are serious enough to veto your matin' up. If it was me, I would have waited at least a year before I did anything. But ya'all ain't me. Ya'all are free, white and over 21, so I see no reason not approve this. Ya'all have my blessin' and best wishes. My only real objection is that Bonnie's leavin' the kids here. It's not that I don't want them, it's that I think they should be with their mother. But that seems to be the rules down here and I won't go against them on this point. There might be somethin' in the future that I strongly disagree with, and at that time I'll really put up a fight. But they're here and close and will see Bonnie ever'day, so I won't fuss too much about that."

"Thank you very much, Dean," Bonnie said. "I know you have your own thoughts about how we live our lives around here, but this works for us. I really do appreciate your takin' our feelin's into consideration."

"Ok, now that that has been settled, what happens next?"

"Well, I just have to move my stuff over to Jimmy's place. That's really about it. We was thinkin' about doin' that tomorrow."

"Well, if we shoot a couple deer tomorrow, that'll take up most of the day to butcher 'em."

"I know. Could ya'all do that next week instead?"

"I guess we could. I hate to lose anymore corn, but a day shouldn't matter."

"I do appreciate that. I'm anxious to get this taken care of so we can get on with our lives."

"Speakin' of that, what all will you be takin'?"

"Oh, just my clothes and some other personal stuff. They ain't no sense in takin' all the stuff over there. I mean the pots and pans and other stuff are needed here."

"So, I guess that means that Cammie is now in charge around here?"

"She always has been. Mama and I just he'p out around here. She's the main female in the clan."

"Ya'all do have some interestin' rules around here. It sure seems strange to me, but I don't think that's any reason to change 'em. As long as they don't interfere with much, I see no reason to question 'em. I just wish I knew more of what to expect."

"If you have any questions, just ask. We'll always be happy to tell you."

"My one big thing is about the girls. I know the boys are learnin' 'bout things havin' to do with the farm, but are the girls learnin' about cookin' and such?"

"Well, they pretty well know the basics and will learn more as time goes along."

"Do they know how to prepare the sour dough things?"

"Not yet, but they will learn. Dianne is learnin' and we'll be teachin' Chrissy and Donna before too long. Then Charlene and Deanne will be taught too. They all know about cannin' and a lot of other things, but we ain't been doin' the sour dough stuff long enough to bring all of 'em in yet."

"Well, I just want them prepared for life before they have to go out and learn it on their own. They should be competent in the kitchen and the farm too. I know they have learned a lot about the farm because I've seen 'em work at things. But I want them to be as knowledgeable in the kitchen too."

"Trust me, they will be. They can cook pretty good now. There's some things that they don't know, but it's just the fine points, mostly. They all know about cannin' because they've done it for so long. They might have a bit of a problem with makin' a big roast or makin' kraut, but not too much."

"Well, as long as they're scheduled to learn, I'm happy. I also think the boys should learn a bit about cookin' too. I don't want them to starve to death because they don't have a women to cook for 'em."

"I hadn't thought about that, but it's a good idea. They don't know much about cannin', but they can make a breakfast. They'd probably be hard pressed to make a roast, but they can do some cookin'."

"Well, let's plan on them learnin' things too. I know Donna can make great desserts, but can the other girls?"

"Probably not as good as Donna. Barb taught her a lot of stuff. But the other girls will be learnin' it too."

"Well, as long as ever'one learns. So, have we covered ever'thing for this meetin'?"

"Yep, unless someone else has somethin'."

I looked around and nobody looked like they wanted to say anything.

"Well, I guess we can call an end to this clan meetin'."

I looked at the clock and it was almost 3, so I suggested that us guys get the feeding done and then take our showers. Everyone agreed and we departed that dining room and headed for the equipment shed.

I got the tractor with the spreader fired up and pulled under the feed bin. Jamie worked the chute while William was studying the structure of the entire bin. Once the spreader was full, they both climbed up with me and we followed Jimmy and Jessie to the pastures.

Feeding was normal except it was still a bit muddy. William stayed on the tractor with me and Jamie worked the gates and helped Jessie with the bales. Then we rode back to the shed and I hosed out the spreader and the boys hosed off their boots and we parked everything.

We walked up to the house and William, Jimmy and Jamie left for their houses shower for tonight. Jessie and I showered and got ourselves ready for the Grange hall.

Jessie beat me to the front porch and had a pitcher of tea waiting for us. He had also brought glasses with ice for everyone else when they arrived.

"Do we really need to learn how to cook?"

"You sure do. That's a survival skill that we all need."

"I don't think I need to know how to make bread or most of the other stuff."

"Well, not necessarily bread, but it wouldn't hurt. There will come a time when you'll thank all of us for learnin' that skill."

"I thought that was one of the reasons for gettin' married. I'm makin' sure the twins know how to cook good. I've talked to their mom about that."

"That's one of the worst reasons to get married. Never get married because you're hungry or horny. I lived on my own for a bunch of years after I got divorced. If I hadn't know'd how to cook, I woulda spent a lot of money on goin' out to eat, and sometimes I didn't have that much money. Plus, restaurants won't cook the fish you catch for you."

"Oh, I could cook fish. That's not a problem."

"How about makin' cornbread to go with it?"

"I've never done that, but I probably could."

"Well, we're gonna make sure you can, plus a bunch of other stuff."

"I guess it would be ok to learn that stuff."

"Well, I know how to do all that stuff, plus I can do it over an open fire."

"You can bake over a fire?"

"Yep, I sure can. I've got some old time Dutch ovens and I can bake stuff in them as good as you can in an oven on a stove."

"Really? Now that sounds like fun. I'd like to learn that."

"I'll make you a deal. Once you learn to do it in an oven, I'll teach ya'all how to do it with an open fire."

"Ok. I'll agree to that."

"What do you think folks did before they had stoves and ovens?"

"I don't know. I just thought they had them forever."

"Nope. It wasn't until after world war two that most folks around here even had electric. They mostly had wood stoves and fireplaces to cook on."

"Didn't the wood stoves have ovens?"

"Some did. But not ever'one could afford 'em. Lots a folks just had an old pot-bellied stove for heat and cookin' and had to use the fireplace to bake."

"Really? That seems strange."

"I'll bet your grandma and grandpa could tell you a lot of stories about that. They probably didn't even have TV for a long time."

"No way."

"Yes, way. Some families probably didn't even have a radio for a long time. They didn't have any electricity to run it with. And that meant they didn't have any lights, but had to use the old oil lamps after dark."

"Wow, and I thought it was hard times when the electric would go out for a day or so."

"Yep, there's a lot of things that ya'all take for granted now that folks didn't even have not too many years ago. My mom never had a telephone until right before world war two, and they lived in the city by then. When she lived out in the country, they didn't even have electric until she was in her mid 20's. Her dad used to deliver mail on horseback and always carried a gun on his route so he could feed his family with the game he shot while he made his rounds."

"Man, that's unbelieveable."

"We have so much nowadays that it's hard to imagine what it's like to not have it."

"It sure is. I thought we were behind the times because we didn't have a computer until you got here."

"Well, then imagine not havin' even electricity, or a phone, or a car."

"I don't think I can even imagine that."

Jimmy and William showed up and joined the conversation. William told us that it wasn't until '48 that his family had electricity and then it was just for light sockets. Then they finally managed to trade part of a hog for a radio that the entire family could listen to. Before that, they had a crystal set that only had an ear piece and only one could listen to it at a time. They didn't get their first TV until the '60's. Jessie was just amazed.

Jamie showed up and Jessie told him about what we had been talking about and he was surprised by a lot of the stuff. I told them to ask Lena about cooking without a stove. It was just about that time we were called for supper.



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Chapter 49


The women had fixed a roast that they must have started before the meeting began. We also had corn on the cob, a salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, and fresh peas. Then Donna brought out apple dumplings for dessert. By the time we sat back to sip our coffee, we were all stuffed.

"Grandma," Jessie began, "Dean was tellin' us about cookin' without a stove and bakin' over a fire. Did you used to do that?"

"Heavens yes. When I was growin' up, we didn't have electricity until after World War Two. We first had a cook stove that didn't have an oven in it. Any bakin' we did had to be done in the fireplace or on top of the stove with coals on top of the Dutch oven that we got from the firebox. My pap and brothers were always cuttin' and splittin' wood so we could cook and keep warm. Then we got a new stove when Daddy sold an extra pig one year. It had an oven in it, but it was still a wood stove. It wasn't until the mid 50's that we got a gas stove that had an oven in it. And then Mama complained about it because she wasn't used to it and had problems knowin' when things were done. She still liked the wood stove we had."

"Well, Dean said he'd teach us how to bake in a Dutch oven if we learned how to cook. Is it really difficult?"

"Not really. It's just a matter of makin' sure it's pre-heated before you start bakin' and then keepin' the heat goin' under it and on top of it."

"On top of it? How do ya do that?"

"The Dutch oven has a lid with a lip around it and you have to keep coals on it while you're bakin'. That's so you can get heat from both the top and the bottom."

"Oh, I didn't think about that. I guess you'd really need to keep a watch on it."

"Not so much, once you get the hang of it. Then you just pretty well know what it's gonna take to bake whatever you're cookin'."

"Wow, that sounds kinda neat. What else did ya'all do?"

"Well, for starters, we made all our own soap."

"Really? How'd ya do that?"

"Each fall, after we butchered a hog, Mama would render that tallow into lard and we mixed that with water and the ashes from our stove to get the lye. Then we'd boil it down until we had soap. That soap is still the best soap there is, but it's a real pain to make. It'll clean near 'bout anything."

"Why didn't ya'all just buy the soap?"

"'Cause we didn't have the money to buy it and this was from stuff we already had. It didn't cost nothin' but our time."

"Wow, that's unreal. Makin' your own soap."

"Hon', we made most of what we used. Daddy had his own forge and made and repaired a lot of the tools he used. He was always busy in the wintertime, retemperin' plow shares or other tools. Then he'd take a lot of time to mend the harnesses for the horses or mendin' other stuff that needed it. We were always busy around there. There wasn't much time to spare for anything."

"I guess we've got it a lot easier than ya'all did."

"That's for sure. Both Mama and me woulda killed for a kitchen like ya'all have here. We didn't even have a furnace for a long time and then we had to run the pipes that move the heat around after we got it. Things weren't always this easy."

"I guess not."

"Ok, that's enough talkin' for now," Bonnie said. "We all need to get ready for the Grange hall tonight."

The kids headed for their chores and the women began to clear the table. William, Jimmy and I headed for the front porch and just relaxed. It wasn't too long until the women began to appear. William had to drive Lena home to clean up, but Dianne and Bonnie took vehicles and drove to their houses to shower and get ready. Of course, Cammie, Chrissy and Donna took their showers here when they got through with their evening chores.

Donna was the first to come out to the porch and she claimed my lap. She listened to our conversation and just rested her head on my shoulder. Chrissy came out next and joined the conversation.

Dianne drove up and Jamie and her took Jessie and departed to pick up the twins. I had to get Donna to get up so I could go inside and get the guitar. I put it in the back of the van and then came back to the porch. Donna waited until I sat down and sat on my lap again.

Bonnie showed up and joined us and Cammie and Chrissy were the next to come out on the porch. Finally, William and Lena showed up and we were all ready to depart. William and Lena rode with Jimmy and Bonnie and the girls rode with Cammie and myself. The three females talked about Bonnie moving and I just drove and kept out of the conversation. This was strictly girl's stuff.

Once we arrived, Jimmy and I put our guitars on the stage and let them acclimate to the conditions there. I took a look at the playlist they had made up and there seemed to be no surprises. I did notice that there were a lot of the old Hank Williams songs, but didn't think too much of it.

Jimmy and I took our seats at our end of the table with William and we chatted. Frank showed up and Allen wasn't far behind. They joined our conversation and they had some questions for William about woodworking. William was more than happy to answer them. The fact that he was being included in the group was pleasing to me. The more comfortable he felt, the better I felt about things. I wanted him and Lena to be very happy living with the family. I sure didn't want them to feel like they were in the way. It's normal for the family to include them, but for the outsiders to include them makes all the difference in the world. Then they know they are not being patronized.

We hadn't talked very long until I was surrounded by the twins. I got a kiss from each of them on the cheek and then they each hugged an arm and rubbed their tits against my shoulder.

"Can Jessie come to our birthday party tomorrow?" Lana asked.

"I don't have any problem with that, but you'll need to clear it with his mother."

"We already did and she said to ask you," Leanne replied.

"Well, it's fine with me. What time should he be there?"

"It's gonna start about 2, but anytime is fine," Lana said.

"How old are ya'all gonna be?"

"Actually, we turned 14 on Tuesday, but we're havin' the party tomorrow."

"14 huh? Have ya'all got your spankin's yet?"

"No. Are you gonna spank us?" Leanne asked, with a big grin on her face."

"I'll leave that job for Jessie."

"Oh, but we wouldn't mind," Lana put in. "Maybe you could do it when you drop him off tomorrow."

"I hadn't planned on droppin' him off. Jamie will probably do that. We've got some movin' to do tomorrow."

"Awwww, ain't you gonna be there for some birthday cake?" Leanne asked, with a pouting lip.

"Well, we hadn't planned on it. But I'm not sure what the women have in mind. I just know we need to get some things moved tomorrow."

"Well, we both want ya'all to come and have some cake with us," Lana said, as they both rubbed their tits against my shoulders a bit harder.

"We'll just have to see what happens."

"You two go find kids your age to talk with. We're busy talkin' about our stuff," Frank told them.

"Yes, Papa," they answered in unison and they each gave me a kiss on the cheek as they departed. We talked for a bit and then Elmer called us up for the first set.

We all got in tune with everyone else and then I kicked the set off with "Wedding Bells." The other singer followed up with "Your Cheatin' Heart." We went back and forth like that until we had played out the set. Folks were up dancing on every song, so I considered it a success.

Jimmy and I each got a Coke and returned to our table and joined in the conversation. William was telling them about making regular dovetail joints and sliding dovetail joints. Both Frank and Allen were paying close attention to the details he was describing.

Jessie showed up and asked if I would take him to Searcy tomorrow to buy the twins a present. I told him we'd have to clear it with the women, but I didn't see any reason we couldn't.

He and I walked to the women's end of the table and I finally got Bonnie's and Cammie's attention and told them that Jessie wanted me to take him to Searcy to buy a present for the girls.

"Why do you want Dean to take you?" Cammie asked. "Us women would be a much better choice."

"Because Dean won't spend all day in the store to find a birthday present."

"See what you've started?" Cammie said, looking directly at me.

"I didn't start anything. You've got to get it through your mind that men don't like to shop, regardless of how old they are."

Jenna and Fran laughed at that and Cammie just got red in the face.

"Oh, I don't care. Ya'all can just go ahead and buy whatever you see first."

I considered the conversation over and started to walk away, but Cammie had other ideas.

"Who's gonna wrap the gifts for you?" she said, looking at Jessie.

"Why do they need to be wrapped?"

"Because all gifts should be wrapped. It's just the right thing to do."

"Well, then I guess Dean and me'll wrap 'em ourselves."

"That oughta be good. I can just see it now. They'll both get a paper bag with a bow on it."

"What's wrong with that?"

"God, I can't believe that you've corrupted the boys so much," Cammie said, again looking at me.

"Well, he's right, they would be wrapped," I replied, with a grin that was not appreciated by her.

Again the women chuckled and I tried my best to escape. But, before I could, she said, "You can't just put a bow on a paper bag and call it wrapped. You have to have birthday present paper and a nice bow on it with a card."

"Yes, dear."

"Don't you start this shit now."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrr, you males are gonna be the death of us women."

"Well, if ya'all would quit tryin' to impose your values on us, then you wouldn't be so frustrated when we resisted."

"We're just tryin' to get some correct manners in the boys heads so they won't grow up to be so out of touch with reality. Gifts ain't supposed to be in paper bags, they're supposed to be in birthday paper with a bow and a nice card."

"Have you ever gotten a gift from me that was wrapped in a paper bag?"

"I can't remember, but it wouldn't surprise me if you did."

"Well, I can tell you that you never have. I'm not completely ignernt."

"Nobody'd ever know it by listenin' to you."

"Try not listenin' and pay more attention to what really happens."

"Urrr. You make me so mad at times."

"Yes, dear."

With that, I turned on my heels and walked back to the other end of the table. I was happy to escape with no battle scars. Women just had to pick on every little detail.

Jessie left to return to his friends and I sat down and sipped my coke while I listened to William describing more woodworking techniques. It wasn't too long until Elmer called us up for the second set.

We tuned up and I led off our rowdy set with "Dear John, I Sent Your Saddle Home." The other singer followed up with "There's A Tear In My Beer." Then I did "I Won't Be Home No More" and he followed with "Setting The Woods On Fire." We went back and forth and ended the set with a duet of Moe and Joe's "Good Ol' Boys." Everyone had been up dancing and singing along. I liked that because it was a good indication they were having fun.

Jimmy and I got another Coke and headed for the table. When we got there, Frank asked me some stuff about organic farming. I told him what I knew and then told him about the questionnaire I had to fill out at the County Agent's office and that someone would be out in the next week or so to certify our place as organic. He was very interested in that part of it. I explained that Arkansas didn't have a certification process, but it came from an independent organization, based in Indiana.

He asked more questions and I answered them as best I could. I told them I would probably know more after the inspection. When they asked me about the benefits, I told them that the price of the beef would most likely be about twenty percent more than normal market price. They figured between not using pesticides and herbicides and the savings from that, plus the extra money at sale time, I should be a lot better then just the twenty percent. I told them I hoped so.

Elmer called us up for the last set and we all got tuned up. I led off with "I'm Sorry For You My Friend" and the other singer followed up with "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You." Then I came back with "Mansion On The Hill" and he sang "Jambalaya." Then we switched off of Hank Williams for a couple of songs and I did "I'm Drifting Into Deep Water" and he sang "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind." We went back and forth until we finally finished out the set.

Jimmy and I packed up our guitars and walked back to the table. Of course the women were lost in their "conversation" at the other end of the table and us guys had to sit there while they finished talking about whatever it was. Finally, Allen said it was time to leave and they broke up the little gathering and we all headed for the vehicles.

As soon as the girls, Cammie and I were in the van and on our way home, Cammie said, "Can't you see what you're teachin' the boys to be like?"

"Are you still on this? Darlin', you need to understand that shoppin' is not an important thing for males. Jessie wants a gift for the twins, but he don't want to spend all day lookin' for it. The inside of a store is not a pleasin' place for us to be. We'd rather be outside or with the one we love."

"Don't try suckin' up to me. You just want them to be like you."

"Hon, I didn't say a thing to him about it. He came over and asked if I would take him to buy a birthday present and I said I would. Nothin' else was said. I didn't coach him in any way."

"You don't have to. They just act like you because they see you doin' them things."

"Did you ever think that they might not be actin' like anyone 'cept themselves? Us guys DO NOT like to shop. When we go to the store, it's to buy somethin', not to look around at ever'thing they've got. We'll be up to Searcy and back before ya'all could get through the first store."

"And you'll miss a lot of stuff."

"It's him that's doin' the buyin', not me or you. It's what he wants, not us."

"But maybe he don't know what he wants."

"If he asks me a question or for he'p, then I'll give him my advice. If not, I'll just be along for the ride."

"Maybe he needs some guidance in what to buy."

"Maybe he don't."

"You are such a man."

"Yes, dear."

We finally arrived home and everyone came inside to wait for the boys to arrive. While we waited, I asked what was going to happen tomorrow.

"Basically," Bonnie answered, "we'll be movin' all of my clothes and other stuff over to Jimmy's place. It probably won't take too long, but we have to make sure nothin' breaks and none of my clothes get stained."

"Well, that shouldn't be too difficult. I'll help move the clothes with the van and then I'll take Jessie to Searcy later on."

"You need to have him there around two."

"If we eat lunch early, then we can drive up there, buy the present and get back in plenty of time."

"I'd think you'd be better off if you took him before lunch and then we could wrap the presents when ya'all get back."

"We could do that too. It don't make much difference when we go."

"Well, we're supposed to go over for cake and ice cream around 5:30 or so, so we'll be eatin' supper early tomorrow."

"I didn't realize we were goin' over there."

"Yep, we decided to do that at the table tonight."

"Ok, well, I'll take him shoppin' around 10 or so and then be back for lunch. Then someone can run him over there around 2 and come back. We can feed early and then have dinner around 4 or so and make it over there for dessert."

"That was 'bout what we figured."

Jessie showed up with Jamie and Dianne and they all came in. Once everyone got their hugs and kisses, everyone left for their places to sleep.

After they'd left, we closed up and turned everything off. I got a kiss from Donna, but Chrissy had disappeared, along with Cammie. I wondered a bit, but stranger things have happened around here, so I just headed for our bedroom.

Once I got there, I discovered Cammie and Chrissy in bed. I stripped down and headed for the bathroom. When I slipped into bed, Cammie and Chrissy made room for me between them.

When I got settled, Cammie kissed me and then surrendered me to Chrissy. She kissed me like she was starved and I was the only food available. She sucked my tongue into her mouth and treated it like a cock as she stroked it with her tongue. I gently caressed her nipples as her ardor increased.

There was very little foreplay before she pulled me on top of her and I felt Cammie guide me into her waiting pussy. As I entered, her pussy began to snap at me as if it was chewing food to be swallowed. And her pussy did just that, swallow me. Once I was seated, it continued to massage my cock as her first orgasm hit her.

It wasn't a real big one, but it did take her concentration away for a bit. Her legs sort of slackened around me until it began to subside and then they tightened again. She moaned into my mouth as she began to fuck up at me. I still hadn't moved, but it didn't make any difference to her. She moved her hips to slide on me and rotated her hips to increase the action.

At this pace, I wasn't going to last very long. It had been a while since I had sex and the pump was primed. I tried to slow her down, but she wasn't having any of that at all. I jammed my pelvic bone against hers and tried to decrease the friction of her snapping pussy, but I was only partially successful. I moved from side to side to stimulate her clit and that worked, at least for her.

She exploded in her second orgasm and almost froze when it hit. Her pussy was going wild, but I was far enough in her that the head of my cock escaped the major spasms. She finally had to rip her mouth away from mine so she could breathe.

I kissed her ear and neck and tried to remain still so I didn't excite myself beyond the point of no return. Her fingers dug into my back and her legs tightened to pull me closer to her, if that was possible.

"Oh god, I've missed this," she panted, as she came down from the height of her orgasm. "Jessie's all right for takin' the edge off, but he can't do that."

Her mouth claimed mine again and her tongue flew into my mouth. Her nipples were like pebbles, boring into my chest, and she was still breathing hard, but through her nose. I tried to set up a slow, fucking motion, but she wasn't having any part of that. It didn't matter how slow, or fast, I went, her hips determined her pace.

I tried counting in threes and then in sevens and anything else I could think of to keep my mind off of being fucked to death by a fifteen-year old. I tried picturing ugly women and disgusting sights in an effort to stave off my cumming. It partially worked and I was able to back off my orgasm for a bit.

I sucked on her tongue and began to fuck her as she worked her way to her next orgasm. And that wasn't long in arriving.

She froze in mid stroke and almost went rigid. I slammed myself into her and drove her to the depth of the mattress. She screamed into my mouth and then had to pull away to gasp for air. I moved my pelvis around in circles to stimulate her and keep her orgasm going as long as I could. Her legs and arms were clamped around me as she rode out the crest of the wave of passion.

When she could function again, her body began moving and her lips sought mine out as we kissed deeply. That orgasm must have taken a bit out of her because she was content to fuck slowly for a bit. Her hips matched my strokes and we settled into a steady fucking motion. Her pussy was snapping as we rode each other and she began her climb to another orgasmic wave.

As she neared the peak, her motions became erratic again and she finally fucked her way to the top and began to slide down the other side. There were more moans as her legs and arms tightly constrained me against her. She finally had to rip her mouth away from mine so she could again gasp for the air she couldn't get through her nose. I gently bit her ears and neck, being careful not to leave any marks or detract from her pleasure.

As she gained her movement back, she hoarsely whispered, "Now I need you to cum. I can't take too much more of this or I'll pass out and miss what I came for."

With that, she attacked my mouth and her hips began a rocking motion that was designed to bring me to the end. I adjusted my position a bit and was now ending my stroke at the mouth of her cervix. She moaned and I did too as her cervix began to caress the end of my cock as it arrived there.

She was the first to arrive at the designated point, but I was right behind her. She pulled me tightly to her body, forcing my cock to mash against her cervix. As her first wave hit, I felt the tickle begin and quickly travel the length of my cock before I exploded. I moaned and she screamed into my mouth as she felt the hot cum bath the entrance to her womb.

She matched me, explosion for explosion. It continued well beyond the point of my expelling any cum at all. But the spasms were there and I kept trying to shoot quantities of cum that had already been depleted by her sucking pussy.

Finally, I just rested against her interior mouth and let her orgasm run its course. As she began to descend back to reality, we kissed and caressed each other and I tried to maintain some semblance of an erection inside of her.

But the blood doesn't remain in place after it is not needed, so I slowly began to shrink. She altered the position of her hips so I was resting in her upturned pussy. It took a bit, but her snapping pussy finally expelled me from its depths. When it did, her legs dropped to the bed and I slowly rolled off of her.

Cammie was instantly there to clean our remains from my cock. Once she was satisfied there was nothing left, she moved between Chrissy's legs and began to suck our cum from her pussy.

After I gained some semblance of movement back in my body, I rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I don't think they even noticed my leaving. When I returned, Cammie was on top of Chrissy and was fucking her. Chrissy had her legs wrapped around Cammie's waist and their pussies were together. Cammie's clit was probably inside of Chrissy as far as it would go, and Cammie would tense up every so often as her enlarged clit spit its cum into Chrissy.

Their mouths were glued together and their arms were clamped around each other. Their tits were mashed against the others as they ground themselves together. I eased back into bed and just watched this dance of love between them.

I'm sure they never realized I was even in bed until I stroked their sides and their mashed tits that were close to me. Even then, it took a minute for them to realize it was me doing the stroking.

When they did realize it was me, they broke their kiss and opened their arms to include me in their embrace. We all kissed and Cammie slowed her fucking to the point that she was just resting on top of Chrissy.

Eventually, they broke apart and made room for me in the middle. We kissed and caressed each other for some time and then drowsiness took over and we assumed our sleeping positions. Chrissy scooted up next to me as I hugged Cammie from the rear and gently cupped her tit as we drifted off to sleep.



-------

Chapter 50


The rooster woke me up and I was immediately aware that Chrissy was holding my piss hardon as she snuggled against me. It felt kind of nice, but also reminded me that I needed to piss.

I teased Cammie's nipple and she moaned and then turned over to kiss me. When she broke the kiss, she rolled over me to kiss Chrissy. I used that as an excuse to get out of bed and relieve my bladder.

They both followed shortly and I got a kiss from Chrissy while Cammie used the throne.

"I wanna thank you two for last night. I needed that. It's been a long time and I was gettin' kinda cranky."

"Trust me, it was my pleasure. I'm sorry it's been so long, but there have been a lot of things happenin' around here."

"I know, but that don't make me any less horny."

"Not too much makes you less horny."

"Well, last night did a pretty good job."

She kissed me again and then took her place on the throne. Cammie slid next to me and we both washed up. Then Chrissy joined us and there was no place for me, so I headed for the bedroom and got dressed. They weren't far behind me and we all headed for our morning duties.

Cammie and I were the first in the kitchen and she went to work on the sour dough, replacing what needed to go back into the starter and then she started making the biscuits. I got the water on and then ground the coffee. Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her before she started on the sausage. Lena was the next to arrive and went to work with Cammie.

Bonnie was the last to show up and didn't say much. Nobody said a word about her being late, mainly because they probably didn't really care. She joined right in with Lena and Cammie on the biscuits.

Once the water was boiling, I filled three presses and then refilled those pans and put them back on the stove. As soon as the coffee had steeped, I emptied the contents into the regular coffee pots and carried them to the dining room.

Jimmy had the pot warmers lit and I set two pots on the warmers and carried the third one towards the front porch.

"Are we still goin' to the porch for coffee and cigarettes?" Jimmy asked.

"I kinda like bein' outside in the mornin' as long as it's not cold or rainin' on us."

William picked up our coffee cups and Jimmy carried a pot warmer and followed me out to the porch. I poured us each a cup of coffee and then sat down. William and I lit our first and we sat back to enjoy the morning.

We chatted about various things, but mostly about moving Bonnie's stuff over to Jimmy's place. None of us had any idea how much she was going to move, so we really couldn't plan. I told them I thought the clothes would be better off in the van and they agreed. But we had no idea what else was going to be involved. We could only wait and be surprised later on.

The kids showed up and each poured themselves a cup of coffee. Donna claimed my lap and rested her head on my shoulder when she wasn't sipping her coffee. Jamie took the empty coffee pot inside and returned with a full one. Our conversation revolved around moving Bonnie this morning.

Jamie said that he was going to try and put the final coat of paint on the floor molding today and we might be able to put it up tomorrow or Tuesday. Jessie said he couldn't help because he had to buy a present for the twins and then go to their party. Jamie told him not to worry about it.

We chatted until Dianne called us for breakfast. We took our coffee cups and the pot of coffee inside and made our way to the table. All talking ceased while we feasted on the meal. Both Chrissy and Bonnie had extra large helpings of everything as we all made sure we got our share before they hogged it all. We also made sure to keep our hands out of their way, lest we be impaled by a flying fork going between their plate and mouth.

Once everyone was done eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee. I told Bonnie I thought it would be best to take her clothes in the van so they wouldn't be exposed to the dust and such on the ride over. She nodded and said there were a lot more things to go over besides her clothes. I told her I'd take the clothes and then Jessie and I needed to head for Searcy so he could buy the twins their presents. She just nodded and kept sipping her coffee.

We continued our conversation about various things until we finished our coffee. Then the women cleared the table and everyone, except Bonnie, started on the dishes.

Bonnie took us to her room and we began to empty her closet. When I saw the volume of clothes, I went outside and folded all the rear seats of the van down so we could load them.

Jimmy and Jamie appeared with both arms full of clothes. I arranged them in piles as they brought them out. I had planned on keeping them in the order they brought them out so it would be easier for them to sort them when they got to Jimmy's place. However, that plan quickly evaporated as the piles grew.

It didn't take long until the van was full and there were still more clothes to move. Jimmy and I drove over to his place and began to carry them in. We just laid them on the bed and tried to keep them in some sort of order, but it was a lost cause.

Once we got them stacked on the bed, we returned for another load. I had no idea where she was getting all of these clothes, but they kept bringing them out. The van was almost full for the second load before they ran out of clothes.

Jimmy and I drove them over and carried them inside and put them on the bed. Well, we put what we could on the bed and then used the two chairs and finally wound up putting some of them on the floor by the bed. As I feared, the hangers were tangled beyond belief, but I wasn't going to be around for that confrontation. Jessie and I were leaving for Searcy, very quickly.

We drove back to the house and Jamie and Jessie were loading the two pickups with "stuff" she had said was going. It was closing in on 10, so Jessie and I quietly escaped from the madhouse and headed for Searcy.

"I have no idea where your mom is gettin' all that crap," I told Jessie, as we drove out of the lane.

"I didn't know she had that much stuff," he replied.

"Have you thought what you might wanna get for the twins?"

"Well, I was kinda thinkin' about a necklace for each of them."

"Whatever you get, you have to get them the same thing."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't, you'll be accused of likin' one more than the other."

"Oh, I guess you're right about that. I hadn't thought of it that way."

"Trust me on that. Since they're twins, you need to get them twin presents. They have to be exactly the same."

"Well, I was kinda thinkin' about a necklace with a heart on it and their name on one side and my name on the other."

"That would be a great idea, but I'm not sure we can find someone to engrave their name on it on a Sunday. Most jewelry stores are closed on Sunday and I'm not sure that Wal-mart can do that."

"Oh. I hadn't thought about it bein' Sunday."

"Well, we'll see when we get there."

We continued chatting while I drove up to Searcy and talked mostly about the earlier times and how they didn't have all of the modern conveniences of today. He had a difficult time believing some of the things folks did without, especially television. After all, in his lifetime, it had always been there.

As we were driving on the street that Wal-mart is on, I noticed a small shopping center and a jeweler's name was on the big sign out front. I pulled into the parking lot and we parked and walked into the mall.

The store wasn't open yet, but would open at 11. We had about 30 minutes to kill, so we walked around the mall. There really wasn't much to see for us guys. There was an electronics store there and we walked in to have a look at the games they had for computers. We found a couple that weren't all that violent and bought them while we waited for the jewelry store to open. We also looked at the new computer stuff, but I really didn't consider that shopping, it was just killing time.

We stayed around the jewelry store and waited for them to open. Once we saw someone unlock the door, we walked over and went inside. The lady was busy getting the displays ready, so we just looked around.

Jessie found what he was looking for, but they were very expensive. We kept looking and finally found some of the cheaper necklaces and he decided on the one with a small golden heart on a delicate gold chain.

The lady finally came over to help us and I asked her if there was someone who could engrave names on the hearts. She said he'd be there real soon, so we told her we'd take two of the ones that Jessie picked out. We had to keep looking around while we waited for the man to arrive. But we weren't shopping, we were just killing time.

The man showed up about 15 minutes later and Jessie told him what he wanted on the hearts. He made a note of the names and made sure he had them spelled correctly and then went into the back room.

He returned about 10 minutes later and showed the necklaces to Jessie. He said that was exactly what he wanted and the man polished them and put them in boxes. The lady rang up the sale and Jessie reached into his pocket and pulled out his money.

"Where'd you get that money?" I asked.

"I keep some at home in case I need to buy something."

"Ok, I was just wonderin'."

He gave the lady two-twenty dollar bills and she rang the sale up and put the boxes in a bag. She handed him his change and we left the store. I looked on the directory of the mall and found that there wasn't a card store here. So we headed for Wal-mart.

Once we were there, we went to the card racks and Jessie picked out a card that he liked and got two of them. Then we walked to the cashier and he paid for them, we were on our way home.

"We shoulda got them wrapped just to show the women we can do things," he said, with a big grin on his face.

"Jessie, there are several things that you don't do in this life. The first is to rub somethin' in a woman's face, just to prove a point. You still have to live with them. They offered to wrap the presents and it would be a very good idea to let them he'p you on this. There are a lot of things we can do for ourselves, but it's always a good idea to let the women think we're kinda helpless at times. It makes them feel needed and it will keep them from gettin' mad at us. It also keeps them from askin' us to do a lot of stuff that they think we can't do. But, most of all, it makes life a whole lot easier."

"I guess you're right about that. But we sure coulda rubbed their faces in it."

"Just remember, whatever you do, you have to live with. If they get mad at you about something, they'll carry a grudge for a very long time. Always let them he'p as long as it don't hurt nothin'. It'll save a lot of hard times later on. They might just get the idea they aren't needed and we don't want them to do things for us, then we'd be in a lot of trouble."

"Why are they like that? If they did something that I told them I'd he'p 'em with, I sure wouldn't be upset."

"Ya, but you ain't a woman. Sometimes they take things the wrong way. They might feel like you don't want them to he'p at all and just quit doin' things all together. It's best to keep them involved."

"I guess. I sure don't understand women though."

"Welcome to the club. I don't know of any man that does."

We chatted and finally arrived home a bit before noon. Lena and Dianne were fixing lunch and the rest of the folks were busy moving things. I assumed they were over at Jimmy's since I didn't see anyone around except them. Of course, Lena and Dianne had to see what he had bought and he was happy to show them. They both told him he had done a wonderful job of picking out a gift they would like.

Lena asked me if I would go ring the dinner bell so the rest of the folks could come eat with us. I went outside and rang the bell good and loud and for a lot longer than it is normally rung. I wanted to make sure they heard it. Then I went back inside and sat at the table and waited for the rest of the folks to arrive.

It wasn't long until we heard the vehicles drive up. Then Cammie and Bonnie came running inside and stopped short when they Jessie and me sitting at the table.

"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked, almost frantic.

"Nothin', why?"

"Well, you rang the bell so long and hard and that's our signal that somethin's very wrong. We were scared to death someone was hurt."

"Nope, nothin's wrong and nobody's hurt. I just wanted to make sure ya'all heard it."

"Oh god, please don't ever do that again. You scared the hell out of us."

"I'm sorry, but I didn't know."

"Well, I guess we shoulda told ya'all about that, but it never crossed my mind until I heard the bell ringin' like that."

"Ok, ya'all can relax now. Ever'one's fine. We was just callin' ya'all to lunch."

By now, Lena and Dianne were bringing the food in and William, Jamie and Jimmy had made it inside. Bonnie sat down and drained a full glass of tea and then poured herself more.

"I'm just so glad that no one's hurt. I guess I just lost it there for a bit."

"Well, now I know about ya'all's signal, so I won't do that no more."

It took a bit for Bonnie and Cammie to settle down, but they did and we all had a quiet lunch. After the food was gone, we all sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Jessie, what did you get for the twins?" Bonnie asked.

"I got 'em a necklace with their name on it."

He got up and retrieved the bag containing the two boxes and gave it to Bonnie.

"See," Cammie said, "I knew ya'all wouldn't wrap them presents."

"We were gonna, but ya'all had said you'd wrap 'em and so we didn't bother," Jessie spoke up.

"Who said that?"

"Dean said that Mama did"

"Ya, I did say that," Bonnie put in.

"Oh, I didn't remember that," Cammie said, as she tried to think of some way to regain the upper hand in the accusation she had made.

"We were gonna buy some paper to wrap them with, but I remembered that Bonnie had offered to wrap 'em and I knew ya'all would wanna see 'em before they were wrapped," I said, trying my best not to sound smug.

They were passed around the table and everyone liked them. The women told him he had done a good job in picking out something that the twins would like.

We chatted until the coffee was gone and then Bonnie told Jessie to take his shower and she'd wrap the presents.

"Jessie, why don't you sign the cards and make 'em out to each one," I suggested. "That way the necklaces won't get mixed up and they get the one with the wrong name."

He got up and got the cards and made one for each twin and signed them. Then he checked the name on the necklace and put it with the appropriate card. Once that was done, he headed upstairs to take his shower.

Bonnie went to the closet and got some wrapping paper and returned to the table. She and Cammie carefully wrapped the presents and then found two matching bows to go on them. They put the neatly wrapped gifts with the cards and then placed them on the table for Jessie to take with him.

"Well, I guess we can get back to the movin' now," Bonnie said.

"You mean ya'all ain't done with that yet?" I asked, almost in disbelief.

"There's about two more loads to go over, but the main thing is to get ever'thing put away."

"Ok, I'll he'p take the loads over, but I don't think I wanna be involved in the puttin' away part."

"You've got to drive Jessie over to the twins' house before you do anything."

"Oh, I was gonna let Jamie drive them over and I'd he'p with the movin'."

"I've got Jamie doin' other stuff, so you get the job. Also, they want to borrow our ice cream maker, so don't forget to take that. And, when you get back, you need to kill some chickens for supper."

"Yes, dear, I'll follow orders."

Lena and Dianne were busy in the kitchen and the rest of them headed for Jimmy's place. I had no idea what else they could need to take over, but I wasn't going to get involved in questioning stuff like that. I didn't think she had that much stuff.

Jessie came downstairs from his shower and said he was ready. I got the ice cream maker from the back porch and he and I headed for the van and the trip over. He had to give me directions because I'd never been to their house before. It was south of town and we finally arrived there just before 2.

When I pulled up, the twins ran from the backyard to greet us. Jessie got out and the twins gave him a kiss after he gave them the wrapped presents. I turned the motor off and got the ice cream maker from the back and walked around the back of the house and gave it to Frank, who was standing around trying to be invisible.

"Thanks, Dean. Maybe now I can do something to stay out of the way of all the people around here. I ain't never seen so many kids around here, all dressed up and wantin' the grown-ups to disappear. At least this only comes once in a while."

"I know exactly what you mean, Frank. They kinda make me nervous too. I can't ever remember bein' that young."

I walked back to the van and started to get in.

"Ain't ya gonna give us a birthday kiss?" Lana asked, before I could get the van in drive.

"I thought I'd save that for when we came back."

"Awww, but we want one now," Leanne said.

"Ok, I guess I can spare a kiss for each of ya'all."

"Oh, does that mean all the girls get one?" Lana put in, with a very big smile on her face.

"No. You two are the only birthday girls around."

"Well, you have to come over here and sit down inside the car door because you're too tall to kiss standin' up," Leanne said, as she grinned.

I didn't have a good feelin' about this, but I walked around and opened the side door of the van and sat down. Lana came over first and moved my knees apart so she could get close. Then she put her arms around my neck and leaned in for a kiss.

As soon as our lips touched, her tongue was in my mouth. That surprised me and then she leaned in farther and her tits were rubbing against my chest. Her next move was to grind her hips against my groin and her tongue tried to get farther into my mouth. When she finally broke the kiss, she was out of breath and she rested her head against my shoulder while she got her wind back.

Then it was Leanne's turn. She took a different approach and straddled my left leg. Then she scooted up closer and leaned in for a kiss. Her tongue also dove into my mouth as soon as our lips met. With her tits tightly against my chest, she began to grind her pussy on my leg.

Finally, I had to break the kiss because I was afraid she was going to orgasm right there on my leg.

"Ok, ya'all have had your birthday kisses. Now ya'all have a good time and enjoy the party. We'll be back for cake and ice cream later on."

They both grabbed onto Jessie's arms and walked off towards the back of the house. I took a deep breath and waited a bit for my hardon to go down. Then I closed the door and walked around to the driver's side of the van and drove home, wondering how in the world I ever got myself into this kind of a mess.

When I arrived, they were loading some stuff in the pickup truck and I got out to help them.

"This is the last load," Jimmy said, with a look of relief on his face.

"Where did she get all of this crap?" I asked, partially in complete disbelief that it was stored in this house.

"I haven't got the slightest fuckin' idea, but she keeps draggin' stuff out and we keep luggin' it over there."

"Next question. Where are ya'all puttin' it once you get it over there?"

"She's findin' places for it. She's done took up two full closets for her clothes. I think they must have multiplied on the way over to my place."

"Ok, wanna here some bad news?"

"Not really, but what?"

"There's more clothes on the way from Denver. They'll probably be here this week."

"You're shittin' me."

"Nope. Plus, we're gonna get some tools too."

"I ain't worried at all 'bout the tools, but how many clothes are comin'?"

"Sharon tol' me that they were sendin' a line of square dancin' clothes. Plus the other stuff that are for the fall catalog."

"That's just what we need, more clothes. I don't think she throws anything out. I'll swear that I saw stuff in the clothes we took over that looked like she might have worn in high school."

"Hey, anything's possible. Get used to it because it ain't gonna get no better. At least not in the near future."

"I guess. Well, at least she shouldn't need to buy more clothes for a while."

"Damn, you're a wishful thinker. Any chance they get to go shoppin', they'll buy more clothes."

"Hell, I don't think we have enough closet space in that five bedroom house for me and her and her clothes. I've got part of a closet and she's done filled up the rest of that and the other two that are downstairs. The rest will have to go upstairs."

"Welcome to the end of your freedom. The single life just flew on to live somewheres else."

"Well, I wish he'd a took some of the damn clothes when he went."

With the stuff all loaded, I let him drive off and Jamie helped me pick out four chickens for supper. We carried them up to the hanging place and then he drove the other truckload of stuff over to Jimmy's place. I went inside and told Lena and Dianne that I was getting ready to kill the chickens and asked them if they would put some water on to boil. They said they would and I returned to the chickens.

I slit their throats and waited for them to bleed out. It wasn't too long until Lena carried out a big pan and Dianne began carrying pots of boiling water out to fill it.

I took the chickens down and carried them over to the pan and dunked the first one in. I held it there for about a minute and then took it out. I held it over a garbage bag and the feathers just wiped off. After I had most of the feathers off, I began to pick off what was left on the wings.

Lena came back out and took another chicken and dunked it. She followed the same procedure as I did and we soon had the chickens plucked clean. I dumped the water out over by the garden and then put the chickens in the pan and carried them into the sink on the back porch.

"I can take care of it from here, Dean," Lena said.

"Ok, but are you sure you don't need no he'p?"

"Yep, I'm sure. Been doin' this for longer than you've been alive, so I can handle it."

"Ok, well I'll go he'p them unload the stuff over at Jimmy's."

I drove over to Jimmy's place and the pickups were unloaded. I walked inside and was astounded at the mess in his place. I had to restrain myself from laughing out loud, but I knew I would be in big trouble if I did.

As soon as Bonnie saw me, she asked, "Did you kill the chickens?"

"They're killed, plucked and Lena's cleanin' 'em now."

"Ok, well I guess we'd best hurry up and finish so we can he'p over there."

"I'm sure Lena and Dianne can take care of things. It'd probably be best to finish up here so this is done."

"I guess you're right."

I pitched in and carried stuff to where I was told to put it and then returned for more. All of a sudden, this place was looking very crowded. But I took my orders and carried things and set them down, without breaking anything, not even a smile, at least on the outside. Inside, I was laughing my ass off.

We were just about done when we heard the dinner bell ring. We all piled into our vehicles and drove back home for supper.

Lena and Dianne had the chicken fried up and had corn on the cob, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a salad. Plus they had biscuits that had just come out of the oven. We all washed up and sat down for a big feast. Everyone must have been hungry because there wasn't a scrap left, not even any chicken. As soon as we finished sipping our coffee, the women cleared the table and us guys headed for the showers. When the women were done in the kitchen, they took their showers too. It was just a bit before 5 when we finally left for Frank and Jenna's place.



-------

Chapter 51


When we arrived at the birthday party, they were just finishing the meal. Frank had grilled a bunch of hamburgers for everyone in attendance and Jenna had made all the side dishes. It looked like there was a sea of kids at or near the table they had set up.

Frank was bringing out the ice cream maker containers and Jenna was ready to dish out the cake and ice cream for everyone. The twins ran out to greet us, proudly displaying their necklaces, and then led us back to the table and found a seat for all of us. Frank looked like he was ready for all of this to end so he could find a quiet place to relax. Kids that age are always on the go and they never seem to slow down.

We sat down and waited our turn for cake and ice cream and the twins brought out a big pot of coffee and cups for us and their parents. We sipped our coffee and waited for our turn to be served.

Once the kids had their plates full, Jenna got a plate of ice cream and cake for each of us and we ate and sipped our coffee. It took a while, but Frank finally sat down across from us with a plate of ice cream and cake. He poured himself a cup of coffee and shoveled the food into his mouth.

"I think this is gonna be the last of these parties we're gonna have. Half the time I wasn't sure where the kids were and the other half I was wishin' they were any place but here."

Jimmy and I chuckled at his remarks and continued to sip our coffee. Frank finished his plate of goodies and then sipped his coffee with us. We chatted about various things, mainly to get his mind off of all the kids running around.

It was around 6:30 when the parents started showing up to claim their kids. As the crowd shrank, you could see the tension leaving Frank's face and he seemed to relax a bit. I thought to myself that I would probably feel the same way about having kids roaming all over the place and never being silent for more than a couple seconds at a time.

The women had their own little conversation going on and I would have bet anything it was about Bonnie moving, but that was probably normal. Us guys chatted about farm stuff and other things the women would not be interested in at all. It was about 7:30 before we could escape. The twins made a point of giving me a kiss on the cheek before we left. They thanked me for helping Jessie pick out their presents. I told them I just drove him to the store and that the presents were all his idea and I just helped steer him to the correct place. Jessie crowded in with us and we all headed back to the house.

When we got there, Jessie was sent inside to change clothes while Jimmy, William and I headed for the equipment shed. Jimmy and I got our tractors fired up and William operated the feed bin chute as I pulled under it. Then he climbed up with me and we followed Jimmy out to the pastures.

The feeding went like it normally does, with William opening the gates and cutting the bales apart for Jimmy. When we arrived back at the house, everyone was sitting on the front porch. We walked up and chatted until it got dark. Then we went inside and watched the weather. They were saying that we might have some rain by the weekend, but basically dry until then. Such is the life of a farmer. They have to take what nature gives them. I would have liked to have seen some rain throughout the week, but I didn't have the power to change things.

After the weather, Jamie asked if we were going to go after deer in the morning. I told him we'd probably wait until Tuesday before we did that. We had had too much going on today to really be prepared. He said he and Jessie could probably finish up the molding tomorrow if we weren't going to be butchering deer all day. We all agreed that would be a good idea.

Everyone got their hugs and kisses and then departed for their abodes. Jessie, Chrissy, Donna, Cammie and I closed everything up and then turned out the lights. I got a kiss from Chrissy and Donna and they headed upstairs for bed. Cammie and I stripped down in our bedroom and then used the bathroom. After that, we slipped into bed and cuddled and kissed until we got drowsy and drifted off to sleep.

The rooster woke me up and I teased Cammie's nipple until she moaned and turned over to kiss me. Then she slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed and we both washed up after using the throne.

She and I were the first ones in the kitchen and she immediately went to work on the biscuits while I filled the pans with water and put them on to boil. Then I ground the coffee. Dianne was the next to show up and I got a kiss from her before she started working on the sausage.

Lena showed up next and went to work with Cammie. Bonnie was the last to arrive and didn't say anything about being late. No one questioned her tardiness and she went to work with Cammie and Lena.

Once the water was boiling, I filled three presses and then put more water back on the stove for the rest of the presses. As soon as they had steeped, I emptied them into the regular pots and carried them to the dining room.

Jimmy had two pot warmers lit and I put pots on them. He carried the third warmer out to the porch and William and I followed him. William had the cups and I had the coffee. I poured each of us a cup of coffee and then put the pot on the warmer. We sat and chatted after William and I lit our first of the day.

The kids showed up and I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy before they poured themselves a cup of coffee. We all chatted about today and the girls thought they would be finishing up with Bonnie over at their place. There was still stuff that needed to be put away.

Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a fresh one out. We continued sipping our coffee until we were called for breakfast.

We made our way to the table and all talking ceased as we devoured the meal. Sausage, eggs, grits, and biscuits can't be beat in the morning to get everyone moving. There was also juice and milk to wash it down with and homemade jelly for our biscuits.

Once the meal was finished, we sat back and chatted about today's activities. Bonnie confirmed that she and the women were going to finish up at Jimmy's and then they could rest afterwards. Jamie said that he and Jessie were going to put the final coat on the floor molding so we could get it put up. I told them I would call the fire department and try and schedule a delivery of water for Wednesday. Everyone liked that idea.

Then I told them we might try to grind the rest of the corn into feed so we wouldn't run out. That was not our favorite activity, but it needed doing because our feed supply was getting low.

We finished our coffee and then us guys headed for the workshop. Jamie and Jessie set up the floor molding and stirred the paint for the final coat. William supervised and Jimmy and I helped them arrange the molding so they could paint it. I really didn't want to start the grinding until the boys were finished with the painting because I didn't want William doing the heavy work of shoveling the corn from the bin, nor did I want him doing any climbing. He would be involved, but not with anything that could injure him.

The boys were almost finished with their painting when Donna came down to the workshop and told me I had a phone call. I couldn't think of who would be calling me, but we walked back to the house so I could take it.

"This is Dean."

"This is attorney Saunders' office calling. Mr. Saunders would like for you to bring Ms. Williams, Donna and Deanne in for a meeting this morning. Is that possible?"

"Yes, it's possible, but Deanne isn't here. She's in Denver. However, the rest of us can come in."

"Hold on a second, please."

She put me on hold and the women were all staring at me like I was the bearer of the great truth. Finally, Cammie asked what was going on.

"It's the attorney's office and they want Bonnie, Donna, Deanne and me to come in for a meetin' this mornin'."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Well, find out."

"We'll find out when we get there."

"How can you be so calm about somethin' as important as this?"

"I don't know how important it is, but we'll find out as soon as we get there."

"Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"Well, if it wasn't necessary, he wouldn't have called. Maybe he don't want to say anything over the phone."

"Why wouldn't he want to say?"

"Maybe he thinks someone might be listenin'."

"That's just stupid."

"Not in this area. Remember all of the rumors that were flyin' around about who was buyin' these places?"

"Ya, I guess it could be overheard by someone."

"Exactly. So I ain't gonna push him to say anything over the phone."

"It makes me so damn mad when you're right about stuff like this. I wanna know now."

"Yes, dear."

The secretary came back on the phone and said it would be fine if us three showed up. I thanked her and said we be in there in about an hour or so. She said that would be great and we hung up.

"Ok, Bonnie, we all need to get cleaned up so we can go into town."

They both nodded and Bonnie immediately headed for the door to go home and get ready. Donna walked upstairs and I headed for the workshop.

I told the guys that I had to go into town for a bit and that we could probably do the grinding this afternoon. They said that was fine and they'd find something to do for the rest of the morning. Then I returned to the house.

I stripped down in the bedroom and made my way to the shower. It didn't take me long to wash off and shampoo. Then I dried off and knocked off what few whiskers that needed it. Once that was done, I got dressed and walked out to the porch.

Cammie was right on my heels and sat down with me.

"What do you think it's about?"

"Probably that wrongful death suit we filed. That's about the only thing that would require all of us to be there."

"Oh, so it's not about the custody thing?"

"Probably not. If it was about that, we'd get notified by the county and not the attorney."

"Oh. That's a load off my mind."

"Why would you be worried about that?"

"Well, that lady that was here said some pretty bad things."

"That was handled by the judge, so I wouldn't worry none about that."

"You're just so damn smug about things. Are you ever wrong?"

"Yep. Once I thought I was wrong, but I wasn't."

"That's not even funny."

"You're gettin' upset about somethin' that nobody can do anything about until we get there. So just relax."

"I can't. I won't be able to do that until I find out that nothin's wrong."

"Ok, well then just continue to worry about nothin'."

"I will. And you can't stop me."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrr."

Donna came out and joined us and we waited for Bonnie to get back. Donna had some curiosity about what was going on, but it wasn't as intense as Cammie's. I told her the same thing I told Cammie and that seemed to satisfy her. Bonnie finally showed up and we all climbed in the van for the trip to town.

When we arrived, the secretary showed us into a conference room and said the lawyer would be with us as soon as he finished with the client he was with now. She asked us if we wanted anything and we told her that coffee would be great. She left and returned with a carafe of coffee and three cups and then returned to her desk.

Bonnie was as nervous as a drunk hooker sitting on the front row of a Baptist Church on judgment day. She couldn't sit still at all. I tried to calm her down but she said she couldn't calm down until she knew for sure what this was all about. After that, I didn't waste my time trying to get her to stop squirming around in the chair.

It was about ten minutes before the lawyer came in. He greeted everyone and thanked us for coming in on such short notice.

"As ya'all know, we filed a wrongful death suit against the Thibedeaux estate and one of his attorneys. The reason I called ya'all is because we have a settlement offer as a result of that suit. As your attorney, I'm required by law to inform ya'all as to any offer of settlement. Basically, the offer is just from the estate. They have offered seven hundred fifty thousand dollars to settle the suit."

"What about the attorney?" I asked.

"There has been no offer from him and I don't think there will be any time soon. He feels any offer to settle the suit will reflect negatively on his criminal case. However, his malpractice insurance company is pressuring him to settle."

"So this offer is just from the estate of Thibedeaux?"

"Yes. Evidently his heirs are anxious to clear the estate of all liabilities so it can be settled."

"So this is just their initial offer?"

"Yes, and I need to respond to them within ten days. So I'll need your answer sometime this week."

I looked at Bonnie and Donna and they both had their mouths hanging open. I knew they were ready to accept the offer on the spot and I didn't want to have the attorney as a witness to the conversation I knew was about to come.

"Could we have a few minutes to discuss this?" I asked him.

"Sure. I'll be in my office. Just tell the secretary when you're ready for me and I'll be back in. I don't have anything else scheduled until this afternoon."

He left and, almost before he closed the door, Bonnie said, "That's three quarters of a million dollars. What is there to discuss?"

"There's a whole lot to discuss. First of all, it's an initial offer and it's very low to what they think will be the final settlement. Secondly, I'm pretty sure if we accept this, we will have to sign a full release that will include the suit filed against the attorney. We don't want to let him off the hook, and if we sign the release, he will have a good argument in his criminal case. If we don't sign, we will have an ally in our attempt to get this case settled. The estate of Thibedeaux will pressure him to participate in the settlement and, from what I understand, they are very powerful in that area and can put a lot of pressure on him."

"But, what if we don't settle and they decide not to settle at all?"

"That won't happen. If they were going to fight this very hard, they would have already called for depositions and we'd be answering questions instead of havin' to decide if we'd accept a settlement or not."

"How can you know that?"

"Well, I've been through a few legal battles in my life and I know how this stuff operates. Now, if we reject this offer, they might decide to try and scare us by going ahead with the depositions, but that is sorta normal. What we need to do is just gently say no and then try to relax. They will pressure the attorney and eventually he will come around and participate in the settlement and it will be at least twice the size of this offer."

"I think we should ask the lawyer about this."

"That's fine and I think we should too. But I just wanted to prepare you for what I know he's gonna say."

"I just don't know how you can know that, or how you can so calmly turn down three quarters of a million dollars."

"There's nothin' to not be calm about. This is just an initial offer and their just testin' the waters to see where things stand."

"Well, I wanna hear the lawyer say that before I'll believe it."

"Ok. We want his input on this anyway. I just want ya'all to be prepared."

I got up from the table and walked out to the reception area and told the secretary that we were ready for the attorney again. She said she'd get him and asked if we wanted more coffee. I told her I thought we could all use some.

I walked back in and Bonnie squirmed around on her chair until the attorney came in. His secretary followed him with another carafe of coffee. Donna hadn't touched her coffee, so I poured Bonnie and myself a cup.

"We've discussed this settlement and we feel we'd like to hear your opinion on this situation."

"Well, what have you discussed so far?"

"I told them it was just an initial offer and they were just testing the waters. I also told them that if we signed a release, the attorney would be off the hook and would not have to participate in the settlement. We definitely want him involved in this. I also told them I thought it was a very low offer and I believe that the estate will put pressure on the attorney to get involved in this settlement."

He smiled at me and then at Bonnie.

"It seems that Mr. Trimble has a pretty thorough knowledge of how these things work. In my considered opinion, the offer is very low. And he is correct in that any settlement would release the attorney from any liability. Plus, I'm pretty sure that the Thibedeaux estate will be able to exert pressure on the attorney to get involved. It might take a while, but that will happen. If ya'all decide to reject the offer, I'm pretty sure that they will try some legal maneuvers to try and scare you folks. With the amount of evidence that has been uncovered by the authorities in this case, I'm convinced that this will never go to court. The amount of evidence is almost overwhelmin' for any attorney to even consider defending. Their best opportunity is to settle out of court to avoid a lot of problems. The biggest thing they would avoid is a jury award. That could be devastatin' to them. The other item they will want to avoid is the publicity something like this would generate. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want the press that would come out of the trial. The Thibedeaux family is very prestigious in Louisiana and I'm sure they won't want to see their name connected with the publicity of buyin' children for prostitution. It may be whispered about down there, but it is just whispers. That can be ignored. Something on the front page of the paper can't be ignored.

"Now, I want to stress to ya'all that this is just my opinion and I can't give ya'all any guarantees that that is exactly how it will play out. But that is how I believe it will happen."

"I find it so hard to believe that you two men can just calmly turn down three quarters of a million dollars and pass it off as just an initial offer and there will be a lot more to come," Bonnie said, almost as in disbelief."

"Bonnie," I injected, "this is just how these things go. I know that money seems like a fortune, but it is just what they're usin' to test the waters with. In the end, there will be a lot more money to come."

"You two are just unbelievable. That much money is a fortune. That would take care of these two kids for the rest of their lifetimes and ya'all are just whiskin' it away."

"Bonnie, you're just gonna have to trust me on this. I haven't steered ya'all wrong yet, have I?"

"No. But this is just so, um, uh, just so, oh hell, I don't even have the words to describe how unreal this is. They could buy about half of this county with that money."

"I know, Bonnie. But it's just part of what this case is worth."

"Would you have said that if they had offered a million dollars?"

"If the conditions were the same, then yes. This is an attempt to get us to take the quick money and run. If you were hagglin' to buy somethin' from someone that you didn't know, would you offer them the full amount of what you thought it was really worth?"

"I don't know. I don't do that much hagglin' for things. I generally ask what the price is and then decide if I could afford it."

"Ok, let's say you were lookin' at somethin' at an auction and then you decided it was worth a hundred dollars. Would you make an openin' bid of a hundred?"

"No, of course not. But this ain't no auction."

"It kinda is. They don't know what it will take to get us to settle, so they ain't gonna offer up their final offer on the first bid."

"Well, that makes some sense, I guess. I don't really understand all of this, but since you put it like that, I can kinda understand that."

Since I finally had Bonnie sort of at bay, I turned to Donna and asked her what she thought.

"I don't know what to think. I've never even dreamed of that much money, so I don't really know. But I don't know about these things, so I'll just have to trust your judgment on this."

"Thank you, Donna. I have had some experience with things like this and Mr. Saunders has had a lot of experience in civil cases. Trust us when we tell you that this is just the first we're hearin' about this and we'll hear a whole lot more."

"Ok, I trust ya'all."

"Well, I guess that makes it unanimous," I said, to the attorney. "Tell them that we reject this offer."

"Ok, well I guess that pretty well takes care of things for now. I'm sure ya'all will be hearin' from me later on."

I thanked him and we walked out of the office and climbed into the van.

"It's right difficult for me to believe," Bonnie said, "that we just walked away from a three quarters of a million dollars."

"Actually, we didn't," I tried to explain to her, once again. "We just rejected their initial offer. The next offer will be much higher and might include the attorney also."

"I sure wish I was as confident as you are on this. I feel like I've just lost a fortune."

"Trust me, that will pass and we'll all be a lot better off."

"Damn, you sure sound confident. I wish I could be that way. But I've just seen a bunch of money and said no to it. I almost feel sick."

"It'll be all right, Bonnie. I promise."

It continued that way for the entire drive home. When we got out of the van, the women were waiting on the porch. I guess they had heard us drive up the lane and came to see what was going on. I bypassed the questioning and went to change my clothes. By the time I returned to the front porch, the men had joined the women and Bonnie was giving everyone an ear full of her version of the story.

As soon as I stepped out on the porch, Cammie started in on me, "How could you possibly turn down that much money?"

"Ok, let's short circuit all of this right now. I've been through this with Bonnie at the lawyer's office. This is what happens in a lawsuit. First of all, we filed suit against the Thibedeaux estate and the attorney who hired the killer that came up here. They received the notice of the suit and their attorneys' evaluated it. They thought their position was not that good and that they would offer some money to make this suit go away. Their first offer is never anywhere's close to the amount they think they'll have to pay. It's just what they think we might accept if we don't know no better. Once they see we aren't gonna fall for that, they'll get their heads together and the Thibedeaux estate will put some pressure on the attorney to join in the settlement and the next figure will be a lot higher. That's what my answer was based on."

"But how can you know that?"

"Because I've been through this stuff before."

"You've been offered three quarter of a million dollars before and turned it down?"

"Actually, the offers I received were not that much, but I turned down a goodly amount of money on several occasions when it was the first offer, and sometimes on the second and third offers, if I thought they were low."

"My God, I don't think I could have walked away from something like that at all. It's a good thing I wasn't there or we'd still be arguin' about it."

"Oh, what are we doin' now?"

"We sure ain't arguin'. That's done past. Now we're just tellin' you how stupid you are."

"I'll remember that when we get the next offer."

"And you're sure there will be a next offer?"

"Sure am. Maybe even more, if we turn down the next one."

"I've hooked up with an idiot. Nobody in their right minds would turn down that kind of money."

"Darlin', let me assure you that I am very much in my right mind. If you'll just wait a month or so, you'll see that I'm correct in what I'm tellin' ya'all."

"Oh God, I can't believe this."

"Cammie," Jimmy finally spoke up, "Dean's right. This was just an initial offer and it was a very low offer. Do you remember what the settlement in the O J case was?"

"Who's O J?"

"The football player."

"I still don't know who you're talkin' about."

"Well, he's a famous ex-football player and his wife was killed. He was acquitted in a jury trial, but her parents, and sister filed a civil suit against him for wrongful death and received millions of dollars from a jury. Donna and Deanne probably won't get that much, but it'll be a lot higher than what was offered today."

"God, you men all talk alike. I can't even think of how much money that is and ya'all are just tossin' it aside like it was a bent penny.

"We're not throwin' it away," I said, in a stronger voice. "We're just tellin' 'em it's not enough. They won't want to see this go to trial and have it all get out in the papers. They'll be back with a lot more money. Just trust me on this."

"Well, we don't have much of a choice now, do we?"

"Nope. It's already been decided. Now ya'all are just holdin' a wake for somethin' that ya'all never had to begin with."

"Damn, throwin' away three quarters of a million dollars and they don't think nothin' of it," she muttered, under her breath, as she walked away.

"Well, it's almost time for lunch," Lena said. "Why don't ya'all get washed up and we'll fix up somethin' to eat."

I was glad to hear that. I wanted out of this conversation, quickly. Somehow, I didn't believe that this was the end of it.



-------

Chapter 52


We got through lunch without much more discussion of the settlement, but I was sure there would be more later on. I didn't know how I was going to convince them it was for the best, but I could only hope they would rely on my experience and the attorney's words.

After lunch, us guys headed for the equipment shed. I unhooked the feed spreader and hooked up the grinder to my tractor and pulled it out of the shed. Jimmy hooked up to the conveyor and positioned it by the corn bin.

It took a bit of jockeying around to get everything lined up in the proper place, so the grinder discharge chute was in the top of the feed bin. Jimmy raised the conveyor until it was positioned to put the corn in the grinder and then we all got masks to cut down on breathing the dust that was going to be created.

As we left the workshop, we closed the doors and windows to make sure the dust didn't get on the floor molding that had been painted this morning. It might take a bit longer to dry with the air cut off, but it wouldn't be coated with grinder dust.

"Ok, William. Since you haven't been through this before, we're gonna put you in charge of the tractor running the grinder. Make sure you keep your mask on at all times. The dust gets really thick when it's runnin'. All you need to do is to keep the engine at a steady 2500 RPM's. It can be a bit higher, but any lower and it will clog up the grinder."

"I can do that," William replied.

I had him start the engine and told him I'd signal him when to engage the PTO because we had to get the corn in it first. He just nodded and the rest of us went about our work.

Jimmy started the other tractor and got the conveyor moving and then we opened the chute to the corn bin. As the corn spilled out, we tried to keep most of it heading into the buckets on the conveyor, but there is always some that spills onto the ground. Jamie and Jessie were there with their shovels to scoop it up and put it on the conveyor.

Once I figured the grinder was about a third of the way full, I walked over to check it and then told William to engage the PTO. He did and then got it up to speed and the grinding started, along with the dust. Everyone had on their dust masks and the dust was flying.

I climbed up the feed bin to make sure it was flowing in there without any problems and it seemed to be working fine. I was pretty sure we would be able to grind the rest of the corn and not completely fill the bin. It would probably be touch and go as to whether or not we had enough left to last until we could pick our corn. It was ripening fine, but it needed to dry properly before we could grind it. You can never tell how long that is going to take.

I climbed back down and checked on the grinder and it was still working great. It was maintaining about half full as it ground. The boys were keeping up with flow from the corn bin and getting most of it on the conveyor.

We ran the thing for about an hour and then we shut things down so we could take a break. We were all covered in sweat streaked grinding dust and our throats were parched. I sent everyone to the front porch and I went around to the back porch and hollered inside. Donna came to the kitchen and I asked her if she would bring a pitcher of tea to the front porch with some glasses for us. She said she'd be happy to, but she made sure she kept out of my reach so I couldn't put my arms around her. Just her look told me how dirty I looked. But that's just something that goes along with this job.

We sat on the front porch and chatted as we sipped our second glass of tea. The first one was just gulped down to get the dust out of our throats. We talked mostly about our chores that we still needed to get done. The grinding was the first and then we had to get the floor molding up in the hot tub room. After that, we'd be getting a load of water from the fire department and we could start heating that for our use. I was sure everyone was anxious to get it up and running.

We had been on the porch about 10 minutes, and were working on our second pitcher of tea, when Donna brought the phone out to me.

"This is Dean."

"Mr. Trimble?"

"Yes."

"This is Mark Brownlee. I'm with the National Organic Producers. I got your application for certification and would like to inspect your operation tomorrow, if that's possible?"

"Well, I don't think I have any pressin' problems that would prevent that. What time will ya be here?"

"I've got to drive over from Memphis, so I figure sometime just shortly after noon time. It'll take about three or four hours to get through the inspection and take the samples I need, so the afternoon will pretty well be shot."

"That's not a problem. We're just grindin' up some feed today, and we really didn't have any big plans for tomorrow. We'll look for ya then."

"Ok, but I'll need directions comin' from I-40."

I gave him directions and told him to call if he got lost. He thanked me and I clicked the phone off.

"Well, we're gonna get inspected tomorrow."

"Inspected?" Jimmy asked.

"Yep, for our organic certification. Once we have that, then we'll be able to sell our herd as certified organic and get a lot more money for 'em."

"Damn, that sounds good. What all's involved?"

"I'm not sure. He said it'd take the better part of the afternoon, about three or four hours, so I'm guessin' it's pretty extensive."

"I'd say. In three or four hours, a guy could inspect everything in the county."

"I'm pretty sure that this is just for the farm. I know he'll be lookin' at the herds and our methods, but I'm not sure what else is involved. I know the county agent said he'd be here, but he didn't tell me much more than that. I know I had to answer a bunch of questions when I filled out the forms, but I don't know what they inspect."

"Well, maybe we can get the floor moldin' up in the mornin' and the rest of us will take a look at the herds tomorrow afternoon and check the fences."

"That'll work. While I'm thinkin' about it, I'd best call the fire department and schedule a water delivery. I don't know how long it takes 'em to get here."

I hollered inside and had Cammie bring me the fire department number. I called and told them what I wanted and they told me they could probably get over here on Wednesday. I told them that was great and I'd have the fifty dollars in cash for them when they got here. With all of that out of the way, we went back to our grinding.

We got the complete operation started up again and the grinding continued. It took us until about 4:30 to get the last of the corn ground and in the feed bin. The next chore was to wash the grinder out and put it and the conveyor away. Then we hooked up the spreader to my tractor. With that done, all of us were covered in dust and sweaty to boot. We headed for the front porch and I hollered inside and asked if they would get us some iced tea. Donna appeared with a pitcher of tea and a bowl of ice for our glasses. We had to take our glasses to the back porch and rinse them out to get all of the dust out of them. Then we gulped the first glass of tea and sipped the next one.

Once we were through with our tea, I hollered inside and told them we were going to feed the calves and I got a reply of ok from somewhere inside the house. Then we headed for the tractor shed. I pulled under the feed bin and William and Jamie filled the spreader and then climbed up with me and we followed Jimmy and Jessie to the pastures.

The feeding went smooth and we were back at the house in short order. The first order of business was to get cleaned up. The women would never let us in the house looking like this. William, Jimmy and Jamie headed for their places and Jessie and I stripped down on the back porch and headed for the showers.

I didn't think I'd ever get all the dust off of me. The water was brown as it rolled off of me and down the drain. But I finally got everything washed and climbed out. I dried off and walked into the bedroom and got some clean clothes on. Then I went to the front porch. Jessie was already there and had brought out more tea and ice. We sipped our tea and waited for the others to show up.

When they arrived, they each sipped on a glass of tea until we were called for supper. The women had fixed a roast and corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, a fresh salad, some peas, and Donna had made apple dumplings for dessert. Us guys ate like we were starved to death.

With dinner done, we sat back and sipped our coffee. Cammie asked me if I had called the fire department and I told her that the water would probably be here on Wednesday. I also told the women that the man from the organic certification would be here tomorrow afternoon to inspect out operation. They wanted to know what that was about and I explained that we needed to be certified in order to sell our beef as organic. They asked about that and I explained that the certification would mean about a twenty percent increase in what we got for out cattle when we sold them. They all liked that idea.

After the coffee was gone, the kids went to milk and Jimmy, William and I sat on the front porch and chatted. William said he hadn't realized how much dust the grinding would kick up and was sure glad we had dust masks to keep from breathing it in. He also said it seemed better than paying for the feed from the mill in town. I told him that even if we took our own corn in, they couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be any residue from the previous grinding and there's no telling what that could contain, because they couldn't completely clean out their grinder before they ground our corn.

When the kids came back, they joined us and Donna claimed my lap. We chatted about a lot of things, but mainly about tomorrow's certification. We all speculated what would be involved in it but none of us knew exactly what would happen.

It was almost dark before the women joined us. They had been cleaning up Bonnie's old room and getting it ready for whoever was going to stay there during the photo shoot. We chatted until it was time for the news to come on and then went inside to watch the weather. They were still calling for the possibility of showers over the weekend and clear until then. After that, everyone got and gave out their kisses and hugs and departed for their houses. Donna, Chrissy, Jessie, Cammie and I closed up and turned off everything and then headed for bed. I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy before they went upstairs and then Cammie and I headed for our bedroom.

We stripped down and used the bathroom before slipping into bed. We cuddled and kissed until we got drowsy and then assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off.

I awoke to the rooster and teased Cammie's nipple until she moaned and turned over to kiss me. Then we slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. We both used the throne and then washed up. Then we got dressed and walked to the kitchen.

We were the first ones there and Cammie began to work on the sour dough while I got water on and then ground the coffee. Lena showed up next and went to work with Cammie. Bonnie was next to arrive and she joined Cammie and Lena. Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her before she went to work on the sausage.

Once the water was boiling, I filled three of the presses and put water back on for more coffee. I stirred the coffee in the presses and put the lids on for them to steep.

Once they had brewed enough, I filled three regular pots and carried them to the dining room. William and Jimmy were waiting for me and I carried one pot to the front porch while William carried the cups and Jimmy brought the pot warmer.

We each poured ourselves a cup of coffee and then William and I lit our first. We sat back and sipped our coffee and chatted about today. We agreed that the first order of business should be the floor molding. Then the hot tub room would be complete and we could put all the tools away.

The kids joined us after milking and I got a kiss from Chrissy and Donna before they poured themselves a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot inside and returned with a fresh pot. We sipped our coffee and I told them what we had planned so far. They were all for it and the girls said they'd probably be busy with Bonnie so she could finish up her move over at Jimmy's.

We chatted until we were called for breakfast. We all streamed into the dining room and dug into our usual breakfast. Afterwards, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

Bonnie said that we needed to order more grits since they were getting low. I told her I'd get on the Internet and place the order. She also confirmed that the women would be over at Jimmy's place get her final chores done for her move over there. I told them what we had planned for the morning and they just nodded.

After breakfast, we split up in our separate groups and began our day's work. Us guys headed for the workshop and got the floor molding and the colored nails for the air gun. We each took a load up to the house and set things out for our planning session.

I changed the nails in the air gun and then got the miter saw set up. I made the cuts on the first piece of molding and we started at a corner. It was a good thing I had marked the studs, because the nails in the beadboard were hard to find. I guess I could have just nailed into the beadboard, but I like to have a solid anchor when I nail something up.

We were lucky and, with William's help, we didn't make any mistakes cutting the floor molding. It went up pretty easy except for around the hot tub. It was kind of crowded there and I did have to make use of the beadboard as an anchor in a couple places because I couldn't see my marks for the studs. But that wasn't a big thing and we finished up without any problems.

Once we were done, we stood back and admired our work. By using the miter saw, the joints were almost invisible where the molding was joined together. William helped us in scribing the molding so it would fit properly and it looked good, even if I do say so myself.

Then we began to clean up our mess and carry all of the tools back to the workshop. Once the tools and wood were gone, I made use of the shop vac and cleaned up any trace of sawdust that the women might bitch about.

Then I carried the shop vac to the workshop and we were done. It was only about 10:30 and we really didn't have anything else planned for the morning. But work always finds a way to fill a void.

A pickup drove up the lane and we went out to see who it was. It was the guy from the propane company and he asked us if we were going to prepay for our propane this year. I told him we would love to get in on that and asked about the previous orders for each house. He got his book out and went over each one. Since we spent most of the time at this house, I cut the orders back some. We ordered 750 gallons for each house except this one and ordered 1,500 for it. He totaled up the order and figured what we owed them. I walked inside and got the checkbook and returned to his truck.

I wrote the check out and handed it to him. He wrote up the contract and handed me a copy.

"Before you leave, do ya'all sell kits to convert generators from gas to propane?"

"Nope, we don't do that, but there's a place in Searcy that does."

He gave me the name and I wrote it down. I would have to look into that later on when we had some time.

He thanked us and headed out the lane just about the time the women came back to make lunch. I told them I had ordered propane for all the houses and they asked about the details. I told them what I had ordered and they agreed. Then they went inside and fixed lunch.

We ate our sandwiches and soup and then sat back and sipped our coffee. I told them the floor molding in the hot tub room was up and it was ready for the water we'd get on Wednesday. They immediately got up from the table and went to inspect the job. When they returned, they said it looked nice. We continued sipping or coffee until it was gone and then us guys adjourned to the front porch.

We chatted for about 15 minutes and then Cammie brought the phone out to me.

"This is Dean."

"This is Mark Brownlee and I'm lost."

"Ok, where are you?"

He gave me the name of the cross roads where he was calling from and I told him to stay there and I'd drive over and lead him back here. I told the guys who it was and that I was leaving to go get him. Then I took the phone inside and told the women the same thing.

I got in the pickup and drove over to the crossroads and found him. I led him back and then we chatted for a bit.

"Well, I guess you wanna get started, so where do we begin?"

"First off, I've got some questions to ask you."

"Ok, shoot."

"How long have you been farmin'?"

"Actually, this is our first year of operation. I hooked up with a lady that lived on the next farm and then I found out that these surrounding farms were for sale. I bought them and moved everyone up here. Then a friend of mine came out from Washington and he bought the two farms that adjoin these. We've formed a corporation and I wanted to start things out right and go all organic."

"So you don't have any previous experience?"

"Not ownin' a farm. I grew up workin' on farms and know quite a bit about it, especially cattle."

"Who all is involved in this corporation?"

"Well, myself and the lady I hooked up with. Then her mother and my friend. We're the stockholders."

"Do any of them have any experience?"

"Yes. Cammie, the lady I hooked up with, and her mother have a lot of experience and so do the rest of her children. Plus, her mother and father are living on the far farm and they've been in farmin' their entire lives."

"Well, that's somewhat of a relief. It sounded like ya'all were just gentlemen farmers that decided they'd play around on a farm for a while."

"Nope, we plan on bein' here for a long time."

"So ya'all are plannin' in bein' in business next year, right?"

"Sure am and the years followin' that."

"Ok, what's the history on the land ya'all are usin'?"

"Well, Bonnie, that's the mother, had all of hers in hay and pasture for the last several years and the folks I bought from hadn't raised any crops for about three years prior to me buyin' 'em out. The land sat fallow durin' that time."

"What are ya'all raisin' now?"

"We've got seven fields in corn, five in hay and nine in pasture. That way we can rotate the herds so they don't overgraze any one pasture. We've also got several fields in clover and some just fallow."

"Where did you get your seed corn?"

I gave him the name of the company we bought the organic seeds from and he wrote that down. Then he wanted to know where I bought the calves. I told him and he was familiar with the folks we bought them from.

"What are ya'all feedin' the calves now?"

"We bought a few truck loads of corn from the Turner's, over in the next county and we grind our own. That should last us until we can pick our corn."

"I know the Turners and they run a pretty clean operation. So you've gotten all of your feed corn from them?"

"Yep. We just finished grindin' the last of it yesterday."

He did some writing and then flipped through his papers.

"What's your five-year plan for this business?"

"Basically what we're doin' now. We've got some property across the road that is bein' timbered off now and we haven't decided what we'll do with that land yet. But we're mainly in the cattle business and we want to keep it all organic."

"What's you main source of water?"

"We've got a stream that flows across the place and all of our pastures border that stream. The rest we get from wells."

"How many other farms are around here?"

"In this local area, I think we're the only ones. The National Forest system borders most of our land. I think the next farm is about three miles due east and about five miles due west."

"So ya'all are basically the only ones usin' that stream?"

"As far as I know."

"What was your main reason for startin' an organic operation?"

"Well, I really don't like all the chemicals that are gettin' in our bodies nowadays and we get a lot of them from the food we eat. I'm not real sure that the pesticides and herbicides are all that good for us. And I'm pretty sure that the growth hormones they give cattle are not somethin' I wanna be puttin' in my body. Back when I was workin' on a farm, we didn't use any of that stuff. Then I found out that once the corn and hay get big enough, they choke out the weeds anyway. That's the way we used to do it. I had the planter set up to match the plows so we could plow between the rows until the corn got tall enough to choke out the weeds itself. From what I've been told, I'm savin' a whole lot of money on just pesticides and herbicides."

"Well, I can confirm that you're savin' a lot of money. Now about the cattle. Did you have the vet out to give them the shots?"

"No, we did that ourselves. And we spray them at the same time."

"What did you use for the spray and shots?"

I got an invoice from the files and showed him what we'd bought. He copied that onto his notes and then handed them back to me.

"How often do you feed the cattle?"

"Once a day, generally in the evenin'. The rest of the time they graze."

"What did you use to fertilize with?"

"We got several loads of manure from the Turners and then we spread lime where we needed it."

"That's all you've used?"

"That's all the county agent said we needed. Since most of these fields hadn't been farmed in some years, they hadn't been over used."

"So, just lime and manure?"

"Yep."

"When do you plan on sellin' your herds?"

"Probably next September. I don't think they'll fill out much before that."

"They probably won't. Now, let's see. Have you gotten a buyer yet?"

"Nothin' firm. I told the buyer who bought Bonnie's cattle that we were goin' organic and he said he'd look into it, but we haven't heard anything from him yet."

"So, you've not been shoppin' for a buyer yet?"

"Nope. I figured it'd be a bit soon to be doin' that."

"Well, some of 'em like to get a look at the spread before they commit to anything. If you get your certification, I'm sure you'll be swamped with buyers. They keep a close watch on organic growers."

"Well, we've got about a year to get a lot of that done."

"Ok. Let's take a look at your equipment."

We walked down to the equipment shed and I showed him the equipment we used. He was impressed that it was clean but also disappointed that he couldn't get a sample of what we fed with.

Then I showed him the feed bin and he said he'd need to get a sample from the top and the chute. He went to his truck and got a large box that contained plastic bags and some instruments. He climbed up the ladder to the feed bin and opened it. Then he used a dipper on a long handle to get down into the middle of the feed and bring out a sample. He carefully carried that down the ladder and emptied it into a bag and labeled it.

Next I opened the chute just a bit for him and he held the bag under it so he could get a sample from there. Under the corn bin, he found a couple ears of corn that we missed and put one in a bag and labeled it.

"Ok, that takes care of this part of it. Now we need to get to the fields so I can get some samples from there. If you don't mind drivin', I'll just ride along since you know where you're goin'."

"Not a problem."

We got into the pickup and I took him to all the fields. He got soil samples from each field. He'd take one from the edge and then one from the middle on each one. He also took an ear of corn from each cornfield and labeled each of them.

When we got to the hay bales, he took a core sample from several of them and put each one in a separate bag. He was very careful about labeling each one and filing them back in the box.

Once we finished on this side of the stream, we headed for the other side. He had me stop at the stream so he could get a sample of water. That went in a jar and was labeled.

When we got over on Jimmy's place, we stopped at each field and got samples. We found the guys on horseback just coming out of the first pasture we came to.

"I really need to get several blood samples from the cattle. Can we get them to rope a few calves so I can draw some blood?"

"I don't see why not."

We parked the truck and got out. I introduced him to everyone and I told them we needed them to rope a calf so we could get some blood samples.

"Actually, I need two from each herd."

"Ok, then we need two calves roped from each pasture."

Jimmy and Jamie got their ropes off the saddle and built their loops. It took them a couple tries, but they each led a calf back to us. Of course, each calf was struggling and I had Jamie back his horse up to hold the rope tight. Then I got beside the calf and grabbed him by his neck and flank and lifted him up and put him on the ground. Then I knelt on his neck while the guy took a blood sample from the vein on his ear.

We did that at each pasture and he labeled each one and filed it away. We both thanked them for getting the calves for us and they took off to inspect the other fences.

He also took soil samples from each pasture and then we headed for the fields on this side of the stream. By the time we had finished, his box was full and he had a soil sample and core sample from everyplace he needed it.

Next we went to the workshop and I showed him the meds we used. He made notes and asked a few more questions. I answered them as best as I could and we walked back up to the porch.

I asked him if he wanted some tea and he said that would be great. I got a pitcher and some glasses from the kitchen and we sat on the porch while he finished asking the questions.

We sipped our tea as he leafed through his paperwork to make sure he had asked everything. He found a couple questions that he needed some additional information and I told him what I knew about it.

"Well, I think that's about got it for the inspection. You've got quite an operation here. For your first year in business, I'm very impressed. It seems like ya'all have put a lot of plannin' into this. I know a lot of other farms that wouldn't even come close to your place and they've been in business for years."

"Well, I thank you for that. We kinda had a vision of what we wanted to do with the place and we've tried not to stray from that vision. It's a lot of hard work, but I guess that's the same with any operation if you want it done right."

"Well, with farmin' it is. I don't know of any farm that's easy."

"Well, how'd we do on the inspection?"

"On the questions, ya'all done good. But the results will all depend on the samples I took. If ever'thing's as you say it is, then I don't think ya'all will have a problem at all. Even if the prior crops used pesticides and herbicides, it's been so long that there would only be trace amounts left and I don't think that'll be any problem."

"How long before we know the results?"

"Probably about six weeks or so before we get the samples back and the board meets to go over the results. We send ever'thing out to an independent lab and it takes a while to get the results back from them. Once all the results are in, the board meets once a week and goes over the results and then they'll send you a decision. But all of that takes time."

"Well, we're not in that much of a hurry. We've got until next September, so there's lots of time."

"I do want to warn you that our results are published in our magazine, so if you're certified, you'll probably be swamped with buyers and folks that wanna sell you stuff."

"I don't think we're gonna do much buyin' for a long time. We've got about all the equipment we need and we won't be buyin' any more cattle until next year."

"Well, I just wanted to warn you. You'll probably have a full mail box as soon as ya'all get certified."

"I'm sure most of it'll burn."

"Yep, but you might find some of the stuff interestin'. There's quite a few organic seed distributors that will be sendin' you stuff. Plus, there'll be a lot of interest from folks who are into the natural thing that will want you to join their organization."

"I'm right good at sayin' no to folks like that. I ain't much of a joiner."

"No, me neither. But they'll be around."

"Well, thanks for the warnin'. At least I'll know what to look for."

He finished up his tea and then said he needed to get underway. His next stop was in southern Missouri, so he had a ways to drive before he could get some rest.

I thanked him for his time and he thanked me for being so cooperative. I walked him to his truck and watched as he stored all his materials and then drove off.

The guys were just getting back as he drove out the lane. They put their horses away and came to join me on the porch. Jamie brought more iced tea out and we sat around and I described what all he had asked and the things he told me. It had been a long afternoon and I was glad it was over.

We chatted and the women finally showed up. They had a roast in the oven and now they just had to make the rest of supper and we could eat. I was ready for that.



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Chapter 53


The women had made a pork roast and it was really delicious. Of course there were mashed potatoes with gravy, corn on the cob, a fresh salad, green beans and for dessert we had peach cobblers. All of this with ice cold milk and then coffee to sip afterwards. It just don't get no better than that.

While we sipped our coffee, the women wanted to know how the inspection went. I told them what all I could remember about the questions he had asked and what all he inspected. Of course they wanted to know why he wanted so much information. I tried to explain that they wanted to be sure that they had a complete picture of what we were doing so they could make their determination and this was a pretty serious thing because the people who bought our beef would rely on this inspection and the results. That seemed to satisfy their curiosity, at least for the time being.

We finished our coffee and then left the table. The kids headed for their evening chores while us men went to the equipment shed. We got the tractors going and I pulled under the feed bin so William could fill the spreader.

Once he had enough in it, he climbed up with me and we followed Jimmy out to the pastures. William opened the gates and cut the bales apart for the calves. I spread the feed and Jimmy put the bales in the rings. It went smoothly and soon we were headed back to the farm.

Once there, I hosed the spreader out and then we made our way to the porch and relaxed. The kids were right behind us and they joined in the conversation. There was more talk about the inspection and then it turned to the deer problem. We decided that tomorrow morning would be a good time to try and solve some of that problem. If we took one or two of them, that might discourage them from returning for a while. The boys were anxious to do that and we decided that we should be out in the field by no later than 5, since it got light around 5:30. Jamie said he'd be over around 4:15 and we could get the coffee ready. Jessie said he'd set his alarm so he'd be up by that time too.

The women came out and joined us and we told them what we had planned. It's always a good idea to clear things with them. They didn't have any objections but did remind me that the fire department would be here tomorrow afternoon. I told them we'd be back long before that happened and would probably be back for breakfast. They asked how long it would take to butcher the deer and I told them it would depend on how many we shot, but it would be about the same amount of time it took to do the last one.

When it got dark, we went inside to watch the news and see what the weather was going to be. It hadn't changed since last night but they weren't sure we'd get rain in this section of the county. It might pass north of us. We could use some rain, but we don't normally have a say in that.

After the news, everyone gave and got their hugs and kisses and then left for their houses. Jessie, Chrissy, Donna, Cammie and I closed up and turned everything off. I got a kiss from the girls before they went upstairs.

I went to the closet and got my .243 and a box of ammo. I set that out in the living room and returned to get my night vision binoculars and goggles. I set them out and found my big thermos and another one that we could use. I filled both thermoses with hot water and capped them.

Cammie had already gotten into bed and I made use of the bathroom and then slid in beside her. It had been a while since Cammie and I were relaxed enough to be in the mood, so I got a bit more aggressive with my caresses. She responded with a moan and draped her leg over my hip. I moved my hand in random patterns, never retracing the same steps in order.

When she was juicy enough, I gently rolled her on her back and began to kiss my way down her body.

"No," she whispered. "Not tonight. I don't need to be eaten. I need to be fucked."

I kissed my way back up her body and eased between her legs. She guided me to her entrance and I began to slide slowly in. Her legs wrapped around my body and she fucked herself onto me. Her mouth latched onto my tongue and her hips began a steady rhythm. She wasn't paying much attention to my movements, but was setting her own pace.

It wasn't very long at all until she locked up tight around me and screamed into my mouth as she orgasmed. I couldn't do anything except to move my hips to try and increase her pleasure. She finally ripped her mouth away from mine so she could gasp for air and I nibbled on her neck and ear until her body released me.

I started up a slow rhythm and that lasted until she was able to function again. Then she set her own pace and it was decidedly faster than mine. I had to adjust my pace to match hers. She had her own ideas as to what was going to happen and when. This was definitely not my show.

It was probably less than three minutes before she tensed up and came again. Her legs wrapped tightly around me and her pussy clamped my cock in place as her orgasm rolled over her. Again, I just moved my hips some to take her as high as I could.

When she came out of her orgasm rigidity, her hips seemed to go wild. I kept up as best as I could, but she was like a woman possessed and wasn't letting anything get in her way.

Another orgasm slammed through her and this one was a really big one. Her entire body shook as she rode it out. Her fingers were digging into my back and her legs clamped me in place. Just as she started to come down a bit, I moved my hand and slipped my finger just inside of her ass. She went completely wild.

She was screaming and her hips were bucking, but I was completely locked in place. Her body was a mass of goose bumps and she was quivering like she was freezing to death.

I removed my finger and kissed her neck and ear as she slowly came down from her high. When she could function again, her hips began to move and her pussy went into its fluttering mode. She was working on getting me to come and she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Fortunately, it didn't take that much. When I'm with her, it never does. I felt the tickle begin and quickly travel the length of my cock and explode within her. I had my cock poised at the entrance of her cervix and she exploded as soon as she felt my cum bathe the entrance to her womb.

I have no idea how many shots I squeezed out, but it seemed like they would never stop. At the end, I was probably shooting just blanks and my body was just in automatic spasm mode. It felt like my balls had been pulled up inside of me in an effort to get more out.

Slowly, we both came back to reality and kissed and just bathed in the afterglow of our togetherness. I tried to stay in her for as long as possible, but it was inevitable that she squeezed me out. When she did, she dropped her legs to the side and I gently rolled off.

She immediately rolled over and captured my cock with her mouth and cleaned me thoroughly. Then she clamped her hand over her pussy and dashed for the bathroom. As soon as I could regain my senses, I followed her and I arrived just as she was standing up. I kissed her and then made use of the throne.

We slid back into bed and cuddled and kissed until we both drifted off.

I awoke and looked at the clock. It was five minutes before 4 and I had the alarm set for 4. I shut it off and gently climbed out of bed. I made a trip to the bathroom and then quietly got dressed and headed for the kitchen.

I got three pots of water on and then ground the coffee for them. I poured the ground coffee into the presses and then sliced up a roll of sausage and put the slices in a frying pan to cook.

Once the water was boiling, I filled the three presses and let them steep while I made sure the sausage didn't burn. I also got some bread out and sliced eight pieces and got the toaster out so I could toast them.

Jimmy showed up and I poured the coffee from the presses to the coffee pots. He carried one pot into the dining room and I poured the other two into the thermoses.

He returned and I had him work the toaster while I finished up the sausage. Jessie came down and got the butter and jelly on the table and then carried the plates and silverware out. Jimmy carried a jar of milk out with the toast.

Jamie was the last to show up and he arrived just as I set the sausage on the table. We each had two pieces of sausage and two pieces of toast. We dug in and made short work of the meal and then sipped our coffee. We chatted until the coffee was gone and then headed for the pickup.

I grabbed the .243 and the ammo and the boys grabbed the night vision stuff. Jimmy got his stuff from his vehicle and put it in the pickup. He drove his vehicle back to his house and we followed. That way Bonnie wouldn't have to walk over when she got up.

Jimmy climbed in with us and we headed for the empty pasture that overlooked the edge of the cornfields. I drove the entire way without lights so we didn't scare the deer away. It was kind of bright out with almost a full moon.

Jamie opened the gate when we got there and then climbed back in the truck. I drove to a position that would overlook two of the fields with a great view and a third one with a fair view. I parked right at the top of the hill so we could stand in the back of the truck and have a rest for our rifles.

It was still about 30 minutes before we'd be able to see very well, but the night vision was a cure for that problem. I got the binoculars out and turned them on. I scanned the fields but couldn't see any movement. Jimmy couldn't see any either, so we just waited. We let the boys keep a close watch on things with the binoculars. That was something new for them and they were enthralled with the idea of being able to see in the dark. We all sipped our coffee while we waited for some action.

It wasn't too long until Jamie said he saw some movement just inside the field. I got my rifle up and put the scope on the place he said he'd seen movement. I didn't see anything, but I kept it there and scanned the area. I did see a corn stalk move and zeroed in on that. It wasn't long until a coon moved out of the field with an ear of corn in its mouth. He headed for the stream so he could eat it. Pretty soon another came out with an ear and headed for the stream. Coons will do just as much damage to the corn as deer will.

Pretty soon another coon came out, followed by two small ones. I could just barely make them out down by the stream and I asked Jimmy if he could make them out. He said he could see two of them. If the coons were there, then the deer weren't. They don't get along that well when they're competing for the same food source.

"You take the one on the left and I'll get the one on the right," I told Jimmy.

"Ok, count it down."

I counted down from three and we shot on one. What we didn't see through our scopes was some small brush between us and the coons. Two limbs fell and the coons got out of there like they'd been shot from a cannon. Those lightweight bullets will get deflected pretty easily when they're shot at that speed. Moving at almost 3,000 feet per second, it doesn't take much to deflect them.

We waited for a bit to see if we could see anything else, but the noise from the shots had scared everything away. I drove to the fence line and then we walked along the creek just to make sure we hadn't hit anything. There wasn't a drop of blood anywhere to be found. We did find the limbs that we had shot off and it clearly deflected the bullets.

We walked back to the truck and drove around the long way to see if we could see any deer, but nothing was moving. So we made our way back to the house. The girls were just going out to milk and the boys joined them. Jimmy and I carried our stuff inside.

Everybody, except Bonnie, was there and working in the kitchen. I made some coffee after giving Cammie and Dianne a kiss. Once that was ready, I carried three pots to the dining room and put two of them on the pot warmers that Jimmy had lit.

Bonnie showed up as William, Jimmy and myself were walking to the front porch. Jimmy gave her a kiss and she continued on to the kitchen. We sat down and each poured ourself a cup of coffee. Then we chatted as we sipped.

We told William what had happened and he got a chuckle out of it. He said that he had some folks over where he farmed that hunted coons and they kept his place pretty well clear of the pests.

When the kids came back from milking, I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy and then they all poured themselves a cup of coffee. They sat down and joined the conversation.

"Jamie, do ya'all know of any coon hunter's around here?"

"Yep, ol' man Baxter, over by Hickory Plains, does quite a bit of it. Why?"

"Well, William said that was how they used to keep the coons out. Maybe if we got him over here, he'd take care of 'em for us and might just run the deer out too."

"I can give 'em a call and see if he'd be interested. They's four or five guys over there that love to run their dogs. I think they're always lookin' for some new place."

"Great, that'll be the first order of business after breakfast."

We sipped our coffee until Dianne called us for breakfast.

We filed into the dining room and took our seats. Breakfast was the usual fare of eggs, sausage, grits, biscuits, juice, milk and coffee. Of course, Cammie had her big breakfast and everyone kept their hands away from her vicinity. Nobody said a word during the meal, but we resumed conversation after the food was gone.

"So, no deer?" Cammie asked.

"Nope, they didn't show up. We shot at a couple coons but our bullets deflected off of a limb, so we missed."

"So, we won't be butcherin' today?"

"Nope. We're just gonna wait for the water to show up. Jamie's gonna call a guy about comin' over to do some coon huntin'. That should take care of the coons and maybe to the deer problem too."

"Who you callin'?" Bonnie asked.

"Ol' man Baxter," Jamie answered. "Him and his group do a lot of huntin' and are always lookin' for new places."

"They've been doin' that for years. I don't know how their wives stand 'em. They're never home at night durin' coon season. They're always out with their dogs."

"Maybe that's why their marriages last so long," I quipped.

"Now that's a good possibility," Bonnie answered with a smile.

We finished up our coffee and Jamie got the phone to call about the coon hunting. Jimmy and I got our rifles and I grabbed a cleaning kit so we could swab out the barrels. Then I put all of my stuff away in the closet while Jimmy put his in his vehicle.

Jamie came out to the front porch and said that Baxter would be over sometime this afternoon to talk with us. Baxter had said that he had a new dog he was anxious to run and the new territory would give him a chance to get him on some coons before the other dogs could claim the trail.

We had just settled into the chairs when the UPS truck came up the lane. I went out to meet him and he said he had a bunch of boxes for us. He carried them all up onto the porch and I signed for them. They were from B&T but they weren't heavy enough to be tools, so I figured they had to be clothes.

I called in for the women to come out and see what all we had. They came out just as the UPS truck was pulling out.

"What's all this?" Cammie asked.

"I figure it's the clothes Sharon sent us."

"Oh good, clothes."

That was all it took. The women each claimed their own box and drug them inside to unpack them.

"Damn, you mean we have more clothes?" Jimmy said, as the women left the porch.

"I'm afraid so," I answered. "Might just as well get yours."

"I'll just drive mine home and look at it later. I'm afraid we're gonna have to build on an addition to my house to fit all these damn clothes in there. She just got through filling almost all the closets with her old clothes. I have no idea where these are gonna go."

"Might just as well get used to it, 'cause it ain't gonna get no better."

"Unfortunately, I know you're right about that. I wonder if we could have a yard sale and get shed of some of the clothes over there?"

"Who in the world would come all the way out here for a yard sale?"

"I'm hopin' somebody that might want some clothes."

"Keep on dreamin'."

Jimmy took his box and put it in his vehicle and drove it over to his house. Jamie did the same with his box, but Jessie and I were stuck. We had to take ours inside where the women were.

He was lucky. He got to drag his upstairs and get out before the women could understand what he was doing. I had to carry mine right by them.

Do you think it would be possible that they would be too involved with their own clothes that they wouldn't notice mine? Not a chance. Before I could get to the bedroom, Cammie stopped me and I had to open mine so they could all see what the men had been sent.

Reluctantly, I opened the box and began to take out the clothes. I don't think I've ever seen that many rhinestones on a man's shirts in my life. Not only were there rhinestones, but there was extensive embroidering across the yoke on the front and the back. These had to be very expensive shirts. They would put my H-Bar-C shirts to shame.

Of course the women insisted that I try one on. I tried to dodge that by saying I needed a shower, but they wouldn't let me use that excuse and said that I would only have it on for a minute or so. Don't men ever win an argument?

I stripped off my shirt and put a fancy tan shirt on and buttoned it up. Actually, I snapped it up. They had pearl-capped snaps on the shirts.

I held the women to their words and only kept it on for about a minute and then took it off and drug the wardrobe box to the bedroom and laid all of the clothes on the bed. I figured that Cammie would be the one to arrange them in the closet. Lord knows that I wouldn't have enough sense to do it. There were also some work clothes in there and several pairs of jeans that had multi-colored stitching in them. I had never seen anything like that before, but I was a model, not a critic.

I carried the empty box out to the back porch and left it there. We'd probably have more to dispose of later on and I didn't want to worry with it right then. I walked out the back door and went around to the front porch so I didn't have to confront the women again.

Jimmy and Jamie were there and I took my seat next to William.

"Did ya'all look at them clothes?"

"Nope," Jimmy replied. "That way I won't be able to discuss it with Bonnie when she asks."

"Coward."

"Damn straight."

Jesse finally made it back to the porch. The women had ambushed him and made him model a couple of his shirts and were going to get him to model some of the jeans until he rebelled and stormed away.

We all remained on the front porch, away from the flapping gums of the fashion conscious women, until they fixed lunch. We had our soup and sandwiches and then sipped our coffee. Of course Bonnie and Dianne wanted to know what Jimmy and Jamie had done with their clothes and they told them they had drove them to their house. Of course that set off a new flurry about whether they fit or not. The women were told that the place had our measurements and they were sure the clothes fit. Then they wanted to know if they had hung them up, to which they received the no answer from both of them. The women shook their heads and clucked their disapproval.

We finished our coffee and us guys headed for the porch. We hadn't been there very long when the fire department showed up with their pumper.

We walked out and met them. Jamie knew both of them and we chatted for a bit. Then we led them around the back with their truck and I showed them where we needed the water. They took a look at the set up and then went back outside to work on their truck.

They got the hoses hooked up and brought the small one inside. Once the pumper was turned on, he slowly opened the nozzle of the hose and began filling the tub. It took a lot more water than I thought it would and I waited until he had it almost full before I turned on the pump to the tub and the heater. That took even more once it got the circulator going.

When it was full, he turned off the nozzle and drug the hose back outside. They disconnected everything and rolled the hoses up. I fished out fifty dollars and paid them and gave them ten dollars for a tip and thanked them. They thanked us and slowly drove away.

We walked back inside and the women were already there.

"That water is really cold," Cammie said.

"Really? You mean they didn't deliver hot water?"

"Don't be a smart ass. How long is it gonna take to warm up to where we can use it?"

"I don't know, probably a few days."

"But we wanna use it now."

"Be my guest."

"No, we want it warm enough to use now."

"Darlin', I can't wave a magic wand and make it warm. The heater will take some time to work."

"Isn't there anyway to speed it up?"

"Not that I know of. I don't think that ya'all could boil enough water to help any."

"Why didn't you get it sooner? That way we could already be enjoyin' it."

"Because we had to finish ever'thing first. It's not a good idea to be workin' around a big tub of water with anything electrical."

"Well, you need to find a way to make it warmer quicker."

"No, you need to find a way to get some patience."

I got a look that most guys don't like seeing. It was a look like, "you're a man and you always have the answers to everything, so why can't you solve this little problem?" When a man gets that look, there is no sense arguing about anything else at all. They have no sense of humor about it and don't want to take no for an answer.

I had a thought running around in the back of my mind, but I didn't want to say anything about it. I figured if I hooked a hose to the circulation pump and ran it outside and let the sun warm it as it flowed through and back to the pump, it might speed things up. But I didn't want to say anything in case it didn't work. So I just walked outside and left the women standing there. I wasn't about to get into an argument about this.

We had just gotten seated on the porch when a pickup drove up the lane. We all got up and met the truck and the guy came to a stop.

"Howdy, I'm Clyde Baxter. Jamie called and said ya'all had a coon problem."

"Yep, we sure do. I'm Dean Trimble. We spied three big 'uns and a couple small 'uns comin' out of our cornfield this mornin'. We was a good distance away, but we woulda had 'em if our shots hadn't hit a couple branches before it got to 'em."

"Them things do happen. How big a spread ya'all got here?"

"We own ever'thing between the four roads."

"That's a good sized spread. You musta bought out Miller, Grishom and the Bairds."

"I bought out Miller and Grishom and Jimmy here bought out the Bairds. We put our land together and are raisin' white faced cattle."

"Well, ya'all got some good land. Got good water and it ain't been overworked."

"I don't think we'll be overworkin' it much neither. None of us like work that much."

"Can't say as I blame ya. So, ya'all don't mind if we run our dogs in here for some coon?"

"Nope. Just don't shoot our calves."

"Oh, that's not a problem. We don't shoot 'em till we got 'em treed and then it's just one shot with a .22 short."

"Well, ya'all are more than welcome to run your dogs. Maybe they'll run some of the deer off too. That's what we were after this mornin', but the coons showed up instead."

"Our dogs won't run deer, but they'll scare 'em off. Deer don't like bein' around dogs much."

"I don't mind the deer, but I mind the hell out of 'em eatin' our corn."

"I know the feelin'. They can go through a field of corn in no time flat."

"Yep, and they don't bring nothin' at the butcher shop. They's good eatin', but a lot of problem to butcher."

"I heard dat. Takes more time to butcher 'em right than it does to eat 'em."

"Yep. Plus, I'd prefer to take 'em when it's colder so the meat don't spoil so quick and the flies don't blow maggots in 'em."

"You got that right. So, as long as we stay within the four roads, we're all right then?"

"Yep. Plus, I think most of the surroundin' stuff is National Forest land. We've got the lots on the other side of the two north-south roads. That's pretty much in timber. They've just cut some off across from Bonnie's old place. But beyond that limit, I think it's the guvmints."

"I'd have to look it up and see. They don't mark stuff out here that well. But we'll probably just stay in close here, at least till we run them all down on the farms."

"I'm pretty sure if ya'all start your dogs around the stream, you'll cut scent in a hurry. I'm sure there's more than what we saw this mornin'."

"More'n likely. Well, I just wanted to come over and get acquainted and get a look at the layout. I'll drive around a bit and check things out. Then we'll probably be back tonight. Ya'all don't have any dogs runnin', do ya?"

"Nope. We've got a couple down by the chickens, but that's it."

"Ok. Just so's I know."

"We killed off a bunch of coyotes earlier this year and we ain't seen none around since then."

"Nope. Ya'all probably won't see any until this fall. They've still got pups that ain't weaned yet, so they'll be stickin' pretty close to home. They're probably back in the forest area where they're a lot safer."

"Well, ya'all are more'n welcome. Especially if ya'all can get shed of them coons."

"We'll do our best. Nice meetin' ya'all."

He got in his truck and drove off. I asked William what time it was and he checked his watch and said it was a bit after 3, so we decided we'd do the feeding now and get it out of the way.



-------

Chapter 54


We fired the tractors up and I pulled under the feed bin while Jamie opened the chute. Once he had it full, he and William climbed up with me and we headed out to the pastures, following Jimmy and Jessie.

The feeding went smoothly and we were back at the farm before too much time had expired. I hosed out the spreader and then put the tractor away. When we got to the front porch, Jamie and Jessie went inside and brought out a pitcher of tea and some glasses with ice in them. We sipped on our tea and chatted about various things until we were called for supper.

We had pot roast and the carrots and potatoes were cooked in with the roast. Plus we had gravy, corn on the cob, green beans, a salad and peach pie for dessert. Along with the ice-cold milk and fresh bread, it went great. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Wait 'til you see how we look in our square dance outfits with the petticoats that flare the skirts out," Cammie said.

I bit my tongue and didn't say what I was thinking, but answered, "I bet they look good."

"Oh, they do and there was a note from Sharon that said our outfits will match a shirt that ya'all got."

"Great. Matchin' outfits. Just what ever' guy dreams of."

Well, that was a mistake.

"Can't you get excited about anything that don't have to do with tools or guns?"

"I don't remember me gettin' excited about them things either."

"Well, you show more interest in them than you do in the clothes."

"Darlin', it's just nature for men not to be interested in clothes. As long as we're covered enough not to get arrested, then most anything is fine with us, as long as it's comfortable."

"If men were in charge, they'd still be wearin' animal skins."

"Nope. It takes too much to cure the hides and we can't get the women to do that no more."

Well, that was another mistake.

"I'd think ya'all would take some interest in how ya'all look. We dress up for ya'all and you men just think it's all right to walk around in jeans and a tee shirt."

"I beg your pardon. Ever' Saturday we all get dressed up for ya'all to go to the Grange Hall. Plus, we get dressed up when we go other places. They sure ain't no sense in wearin' a suit and tie to feed the calves. Dressin' up is a female thing. It's just not something we look forward to."

"But you look so nice when you're all dressed up, like you do when we go to Denver. Why can't you get dressed up for us?"

"I do get dressed for you. Ever' Saturday night and when we go to Denver or other places that it's called for."

"So, you're tellin' me that you're dressin' for me them times?"

"Yep. Sure am."

"Good, then the next time I'll he'p you pick out your clothes for you to wear."

"I don't think so. I think I'm capable of doin' that myself. If you don't like somethin', then I'll consider changin' it. But I think I dress myself up fairly well. At least I ain't had no complaints, nor been told I couldn't go in somewhere because I wasn't dressed up just right."

"But you could look so much better."

"All right. If you're gonna pick out my clothes, then I get to pick out yours."

"No way. You ain't got no fashion sense at all. You'd have me wearin' colors that don't go together or all white. I ain't agreein' to that at all."

"Well, then I guess we're at a stand off. You pick out your clothes and I'll pick out mine."

"You could use some new suits."

"Why?"

"Because you've had them others for over a year now."

"So?"

"Well, ever'one's seen 'em and it's time for new ones."

"Ok, time out. First of all, men don't need to wear somethin' new ever'time they go out. Nobody pays any attention to the clothes we have on, so they don't know how long I've had them suits. Secondly, I can't buy a suit off the rack. Them suits are custom made and cost over fifteen hundred dollars apiece. They probably cost more now. I've got a gray one and a tan one. That's all I need. They're western cut, so they don't go out of style. And thirdly, I ain't spendin' no four thousand dollars just because folks have seen my suits before."

"And you accuse me of spendin' too much money for clothes when you pay that much for a suit?"

"I've never accused you of spendin' too much for clothes. I've accused you of havin' too many clothes. I've never been one to scrimp of the price of things, just the number of things. Especially when they're the same things."

"What do you mean, the same things?"

"How many pair of black shoes do you have?"

"I don't know, why?"

"I'll bet I can find about five pair of black shoes in your closet."

"So what?"

"Why do you need five of the same thing?"

"They're not the same thing."

"They're all shoes and they're all black."

"But they're all different. There's the open toe ones, the low heels, the strap backs, the high heels, the pumps and the ones that are all enclosed."

"But they're all shoes and all black. Why do you need so many black shoes? I have one pair of black dress boots and one pair of brown dress boots."

"Well, because women's shoes are different. You have to have different styles for different occasions."

"Ok, here's another question. Why do you keep tryin' to change me? You constantly want me to go shoppin' or do other things that just ain't in a man's nature. Why do you think you can alter that?"

"Well, I just want us to do things together. Surely you can do one thing that I wanna do."

"I do a bunch of things that you wanna do."

"What?"

"Well, let's start with the addition. You got your way about almost ever'thing in there. We even went shoppin' for stone and the hearth and the mantle. I let ya'all pick out the hot tub and even went with you to shop for it. You picked out the colors and curtains and the rug for it. You wanted the walk-in closet and I said ok on that. But you keep tryin' to change me and it just ain't gonna work."

"So you're sayin' that you ain't gonna do things with me?"

"I didn't say that. What I said was that I wasn't gonna change into something that I'm not. I don't like shoppin' and I just ain't gonna like it. I'm not into all of this fashion crap and I ain't gonna get into it. I don't ask you to do things that you don't wanna do, or that you don't like doin', why do you insist on makin' me do the things that you know I don't wanna have any part of?"

"Well, because I want us to do stuff together."

"Darlin', we do a lot of stuff together. Ever' Saturday night we go to the Grange Hall. I always include you on any plans for the house. I even bought this house and land so we'd all have a place to live together. I planned the farm so we'd all share in it. I he'ped ya'all can. Or at least I he'ped where I could. When we get new calves in, ya'all are always out there with us. You're included in a lot of things, but you don't seem to realize that."

"Those are all work things. I'm talkin' about things away from work."

"The Grange Hall ain't work and we do that ever' Saturday night."

"But we never go no place else."

"We go out to eat. We go to Denver together and other places. When we're runnin' a workin' farm, there's not a lot of time left over. We kinda got plans for a vacation this fall after we get the corn picked and things slow down some."

"Ya, I guess we did plan on that a bit. But I just want us to do other things together."

"Do you wanna come with us when we go to Elmer's to see about gettin' parts for the machinery?"

"No, that's just borin'."

"Well, do you wanna he'p us do the feedin' in the evenin'?"

"No, there's nothin' for me to do."

"We could let you cut the bales apart or operate the feed bin chute."

"No. I don't know how to do that stuff."

"Well, you could learn."

"No, that's not stuff together. That's work crap."

"Ok, then how 'bout stuff in the workshop? You could learn how to do stuff there."

"No. That's men stuff."

"Well, beyond that, there's really not much time left over to do much else. That's just the way it is on a farm. The work has to be done or the farm will fail. The time that's left is in the fall or winter."

"Well, if we go on vacation to the shore, will you at least shop with me?"

"If you'll he'p me gut the next deer we kill."

"Why are you like that?"

"Like what? I just got through tellin' you that I don't like shoppin'. It's not just shoppin' with you that I don't like. It's all shoppin' that I don't like."

"Well, if we go to the shore, what are you gonna do while I'm shoppin'?"

"I don't know. I don't have any idea what there is to do at a place like that."

"Since you don't have nothin' planned, why not go shoppin' with me?"

"This conversation is just goin' in circles. If you're goin' on vacation to go shoppin', then I'll just stay at home. I'd planned on goin' on vacation so you and I could spend time together, alone. We could find things to do that both of us would be interested in. But if you're just goin' to go shoppin', then maybe we'd best rethink this idea."

"You just can't give in on nothin'. You are such a man."

"Yes, dear."

With that, I got up and walked away from the table. This was a no-win conversation and I wanted out of it and now. I made my way to the front porch and took a seat.

The kids went to do the chores and Jimmy and William came out and sat down with me.

"It don't appear like she's gonna let go of this shoppin' thing," Jimmy said.

"I think you're probably right. I don't know what's got into her lately."

"Well, the fact that you're both so damn hard headed probably has something to do with it. Neither one of you two know when to just back the hell off."

"That could be. Maybe if I went shoppin' and picked out ever'thing that don't go together, she'd stop this shit."

"Nope. Then she'd just wanna educate you about colors and fashion. Trust me, that ain't gonna work."

"Well, if ya'all don't mind me stickin' my nose in," William said, "I think it's more than the shoppin' thing."

"William, if you can come up with some solution to this, I'd be as happy as a pig in a mud wallow."

"I ain't sayin' I got a solution at all. But what I've found, is that when a woman's arguin' about somethin' that don't make much sense, she's really tryin' to get an answer to another problem that she don't wanna bring out into the open."

"Damn, why don't they just say what the problem is and then we could get to the bottom of this and put it behind us?"

"Because women don't think like we do. They think if they keep pickin' at somethin', they'll get through the skin and down to what they are really wantin'. It's kinda like hoin' weeds in a garden. You can chop off the tops, but the root is still there. What needs bein' done is to dig the roots out and throw them away. But the women keep cuttin' the top off and then they're surprised when the thing grows back."

"So, you're sayin' that there's somethin' else that's really botherin' her and she just keeps usin' this shoppin' thing to try and get the other thing out in the open."

"Somethin' like that. She sounds like she's got a burr under her saddle, but she don't wanna take the saddle off and cure the problem. The horse stops buckin' when she ain't on it, so she just figures the horse don't like her. But if she'd take the saddle off and get the burr out, then she could ride without any problems."

"You might be right about this. She does keep harpin' on the shoppin' thing. She oughta know by now that I ain't gonna give in. Maybe she is usin' this to smoke out another problem."

Just about then, the kids came back from chores and we changed the subject and talked about the hot tub and getting the water warmed up. I told them I thought we might be able to run a section of hose off of the pump and loop it outside and let the sun warm it up before it got circulated back into the system.

We discussed that option and we concluded that we could do that and that we needed some type of shiny metal under the hose to help reflect the sun's rays and heat it quicker. We didn't have any big lengths of metal, but Jimmy suggested that we get some tin foil from the store and lay it out and run the hose over it. That sounded like the cheapest solution and we thought we'd maybe try that tomorrow. Chrissy said she thought that the women were goin' grocery shopping tomorrow and they could buy it then.

We chatted about a lot of things, but nothing very serious. The women joined us and I asked them if they would buy us two large rolls of tin foil when they went shopping tomorrow. They said they would but wanted to know what it was for. I explained my idea about the hose and heating the water. They liked that idea.

We chatted until it got dark and then went inside to watch the news and wait for the weather. It was looking less likely that we would get any rain this far south. Such is life and weather. Nothing is certain.

After everyone got their hugs and kisses, they departed for their homes and we turned off everything and closed up. I got a kiss from the girls before they went upstairs and then Cammie and I stripped down and used the bathroom. We slipped into bed and kissed and cuddled before we drifted off to sleep.

A couple of times during the night, I heard the coon dogs running, but I was able to go back to sleep with no problem. I slept until the rooster woke me and I teased Cammie's nipple until she moaned and turned over to kiss me. Then she slipped out of bed and scooted to the bathroom. I followed and made use of the throne when she was done. We both washed up and got dressed before heading for the kitchen.

Surprisingly, Bonnie was already there. Cammie went to work with her and I went to work on the coffee. Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her before she started to slice up the sausage. Lena showed up and helped Cammie and Bonnie with the biscuits. I got the hot water in the presses and put more water back on the stove to boil.

Once the coffee had steeped long enough, I transferred it to regular pots and carried them to the dining room. I put two on pot warmers and carried one outside.

Jimmy and William were already out there and had out cups and the pot warmer with them. I poured us each a cup of coffee and then lit my first. We chatted and they both said they'd heard the dogs last night. I told them I had to but it was probably just because it was a strange sound and we'd get used to it if they stayed around very long.

The kids joined us after they returned from milking. I got a kiss from the girls and then they all poured a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot in and returned with a fresh one. We chatted and they said they'd all heard the dogs last night too.

The conversation was mostly about the dogs running and wondering if they got many coons. Then we were called for breakfast. It was our usual breakfast and there was very little talking until we finished. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

The women said they were going to get groceries this morning and should be back in time for lunch. I told them we would probably work on connecting the hose to the pump of the hot tub and running it outside since I didn't know exactly how it would work.

We finally finished our coffee and us guys headed for the hot tub room and I pulled the access panel for the pump and heater. I found a valve on the output side of the pump, but it was before the water entered the heater. I would have preferred to have it after the heater, so it could work too, but that was not the way it was set up. I figured that I could attach the hose to the valve and run it outside. We had enough hose that we could make several loops before returning it to the tub. I was sure the pump was strong enough to push the water back to the tub. I would just have to make sure the power to the heater was shut off so I didn't burn that out.

I voiced my ideas to the guys and they seemed to think that would work. We studied the set up a bit more just to see if we could come up with a better plan. The only alternative would be to cut the pipe after it left the heater and install a valve to attach the hose to and that didn't seem to be something we could do without a trip to town for parts.

We concluded that the original plan was the most workable with the least amount of problems. So we walked down to the workshop to get the hose. Jamie headed over to his place to get the hose that was over there. Jimmy was sure he had some hose at his place and drove over there to get it.

Jessie, William and I carried the hose we had in the workshop up to the house and I got the first length hooked up to the valve. I opened the closest window and moved the screen up one position so I could pass the hose through there. Then we stretched out the hose and attached the other lengths.

Jamie returned and we attached his hose and made a big loop. When Jimmy returned, we attached his hose and made a couple more loops before running the end back through the window and into the tub. I used a couple pieces of wood that we had cut to make sure the hose didn't move and pump water all over the room. Sometimes hoses will move around when they're under pressure. Then I turned the heater off with the switch located in the panel and opened the valve. The sun was already in place to shine directly on the hose. I let the water run out for a bit and then turned the pump on. It took a couple seconds, but the water began to flow back into the tub. It was pumping at a pretty good rate and I thought it was too fast to allow the sun to heat the water during the time outside, so I closed the valve some to slow it down. That seemed to work a bit better and I was pretty sure the idea would work a lot better when we got the tin foil under the hose to reflect the sun's rays. With the flow rate cut back, there would probably be water going through the heater, but I wasn't sure how much. I decided to leave the heater off, just in case there wasn't enough water to absorb all the heat. Better safe than sorry. Heaters are expensive.

We had just gotten everything running properly when the women came to tell us that they were leaving. I told them not to forget the tin foil and they said they had it on their list. They left and we watched the set up work until we were sure things were not going to blow up and spoil our idea.

Just as we were walking out to the porch, a big truck drove up the lane. We all went out to see who it was and the guy pulled up next to the workshop. We walked down to greet him and he climbed out of his truck.

"I'm thinkin' ya'all want this down here so's ya'all don't have to lug things around," he said, as he closed the door and turned to face us.

"That depends on what you're bringin'," I replied.

"Well, that's where you wanted it last time I brought bunch of machinery out."

"Well, then you thought right. What all do you have for us?"

"I don't know what's in 'em, but I got five crates on here that's addressed to you."

"That's probably from B&T in Denver."

"Yep, they sure are."

He opened the door to the back of the truck and moved his lift gate into position.

"They ain't as heavy as last time, but they ain't light neither. You want me to set 'em here?"

"Yep, we can move 'em after we get 'em uncrated."

I climbed up in the truck with him and we scooted two of the crates out to the lift gate and he lowered it. Then we moved it off of the gate and towards the shop. We got the gate back up and moved the other three on to the gate and lowered them.

Once we had them in place, he raised the gate and folded it back into the driving position. Then he got the bill of lading and said he just needed my autograph so he could get on his way.

I signed the paper and he handed me my copy and put his copies on his clipboard.

"Have fun with your new toys," he said, as he climbed back up in his cab."

He drove out of the lane as Jamie and Jessie came back from out from the shop with pry-bars so we could open the crates.

"What'd we get this time?" Jimmy asked.

"The bill only says that it's tools. We'll have to tear 'em open to see what they are. But they ain't as heavy as last time."

We opened the heavy one first and it contained a planer-jointer and the stand for it. The second one contained a shaper and the stand. The third one was a small metal break mounted on lockable casters. The fourth and fifth contained small tools, but the one thing that caught my eye was a laser level set up. There was the laser device and a stand, and several attachments.

The next question was, where are we going to put all of this stuff. I figured the break would be just temporary and we would give it to the school after the shoot. But I wasn't sure I wanted to give up the rest of the stuff. They were just too useful, or at least I thought they would be. Unfortunately, the shaper and planer were a couple weeks late for us to use in the hot tub room. They would have been perfect for making the molding. But then I thought that it was probably better that the boys learned how to do that work by hand. Now they know what it takes to do that.

We moved a few things and found room for the shaper and the jointer-planer. They would need to be moved out to the center of the room to be able to work with them anyway. The portable break we wheeled into a corner. It was made to be moved around and this was perfect for our crowded area. If we hadn't built such a big workbench, we would have had room for all of it.

We found a place to hang the laser level kit up on the pegboard behind the workbench. The stand we just stashed in the corner. Then we got into the other tools.

There were four plastic tool kits. One was a 3/8-drive socket set going from 3/8 to 3/4. Then there was a 3/8 drive metric set going from 7mm to 18mm. The next was a 1/2-drive socket set going from 1/2 to 1-1/2. Then there was a 1/4-drive socket set with both fraction and metric sizes in it. These sets were definitely not getting donated to the school. I had some sockets, but they were old and missing a lot of sockets that had been "misplaced" over the years.

Another tool kit contained cutters for the shaper. They had a lot of different shapes in there but mostly for making moldings. William took a look at them and just whistled.

"Those are expensive. Besides the machine, the cutters are about thirty dollars a piece just for the single groove. The multi-groove ones are even more."

"Well, William, these folks don't put out cheap things. They put out quality stuff."

"I'd say they do."

The final box contained knives for the jointer-planer. Besides the regular straight cutting blades, there were several sets of blades for making wide pieces of molding, like you'd see on the old time baseboards.

"We coulda used these a few weeks ago," I said, as I looked over them."

"It sure woulda made things go easier," William said.

We carried everything inside and stored them on the workbench so they'd be out of the way. Once we had the workshop in order, we tore down the crates and stored the wood in our spare wood stack. We could probably use some of that for when Cammie was modeling with the new machinery.

With that done, we walked back to the hot tub room to see how things were going. The water seemed to be flowing normally and I searched through the equipment box we had gotten with the tub and found a floating thermometer. I put that in the water and let it float around for a bit.

When I pulled it out again, it read sixty-five degrees. That was way too cold to even consider getting in. I tested the water coming out of the hose with my hand and it seemed a bit warmer, but I wasn't sure how much warmer. I was hoping the tin foil idea would work a lot better.

Just as we got to the front porch, the women drove in and parked at the back porch. We all walked back and helped them carry the groceries in. We just set the bags on the counter and table because us stupid men wouldn't know where they were supposed to go.

They asked what we'd been doing and I told them we got the water running out through the hose and then we got a shipment of tools from B&T and got them put away. Cammie wanted to know what we got and I told her we got a portable break, a jointer-planer, a shaper and several boxes of small tools.

"The only thing I understood was the several boxes of small tools. What in the world are them other things?"

"Machinery that you'll be modelin' next to and probably havin' to work."

"Well, then you'd best show me what they are and how they work before they get here."

"I will. But the first thing we need to do is to get that tin foil spread out under the hoses."

Bonnie reached in a bag and pulled out three large rolls of foil. We thanked her and then headed outside to try my idea.



-------

Chapter 55


Jamie and Jessie each picked up one loop and held it up while Jimmy took one end of the roll of tin foil and pulled out enough to run the length of that loop. When he got to the end of the loop, I tore that section off and we held it down until the boys got the hose on it. We repeated that with each loop and went through two and a half of the rolls. I had only asked for two and was glad the women had bought an extra one. Now all we had to do was to wait for the sun to do its part and heat the water as it flowed through the hose.

By the time we finished that chore lunch was ready. We all washed up on the back porch and found a place at the table. We dug into the food and enjoyed our soup and sandwiches. Once we were finished, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"How long do ya think the water will take to warm up?" Cammie asked.

"I really don't have any idea at all. I'm not even sure the hose system will work," I replied.

"Isn't there anythin' else we could do to speed it up?"

"Well, I'm open to any suggestions that ya'all have. I haven't come up with anything else."

"It just seems that it'll take so long that way."

"Well, I guess ya'all could take pots of water from the tub and heat them on the stove."

"That seems like a lot of work."

"It probably is, but I don't know what else we could do right now. I might think of somethin' else later, but that's about it right now."

"Couldn't we run hot water into the tub from the sink?"

"We probably could, but that would mean takin' water from the well to fill up the tub and it's already full. The reason why we got the water delivered in the first place was so we didn't use the water from the well."

"Do you think we'd run out of water if we did that?"

"It's sure possible. I'm not sure how much water is in the ground right now. We ain't had a lot of rain this year and I'd hate to have to drill a new well because we couldn't wait a day or two."

"So you think it'll be warm in a day or two?"

"I didn't say that. It might be that long or longer, dependin' on how good this system works. However, I'd say longer."

"You're no he'p. All I want is some idea as to how long it'll take."

"And I tol' ya, I don't know how long it'll take. I ain't never had to do this before."

"So you just dreamt this up in your mind?"

"Kinda. It's basically how an air conditioner works, but in reverse. We're takin' the cold out and puttin' it through a coil of hose and heatin' it there. So I don't know how long it's gonna take. Plus, when we get done heatin' it, we've got to put the chemicals in to make the water pure."

"How long's that gonna take?"

"Probably not more'n a day."

"Probably?"

"Yep. Again, I ain't never done that before, so I'm pretty much guessin'."

"I don't understand why it needs to be pure. We ain't gonna drink it, we're just gonna sit in it."

"Yes, but your body can absorb certain bacteria while you're sittin' in it.oiwHo"

"I didn't realize this was gonna be so much work."

"It won't be after we get it goin' the first time. Then it's just a matter of keepin' the water clean. But the first time always takes longer to get ever'thing up and runnin' right."

"How do you know? You ain't never done this before."

"Darlin', it's like a swimmin' pool. Once the water is clean, it's just a matter of testin' the water each day and adjustin' the chemicals that you put in to make it clean."

"This just gets more and more strange. First, it takes a long time to heat the water, even though it's got its own heater. Then the water has to be cleaned before we can use it. Why don't we clean the water while we're heatin' it?"

"Because we would probably be wastin' chemicals that way. The heat may make the chemicals do strange things while it's goin' through the hoses."

"Oh, you're just sayin' that because you don't know and you want me to think that you do know."

"Nope, I tol' you I didn't know. I'm just sayin' that the chemicals might react funny with what the hoses are made out of."

"Now how could that be? Hoses carry water and it's just water that's runnin' through 'em."

"It's just water now, but if we add the chemicals it might change things some. The chemicals are made to work in certain environments and hoses ain't one of them."

"You're gonna do things your way regardless of what I say, so let's just drop this."

"You're makin' it sound like I don't wanna get the tub up and workin'. I'm just as anxious are you are to get it goin', but I wanna do it right."

"Yes, dear."

"Oh, you're such a woman."

Before she could say anything else, I got up from the table while her mouth was still hanging open and walked outside. The guys followed me in just a little bit and we stood around discussing what we should do this afternoon.

While we were standing there, a car drove up the lane and parked close to us. A man got out and it took me a bit, but I recognized him. It was the superintendent of the school system, Ralph Jennings.

"Ralph, how you doin'?"

"Just fine, Dean. How 'bout yourself?"

"Actually, I'm doin' pretty good as long as I stay out of arguments with women."

"I sure hope you ain't castin' a cloud of doom over why I came out here."

"Well, seein' as I don't know why you came out here, I really can't say. Let me introduce you to Bonnie's dad. This is William Whiteside. William, this is Ralph Jennings, he's the superintendent of the schools around here."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Jennings."

"Nice to meet you too, but please call me Ralph."

"Sure, and you can call me William."

"Actually, you might be able to help me with my mission. I'm not sure that Dean and me can do the job all by ourselves."

"Well, I'll try to help you all I can. But that depends on what you're wantin' us to do."

"Well, Elsie McCracken's term on the school board is up come November and I'm wantin' to get Bonnie to run for her seat. I know she's pretty dead set against it, but I just know she'd be a real asset to this county if we could get her to run."

"Ralph," I broke in, "they ain't nothin' pretty about it. She's got her heels dug in and firmly leanin' the opposite direction of where you're wantin' her to go."

"I know and that's why I've come out here. I'd like all ya'all's help in tryin' to convince her to run."

"I'll help all I can, but I'm not sure that's gonna be much. She's probably 'bout as hard headed as I am and it'd be a big tussle convincin' her to change her mind about most anything. But changin' her mind on this is near 'bout impossible."

"Well, I can't give up without at least tryin'. Elsie's been a thorn in everyone's side since she's been there. If it were up to her, we'd still be usin' slates and chalk instead of writin' paper, 'cause paper is just a waste of money."

"Are you tryin' to say she's a bit on the cheap side?"

"Dean, she's the only person I ever heard make Lincoln squeal when she found a penny on the sidewalk. She firmly convinced that teachers are paid way too much and there's no reason we need college-educated folks to teach kids. She thinks we should all take turns on teachin' 'em what we know and they'd be just fine. She thinks the computers we got for free are great, but she thinks payin' someone to teach the kids how to use them is just outrageous."

"Oh, one of them forward thinkers, I see."

"She ain't looked forward since they invented rear view mirrors. I'm pretty sure she was born facin' backwards. She's voted against every improvement we've ever proposed in this system."

"Well, she got elected. Do other folks feel that way too?"

"Some do, of course. But, for the most part, nobody's had the guts to run against her. The last person that did was a man and she accused him of bein' a man and, in her book, that's a crime in itself."

"And you think Bonnie can defeat her?"

"I'm sure she can. Bonnie is well liked in this county and I know she won't take any crap from Elsie. We might have to restrain them from gettin' in a fistfight, but I'm pretty sure Bonnie could take her there too."

"Well Ralph, I'll support you all I can, but I'm not sure it'll make much difference. Maybe Jimmy and William could be some help too."

"I'll take all the help I can get."

"I'll help all I can," William said, "but I'm not sure that any of us can get her to change her mind."

"I'll put my two cents in too," Jimmy added, "but that woman is as hard headed as your Elsie is cheap."

"Well, maybe we can use that as an advantage. If we can get her to see that Elsie's doin' more harm and Bonnie could change that, she might go along with us."

"I guess the most she could do is to say no," William said.

"No, the most she could do is make our lives miserable," I replied.

"Actually, the most she could do is to defeat Elsie and help this county move ahead," Ralph said.

It was about that time that the women chose to come out and see what Ralph was doing here. As they were walking towards us, I felt an impending doom descending upon us.

"Ralph, what in the world are you doin' out here in this neck of the woods? I know it can't be for somethin' the kids done because they ain't been in school since May."

"Well Bonnie, I was out runnin' the bus routes, to make sure of pickups and distance, and I got thirsty. I figured if I dropped by, you might offer me somethin' cold to drink."

"We can offer you some tea, but that's about all that's cold. Come on up on the porch and sit for a spell."

"I knew you had a good heart."

"After what you did to me the last time I seen you I shouldn't. But I guess I can forgive ya for that. I survived without much wear on me."

"Bonnie, you done a good job. I am sorry I didn't warn you of that, but I knew you'd probably back out and didn't wanna have you runnin' off."

"Actually, you were kinda lucky that there were so many witnesses that day. Otherwise you'd a probably been pushin' up daisies by now."

"Naw, you ain't that mean, Bonnie. Besides, you deserved the honor."

"It ain't no honor to have to stand up in front of ever'one and talk. I'm not real fond of that."

We had made our way to the front porch and found a seat. Donna and Chrissy brought out tea and glasses with ice in them and poured everyone a glass of tea. I introduced Ralph to Lena. They said their hellos and then the conversation picked up. I was kinda interested in how Ralph was going to get around to asking Bonnie to run. I figured I'd best sit between them so she couldn't get at him easily.

"So Bonnie, Dean tells me ya'all are runnin' more cattle now that ya'all got more land."

"Yep. Besides my place, we've got Miller's, Grishom's and the Baird's places. We got three herds of about fifty each. But I don't really have much to do with that. Dean and Jimmy take care of that. Us women just make sure they've got enough to eat so they can work and not waste away to nothin'."

"Did ya'all move into this place?"

"Well, at first we did. Then Jimmy showed up and he bought Baird's place and moved in over there. Then Mama and Daddy moved over here a month or so ago and they moved into Miller's old place. About two months ago, Jamie and Dianne mated up and they're livin' in our old place now. And a couple weeks ago, Jimmy and I got together, so I'm livin' over there now."

"Well, ya'all got a right nice community here. And ya'all've got enough land to make things work."

"Yep, we've got just over a section and have it divided up into pastures and growin' fields. Plus, we're gonna do somethin' with the stuff we got timbered out now, but we ain't sure what right now."

"Well, ya'all have done right well. I also got a notice that you and Cammie got your GEDs last May."

"Yep, we sure did. We was right nervous about that, but we passed."

"I don't know why you'd be nervous. You've sure got the smarts to pass it."

"Well, it'd been a while since me and her was in school. I'd pretty much forgot how to study."

"Bonnie, I don't think you'd ever forget nothin'."

"I won't admit to forgettin' much, but some things do slip my mind, from time to time."

"I've been told that the mind is like a muscle. You either use it or lose it. And, somehow, I think you're always usin' yours."

"You're bein' awful nice for someone who just dropped by to get somethin' to drink."

"Bonnie, I'm just a nice person."

"Damn, it's gettin' deep around here. Good thing we're up on the porch."

"So, are you gonna take some college courses now that you've graduated?"

"Well, Dean's wantin' us to take some accountin' courses so we can do a better job on the books. So we'll probably do that this fall."

"That's always a good idea. Since ya'all have the computers, I'm sure ya'all will just sail through them courses."

"It does make it easier. I'm surprised almost ever'time I use that thing. I make one entry and it makes all the other entries that are needed for that transaction. Before, I used to have to worry that I was puttin' things in the wrong place."

"Yep, they are amazin'. What's really amazin' is how quick the kids have taken to 'em. They're doin' things in high school that I never even dreamed of until I was in college."

"They do save a lot of time and worry."

"Yep, it's a good thing that you and Dean got the ball rollin' on gettin' the school all that stuff. We'd still be stuck in the '70's if ya'all hadn't done that."

"I didn't have a thing to do with that. Dean did all of that."

"That's not how I see it. You got your kids workin' on 'em and that showed us, and me especially, just what they could do."

"Actually, Dean did all of that too."

"Bonnie, I know that Dean probably did a lot of things, but you are the one that got your kids to the point they could do that. I know he wasn't around to help 'em with their school work much before last year."

"Ralph, I just brought 'em up the way I was brought up. I had to struggle with 'em to get 'em to do their homework. When Dean came around, he introduced them to the computer and they just took it from there. I didn't have much to do with it."

"It was the way you raised 'em that did the job, Bonnie. Probably if you hadn't kept on 'em, they would have fallen behind and wouldn't have had the smarts to use the computer when Dean brought it around."

"Well, parents always do that."

"No, not all of 'em do. Did you know we almost didn't get that system, even though it was mostly free?"

"No, I didn't. Why wouldn't ya'all have taken it?"

"Well, Elsie fought long and hard against it. She wanted the kids to learn to do things in their heads like she did when she was goin' to school."

"I think Elsie woulda fought again paved roads if she had to put any money out of her pocket. She never was one to think ahead."

"She was the only one that wound up votin' against it. She didn't wanna spend the money to put the electrical stuff in and sure didn't wanna spend the money to put the extra phone service in."

"Ya, she's probably still usin' an outhouse because she wouldn't wanna spend the money on inside plumbin'."

"She's up for election in November."

"Anyone gonna run again her?"

"I was kinda hopin' to convince you to do it."

"There ain't no chance in hell of that happenin', Ralph."

"Why not? You'd be the perfect candidate and could knock her off her perch. She's held this county back for so long and I know you could really help the school system."

"Ralph, it just ain't gonna happen. I don't like talkin' in public and I especially don't like givin' speeches. There's a bunch of other folk that would be a lot better'n me for that job."

"Who?"

"I don't know. That's your job. I get all sweaty when I have to talk in public and I don't do a good job of it."

"But you do, Bonnie. You did a wonderful job when you talked in front of the school last spring."

"I don't think I did. I was as nervous as a three-legged cat with the green apple two-step. I was just tryin' not to embarrass myself too bad."

"Well, I think ya done good and so did ever'one else. You'd be the perfect person to unseat Elsie. Nobody else can make the claim of raisin' a family and watchin' the purse strings like you can, because you've done it. You're successful and you've got the smarts to do it. Would you at least think about it?"

"Ralph, they ain't nothin' to think about. I don't like bein' in the spotlight and I sure don't like makin' speeches. Runnin' for her job would require all of them things."

"Bonnie, you may not like doin' them things, but you do a good job at 'em. Besides, you'd be doin' the entire county a service. There's not a man in the county that could defeat her. But you could."

"Then get some other woman to do it. I got no interest in doin' it."

"Will ya just think about it? Please."

"Ya know, Bonnie," Lena spoke up, "your daddy was on the school board when you was in school. It might not be such a bad idea."

"Mama, I just hate gettin' up in front of folks and talkin'."

"There's a lot of things that we all hate doin', but we do 'em anyways because they need bein' done."

"But there's a lot of other folks that could do this besides me."

"Not accordin' to this man, they ain't."

"But Mama, he's always talkin' like that. He could sweet talk a hog out of their mud wallow and into dressin' up like a dancin' girl."

"Now you don't really believe that, do you?"

"Yes, Mama he can."

"It don't sound like he's tryin' to sweet talk ya. It sounds like he's tryin' to do what's best for this county. He ain't wantin' to take nothin' from you, he just wants you to he'p others get the most out of what the school has to offer."

"Mama, I hate doin' stuff like givin' speeches or even talkin' in front of a bunch of folks."

"Bonnie Jean, it's time for you to stop thinkin' about yourself and start thinkin' how you can he'p this community. There's been a lot of folks that've he'ped you all through your life. It's time to start payin' back."

"Well, I'll think about it, but it ain't gonna make no difference. I just don't wanna do this."

"As long as you'll think about it, and listen to reason, then that's all we can ask."

"Yes, Mama. Ralph, I'll think about it, but that's about all."

"That's all I'm askin'. Oh, and there's one other thing. The deadline to file is the Wednesday after Labor Day. You have to file an application with the county clerk by then."

"I don't suppose you know what else is involved?"

"Yes. There's a fifty-dollar filin' fee. Then the rest is up to you. There'll probably be at least one public meetin' where you will get to tell folks what a good board member you'd make."

"And you probably don't have an application to file in your car either, do you?"

"Now that you mention it, I think I might have. Let me run out there and see if I do."

Ralph got up and walked to his car and Bonnie just stared at him the entire time he was walking out there. In an effort to break the tension, I said, "Well, Bonnie Jean, I'm glad to see that you're at least considerin' this."

As soon as the words, "Bonnie Jean" left my mouth, I got a look from her that would have killed Medusa.

"You don't get to call me that. Only my parents have that privilege."

"Don't be so crabby," Lena said, while Bonnie was shooting killing glances at me."

"Mama, he's just tryin' to be a smart ass. I'm sure he's got somethin' to do with this and I ain't right happy about this whole thing right now."

"Still, that ain't no reason to be like that."

"Yes, Mama."

"I was right," Ralph said, as he returned from his car, with a manila envelope in his hand. "I did have a set of filing forms."

"Now why don't that surprise me?" Bonnie said, with a voice that just dripped sarcasm."

"Well, sometimes folks ask me what all is involved in runnin' and I like to have things to show 'em."

"I'll just bet you do."

"You know, Dean," Ralph said, as he tried to steer the conversation away from what had already been decided," I heard that ya'all are tryin' to run this place organically. Is that right?"

"It sure is, Ralph. We just had the inspector here and he took a bunch of samples and we filled out some forms to see if we can qualify."

"Well, I sure hope you get it. I'm thinkin' you might be a good candidate to talk with our 4-H club this year. I know they've talked about this before, but they never had anyone that had any experience at it to answer any questions."

"Ralph, I'd be happy to help all that I can. It's kinda new for us too, but we sorta feelin' our way as we go along."

"That's a lot more experience that anyone else has. I think ever'one is tryin' to get away from the chemicals that are so prevalent and expensive on the farms now days."

"That was our goal too, Ralph. Plus, I think that the organic thing is much better for us too. You know, from a health standpoint."

"I think you're probably right about that. Lord only knows what them chemicals are doin' to us."

"Oh, and that reminds me too. I'm pretty sure we'll have at least one more piece of equipment for the school after our next photo shoot. That should be done in a couple weeks."

"All I can say is thank you for your generosity. Our shop would never be equipped as well as it is without your donations."

"Actually, they come from B&T Tools, in Denver."

"Yes, but you're the one that has made the arrangements for us to get them. It makes a big difference to our students."

"I'm always happy to help whenever I can."

"Well, I've still got to finish goin' over them routes and get back to the office before quittin' time. Thanks for all the tea and conversation. I really appreciate it."

"Stop out anytime you're in the area, Ralph."

"It was nice meetin' you, William and you too, Lena. I sure hope ya'all can convince Bonnie to run for the seat. We could really use her on the board."

"Well, she is kinda hard headed," William said, "but we'll talk with her and maybe she'll change her mind."

"That's all we can ask. Thanks again."

Us guys walked him out to his car and the women chatted while we said our good byes. I was pretty sure we were going to catch hell at the dinner table tonight, but there wasn't too much that could deter that. Bonnie was going to have her say and there was absolutely no getting around that.

He got into his car and drove out the lane. The rest of us walked back to the porch and took a seat. Just as we got there, the women took their glasses and walked inside. That was probably for the best. It would give Bonnie a chance to calm down some before she lit into us.



-------

Chapter 56


We poured ourselves more tea and chatted for a bit and then decided to feed the calves. That would keep us out of harms way, at least for a while.

Jamie operated the feed bin chute and filled the hopper of the spreader and then climbed up to ride with William and me. We followed Jimmy and Jessie to the pastures and the feeding went smoothly. When we got back, I hosed out the spreader and we put everything away.

The sun was slowly sinking and I was sure the major heat of the day was gone. We walked behind the house and the hose and tin foil was mostly in the shade. I walked inside and checked the temperature of the water and it had risen to 69. I also noticed that the recycling jet was pushing water out. Evidently, all of the water was not going out through the hoses because I had cut the flow back. That meant it was still flowing through the heater, as well as out through the hose.

I turned the valve to the hose off and turned the heater back on. There was no sense in running the water through the hose during the night. It would lose any gain it had made during the day. But tomorrow, I would be able to run the water through the hose and the heater at the same time.

With that taken care of, we walked back to the front porch and sat down to chat. We hadn't been there very long when Donna came out and told us it was time to eat.

The women had made pot roast for supper and it was delicious. We had the carrots and potatoes that were cooked with the roast and fresh peas also, along with corn on the cob. After that, we had to make room for peach cobbler. Once we finished, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Dean, what makes you think ya'all can convince me to run for the school board?" Bonnie asked, in a voice that was almost dripping with sarcasm.

"Bonnie, I didn't have a thing to do with that. That was all Ralph's idea."

"You never seem to have anything to do with anything, but you're always right in the middle of things."

"Bonnie, I was just as surprised as you were to see Ralph. We were just standin' in the middle of the yard when he drove up. I had no idea he was comin' out here."

"Ya'all seem intent on gettin' me to run for the school board and I hate doin' things in public. I get all nervous and sweaty when I have to talk in front of folks and I just don't wanna do it."

"Again, Bonnie, I didn't have a thing to do with it. I was just standin' there. If you don't wanna run, then just tell folks that you ain't gonna do it. Nobody can force you to."

"What? You ain't gonna argue with me about that? I'd a thought you'd a put up a big fight to get me to run."

"Bonnie, this ain't my fight. This is strictly your decision and I ain't involved in it. If you want folks like Elsie decidin' what is right for the kids of this county, then that's your decision."

"They's plenty of other folks who could do a better job than she does. And I'm sure they'd do a better job than me too."

"Well, Ralph seems to think you're 'bout the only one that can beat her. But it's still your decision. I ain't in this fight at all."

"Well, if she does as good a job as she did with her kids, then this county's in deep shit. Her kids couldn't do nothin' but farm after they got out of school. She thinks that's good enough for ever'one."

"And you're gonna leave her on the school board to do that to other kids?"

"Why do I have to be the one that beats her?"

"Bonnie, I don't know squat about things in this county. But I have to assume that Ralph does. He seems to think that you're the best hope at beatin' her. Now if he thinks that, I'd have to think that he probably knows what he's talkin' about."

"It's just not fair. I know they's a bunch more folks that'd be better than me at doin' that job."

"Well, then tell Ralph no. Just remember that you've still got seven kids in the school that she's gonna be runnin'."

"Seven? I don't have that many kids."

"If you include Dianne, Donna and Deanne, you do."

"Oh ya. I guess I do. Still, I'm sure they's a better person than me to do it."

"Well, you'd know that better'n me."

"Bonnie," Lena cut in, "I think I'd kinda listen to Ralph. He seems to know folks in this county and knows what needs bein' done. Now Daddy and I can pay the fifty dollars for your filin' fee if that's what's holdin' you back. I know times can be tough, but we've got some money set aside and can he'p with that if you need it."

"Mama, I've got the money. That's not the point. I just don't wanna do it. And I've tol' Dean and Ralph that I don't wanna do it, but they keep pesterin' me to do it anyways."

"It don't seem like Dean's got any dog in this fight. I'd say it's more Ralph than anything. He's the one that made a trip out here to try and convince you to do it. It don't look like Dean had anything to do with it."

"Mama, you ain't got no idea how sneaky he is. He always says he's not involved in things, but they keep happenin' around him all the time. It seems like nothin' happens around here that he ain't involved in, in some way or another. I just know he's stirrin' the pot somehow."

"If that's true, then what's he done that's been bad?"

"For starters, I think he's in back of all of this. Then he led me into a gatherin' at the school where I had to get up and give a speech. He claims he didn't know nothin' about it, but he was sure there."

"Did that cost you any money?"

"No, Mama, but I don't like to do that."

"Did it harm you in any way? You weren't bleedin' from that, were you?"

"No. That ain't the point. I just don't like bein' the center of attention and havin' to get up and talk like that."

"And you think that was his fault?"

"Yes. I just know he was involved in someway."

"Bonnie," I butted in, "I didn't have any idea that was gonna happen. I was just as surprised as you were about that."

"But you didn't have any problems gettin' up there and speakin'. Not like I did."

"That's because I'm used to it. I used to go on a speakin' tour twice a year. It would last for four weeks and we were in a different place ever' night. It's somethin' that you get used to after a while."

"Well, I don't wanna get used to it. By the time I sat down that day, I was a nervous wreck and I was sweatin' like a horse that'd be run hard all day."

"Trust me, it gets easier ever' time you do it."

"I wouldn't trust you as far as I could throw this county. You didn't know nothin' about Cammie gettin' that job as a model, but you were there. You didn't know nothin' about us gettin' hired as models, but you were sure there. Ever' thing that's happened around here, you've been right in the middle of, but you never seem to know nothin' about it."

"I didn't know nothin' about it, nor did I have anythin' to do with any of that. If you use that logic, then it was me that caused that tornado because I was right there when it hit."

"You're sayin' that things just happen when you're around?"

"I'm sayin' I didn't know none of that was happenin'. It was Fred and Jean that had the idea about Cammie bein' a model. I was just there when it happened. Fred did ask me to take pictures of the family, but I didn't know why he wanted them. I just took the pictures. Fred and the president tol' you that themselves."

"Ya, but ya'all are men and one would lie and the others would swear to it."

"That's not true. They didn't tell me nothin' about that stuff. I found out when you did."

"Well, I'm just sure that you've had a hand in a lot more than we're seein' that you did."

"Bonnie," Lena broke back in again, "even if what you say is true, they ain't none of that stuff that you've said that was bad. It was all good and good things happened to ya'all because of it."

"My havin' to give a speech weren't good."

"Maybe, but it didn't hurt you none, neither."

"Why are you on his side, Mama?"

"I'm not on no one's side. I'm just sayin' that it seems like good things do happen when he's around and maybe you should just sit back and enjoy it."

"So you think I should run for the school board?"

"Well, accordin' to Ralph, you're the only one that can beat this other woman. Ever'one agrees that she's not good for the county and you'd be doin' a lot of folks a favor if you beat her. So I guess you could say I think you should at least try."

"Ya'all are just gangin' up on me. I don't think I'm the right one for the job. I'd probably get so flustered when I had to speak that I'd make a fool out of myself and she'd win anyways."

"You won't know that unless you try, now will ya?"

"But Mama, I don't wanna do it. I just know I'll mess up big time and she'll win anyways."

"Bonnie Jean, I know that whenever you set your mind to somethin', it always gets done. It's been that way all your life. You just need to make up your mind that somethin' needs doin' and then it gets done. The big problem has always been gettin' you to make up your mind."

"Yes, Mama."

"So, are ya gonna do it?"

"I don't know, but I'll think about it."

"Well, don't take too long. You've got to file by Labor Day."

"Yes, Mama."

Everything just sort of went quiet after that. We had finished our coffee and before we could get into another discussion that would get me in trouble, I got up and walked out to the porch. That seemed to break up the meeting and William and Jimmy followed me out. The kids went to do the chores and us men took a seat on the porch.

"Bonnie's sure got a burr under blanket about you," William said.

"Ya, and I don't know why. I've tried to explain that I didn't have anything to do with all of that stuff. I just happened to be there when it happened."

"Sometimes, folks hear exactly what they want to hear and just won't listen to what is actually said."

"Both her and Cammie are that way. They've accused me of mastermindin' all of this and I really didn't have a thing to do with it."

"Well, ya did get me hired on as a model," Jimmy put in.

"Not really true, Jimmy," I replied, "they asked me if I knew of another man and I told them about you. Then I sent them a picture and they did all the rest. I was just a go between."

"Well, Bonnie's gonna have to sort this thing out by herself," William said. "She's got a bee in her bonnet and she's gonna have to take that bonnet off to get shed of it. She damn sure wouldn't let anyone take it off for her. Jimmy, you're probably gonna catch hell next."

"I can honestly tell her that I didn't have a damn thing to do with this."

"You can tell her that 'til the cows come home and she won't hear you. You're in the line of fire and I can guarantee you that you'll be duckin' 'fore it's all said and done."

"Probably will be."

We chatted about other stuff and the kids finally joined us. They joined in the conversation and the women finally came out. Nothing was said about Bonnie and her decision and none of us guys dared venture anything about it. This was something we didn't want to stir up at all.

When it got dark out, we adjourned inside and watched the news. The weather forecast was still the same and the news wasn't that interesting. Finally, everyone gave out and got their kisses and hugs and then headed for their homes. The rest of us turned everything off and closed up. Then I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy and we all headed for bed. Cammie and I snuggled in bed and kissed and caressed each other until we got drowsy and drifted off to sleep.

I heard the dogs of the coon hunters a couple times during the night, but was able to go right back to sleep. The rooster woke me up and I teased Cammie's nipple until she woke up and turned over to kiss me.

When she broke the kiss, she scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed and we both used the throne and washed up. Then we got dressed and headed for the kitchen.

Bonnie was already there and Cammie joined her as she worked on the sour dough stuff. I got water on the stove and ground the coffee. Lena showed up and worked with Cammie and Bonnie. When Dianne showed up, I got a kiss and then she went to work on the sausage.

Once the water was boiling, I filled three of the presses and put more water back on the stove to boil. I waited while the presses steeped and then poured the contents into regular pots and carried them to the dining room. I put two of them on the pot warmers that Jimmy had ready and carried the third one out to the front porch where Jimmy and William were sitting.

I poured each of us a cup of coffee and sat down and lit my first of the day.

"So, did you catch hell last night?" I asked Jimmy.

"No, but your ears should have been ringin'," he replied.

"Mine? Why?"

"She still thinks you're behind this whole thing."

"Damn, I just can't catch a break."

"I tried to tell her that it was Ralph that did all the talkin', but she didn't wanna hear that. She thinks that Ralph is involved, but thinks you're the main culprit."

"Hell, I give up. There's probably not anything I can say or do that will make her believe different, so I guess I'll just quit tryin'."

"I did manage to calm her down some, but I'd walk softly around her for a bit."

"I do that anyway. I ain't gonna say a thing about it unless she brings it up."

"That's probably best, at least for now."

"Ya know I'm not sure that Ralph knows what he's wishin' for. If she did get on the board, she'll probably make him wish that he hadn't tried so hard to get her to run."

We all laughed about that and agreed that she would definitely have her own agenda.

When the kids came back from chores, I got a kiss from the girls. They each got themselves a cup of coffee and Donna claimed my lap. We chatted and sipped our coffee until we were called for breakfast.

When we got to the table, it was quiet and we all dug into our food. There wasn't a scrap of food left by the time we finished and sat back to sip our coffee.

"Dean," Bonnie said, "I'm gonna do some countin' this mornin' and I'll probably have some idea about how many jars we'll need to order for the fall."

"Not a problem, Bonnie. Just let me know and I'll order 'em for you."

"What are ya'all gonna do today?"

"Probably work on the equipment. We'll need to go into town and get some filters and oil. The two main tractors could use an oil change. We've been workin' 'em pretty hard."

"Well, us women are gonna work in the garden today. We've got some stuff that needs pickin' and some that needs cut down."

"Why are ya gonna cut the plants down?"

"So they won't be in the way."

"Why don't ya just leave 'em and I'll plow 'em back into the garden when we're done for the season. That way they'll go back into the dirt. You have to put back what ya take out so the dirt won't get poor."

"We can do that. I forgot about that tiller you bought. That'll make short work of them plants."

"Yep, and we might throw in some of the compost pile and let it work over the winter too."

"We've got a good size pile that'll be ready by then."

"How's the water temperature doin'? Cammie asked.

"Well, it came up a few degrees yesterday. I'll turn the water back on so the hoses will work as soon as the sun gets high enough."

"Why'd you turn it off?"

"Because the temperatures get cooler at night and we woulda lost all we'd gained yesterday."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense."

I thought seriously about saying something, but then came to my senses and remained quiet. We continued chatting until we finished our coffee and then everyone got up. Us guys walked outside and the women began to work on the dishes.

We were almost to the shed when a pickup drove up the lane. We changed direction and walked up to greet the person. It was Dwayne, from the timber company.

"Howdy, Dean," he said as he got out of the pickup.

"Howdy, Dwayne. What brings you around here this time?"

"I've come to pay off Bonnie. We finished up and got all the logs measured so I could find out how much we owed her."

"I'm sure she'll be happy about that. We can probably even find you some coffee."

"I ain't never been one to turn down coffee."

We all walked up to the house and I opened the door and hollered inside.

"We got company so you'd best make more coffee."

The women came out of the kitchen and Bonnie saw who it was.

"What are you doin' here? You come to cheat me out of my money?"

"Nope. I come to pay you off. It wasn't quite what we'd agreed on, so I thought I'd best come explain."

We got seated around the table and chatted until Donna brought out the coffee. She poured a cup for everyone and then we all sat back to listen and sip our coffee.

Dwayne didn't say anything for a while as he sipped his coffee. I knew he was just stretchin' things out, but I wasn't gonna get involved in this at all. This was between him and Bonnie. Finally, he spoke up.

"Ya know, Bonnie, I am generally fairly close with my estimates. I always include a bit of hedgin' because some of the wood just ain't usable. Some is hollow and some just has too many knots in it to be worth much. But this time I was way off. You do have my sincere apologies for my mistake."

He handed her a check as she glared at him. She started to say something, but then closed her mouth and picked up the check. The silence was deafening as she looked at the check and her mouth dropped open.

"Dwayne, you ol' bastard. This check is for more than you estimated."

"Yep. But I just had to see your face when I handed it to you."

"You have no idea how close you came to a good cussin'. You ain't never cheated me before and I was ready to let you have it for even tryin' this time."

"I knew that comin' in, Bonnie. But I risked it just so's I could see your face when you seen the check. All of them trees were absolutely solid and there wasn't any we had to weed out because of too many knots. I generally figure about ten to fifteen percent of waste in my estimate, so that's why your check is bigger than I said."

"Well, I hope I didn't disappoint you and you got your money's worth for the trip. I do appreciate the extra money. We can always use that."

"Trust me, Bonnie, it's my pleasure. I don't get to do this too often, but I just couldn't pass this up."

"Dwayne, you remember my mama and daddy, don't you?"

"Well, I ain't seem 'em in quite a while, but I do remember the folks that raised you up. Seems to me they probably had their hands full all them years."

"That we did, Dwayne," William said, with a grin. "I ain't seen you since that other man took over our area. We're livin' over here now. Them stairs was gettin' too much for me and Lena, so we rented Dean's place on the other end of the property."

"Well, the county's gained another asset. We're glad to have you folks around. Maybe you can he'p keep Bonnie on the straight and narrow."

"Hell, we couldn't do that when she was young."

"Well, ya done a right good job as far as I'm concerned. She always treats me fair and I try to treat her the same way."

"You always paid us a fair price and we never had no complaints with your deals. We had others come around, but they couldn't compete with the way you treat folks."

"William, I just treat folks like I wanna be treated. It generally works out well for me. It's rare that I come out on the short end doin' that."

"Folks do respond to the way they get treated."

"Well, I'd best be on my way. Thanks for the coffee and for the priceless look on your face, Bonnie. I just couldn't pass that up."

"Dwayne, you're always welcome over here. Stop whenever you can and we'll find you a cup of coffee."

"Thanks, I'll do that. I'll be back for sure in a couple years when them other lots is ready to be cut."

We walked him out to his pickup and said goodbye as he drove out the lane.

"Well, that takes care of supper tonight. We're goin' to the steak house in Searcy. Time for a celebration," Bonnie said. "My treat."

The women headed back to the house and us guys walked down to the shop. We figured out what we needed and made a list so we didn't forget anything. Once that was complete, we headed back to the house and I got the checkbook and told the women we were leaving. Cammie asked me if I had the hot tub working and I remembered I didn't and thanked her for reminding me.

We walked out to the new addition and I turned the water on so it would flow through the hose. I didn't turn it on fully so it would have time to warm up before it returned to the tub. Then I checked to make sure there was a decent flow still going through the system and the heater wouldn't burn out. Once I was satisfied that it was in good shape, we headed for the pickup and then to town.

We pulled into Elmer's place and all piled out and walked in.

"Wow, I've got the whole crew here. Must be somethin' big goin' on," Elmer said, as we walked through the door.

"Nope, everyone just wanted to stay out from under foot of the women."

"I can understand that. What can I do for you boys today?"

"Well, Elmer, we need to change oil on our two main tractors. We've got a lot of hours on them since Jamie changed them last time. So we need filters and oil."

"I think we can he'p ya'all out with that."

"While you're at it, why don't you just give us two for them tractors and one for each of the others. That way we won't have to make a trip the next time."

"We can do that. How much oil ya'all need?"

"How 'bout a couple cases of gallons? Should be cheaper that way."

"Yep, you'll save about ten percent."

"Good, let's do that."

He walked into the back and returned with the filters. Then he got the two-wheeled dolly and got us two cases of gallon jugs of oil and wheeled them out to the counter.

"What else do ya'all need today?"

"I think that's about it, Elmer. We've still got about a half a case of grease cartridges left over. We just need to get the oil changed."

He wrote up the ticket and totaled it up. While I was writing out a check, he said, "Ralph was in this mornin' and said he was tryin' to get Bonnie to run for Elsie McCracken's spot on the board."

"Yep, he was out at our place and stirred up a hornet's nest by askin' her. We're all catchin' hell about that."

"Is she gonna run?"

"I don't think she's made up her mind yet. Actually, she's made it up, but we're tryin' to get her to change it and run anyways."

"She'd sure be a good 'un. We need to get shed of Elsie and get someone in there that'll think about the kids and the future of this county. Elsie's all about pinchin' pennies."

"That's what Ralph said, but Bonnie's a hard person to convince about things she don't wanna do."

"Most women are."

"Most women are easy compared to Bonnie when she don't wanna do somethin'."

"Well, Ralph's already out campaigning behind the scenes for her. He must think she's gonna do it."

"For God's sake, if you say anything at all to her, make sure you tell her that we didn't tell you about it. She's all over us and there would be hell to pay if she thought we were goin' behind her back."

"I'm pretty sure she'll get an earful at the Grange Hall on Saturday night. Ralph ain't one to take no for an answer very easily. If he's been here, I'm sure he's been other places too."

"Well, us guys are stayin' out of the fight. Her mama is tryin' to coax her to run, but we're stayin' out of the line of fire."

"I think she's gonna be surprised at the folks that want her to run. Ain't too many folks like Elsie, but no one's been able to defeat her. She's beat ever' man into the ground that tried. But I'm pretty sure that Bonnie would be her match and wouldn't take the crap that she gives men tryin' to run again' her."

"I'm all for it as long as us guys don't get blamed for makin' her run."

"I'm pretty sure you'll be in the clear."

He wheeled the oil out to the truck and helped us load it. We put the filters in and said our goodbyes and headed home. Somehow I was sure this entire situation was going to get blamed on me and I didn't know how to escape from it.



-------

Chapter 57


We got back home just a bit after 11. There was no sense in starting on the tractors since lunch was so close. So we put the oil and filters in the shed and went up to the house. We checked on the progress of the hot tub and it seemed to be working fine. It was hot enough out and the sun was beating directly on the hose and the tin foil. I put the floating thermometer in and it registered 75. Still a long way to go but we were gaining on it.

Then we walked around to the front porch and took a seat to wait for lunch. We chatted about various things and it was just before noon when Donna called us for lunch.

We had our soup and sandwiches and iced tea for lunch and then we sat back and sipped our coffee. I asked about how the garden was coming along and was told that they were still working on it. Then I asked Bonnie if she had counted up the jars that she needed.

"No, I didn't have much of a chance. I was busy on the phone a good deal of the mornin'."

"Oh, I was just askin' so I know how many to order for you."

"Well, it seems that someone's been spreadin' the word that I might be runnin' for the board. I couldn't get off of the phone this mornin'. Ever' time I'd hang up, I'd get another call."

"Wow, word must travel fast around here."

"Whoever that someone is, they've been out drummin' up support and tryin' to get folks to convince me to run."

"Before you accuse me of it, I didn't have a thing to do with that."

"Well, this started about twenty minutes after you left."

"We drove straight to Elmer's and then drove straight home. We didn't talk to no one except Elmer."

"Well, this time you're off the hook. I finally weaseled the information from one lady. It was Ralph that's been doin' this and I'm gonna lay into him the next time he gets near."

"Well, that's a relief. I get blamed for ever'thing else and was expectin' to get it for this too."

"Oh, you ain't off the hook completely. I still think you're involved in this whole scheme somehow, just not this part of it."

"Bonnie, I don't know what I can say or do to change your mind. I didn't have a thing to do with any of this."

"Well, just know that this ain't over yet."

We sipped our coffee and the phone rang again. Bonnie answered it and you could see her get red in the face.

"I haven't even decided if I'm gonna run or not. I don't know where ya'all are gettin' your information, but it's all wrong."

"No, I ain't even filed yet and I don't think I'm gonna. It's too much of a hassle."

"I don't care. Why don't you run again' her?"

"Well, then what makes you think I could beat her?"

"That's just nonsense. Someone's been spreadin' a bunch of B S about this. I don't know nothin' about bein' on the school board and I'm pretty sure I don't wanna know."

"Virginia, I know there has to be someone more qualified than me to run again' her. I don't wanna do it."

"We've got a whole county of folks that are better suited than me for that job. I'm just a farm woman who has no clue what goes on with the school board."

"I didn't have no part of that. That was some guy from Washin'ton that Dean got in touch with."

"No, I never even knew what was goin' on until I got drug to a board meetin'."

"Sure, she would do that. She wouldn't spend any money if her life depended on it."

"No, I wouldn't act that way."

"Just because I wouldn't act that way ain't no reason for me to run. You wouldn't act that way either, so why don't you run?"

"Well, you know as much as I do."

"No I don't. Hell I don't even remember his name. And besides, even if I did know his name, that ain't no reason to run for the board."

"No, I ain't calm doin' that. I'm nervous as hell, but the camera don't show that."

"I don't care what you think. I am a nervous wreck when I have to pose. I get even more nervous when I have to talk in public. That day at school, I was sweatin' like a draft horse tryin' to win the Kentucky Derby."

"Well, there's six other members on the board and they can out vote her on them issues."

"No, Virginia. I just don't wanna run. That's all there is to it. Ya'all'l just have to find someone else to run again' her."

She hung up the phone and sat down to finish her coffee. Her face was almost beet red and I was sure glad I wasn't Ralph, especially since I was sitting here.

"It's been like that all mornin'. I can't get nothin' done."

"Well, then don't answer the phone."

"What if it was someone important?"

"Like who?"

"Like Charlene or Deanne, or Sharon sayin' they'd been hurt."

"Well, I can fix that. I'll call Sharon and tell her that if they need to get in touch with us to call my cell phone."

"No. Don't do that. The girls might think somethin's up. I'll just deal with it.

"Well, suit yourself, but the phone is just gonna keep on ringin'. Them folks seem dead set on gettin' you to run.

"Let 'em get someone else. I just don't wanna do it."

At that point, I just shut up. Anything else was just going to provoke an outburst that I didn't want any part of.

We finished up our coffee and then headed for the tractor shed. I started the tractor I use and let the oil warm up some and then shut it off. I got the drain pan and removed the drain plug that kept the oil in. While that was draining, we got the filter ready to go on and got the oil ready to be put in. Then I got the grease gun and gave each nipple a shot of grease. It don't take too much to keep these things in shape, but if you let the maintenance go, it can be hell to repair them.

Once the oil had drained, I removed the filter and put some oil on the new filter's gasket before screwing it in. Then I replaced the drain plug and we got a funnel and began to replace the oil. Once we had it full, I started it and let it run for a couple minutes and then checked the oil level. We had to put in another quart because the filter had filled up.

Next it was on to Jimmy's tractor. We did that same thing on that and by the time we were done, we were all covered in oil, in some manner.

I had bought a spout end for a water can sometime ago because it would fit on the drain spout of the oil pan. I got it out and screwed it on and then used the spent oil to coat the entrance to the equipment shed. It keeps the dust down and I don't have an expense on trying to get someone to dispose of my used oil. After all, they put oil on dirt roads, why can't we do the same thing?

The dust soaked up the oil quickly and then we cleaned out the spout end and re-capped the oil pan. Then we walked to the workshop and got the oil removal gunk going on our arms and hands. It does a wonderful job and we were soon ready to actually wash off with soap and water.

It was a bit after 3, so we decided to feed the calves. We sure didn't want to wait until we got back from eating to have to do that. We went through our normal routine and were back on the porch by 4:30. We had just got there and found a seat when the girls came out and got Jamie and Jessie to go do the evening chores. Donna told us men that we were supposed to take our showers and get ready for tonight. Not wanting to anger any of the women, we all headed for our respective showers.

I showered and knocked off what whiskers that needed it. Then I got dressed and headed for the kitchen. I got a pitcher of tea and some glasses. I put some ice in a bowl and took them all to the front porch.

I was the first one to get there, but the kids must have finished the chores, because Jamie's pickup was gone and I assumed he went home to take his shower. Jimmy showed up and joined me in some tea. Jessie was next and finally William showed up. We all chatted until the women came out and William had to drive Lena home so she could clean up.

Jamie returned and Dianne took the pickup so she could shower. Bonnie stormed out the door and mumbled something about the damn phone before she took Jimmy's vehicle and headed over to clean up.

While I was thinking about it, I walked around to the back and checked on the hose. The shadows were on the hose and I walked inside and shut that valve off. I put the thermometer in and it registered 79 degrees. This was a slow process, but it was the only one I knew of.

I walked back around and poured another glass of tea and joined the conversation. I heard the phone ring and went in to answer it. Cammie already had it and she was telling whoever it was that Bonnie was not here at the moment. Then I heard her say that everyone was hoping that she would run, but it wasn't looking too good right now. I just backed out and went back to the porch. This was not my fight.

We sat there and chatted until the women slowly returned. Bonnie was the last to show up and we were just getting ready to leave when the phone rang. Bonnie went inside to answer it and I knew it was going to be a while, so I just sat back and rested while we waited.

She was a good fifteen minutes on the phone and then she stormed out and slammed the door behind her. Quickly, we headed for our vehicles. William and Lena rode with Jimmy and Bonnie and the rest piled into my van and we were off.

When we arrived, Bonnie went to the reception area and told them she had reservations. They ushered us all to a back room and got us seated.

"Dean, would you order some wine for us. Since I'm not drivin', I feel like some alcohol in my system. Maybe I can calm down some."

"Is ever'one havin' steak?" I asked.

I got an affirmative answer from everyone and I studied the wine list. Since I didn't know William's or Lena's taste in wine, I ordered a bottle of Merlot and one of Cabernet. I also asked the waitress to bring us some iced tea.

One waitress left for the bar and the other went to get several pitchers of tea. In the meantime, we all studied the menu and chatted about what they were going to order.

Our glasses were filled with tea and then the waitress brought the wine to the table. I did the cork sniffing and tasting routine and told her to pour it. William asked me which one was the least tart and I told him the Merlot should be his choice. Both he and Lena had that. The waitress couldn't pour the drinks for the kids, but she left the bottles and I poured them about a half a glass each. We toasted Bonnie's good fortune with the timber and then began to get serious about what to order.

We all agreed that we should have a Caesar's Salad and everyone also wanted some French Onion Soup as an appetizer. The meat order was split almost evenly between T-bones and filets. I ordered a 16 oz. filet because I was hungry.

The owner stopped in and said hello to everyone and then asked if everything was all right. We told him it was and he chatted with us for a bit. He told us that he had received a call from B&T in Denver and they had asked about reservations. He seemed very pleased that his place had been chosen for some of the meals. I was glad too, since I knew we would always get great food and service here.

It wasn't too long until a chef came in and began preparing our salad. William and Lena were fascinated by the process and studied his every move. The rest of us chatted about various things, but mostly the farm. I desperately wanted to steer the conversation away from any mention of the school board. This was supposed to be a happy occasion and I didn't want any hate and discontent to show up.

Our salad was served and we all dug in. Then they brought out the soup and it was steaming hot so it had to cool before we could begin to eat it. We were just finishing our soup when they brought the steaks in.

With the steaks, we each also had a baked potato with a choice of toppings. Being a person not worried about my intake of food, I got butter and sour cream and topped that with some chives. There was also a serving of baby Lima Beans on our plate. Then the owner came in with a large bowl and said that they were trying a new side dish and wanted us to give him our opinion. It was garlic and cheese grits. It looked delicious and the taste proved to be the same.

Almost all talking ceased while we ate. We had to order two more bottles of wine and both William and Lena said they really liked the Merlot. My steak was fantastic and I could almost cut it with my fork. Everyone cleaned their plates off and we had to get an additional order of dinner rolls because we went through the first batch like a plague of locusts.

By the time we finished all the food that was in sight, you would have thought that no one could possibly be hungry. But Bonnie ordered the Cherries Jubilee for everyone. We all found room for that and then sat back and sipped our coffee. I did order a green crème d'menth to help settle the food.

We chatted as we sipped our coffee. Bonnie told me she didn't get time to go over the jars, but she would do that in the morning. I told her it wasn't a problem and I could order it any time over the computer.

When the check came, Bonnie took it and glanced at it and then gave them her credit card. She didn't even flinch when she saw the total, so I guess she was expecting something like that. Then we finished our coffee while we were waiting for the card to go through and Bonnie to sign the receipt.

"Dean, is twenty percent enough for a tip?"

"I'd make it twenty-five, Bonnie. We had very good service and two waitresses that only took care of us. They didn't have a chance to earn any other tips while we were here.

"Ok, I was just checkin'."

She added the tip and then signed it and took her receipt. We all pushed back from the table and I think everyone needed to loosen their belts. We had consumed a lot of food.

The drive back was nice and we all chatted about things. The boys were concerned about their mom and her running for the school board. They wanted her too, but wasn't sure about how it would affect them as students. Bonnie would have a lot more access to the teachers if she won. I told them that she had a lot of access now and I didn't think that would change. I reminded them about her being called in when the school thought they were cheating. They laughed about that and decided it probably wouldn't make any difference.

It was after 10 by the time we got back home. We had spent a lot of time at the restaurant, but it was worth it to get everyone to relax some, especially Bonnie. I didn't even check the answering machine since I didn't want to ruin the evening.

We did catch the late news and the weather report, but it was the same thing on this channel as it was on the other. So nothing had really changed. Then everyone got and gave their kisses and hugs and departed for their own homes. The rest of us closed up and turned everything off. I got a kiss from the girls and then they headed upstairs while Cammie and I headed for our bedroom. We both used the throne and then settled into bed and did some kissing and caressing before we finally drifted off to sleep.

I only heard the dogs once during the night and the rooster woke me come morning. I teased Cammie's nipple and she moaned and then crushed my hand against her tit. Then she turned over and we kissed for a bit before she scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

I followed her and we both used the throne and washed up. Then we got dressed and headed for the kitchen.

We were the first ones to arrive and she went to work on the sour dough while I concentrated on the coffee. Lena showed up next and worked with Cammie. Dianne showed up and gave me a kiss before she began slicing the sausage. Bonnie was the last to show up and no one said a word about it.

I got the coffee ground and the boiling water poured over the grounds in three of the presses. While I waited for it to steep, I stood back and tried to stay out of the way. Four women working in one kitchen does not leave a lot of room for any man.

Once the coffee was ready, I transferred it to regular pots and carried the three into the dining room. I put two of them on the warmers and took one out to the porch. I poured Jimmy, William and myself a cup and then sat down and lit my first.

We chatted about the farm and decided we should cut up the left over limbs on the woodlot that was just timbered off. Then Jimmy and I could set about placing the charges to remove the stumps.

When the kids came back from chores, I got a kiss from the girls and then we informed the boys about our decision. They agreed and we set that as our agenda for today. The girls said they'd probably be back out in the garden since they didn't get everything completed yesterday.

We chatted until we were called for breakfast. Once we sat down, everyone ceased talking and began eating. Bonnie had a large breakfast, so the mystery as to why she was late was solved. We kept our hands away from her reach so we didn't get injured from an errant fork.

Once we had finished eating, we sat back to sip our coffee. I informed the women what our plans were and they said they'd be back out in the garden to finish up out there. Bonnie said she'd try her best to get a count on the jars she needed so I could order them.

Once we finished our coffee, us guys headed for the workshop. Before we could get out of the door, Cammie asked me if I was going to get the hose on the hot tub working today. I thanked her for reminding me and changed directions to the new addition. I opened the valve and got the water running into the hose and then checked to make sure it was flowing all right. I also checked the outlet valve from the heater to make sure water was running through that. It was and I waited a couple minutes to see if anything messed up, before we headed to the shop.

When we got there, we got two chain saws down and checked the teeth. They needed a bit of sharpening, so I touched them up with the stone. Jamie and Jessie made sure we had enough gas mixed up and plenty of bar oil. Then they got the old tractor fired up and hooked up the wagon. Once the chains were sharpened, we all piled on the wagon and Jessie drove us over to the woodlot.

True to his word, Dwayne had the wood they were not going to use, cut and stacked. It was not cut to the length we could use, but it was cut and all of the small branches were gone. The woodlot was fairly clean. They had cut the trees off about six inches off of the ground. I think they call that a flush cut. They can't get their chain saws any closer to the ground.

They had the logs/limbs stacked in several piles, but all in very close proximity of each other. Jessie got the wagon parked fairly close to the piles and we all got off the wagon and began to work.

Jimmy and I got the chain saws fired up and William and Jamie each worked on a separate pile of logs. They held them steady while Jimmy and cut them to useable lengths. Jessie got the job of picking the cut logs up and tossing them on the wagon.

It went fairly smooth until we were down to the last of the logs and there wasn't anything to rest them on as we cut them. William and Jamie solved that problem by picking up the last few logs and holding them so we could cut them to length. They always made sure they were far enough away from the saw to be safe.

I don't know how long it took us to cut all of them up, but I'd say it was probably a couple hours, at least. We had to refuel the saws twice each and that meant we had done a lot of cutting. The logs weren't that big so we didn't have to resharpen the chains while we were there.

Once we had everything cut and loaded on the wagon, we climbed on and Jessie drove us back to the farm. He drove directly to the woodpile and we all unloaded and stacked the wood. It took less time that way and we soon had it done. Then we drove to the workshop and put the equipment away. I'd sharpen the chains later on.

Jessie put the tractor and wagon away and we all washed up with the waterless hand cleaner to get all the oil and dirt off. Then we walked up to the house.

Jamie and Jessie went inside and got tea and glasses with ice and brought them to the front porch where we had found a resting place. We sat back and sipped our tea and talked about all the work we had done this morning.

I heard the phone ring and then heard Bonnie talking. I didn't understand why she didn't let the machine pick up, but that was her way of doing things and I sure wasn't going to get involved in any argument trying to change that. So we just sat out there and sipped our tea and stayed out of harms way.

We had only been out there about twenty minutes when Donna came out and told us lunch was ready. We carried our glasses inside with us and took our seat at the table. The soup and sandwiches were great and we all found out we had worked up an appetite cutting the wood. We each had two sandwiches along with our soup. Once we finished our meal, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women that we had cut up all the wood and stacked in the back. They said they'd got some work done in the garden, but Bonnie had been on the phone a good part of the morning. I wanted to say something, but I just kept my mouth shut. This was not my fight. While we chatted, the phone rang again. Bonnie got up to answer it and it was the same conversation that we listened to yesterday. Basically her telling the caller that she didn't want to run. When she got through with that call, she had just set the phone down when it rang again. And the same conversation started all over again. At least what part we could hear.

We finished up our coffee and Bonnie was still on the phone. We got up and left the table and headed outside. We were deciding what we should do when a pickup drove up the lane. We went out to see who it was.

Clyde Baxter climbed out of the pickup and closed the door. He had a woman riding with him and I assumed it was his wife.

"Howdy, Clyde, how's the coon huntin' been?"

"Been real good. So far we've taken seven good sized coons out of here."

"Sounds like ya'all are doin' a good job of it."

"Ya, we can generally only get a couple per night. By the time the dogs tree 'em and we get to 'em, about two is all we can get done. We ain't as young as we used to be, so we don't foller that dogs much. We wait until they've treed 'em and then we go to 'em."

"I can understand that. We all have things that we don't do no more."

"Well, I wanted to give you a report on how we's doin'. We're probably gonna let it rest for a few nights and then get back at it the middle of next week. If we push it too hard, the coons get too smart and we're left with nothin'."

"You're welcome any time ya'all wanna run your dogs. To me them things are nothin' but pests. They can sure destroy a lot of stuff, includin' crops."

"You got that right. Well, I'd best get goin'. I gotta get Mama here to town so's she can do her shoppin'. If I don't do that, I can't go huntin' no more."

We both laughed and I thanked him for stopping by. He climbed back into his truck and drove off towards town. The rest of us headed for the shop. We needed to plan out our strategy for blowing the stumps.

"Jimmy, we need to figure out how we're gonna get down to the tap root on them stumps."

"Well, there's always diggin'."

"In this soil? That's way too labor intensive."

"Ya, I guess it would be. What's our alternative?"

"I don't know yet. That's what we're here for."

"What do ya'all need to do?" Jamie asked.

"Under each stump is a bowl," I told him. "It's like an upside down bowl and out of that, the tap root grows. It don't set real deep, but we need to get to that so we can set a charge and fracture the tap root."

"How deep is it?"

"Generally not more than a foot or so."

"Why don't we hook up the post hole digger and use it at an angle to drill down?"

"That might work. We could use the small auger. That's big enough to get our hands in."

"We'll just have to make sure to keep the tractor in neutral and let the auger pull it backwards as it digs."

"You sound like you've done this before, Jamie."

"Well, I've dug a lot of holes, if that's what you mean. Sometimes when we'd need a brace set up, we'd drill the hole at an angle so we could set the brace in solid."

"Well, I think that'll work. We'll use the posthole digger on one tractor and the high lift on the other. Then after we've shot the stumps, we can use the high lift to pull them out. We'll need to take the ax to cut the runner roots if they don't want to give way."

"You'll need our old furnace poker to pull the auger out at an angle. It's too dangerous to do that by hand."

"Good idea, Jamie. Where is it?"

"It's at home. I can bring it with me tomorrow when I come over."

"Why don't you go get it now and we can try this system out to see if it will work? You go get that and we'll change augers."

He left to get the poker and the rest of us went to the equipment shed and got the posthole digger hooked up. Then Jimmy and I worked on getting the big auger off and hooking up the smaller auger. It was a chore, but not that bad. We just needed the right words and a bigger hammer.

Jamie returned and brought the poker with him. Once we had the posthole digger ready to go, I drove the tractor and the rest of them rode over in the pickup. When we got there, I pulled up next to a stump and climbed down.

"Jamie, since you've done this before, why don't you operate the tractor?"

He got up and positioned the tractor until the auger was about two and a half feet away from the stump. He motioned to me to pull the auger back as he slowly lowered it. I got it fairly close to the stump and let Jamie ease it down to the ground. He put the tractor in neutral and engaged the PTO. Then he engaged the auger and it began to dig. Just as he had said, it slowly pulled the tractor back as it dug. It didn't take long to get to the root and he shut the auger off. He slowly raised the hitch and removed the auger from the hole.

When he had pulled forward, I put my hand in the hole and I could feel the root. I had to do a bit of digging with my hand, but I got up to the bowl without any problem.

"That's gonna work just great," I announced, as I stood up.

Jimmy ran his hand inside the hole and then nodded his head as he stood up. With that problem solved, we went back to the farm and parked everything.

Then Jimmy and I checked our supply of plastik and caps to make sure they hadn't spoiled. They seemed to be in good shape and we dug out our old detonators. I put a finger on each contact and twisted the handle. I got a decent shock and determined it was working. Jimmy did the same thing and I could tell by the look on his face that his was working just fine. He absolutely hates electricity and getting shocked.

With that done, we put everything away and decided to feed the calves. We would need to get that done early, since we had Grange Hall tonight.

Jamie operated the feed bin chute and everything went normally. We got the calves fed and returned. I hosed out the spreader and we put the tractors away.

Then we went to the front porch and Jamie and Jessie got tea and glasses for everyone and we sat on the porch and chatted as we sipped our tea.

As we sat there, I could hear Bonnie on the phone and it seemed to be like the same conversation she'd been having since this thing broke open. To me, it almost seemed like she actually enjoyed the banter and maybe she liked the attention, although she'd never admit to that.

After she hung up, she walked out on the porch and asked if we'd light the grill. She said she hadn't had enough time to do anything and we were going to have hamburgers for supper. I told her we'd be happy to and us guys headed to the back porch to get grill going. I had no idea how she'd survive tonight at the Grange Hall. If she thought the phone calls were disturbing her, I wondered how she'd handle the in-person requests that she run for the school board. It was going to be an interesting evening, that was for sure.



-------

Chapter 58


Us guys walked around to the back porch and I got the grill out. Jimmy brought out the charcoal and got it stacked in the grill. I got the lighter fluid and we got it burning. I asked William if he wanted a Dos Equis and said he'd best not or he'd fall asleep before we got the hall. Jimmy and I each got one and we sat and chatted while the fire burned down. The conversation was light and mostly it was about the farm.

While we were waiting for the charcoal to burn down, I excused myself and walked to the new addition. The hoses were in the shadows so I turned the valve to the hose off and checked the temperature of the water. It was up to 83. It was moving up, but slowly. Then I walked back to the porch and finished my Dos Equis.

We were just stirring the coals to get them in position when Donna brought the burgers out. I thanked her and told her it would be about twenty minutes. She nodded and walked back inside. Jimmy and I got the grill on and then I put the burgers on. I closed the lid and we sat back and kept watch on the smoke coming out. If it changed color, then we'd know we had a fire and needed to put that out.

Once we turned them, the grease dripped down more and we had to sprinkle some water on the coals to quench the flames. Them things always happen with a hot fire and meat that produces grease. It just goes with the territory.

Once they were done, Jimmy held the platter while I took the burgers off of the fire. I closed the lid and he carried the platter inside to the dining room. Besides the burgers, we had a fresh salad, corn on the cob and green beans for supper. Then Donna brought out peach cobbler for everyone.

We finally sat back and sipped our coffee. Cammie informed us guys that we needed to take our shower as soon as we finished our coffee so we'd be done by the time the women were ready to take theirs. The kids still had to do the evening chores, but that wouldn't take that long. While we were talking, the phone rang and Bonnie got up to answer it.

It was the same conversation we all had heard for the last two days. But she wouldn't let the machine answer the phone. She had to see who it was. Maybe her arguing with them was keeping her from arguing with us. I could always look on that as a positive thing.

We finished our coffee and the kids headed for their chores, while William, Jimmy and myself headed for the showers. The work today had built up a pretty good sweat and some dust was added to that. I stepped in the shower and let the water and soap do its work. Then I dried off, knocked off a few whiskers and got dressed. I grabbed the guitar and carried it out to the van before taking my seat on the porch. Bonnie was on the phone and I didn't know if it was the same caller or a new one. I just ignored the situation.

Jimmy showed up and joined me on the porch. We talked about shooting the stumps and figured we could do about seven at a time for each detonator. They were strong enough to get the electrical current to the last cap. Since the charges would be small, there was little danger and we didn't need to hide behind anything. We just needed to be away from the hole far enough that any rocks that got expelled wouldn't hit us.

William showed up and joined us. He said he used to blow stumps with sixty percent dynamite but that had been many years ago. Then they passed that law and he couldn't buy it anymore. He used about a half a stick per stump and it was very reasonable back then. Now it not only cost you an arm and a leg, but you had to sign your life away just to be able to buy it.

Jessie joined us, fresh from his shower and we changed the conversation away from explosives to other things. Then Jamie returned from his house. Lena and Dianne both came out and William had to drive her home to take her shower. Dianne just took Jamie's truck and went on her own.

It wasn't much longer that Bonnie stormed out of the door and jumped in Jimmy's vehicle and headed to take her shower too. To say she was not in a good mood was like saying that the dust bowl of the '30s was a bit dry. I was kind of glad she was riding with Jimmy and not me. I probably wouldn't make it to the hall without her taking her revenge out on me.

We all chatted about various things and it wasn't too long before Donna came out and claimed my lap. She rested her head on my shoulder and just listened to the conversation. Chrissy was next and she joined in the conversation when it turned to the photo shoot that was coming up.

William and Lena showed up and took a seat and then Cammie made her appearance. It took about thirty minutes more before Bonnie finally showed up. You could tell she was in a mood, just by the look on her face, and it was not a good idea to question her about anything.

Jessie got in the truck with Jamie and Dianne and headed over to the twin's house. William and Lena rode with Jimmy and Bonnie and I was really very glad for that. Chrissy and Donna rode with Cammie and me. We chatted about the photo shoot and how good it would be to have Charlene and Deanne back at home.

When we got to the hall, I took my guitar inside and put it up on the stage to let it adjust to the climate in there. Then I took a seat at the table. Bonnie and Jimmy showed up with William and Lena and Jimmy put his guitar on stage and then joined William and myself. Actually, we must have been a bit early or the others were late, because they hadn't arrived yet. Elmer came in and put his guitar and mandolin up on stage. The others straggled in and proceeded to get set up. When they started going over the playlist, I walked up and looked it over. There didn't seem to be any surprises, so I didn't say anything. The songs listed were all ones we had done before.

I went back to the table and Frank and Allen had taken their seats. We chatted and Frank and Allen asked about Bonnie running for the school board. I told them I didn't think she was going to do it but I would never pretend to know what was in a woman's mind. We all had a chuckle about that and they agreed with me on that point.

There was quite a crowd gathered around the women's end of the table and I was sure they were talking about Bonnie running for the school board. But I sure didn't want to go up there and find out. Bonnie was "holding court" and I definitely was not going to put in an appearance. I'd probably be found in contempt of her court.

Elmer finally called us up on stage and we got tuned up and ready to go. The other singer led off with "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down" and I followed with "Fourteen Carat Mind." We switched back and forth and I did the final song, "The City Of New Orleans." That had folks singing with us and I enjoyed that. When they're singing along, you know they're having a good time.

When we broke, Jimmy and I went to get ourselves a Coke and then took a seat at the table. William was describing how it had been the last two days at the house with the phone calls for Bonnie and her attitude about the entire thing. I think he was being serious, but they were laughing. If I could stand back and observe it from a distance, I would probably laugh too. But I was involved and it really wasn't too funny from the ringside seat I had for the Bonnie telephone show.

As we were sitting there, sipping our Cokes, I heard Frank say, "Here comes trouble."

I looked up and saw an older woman walking towards where Bonnie was talking to a group of women that had gathered around her.

"I thought I'd find you here," the woman said, in a not very quiet or pleasing voice. "Are ya braggin' to your friends about how you're gonna beat me in the election?"

"Well, it's nice to see you too, Elsie," Bonnie said, her voice just dripping with sarcasm.

"I'll just bet it is. The talk around town is that you're gonna run again' me in the school board election. I'm just here to tell you not to waste your time. A lot of other folks have tried and they found out it ain't a good feelin' to be up again' me in a race like this."

"Well, Elsie, I really haven't... ," and that was all Bonnie got out before Elsie lit into her again.

"It seems like ever' election year the powers of the school try to find some fool to run again' me and they always regret doin' it. I bury ever'one of 'em. I can't be beat by anyone in this county. I'm the only one that keeps that district in check and keeps 'em from spendin' too much money on foolish things. So I'm here to tell you to save yourself a bunch of embarrassment and heartache and just don't run. You'll wind up regrettin' it in the end."

In all the time I've known Bonnie, I have never seen her face so red or her eyes so set on a target. It was like Elsie had lit the fuse inside of Bonnie and it was a very short fuse. At the same time, Jimmy and I both pushed our chairs back and headed for their end of the table. We were both sure there was going to be a big fight and I was very worried about Elsie's future at the present. It was not looking too good for her.

"Ya know, Elsie," Bonnie spoke up, in a very calm, but very stern voice, "up until you waltzed your butt in here, I was leanin' towards not runnin'. But you just opened a door that you ain't able to close. The folks that ran again' before were all men and they feared tearin' into you because they didn't wanna be seen as a man that would come down on a poor widow woman. Here's a news flash Elsie, I'm a poor widow woman too and I ain't got no such fears. Ever since you've been on the board, you've done ever'thing in your power to hold the kids back. You keep tryin' to drag the kids down to your level instead of seein' how far they can go. You've voted again' ever' program only because it would cost money. You have no concern for them kids at all. If it was up to you, you'd have 'em leavin' school after the eighth grade and goin' into farmin'. Now that might be fine for some kids, but others don't wanna do that. They should have the opportunity to be able to get an education that they can carry on to college, if they want to. They don't need folks like you holdin' 'em back.

"You think as long as they can add and subtract and write their name, they've got enough education. Well, that's just plain wrong, Elsie. I know that's what you done with your kids, but the kids in school nowadays ain't your kids. They deserve more than that. And they sure as hell ain't gonna get it while you're on the board."

With that, Bonnie stood up, and her chair flew about ten feet back from the force of the back of her legs hitting it. Her eyes shot out pure anger and resentment and the muscles of her neck were so tensed up, you could see the tendons straining.

"You say you came here to warn me not to run. Well, that's just mighty white of you, Elsie. It's so nice to see that you have someone else's welfare up front. Or, is it possible that you came in here to try and scare me off? Bad news, Elsie. I don't scare. You're nothin' but a bully. I didn't put up with 'em in school and I ain't gonna put up with one now. I really had made up mind not to run just strictly because I don't like speakin' in public. But you damn sure changed that. First thing Monday mornin', I'm gonna be at the courthouse with my fifty dollars filin' fee.

"Now I may not win, but it won't be because I didn't put up a fight. You might win this election, but you're damn sure gonna know that you were in a hell of a big fight.

"Now, we've both had our say. But I've got one more thing to say. You've got about ten seconds to get your penny pinchin' ass out that door or I'm gonna cloud up and rain all over you. I've been pissed off for two days because folks kept callin' and askin' me to run. I've held that anger in over them two days and I'm ready to let it out. You might outweigh me some, but you ain't never been a match for me. My mama always tol' me to count to ten when I got mad to he'p me keep my temper from gettin' the best of me, but if you're still around when I get through countin', I'm gonna turn you ever' way but loose. You've done opened a can of worms and these worms ain't for fishin'. You've done let your alligator mouth overload your rabbit ass and you'd damn sure best find reverse and floor it while you've still got a little bit of dignity left."

Elsie was standing there, with her mouth open and her eyes unblinking. I really believe she thought about saying something, but then thought better of it. She turned on her heels and stormed out the door. As soon as she cleared the door, the entire place broke out in applause.

I retrieved Bonnie's chair and Jimmy helped her ease down onto the chair. I sent Jessie for a Coke for her and just waited while Jimmy tried to calm her down some. Bonnie just sat there with her eyes looking straight ahead and not even blinking. I really don't know if she was still mad or if she had just scared herself. Whatever it was, I was sure I didn't want to interrupt.

Jessie returned with a Coke and gave it to her. She just looked at it and then looked around. Everyone was still standing there and looking at Bonnie. All of the encouraging and pleading couldn't get her to run. But a couple well placed sentences from Elsie did the job we'd all been trying to do. At this point, I was sure that Elsie regretted, or soon would regret, ever coming here at all. She might have thought she had the county behind her, but she just lost the votes she had at the Grange Hall. Bonnie just upset that apple cart. Elsie was now the underdog.

When I saw things had calmed down some, I retreated to my seat and I know I had a hell of a big grin on my face. I sure didn't want Bonnie to see that, but I just couldn't help it.

"That woman sure didn't know Bonnie at all, did she?" William asked.

"Apparently not, William. If she had known her, she sure as hell wouldn't have come in here and challenged her like that."

"I can't remember when I've seen her that mad before. I was really afraid for that woman. Bonnie may not be the biggest person, but she's sure as hell strong."

"William, I was afraid for her too. I've known women like Bonnie before and she don't take kindly to any kind of a threat. I'm really surprised that Bonnie didn't deck her."

"I am too, really. She got in a couple fights when she was in school. Mostly because some bully was pickin' on her or Barb. The principal would always call us to come get her. He would have her sittin' in his office and her jeans and shirt might have been torn, but the only thing that was ever bloody was her knuckles. They's a couple girls around that have some very crooked noses because they crossed her."

"I'll bet. I'm kinda glad she didn't swing on her though. This way it'll be better for the election. It might look bad if there'd been a fight tonight and poor Elsie wound up in the hospital before we could have pulled Bonnie off of her.

We took an extra long break to wait for things to settle down some, but then Elmer called us back up to the stage for the second set. This was our rowdy set and I think the crowd was up for it. They were all singing along and dancing and just generally having a good time. I kept glancing over at Bonnie and by the time the set was almost over, she was finally starting to relax some. I even saw a smile once or twice. Cammie, Donna and Chrissy were sitting beside her and talking to her. I guess it helped some because she had lost the redness from her face. I was sure glad that I wasn't Elsie.

We took our second break and Jimmy and I both got a Coke and then took a seat at the table. I tried to avoid any contact with Bonnie for fear that I would say something stupid and get her started all over again. Us guys talked about farming and other guy stuff that the women wouldn't have any interest in at all.

We got through the final set without any problems and Bonnie still had a crowd gathered around her. By now she seemed rather calm and I was sure hoping that all danger had passed. Maybe she would just go back to being Bonnie and not "Super Red Neck Chick." I don't think the world could handle too much of that persona.

Jimmy and I packed up our guitars and took them to the table and waited for the women to finish their discussion group. Us guys talked while the women continued on like it was the beginning of the night. Finally, Frank told Jenna it was time to go home so they'd be there when the twins got home. That broke up the women's group and we all headed for the vehicles.

"Can you believe what Mama did?" Chrissy asked, as soon as we were underway.

"I've seen her mad before, but never anything like that," Cammie answered.

"I really thought she was gonna deck that woman."

"I'm sure she was gonna do it, but she left before Mama could get at her."

"Wait until Charlene hears about this. She'll never believe it."

"I know. I saw it and I hardly believe it. She got so red in the face that I thought she was gonna explode."

"I ain't never seen her that mad before. I mean she's been mad at us before, but it was never nothin' like that. I hate to think what she'd a done to that woman."

"Well, if you ask me, I think she had it comin'. She don't never come there and then she storms in and starts tearin' Mama a new one in front of her friends. You just don't do that and especially to Mama."

"I wonder if they'll have a debate. If they do, I think they'd best have the sheriff there so he can keep 'em apart."

"If I was that woman, I don't think I'd get in the same room with Mama. Not after tonight."

"She was kinda scary. Even when she was comin' after us with a switch, she never seemed that mad."

"I know. By the time Jessie brought her a Coke, she was just sittin' there and shakin'. I'm surprised she didn't crush that can when she picked it up."

"If I was Jimmy, I think I'd be real nice to her tonight. She might just have some left over mad she wants to take out on anyone that crosses her."

"If I was Jimmy, I think I'd find another place to sleep tonight. Just in case she dreamt about that woman and picked up the fight in her dream."

"Maybe Jimmy should have her sleep out in the barn. That way she can't destroy anything that costs too much."

We were the first ones to arrive at the house and we walked in and got the lights turned on. Jimmy wasn't far behind us, so the rest of the crew came in just as we got seated.

"Well, Dean. I hope you're happy now."

"What? I didn't do anything at all. Why would I be happy or sad?"

"I just know you had somethin' to do with gettin' Ralph and all these folks askin' me to run. I don't think anyone'll ever convince me that you didn't. You've always got your fingers in the pot somehow. So, since I believe you're the one that he'ped get this thing started, you're the one that's gonna he'p me win it. I ain't losin' to that bitch."

"Bonnie, I'll help you all I can. But I didn't have a thing to do with any of this. Ralph was the one that made the trip out here and he's the one that mentioned it before. I just happened to be there when it happened."

"You're always just there when things happen. But this time, you're gettin' drawed in too. You're gonna he'p me with this and do all the stuff on the computer so we can put it up around the county."

"Bonnie, I'll help you all I can. We can set up a web site and maybe get folks who were wantin' you to run to get out and talk to other folks. As far as puttin' stuff on paper, that's easy. I can make stuff up and we'll get 'em printed on poster board so we can put 'em all over. But first, you gotta file."

"I'll be there first thing on Monday with my fifty dollars in my hot little hand. I'll be fillin' out the forms tomorrow."

"You know that you'll probably need to give a bunch of speeches, don't you?"

"Yes, and you're gonna he'p me write 'em. Since you've done this before, you shouldn't have a problem with that."

"Nope, I won't have any problem with that, but the speeches would be better if they were in your words, not mine. But I'll help you write 'em so we can make sure you get all your points across."

"Right now, I've just got one point. I wanna beat that loud mouthed bitch and get her out of office."

"Well, let's not put that in the first speech. It might sound a bit over the top."

"Oh, you know what I mean."

"Yes I do. What we really need is to get a copy of the minutes of the school board meetings so we can pick Elsie's position apart."

"Can we get those?"

"Probably. I'd think they're public record. You'll probably have to pay to have 'em copied, but that shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Damn, I like that idea. Usin' her own words again' her. This might be a lot of fun."

"Just keep thinkin' that way."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because this is probably gonna be a pretty hard fight. I don't think Elsie's gonna roll over and play dead, but if you keep thinkin' this is fun, then that'll be half the battle. I just don't want you givin' up in the middle."

"Dean, there's a lot about me that you don't know. There ain't no quit in me at all. Once I start somethin', I finish it. It don't matter how hard things get, I finish it."

"That's good to know. 'Cause it's gonna get hard. The way it sounds, Elsie thinks this is her only purpose she's got left in life and she sure ain't goin' down easy. You're gonna have to take her right down to the mat on this. It'll be a fight all the way."

"I'm all for that. Hell, I'd like it if she did take a swing at me. She's got an ass kickin' comin' for the way she stormed in there tonight. There weren't no call for that."

"Well, most things happen for a reason. If she hadn't come in there tonight, you probably wouldn't have made up your mind to run again' her. So some good came from it."

"I don't really see this as good. I'd rather not do this, but she sure as hell ain't gonna keep me from it. I'll kick her ass in an election and if she mouths off to me, I'll just plain kick her ass."

"That's the one thing you can't do. If she thinks she can win by goadin' you into a fight, she'll do it. It wouldn't look good to the voters if you decked her and then got hauled off to jail for it. You'll need to hold your temper, at least until the election is over."

"That might be a tall order. If she gets in my face, I'm pretty sure I'll deck her on the spot."

"If you do that, you'll probably end up losin' the election. In somethin' like this, it's not who's right or wrong, but who's left at the end. Now, if she was to swing on you first, then you'd have ever' right to defend yourself. But if you take the first swing, then you lose."

"Damn, this might be harder than I thought."

"Just remember, you wanna have fun and win. Just keep them two things in the front of your mind. One of the first rules of politics is that you have to keep personal feelin's and political ambitions separate. You can't let your personal feelin's cross over to what happens when you're runnin' for office. If she says somethin', you can't take it personal. You have to say to yourself that 'this is just politics' and let it go at that."

"I don't think I'm much of a politician. I can't keep personal things and the political things separate. Seems to me that if she says somethin', it is personal. It's like she's attackin' me and I need to attack back."

"But you can't do that, Bonnie. You kinda have to wear a suit of armor when you're politicin' and let stuff just bounce off of you. Later on, when you're not in the spotlight and you run across her, then you can lay into her, but you can't do it in front of the folks you're wantin' to get vote for you."

"I can see now that my tongue's gonna have a lot of scars on it from bitin' it so much."

"It probably will have, but that's the price you'll need to pay for gettin' into politics. If you keep the discussion strictly on the issues, you'll come out the winner. If she tries to pull you into a personal attack, then you need to steer the debate back to the issues. If you let her get your goat, then she'll wins. From what you tell me, I don't think she can discuss issues very well. She has one issue on her side and that's that she is again' spendin' money. If you can widen that discussion to a point where she can't compete, then you will win. And I guarantee that if you get to real sensitive issues where she can't compete, she'll be the one to get personal. Then you win."

Jamie, Dianne and Jessie finally walked in and they got into the discussion.

"So, Mom, has it sunk in what you've done yet?" Jamie asked, with a big smile on his face.

"Ya, that sunk in. But has it sunk in for you kids what can happen if I'm pushed too far?"

"Oh, we already knew that. We didn't know exactly what the reaction would be, but we knew that it's not nice to mess with Mother's nature."

She looked at him and then said, "That's bad, even for you."

When the folks realized what he had said, they all chuckled.

"So, have you set a time and place for you two to duke it out yet?"

"Dean tells me that I can't do that unless she swings first 'cause I'll lose the election and they ain't no way I'm losin' to that bitch."

"Well, you sure got ever'one's attention at the hall tonight. I'm pretty sure that most of them'll vote for you."

"Ya, but I need a lot more votes than just them. I've got to get around to see most of the county so I can get them to vote for me too."

"Well, the last election they had a big debate at the PTA meetin' just before the election. That'd be sometime in the middle of October. I'm pretty sure you can win them over to your side. From what I hear, folks ain't real happy with her always votin' again' pay raises for the teachers."

"But she's just one vote on the board. She can't make that much difference."

"But she does. She seems to have a couple other members wrapped around her finger and they most always vote the way she does. If she gets voted out, they might change their minds some."

"How do you know all of this?"

"Jake Kendall's dad is on the board too and he's tol' me a bunch of stuff about how she is in them meetin's."

"Is Buster Kendall one of them that vote with her?"

"Nope, he's one that fights again' her all the time."

"Then I guess we need to have a talk with Buster about all of this."

"I'm sure he could give you a lot of dirt on her. He's not real happy with her at all. He's the one that stood up again' her to get the money for the electric and phone stuff for the computers. Jake said it was a big hassle in that meetin'."

"I knew she'd put up a fuss, but I didn't realize it was that big a thing. I will definitely have to talk with Buster."

"Bonnie," I interrupted, "it's gettin' late and we've all got things to do tomorrow. Why don't we sleep on this tonight and we'll continue ever'thing tomorrow when we ain't so tired?"

"I guess you're right, but I'm just so fired up that I don't think I'll be able to sleep. She's got me all riled up and I'm ready to do this thing, right now."

"I know, but the election ain't until November, so you need to pace yourself. Plus, all of us need some rest too. Take Jimmy home and have him give you a massage so ya'all can sleep. He looks like he's about ready to drop off right now."

"What time is it?"

"Daughter," William said, "it's almost 1:30. Time for all of us to get some sleep."

"Ok, Daddy. I guess you're right."

Everyone got the hugs and kisses and then departed for their homes. The rest of us closed up and turned everything off and headed for bed. I got a kiss from the girls and Cammie and I used the bathroom and stripped down before we slid into bed. We cuddled and kissed and quickly drifted off. It had been a very long day and I was tired. I think mainly from the tension of thinking Bonnie was going to deck Elsie and then trying to think about how she could win this election. It's strange how unexpected help can show up when everything is looking bleak and like it's not going to happen. Earlier this evening, I would have given good odds that Bonnie wasn't going to run. But that sure changed quickly.



-------

Chapter 59


Sunday morning came and I sure didn't hear the rooster. Cammie woke me with a kiss and told me it was time to get up. Then she scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I flopped my head back down on the pillow and tried to shoo the sleep from my head. I wasn't used to the late nights any longer and Bonnie had kept us up long after our normal bedtime.

I rolled out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom and drained the tank. Then I washed up and got dressed and headed for the kitchen. Everyone was already there and I went right to work on getting the coffee going. Someone had already put water on to boil, so all I had to do was to grind the coffee and wait for it to boil.

As soon as the lids on the pans began to rattle, signifying boiling water, I filled three presses and put more water back on the stove. I waited for the coffee to steep a bit and then poured it into three regular pots.

I carried them to the dining room and put two on pot warmers and carried the other one to the front porch where Jimmy and William were waiting for me. I filled everyone's cup and then lit my first to try and shake the cobwebs from my head.

"Damn," I said, "I must be gettin' old. Bonnie kept me up too late last night."

"She kept ever'one up and then was up early this mornin'," Jimmy replied.

"Seems like Elsie must have gotten her stirred up a might."

"She sure as hell did and I don't know if we can turn her flame down any. She's ready to boil over and I'm pretty sure we ain't gonna be able to stop her."

William chuckled and then said, "Boys, she's always been like that. They ain't a thing you can do about it but join her or stay the hell out of her way. She's the only one that can slow her down and that generally don't happen until she's run out of steam or the problem is taken care of. In this case, I suspect that she won't slow down until the election is over."

"Damn, that's a month and a half away," Jimmy said. "That's gonna be a long six weeks to try and stay out of her way."

"Well, just look at it like this," I told him, "you're only gonna have to put up with her alone durin' the night time. The rest of the time we'll be out farmin' and can probably dodge the wide swath that she'll be cuttin'."

"From what's she's been talkin' about, you're gonna have the biggest problem. She's got you lined up for all kinds of things in this race."

"I just tol' her I'd he'p her with a web page and would he'p write her speeches. The rest of the time I'm gonna be real busy, away from the house."

"Ya, good luck with that strategy. I'm pretty sure she'll see through that in a hurry. She's got it in her head that you he'ped get her in this position and you're the one that's gonna he'p her win. And I'm pretty sure she ain't gonna take no for an answer."

"Well, we've still got to run the farm. It can't take a back seat to her vendetta. We'll just have to make sure we've got lots of projects that can't be put off."

The kids showed up from milking and each poured a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought another out.

"Are we gonna blast stumps today?" Jamie asked.

"That's the plan," I told him.

"How long do you think it will take us?"

"I don't know. How fast can ya'all drill holes by the stumps?"

"Oh, I forgot about that. We have to drill them before ya'all can blast."

"Yep. And ya'all have to be out of the way when we set the charges off. After that, ya'all can start hooking a chain around the stumps and usin' the high lift and an axe to take 'em out."

"So it's gonna take a while to do all of this?"

"Yep, we'll be lucky if we finish up this week. We've still got other chores to do too. This will have to be squeezed in between the other stuff. I figure sometime this week or next we should move the calves to new pastures. They've been on these for about three weeks now and I don't want them to overgraze."

"What are we gonna do with the land we're clearin'?"

"I don't know yet. There's too much on our plates right now to sit down and make a serious decision like that. We've got until next spring to decide on something."

Just then, Dianne came to the door and said we needed to get to the table. We all took our cups and the coffee pot and walked to the dining room. I thought I must have really slept late because breakfast generally isn't ready this quick.

When I got there, I found out why it was ready so early. We were having pancakes. We were just the first wave to start eating. We all got a helping of pancakes and buttered them up good and put the good maple syrup on and dug in. Then Lena brought out another plate full and took the empty plate back to the kitchen.

We all ate our fill of pancakes, sausage and the good maple syrup. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee while the women dug into their helping of pancakes. With a crew of this size, you have to eat pancakes in shifts or there would never be enough for a plate full for anyone or they would get cold before we could begin eating.

After the women finished eating, they sat back and sipped their coffee too.

"Dean," Bonnie started, "I've got a lot of ideas that I want to put on that page on the computer you're gonna set up. I figure we can get started today and we'll be ready by Wednesday to open it up."

"Bonnie, us guys have a lot of work to do today and probably for the rest of the week. We've got lots of time to set up the web page. What you need to do is get all of your thoughts gathered together and set down on paper, then we can build the site. You ain't even filed yet and, most importantly, you don't have the record of Elsie's votes on the important items. It'll take about three hours to get it set up and we can do that maybe later on in the week. If we start now, there will have to be a lot of changes made and we might get something wrong and have to correct it. You don't want Elsie to have any ammunition to use again' now, do ya?"

"But I'm ready now to get things goin'. I don't wanna wait. I don't know how, but somehow you've manipulated things and I've committed myself to runnin'. I know you had a hand in this someway and you're gonna be the one that he'ps me win."

"Bonnie, I swear by ever'thing that's holy that I didn't have one thing to do with this. Now, I'll be happy to he'p you, but it's got to be done in an orderly manner. If you start puttin' down all your thoughts and get them organized, then we can sort through things when we're ready to post them. You can start on that today. Tomorrow, you can file and then go to the school board headquarters and order up the minutes of the meetings. Then you can spend time sortin' through what all Elsie's done at the meetin's and we can include that on the site. We can also include some pictures of you doin' your normal things, like workin' in the garden, a couple pictures from the catalog, and even some of you ridin' and he'pin' with the cattle. We'll show the folks that you're a hard workin' lady that don't mind doin' the work it takes to be successful. But you've got to start at the beginnin'. Get filed and get the minutes, then we'll be able to get things assembled properly."

"So, we can have this done by next weekend?"

"It's possible to get it done by then. But I'd rather not commit to a firm date until we see what all we've got to put in."

"Well, I'm not happy waitin', but we'll do it your way, for now. I don't know what it takes to make a computer thingy, but I know I don't wanna put it off too long."

"Trust me, Bonnie. I'll work with you and we'll get ever'thing up and runnin'."

"Well, I ain't gonna let you let me down. I'll be all over you until we can get this thing won. I damn sure ain't gonna lose to that bitch."

"Just cool your heels, Bonnie. We've got lots of time. It's a good six weeks until the election and we've got lots of time to get ever'thing done. But we wanna do it right and that takes time. We'll get ever'thing organized and then we'll do it."

"Ok, but this goes again' my better judgment. Puttin' things off ain't normal for me."

"Bonnie, we ain't puttin' things off. We're just gettin' organized before we do somethin' wrong and regret it."

She really didn't seem happy with my answer, but let it pass. We continued to sip our coffee and talk about other things that we needed to do. But the main conversation was about clearing the stumps. Bonnie said they were going to try and finish up in the garden this morning so they could all work on her election this afternoon. I silently gave thanks that we were going to be busy and away from their sight so they couldn't drag me into the fray.

We finished our coffee and us guys headed for the workshop. Jimmy and I got enough caps and plastik to last us for the morning and put our detonators along side them on the wagon. Jamie and Jessie got the two tractors. Jamie had the one with the posthole digger and Jessie had the one with the wagon. I had William grab the poker and we put things on the wagon for the ride over.

"Jessie," I said, "how 'bout askin' your mom if we could borrow that diggin' trowel. I've got a special job for you?"

He shut his tractor down and walked up to the garden.

"Jamie, since you've got the experience with the post hole digger, I'd like you to run it. And William, if you'd use the poker to line the auger up for him, that would he'p a lot."

They both responded that they'd be happy to do those jobs. Jessie returned with the tool and climbed back up on his tractor.

"Jessie, what I'd like you to do is use that trowel to dig an opening around the tap root so we can place the charges behind the root. It don't have to be a big space, just enough so we can get the charge on the root."

He nodded and then we took off for the field.

When we got there, Jessie shut his tractor off and went to work on the holes we'd already dug. Jamie and William went to the next stump and began to dig down to the taproot. Jimmy and I began cutting the plastik in pieces that we figured would fracture the taproot. It wouldn't take a lot and if we could place them on the back side of the root, we could use small charges since the pressure would be increased by the confines of the hole.

Jimmy and I each made up seven charges. We figured that was about all we could set off at a time with the small detonators we had. As Jessie finished his digging, I placed the small charge with a cap and hooked it up to my reel of wire.

When I had seven holes charged, I unrolled enough wire to get clear of the holes and told everyone to get on the opposite side of the stump from the holes. Once I saw that everyone was safe, I shouted, "fire in the hole" and detonated the seven charges.

Jimmy and I watched to make sure all seven went off. Once we signaled that they did, I reeled in the wire and disconnected the detonator. I slung the detonator over my shoulder and we went to examine the stumps.

We examined each hole and every root had been fractured. Some of the smaller ones had a big gap between the stump and what was left of the root in the ground. This would make the stumps a lot easier to pull out.

Jimmy set the next seven and we followed that procedure as Jamie and William got the holes dug and Jessie cleared enough dirt so we could place the charges behind the root. It was going at a fairly steady pace and Jimmy and I had each set off three sets when we heard the dinner bell ring. Jimmy and I grabbed our detonators and we all climbed on the wagon for the ride to food.

We put the plastik and caps in the 'fridge in the workshop and then headed for the back porch to wash up. Then we sat down to a good lunch. Soup and sandwiches along with a fresh salad went great. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"What are ya'all doin' over there?" Bonnie asked. "We ain't heard no explosions."

"Well," I replied, "ya'all probably won't hear anything. All we're doin' is usin' a big enough charge to fracture the taproot. We don't need anything any bigger."

"I thought ya'all were blastin' the stumps out."

"Nope. Without settin' a really big charge, that wouldn't work. And even with a big charge, it still might not work. We'd have to set charges under all the runner roots too in order to completely blast it out."

"So how are ya'all gonna get the stumps out?"

"We'll hook a chain to the stump and lift it with the high lift and cut the runner roots with an axe. Then it'll lift right out."

"That seems like double work. Why don't ya just lift the stump to begin with?"

"Because the tap root would hold it in place. That's the big root that goes real deep to get the water and to anchor the tree against wind."

"Well, I guess ya'all know what you're doin'. Seems like double work to me."

"Trust me on this, Bonnie. We're doin' it the right way."

"Well, we never had any explosives to blast stumps before. We just had to cut 'em out or let 'em rot."

"This is much faster and less work. Jimmy and I are settin' the charges after Jamie drills the holes and Jessie cleans 'em out. We'll probably be blastin' and pullin' most of the week. They's a lot of stumps over there.

"Well, before ya'all go back, remember that we need chickens killed for supper."

"We can cut 'em before we leave, if ya'all want."

"That'd probably be best. That way ya'all won't have to come back just to do them."

"That's not a problem. How's the garden comin'?"

"Well, I've been on the phone most of the mornin'. The rest of the women have been out there and we're 'bout done. I guess I should say, they're about done. Word's done got out that I am gonna run and now folks are callin' to tell me they're happy. Some of 'em are tellin' me how to beat Elsie and givin' me tips on what all she's done. I'm writin' most of 'em down, but I've already got about two pages full of suggestions. I'm surprised that she's gotten herself elected so many times with all the complaints."

"Evidently, she has and I wouldn't underestimate her at all. I'm sure she's got a bunch of tricks up her sleeves."

"Oh, I don't doubt that at all. She's had folks buffaloed in this area for a long time. I can't hardly wait to get at her."

"Your time will come. Just be patient some."

"I ain't a very patient person, Dean. I'm ready for the election tomorrow."

"Yep, but it ain't for about six weeks. Best pace yourself for the long run."

"I know, and I will, but that just ain't like me."

"It'll have to be, this time."

We finished our coffee and then walked outside. The boys went to the chicken coop and caught four chickens. They brought them up and we hung them by the feet. After that, I slit their throats. We waited for them to bleed out and then carried them inside to the sink on the back porch. I stuck my head in the door and told the women the chickens were in the sink and we were headed to the wood lot. Cammie asked if we'd like to take some tea and I told her we would love some. She filled up a big thermos jug and put lots of ice in it. I took it and some plastic glasses and headed for the workshop.

When I got there, I said, "Jimmy, they're not that far ahead of us on the diggin'. Why don't we take your tractor with the high lift and a couple chains and see about pullin' some that we've shot?"

"We can do that. We've got enough shot that it'll take a bunch of time to get them pulled."

We both walked to the equipment shed and he got his tractor fired up. I gathered up some chains and carried them back to the wagon. He and I could spend all afternoon on pulling and wouldn't get close to finishing what we'd shot.

I filled the chain saw and then set it along with the gas and chain oil on the wagon. Then I got the double bitted axe and a digging bar and put them on. Jimmy pulled his tractor around after he gassed it up and we all headed for the woodlot.

Jimmy stopped at the first stump and lowered the high lift. Jessie stopped his tractor about half way up and I took the digging bar and the chains back to where Jimmy was parked. Then I went back for the saw and axe.

This was a fair sized stump and it didn't look like it would be an easy lift. I got busy with the digging bar and poked a hole into the blast hole on the opposite side of where Jamie had dug. I fished the chain down and Jimmy picked it up and pulled it through. Then he moved his tractor so the forks were over the stump. I had him pull forward just a bit so I could hook the chain around the base of the forks. We didn't need to bend them. He tilted the forks up just a bit and then increased the engine speed. When he started to make the lift, the stump came up about a foot and then everything stopped. That was as far as it was going to go with the runner roots still attached.

Two of the roots were pretty good size, so I got the chain saw started and cut them. I was real careful not to go too far through the cut. I didn't want to have to be sharpening the chain after the first stump.

With them cut, I shut the saw off and got the axe. I went around the stump and cut the roots that were exposed. Then I stepped back and signaled Jimmy to lift again. He eased the lever back and the stump lifted up more. There were two more roots that were exposed and I signaled him to hold his place. He lifted his hands up so I could see that he wasn't working the lift and I stepped up and cut the two roots. When I stepped back, he lifted again and the stump popped out. He pulled forward just a bit and lowered the stump to the ground. I unhooked the chain and pulled it free. Then we moved to the next one.

It went on like that the rest of the afternoon. Some stumps were more difficult than others, but we got the job done on each one. We all took a break to have some tea and just rest a bit. We had all worked up a pretty good sweat and the tea went great.

"Dean, what are ya'all gonna do with them stumps?" William asked.

"I really hadn't given it any thought, William. Probably cut up what we can and burn them in the fireplace."

"Well, ya know, the wood in them is real desirable. They've all got that good burl and they make good carvin' pieces."

"If you want 'em, William, they're all yours. We can hose 'em off and then chop off the roots with the chain saw. Then we can use the band saw to cut 'em to any size you want."

"What I was figurin' was to cut the roots off and then use the splitter to quarter 'em. Then we can cut 'em up on the band saw. That way we get the quarter sawed affect. It makes 'em stronger and a lot prettier."

"Any way you want it done, William. We can sure do it. We've got plenty of wood to burn this year, so it's not necessary that we burn any of 'em."

"Well, I figure that'll keep me busy this winter when it's slow on the farm. I can spend the day in the workshop and make all kinds of things."

"That works for me, William. When you got to mentionin' the burl, I got to thinkin' that you might make Jimmy and me some pistol grips for our weapons."

"Sure can. That's not a problem at all. We can make 'em to fit your hand and even put finger grooves in them to make it more comfortable."

"Now you're talkin'."

"I've got a checkerin' set somewhere in the tools that I brought over. That's not difficult to actually do, but it's a bear to lay it out. I haven't done that in some years, but I can sure do it."

"You know we've got that good wood lathe there, you might consider makin' some good wooden bowls too. I'd bet near 'bouts anything you could sell 'em at the flea markets for a good price."

"How big a swing does the lathe have?"

"I think about fourteen inches, but I'm not sure."

"With that size, I could make what they call a bread bowl. It's what the old timers use to let their bread rise in. They's hard to come by now days."

"Maybe that can be a project for you and the boys this winter."

"Could be. If they'll have time after they've done their homework?"

"I'd just bet they could find some time."

Everyone grinned at that remark. I knew the boys would just jump at the chance to work with their grandpa on a project like that.

We went back to work and were just taking our second break when we heard the dinner bell ring. We gathered up all our tools and headed back for supper. I think we were all pretty well starved.

We got to the workshop and put the tools away. I'd sharpen the chain saw and the axe later. Right now, I was hungry. We all walked to the back porch and washed up before making our way to the table.

"Damn, you guys stink." Cammie said as we passed her in the kitchen.

"I know, dear, but we're also hungry."

"Well just sit down wind from us pretty smellin' women."

We took our seat at the table and the women finished putting the food on the table. It was our normal Sunday evening meal, but it looked especially good today. There was fried chicken, mashed potatoes with good chicken gravy, green beans cooked with fat back and onions, a fresh salad, corn on the cob and good homemade sour dough bread with home churned butter. It smelled great and tasted even better. By the time we finished eating, there was not a scrap of food left on the table. We even had to cut more bread half way through the meal.

When we had finished that, Donna brought out a big German chocolate cake. That also disappeared, along with almost two gallons of milk. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Well, did ya'all finish in the garden?" I asked.

"They did," Bonnie answered. "I couldn't get off of the phone. Ever'time I'd hang up, someone else would call. I swear my ear has taken the shape of the phone."

"I guess a lot of folks are pleased that you're gonna run."

"Seems to be that way. Word sure did travel fast after last night."

"Well, I'm happy for you. Hopefully, they will still be for you come votin' time."

"I hope so too. But I'm thinkin' we need to start usin' the answerin' machine if I'm gonna get anything done. At this rate, I won't even be able to get in town to file. They just keep me on the phone."

"Well, that's easy enough to do. Just let it ring four times and the machine will pick it up. Then you can listen to who's there and decide if you need to talk to them at that time or want to call 'em back."

"It just goes again' my grain to not answer the phone."

"Well, then suit yourself. But you're gonna have a lot of things to get done and if you're on the phone, they won't get done."

"I know, but it just seems kinda strange. How are ya'all doin' on the stumps?"

"Pretty good. We've got the system goin' now to pull 'em. That's what Jimmy and I did all afternoon. It takes a bit of work, but they come out pretty easy. We just have to do a little persuadin'.

"What are ya'all gonna do with the stumps?"

"William's got a solution for that problem."

"What are you gonna do, Daddy?"

"Well, we ain't got it figured out exactly yet, but me and the boys are gonna make some things out of them stumps. I'm thinkin' we can make some of the old-fashioned bread bowls. The wood in them stumps should have a good burl to 'em and Dean says he's got a lathe that'll handle the size. Also, we can make a bunch of other things, like pistol grips and knife handles for folks. Dean says they'll probably sell real good at the flea markets."

"When are ya'all gonna have time to do that?"

"After the boys've finished their school work, we should have a couple hours to work in the evenin'. They've got to keep ever'thing else up before they can work in the shop."

"Well, that'll keep ya'all busy this winter. How many stumps do ya'all have?"

"I don't have no idea how many there are, but I know they's a bunch. We've probably got enough for a couple years work over there."

"That sounds like it'll work, as long as they keep their school work up first."

"Oh, that's a must. They'll have to get ya'all's approval before they can come down to the shop."

We finished our coffee and the kids went to do chores while us men went to feed the calves. When we got back, all us guys headed for various showers to wash the stink off us. We were very ripe and didn't think any of the women would get near us if we didn't.

All of us wound up on the front porch, chatting about various things. I convinced Bonnie to let the machine answer the phone and ignore it so she could relax a bit too. But every time it would ring, she would tense up. After about the tenth time it rang, she seemed to relax a bit and joined in the conversation without listening to hear who was calling.

After dark, we went inside and watched the weather. They were calling for some rain towards the end of the week. We could use a bit of moisture because we were starting to dry up again. Maybe we could move the calves before it came and the pastures they were in now would have full use of the rain to regenerate.

Once the weather was over, everyone gave and got their kisses and hugs before leaving for their houses. Donna, Jessie, Chrissy, Cammie and myself closed up and turned everything off. Then I got a kiss from the girls as they headed for bed. Cammie and I stripped down and used the bathroom before slipping into bed and cuddling and kissing for a bit. Then we drifted off to sleep. It didn't take me very long. I was tired and sleep came easy.



-------

Chapter 60


Cammie woke me again in the morning with a kiss and then she slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I laid my head back down and tried to clear the cobwebs before I got up and followed her to the bathroom. I guess the one night of not a lot of sleep, combined with the fresh air of yesterday had me feeling drowsy. I used the throne and then washed up and quickly got dressed so I could catch up with Cammie as we headed for the kitchen.

Bonnie was already there, bright eyed and bushy tailed like she was ready to take on the world. She already had the water on for the coffee and was working at the counter. Cammie worked with her on the sour dough while I worked on the coffee. Lena and Dianne showed up together and I got a kiss from Dianne before she went to work on the sausage.

Once the coffee was ground, I poured the boiling water into three of the presses and refilled the pans with water for the next batch. I waited while they steeped and then poured them into the coffee pots.

I carried those to the dining room and put two of them on the pot warmers and carried the third to the porch. Jimmy and William were waiting for me and I poured us each a cup of coffee. Then I lit my first and sat back to sip my coffee.

"Damn, I couldn't wake up this mornin'," I told them. "It must've been all that fresh air yesterday that made me so tired."

"You wouldn't have that problem if you lived with Bonnie," Jimmy answered. "She kept me up last night, talkin' about the school board and then had me up early this mornin' so she could get ready to go file. If I didn't know better, I'd swear she was strung out on speed."

"Well, that's probably gonna get worse before it gets better," I told him. "She's got all this drive goin' now that is aimed at the election, but it can sure steam roll anyone that's in the path. I figure she'll wind down some after we get the web page up and she can see things happenin'."

"Don't you believe it," William said. "She won't calm down until this thing is over. She'll be goin' full tilt until the election results come in and then probably 'bout a week past that. That's just the way she's built. I don't envy either one of you two durin' this time. Jimmy because you have to live with her and Dean because you are gonna have to get things done for her. She won't let ya'all rest a bit until this thing is done, her way."

"Them ain't very comfortin' words, William," I told him.

"They weren't meant to be. They were meant more as a warnin'."

"When is this election?" Jimmy asked.

"First Tuesday in November," I told him.

"Damn, that's ten weeks away. I don't know if I'll survive that long. She kept me up until well after one last night and we were up before daylight this mornin'. I'd swear she was vaccinated with a victrola needle. She never shut up long enough for me to say anything. She just kept goin' from one subject to the next and she hardly took a breath in between."

"Well, I'd get used to that," William said. "There's not much that's gonna slow her down at all. She's done shifted into high gear and she's the only one that can put the brakes on. I doubt that she'll do that until after the election."

The kids showed up from milking and poured themselves a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a fresh one out. Donna claimed my lap and we continued chatting. We talked mostly about clearing the stumps and I told them that Jimmy and I were gonna shot more stumps this morning and then we'd pull in the afternoon. The boys liked that idea and Chrissy said that all the women would probably go into town with her mom so they could do some shopping while they were in there.

Dianne came to the door and told us to come to the table so we could eat. We carried our cups in with us and sat down to our usual great breakfast. All talking ceased as we ate, but that only lasted until Bonnie was done. Once she finished, probably in record time, she began talking about her ideas for the campaign. Most of us just nodded, but I had to actually answer some of her questions about the web site.

All I could think of was to sip my coffee quicker so we could get over to the peace and quiet of blasting stumps. We were just about on our last pot of coffee when the phone rang. Cammie got up to answer it and then handed it to me.

"This is Dean."

"Hi sexy. How's things down there?"

"We're doin' right well, Sharon. How 'bout yourself?"

"We're tryin' to get everything ready so we can fly out on Friday."

"Shit. I'd forgot that was this Friday."

"It sure is. I hope ya'all are ready for us."

"Well, we'd planned to move the cattle this week and we're in the middle of shootin' stumps so we can pull 'em and clear a field that Bonnie just had timbered off."

"Can ya'all save some of that for next week so we can include it in the shoot?"

"I guess. What do you want us to put off 'til then?"

"Well, leave some stumps and could ya'all move the cattle on Monday or Tuesday?"

"I guess we can do that."

"Did ya'all get the tools that Fred sent?"

"Yep, but I ain't had a chance to get Cammie trained on them yet."

"Not to worry. We can fake that. What else is goin' on?"

"Well, Bonnie's gonna run for the school board. That seems to be the big priority right now, at least in her mind."

"That's good stuff. Maybe we can get some pictures of her campaign stuff in the shoot."

"She's just filin' today, so we ain't got none of that stuff set up yet."

"Not to worry, I'll bring a bunch of stuff and we'll help ya'all get set up."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that. I know I will."

"Would it be possible for us to rent the hall where ya'all go on Saturday night so we can do some pictures there?"

"I'm sure it would. We can ask Elmer on Saturday."

"Well, we wanna set it up like ya'all are square dancin' in the new line we've got."

"That shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Good. I've got all the meals set up for caterin', so that's takin' care of. Them folks is really easy to work with. I'd ask them a question and they'd just tell me they'd make sure they fixed what we wanted. I didn't wanna have barbecue all the time. That does get old after a while."

"Yep, it sure does. But them folks are real accommodatin' and I know they're glad for the business."

"Well, we should be down there sometime Friday afternoon. We've got two vans rented and I'm pretty sure I remember the way to your place. If not, I'll call you when we get lost."

"Ok, so we'll save some stumps and movin' the cattle until next week so ya'all will have something to film. If I get a chance, I'll try to get Cammie familiar with the tools ya'all sent. Anything else ya'all need?"

"Nope, just a place to sleep. We've got an extra lady comin'. She's a seamstress just in case we need any alterations after we get there."

"I'm sure we can find room for one more. That shouldn't be a problem at all."

"Ok, now let me talk to Cammie again so we can do the real plannin'. I'd almost bet you ain't even tried on your clothes."

"I did try on a shirt. I figured if that fit, so would ever'thing else."

"Men! Ya'all just don't get it. We'll see you on Friday."

"OK, here's Cammie."

I handed the phone to Cammie and she headed for the kitchen so the conversation would be private. Then I turned to Bonnie and said, "There's a hitch in the plans. I forgot the photo shoot is next week and they'll be here on Friday."

"Oh, I forgot about that too. I guess we'll just have to work things in around that."

"Do you remember the photo shoot? There ain't no time to work nothin' in for that week. But Sharon did say that she wanted to get some pictures of you workin' on your campaign and she's gonna bring some stuff just for that."

"What stuff?"

"I don't have any idea at all. But maybe we can get them to do some of the artwork. That would he'p out a lot, especially for any signs. They can take the pictures and make sure they're done right. Then we can get 'em printed on posters to put up around the county."

"That would he'p a lot. But first I have to get into town and file this mornin'. I'm goin' home to change and then I'll be back to pick the women up. We'll probably do our shoppin' this mornin', but we should be back for lunch."

As she said that, she got up from the table and headed out the door. As she drove off, I was almost relieved that I wasn't pressed into service right then. I was also thankful that she took the news of putting things off for a week during the shoot. I almost figured we'd have a fight on our hands. But, maybe she was tired and just didn't have the energy. I knew that wasn't it, but it felt good to think that. Us guys finished our coffee and then headed for the workshop.

Jessie and Jamie got the tractors gassed up and then parked them outside the workshop so we could load our stuff on the wagon. Jimmy and I got our explosive equipment gathered up and William got the poker and the hand trowel for Jessie to use. Then we headed for the wood lot.

When we got there, Jessie parked the tractor and got the hand trowel to start work on the stumps that Jamie had drilled. William went with Jamie to drill more holes and Jimmy and I got our explosive gear set up.

I took the first seven stumps and set the charges. Then I connected them to my roll of wire and unrolled enough to be safely out of the way. I waited for Jimmy to finish setting his charges and clear the danger area. Once he had done that, I made sure everyone else was out of harms way and shouted, "Fire in the hole." I made sure everyone had heard me and was aware of what was about to happen. When I saw I had their attention, I used my detonator to set off my charges.

I looked at Jimmy to get the okay that all of the charges had gone off and got that signal, so I disconnected the wire from the detonator and reeled it in. Then Jimmy went through the same procedure and set off his charges. I signaled to him that all seven had gone off and we moved to the next set of stumps. That's the way it went most of the morning. By the time we heard the dinner bell ring, Jamie and William had drilled most of the stumps. They still had about twenty to do, but Jimmy and I gathered our equipment and we all rode back on the wagon as Jessie drove.

Once back at the workshop, Jimmy and I put our equipment away and then we all headed for the back porch to wash up. Then we made our way to the table. We were hungry and needed some nourishment. We all dug in and very little was said as we stuffed ourselves. We went through an abundance of tea to try and replenish our fluids. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Well, how'd things go in town?" I asked Bonnie.

"I got all the paper work filled out and paid my filin' fee, so I'm officially a candidate. I didn't see Elsie. I was kinda hopin' she would've been there."

"It's probably a good thing she wasn't. I'd hate to have to come bail you out for deckin' her."

"Oh, I'd make sure she took the first swing. But then I'd clean her clock for her."

"I'm sure glad you don't hold a grudge or nothin'," I told her.

"Well, I do and she's number one on my shit list."

"This should be a real interestin' election. I just can't wait for the debates."

"Well, you're gonna have to coach me on them. She ain't gonna get the upper hand on me, I promise."

As we sipped our coffee, I heard a vehicle drive up the lane. I got up to see who it was and Ralph, the superintendent of schools, got out of the car after he parked it.

"Come on in, I'm sure we can find a cup of coffee for you." I told him, as I opened the door for him.

"I can always find room for coffee," he said, as he walked through the door.

"Company's here, ever'one on their best behavior," I hollered in.

"Oh hell, he ain't company. He's about to be my employee after I win this election," Bonnie said, with a grin on her face.

"Well, get him some coffee and I'll find him a chair," I said, as I led him to the dining room.

I brought a chair for him to sit in and Bonnie got a cup from the sideboard and Cammie poured him a cup of coffee.

"Officially," he said, as he took a sip of coffee, "I'm here to check on Charlene and Deanne's internship for the summer. Unofficially, I'm here to tell you that you're on the right track by ordering the transcripts of the school board's meetings. They can tell you a whole lot about what you're up against and how you can defeat her. I don't know what gave her the idea of confronting you at the hall on Saturday, but I'd sure like to thank whoever put it in her mind. She did what, I was beginning to believe, was impossible. I think all of us could have preached at you until the cows came home and you'd have stood your ground. I guess the way to get you to do something is to challenge you."

"Well," Bonnie said, with sort of a smirk on her face, "two things happen when someone does that. First, it gets me to take up their challenge, most times. But secondly, it makes me their enemy."

"I guess we shouldn't challenge you then."

"Not a good idea, Ralph."

"Well, if you can use her record against her, then I'm pretty sure you can win. Once folks hear what she actually does in the meetings, I'm sure they'll have a completely different view of her actions. In the other elections, they just called her cheap and she was always able to turn that around on them by saying she was the watchdog of everyone's money. Once folks actually hear the reasons she uses in the meetings, I think they'll change their mind."

"Once we get them transcripts, Dean is gonna to put a web page together for me. Plus, we've got a photo shoot for the catalog coming up next week and they're gonna do some of the art work for my posters."

"I'd be kinda careful about that, if I were you. You don't want to get too fancy because she'll accuse you of being a rich person trying to buy an election. The more down-home you keep it, the better it'll come across."

"You might be right on that, Ralph. I hadn't thought of it that way. I sure don't want folks thinkin' that I'm uppity."

"Hell, Bonnie, anybody that knows you knows you sure ain't uppity. But Elsie could start sayin' that you're just a rich woman lookin' for a hobby."

"I sure as hell ain't rich. Not by nobody's standard. I'm a bit better off than we were a year ago, but I sure as hell ain't even close to rich. In fact, I'd just about bet that Elsie's got more money than me."

"Yes, but she hides hers well."

"She sure as hell does. I think she's wore that same dress for three or four years. It's not that she's poor, it's just that she's tight."

"Well, I wouldn't go tryin' to outspend her on this thing, but what you do spend, you can spend in ways that make her look silly. Like that web page. That's a great idea. It'll show folks that you're looking forward to new ways to make things better. If you have some pictures of you working around the farm, that would be great for your posters. Anything that shows you're keeping in touch with what makes up this county, but still trying to improve on it as you go along."

"We can sure get a bunch of them durin' this shoot. Dean says that we'll be movin' cattle and pullin' stumps, not to mention the other normal day to day stuff."

"All that stuff would be great. All Elsie's got to run on is her reputation and her past. She don't have nothing for the future. Showing you on horseback working cattle or helping pull stumps is something that everyone around here can identify with. They've all done that at one time or anther. Plus, showing them that you have progressed far enough to use a web page would let them know that you're interested in the future."

"Well, I can see far enough that she ain't doin' this county no good. Just listenin' to what folks have tol' me, I'm just amazed at the stunts she pulls."

"Just wait till you get the transcripts, you'll be even more amazed. Half of the stuff she pulls never gets outside the meetings. She's held this county back so much that we're lucky she votes to pay the electric bill."

"The way she fights spendin', you'd almost think she's gettin' a kickback from what's not spent."

"I just think she's against moving forward because she won't be able to keep up. She wants to keep everything the same so she's comfortable and not overwhelmed with new technology."

"Well, it sure is somethin'. I've been pretty tight with things too, but I always tried to keep my kids movin' forward so they'd be better prepared than I was. I don't know much about computers, but Dean has taught me a lot. The one thing about me is that I'm not afraid of learnin' somethin' new. She just seems to want folks back in the horse and buggy days."

"Nope, to her a buggy was a luxury item. They could either walk or ride the horse."

We all got a chuckle out of that. We sipped our coffee and Bonnie and Ralph talked about other things besides the election. She told Ralph about the things that Charlene and Deanne were doing in Denver and what things were going to be new in the upcoming catalog. As we ran out of coffee, Cammie fixed a new pot, but us guys excused ourselves and went back to work.

Since we were so close to finishing the shooting, we took what we thought we'd need to get the remaining stumps and Jimmy also drove his tractor over with the high lift on it. The rest of us rode over on the wagon.

Jimmy and I placed the final charges and shot them. With that out of the way, we turned our attention to pulling the stumps. With Jamie and William working with us, we were able to go a lot quicker. But it still required punching a hole into the current hole and getting the chain hooked up. Then Jimmy would raise the stump all he could. I would work the chain saw and Jessie used the axe to free it. Then we moved to the next one. There wasn't anything pretty about it, just pure hard work on all of our part.

When we heard the dinner bell ring, we all headed for the wagon. Jimmy and Jessie drove us back and we put everything away. Then we walked to the back porch to wash up and made our way to the table.

The women had fixed short ribs and sauerkraut, with mashed potatoes, green beans and a fresh salad. All of us guys were starved and the table was cleaned of all food. Then Donna brought in apple dumplings for everyone. We gobbled them down and then sat back to sip our coffee.

"What all did you and Ralph talk about after we left?" I asked Bonnie.

"Well, really not too much more about the election. Mostly it was about Charlene and Deanne and how they're doin' in their jobs. He did have a couple more suggestions about posters and keepin' it homey and such, but that was about it."

"Well, he does know more about this than either of us and I'd take his suggestions seriously. He's been around this stuff a long time."

"Oh, I'm gonna take him seriously. I wanna beat that bitch and I know he's on our side. His suggestions was to take a bunch of different pictures with me doin' different things around the farm. Ya know, like herdin' cattle, pullin' stumps, cookin', drivin' tractors, even milkin'. Then to put them up all over the county."

"Well, a lot of things are gonna depend on them transcripts. That's gonna give us a big head start. Once we see them, we'll be able to find a direction and follow it. I think Ralph's right about the posters. You do need to be seen as one of the folks around here that actually works. But that's just part of it. We need to attack Elsie where she's the most vulnerable, and that's got to be her record."

"I tend to agree with that. Will they take the photos we want while they're here?"

"I'm sure they will. Sharon actually suggested that they he'p with the picture part."

"That's good. It'll save a lot on time and on money. I can't even imagine what it would cost to get that stuff done."

"Trust me, it would cost a bunch. But we'd probably just rely on my camera and the computer to take the pictures. We'd have to wait too long to get 'em back from a photographer."

"Well, we'll take all the he'p we can get."

We finished our coffee and then the kids headed for their chores and William, Jimmy and I headed for the equipment shed so we could feed the calves. I think we were all tired and we just went through the motions and got the job done. Then we gathered on the porch to chat after we got back. We stayed there until the news came on and then watched the weather for any sign of rain. We needed some because it was getting dry again.

After the news, everyone gave out and got their hugs and kisses and then headed for their own homes. The rest of us closed up and turned off everything. Then I got a kiss from the girls and we all headed for bed. Cammie and I stripped down and used the bathroom. Then we slipped into bed and kissed and cuddled a bit before drifting off. It didn't take much for me. I was worn out and sleep came easily.

Cammie woke me up in the morning. I must have been really tired because I didn't hear the rooster at all. As soon as she woke me with a kiss, she scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her as soon as my head cleared. We both used the throne and washed up before getting dressed. Then we headed for the kitchen.

Bonnie was already there and working. Cammie joined her while I worked on the coffee. Lena and Dianne joined us and I got a kiss from Dianne before she went to work on the sausage.

Once I had all the coffee ground, I poured the three pots of boiling water in presses and put more water back on the stove to boil. I waited for them to steep and then transferred the contents to regular coffee pots and carried them into the dining room. I set two on the pot warmers that Jimmy had lit and carried one pot outside to Jimmy and William.

I poured us each a cup of coffee and then sat down and lit my first.

"Man, I must be gettin' old. That's two days in a row that Cammie has had to wake me. It must be all this fresh air we're gettin'."

"I think we're all gettin' old," Jimmy said. "Bonnie has woke me up ever'day since Elsie riled her up. Plus, she's kept me up late ever' night, talkin' about this damn election. I think I fell asleep last night while she was goin' on about somethin' or another. We've got until November with this and I'm not sure I'm gonna make it."

"Ya, I think it'll probably get worse before it gets better. And God forbid that she loses that damn election. Then we'll all catch hell."

"Maybe you and me need to go on a fishin' vacation until the election is over."

"They's two chances of that happenin'; slim and none and slim left town last week when Elsie jumped in the fray."

"I'm afraid you're right about that. Besides, we got too much work to get done before fall comes."

"Yep, we've gotta get at least one more cuttin' of hay and this fall we'll need to be pickin' the corn. I'm hopin' that we've got enough ground up so we don't have to buy anymore before we pick. But as dry as it's been, we'll probably be all right. Once we get through this shoot, then we can concentrate on the things we need doin'. It's gonna be a hard fall."

"Probably, but the winter'll probably be pretty easy."

"It generally is. Ain't too much we can do durin' that time."

The kids came back and I got a kiss from the girls and then everyone poured themselves a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot in and brought a full one out. Donna claimed my lap and we all chatted about the things that needed doin' today.

Dianne came to the front door and called us for breakfast. We all grabbed our cups and headed for the table. We had our usual breakfast. Sausage, eggs, grits, biscuits, milk, juice, and coffee. Very little was said as we ate. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Did you have the water heatin' the hot tub yesterday?" Cammie asked.

"Oh hell, no I didn't. I plumb forgot about that. I'll do that before we head out this mornin'."

"Good, because we're all gettin' anxious to get in there."

"Well, it's probably gonna be a few more days, anyway. It's gotta get up past skin temperature before it'll feel right."

"That hot?"

"Yep. It's gotta feel hot or it won't be a hot tub. Your skin is about ninety eight degrees, so it needs to be about a hundred and five, at least."

"Well, you'd best be workin' at gettin' it up there. We're tired of waitin'."

"Yes, dear."

"Don't even start that shit."

"Well, how 'bout I get you real pissed off and set you in the tub. That oughta heat it up pretty quick."

"Keep goin' and I'll be heatin' you up."

"Yes, dear."

We all chatted until the coffee was gone and then we all headed our separate directions. I went to the hot tub room and checked the temperature and it was about 89 degrees. I turned the water valve on so it would flow out through the hose and made sure it was flowing in the hose and the normal outflow from the pump before I went to the shop.

Jimmy and Jessie had their tractors parked in front of the shop and everyone was putting tools on the wagon. I went inside and got the Dremel tool out and sharpened the chain saw. I'd hit a few rocks yesterday and that dulls it up real quick. It didn't take me long to sharpen it and then we were on our way to the wood lot and another day of pulling stumps.



-------

Chapter 61


When we got to the wood lot, we went to work on the stumps. Jimmy was lifting with the high lift while Jessie worked the axe and I used the chain saw. Jamie would spell Jessie about every other stump and William worked as the supervisor and helped get the chain around the stump and secure it.

I knew we needed to leave at least 10 stumps for the shoot, so I picked out an area that would have good lighting and a decent background and didn't bother them. We mostly just went up the line and attacked the ones we came to next. We worked all morning and it didn't seem like we had made much of a dent, but we sure had done a lot of work. It's amazing how many trees there are in over fifty acres.

When we heard the dinner bell, we stopped what we were doing and all rode back to the farm on the wagon with Jessie driving and stopped at the back porch. We filed in and washed up before making our way to the table.

Lunch was soup and sandwiches with lots of iced tea and then coffee afterwards. I told Bonnie we were saving about ten stumps for her to work on during the shoot and she said that was more than enough because she didn't like doing that. We all chuckled at that and told her we didn't care much for it either.

After lunch, Cammie fixed us a large thermos jug of tea to take with us. It had gotten pretty hot and the tea would be a wonderful break. Then we all piled on the wagon so Jessie could drive us back to the wood lot.

We attacked the stumps and worked on the ones that weren't reserved for Bonnie and the shoot. It took us almost 45 minutes to get each stump removed. This was not an easy process. William was using a digging bar to get a hole down to the other side of the hole Jamie had drilled and then hook up the chain. Jamie spelled him when he wasn't working with the axe to relieve Jessie. After that, Jimmy would hook up the high lift to the chain and lift as far as he could. If the roots were out of the dirt, I would use the chain saw. If not, one of the boys used the axe. More often than not, the axe was being used.

We worked for about two hours and had only removed three stumps. We sat down and took a break and sipped our tea to get some liquid back in our systems. After about a half an hour break, we went back to work.

We finally heard the dinner bell ring and piled all the tools on the wagon. William suggested we take a few of the stumps back with us, so we lifted eight of them onto the wagon and then rode back. The stumps were pushed off at the workshop and we took the tools inside. Then Jimmy and Jessie pulled to the gas tank and filled their tractors. After that, we walked to the house and washed up on the back porch before making our way to the table.

The women had fixed chicken fried steak and it sure tasted good. There was gravy, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, green beans and a fresh salad to go with the meal. Every bit of food was eaten with us guys all going back for seconds on everything except the steaks. Then Donna brought out apple pies and we devoured them before sitting back and sipping our coffee.

"How much longer are ya'all gonna be pullin' stumps?" Cammie asked.

"A good long time," I told her. "It takes a while to get each one pulled and they's a lot of 'em over there."

"How many are there?"

"I don't have any idea, but you can fit a lot of trees in an acre and they's more than fifty acres to clear."

"Ya'all could be at that all fall."

"I don't think that long, but it will take a while. If somethin' comes up that needs doin', we can let that go for the time bein' and then go back to it later. It ain't critical but it does need doin'."

"Is there anythin' us women could he'p with?"

"Not really. We've got enough hands to do what needs doin'. It just takes time to get 'em out of the ground. But ya'all're welcome to come he'p if ya want."

"Well, what needs doin'?"

"First off, a hole needs to be dug so we can get the chain under the stump. Then we hook the chain under it and lift with the tractor until it won't go no farther. Then one person works with the axe and one with the chain saw to cut the roots that're holdin' it until we can lift if clear."

"That don't sound like it would take a lot of time."

"Well, it does. It takes about 45 minutes for each stump."

"That sounds like a lot for what needs to be done."

"Ya'all are welcome to come over and see if ya'all can cut the time down."

"Why do ya need the axe if you're usin' the chain saw?"

"The saw can only be used when the root is not close to the dirt. If the chain hits the dirt, it dulls it instantly."

"And wood don't dull it?"

"Nope, not as much as the dirt and rocks do."

"That's just silly. Wood's a lot harder than dirt."

"Sometimes it is, but the dirt has a lot of grit in it and rocks. They'll eat up a chain real quick."

"Well, it still seems like a long time to get a stump out of the ground."

"Like I said, you're more than welcome to try and do it faster."

"I'll pass, I was just wonderin' what ya'all were doin'."

We finished our coffee and then headed for the evening chores. The kids went to milk and us men went to feed the calves.

When we got back, we parked the tractors and walked up to the workshop. William was examining the stumps we had brought back. I got the hose out and used the nozzle at its strongest setting to remove the dirt that was still attached. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. The dirt was packed pretty hard into the crevices and didn't want to come out. When we had the eight cleaned up, I put the hose away and we set them away from the puddle we had created so they would dry. Then we walked to the front porch and took a seat. The boys had joined us when they were done with their chores and all the women were on the porch waiting for us.

We took a seat and chatted about various things, mostly waiting for the news to come on. Then Cammie asked, "Did you check on the hot tub?"

"Oh, damn, I forgot completely about that. I'll go check now."

I got up and the guys followed me. I shut off the flow to the hose and then checked the floating thermometer. It read 93 degrees. It was coming up, but it would take longer for each degree now. The sun would only work for about another day or so. It wouldn't heat the water beyond about 96. After that, it would be up to the heater in the system to do the job.

We walked back and I told the women what I had found out and that we could only use the sun for another day and then we'd need to wait for the heater to get it up higher. They asked why and I explained to them about the limitations of using the sun. They said they understood, but I think they just didn't want to argue with me or appear dumb. Anyway, I got by with my explanation.

When the news came on, we adjourned to the living room and watched for the weather. They were still saying we should get some rain on Friday or the weekend, but it wouldn't be too much. We'd take any we could get. Then everyone gave out and got their kisses and hugs before heading for their homes. The rest of us closed up and turned everything off before heading for bed. I got a kiss from the girls and then Cammie and I headed for the bedroom.

"I'm gonna take a shower before I go to bed. Wanna join me?"

"No way, you dirty ol' man."

"That's why I'm takin' a shower so I won't be dirty."

"The shower won't wash your mind out."

"I hadn't planned on it doin' that."

"Well, that's the real dirty part."

"Ok, well suit yourself."

I headed for the shower and got the water adjusted. The hot water felt great on my sore muscles and the dirt melted off of me as the water and soap dislodged it. I stayed under the shower for a bit and let the water ease my sore muscles and then shut everything down and dried off.

I climbed into bed and Cammie and I kissed and cuddled for a bit before we drifted off to sleep. It didn't take me long to fall asleep and the next thing I remember was Cammie kissing me good morning.

She scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I flopped my head back on the pillow and tried to think about when I got so old. I used to be able to stay active for 72 hours without much of a problem. And during that 72 hours, I not only worked, but was in combat. Now, eight to twelve hours and I'm wiped out. I know I'm eating good, but I'm sure not gaining any weight. I guess it just takes more now to keep me going at full strength.

I shook off the thought of getting old and rolled out of bed and walked to the bathroom. I drained my tank and then washed up. I pulled on my clothes and headed for the kitchen. I was the last one to arrive and the water was already on the stove. I ground the coffee and waited for the water to boil. As soon as it did, I filled three presses and refilled the pans to heat on the stove.

Once the coffee had steeped, I filled three coffee pots and carried them to the dining room. I set two on the pot warmers that Jimmy had lit and took the other one outside. I filled everyone's cup and then sat down and lit my first of the morning.

"Somehow, I think I got old without me knowin' about it. I'm havin' a hard time wakin' up in the mornin' these days."

"Hell, we've all got older, but if you're havin' a problem, I'll lend you Bonnie and she'll wake you up early to talk about the damn election," Jimmy said, with a grin.

"Not only no, but hell no. I enjoy sleepin'. I just don't remember gettin' old and needin' the sleep like I do."

"Well, we have been workin' in the heat a lot and that will take it out of you."

"Maybe that's it. These last couple mornin's, I ain't even heard the rooster crow and Cammie's had to wake me up."

"Sleepin' good is not somethin' to be worried about. It's when you can't sleep that it's a problem."

"Ya, but I never needed this much sleep before. Hell, we used to go a couple days without any sleep at all."

"Ya, and we used to be twenty, too."

"But forty ain't old."

"Depends on how much you've beat up your body before you got that age."

"Well, we never treated our bodies with kid gloves, but I don't think we totally abused 'em, either."

"We sure as hell didn't lead normal lives. That'll take its toll on a person."

"Funny, I don't feel that old, except when I'm tryin' to wake up."

"Sometimes the mind is the last to know."

"I guess. Maybe my body should have a talk with my mind and see who's right."

"Trust me. Your body is the one that controls that discussion."

"You ain't he'pin' my confidence much at all."

"Wasn't tryin' to, just statin' facts."

William chuckled and then said, "Wait 'til you boys is my age. Then you can really complain. Sometimes ever' joint in my body complains at the same time. Ya'all can't stop agin', so ya just might as well give in and accept it. It'll only get worse."

"Well, I'm goin' down fightin'," I told him. "I'm way too young to feel this damn old."

"We all are," William said, chuckling.

The kids arrived from their chores and each poured a cup of coffee. I got a kiss from Chrissy and Donna and Donna claimed my lap. She rested her head on my shoulder and just listened as we discussed what we were going to do today.

Us guys agreed that we needed to work pulling stumps and get that job done. After the shoot, we'd need to take in hay and a lot of other chores to get ready for fall. We needed to make sure our corn pickers were working properly so we wouldn't need to take time in the middle of picking to get them fixed.

Chrissy wasn't sure what the women were doing but she thought they were going to be getting all the houses ready for the photo crew. They would be here in two days and the women had to make sure everything was cleaned and there was new linen on the beds.

Dianne came to the door and told us that breakfast was ready and we all carried our cups to the dining room and sat down to eat. I was hungry. I guess that all the work was using up any stored fat I had and my body was demanding that it be replaced.

Once the food was gone, we all sat back and sipped our coffee. I told the women what we had planned and Bonnie said they were going to work on getting things ready for the guests. Cammie reminded me to get the hot tub set up working this morning so it might be ready for the guests. I just nodded as I sipped my coffee. I told her this would be the last day we could do that and the heater would need to take over from here on.

We had just finished our coffee when the phone rang. Bonnie answered it and rolled her eyes. She started talking to whoever it was and us guys took that as a cue to leave and get to work. I didn't want to be involved in whatever was going on. I'd have enough to do after the photo shoot for her election and I didn't want to start now.

I headed for the addition and got the water flowing through the hose. I checked the temperature and it was right at 95 degrees. I made sure the water was returning through the hose and through the normal input from the pump. Once I was satisfied, I walked out the back door and headed for the workshop.

The guys had everything loaded on the wagon and were just waiting for me. I climbed aboard and Jessie drove us to the wood lot.

We spent the morning there and did what needed to be done to get the stumps out. About the only thing I could see that would speed things up would be a bulldozer that was big enough to just push the stumps out. We didn't have anything close to that size, so we had to do it the hard way.

I think we were all relieved when we heard the dinner bell ring. It was really hot and we were all drenched in sweat.

"I think we've done enough for today," I told everyone. "It's too damn hot now to be doin' this. We'll find somethin' else to do this afternoon."

Everyone agreed and we put all the tools on the wagon and headed for the farm. Jamie stopped the tractor at the workshop and we all walked up to the back porch and washed up. Then we made our way to the table.

The first thing us guys did was to drain our glasses of tea and pour more. Then we began to work on the food. We went through an abundance of tea during the meal, but we also ate everything that we could get our hands on. The table was bare of food by the time we finished then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"We've been cleanin' the houses and makin' beds with fresh linen," Cammie said.

"How far along are ya?" I asked.

"Well, we've got this one done and Jamie and Dianne's almost finished. We're goin' to Grandma's next and then to Jimmy and Mom's. We'll do Jimmy's other house last."

"Well, we've decided to call it quits on the stumps for today. It's too damn hot out there. We're gonna work on some stuff in the workshop this afternoon."

"Ain't you suppose to show me how to use them new tools?"

"Well, first off, I need to use 'em to see exactly how they operate. But Sharon said not to worry about it and we'd just fake it."

"Well, if she's not worried about it then I sure ain't gonna worry about it. I don't know what half of them things do anyway."

"I think mostly what they need is to have you standin' beside 'em to show 'em off. Besides, you can't see 'em operatin' in a still picture."

"We've got enough work to keep us busy without tryin' to squeeze that in. We don't want them folks to think we's unclean. Jimmy's other house ain't been cleaned since the last shoot so I know they's a bunch of dust in there."

"Well, ya'all might consider turnin' on the air conditionin' while you're over there. That way the house'll have a chance to cool off before they get here. Denver's a bit cooler than we are and I'm pretty sure they ain't used to this kinda heat."

"We've already planned on doin' that. Once we get it cleaned, we'll turn it on so the thing don't keep movin' the dust around."

"It's just the guys stayin' over there and I'm sure they wouldn't notice if there was any dust or not."

"Ya know, not all men are as sloppy as you are. They might notice and then carry word back to Denver that we're slobs."

"Darlin', they're men. Trust me, they don't care that much."

"Well, it's gonna be clean."

Just then, the phone rang and Bonnie answered it. She headed for the kitchen and we knew it was about her running for the board. We finished our coffee and us guys headed for the tool shed.

We stopped outside and took a look at the stumps we had washed off last night. Almost all of the dirt was gone, but we noticed some pebbles lodge in the roots. They would play havoc with anything we used to saw the stumps with.

"How should we get started on these things, William?" I asked.

"Well first, we need to take the roots and bark off. Then we can see what we should be makin' out of each one. One thing we need to do is to take a good look at the bowl of the taproot. If it's not cracked, we can slice that part off and then use hand tools to make good wooden bowls out of. Ya know, the kind like they serve things in at fancy parties."

"I guess we can do that without much problem. We could probably use the chain saw to take all of the roots off. Then maybe we could use the splitter to get the bark off."

"That might work. We can use one stump as a work station and hold the other stumps on it while we cut the roots off."

"Or we could just use the corner of the wagon. That'll be a bit higher and probably more steady. First though, we need to make sure all the pebbles are out of the roots. They'll play hell with the chain if we don't."

"That they will. But a screw driver should be able to remove them without hurtin' either the stump or the screw driver."

"Probably. Jimmy, why don't you hook the splitter up and we'll try takin' the bark off the stumps with that."

"Will do."

He left to get the splitter hooked up and I got a screwdriver from the workbench. We rolled the stump on its side and I began to pick out the little pebbles that were imbedded within the root structure. It took a while, but we finally got it picked clean of all debris that might damage the chain.

Then Jamie, Jimmy and I hoisted the stump up on the wagon bed corner, leaving the roots hanging over two sides. Jimmy got up on the wagon and held the stump from the top while I fired up the chain saw. There wasn't too much of a problem removing the roots. Once I had those two sides finished, Jamie and Jimmy rotated it so the rest of the roots were accessible and I removed them with the saw.

I shut the saw down and we moved the stump over to the splitter. I held the stump in place and William operated the lever. We made about three passes at it and decided this was not the way to do this job. The splitter was not designed to do this. Jimmy shut the tractor down and William went in the workshop and returned with a large chisel and a wooden mallet.

"Let's see if this'll work any better."

He knelt down and began to tap the chisel just under the bark at the top of the stump. This seemed to do a better job because the cutting surface was smaller and could be directed easier. It took about a half an hour to remove all the bark, but it was getting easier as we went along. We were learning as we went.

Once that was complete, we contemplated our next move.

"I think what we need to do is to cut the stump so we have just the tap root bowl and about a half an inch or so wood left to work with," William said.

This was a pretty good-sized stump and it was about eighteen inches in diameter. Since I only had a sixteen-inch bar on the saw, it would be a difficult cut. William got an old piece of baling twine and tied it around the stump. Then he did some measuring as to the depth of the root bowl and transferred his measurement to the outside of the stump. Once he had his marks set, he moved the twine so it intersected all his marks and used a magic marker to draw a line around the stump.

The next thing we needed was a way to cradle the stump so it would be in a firm setting as I made the cut. Jamie suggested that we use a couple pieces of pipe or rods to steady the sides so it wouldn't move side to side and William got some scrap pieces of wood to use as shims to make the line perpendicular.

Once we had it secure, I fired up the chain saw and very carefully began to cut along the line. I started at the top and moved the front of the bar downwards to make my cut. Once I had gone as far as I could, I removed the saw from the cut and stepped back a bit. Then I put the bar back in the cut I had just made and began to extend the cut down the other side. When I had gone as far as I could, I pulled the saw out and they rotated the stump so I could finish the cut. Once again, I put the bar in the previous cut and just cut backwards until I completed cutting off what we had intended.

The cut was fairly close to the line and we examined both halves of the stump.

"I think we can get a good sized bowl out of that top half, if the lathe will handle it," William said. "This bottom part will make a great serving dish for snacks."

"Whatta we do next?" I asked.

"Well, all of that needs to be taken in the shop and we'll start layin' out ever'thing."

Jimmy picked up one piece and Jamie picked up the other. I carried the chain saw in and put it in its place. They laid the two parts of the stump on the workbench and William got out his measuring set. He used the calipers to check the thickness of what we had just cut and determined that we had about three quarters of an inch from the bottom of the bowl to the bottom of our cut.

"We can take a lot of that off," he said. "But that's pretty hard wood to be usin' a hand plane on and I'm not sure I'd trust a saw to get much closer."

"How about we try out one of our new tools from B&T?" I responded.

"Well, that planer only has a twelve inch cut on it."

"Can't we run half of it at a time?"

"Well, since it's just a rough cut thing, we could probably do that. But we need carve down the sides anyways, so I think we should do that first and maybe we can get the surface we need to plane down to the twelve inches."

"I'm all for that, but how do we go about it?"

"That's the boys' first lesson. They get to use chisels to taper the outside to match the inside contours. I'll get them started and then we'll lay out the other bowl for the lathe."

"Works for me."

William set the piece at the edge of the bench and took his compass out. He sharpened the pencil in it and then set it to a half inch. He held the point on the edge of the bowl and went around the entire perimeter of the bowl, making a mark on the edge of the wood.

"Now, you boys get a chisel and begin to work your way from the edge back to that mark. Don't try to take too much at one bite, just make little cuts, kinda like you're shavin' it back."

The boys each got a chisel and William gave them instructions on how to begin. Then he watched them to make sure they understood what he had told them. Once he was sure they were doing things correctly, he turned his attention to the other piece of wood.

He looked at both sides and picked the one he thought was the best. Then he found the heart of the growth and put the point of his compass on it. He swung the compass pencil all around the stump, adjusting the size of the opening as he went, but not making any mark. Once he was sure of his estimation, he began to draw a circle around the top of the stump.

Once he was finished, he said, "Now what we need to do is to cut all the wood outside that circle off."

"I think we can probably do that on the band saw," I told him.

I carried it over to the band saw and set it on the table. Then I adjusted the guide so it would handle something this high. It was about seven inches tall. I made sure that the guide would accept the highest side of the stump and then turned the band saw on. I took large cuts to eliminate the biggest part of the waste so I wouldn't have that much to cut off for the final cut. Once that was done, I began to slowly cut the circle that William had laid out. It took a while because there was still sap in the tree and the saw blade didn't handle that very well.

Once I had it cut out, we wound up with a piece of wood that was about fourteen inches in diameter. William looked it over and used his square to see which end was closest to being square. He found that the bottom was and set it on the bench with the bottom facing up. Then he began his measuring to find the center. Once he had determined that, he made a mark with the point of the compass and got the drive center from the lathe. He put the point in the dent he had made and then tapped the spurs in solidly. Then we took it to the lathe and put the center back in the headstock. Since the other side of the wood was not square, it was hard to guess the exact center. But he put the tailstock in place and wasn't very far off when we spun the lathe. He made a couple adjustments and said that was as good as it was going to get. With everything chucked up, he turned the lathe on the lowest speed and the wood began to spin.

It was a bit lopsided, but not that bad. William got the big gouge out and evened things up. Then he worked on the face and got it square. Then he turned it off and put the gouge away.

"Now when the boys get done with that other project, they'll have another'n to start on."

We walked over to see how the boys were doing and it appeared to be slow going for them. William gave the some tips and that seemed to work a lot better.

While they were doing that, we got the tools we'd used this morning and put everything away. Jimmy put the splitter away and I took the opportunity to sharpen the chain saw. I'd hit the dirt a couple times and that sure isn't conducive to keeping the chain sharp.

We worked in the shop all afternoon. About four, Donna came down and said that the women had decided to have hamburgers and would like me to start the grill. I told her we'd be right up. We cleaned up the workshop and headed for the house. I got the grill going and then washed up on the back porch. Jimmy and I each had a Dos Equis as we waited for the charcoal to burn down.

Donna brought the burgers out and we grilled them. Once they were done, we took them inside and sat at the table. The women had fixed a fresh salad, corn on the cob and green beans to go along with the burgers. It was a great meal.

Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. The boys told the women what they were doing and how William had showed them how to do the things. It was great to hear the admiration they had for their grandfather. Too few children have the opportunity to gain the knowledge the older generations have and it was great to see how these boys were grasping the importance of learning from the experience of others.



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Chapter 62


After supper, we all headed for our chores. It wasn't exciting, but they needed doing. William, Jimmy and myself headed for the tractors and got them going. William operated the chute on the feed bin while I pulled under it. Once we were loaded, we headed for the pastures.

When we got back, I washed the spreader out and then we headed for the front porch. When I got there, Jimmy told me to check the hot tub before I got in trouble. I headed back to the addition and checked the temperature. It was right at 95 degrees. I turned the valve off to the hose and opened the one to the heater fully. The sun wouldn't be of much value now since the water would cool before it got back to the tub. I didn't want to mess with the hose right then, so I just left it in place and went back to the front porch.

The kids were back from milking and I took my seat as Donna waited for me to sit down so she could claim my lap. She snuggled up and rested her head on my shoulder as we all chatted about various things. The women finally joined us and Cammie asked me if I'd checked the hot tub. I told her I had and that the hose had done its job and I'd disconnect it tomorrow. She asked if we could use it yet and I told her the temperature was right at 95, so it might feel a bit cool yet. She just rolled her eyes and sat down.

"You know that ever'one's comin' tomorrow, why isn't ready?"

"Darlin', I don't have a magic wand. I can't wave the wand over it and make it get hotter instantly. I've got all the water goin' through the heater now and it'll just take some time for it to get to the proper temperature. I don't know what else to do."

"How long will the heater take to get it up so we can use it?"

"I don't have any idea. I've never owned one of these things before, so I'm not all that familiar with that stuff. It won't be cold now, but I would hope that it'll raise it a couple degrees per day, at least. But I ain't real sure about that."

"How warm does it need to get?"

"Well, I'd think about 100 to 105, but I don't really know. We'll need to check to see how warm the water feels on our skin."

"But we can use it like it is, can't we?"

"Yep. You coulda used it like it was when the fire department first filled it."

"Don't be a smart ass. If we use it, will it get hotter or colder?"

"Probably won't make no difference in that regard. Since our skin temperature is about 95, I'd say we'd be a neutral effect on it."

"What does that mean?"

"It means since our body is the same temperature as the water, it won't make no difference."

"But the heater will bring it up, right?"

"Yep. I just don't know how long it'll take."

As we were talkin', the phone rang. Since it was probably for Bonnie, she got up to answer it with a roll of her eyes. It was just a few seconds before she brought the phone out and handed it to me.

"This is Dean."

"Howdy, sexy."

"Hey, darlin'. What's up?"

"Well, I just got a call from Fred and the president called him to tell him the plane wouldn't be available until tomorrow afternoon. According to the schedule, we won't get into Batesville until about 5 or so."

"That's not a problem."

"Well, I was thinkin'. Instead of us drivin' down there that late and havin' to eat along the way, why don't we all get together at Searcy and have a big steak dinner to kick off this week?"

"Wait one and I'll ask around."

"This is Sharon and she wants to know if ya'all would like a big steak dinner tomorrow night at Searcy?"

Everyone nodded their heads like them bobble dolls, so I took that to mean 'yes', and got back on the phone.

"They seem to like the idea."

"Ok, well, I'll call the place and make reservations for everyone then. Why don't ya'all plan on gettin' up there about 6:30. We should be able to make it by that time."

"That'll work. We'll be there with bells on and if it's chilly, we'll wear somethin' warmer."

"Nah, best not do that. I don't wanna have to be bailin' ya'all out. So we'll see ya'all about 6:30, now let me talk to Cammie so we can plot again' you."

"Ok, here she is."

I handed the phone to Cammie and she took inside to talk in private.

"Well, that'll save us from cookin' for ever'one tomorrow night," I said to Bonnie."

"Well, I had planned on havin' steak anyways, but now someone else'll have to cook and clean up."

We chatted for a bit and then Cammie brought the phone to Bonnie and told her Charlene and Deanne wanted to talk to her. She left the porch and talked for a while and then she brought the phone out to Lena to talk. Then it was William's turn. That was going to be some phone bill for this call.

Once the phone call was over, we adjourned inside and watched the news. They were still calling for some rain for tomorrow or Saturday, but not a lot. Anything would be welcome at this stage of the game, we were getting to the point of it being way too dry.

After the news was done, everyone got and gave their hugs and kisses and then departed for their houses. The rest of us closed everything up and turned out all the lights. Then I got a kiss from Chrissy and she headed upstairs. Cammie and Donna had disappeared.

I walked into the bedroom and they were not there. I stripped down and headed for the bathroom. I found them in there, using the facilities.

"I'm gonna take a shower. Anyone want to join me?"

"No way, you dirty ol' man," Cammie said, with a grin.

"That's why I'm takin' a shower, because I'm dirty."

"Well, that'll clean the outside, but in the inside is still a dirty ol' man."

I adjusted the water and turned on the showerhead and stepped in. The hot water coursed over my body and melted the dirt that had accumulated. I got the rest with the soap and a washcloth and then rinsed off. I had to admit that I smelled a lot better.

By the time I got back to the bedroom, Cammie and Donna were going at it. Just the sight of that was enough to give me a rock-solid hardon. I watched for just a bit as Cammie was on top of Donna, with Donna's legs wrapped around her. Both were moving just enough to allow Cammie's clit to fuck Donna.

As easily as I could, I entered the bed, behind Cammie and eased closer to her. Her pussy was so wet it was shiny. I leaned in some and gently entered her. She moaned as she realized what was happening. As I entered her, I put my weight on her and that put more weight on Donna, who also moaned.

Cammie had her legs spread and her hips tilted forward so she could get as much penetration in Donna as possible. When I entered her, the head of my cock rode over her g-spot, resulting in her instant orgasm. Her pussy clamped down on me and I rode out the storm as her body quivered. Her orgasm triggered Donna's and both of them began to quiver with orgasmic intensity.

As Cammie's pussy released me, I began to slowly stroke in and out of her, just barely grazing her g-spot each time. It didn't take long until Cammie came again. I wasn't sure if it was from my actions or her fucking Donna. It didn't seem to matter which it was, she was cumming.

Once again, Cammie's pussy clasped me so I couldn't move. I rode out her orgasm and then began my slow stroking once again. She was breathing hard and in short gasps just before her body tensed up and her pussy clamped down on me again. It was about a minute after the last one. It seemed like her entire body went rigid as it shook from the orgasm. I was deep inside of her and pressed firmly against her ass. The muscles of her ass cheeks were like steel. There was no give to them at all. Her shoulders were the same way. This time her orgasm lasted longer than it had before.

When she finally came out of it, she said, "No more. I can't stop cummin' and I can't take much more of it."

I eased out of her and she rolled to the side. I gently kissed her and she sucked on my tongue between her gasps for air.

As she pulled away from the kiss, I moved my head and kissed Donna very lightly. She seemed to melt with the kiss and pulled me to her. I positioned myself between her legs and she guided me into her. As I entered her, she moaned into my mouth and adjusted her hips to allow me complete entrance. Then her legs wrapped around me and held me tight.

Neither one of us moved for the longest time. I just wanted to soak inside of her and feel her completely around me. The head of my cock was resting on top of her cervix and I swear I could feel it move to apply more pressure.

Slowly, she broke the kiss and began to move her hips. A moan escaped from her lips as I began to move inside of her. Her legs controlled the speed of our movements and we were definitely on her schedule. It was a slow and very deliberate agenda that she had in mind. It didn't matter how fast or slow it went, she began to orgasm within two minutes of my entering her. Her pussy snapping at me kept its same pace as she went through her orgasm.

She finally had to rip her mouth away from mine to gasp for air. I kissed her neck and ear as her rigid body almost vibrated with the intensity of her orgasm. As soon as it passed, her mouth sought mine again and she sucked my tongue into her mouth.

Our motions began anew and her legs again controlled the speed of the action. She relaxed her legs to allow me to draw almost all of the way out of her and then slowly pulled me back in, all the while sliding away and then back to me with her pelvis. Once we met in the middle, she would clasp me to her and we would sink back into the mattress.

The next time she came, it was a big one. She ripped her mouth away and to be able to breathe and clung to me with her legs while her fingers dug into my back. Her body quivered like she was shivering cold, but sweat was rolling off of both of us.

As she came down, she kissed me and almost sucked my tongue out of my mouth. She started the rhythm back up and moaned quietly into my mouth.

As all of this was going on, I was getting close. I could feel things starting to boil up inside of me and it wasn't going to take too much for the lid to pop off. She must have sensed this because she broke the kiss and whispered, "I want you to come in my like you're gonna knock me up. I wanna feel what it's gonna be like when you put our baby in me."

That was all it took. I adjusted my angle just a bit and began to end my stroke at the mouth of her cervix. She immediately began to cum and her pussy began an increased tempo of snapping at me. On about the fourth stroke, the tickle began and it quickly spread until I was pumping every drop of cum I could squeeze out of my body into her cervix.

I have no idea how long I came, but it seemed like forever. Probably after several squirts, I was shooting dry, but it still felt good. Spasms rippled throughout my body and her orgasm increased with each pulse of cum I delivered to her.

I kept up my movements until I began to wilt. Then I settled against her pussy and just stayed in place. She held me tightly as we both tried desperately to get out breath back. As soon as we could both function, her mouth attacked mine and our tongues meshed in a lewd dance of their own. She tilted her hips so I could remain inside of her for as long as possible.

But blood has to circulate, eventually, and I wilted to the point of being squeezed out of her. I rubbed myself over her and held her as aftershocks rumbled through her.

All too soon, we were both exhausted and her legs dropped away. I rolled to the side and was immediately captured by Cammie. Her mouth cleaned me and then she turned her attention to Donna. As they went at it, I tried to get my eyes to focus enough so I could get out of bed. I needed to make a trip to the bathroom, but I would just fall down if I did it right then.

When things came back into focus, I gently rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I drained my tank and then washed up to get the smell of sex and sweat off of me.

When I returned to the bedroom, Donna had her legs wrapped around Cammie's waist and they were kissing. They weren't fucking or even rubbing against each other, they were just in an embrace in the middle of the bed. I gently eased myself into bed and lay next to them.

It took them a minute to realize I was there, but then I was included in their embrace and kissing. We continued that for about ten minutes and then everyone agreed that it was time for some sleep. We assumed our sleeping positions with Donna holding me and me holding Cammie. From there, we quickly drifted off to sleep.

Both women woke me up with kisses in the morning. Once again, I had slept through the crowing of the rooster and had to be awakened. Not that that is a bad thing at all. In fact, it was quite nice to be kissed awake by two beautiful women who love me, but it did disturb me that I was not as alert as I used to be. But I didn't ponder that problem too long and immersed myself in the kissing.

Cammie slipped out of bed first and told us we needed to get up because there was a lot to do today. Donna and I didn't respond to her warning, but went back to our kissing.

When Cammie came out of the bathroom, she told us again that we needed to get up and get going and this time we heeded her words. We both rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

Donna used the throne first and then I took my turn. The women had me so hard that I had to sit down to take a leak because it would not bend and I couldn't bend over far enough to hit the bowl.

As the contents of my bladder were released, the hardon disappeared and I was able to completely drain my tank. Then I washed up and joined Donna in the bedroom for one last kiss as we got dressed and headed for our morning routine.

Everyone was already in the kitchen and had the water on the stove to make coffee. I ground the beans for each press and waited for the water to boil.

When it boiled, I filled three presses and put the tops on. Then I put more water back on the stove for the next batch of coffee. I waited for those three to steep and then poured the contents into regular coffee pots.

I carried all three to the dining room and put two of them on the pot warmers and took one out to the front porch. I poured a cup each for Jimmy, William and myself and then sat down to enjoy the coffee and lit my first of the morning.

"Well, what are our plans for today?" William asked.

"I think it's gonna be too hot to pull stumps today, so we might just as well make sure we're ready to move cattle next week," I replied. "We can check the tack and make sure all the shoes are on tight and we don't need the ferrier out here."

"Well, that should take up the mornin', but what about this afternoon?"

"Oh, probably we'll just work around the shop and get it ready for the shoot. We need to plan where we're gonna put the new machines so they can take pictures of them. We might have to move some stuff around so it don't look so crowded."

"That's gonna be a neat trick," Jimmy commented. "What are ya gonna do? Hang some of the stuff from the rafters?"

"I don't think we need to be that drastic, but we might move some of the old machinery to the equipment shed until after the shoot."

"I guess we could do that. It's dry enough that it shouldn't rust out there."

"Most of it has a light coat of oil on it so that shouldn't be a problem. We just need to make a space where we can set up the new stuff and be able to use it. That planer-joiner needs a bit of room, as does that break. The laser level we can set up in the hot tub room to show it bein' used in there."

The kids came back from milking and joined us on the porch. I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy before they all poured themselves a cup of coffee and took a seat. Donna claimed my lap and rested her head on my shoulder as she snuggled up. Jamie took the empty coffee pot inside and returned with a full one.

I told them what we had planned for today and the boys nodded in agreement. Chrissy said that the women would be cleaning Jimmy's two houses today and then they needed to do some shopping for groceries. I rolled my eyes, but didn't say anything. I was just glad I didn't need to go with them to shop.

Dianne came to the door and told us that breakfast was ready. We all headed for the table and our morning meal. It was the only way to start a day, at least in my estimation.

There was very little conversation while we ate, but then we sat back and sipped our coffee. I told the women what we had planned for today and Cammie confirmed what Chrissy had told us on the porch. I almost asked what they needed to shop for, but then caught myself before the words came out. I didn't want to be involved in that at all.

Once we had finished our coffee, us guys headed for the barn. We inspected every piece of tack for any flaws that might cause a problem. We did find one cinch that was a bit worn and replaced that. Also, one of the bridles had a worn rein which we repaired. Other than that, everything looked good.

I took the hackamore out and put it on the stallion. Then I opened the gate and climbed up on the fence so I didn't have to jump up on his back. I swung into place and got myself seated and guided him out of the corral and we rounded up the horses and pushed them back to the corral.

Once we got them in the corral, the boys put a rope around the neck of one horse each and led them over by the gate. I inspected each hoof on each animal to make sure their shoes were tight. While I was doing that, Jimmy and William inspected each horse, looking for any raw spots or sores.

I did find one shoe that was a bit loose. I really didn't want to call the ferrier out for just one shoe. That would be expensive and we didn't have time to reshoe the entire remuda.

"William, do you have any horse shoe nails in your collection?" I asked.

Before he could answer, Jamie spoke up. "We've got a bunch of 'em in the tack room."

The nail was at the back of the shoe, so we wouldn't need to pull the entire shoe off.

"Would you mind gettin' a couple so we can see if we can fix this shoe?"

I let the hoof of the horse down and went on inspecting the rest of them. That was the only one I found in bad shape.

"You're gonna need some tools for that job," William said.

"Yep. We're gonna need to pull that nail and then we'll need to cut the new nail off and file it smooth."

"You're gonna need to do a bit more than that," William said. "The new nail will need to be a bit wider than the old one or it won't hold. Best lead her up to the workshop and we can work out of there."

Jessie turned the rest of the horses back into the pasture as Jamie returned with a can of nails. I let Jessie lead the horse to the workshop and the rest of us followed.

William disappeared inside of the workshop and returned with what looked like a small cat's paw and several nippers. I picked up the hoof and William went to work on the shoe.

He got the cat's paw in the slot where the nail was and managed to pry it up so the head was above the shoe. Then he used a larger pair of the nippers to finish pulling the nail out.

"Now, let's take this inside and find a new nail we can use," William said, after he examined the nail.

We left the horse tied up and walked in the workshop. William laid the old nail on the vise anvil and began to go through the contents of the can of nails that Jamie had brought. Once he found what he was looking for, he put the rest back in the can and got a big hammer from its spot on the pegboard. He took a pair of large pliers and held the narrow end of the nail. Then he hit the nail as close to the head as possible. He checked it for size with the old nail after each blow and finally declared that it would work now.

We walked back outside and I lifted the horse's hoof for him.

"Nope," William said, "you're gonna do this yourself. That way you'll know the next time."

I straddled the lower leg of the horse and held it with my knees.

"You'll need to clean all the dirt out from under that corner of the shoe before you do anything," William commented.

The only thing I had that was thin enough to get under it was my pocketknife. I fished that from my pocket and gently slipped it under the shoe at the loose corner. There wasn't a lot of dirt, but some had lodged in there and I cleaned it all out as best I could.

"How's that?" I asked.

"Seems like it'll work," William responded.

He handed me the nail and a hammer with the rejoinder to make sure I had the nail in the old slot before I used the hammer. Very gently, I used the point of the nail to find the slot of the old nail and pushed it part way in with my fingers. Then I cupped the hoof with one hand and began to hammer the nail in with the other.

The point of the nail popped out of the same hole the old one had made and I hammered a bit harder to fully seat the nail in the shoe. Once it was seated, I handed William the hammer and he handed me a big nipper.

"Bend the nail over before you cut it off," he said.

I nodded and grabbed the nail with the nippers just proud of the hoof and bent if back towards the shoe. Once I had a good hook on it, I used the nippers to clip the excess off. Then William handed me a big file and I gave him the nippers. I used the file to remove the part of the nail was protruding from the hoof.

"How's that?" I asked.

"Don't ask me, ask the horse." William replied.

"He don't talk much."

"I know that, but they will let you know if you've done it right or not. First, check the hoof to see if the nail is flush with the hoof."

I did that and couldn't feel anything sticking out.

"Ok, let the hoof down and walk him around a bit."

I put the hoof down and took the lead rope and led the horse around to see if he was limping at all. William watched intently and finally said, "It looks like it's a good job."

I handed the rope to Jessie and picked the hoof up again for one final inspection. The shoe appeared to be solid and the nail was holding. Then I put the hoof down and asked Jessie if he would take the horse back to the pasture.

"Well, that saved us a bunch of money and grief. Thanks for the he'p, William."

"You did most of the work, I just lent some of my knowledge to the job."

"The knowledge is generally the most important part."

Just then the dinner bell rang and we headed for the house. We all washed up on the back porch and then made our way to the table. The women had soup and sandwiches laid out and we all dug in. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Ya'all need to bring the old dining room table over from Jamie and Dianne's place so we'll have enough places for ever'one to sit," Cammie said.

"Where should we put it?"

"I guess in the living room. You need to bring the chairs too."

"We can do that."

Ya'all might just as well take your showers while we're out shoppin' so we won't have a rush to get to the bathrooms later on."

"We can do that too."

We chatted as we finished our coffee and then us guys left the women to their devices. We decided that we should move the table first and that way would avoid any trouble if we got tied up on another project.

I got the big pickup and we headed for Jamie's place. I backed up to the front porch and we walked inside. Jamie, Jessie and William gathered the chairs and moved them out of our way. Jimmy and I picked up the table and carried it to the front porch. We put it down and I let the tailgate down so we could put the table in the truck. The rest of them brought the chairs out and we stacked them neatly around and under the table.

"Do you think we should take the leaves for it?" Jamie asked.

"We'd best do that," I told him. "That way we won't get in trouble for not taking them. If we don't need them, we'll just put them aside until we bring it back."

Jamie went inside and got the two leaves for the table and we put them in the back of the cab with William and the boys. We didn't want them sliding around in the bed and getting scratched up. Then we headed back to the house.

The women were just getting ready to leave when we got there.

"Ya'all need to set up the big table under the tree so we can eat out there," Cammie hollered, as they drove up to us.

"Will do," I told her and then they drove off.

William, Jamie and Jessie carried the chairs in and Jimmy and I got the table through the door. We set it up pretty much in the middle of the room, but that interfered with folks trying to walk through to the dining room. So we moved it to the side and figured we'd be able to move it without too much problem when we needed it. Then Jessie and Jamie carried the leaves in and stood them against the wall, near the table.

"Well, I guess the next thing should be the big table," I said.

"It'll probably keep us out of trouble if we do it now," Jimmy replied.

I drove the pickup to the workshop and we got all the components for the table and put them in the bed. I got a couple screw guns and a can of screws and stowed them in the bed. Then I drove the pickup to the place where we always set the table up and we began unloading everything.

It didn't take us long to get it set up. We'd done this so many times that it was almost second nature anymore. After that was done, I wondered out loud if we had enough chairs for everyone.

"Why not make a long bench for each side?" William asked.

"We'd probably need to make at least two for each side for it to be long enough."

"Not really. You've already got a bunch of chairs, so the benches would just fit in the middle."

"That's good thinkin', William."

We walked down to the workshop and got a bunch of the spare lumber out from the storage spot.

"We'll need one of the chairs ya'all use so we can make the benches the same height as the chairs," William said.

Jessie headed for the back porch and returned with one of the chairs that we use. Once he brought that back, William made some measurements. Then he transferred the measurements to some 2x4s and I fired up the table saw.

The first cuts I made were for the angles of the cross member legs. As I cut each one, William took them and began to make marks on them. Once I had all the legs cut, he told me to put my dado cutters in. I removed the current blade in the saw and installed the dado cutters.

"Set your height for half of the board and cut between the lines," he told me, as he handed me the legs back.

I set to work on cutting the dados in each board and they were soon done. The dado cutter makes quick work of hogging out the big jobs.

As I cut them, he had the boys putting two legs together and putting two screws in each joint to hold them securely. Next, I had to change blades back to the single blade and William had me cut a 2x4 brace for the top of each set of legs. He had the boys secure them to the top of each set of legs so we would have something to screw the seats to.

Then we got two eight-foot 2x8s and mounted them on the legs, positioning the legs in equal distances so the benches would be very sturdy. The entire procedure only took about an hour and we had two very sturdy benches for the tables. Jamie and Jessie each took a bench and carried them to the table and set them down. Of course we all had to try them out and the height was perfect.

With that chore out of the way, we cleaned up our mess and I began to try and picture what needed to be removed from the shop so we could set the planer-joiner and the shaper up in the middle of the shop. We found, after a bunch of discussion, that we could just rearrange some things and set the two, side by side, and there would be enough room. Since the break was on wheels, it could be moved in place when they needed it to take pictures. So that's what we did.

It was close to 3 and we decided that we would feed the calves and then do the milking when we were done with that. That way, the women wouldn't have anything to do when they returned from shopping.

Jamie and Jessie said they'd feed the horses and get the feed for the cows while we were gone. We agreed to that and William, Jimmy and I fired up the tractors and got ready to feed the calves. William operated the feed bin chute while I pulled under it, and then climbed up beside me for our trip to the pastures.

We followed Jimmy out to the pastures and William opened the gates for us. I took the feed spreader in and made a pass at the feeding trough while William went to help Jimmy cut the bales apart as he brought them in. With that done, we headed back for the house.

Jimmy put his tractor away while I washed out the spreader. Then William and he headed for the barn. Once I had the spreader washed out, I followed them. They were almost finished with the milking by the time I got there. Jamie was on one cow and William was on the other.

It didn't take long to finish up and then we carried the milk can up to the springhouse. At that point, we decided it would be a good idea to take our showers so the women wouldn't have anything to fuss about when they got home. Jimmy, William and Jamie all headed for their places, while Jessie and I headed inside.

I quickly took my shower and then got dressed. I thought I was fast, but Jessie beat me to the front porch and already had a pitcher of iced tea with ice in the glasses for us guys. I sat down and took a sip just as the women pulled up in the van.



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Chapter 63


Jessie and I got up and walked to the back porch where the women had parked the van. We helped them carry the groceries in. They had bought a case of eggs and a lot of other stuff, mainly breakfast fixings. I helped Cammie clear a space in the back porch 'fridge for the eggs. We had to move a lot of the stuff in there and remove one shelf in order for the eggs to fit. They had also bought three cases of sausage which Jessie helped them put away. Some went in the freezer, but they kept enough out for tomorrow's breakfast.

By the time we had everything put away, the rest of the men had come back from their showers. Bonnie suggested that we get the feeding and milking done before we left so we didn't have to rush back. I told her that we had already done that and all they needed to do was to take their shower and we were ready to leave.

William drove Lena to their house to shower while the rest of the women took off for their places to do the same thing. Us guys took a seat on the front porch and sipped our tea. We chatted about various things and the women slowly drifted back. We were ready to leave by a bit after 5.

We arrived at the steak house about 6:15 and had beaten Sharon and her crew there. When we walked inside, we were greeted and told that the room was being set up at the present and would be ready in about 5 minutes. We stood around the lobby and just waited. It was a lot cooler inside than outside.

Sure enough, in about 5 minutes, the owner came to get us and escorted us back to the room they had set up. In the back of the restaurant, they had a large room and sliding partitions. They had moved two of the partitions and had the tables set up in a "U" shape. We were basically using three of their rooms. This was quite a crew we had for this shoot.

One waitress came in and asked us if we wanted anything to drink, but we told her we'd wait for the rest of the folks to get here. We all found a seat and chatted for about 15 minutes and then all hell broke loose.

Charlene and Deanne came running in and almost knocked over Bonnie. They hugged and kissed her and then charged me. I got a kiss from them and then they headed for William and Lena. Not far behind them were Sharon and the rest of the crew.

Once they were all in the room, I introduced William and Lena to Sharon and she in turn introduced her entire crew of nine. It appeared that all of them were in their 20's, except for one hairdresser and the seamstress.

After all the introductions were made, the waitresses came in and asked us if we wanted anything to drink. I told them I'd like an iced tea. Some of the others ordered cocktails and some just wanted water. Most of our crew wanted iced tea or coffee.

There was small talk about the coming shoot and about the farms while we got acquainted. Sharon seemed to be spending a lot of time with the head photographer and sort of led him around wherever she went. I figured she might have hooked up with him or she wanted him to get to know some of the details about the shoot. Either way, I didn't pay a lot of attention to it.

It was almost 7 before we finally took our seats and Sharon announced that she had ordered the big filet for all of us. She said it was the easiest way to make sure they had enough of what might be ordered. That way all we had to do was to tell them how we wanted it cooked. She told us she had also ordered Caesar Salad for everyone also. To me, it really didn't make much difference. I was starved since I hadn't eaten in over 7 hours.

The waitresses came around and took our steak order and Sharon asked me if I would order a good wine to go with the meal. I asked the waitress what they had a lot of in a cabernet. She said she'd check and left.

When she returned, she told me that they had ordered a full case of Turning Leaf when they heard we were coming. I told her that would be fine, but to make sure they opened it quickly so it could breathe for a bit before they poured it. She said they would.

As she left, the chef appeared with a monstrous tableside cart and began to prepare the salad. Within a couple minutes, a second chef appeared with another cart and began the same chore. Making salad for 22 people was evidently more than one chef could handle.

The owner showed up with a wine cart and six opened bottles of wine. He brought the cart over to me and showed me one of the bottles. I did the cork sniffing routine and then he poured a bit in a glass for me to sample. I swirled and sniffed and then I tasted and chewed the wine, like I was taught to do by a lady that I used to date who was in high society and tried to elevate me to her level. It didn't work out, but I did learn a few things. I nodded my approval and then told him to allow the wine to breathe for a bit before pouring it. He said he would, but wanted to confirm that it was satisfactory before hand.

He departed and left the wine cart in the room. It was about 10 minutes before they had the salads ready to serve. I didn't know about anyone else, but I was hungry and couldn't wait to stuff something in my mouth.

About half way through the salads, they brought out individual loaves of bread for everyone. I know it isn't proper, but I immediately cut off a slice of bread and buttered it up good. I needed more than greens in my stomach.

We ate our salads amid various conversations at the table. There was a constant low rumble going on as we ate. It was kind of like hearing an audience in a concert hall before the curtain rises. There was noise, but you couldn't really make out what was being said unless someone was talking directly at you.

It was a good 20 minutes before they started clearing the salad bowls from the table and then they wheeled the food carts in. I have to admit that the waitresses were good. They had every steak in its proper place and even served all the women first, beginning with Lena.

After the steaks were served, they put the baked potatoes on the table and then began to serve the wine. They didn't pour any wine for any of the kids, but did leave a bottle near them so someone else could pour it.

After the food was served, Sharon stood up.

"I'd like to make a toast to a very successful upcoming photo shoot. We have all the right personnel and have wonderful hosts. I am looking forward to a wonderful catalog being produced from this shoot."

We all clinked our glasses and sipped our wine. I didn't wait for anyone else to stand up to make a toast and delay my eating any longer, I began to cut my steak and took the first bite. It was delicious. Then I prepared my baked potato with butter and sour cream and lots of salt and pepper.

During the meal, I hardly looked up. I didn't want to interrupt my chewing to have to talk to anyone. I hit the butter and sour cream a couple more times so I could finish off my potato. I sipped my wine and the waitress walked around the table, filling wine glasses as she went. Another one filled the water glasses and still another refreshed the iced tea and coffee.

After I had finished my steak and potato, I used my last piece of bread to sop up the leftover juices from the steak. Then I sat back and gently sipped the last of my wine. The waitress came around to fill my glass again but I stopped her and asked her for a cup of coffee. She signaled the other waitress and my coffee appeared. I sipped while I looked around the table.

Of course, I recognized Sharon and her assistant, but the others were new to me. The head photographer seemed to be a big guy and maybe that's why Sharon seemed to have eyes for him. He appeared to be well dressed, but in a city type way. He was definitely not from the country. His assistants seemed to be somewhat less attuned to what was going on than he was. Their hands all appeared to be smooth so I had to assume they didn't have any idea what was going to happen during the shoot. They were just there to take the pictures that they were ordered to take.

The hairdressers seemed to have eyes for each other, but I could be just assuming things about them. The seamstress seemed to be in her own little world. My first thought was to let her stay with William and Lena. She would probably be the least intrusive of the lot.

The waitresses cleared the tables and then the two chefs appeared with their tableside carts again. They began preparing our dessert. I couldn't see what was going on, but there were peaches involved, so I had to assume it was Peach Melba. Not my favorite, but not a bad choice either.

While they were preparing the dessert, I stopped a waitress and ordered a green creme' de menthe on the rocks. I needed something to push all the food down some and help my digestion.

By the time I got my drink, the dessert was ready and the waitresses began serving it. It was good and sort of went with the meal. I ate mine and sipped my coffee before I went back to my drink. My coffee cup was filled again and I sat back and tried to relax some. My stomach was full and I was relaxed. I don't think it gets too much better than that.

"So, Dean, what have you got planned for us?" Sharon asked, after the clatter of clearing the dishes were done.

"That kinda depends on the weather, Sharon. We're supposed to get some rain tonight, but I don't know how much. We may not be able to do too much tomorrow if we get a good rain."

"That's all right. I had kinda planned on takin' the camera guys around to the various places tomorrow so they could see what they'd be dealin' with."

"Well, one of the first things we need to do is to move the cattle. That'll be an all day job. We've got three herds to move. The pastures they're in now are gettin' overgrazed and we need to move them. After that, we can get to the stumps. Plus we always have feedin' and milkin', not to mention all the rest of the stuff. I haven't had time to show Cammie how to use the new machinery yet, but I do have a place to take the pictures."

"It's like I told you, we don't need to worry about her operatin' them, we just need her standin' by them when we take the pictures. I think we'll spend tomorrow just lookin' around and then decide the order of things. We need to take a day for Bonnie so we can get her campaign posters set up."

"Ok, well, if it rains tonight, we'll have to wait until the ground dries up anyway. It's pretty dry, so that shouldn't take more than a day. Movin' the herds is the number one priority. After that, it don't make too much difference."

"Will we be able to check about rentin' the hall tomorrow?"

"Yep, we'll do that at the dance tomorrow night. Elmer is always there and he's the one we need to see about that. I'm sure it won't be a problem, we just need to pick a day so they can prepare for it."

"I'd like to do it on Tuesday or Wednesday. That'll probably take up the entire day."

"Ok, so we have one day for movin' the herds, one day for the hall and one day for Bonnie. Then you'll probably need a full day for Cammie and the machinery, too."

"Probably, but I'm not worried about that. We can squeeze that in when we have time. She'll need to come up to Denver for the rest of the shoot. That'll probably be a two-day trip. We'll probably do that the second or third week of September. I'll have to check my calendar when we get back. Ya'all can probably come up on a Tuesday and leave Friday. That way we'll have two full days of shootin'."

We finally finished our coffee and Sharon called for the check. She paid for it with a credit card and then signed the slip and took her receipt. With that out of the way, we made our way to the vehicles and began our caravan home. About five minutes into the ride, it began to rain. It wasn't heavy, but we'd take what we could get.

When we got there, everybody came inside and Cammie showed them the new addition. With the conversation and the oooing and awwwing, that took almost an hour. Then we decided about the sleeping arrangements. The seamstress would go with William and Lena. Two of the hairdressers would be with Jamie and Dianne and the other one would be in Jamie's old room. Three of the men would be at Jimmy's other house and the fourth would stay with Jimmy and Bonnie. Sharon and her assistant would sleep in Bonnie's old room.

I told them about breakfast and the time they needed to be here and every one of the rolled their eyes. Cammie made a note of who wanted what to eat. None of them wanted any grits, except Sharon. A couple just wanted toast and juice. We told them that they'd be getting biscuits instead of toast and they were fine with that.

With that all settled, everyone left for their assigned sleeping quarters. Jimmy and Bonnie led the guys over to his other house so they didn't get lost and could find their way back in the morning. William and Lena took the seamstress home with them and two of the hairdressers followed Jamie and Dianne home. The hairdresser staying with us got her luggage from the van and immediately went upstairs.

It was too late to catch any weather on TV, so I fired up the computer to go to NOAA's site. From the look of their radar, it appeared we were in for an all night rain, at least. Then I signed off and went to the living room. Cammie and Sharon were locked in a conversation. I sat down and Charlene and Deanne immediately claimed my lap. Chrissy had returned from showing the hairdresser to her room and her and Donna took a seat to listen. After about 30 minutes, everyone except Cammie and Sharon decided it was time for bed. I got a kiss from all the girls and then headed for our room. Cammie said she'd be there in a bit.

I drained my tank and then slipped into bed. With that big meal in me, I was getting sleepy. I tried to wait for Cammie but, before too long, I drifted off. I didn't even hear her come to bed.

Donna came in and woke us both up in the morning. I found out that Cammie and Sharon had stayed up very late, talking about everything under the sun.

We both rushed to get to the bathroom and then dressed so we could make it to the kitchen. The women already had the water going and I set about grinding coffee. I ground a whole bunch of extra for the company. I figured we'd need at least four additional pots.

Cammie joined Bonnie and Lena in making biscuits. It seemed like they were making a mountain of them, but I trusted they knew what they were doing. With Charlene and Deanne back, Donna and Chrissy had been promoted to the inside work, at least for the time being. She was setting the two tables and making sure everyone had something to eat off of, with and to drink from.

Once the water was boiling, I poured the three pots into the presses and put more on for the next batch. I waited while they steeped and just tried to stay out of the way. Once they were ready, I poured the coffee into regular pots and emptied the grounds into the garden compost bucket and rinsed them out. Then I put coffee grounds in them so they'd be ready for the next brewing.

I carried the three pots to the dining room and put two on the pot warmers. I took the third to the front porch and poured a cup for William, Jimmy and myself. Then I sat down and lit my first.

"We got a pretty good rain last night," Jimmy said.

"I didn't hear a thing. Once I went to sleep, I think I died," I replied.

"Well, it looks like we got about an inch and a half, judgin' from the puddles."

"Good thing we don't have anything planned for today. It'd be too wet to move the herds. We sure don't want the horses slippin' and goin' down. But it'll dry off by tomorrow, or Monday at the latest."

"Yep, it was pretty dry so it'll soak in real quick."

A van drove up and the two girls that were staying with Jamie and Dianne and the seamstress climbed out. The mumbled "Good morning" and went in the house. It didn't seem like they were morning people.

Then the kids came back from milking and each poured themselves a cup of coffee. Charlene and Deanne claimed my lap and snuggled up.

"We sure have missed this place and everyone," Deanne said.

"We sure have," echoed Charlene.

"Well, we missed ya'all too," I told them.

The guys all showed up in another van and merely nodded at us. I heard someone mumble, "Coffee" as they walked past and went inside.

"Them folks sure ain't from the country," William said, with a chuckle.

"Nope, but they only have to survive a week down here, then they can go back to the big city," I replied.

Donna came out and told us that breakfast was ready and we all headed to the table. Our family was all in the dining room and the crew was in the living room. The living room crowd wasn't talking or making any eye contact at all. They were just staring at the food in front of them and sipping coffee.

We sat down and dug in. After last night, I didn't think I'd be hungry, but I was and I ate everything on my plate and an extra biscuit to boot. When we had finished eating, we all sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Do you know they don't even sell any decent grits in Denver," Charlene said. "We tried to buy some so we could have them for breakfast, but couldn't find any. I really missed them at breakfast and fried 'taters just don't go right."

"Well, you're back home now and you'll have 'em ever' mornin'," Bonnie told her, with a big smile, that let everyone know she was happy to have the rest of her family back in the fold.

We chatted until we ran out of coffee and then us guys headed for the front porch. Sharon followed us out, along with the head photographer.

"Are you ready to show us around," she asked.

"Yep, anytime you're ready," I replied. "What all would you like to see?"

"Well, the guys need to see ever'place we're gonna take pictures. They need a good idea of the light and background they'll be workin' with."

"Ok, then we can start just by walkin' around here."

I led them to the workshop and told them how I had planned on moving the brake out when we needed it and let them do some measuring with their light meters. That took about 20 minutes for them to get all their readings and make notes. Then I led them to the equipment shed. They went through the same process there. Then it was off to the barn.

They walked around the area in the front and the corral, then we went inside to the milking and feeding area. The next stop was the tack room and the final stop was the hayloft. I didn't know why they'd even be concerned with that, but they were the ones taking the pictures, not me.

When they were done with that area, I asked them if they wanted to ride in the bed of the pickup or on the wagon. They decided the wagon would give them a better view of things as they went, so I asked Jessie to hook up the wagon and be our driver. I got some questioning glances about that, but nobody said anything.

I had Jessie drive us to the pastures first. They wanted to go inside to see the total lay of the land and I climbed off of the wagon and headed for the gate.

"Aren't we gonna ride?" the head guy asked.

"Nope, if we take the wagon in, they'll wanna be fed and we don't do that until evenin'."

I heard some low mumbles as they climbed off the wagon and followed me through the gate. A few of the calves had moved up to the gate when they heard the tractor and I shooed them back with my hat. All the new folks, except Sharon, seemed a bit hesitant to proceed, but I walked on and left Jessie to close the gate.

They followed me, probably very reluctantly, and I led them to the feed area and then we walked all the way back to the stream. It was only 9 in the morning, but the sun had warmed things up and they were already sweating by the time we got back there.

"When we move the herd," I told them, "we'll position two riders outside the gates. There'll be five us inside to move the herd out and three more on the outside to keep them moving to the new pasture. Once the main herd is out, Jimmy and I will come back for any stragglers and move them in the same manner. We'll have to do this for each of the three herds."

They just nodded like bobble heads and made some notes. They kept using their light meters and making notes as we walked. Only two people stepped in a cow pie as we showed them around.

When we got back to the wagon, Jessie drove us to the next pasture and I took them on a walking tour of that one. Again, they shied far around the calves as we walked.

Once we had walked all three of the current pastures, we took them to the new pastures and walked them around. We took the long way back to the house, going by Jimmy's other house and barn and then across the stream and by William's place and finally by Jamie's place before coming back to the house.

By the time we got there, the caterers from the barbecue place had arrived and were setting up for lunch. I told them we might just as well eat before we took them to the wood lot. They all agreed and got down off of the wagon and made a big show of dusting themselves off. I guess they weren't used to much dirt in their line of work.

We all walked up to the back porch and washed up and then made our way to the front porch to sit and rest while they got the meal ready. Donna brought out a tray of glasses and Chrissy brought out two pitchers of tea. We all got a glass of tea and then sat back and sipped.

"You sure do have a lot of land," the head guy said.

"Actually, we could use a place about double the size of here," I replied. "We actually need to be plantin' more crops, but we have to make do with what we have."

"Well, I can see why you need so many people to run the place. This must be a lot of work."

"All farmin' is a lot of work. It don't make no difference how many folks is around, there's always somethin' that needs doin'."

"You say it'll take you all day to move the cattle?"

"Yep. We'll start right after breakfast. It'll take us a bit to get mounted and then we'll move to the first pasture. It depends on how cooperative the calves are as to how long it will take us to move 'em. Generally, they don't want to leave the place where they get fed."

"I've seen articles where some ranches are using ATVs to work their ranch. Have you ever thought about doing that?"

"Nothing can beat a horse for workin' cattle, especially if you get one that don't want to go. They'll run circles around a 4-wheeler, but a horse will out think 'em and keep 'em movin'. Plus, horses don't get flats or over heat."

"Well, I guess that's true."

We finished our tea and they called us for lunch.

We got to the table and found a seat. We were having barbecue ribs with potato salad, some kind of bean salad and biscuits. It was good and we all ate our fill. Then we had apple cobbler with ice cream for dessert. After that, we sat back and sipped coffee.

All of a sudden, I was surrounded and got a kiss on each cheek.

"What are you two doin' here?" I asked, as I looked up and saw Leanne and Lana standing there with big grins on their faces.

"Since we turned 14, we can work, and we got a job with the restaurant to help with the caterin'," Lana said.

"That's great. Now ya'all can start payin' rent at home."

"Nunt uh," Leanne said. "We're gonna use the money to buy clothes so we can look pretty for ya'all."

"Oh, ya'all are pretty enough. I think ya'all should be payin' rent."

"No way, we need new clothes," Lana put in, seconding her sister's statement.

I got another kiss on the cheeks and they disappeared around the table so they could go back to work. The rest of us sipped our coffee and chatted as the table was cleared.

Once we were coffeed out, we made our way to the wagon and headed for the wood lot. When we got there, Jessie parked the wagon and we got off and I led them around.

"We'll be pullin' these stumps for part of the time. What we do is to hook a chain under the stump and lift up as far as we can. Then we use the chain saw or an axe to cut the roots so we can pull it all the way out."

"Why don't you just use dynamite?" the head guy asked.

"We've already used explosives to fracture the tap root, now it's just a matter of gettin' them out of the ground."

"Why didn't you use more and just blow them out?"

"You ain't never done this, have ya?"

"Nope, but I've heard of folks blastin' stumps before."

"Right, but they don't blow 'em out of the ground. They did just what we did. They fracture the taproot and then pull 'em out just like we're doin'. If you used enough explosive to take them completely out, you'd leave a very big hole in the ground and there wouldn't be a lot of wood left to work with."

"What good is a stump, anyway?"

"Well, some of 'em we'll burn this winter. But some of 'em, the boys are usin' to make things out of."

"What can you make out of a stump?"

"Right now, they're workin' on a couple bowls. All of the stumps have burled wood in them and people pay a lot of money for that kind of wood. Then some of them will be used for knife handles or pistol grips. There's a lot of things that can be made out of the burled wood, if you're willin' to put in the time to work with it."

"I guess you're right. I never thought about it that way before. I just figured that stumps weren't worth much."

They took their readings and made a lot of notes and figured out different angles to take pictures from. I had showed them the stumps we would be working on, so they concentrated their efforts on them.

By the time we returned to the house, it was really hot out. We all decided that some tea would go real good, so we headed for the porch. Jamie and Jessie went inside and brought out glasses and pitchers of tea.

"Is it normally this hot when you people are working?" the head guy asked.

"The work don't stop because it's hot. It still needs bein' done. We don't go as fast as we do in the cooler weather, but we still go."

"I don't think I'd make a good rancher. I'd be hiding in the air conditioning."

"The calves still get hungry whether it's hot or not."

"Are you going to move the cattle tomorrow?"

"I'm pretty sure we will. The ground's dried out enough that the horses will have good footin' and we need to get 'em to a new pasture. They've grazed the ones out that they're in."

We finished up our tea and then decided we should feed the calves. It was almost 3:30 and we needed to get done so we could get ready for the hall tonight. I asked the guys if they wanted to go along and they said they'd prefer to stay in the shade.

William, Jimmy, Jessie, Jamie and myself walked down to the equipment shed and got the tractors going. Jamie operated the feed bin chute while I pulled under it. William rode with me and Jamie and Jessie rode with Jimmy.

We got the feeding done and returned to the house. I washed out the spreader and then put the tractor away. We walked back just as the caterers showed up. They set things up and it looked like we were having something that was going to be grilled because they had two gas operated grills that they set up.

The girls came out and headed for the barn. Jamie and Jessie went with them so they could get the feeding and milking done before supper.

I headed inside for the shower so I could get that taken care of and not be caught in the rush after supper. Of course we had the Grange Hall tonight and there was no possible way we could get out of it. It was almost on the par with death and taxes around here.

It didn't take me long to wash the day's dirt off and then I knocked off what few whiskers that needed it. By the time I got dressed and returned, the milking was done and all of the guys from our crew had left to take their showers too. Jessie was upstairs, but the rest of them had gone to their own homes.

I sat on the porch and rested and sipped some tea while I waited for the caterers to get the meal ready. The women were fussing with things around the table and I didn't want to be any part of that. I wondered who was going to win, them or the caterers.

Jessie came out from his shower and joined me on the porch for some tea. Jimmy was the next to show up and then Jamie returned. Jamie got went to talk with the women, but was soon chased away and came to join us. William was the last to return and we all sat and chatted about what we thought the next few days would bring.



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Chapter 64


The women finally came to join us on the porch and allowed the caterers to get on with what they had been hired to do. The headman had the grills lit and was getting ready to start the meal. The waitresses were setting the table and putting out the side dishes. I was sure everyone was glad the women were leaving them alone.

We chatted and talked about the upcoming shoot. Sharon had a very loose schedule of what was going to happen and when. She had set aside tomorrow for moving the cattle and Monday was devoted mainly to the women, but us guys would be in the shots too. They needed pictures of our clothes, also. Tuesday was for the shoot at the hall and Wednesday was for Cammie and the machines we had received, and also the stumps. Thursday was set aside for Bonnie and her campaign. That schedule seemed fine with me. All I was really concerned about was moving the cattle.

It was about a half an hour before we were called for supper. The caterer had grilled marinated pork steaks and they looked great.

We all found our seat and began to put things on our plate. Besides the steaks, we had German potato salad and green beans, along with cole slaw. The green beans were cooked with fat back and onions, like Bonnie does, but they weren't as tasty as Bonnie's. It was, however, all very tasty and everyone ate their fill. The guys in our crew each had two steaks and several refills on the other stuff. Then they brought out Dutch apple pie with ice cream. It really hit the spot.

After we had finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee. I know I was full and if anyone else wasn't, it was their own fault. Once again, I was surrounded and received a kiss on the cheeks from the twins. I asked them how they liked working and they both said it was great and they already had the money they were earning marked for some new clothes. Then I got another kiss from each of them and they departed to begin cleaning off the table.

We finished our coffee and then left the table so the caterers could clean up.

"Is ever'one goin' to the hall tonight?" I asked Sharon.

"Nope, just Tim and me. The rest are just goin' to stay home and relax and get things ready for tomorrow. The guys are goin' to get all the camera gear ready and the women are goin' to do some last minute stuff and get their things set up."

"They probably ain't big fans of country music either," I replied.

"Probably not. They're more into the hip-hop sound and some heavy metal."

"Well, I won't stand in their way of that kind of music. They can have all they want of it."

"Well, me and Tim will follow ya'all to the place since we don't know where we're goin'. He's goin' to take his meter and take some readin's. I doubt that he'll like the music much, but he does dance, so I'll drag him out on the floor while ya'all are havin' your fun."

"That's allowed."

The women all headed for their own showers to get cleaned up for tonight. I went inside and changed shirts. I hadn't worn a good one because I didn't know what we were having for supper and I didn't want to mess up a good one.

Jimmy, Jamie and Jessie were setting on the front porch when I returned. We chatted about tomorrow and what our plan should be for moving the calves. Basically, we were just moving them to the next three pastures, so it wasn't going to be a big thing. We wouldn't be taking them through the stream, so there shouldn't be much of a problem.

After the caterers cleaned up, the twins came up on the porch and I got a kiss on the cheek from each of them.

"Ya'all are gonna have to hurry and get home so Jessie can pick ya up for the hall," I told them, as they stood beside me.

"Nope, we don't," Lana answered.

"That's 'cause we're gonna take a shower here and then go with ya'all to the hall," Leanne piped in. "Mama said it was ok after she talked to Bonnie this afternoon. It would be a big waste of time if we did it your way."

"It probably would."

With that, I got another kiss and they went inside. We went back to discussing our plans for tomorrow. Most of the talk involved if the photo crew would get in the way or not and how we could work around them.

The women slowly started to return from their showers and took a seat with us on the porch. As soon as Charlene and Deanne returned, they both claimed William's lap and I was happy to see that. Too often, the older folks are almost ignored by the younger generation. That was not the case around here.

As the last of the females returned, I got the guitar from the house and put it in the van. Jamie and Dianne took Jessie and the twins with them. Donna and Chrissy rode with Cammie and myself and Deanne and Charlene rode with Bonnie and Jimmy. Tim and Sharon took a rental van and followed us. We had a long caravan headed to the Grange Hall.

When we arrived, the women went inside and claimed their table. Jimmy and I took our guitars inside and set them on the bandstand so they could acclimate to the conditions there before we tuned up. The others in the band were going over the songbooks and I went over to see what they had come up with.

"We've had a request for some Little Jimmy Dickens songs tonight," Elmer said, as I stood over studying the list they were making out.

"Well, they's four songs by him in the books. There's 'May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose', 'Plain Ol' Country Boy', 'Sleepin' At The Foot Of The Bed', and 'Take An Ol', Cold Tater And Wait.'"

"Yep, we found them. Do you know any others?"

"Nope. I know he did a lot more, but I just never took a likin' to any of 'em except them four."

"Yep, them's the four I remember too."

The rest of the list didn't seem unusual at all, but then I asked Elmer about renting the hall.

"You got some special event you're wantin' to celebrate?"

"Nope. The crew from the catalog is here and they've got a new line of clothes out for the square dancers. They're wantin' a place to take the pictures."

"When was ya'all plannin' on doin' that?"

"We had talked about Tuesday, if that's ok with everyone else."

"So ya'all won't need any caterin' or the food services?"

"Nope, just the hall so they can take pictures."

"That's not a problem. We can handle that easily."

"Hold on, just a minute."

I walked over to the table and got Sharon to come over and talk with Elmer.

"This is the lady that is in charge of ever'thin', Elmer. This is Sharon."

"It's nice to meet ya," Elmer said, as Sharon extended her hand to him.

"Nice to meet you too, Elmer. Did Dean tell you what we need the hall for?"

"Yep, to take some pictures. If you've got a good line of square dance duds, you'll probably sell a lot of 'em around here, once they hear about it. We got lots of folks that dance on a regular basis."

"Well, then I'll just have to get on the area salesman to get someone to handle the clothes around here."

"Probably your best bet on that would be the tack shop. They sell a lot of square dance clothin' there."

"I'll make a phone call on Monday and insist that he get down here, immediately."

"How long are ya'all gonna need the hall?"

"Oh, probably not more than a couple hours. We should be able to get the spread done in that time."

"Ok, well how about we set it up for about ten in the mornin'. I'll be through with my office stuff then and can open up for ya'all. Then I can be back after lunch and not wreck my routine much at all."

"That'll work just fine. How much do ya'all rent if for?"

"Well, with what ya'all are gonna do, probably $250 will cover it."

"That's very reasonable. I'll have a check for you when we get here."

"That's fine. Since ya'all are with Dean, we trust ya'all."

"Ok, then we'll see ya'all about ten on Tuesday."

She left and I headed back to the table. Frank and Allen had shown up and were talking with Jimmy and William.

We chatted for a bit and then Elmer called us up to get the first set started. I started off with "Sleepin' At The Foot Of The Bed." Then the other singer came back with "Plain Ol' Country Boy." Then we moved to some other songs from our normal routine. We didn't want to use up all the Little Jimmy Dickens songs in the first set.

When we finished the first set, Jimmy and I each got ourselves a Coke and took a seat at the table. William told me he hadn't heard those songs in a coon's age. I told him I liked doing them but we just didn't get all that much call for them.

I told Frank that his girls were doing a good job with the caterer. He said that they had already had the money spent in their minds. He thought he should be used to females wanting clothes after four girls, but it still surprised him how they were consumed by clothes shopping. We all chuckled and told him we knew exactly what he was talking about. He said it seemed like they already had a full closet of clothes and had no idea where they were going to put the new ones.

Just then I got a simultaneous kiss on each cheek from the twins.

"Oh, we were just talkin' about ya'all. I was tellin' your Pap how I thought you should be payin' rent, now that you're both workin'."

"No way," Lana said.

"That's right," continued Leanne. "We worked for this money so we should be able to spend it how we want."

"Well, would you rather have clothes or a place to sleep?" I asked them, with the hint of a smile.

"Mama will let us sleep at home," Lana said, almost with too much assurance.

"I still think ya'all oughta be payin' rent. After all, ya'all are makin' money and still livin' at home."

"Ain't no way," Leanne said.

"Ya, you're just tryin' to get us in trouble," Lana added. "We really need the new clothes. Besides, if we buy 'em, then Daddy won't have to."

I couldn't keep a straight face any longer and just broke out in a grin.

"Oh, you," Leanne said. "You're always kiddin' around and we can't tell when you're serious or not."

I got another kiss and they moved away, probably in order to avoid any further conflict.

Us guys chatted a bit longer then Elmer called us up for the second set.

I started off with "Take An Ol' Cold 'Tater And Wait" and the other singer came back with "May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose," and our rowdy set kicked off. We also did several Hank Jr. songs and several Bobby Bare tunes. The audience seemed to like it because they were up dancing.

After the second set, Jimmy and I each got a Coke and joined the men at our end of the table. We chatted about various things and they asked quite a few questions about the photo shoot. I wasn't able to answer all of their questions, but I did tell them about the schedule we had set up. We chatted until Elmer called us for the last set.

This was our slow set and designed for the folks to do some belly rubbing dancing. We did a lot of the old standards of Ray Price, Jim Reeves, Porter Wagoner and Eddy Arnold. There was a crowded dance floor for the entire set and that told us folks liked what we were doing. That's about the only feedback you can trust when you're playing. Some folks will request songs and some won't like them, but if they're all dancing, you know they like the music.

When the set was over, Jimmy and I packed our guitars and went to the table to wait for the others to get ready to leave. The women didn't seem in any hurry at all, so us men continued our line of talk about farming and related subjects. Finally, it was Frank who decided that it was time to go home. With that, the women took the hint and we all headed for our vehicles.

The drive home was mostly taken up by the females talking about Sharon and Tim. I didn't pay much attention since it really didn't concern me. If she had found someone to make her happy, then I was happy for both of them.

We arrived home and were joined by everyone except Sharon and Tim. I guess they wanted to spend some time together. It wasn't too long before Jessie, Jamie and Dianne showed up. There was a quick round of kisses and hugs and then everyone departed for their homes, leaving Jessie and me with a bunch of females.

"Can we try out the hot tub tonight?" Cammie asked.

"Hon, it's late and we have a big day tomorrow. Maybe we'd best wait until we've got more time."

"We just wanna see how it feels and works. We've been waitin' for a long time and we don't wanna wait any longer."

I could see that this was a losing cause on my part. I was out voted by a lot of females, so I gave in.

"Well, the first thing we need to do is to check the water to see if it needs any chemicals to put it in balance."

"How long will that take?"

"I don't know. I haven't done this since I was in high school and worked as a life guard for a month."

"Why don't we wait on that and just use it like it is. It's just water and can't be that dirty. Nobody's been in it."

"Ok, but I do wanna check the ph level anyway."

Everyone made a mad rush for the hot tub room. I found the testing kit and took a sample of water. Then I put the test strip in and let it stand for the stated time. I compared it to the chart and found that it wasn't really too bad. It was a bit out of whack, but not much.

By the time I had done that, I was the only one in the room that had any clothes on.

"Can we get in now?" Cammie asked.

"Yep. I'm gonna get out of these clothes and then I'll join ya'all."

"Don't be too long," Charlene said, as I walked to the bedroom.

I had the feeling that this entire thing had been planned as an ambush for me. But it was too late to back out now. My only thought was that I hoped this didn't go too far into the morning because we had a very long day tomorrow and I didn't want to be worn out.

By the time I got back to the hot tub, everyone was already in it.

"How do ya turn on the bubbles?" Cammie asked.

I walked over to the switch and turned the timer to thirty minutes, praying that we wouldn't be in it any longer than that. The pump came to life and began shooting out jets of air and water. It seemed fairly powerful and that relieved a worry that I had. Since this had been a custom made size, I wasn't sure the air and water pumps would be large enough to handle it, but my worries were for naught.

I climbed in and it was warm. It was not as hot as I would have liked, but it just took time to get to that point. Probably another couple days and it would be up to the normal warmth of a hot tub.

I found a place next to Cammie to sit and tried to relax in the water and jets. The last couple days hadn't been very hard, so my muscles weren't that tight. But the jets always feel good on a body.

I hadn't been in my seat for two minutes before Charlene and Deanne converged on me. Each one of them straddled one of my thighs and leaned in to kiss me. Their tongues became very active in a very short time and I knew I was in for trouble. On their second kiss, their hands began to wander and quickly found my groin. They began to caress me and I was hard in seconds.

"Oooo, looks like he's happy to see us," Charlene said, with a big smile on her face.

"Probably not as glad as we are to see him," Deanne replied, just before she kissed me again.

Since they had started it, I moved my hands up and played with their nipples. They both had very rigid nipples and moaned as I gently caressed them. Then they both began to rock their hips and rub their pussies against my thigh and I knew I had been successfully trapped.

Charlene was the first to make her move. She scooted up farther and Deanne moved off of my leg as Charlene straddled my hips. She wasted no time at all and grabbed my cock to aim it in the proper place as she slowly descended on me.

It was kind of difficult to enter her because the water has a tendency to wash away a good part of the external lubrication. But she kept at it and soon had me inside of her. Then she let go of my cock and continued to work her way down until she was resting against my legs.

She rested there for a bit and then began to slowly rock back and forth before she began her up and down movements. I felt movement beside me and opened my eyes. Cammie and Deanne were gently licking and sucking on her nipples and she was moaning as the tongues worked their magic on her.

With all of this going on, it didn't take her long to orgasm for the first time. Her pussy clamped down on me and she began to shudder as her orgasm rolled through her. Her fingers dug into my shoulders as wave after wave rolled over her. Finally, she had to rip her mouth away from mine so she could gasp for air.

When she finally came down, she attacked me with a vengeance.

"God, I've missed this sooo much. You have no idea," she said, between grunts of her thrusts.

Then she attacked my mouth again and her tongue went wild. I gently sucked on it and then slid my tongue into her mouth, beside her tongue in mine.

It didn't take long with that action until she went over the edge again. She ripped her mouth away from mine and gasped for air, as her pussy clamped down tight on me. Deanne and Cammie never left her nipples and she was shivering like she was freezing cold.

When she finally came down from her orgasm, she kissed me and then told me that it was Deanne's turn now. She slowly lifted off of me and was replaced instantly by Deanne.

She also had trouble inserting me, but we finally achieved what we both were striving for. Once I was inside of her, she immediately pushed herself completely down and moaned when I hit her cervix.

She rested there for a bit and then began her motions. She was riding up and down and rocking at the same time. Nobody could say she couldn't multi-task.

Cammie and Charlene went to work on her nipples and she attacked my mouth. Her tongue plunged into my mouth and worked around on the inside. I sucked on it and then slid mine into her mouth.

Her hips speeded up and she was grinding her clit against the base of my cock on each down stroke. When she came, it was a big one. Her fingers dug into my back and she began to shiver as the waves overtook her. She ripped her mouth away from mine and gasped for air as she rose to the heights of her orgasm.

She rode it out and then attacked me again. She began moving faster and her grinding increased too. Even though I'd fucked Donna a couple nights ago, I could feel myself getting close. Anyone who says that being with two-14 year olds isn't extremely erotic is lying their ass off.

She kept her actions going until she drove herself to another orgasm. This one seemed to be even bigger than the first and all she could do was to gasp for air and ride it out. The only thing that moved was her body as it shivered through the ecstasy she was feeling.

It took her a long time to come down and her mouth attacked me when she could breathe again.

"Are you gettin' close?" she asked, as she slowly moved her hips up and down.

"Kinda," I told her.

"Well, we've got a deal. So you need to sit up on the edge and let me and Charlene finish you off."

"A deal?"

"Yep. We decided that neither one of us should have you cum in us, but we'd share you in our mouth."

"And I get no say in this?"

"Not tonight. It wouldn't be fair if one got to feel you cum and the other didn't, so we decided on that."

Men do not rule the earth. Just ask any woman.

With that, she slowly lifted herself off of me and kissed me one last time before she moved away. Obediently, I stood up and took a seat on the edge. Both of them rushed me and they took turns with their mouths and tongues. They might have been away from this for a while, but they hadn't lost any of their skill.

It was only about two minutes before I felt the tickle begin. My cock swelled up, even larger, and Deanne recognized it immediately. She sucked for dear life and was rewarded with the first shot of cum.

Without missing a lick, she moved off of me and Charlene instantly clamped her mouth around me for the second and third shot. Then Deanne moved back and took the rest.

As I was able to focus again, I saw that both of them were kissing the other girls and sharing their gleanings. I just sat there and tried to recuperate from my attack.

Cammie moved up next to me and gave me a big kiss.

"Aren't you glad we decided to use the hot tub tonight?" she asked, with a big grin on her face.

"Tonight, I am. But I might not be as glad when I have to get up early in the mornin'. We've got a really big day tomorrow."

"You'll be fine. Now, we're all gonna take a shower in the big shower."

"Great, more time away from sleep."

"Quit bitchin'. You love it and you know you do."

"Sure I do, tonight."

She led me out of the tub and we headed for the shower. I wasn't worried about the pump because I knew it would shut off when the timer got to the end.

Everyone followed us to the shower and we got the water going on all of the showerheads. All the females seemed to drift to the ones in the floor, repeatedly, while I concentrated on soaping up and then rinsing off.

When I was clean and rinsed off completely, I kissed the females good night and got out to dry off. Then I made my way to bed. If they wanted to stay up and suffer tomorrow, then that was their business. I was going to sleep.

I barely remember the bed moving as Cammie got in. I slipped off into a deep sleep and silently gave thanks for the great life I led.

I awoke with a kiss from Cammie and then she scooted off as soon as she saw that I was awake. Groggily, I got myself out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I drained my tank and then both of us washed up and got dressed in some of our new clothes for the day.

We arrived in the kitchen and everyone was already there. The water was on the stove and I began to grind the coffee for the presses. Once it was boiling, I poured the water into the three presses and waited for them to steep. I filled the three pots with water again and then put them back on the stove for more coffee.

Once the presses had steeped, I poured them into the coffee pots and emptied the grounds into the compost bucket. I put more grounds into those three and took the coffee pots to the dining room. I carried one outside and joined William and Jimmy on the porch. We each got ourselves a cup of coffee and I lit my first of the morning.

"So, who all is gonna ride today?" Jimmy asked.

"I really hadn't given that much thought," I replied. "I'm sure Bonnie should be there so they can get a picture of her working for her posters. But I hadn't planned beyond that, except for us guys. Cammie can't be in any of the pictures, so I guess it's the rest of the girls. We can put us guys on the inside, moving the calves out, and having the girls move them to the next pasture."

"That'll work. I'm pretty sure they can handle that, once we get 'em movin'."

The kids joined us after milking and we told them what we had planned so far. They seemed in agreement with everything.

The magazine crew filtered in and found their way to the living room table for coffee. Donna called us for breakfast and we all headed for the dining room.

As usual, there was little talking while we ate, but when we sat back to sip our coffee, I informed the women of what we had planned. No one voiced any dissent and Cammie offered to bring out tea for everyone to drink.

Once the coffee was gone, Lena and Cammie stayed to clean the dishes up and the rest of us headed for the corral. I explained to the photo crew that I would saddle the stallion and then bring the rest of the horses in from the pasture to be saddled.

We all got our tack and I proceeded to saddle the stallion. I slipped the hackamore on him and then got the saddle in place. He only hesitated a bit when I cinched him and then he was ready to go.

I put my foot in the stirrup and was swinging up when I saw it. It was too late to do anything about it and all I could do was hold on.

"SON OF A BITCH!"



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Chapter 65


I put my foot in the stirrup and was swinging up when I saw it. It was too late to do anything about it and all I could do was hold on.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

As the stallion reared up, I did manage to get my right foot in the stirrup, but that was all. I grabbed on to the saddle horn with one hand and his mane and reins with the other and held on for dear life. He came down from rearing up, wheeled around, took two huge leaps, and then proceeded to crow hop out across the lawn. I wasn't wearing my spurs, so I couldn't dissuade him by turning them under his belly so he would come down on them each time he hopped. All I could do was to tightly wrap my legs against his belly and hang on for all I was worth.

Fortunately, no one was in his path when we left the corral. If they had been, nobody could have saved them. He was hell bent on clearing his memory of that bad thing and nothing was going to stop him before he was ready.

It seemed like hours in the saddle, but it was probably over in a matter of a couple minutes. Both of us had worked up a sweat and my legs were already sore from trying to hang on. As soon as he quit crow hopping around, I eased my grip on him and talked calmly to him to keep him quiet. Once I was sure he had completely calmed down, I wheeled him around and charged the corral from about fifty yards away.

I pulled him up as we approached and as he was sliding to a stop, I was already dismounting.

"ARE YOU FUCKIN' CRAZY?" I yelled at the asshole holding the camera. "DON'T YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO SHOOT A FLASH AT A HORSE?"

"I'm s-s-sorry, Dean. I really am."

"DON'T YOU KNOW NOTHIN' ABOUT HORSES? THEY AIN'T HUMANS AND DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE HELL YOU'RE DOIN'."

By this time, Jimmy had hold of my arm and was restraining me.

"I d-d-didn't know. Honestly, this is the first time I've ever been close to a horse."

"IF YOU EVER SHOOT THAT STROBE AROUND A HORSE OF MINE AGAIN, I'LL STICK IT SO FAR UP YOUR ASS THAT YOU'LL LIGHT UP EVER' TIME YOU BELCH. YOU CAN'T DO THAT AROUND ANIMALS THAT AIN'T USED TO IT. HELL, HE PROBABLY THOUGHT HE WAS ABOUT TO BE HIT BY LIGHTNIN'. NO DAMN WONDER HE CAME UNGLUED."

Sharon and Tim came over and tried to calm things down. I was over my shouting, but I still wanted to put him on the horse and flash a strobe at him. But I needed the stallion to work today and I didn't want to wear him out.

"I don't think he's ever been near a farm in his life," Tim said. "He's a city boy and really didn't know any better."

"Well, you'd best ride herd on him then. One more stunt like that and I'll teach him a lesson that he won't ever forget."

"I'm pretty sure he's learned his lesson."

"Well, I'd best not see any strobes goin' off while we're on horse back or anywhere's near any horses. These are workin' animals and ain't the kind you find at dude ranches. They ain't people proof and will come absolutely unglued in a heartbeat. We need these animals to work cattle today and I don't wanna have to be takin' anyone to the hospital because they got throwed from some stupid act by someone that don't know no better. It don't make no difference if they're ignorant or not, bones still get broke when folks get throwed."

"I'll make sure there's no strobes at all that are turned on for the shoot. We just won't be able to take many action shots because we'll need to use a slower shutter speed."

I had calmed down, pretty much and I took the stallion and walked him around a bit. This bullshit had set us back a bit on our schedule, but we'd still make it. I walked him over to the water trough and let him get a bit of water to make up for what he'd sweated out. Then I cooled him down a bit more before I mounted him and went to get the other horses. As I was bringing them back, I noticed that all of the strobes had been taken off of the cameras.

Once I got the horses in the corral, I took the stallion out and walked him a bit more and made sure he was walking all right. I sure as hell didn't want him coming up lame today. But he seemed fine and I led him back to the group as they got saddled.

I asked William if he would take the small tractor with the wagon on it and haul the folks around to the pastures where we were going to work. He said he'd be happy to and left to get the tractor. I told the photo crew that William would be hauling them and their gear on the wagon so they didn't have to walk so far. The rest of us mounted up and began our trek out to the pastures.

As we made our way to the pasture, I told everyone that Jimmy, Jamie, Jessie and myself would be inside the pasture and moving the cattle out. I asked Deanne if she would open the gate to the new pasture and sort of stand guard so no calves ran the wrong way. She said she would. I asked Charlene if she would stand guard on the side of the gate they were coming out of and make sure they went in the pasture and not beyond.

I asked Bonnie, Chrissy, Donna and Dianne if they would move the calves to the new pasture after we brought them out. Everyone agreed on the plan and we tried to relax and enjoy the time we weren't chasing cattle and the ride out there. As we rode, I pointed out the pastures we would be putting the cattle in.

When we got to the pasture, we had to wait for the photo crew to arrive. When they arrived, Sharon asked us to wait just a bit so the guys could get a reading on us. I had no choice but to agree.

Once they looked at us through the camera lens, they said that all of us needed a bit of "pancake" on our face to dull the shine. We all dismounted and allowed the makeup girls to work on our face. I guess this is part of the price we pay for the money we get.

Once that was done and the camera crews confirmed we were all right, we went to work. Charlene opened the gate and then stood off to the side. Bonnie, Chrissy, Donna and Dianne took up their positions to move them when the came out. Deanne went to the other pasture and opened the gate and waited for their arrival.

Jimmy and I went deep and Jamie and Jessie stayed in the middle. Once we got to the back of the pasture, Jimmy and I began to move the herd as best we could. We had to make several passes across the back of the pasture to get them all moving, but the main herd finally began to get the idea.

Once we got them moving, Jamie and Jessie picked them up and moved them the rest of the way out. Then Jimmy and I went back to check for strays. We found about ten of them and were able to get about five moving without much problem. But I had to let the stallion work on the others until they decided that it was a lost cause and just gave up and went with the rest of them. I went back for one final check, but didn't find any hiding.

When we rode out, Charlene closed the gate and we moved up to ride drag on the herd as it moved to the new pasture. There were a couple that tried to dodge out, but I put the stallion on them and they got back in the herd real quick.

As we got to the new pasture, the lead calves were reluctant to go in. But Donna and Chrissy used their horses to charge them and they began to move in. As usual, there was a traffic jam at the gate, but they sorted that out among themselves and were soon moving in according to the established pecking order.

As us guys arrived at the gate, I saw that Cammie was waiting outside of the pickup and had a cooler in the bed. Once all the cattle had been pushed in, Deanne closed the gate and we rode over to the pickup.

Cammie had brought out iced tea and it was sure welcome. It was hot out and we were all parched. Everyone crowded around and got a drink. I got a full glass and quickly drained it and then got a refill. I sipped that while we rested the horses a bit.

"I didn't realize ya'all sweat so much just ridin' horses," Sharon said. "We're gonna have to redo your make up before we can take more pictures. It's runnin' down your faces."

"In this heat, we do have a tendency to sweat a bit," I told her.

"Well, we'll wait until ya'all get to the next pasture to do it. No sense in doin' it now and then havin' it run down your face before we can get any pictures taken."

"I agree fully with that idea. I'm not a big fan of wearin' makeup anyway."

"But we can't have ya'all's face all shiny in the pictures."

"I thought that's what they made programs like Photo Shop for?"

"That works well with the digital camera pictures but don't help with the pictures on film."

"You still use them?"

"Have to. There's certain things we can't do with digital photos and only film will work."

"Ok, I guess we'll suffer through it."

She grinned at me and walked over to get more tea. I checked the cinch on the stallion and then walked over to William.

"What time is it, William?"

He pulled out his pocket watch and said it was ten after eleven.

"Well, there ain't no sense in startin' on the next herd before lunch. We'd be right in the middle of things and have to leave."

"Yep, that's what would happen for sure."

"Umm, folks. It's already after eleven, so we can't start on the next herd before lunch. Let's make our way back to the farm and get ready for lunch. We'll do the two herds this afternoon."

I drained my tea and took my glass back to Cammie.

"You look like a tan Zebra with that stuff runnin' down your face."

"You can blame Sharon for that. She says we need it to keep our faces from shinin' in the pictures."

"I know. I was just tellin' you how you looked."

"Smart ass."

I walked back to the stallion and mounted up. Everyone else took their glass back to the truck and we got under way. It was hot and we took our time getting back to the house.

When we got there, we unsaddled the horses and put the blankets on the corral rails to dry out. I got the hose out and we cooled down their legs. Then we watered the horses and tied them away from the water so they didn't over do it. We found a nice shady spot where the breeze could get to them.

The caterers were still setting up. We all headed for the back porch to wash up. Since there was such a line up there, I headed to our bathroom and the girls and Jessie headed upstairs. Cammie followed me inside and washed up there too.

"You kinda laid it on pretty thick with that guy this mornin', didn't you?"

"Whatta ya mean?"

"Jumpin' him like that. He didn't know no better."

"If I'd a had my way, I'd a put him on the stallion and turned him loose and let him see how it felt to crow hop around 40 acres. But I think too much of that horse and since he's almost killed one guy already, I don't wanna have to put him down. What he did was dangerous. That fact that he didn't know don't excuse him. I could have got hurt and so could of the stallion. He deserved a lot more than he got."

"But he didn't know no better."

"He does now and I'd bet anything in the world that he won't forget?"

"It's a good thing that Jimmy was there. Deanne thought you were gonna kill 'im."

"I wouldn't a killed 'im, but I sure coulda put some hurt on the asshole."

"But he didn't know no better."

"Would you have the same thought if I was layin' in the hospital with a broken leg? Or maybe if we had to put the stallion down because he broke his leg?"

"No, but that didn't happen."

"So, it's only the results that change your thoughts on the subject?"

"Well, ya. Nothin' happened bad, so it can just be laughed off."

"What happens if you're on a horse the next time it happens? Would you have the same thought?"

"I don't know. Maybe, since no one was hurt."

"Darlin', it was a very dangerous situation. There could have been really bad results. I was pissed off and I let him know it. I don't think I'd a hurt him if Jimmy hadn't been there, but I'd a sure put the fear of hurt in him."

"Well, you scared the hell out of Deanne and probably the other girls too. I only got to talk to Deanne, but she sure thought you were gonna kill 'im."

"Well, I didn't, so ever'thin's all right. That's the reasonin' you used. No one got hurt so it can just be excused, right?"

"No. Deanne told me she almost wet herself when you went off like that. And besides, you can't use my thinkin' against me like that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not fair."

"Too bad. Ever hear the sayin' of what's good for the goose is good for the gander?"

"Ya, but it don't work with people."

"Yes, dear."

"Don't start."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrrrr! You are such a man!"

I walked outside and found a seat on the front porch. There was a nice breeze blowing, but it was still hot. But that's the way it is in August in Arkansas. Someone had brought some iced tea out there and I poured myself a glass and sipped it as I chatted with William, Jamie, Jimmy and Jessie.

"You recovered from playin' rodeo?" Jimmy said, with a big grin.

"Well, I just caught hell from Cammie about chewin' out that guy. But I don't think he'll do it no more. Crow hoppin' over 20 acres is not my idea of a fun mornin'."

"How the hell did Cammie know about it? She wasn't even out there."

"I don't know. Maybe she heard about it from Deanne when she brought the tea out. She said Deanne almost wet herself when I stormed after that guy."

"She was standin' right next to him when you got there."

"Well, the asshole should a knowed better than to do somethin' like that."

"I agree with ya. That was a damn fool stunt. But I didn't wanna have you arrested for damagin' him. That's why I grabbed your arm."

"If I didn't think so damn much of that horse, I'd a put that asshole on his back and let 'em go at it. But he's already almost killed a good cowboy and I don't wanna have to put 'im down."

"Well, it's over now and we'll be able to laugh about it later on. You sure didn't look like no rodeo cowboy I ever seen. You was holdin' on with both hands."

"And my legs and I'd a grabbed hold with my teeth if I could a got a good bite on him. You try that early in the mornin' on a full stomach."

"No thanks. I'd rather just laugh at you."

They finally called us for lunch and we all made our way to the table. They had grilled hamburgers and had a salad, baked beans and homemade french fries. We ate our fill and then they served peach pie with ice cream for dessert. Once that was done, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

The twins stopped by and gave me a kiss on the cheeks and said howdy. Then they went back to their jobs while we sipped our coffee. Once the coffee was gone, we all went inside and changed into new shirts that had been laid out for us. I guess it wouldn't look good to have sweaty shirts in the magazine.

After we were changed, we gathered ourselves together and got the horses. We led them back and saddled them for the afternoon's work. I had to get a dry blanket for the stallion. The one I had been using was still damp. He had worked up quite a sweat during the morning.

As we were getting saddled, Sharon and Tim came over.

"Dean, we was wonderin' if we could get some action shots of you guys workin' the cows?"

"As long as ya'all don't use a strobe, I don't see no harm."

"How should we work it?"

"Well, ya'all can walk back in the pasture as we round the herd up. There's always a few that hide out and we have to hunt 'em down and push 'em out."

"I guess we could do that," Tim said, although I'm pretty sure he had something else in mind.

"The way we work it is Jamie and Jessie stop about halfway back and Jimmy and I go to the back of the pasture and push out the ones that are willin' to move. Once we get them to Jamie and Jessie, we go back and hunt up the stragglers. It's a pretty good sized pasture, so I'd suggest that you get a camera that you can take long range pictures with."

"Can't you wait until we can get close enough before you go to work on them?"

"On the main herd we can, but not on the stragglers. We have to take 'em when we can."

"Can you give us a head start to get to the back of the pasture before you start moving them out?"

"Sure, as long as ya'all make it quick. We've got two herds to move this afternoon and I don't wanna push the horses any harder than we have to. It's way too damn hot to be doin' that."

"We can live with that. We'll hurry to the back and wait for ya'all to get back there."

I asked William if he would go ahead of us and take the photo crew to the pasture so they could get in place before we got there. I really didn't want to wait around while they moseyed to the back of the pasture. We gave them a head start and then mounted the horses and began our walk out there.

When we got to the pasture, the makeup crew was waiting for us. I really didn't care of this, but Sharon said it was necessary and they were payin' us good money, so we tolerated it. It took about 15 minutes to get everyone made up and then we started into the pasture.



-------

Chapter 66


The females took their positions outside the fence as us guys made our way inside. Jamie and Jessie took their positions about halfway back and Jimmy and I went to the very back.

Some of the cattle were in the stream, cooling off and most of the others were very close. Jimmy started at one side and I went to the other. We waded into the stream and began to walk towards the calves. Most of them moved out of the water as we closed in, but a few just moved farther away from me. They did the same for Jimmy and we met in the middle.

There were a couple that just stood there and didn't want to leave the cool water for the heat of the pasture. I took my rope from the saddle and opened a loop and draped it around one's neck and then pulled it tight and took a couple wraps on the horn. I pointed the stallion to the pasture and we had to drag him out. I took him about twenty feet out of the water before he decided to walk. Once he had moved up, I took the rope off and the stallion moved him along until he got the idea he was supposed to leave the area. Jimmy had about the same situation with his calf.

There was one more calf left in the stream and I put my loop around him and dragged him out. Then we began to push the herd to Jamie and Jessie. Once they had them moving, Jimmy and I went back for any stragglers.

Sure enough, two had slipped off to the side and went back into the stream. Jimmy and I each took one and dragged them out until we could turn them loose. We pushed them up to the herd and then returned to look for any other hold outs.

I found one more that was hiding behind a clump of bushes and put the stallion on him. He played run around the bush for a couple times and then turned tail and headed for the rest of the herd. I made one more check of the area and didn't find any more, so I moved up to ride drag at the back of the herd with Jimmy.

When we got to the new pasture, the females got them all inside and closed the gate. Then we all dismounted and went to the pickup that Cammie had driven out and drank as much iced tea as we could get down. We still had one herd left to move this afternoon and we really needed to get on that job. I asked Cammie if she would ask the caterers not to start supper until we all returned. I didn't want to have a cold supper and I sure didn't want to stop in the middle of moving the herd. She said she would and asked about how long it would be. I told her I had no idea, but we'd sure need some tea when we got them moved.

Once the tea was depleted, she headed back for the house and we got mounted.

"When we get to the pasture, let's all take our horses to the stream for a quick drink so they don't get too dried out," I told everyone.

Everyone agreed on that and we began our walk to the pasture. We got all the horses through the gate and the photo crew followed us. I asked them to close the gate when they got through and Tim nodded. Then we all headed for the back of the pasture.

The horses all were thirsty, but we didn't let them gorge themselves with water. Just a couple drinks and then we moved away so they didn't get sick from all the water. We just wanted to keep them hydrated.

Once everyone was mounted, the females began to move to their positions and us guys waited for them to get in place before we made any moves. The photo guys were spaced around and waiting for the action to begin.

After a bit, Jamie and Jessie moved up to the middle of the pasture and waited for Jimmy and me to begin moving the herd. When we brought the horses to the stream, the calves moved out of it, so we wouldn't need to chase them from the water.

Once we figured that Jamie and Jessie were in position, Jimmy and I began at either side of the pasture and herded them to the middle and then began to push them out. They weren't too stubborn and we soon had the majority of the herd up to Jamie and Jessie.

Then Jimmy and I returned to the back of the pasture to look for strays. I found two in a little gully and ran them out and towards the herd. Jimmy had found three of the holdouts and had them moving. I found one more that was hiding and put the stallion on him and he was soon on his way. One last check of the area and I didn't see anything, so I came up behind the herds and allowed the stallion to do the work of keeping them moving.

We finally got the herd in the new pasture and the gate closed. Then we all swarmed the pickup that Cammie had driven out and poured tea down our throat. We were all parched and drenched with sweat.

I asked Sharon if they had gotten enough photos and Tim responded that they had a good supply, but would have to wait to see what they looked like. He said we moved kind of fast when we were chasing the calves and I told him that was just the way things are. He said he understood but would have liked to have had more action shots that were planned. I told him that we could try for some later on, if we had time before they left. Sharon didn't know if we would have much time left at all.

With the tea gone, Cammie headed back to the house and said that she'd tell the caterers to start fixing supper. The photo crew climbed on the wagon and William drove them back. The rest of us mounted up and began to walk the horses back to the corral.

Once we got there, we took the saddles off and hung the blankets up to dry. Then I got the hose and cooled down the horses' legs. After that, we all brushed out our mounts before we finally turned them out. They had worked hard today and performed just the way we wanted them to.

With that taken care of, we all headed for the house and washed up before we finally took a seat on the front porch to drink more tea. We were only there for about ten minutes before we were called for supper.

The caterers had fried up a whole mess of chicken in a big deep fryer they had brought with them. It was propane heated and was huge, compared to the one we had in the house. We also had mashed potatoes and gravy, along with string beans, a salad and corn.

Everyone ate like they were starved to death and the mound of chicken bones was enormous in the center of the table. All of the mashed potatoes were gone and most of the green beans and corn had been consumed too. Then they brought out Dutch apple pie with ice cream. I had two slices and big scoops of ice cream to go with it. Then I sat back and sipped my coffee.

As I leaned back, I got a kiss on each cheek from the twins.

"We heard you were playin' rodeo this mornin'," Lana said.

"You heard wrong. I wasn't playin', I was just on top of the horse that decided he wanted to play."

"Well, we also heard that you held on with both hands," Leanne said, with a big smile. "I thought you were only supposed to use one hand."

"And I'd a held on with my teeth if I could a found a place to bite. I ain't no rodeo cowboy. I'm just a plain ol' cowboy that uses a horse for movin' cattle."

"Would you do it again so we can watch?" Lana said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Not only no, but hell no. That ain't my idea of fun. But we could put you on a horse and fix it so he'd buck real good."

"Nope, we don't do that," Leanne said, with determination. "We might run barrels some time, but not a buckin' horse."

"Aw, I think ya'all oughta ride buckin' horses."

"Nope, that's for guys to do. We're too delicate to do that," Lana put in.

"They ain't nothin' delicate about you two."

"Why, how you talk, sir," Leanne said, with a fairly straight face. "We're just two delicate southern bells and couldn't handle somethin' that fierce."

I just stared at her for a few seconds and then they both broke out laughing.

"You two must be tryin' out for a play."

"Nope, we just seen that on TV," Lana spoke up.

I got another kiss on the cheeks and they went back to their duties with the caterer and I went back to sipping my coffee. Once I had finished that, I got up and headed for the house. I needed a shower bad. I was soaked to the bone and I wanted out of these wet clothes.

I stripped down and got the water going and then stepped in. I let the water run over me and just tried to soak up the warmth in the sore muscles. I could really feel it in my legs from holding on to the stallion this morning. Those muscles weren't used to that kind of exercise.

After a bit, I washed up and then rinsed off. I got out and dried myself and found some clean, dry clothes to put on. Then I headed for the front porch.

William and Jimmy were sitting there, waiting for my return.

"You sure smell nice," Jimmy said.

"Well, I wanted to get out of them clothes and I thought I might just as well get out of that smell too. I guess we oughta feed the calves, huh?"

"Well, it don't look like they're gonna haul that stuff out there themselves."

They got up and we headed for the equipment shed and fired up the tractors. I pulled under the feed bin chute and William operated it until it had the proper amount of feed in the spreader. Then he joined me on the tractor and we headed out to the pastures.

We hadn't moved the feeding troughs yet, so we just spread the feed on the ground. Jimmy did go get the hay rings and bring them to the new pastures and William and I cut the bales after he placed them in there. We'd move the troughs tomorrow. We were way too tired to do it tonight.

When we returned, I hosed the spreader out and we headed for the front porch and just relaxed. All of the women showed up a bit later and took a seat. Sharon was the only one from the photo crew that was there. She told us that the men had gone to download all of their photos to see exactly what they had. They'd need to wait until they returned to Denver for the film to be developed.

"So," Sharon started out, "what is the plan for tomorrow?"

"Well," I began, "I guess we'll work on pullin' stumps for the first thing. We do need to move the feedin' troughs from the old pastures to the new ones sometime during the day. But that's about all we have planned, I think."

"Well, how long will it take to pull the stumps?"

"Darlin', we could spend a week over there and not pull all the stumps. We're just goin' over there until you get the pictures ya'all need."

"Oh, well that shouldn't take more'n a couple hours, at most."

"Ok, then we can get the troughs moved with no problem at all. In fact, we could probably get Cammie's stuff done in the afternoon, if ya'all want."

"I guess we could. I was plannin' on ya'all spendin' a lot of time workin' on them stumps. But, if it's just for the cameras, then we can get that out of the way first and work on other stuff."

"That'll work for me."

"Well, ya'all can sit here and talk all ya want," Jimmy said, as he stood up, "but I'm gonna go home and get out of these wet clothes and take a shower."

"Me too," Jamie said.

"I guess I'll do the same," Jessie said.

With that, the front porch stuff came mostly to an end. Everyone got and gave their hugs and kisses and then departed for their homes. It was just Cammie, Sharon and myself left as the rest of them left to take a shower and change clothes.

We chatted for a bit and then Cammie said, "Me and Sharon are gonna talk girl stuff. If you don't wanna be completely bored, then you'd best find somethin' else to do."

"Yes, dear."

I gave her a kiss on the cheek and then walked inside. I turned on the TV and it was a bit early for the news yet, so I turned it off and headed for the bedroom. Since I was by myself, I decided I'd make use of the hot tub and see if I could get some of the soreness out of my muscles.

I stripped down in the bedroom and headed for the hot tub. I turned on the pumps and climbed in. It was warmer than last night, but it still needed a few more degrees of heat to get to the correct temperature.

I sat back and moved so the jets would hit my back and inner thigh muscles. The jets felt soothing and helped melt away the soreness.

I stayed in there for about 15 minutes and then climbed out. I figured that this was a good time to take care of any water problems and got the kit out.

I took the readings and then checked the results against the chart to see what I needed to add. It wasn't too far out, so it didn't take much. I added the proper amounts and then turned the jets on for 10 minutes and left for the bedroom.

I dried off in the bathroom and then grabbed my robe and went to the living room. I turned the TV on and watched the news until the weather came on. It was supposed to be hot and dry until Friday and then we were supposed to get a fair storm. We could sure use a bunch of rain.

With that over, I decided I'd just get some sleep. The females were outside and talking about female stuff that I had absolutely no interest in. I turned the TV off and made my way to the bedroom. I slipped into bed and it wasn't too long until I drifted off to sleep. It felt strange not having Cammie to cuddle with, but I was too tired to dwell on that for long.

For the first time in a while, I awoke to the rooster crowing. I opened my eyes and just tried to take in the wonders of waking up next to the woman I love and who loves me and to the life I had built for myself, finally. It had been a long time coming and I had suffered through a bad marriage, along with a lot of bad times. Some of the times were of my making and some were brought on by others. But now I was where I wanted to be and doing what I wanted to do.

I came back to my senses and realized that I was in the here and present, not on some dreamscape created by my mind. I was actually here.

As my senses returned to me, I gently teased Cammie's nipple until it was completely rigid. She moaned after a bit and then clamped her hand over mine and rolled over to kiss me. She draped her leg over my hip and her tongue invaded my mouth as she pulled herself closer to me.

"I have missed that so much," she whispered, as she broke the kiss.

"Well, I finally was able to wake up before you did today."

"Ummm, well you're gonna have to do that more often."

We kissed again and then she rolled away and scooted out of bed. She headed for the bathroom and I followed her after I was able to get out of the bed.

My inner thigh muscles were sore from my jaunt on the stallion yesterday, but I'd survive. I'd been sore before and was always able to come back. It wasn't the end of the world.

As Cammie relinquished the throne, I made use of it and then washed up. I put on a fresh pair of jeans and an old shirt. I knew I'd need to change for the shoot, but I didn't want to take the trouble of asking Cammie what to wear this early.

Then we both made our way to the kitchen. Lena and Bonnie were there, working on the sour dough. Cammie went to help them and I started the water running for the coffee. I got the coffee out and, once the water was hot from the tap, I filled three pots for coffee and put them on the stove. Then I began grinding the coffee beans.

Donna and Chrissy joined the kitchen crew and I got a kiss from each of them. Then Dianne showed up and I got a kiss from her. The women had a production line going in the kitchen and I desperately tried to stay out of the way. I put the coffee grounds in the presses and then waited for the water to boil.

Once the water boiled, I filled three presses with water and stirred the contents. Then I put the three pots back on with more water.

I waited for the coffee to steep and then poured the contents into regular coffee pots. I rinsed the presses out and put more grounds in them for more coffee. Then I carried the three pots into the dining room and put two of them on the pot warmers and carried the last one to the front porch.

I poured three cups of coffee and handed one to William and Jimmy and took one for myself as I took a seat.

"Well, how's the cowboy today?" Jimmy said, with a big grin.

"The cowboy's a bit sore, but he'll survive. I spent some time in the hot tub last night and I'm sure that he'ped some."

"I ain't real sure that real cowboys do that. I think they're tougher than that."

"They might be, but I ain't. Besides, I never claimed to be no cowboy."

"That's funny, because I would swear that you were actin' like one yesterday."

"Keep it up and I'll get you on a horse and make him come unglued and then sit back and laugh at you."

"Well, the first thing I'd do is look for a soft place to get off and bail."

"When you're up that high, they ain't no soft place. Trust me on that one."

"What's on the agenda for today?"

"Stump pullin' until they get enough shots and then we're gonna move the feedin' troughs and roofs."

"So, basically stump pullin' in the mornin' and movin' troughs in the afternoon."

"That's about the way I've got it figured. Probably some clothes changin' in between."

"I think I'd be a whole lot happier about this if we didn't have to have make up on all the time."

"Me too, but they're doin' the payin', so we have to do the wearin'."

"I guess. It's just amazin' what folks'll do for money."

"Yep. It sure is."

The kids joined us and we sipped our coffee as the photo crew slowly drifted in and mumbled at us as they passed and headed for the table. We chatted until Donna called us for breakfast and then we headed for the table and all talking stopped.

We had our usual great breakfast of sausage, eggs, grits, biscuits, juice, milk and coffee. It went down great and satisfied that gnawing feeling in my stomach. I probably used up more energy than I had thought yesterday, but I was getting it back now. Once the eating was done, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

We chatted about today's events and I told Bonnie she had best be ready to swing an axe. She told me she'd done that a lot before so she wasn't too worried about it. The girls asked if they were going to be involved in the stump pulling and I told her I wasn't in charge of that and they would need to talk with Sharon. We continued our chatting until we depleted the coffee and then adjourned to the front porch to wait for instructions.

"We've got your shirts laid out," Sharon said, as she walked out to join us.

"I guess that means you're wantin' us to go to work," I said, with a grin.

"Well, the quicker we get this done, the sooner we'll be able to shoot some other stuff. I was thinkin' maybe we could get Cammie's shots this mornin' too."

"I'm all for it."

Everyone but William got up and headed inside to change shirts. With that done, we headed for the equipment shed. Jessie got the tractor with the wagon fired up and Jimmy got the tractor with the high lift going. Jamie and I got the tools we'd need. I fueled up the chain saw and got a couple axes. Jamie located the chain we used for lifting and brought it out to the wagon. He also brought the digging bar to the wagon so we wouldn't need to be digging with our fingers. I went back in for a bunch of gloves. None of us needed blisters, especially the girls. Jamie went back for the little garden trowel to clean the dirt out of the hole.

Evidently, Sharon had included the girls in the workers for the stumps and we had a big crew trying to find room on the wagon.

"We ain't all gonna fit on that wagon," I said, as I surveyed the situation. "Why don't you girls ride with your grandpa in the pickup? That'll free up some space."

They thought that was a good idea and the females in our crew headed for the pickup and William got in the driver's seat to take them over. I'm sure he was probably happy to be included in the helpers so he wouldn't be left back here with Cammie and Lena.

Jessie drove us over to the spot I had picked out for Bonnie to work on and parked the tractor and wagon away from the stumps so it wouldn't be in the way. Jimmy drove his tractor up to the first stump and shut it off until we could get organized.

We all gathered around and the first order of business was for the camera guys to take readings so they could set their cameras. Once that was done, we were positioned around the first stump so they could get us in the viewfinder. Then they told Sharon we needed some pancake to keep the glare off.

We all got made up and then got back into position so they could check everything. They were satisfied so they turned it over to Sharon.

"Ok, Dean. How does this work?"

"Well, first of all, we dig around the stump so we can fish the chain through. Then the chain is hooked on the high lift that Jimmy's driving and he lifts it as far as he can. Next thing is we cut the runner roots until it lets go. We use the chain saw on the ones that are clear of the ground and the axe on the ones that aren't. We just keep doin' that until it pops free."

"Who does what?"

"It don't really make much difference. We just do what's needed."

"Ok, well then let's put Bonnie on the axe and you on the chain saw. Maybe we can get Donna and Chrissy diggin' the hole and Deanne and Charlene with the chain."

"You're the boss."

I got the digging bar and some gloves for Chrissy and Donna and told them where to dig and at what angle so they could hit the back side of the blast area. I told them once they broke through, they would need to use the garden trowel to clear the dirt away. They nodded and began to work on the ground by the stump.

I went over and fired up the chain saw so it would be ready to run when we needed it. Bonnie grabbed the single bitted axe and put on some gloves. Then we walked back to the stump to watch the progress. Once they broke through, Chrissy put the digging bar down and Donna began to scoop the dirt out with the garden trowel.

I sent Deanne and Charlene to the wagon and had them put some gloves on and bring the chain over. They did that and waited for the hole to be big enough to snake the chain through.

Once the hole was big enough, Deanne and Charlene moved in with the chain and pulled it through. Jimmy fired up his tractor and moved the high lift forks to the stump. The girls hooked up the chain and he began his lift. Once the stump stopped its upward movement, I moved in with the chain saw and cut the one root that was exposed enough not to ruin the chain. Then I stood back and Bonnie moved in.

I backed away and she began to work on the roots that were still in the ground. She worked her way around the stump and then stood back. Jimmy lifted up again and I moved in with the chain saw. I made one cut and then Bonnie moved in and cut two more roots and it popped free.

Dianne steadied the stump as Jimmy swung the tractor around and deposited the stump with the rest that we had pulled. Then he shut the tractor down and we moved to the next stump.

The same scenario went on until we had pulled eight stumps and Sharon said they had all the pictures they needed of stumps. We gathered up all the tools and put them on the wagon and then headed back for the house. We all needed some tea. This was hot work and I know I was parched. I was sure that Bonnie and the girls were too.



-------

Chapter 67


We drove across the road and stopped at the workshop and put all the tools away. Then we walked up to the house and found a seat on the front porch. Cammie had heard us drive up and brought out iced tea and Lena brought out a tray of glasses with some ice in a bowl. We quickly finished two pitchers and Cammie took them back and brought more out.

As we were sitting there, drinking our tea, the caterers pulled up. I thought they were very early and asked William what time it was. He told me it was just after eleven. That surprised me because I hadn't thought we'd spent that much time over there.

We sipped our tea until we cooled off a bit and then we all washed up and changed out of our good shirts and put on something a bit cooler to eat in. We'd need to change for the afternoon anyway and I didn't want to drip any food on the new shirts.

It wasn't long until the caterers had the meal ready and we all found a seat at the table. They had fixed barbecue beef sandwiches with baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw and lots of iced tea. It was very tasty and I ate three sandwiches and a couple helpings of bean and slaw. Then I sat back and sipped my coffee.

I was chatting with Jimmy and William when the twins snuck up on me and I received a kiss on each cheek.

"Have you been playin' cowboy again?" Lana asked with a grin.

"Nope, been playin' lumber jack today."

"That can't be as much fun to watch as you ridin' a buckin' horse," Leanne said, with a slight giggle.

"No, but it's a lot less painful on my butt."

"Well, we still wanna watch you play rodeo," Lana said, as she shyly stepped back, I guess fearin' an attack or something worse.

"You're gonna have to wait a long time for that."

"Awww, you're no fun," Leanne said, as they gave me a kiss on the cheek. Then they both walked back to their jobs.

I went back to chatting with William and Jimmy and we talked about moving the feeding troughs and shelters. As we chatted, Sharon walked over.

"Do ya'all wanna move the stuff first or work with Cammie?" she asked.

"It don't make a lot of difference, Sharon," I responded. "It'll take us about two hours to move all the stuff, so we'd have time after, or before, the shots with Cammie."

"Well, then why don't ya'all move the stuff and the guys can download the pictures from this mornin' while you're doin' that. Then we'll shoot Cammie's stuff when ya'all get back."

"That'll work."

We finished our coffee and then headed for the equipment shed. Jessie got the tractor with the wagon and Jimmy got the one with the high lift and we headed to the pastures. As we rode on the wagon, William and I decided that it would be best to move the roofs first and then just set the troughs in after we had the roofs set up.

We got to the first pasture and went inside. Jimmy picked up the first shelter and we guided it onto the wagon. Then we did the same thing with the other three for that pasture. Next we rode to the new pasture and set them up. It wasn't rocket science, but just required doing what needed to be done.

We had a bit of a problem balancing them on the wagon, but we worked it out and were able to move all four in each pasture at once. The wagon was just a bit too narrow to set them sideways. We had to set them at an angle and let their weight keep them in place. We had to open both gates to get them through, but we managed everything just fine. The troughs weren't any problem since they would fit length ways on the wagon bed and we could stack them.

Like I had thought, it took us about two hours to get everything moved. Then we headed back to the house. We had some iced tea to quench our thirst and replenish the liquid we'd sweated out moving the troughs and roofs. Cammie came out, dressed in her new clothes, with her hair done and makeup applied, and joined us. It wasn't long until the photo crew returned, ready to take some pictures.

When I'd finished my tea, Cammie, Sharon, myself and the photo crew walked to the workshop. I had a couple of the camera crew help me move things around a bit and get the new machinery set up. Then I got a couple pieces of lumber down so Cammie could pretend she was putting it through the machinery. I showed her how to hold the boards so it looked like she knew what she was doing and they snapped pictures of her from every possible angle.

Once they were done with the joiner-planer and the shaper, we moved them back and brought out the portable break. I found some metal and showed Cammie how to move the lever that operated the actual break. Then I positioned the metal in the jaws and had her put her hand on the lever. They took a bunch of pictures as she smiled for the cameras.

With that done, we moved it back and I suggested that we use the laser level in the new hot tub room to show Cammie marking things to hang. Sharon liked that idea, but pointed to the lathe and asked what was going on with that. I told her that the boys were going to make it into a bowl. She thought for a minute and then asked if I could get Cammie to operate that.

Since it was already set in the correct position, I didn't have to make any adjustments to the machine. I showed Cammie how to stand and how to hold the gouge that would be used to rough out the shape.

"Could she actually operate it so we can get pictures of the wood flyin' off?" Sharon asked.

"I guess we could. It's not that difficult if she'll pay attention."

I moved Cammie away and turned the lathe on. It was already set on a very slow speed to keep down any vibrations. I put on some goggles and made sure Cammie had her facemask on. Then I showed her how to actually work the gouge and take off a thin shaving as it turned. Then I had her try it and she was kind of hesitant, but I assured her, that if she just went slowly, it would work just fine.

She stepped up to the lathe and I guided her hands so she could just ease the gouge to the wood and barely touch it. A couple of times she got it too far in and it caught the gouge and jerked it down some. But she finally got the idea and was working it on her own.

I stepped back and allowed the camera folks to snap all the pictures they wanted as the wood chips flew. They must have taken about thirty pictures before they said they had enough. Then we turned the lathe off and Cammie shook the wood chips out of her hair.

"That was kinda fun," she said.

"Well, it can be, but it takes a lot of work to get really good on it."

"I know, but just doin' that, I kinda liked it."

We got everything stowed away and I took the laser level and its stand to the house. Cammie carried the small tool case with the hand tools in it and a hammer so it would look like she was working on something.

When we got there, I set the level up in the center of the room and turned it on. It slowly rotated and the laser light trailed around the walls. I kept it low enough so she could reach the trail of the light and pretend to mark it. When everything was set up, I backed away and let her take directions from Sharon. They took a bunch of pictures of her in every conceivable position while she was marking the wall. They had her working on different walls and at the corners to show how versatile the level was.

When that was done, I turned the level off and packed it in its case. Then we had to make a decision as to what she would work on with the hand tools. Sharon thought she should be working on a car since that's what they had in mind for their market.

We walked outside and I had to reposition her car so it was facing the sun and there weren't any shadows under the hood. I set up the ratchet with an extension and a plug socket and showed her what she was supposed to be removing.

With her bent over the fender while trying to remove a plug, they snapped dozens of pictures of her struggling to take a spark plug out. Then I put on a smaller socket so she could pretend to work on the battery cables. There were more pictures taken and I had to take some grease from the engine and smear it on her face, hands, and forehead so it would look like she was actually working on the car. We rigged up one last scenario and that was the radiator hose. She was working on that with their new screwdriver that had replaceable bits in the tip. She acted like she was working on the clamp and the cameras went to work.

When they had taken enough pictures, they called a halt to the proceedings and Cammie straightened up. I took the tools and put them back in the carrying case and carried everything to the workshop and put them away. Then I made my way to the front porch and poured myself a big glass of tea.

I just had time to drink that and we had to go out and feed the calves. William, Jimmy, the boys and myself headed for the equipment shed. We got the tractors fired up and William opened the feed bin chute as I pulled under. Then he climbed up with me and we followed Jimmy and the boys to the pastures.

When we got there, the calves were huddled around the feeding troughs. I guess when we moved them, the calves figured it was feeding time and had been waiting for us to arrive. I dispersed the feed while Jimmy speared a bale of hay and the boys cut it apart for him at each pasture. Then we returned to the house. I hosed out the spreader and put it away. Then we headed for the front porch.

We each poured ourselves a glass of tea and sat back and sipped while we rested a bit. The caterers arrived while we were sitting there and set up a big propane grill. Then they began to set the table and get the fire going.

"So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" Jimmy asked.

"As far as I know," I responded, "we have to be at the hall for the square dancin' pictures at 10. After that, I think they might take some shots of Bonnie for her campaign. Other than that, I don't have a clue."

"Hell, I ain't square danced in 25 years."

"Well, I've done it a bit more recent than that, but not too much. But I don't think we'll be actually dancin', just posin' for pictures so they can show of their new line of clothes."

"Did they hire anyone to call it or anyone to play?"

"I don't think so, but I don't know for sure."

"Well, then the only way we'll be in danger is if she brought a record to play with a caller on it."

"I don't have any idea at all. I'm just like you, hired he'p."

"Then what's set up for Wednesday?"

"I think more of Bonnie and her campaign and anything they've missed durin' the last couple days."

"So, we should be shed of this crap by Thursday?"

"Probably, but I don't know for sure about that either."

"Well, hopefully we'll be able to get back to a normal routine around here. I like the money, but I ain't real fond of all the crap that goes with it."

"Ya. Me neither. But for what they're payin', I guess we should put up with it. It's kinda easy money."

"I guess. We really need to be checkin' on the corn and lookin' at the hay to see when we need to make the next cut."

"I know. If we get some rain, then I'm pretty sure we'll be able to cut by the end of the month or so. We're supposed to get a fair storm startin' Friday, but I don't know how long it'll last. We really need about four or five days of a good soakin' rain. I'm surprised the stream is as high as it is."

The twins came around with a list and asked how we wanted our steaks done. We all gave them our preference and they departed to find others and get their orders. By now, the grill was hot and there was a lot of smoke coming out from the cover. Evidently they had some wood chips working with the propane to get that smoky flavor in the meat. I saw the twins take the list to the head cook and then begin to make a copy of the names. I guess it was so they would know who got what steak.

We finished our tea and then made our way to the table since everyone else was headed there. We sure didn't want to be late for food.

As the steaks were cooked to order, they were brought to the table by the twins and set in front of the person. Nobody waited until all the steaks were done and served. As we got our steaks, we began to eat. The meal also included baked potatoes with lots of butter and sour cream, corn on the cob, salad, and green beans cooked with onions and fat back. The meal was delicious. The steaks were T-bones and very tender. They had a distinct flavor to them that included the mesquite wood smoke, but also had to have been marinated with a delicious sauce that included some Worcestershire sauce and something else that I couldn't identify. For dessert, we had strawberry shortcake, with homemade shortcakes and plenty of ice cream to top it. It was delicious and I stuffed myself. Then I sat back and sipped my coffee and waited for everyone else to finish.

As I sat there, the twins snuck up and I received a kiss on the cheeks from them.

"Been playin' cowboy again today?" Lana asked.

"Nope, just been doin' normal farmin' stuff."

"We still wanna see you ride a buckin' horse," Leanne said, with a big grin on her face.

"If I have anything to say about it, it ain't gonna happen. If you're wantin' to see that, then you need to go to the rodeo."

"But we have to pay to get in there. Here we could see it for free," Lana put in.

"Maybe free for you, but it ain't free for me when I'm on the horse."

"Free for us is all that counts," Leanne said, still with that big grin on her face.

"Ain't gonna happen."

I got another kiss and then they took my plate and utensils and went back to work.

We continued chatting and sipped our coffee. Most of our talk was about farm things and few folks had any interest in it except for us guys.

Once the coffee was gone, Jimmy, William and myself adjourned to the front porch. The kids went to do the milking and feeding and the women disappeared to some other place to talk about things us men weren't allowed to hear or they figured we'd just be bored, so the excluded us. That was just fine with me. The photo crew departed to do their work and plan the next day, I guess. They didn't hang around too much with us. That's probably because we had little in common.

The caterers cleaned up and then departed, but not before the twins sought out Jessie and kissed him good-bye. Then I got a quick kiss on the cheek and they all departed, leaving us to our own devices and some peace and quiet.

"Wonder what the women are up to," Jimmy said.

"I wouldn't wonder too much, it might be hazardous to our well bein'," I responded.

"It probably would be, but I do like to have some warnin' before ever'thing comes crashin' down."

"Ya, well just keep wishin' for that 'cause it ain't gonna happen. Women's got they own secret way of doin' things and I don't know a man yet that's figured it out."

"Yep, I ain't never been able to do it. Wonder why that is?"

"If we could figure 'em out, then we'd have the upper hand and they'll never allow that."

"I heard dat."

The kids came back from milking and the boys joined us and the girls went to find the women. We chatted about various things but the boys were wanting to know when they could get back to working on the bowls. William told them that he was ready anytime, but there were too many other things going on right now. I told them we could probably get back to it at the end of the week. They seemed to accept those answers even though they would probably have liked to get to their projects sooner.

We chatted about tomorrow and the boys told us they had taken square dancing in school since it was a requirement of their grade school. They remembered some of the things, but not enough to be very confident. I told them not to worry because they would just be taking pictures of us and we probably wouldn't be actually dancing. That seemed to relieve them some.

We stayed and chatted on the porch until it got dark and then moved into the living room to watch the weather. They were still calling for rain on Friday evening and thought it could last through Sunday sometime.

"Looks like you boys will have plenty of time to work in the shop this weekend," William said.

"I sure hope so," Jessie replied. "If we get good at it, I might take part of a stump into school and make a bowl in shop class."

"Will they let you do that?"

"Sure. The teacher is always lookin' for projects for us to do. We get some projects that must be done so they know we know about all of the tools, but then we have a choice of what we can make for our final project."

We finished watching the news and then William went to track down Lena so they could go home. He found her and Bonnie and the girls came out with them. Everyone got their hugs and kisses before they departed for their own homes. Then the girls went back to the kitchen and continued talking with Sharon. Jessie and I decided we didn't want to be part of that conversation so we headed for bed.

I headed for the shower and washed off the sweat of the day and then walked to the hot tub and soaked in the jet streams for about 15 minutes. Then I headed for bed. I was really liking the hot tub a lot. It made sleeping a lot easier.

It was still strange to go to bed without Cammie, but she was in her glory with all of the girl talk and I wouldn't deny her that, even if I could. I positioned myself so she would have room to get in bed without moving me. Then I slowly drifted off to sleep.

I awoke the next morning to the rooster crowing and felt like I had a good night's sleep. I felt rested and ready to face the day. My arm was draped over Cammie and she was holding it in place. She had also snuggled back against me. Everything felt right in the world. This was the way it was supposed to be.

I gently moved my hand out of her grasp and teased her nipple. It became erect instantly and her hand grasped mine again and held it to her tit. Then she turned over and kissed. Her leg draped over my hip and she pulled herself closer as we kissed.

"God, I really like that and sure have missed it."

"Well, maybe things will settle down again and I'll be able to wake up with the rooster before you do."

"I sure hope so. This just gets my day started off right."

She kissed me again and then scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and waited until she finished with the throne and then took my turn. We both washed up and then headed for the kitchen after dressing.

Lena was the only one there and Cammie went to help her. I worked on the coffee and water and Bonnie showed up. Then Donna and Chrissy showed up and I got a kiss from them before they went to work getting the table set. Dianne was the last one to show up and I got a kiss from her as she headed for her job of slicing the sausage.

Once the water had boiled, I filled three presses and then put more water on to boil. I tried to stay out of the way until the coffee had steeped and then poured the three into regular coffee pots and emptied the presses and put more coffee in for the next batch.

I carried the three pots to the dining room and put two of them on a pot warmer and took the third to the front porch. I filled three cups and then lit my first as Jimmy and William got their cup and we all sat back and chatted about today's events.

Neither Jimmy nor myself we happy about the square dancing, but we liked the money, so we decided we'd put up with it. We had no idea what we were supposed to wear, but I was sure Sharon would take care of that decision.

The kids returned from milking and poured some coffee for themselves. Jamie took the empty pot to the living room and returned with a fresh pot. I got a kiss from Charlene and Deanne and then they took a seat too. They joined in our conversation about the square dancing. They didn't have any qualms about square dancing since they figured we wouldn't be actually dancing, just posing.

The photo crew showed up at varying times and mumbled a hello as they walked across the porch and headed for the table in the living room and coffee. They sure weren't morning people. Then Donna called us for breakfast.

We all headed to the table and all talking stopped as we devoured the meal in front of us. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. We all chatted about various things and finally Sharon came in from breakfast.

"Once we finish breakfast, I'll lay out the clothes for the square dancin' sequences. Ya'all will have to change clothes twice during the shoot. We've got three sets of dancing clothes and we want to get all of them in the catalog."

"You figure we can all of that done in the two hours we've got scheduled?" I asked.

"We should be able to. Everyone will just need to change the outside clothes. The women will wear the same slips under each change, so that won't be a problem."

She sat down and talked with the women and us guys chatted about various things that needed doing on the farm. The women had their own little world and we were not a part of that, nor did we want to be.

When the coffee was done, us guys headed for the showers so we could get that out of the way before the women needed to use them. Jimmy and Jamie went to their places and Jessie and I headed for our showers. I had the bad feeling that this was going to be a very long morning.



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Chapter 68


With our showers out of the way, Jessie and I were informed as to what we would be wearing. The shirt was kind of fancy for my tastes, but I wasn't buying it, I just had to wear it for the camera. The pants were comfortable like khakis, but black. The good news was my belt fit through the loops, the bad news was that the legs didn't fit over the boot tops.

I pulled my boots on and then walked out to the living room and informed Sharon about the problem.

"Our research turned up that the boots are supposed to be over the pant legs."

"Well, your research is dead wrong, for men anyway. The women do wear the legs inside to boots, but the men all have the pant legs on the outside of the boots."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Sure am. The only time a man has his pant legs tucked inside his boots is when he's wearin' chaps or rodeoin'."

"Take your boots off so I can see something real quick."

I pulled my boots off and she bent down and examined the seams of the pant legs.

"Ok, put your boots back on and let me check that out."

I pulled my pant legs up and put the boots on. Then she checked that out.

"Ok, I think we can fix this problem."

She called the seamstress from the porch and she came in.

"We need you and your sewing machine to do a job. All the men's pant legs have to be let out so they'll cover the boots. You should only have to rip out from about the knee on down, but you'll need to use all the material we have available. We didn't cut these as close as we would the production run, so they have extra material on the seams that we can use. I sure hope it's enough."

The woman nodded and walked out to their van and brought her sewing machine in.

"Can I set it up on the kitchen table?"

"That'll be fine," I told her.

"Well, get them pants off so we can fix 'em," Sharon said. "We've got four pair of pants that have to be fixed for the first set and eight more for the rest of the shoot."

I returned to the bedroom and stripped off my pants. I put on a pair of jeans and then took the pants to Sharon. She took them to the seamstress and had a worried look on her face. She walked out on the front porch and got her phone out and pressed a speed dial button. I didn't want to hear what she was saying, but I was sure it was some production issue with the men's pants.

About that time, Jessie came downstairs with the same problem. I told him to go back upstairs and take his pants off and put some jeans on so his pants could be altered.

Then Jamie and Jimmy came in from the front porch. They were carrying their pants and took them to the seamstress. Evidently Sharon had talked to them on their way in. They hadn't worn their pants over after they determined the problem.

The seamstress only took about ten minutes on my pants and then she handed them to me. I went to the bedroom and put them back on. It was a tight fit, but they now fit on the outside of the boots.

"Well, I caught them before they had cut the patterns for the men's pants. That was a close one. They were gonna start cuttin' tomorrow and then sewin' on Thursday. We'd a had a whole lot of wasted material."

The women were showing up all dressed up in their skirts and blouses with slips that had the skirts standing out like the old hoop skirts of the '50s, except they weren't as stiff as back then. These were some very fancy outfits and I was afraid that they would be out of the price range of a lot of square dancers, but I had to assume they knew what they were doing. At least more than they did with the pant legs.

"What's goin' on with you guys?" Cammie asked. "How come ya'all ain't dressed?

"Well, Sharon had the pants made wrong. The pant legs wouldn't fit over our boots."

"See! This is why you should always try clothes on when you get them."

"Yes, dear."

"Don't take that tone with me. I'm right and you know it."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrr. You are such a man."

"Yes, dear."

Despite all of the hassle and sewing, we were only about five minutes late getting to the hall. Elmer had the place open and was waiting for us. The seamstress and the hairdressers brought the extra clothing in and one of the photo guys carried the sewing machine in. They set it up at one of the tables and the seamstress began working on the other pants we were to wear later.

We talked with Sharon and she thought it would be best to be dancing in front of the stage. So we moved a couple tables out of the way and made room for the square. The camera guys got their lights set up and adjusted and we had to stand in place so they could fine tune everything and get their cameras set.

"How's this gonna work, Sharon?" I asked.

"Well, I guess ya'all can just get in a pose and we'll take the pictures. We'll get some of ya'all in various moves and then we'll change clothes."

Donna and I teamed up and Jimmy and Bonnie were together. Jamie and Dianne were partners and Jessie and Deanne partnered up for the first set.

Once we had our places, Sharon told us to do a "swing your partner," but not to go too fast. We did that and the cameras clicked away. Then we did an allemande left, but we couldn't go too fast then either.

"This ain't workin'," Sharon said after we got through with that. "Ya'all are not in time."

"It's kinda hard to keep time when we ain't got no music," Bonnie said.

"Well, we didn't hire a band and I don't have any CDs with me that we could use," Sharon answered.

"Excuse me," Elmer said, "we have some records with square dance music on them, but there ain't no caller. Will that he'p?"

"It might," Sharon said. "At least they could keep time."

Elmer went in the back and wheeled out a record player that looked like a refugee from the '50's, along with a stack of old LP records. He got it in place and then plugged it in. Then he went through the records and found one he thought would work and put it on.

"How's this?"

The old machine roared to life and put the music out of the two speakers that were attached to the record player. The sound was scratchy, but it was definitely square dance music.

"That sounds good," Bonnie said, tapping her foot. "But I think we need a caller so we're not waitin' around. If we look like we're posin', then it won't look like an actual dance."

That earned her some dirty looks from all of us guys, but she paid no attention to us.

"I don't call," Elmer said.

"No, but Daddy can," Bonnie put out, kind of proudly.

That caught William completely by surprise.

"My god, Bonnie Jean, I ain't called in a coon's age."

"But you know you can do it. It's like ridin' a bicycle, you never forget."

He kind of had a smile on his face, like he was trying not to be too over confident, but he was happy to be called on, even if he was acting reluctant.

"Well, I can try, but ya'all will have to be patient with me. I might not be as fast as I used to be."

"Just do your best Daddy and ever'thing'll be fine."

William let the record go for a bit so he could get used to the beat and the timing of things, then he had Elmer start it again.

"Bow to your partner and then to your friends. Then bow to your partner once again."

"Now all join hands and circle left, come back home and take a stand."

"Men to the center and form a star. Circle left but don't go too far."

"When they get back home the women join in and sashay 'round the town again."

"Come back home and dos si doe, then swing your partner, don't step on her toes."

"Allemande left with the ol' left hand. When you get back home then swing her again."

"All join hands and circle right, then swing your corner, don't hold her too tight."

"Now we'll see if you're alive, one and three start a duck and dive."

"Two and four you join in and don't be slow but don't you make them go too low."

"Come back home and twirl your gal, then swing your corner and be a pal."

"Now ladies to the center and form a star and men circle 'round the other way."

"Come back home and take your spot, then bow to your partner, you owe her a lot."

"Now all join hands and circle left around the floor. When you get back home there ain't no more."

Amazingly, his calling worked out almost to the second for the length of the record. We had just finished our circle and dropped hands when the music stopped. Even more amazingly, we had all kept up with his calling and hadn't missed a cue at all. But we were all sweating a bit. The hall didn't have air conditioning and the fans just weren't doing the job of keeping us dry. The women were a lot hotter because they had on all the clothes.

Us guys walked to the 'fridge and got everyone a Coke. I put the money on the plate there and we carried them back to everyone.

"That was great," Sharon said, as we sat and sipped our Coke. "We got some great pictures and the girls skirts worked out just fine. I was wonderin' how they would work. They worked great in Denver, but that wasn't on ya'all. After ya'all finish your Cokes, we'll swap clothes and run the next set."

I wasn't anxious for that to start, but we had to be out of the hall by noon and we'd had a late start.

The seamstress brought us our next pair of pants and we headed for the bathroom to change. The pants were a different color, but just as comfortable. The shirt was a bit more fancy and I was beginning to wonder what the last one would look like.

Cammie and Lena were helping the girls change into their new outfits and us guys finished our cokes while we waited for them.

"Well, that wasn't too bad," Jimmy said, as we sat there.

"I've done worse, but you need to have a talk with that woman of yours about openin' her mouth," I told him, knowing full well what his response would be.

"I've got a better idea. YOU try tellin' her to shut up. We'll all stand behind you and he'p pick you up after she decks you."

"She ain't my woman so it should fall to you."

"Ain't no way in hell I'm gonna tell her not to talk. That'd be like pokin' a stick up a hornet's nest and then takin' it out and puttin' your eye to the hole to see if they're still in there. I was born at night, but not last night."

"You sure have got cowardly in your old age."

"They's a big difference between bein' cowardly and bein' smart enough not to poke a bear with a stick just to see if he can feel it."

By this time, the boys were laughing at us, knowing full well that very few people would be stupid enough to tell their mother to shut up if they really knew her. But then the women came out and our joking ceased lest they find out what we were talking about.

"Ok, let's get this set on the road," Sharon said.

We all stood up and Chrissy wound up as my partner this time and Charlene teamed up with Jessie. Elmer put a different record on and William began his singsong calling of the next square dance.

It went about like the first one did and we suffered through it. It only lasted about four minutes, but it sure seemed longer than that as we were going through it. The women all seemed to be enjoying it while us guys were just suffering through it. I guess it just depends on whose ox is getting gored as to who is enjoying it and who isn't.

Once that set was over, we all grabbed another coke and waited until we were told to change clothes. The seamstress wasn't quite through altering our pants, so us guys had a bit of a break while the women immediately headed for the bathroom to change their clothes.

Once our pants were done, us guys changed clothes and we were ready for our next square. The outfits were more fancy and had more rhinestones on them and I'm sure it had to confuse the cameras as they snapped the pictures. It must have looked like we were wearing small mirrors. I couldn't wait to see the catalog for these clothes.

With all of the problems we had, we only ran over five minutes and were out of the hall and in our vehicles by five after twelve. Sharon told us that she had instructed the caterers that we would go to their restaurant for lunch instead of them hauling everything to our place and us having to drive back out there to eat.

When we got there, they had a back room set up for us and a separate buffet for us to choose from. I had a variety of food from ribs to chicken with potato salad and cole slaw. Then we had apple pie with ice cream for dessert. Once we were finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee. We finally left that place about 1:30 and headed for home. We had drawn some long stares at us when we showed up in our fancy clothes. But Sharon had told us not to change out of them because she figured it would be good advertising and would help convince the Tack Shop to carry their line of square dance clothes.

When we got home, we all changed into our normal clothes and us guys took our seats on the front porch to wait for any instructions that we might get.

"William, you done good callin' this mornin'," I told him.

"Well, I ain't called in a long time, but Bonnie was right, it all came back to me."

"You might be able to do that for some of the places around here and maybe earn some money too."

"That's what Elmer said, but I'm not sure I could, or even if I want to. I'd have to talk to Lena before I even considered that."

"Well, it would be a chance for ya'all to get out and meet folks."

"I guess it would. I kinda enjoy it, but it can be a lot of work too."

Sharon came out to the porch and said that the camera crew were downloading the pictures from this morning and when they were done, they was going to work with Bonnie to get her campaign set-up done. Then tonight, they were going to review what pictures they had and decide what we should be doing tomorrow.

"I'm pretty sure we'll be leavin' on Thursday, so I've made reservations at the steak place for tomorrow night. I hope that's all right with ya'all."

"It's fine with me," I told her, and everyone else nodded their agreement too.

"Tim mentioned that he would like to get some action shots of you workin' the cows. The problem is, they'll need to use the flash. Is there anyway they can do that so it don't disturb the horse?"

"Well, as long as they're at least quartered to the rear of the horse, he won't be able to see it. Most horses and cows, and even the deer family don't have good peripheral vision. But they can't use the flash if they're any place forward of half way."

"I think we can work with that. Let's kinda plan on that for tomorrow, maybe in the mornin'."

"Ok with me, but I sure don't wanna have another episode of crow hoppin' around the pasture."

"I'll let you explain it to the crew so they know exactly what not to do."

She left and went inside and us guys relaxed a bit and chatted. We talked about a lot of things, but finally decided it was close enough to three for us to feed the calves and we all headed for that chore. We finished that up and were back on the porch and sipping tea by four. I noticed that Bonnie, Sharon and a couple camera guys were in the garden and staging various pictures. If Bonnie had to hire this done, it would be very expensive. But I'm pretty sure she would have still done it just so she could beat Elsie for the job.

The caterers showed up and fired up their grill. Us guys stayed well out of the way and just enjoyed the shade and the tea. As the caterers continued to work, the females showed up on the porch and joined us. Donna claimed my lap and Cammie sat by my side. We all chatted and Cammie brought up the idea of us square dancing.

"Darlin', I'm already playin' for the hall ever' Saturday night and that don't leave a lot of time for much else."

"Well, it's somethin' to think about."

I didn't like that line at all, but I shut up rather than to cause a stir right now. I figured I'd stand a better chance later on when she wasn't so set on it and it wasn't so fresh in her mind. If a person has to fight, it's best to pick a time that's in your favor, and this was not in my favor right now.

Just a bit after five, we were called to supper. The caterers had fixed pork steaks again and they were delicious. We also had green beans and corn on the cob, along with a salad. For dessert, we had peach dumplings with ice cream. The meal hit the spot and we all ate our fill. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I got my usual kiss on the cheek from the twins and then I heard, "We didn't know you knew how to dance?" from Lana.

"I don't, I just faked it today."

"That's not what we heard. We heard you's real good at it," Leanne said.

"Well, someone's been lyin' to ya'all. I've got two left feet and no timin' at all."

"Now you're just funnin' us," Lana said, with a big grin. "We've heard you play and sing and you gotta have timin' for that."

"Nope, I just listen to the beat of the bass player and use that as my timin'."

"We just don't believe you at all," Leanne said. "We know you can keep time and probably can dance real good too. I'll bet you could even clog if you wanted to."

"Nope, I'd just end up fallin' down."

"We just don't think you're tellin' the truth about that," Lana put in. "I'll just bet you're a great dancer."

With that, and before I could answer, I got a kiss on the cheek from each of them and they went back to their job. We finished our coffee and then Jimmy, William and myself headed for the porch. The kids went to milk and feed and the women disappeared inside. I had a bad feeling about all this dancing talk.



-------

Chapter 69


We chatted about various things but the main thrust of the conversation was what needed done around the farm. When the kids came back, the boys joined us on the porch and the girls went to find the women and their circle of conversation. The boys were in agreement with us about needing to check out the hay and corn crops. We all agreed that we probably wouldn't be picking the corn until at least mid October. It would need to dry on the stalk before we could pick it and be able to store it in the corn bin. We were also fairly sure that we had enough feed to last us until then.

When it got dark, we went to the living room and watched the news. They were still calling for rain on Friday, but now they were saying it might last through the weekend. If it was a steady gentle rain, I was all for that. We needed moisture in the ground and a lot of it.

After the news was over, William went looking for Lena and the women all came out with them. Everyone got their hugs and kisses and then William and Lena, Jimmy and Bonnie, and Jamie and Dianne left for their places. All of the women from here, went back to their hen party and Jessie and I headed for bed.

I took a quick shower and then headed for the hot tub. We hadn't done anything all that physical today, but the jets felt good as they massaged my muscles. I was getting to like this investment more and more.

I stayed in there for about 15 minutes and then ran a check on the water. It didn't need any chemicals, so I just turned everything off and headed for bed. I settled in the bed and slowly drifted off to sleep. I have no idea when Cammie came to bed. I must have really zonked out.

Whenever she came to bed, she must have scooted herself next to me, because we were spooning and my hand was clasped in hers and held around her waist. At least that was our position when I awoke.

I blinked my eyes and listened to the rooster crowing for the second time. I really didn't want to change my life at all. This was just too good to mess with. I'm pretty sure it couldn't get much better than this.

I eased my hand from Cammie's grasp and moved it to her tit. I gently teased her nipple and her hand immediately clamped onto mine. Then she rolled over and kissed me.

"I sure do like when you wake me up that way. It just makes my day."

"I like it too. Where else could I get to play with an 18-year old girl's tit and not get slapped for it?"

"Probably lots of places, but I'd best not catch you tryin'."

"Darlin', I have more than I can handle right in this house. I sure don't need to go lookin' for anythin' else."

"That's good, because I'd sure be after you if I found out about it."

She kissed me again and then slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and used the throne when she surrendered it. We both washed up and then headed back to get dressed and then to the kitchen.

Lena and Bonnie were in there, working on the sour dough and Cammie joined them. I went to work on the coffee and got it ready to steep as soon as the water boiled. I got a kiss from Chrissy, Donna and Dianne when they showed up.

I did my usual thing with the coffee and then took three pots out to the dining room and put two on pot warmers and took the third out to the porch. I poured Jimmy, William and myself a cup and then lit my first of the morning before sitting down and relaxing.

"Bonnie brought up the idea of us square dancin' when we went home last night," Jimmy said.

"Ya, Cammie mentioned it too and I ain't real pleased about it. We already play ever' Saturday night at the hall and I sure ain't lookin' to expand our activities none."

"Me neither. I tried to push it to the side, but she seemed kinda set on the idea. This might take a team effort to get out of."

"Well, I'm hopin' that it'll die of a natural death if we just ignore it. But I ain't real hopeful about that."

"I heard dat. I'm thinkin' we might have to have a stand off about the whole thing."

"Well, for now, let's just try ignorin' it."

The kids came back from milking and joined us on the porch. Jamie brought a second pot out after they drained the first. The photo crew stumbled in and mumbled "good morning" as they passed and headed for the coffee pot inside.

Donna finally called us for breakfast and all talking ceased as we made our way to the table for food. We had our usual sausage, eggs, grits, biscuits, milk, juice and homemade jelly for breakfast. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

We were about halfway through our coffee when Sharon came in to talk about photographing work with the calves.

"Is it ok if we work with the cattle this mornin'?"

"I don't see why not. You'll need to select the shirt I'm supposed to wear, but that shouldn't be a problem for you."

"That's not a problem at all. I do want you to talk with the guys about where and when they can take pictures."

"I can do that as soon as I finish my coffee. Basically they just need to stay farther back than half way and not too far to the side, so the stallion can't see the flash. Other than that, there's not much to know."

"Well, you can talk with them so they understand what and why."

"Not a problem. Do you want any other riders there?"

"I seem to recall that Jimmy was doin' about the same thing, so he should probably be in the shots too."

"I think we can work that in. We'll have William drive them out there with the tractor so they won't have to walk too far."

"Should we have any other riders out there to help with the cattle?"

"The more horses you have the more you'll have to limit your shots so they don't frighten any of the horses."

"Ok, well then two should do it. Can you two do any ropin'?"

"Well, we can swing a rope, but puttin' the loop on a calf is a whole 'nother story. We're not real good at that."

"Well, maybe we could get a shot of ya'all throwin' it and then we can fake a shot of the loop actually on the cow. We don't really need a shot of the loop goin' around the head. The readers will just have to assume ya'all were great ropers."

"I don't have a problem with that."

"Ok, well we'll wait for ya'all on the front porch and I'll go find somethin' for you two to wear."

We went back to drinking our coffee and chatting about things that need to be done. We were going to work with the calves this morning and then Bonnie would be the subject for this afternoon. At least us guys would only be busy this morning and we could rest this afternoon.

When we finished our coffee, Jimmy and I went to change shirts. Sharon had picked out one for each of us. She had to go through all the stuff that we hadn't worn because that stuff was all sweaty. We changed into them and then walked out to the front porch where everyone was waiting.

"Ok," I started, "here's the rules on the flash. A horse don't have good peripheral vision so they can't see much of anything that is quartered behind them. Mostly what they see is right in front of their nose. So ya'all need to stay quartered to the rear when you're takin' your pictures."

"What about if we're not usin' a flash?" Tim asked.

"Then it don't make no difference. It's the flash that'll set 'em off. Another thing you need to remember is that the horse will be focused on the calf and will run over anything in its way to keep the calf movin' in the right direction. If you're in his way, he'll go right over you to work the calf. That applies whether we're cuttin' or ropin'. The horses will follow the calf's movements."

"Well, it's bright enough that we should only need to use the flash if we're fightin' the shade. If we can keep ya'all's face towards the sun, then we won't need it."

"We can try to do that, but we won't have much say as to where the calf will dart to. They kinda have a mind of their own."

"How far away should we stay to keep from getting run over?"

"Mostly, I'd say you need to be at least twenty yards away. A horse can cover ten yards in a couple jumps and it's right hard to move fast enough to get out of their way before they can get to you at that distance."

"Where are we going to do the shooting?"

"Probably in the last pasture we put the calves in. We'll push a few calves away from the herd and then go to work on them. They will try to run back to the herd for protection and we'll let the horses do the work to keep them away. When we're cuttin', we don't control the horses. We just hang on and let them do the work."

"So they can go just about anywhere?"

"They'll go where the calf goes."

"Ok, so if we stand between the herd and the ones you separate, we should be safe."

"Well, I wouldn't guarantee that, but that should be about the safest place to be. But you need to remember, once we release the horse from his duties, then the calf is gonna bolt back the herd. It would not be a good idea to be in their path when they head back there."

"Well, our medical insurance is all paid up, and I guess we'll just have to take our chances. Thanks for the tips on that."

With that the meeting broke up and Jimmy and I headed for the barn. We got our tack out and I got the stallion saddled. Then I got Jimmy's horse from the pasture and he saddled up. Meanwhile, William fired up the tractor and the photo crew all climbed on the wagon and they started to the pasture.

We took our time getting to the pasture. It was hot and we didn't want to get the horses in a lather just to get some pictures taken. By the time we got there, everyone was waiting for us.

William opened the gate and we walked inside the pasture. They followed us until we were clear of the herd. The calves hadn't made it to the creek yet, since it was still fairly early and the real heat hadn't set in. They were mainly watching to see what was going on.

Jimmy and I kept moving our horses beyond the herd until we were a fair distance away from them.

"We'll try to move a few calves down to this area and then let the horses work on them. Remember, ya'all wanna stay at least twenty yards away to be safe."

"Dean," Tim said, "could you point them in the direction of the sun? That way we won't need to use the strobes."

"We can try, but I'd keep folks on both sides. Calves don't always do what we want them to."

He pointed to a couple guys and told them to stay where they were and lead a couple more to the other side so we would be facing the sun if we were working towards them. Once they were in position Jimmy and I moved back to the herd.

"Let's take them four over there. We'll run 'em down there and then I'll work on the first and you can keep the others from escapin'. Then we'll switch."

"Sounds like a plan."

I went around one side of the four we had picked out and he went on the other side. Once we were in position, we put the horses on them and let them work. They moved fairly easily, up to a point and then got a bit crafty. They split up and ran in different directions. At that point, all the plans were out the door.

Both Jimmy and myself positioned our mounts between the calves and the herd and then let the horses do the work. It's very difficult for the horse when there is more than one calf to work, but the stallion did a wonderful job. He kept both of them off balance and from moving back to the herd. I was way to busy holding on to see what Jimmy was doing, but I didn't hear any cussing, so I had to assume he was doing fine.

After a couple minutes, I pulled the stallion up and pointed him to the outside and herded them towards the middle before letting them escape back to the herd. Jimmy was already waiting and watching me as I released mine.

I rode over to Tim and asked him if he had enough pictures of the cutting. He checked with his crew and they replied they had full cards so he told me they were fine with that part of it. I rode over to Jimmy and told him the cutting was done, but now the fun would begin with the roping.

He grinned and we both got our ropes out and secured the one end to the saddle horn and then built a good loop on the other.

"How's this gonna work?" Jimmy asked.

"Best as I can determine, we're supposed to throw the rope a couple times and if we don't catch one, then we'll ride one down and drop the loop over it and pretend we caught it."

"Whata we do if we catch one?"

"Give thanks."

He chuckled and then I told him to pretend he was going to brand them and get off of his horse and run down the rope and put the calf on the ground.

"You've got to be kiddin' me."

"Hey, why not? They want us to be big time cowboys, so let's give 'em the complete show."

"All right, but we gotta catch one first."

"You act like that won't happen."

"Hey, I remember the last attempt at ropin'. We wound up chasin' 'em down and droppin' a loop over their heads. Whata we do with 'em if we have to do that?"

"Hell, let 'em run out and then jump off of your horse and run down the rope and drop 'im, just like you caught 'im for real"

"You need to take a job in Hollywood, writin' for them cowboy movies."

"Naw, I can't lie that good."

"Sure coulda fool me."

We separated a bit and looked for a calf on the edge of the herd that we might be able to move away and chase. We swung our loops as we move along so the horses would get used to it and not be surprised when we did throw it.

I found one on the edge and put the stallion on him. He darted for the herd, but the stallion cut him off. As he bolted the opposite way, the stallion turned to follow him and I threw the loop as soon as we got close. Unfortunately, I had too big of a loop and he ran right through it. I stopped the stallion and rebuilt my loop.

I looked over and Jimmy was doing the same thing; rebuilding his loop. I turned the stallion around and looked for a likely candidate and found one off to the edge. I put the stallion on him and got my loop going.

The stallion straightened him out and I got real lucky. The loop circled his head and I pulled back and put my feet forward in the stirrups. The stallion slid to a halt and I was getting off before he completely stopped. The calf was pulled off of his feet, but managed to regain them before the stallion could put any pressure on him. He ran to the end of the rope again and this time the stallion was ready. He back peddled and kept the calf on a taut rope.

When I got to the calf, I spun him and grabbed his neck and flank and lifted up. When he came off of the ground, I used my knee to push him away and put him on the ground. Once he was down, I really didn't have anything to do with him since I hadn't brought a pigging rope, so I just knelt on his neck.

Two of the photo crew guys approached from different angles and snapped a bunch of pictures. Once they were done, I let the calf up and released the stallion so he would put some slack in the rope. When he did, I let the calf loose and carried the rope back to the horse. I mounted up and recoiled my rope and draped it over the horn. I was hoping that was enough for them and I wouldn't have to do that again.

I looked over at Jimmy and he was kneeling on a calf's neck and two people were snapping pictures of him. He finally got up and let the calf go and relooped his rope and mounted back up.

"Is that enough pictures for ya'all?" I asked Tim, once I rode over to him.

"That should be plenty. I ain't never seen that done in real life before. That must take a lot of talent."

"It does," I said, but didn't say that it also involved a whole hell of a lot of luck for me and Jimmy. I'd just leave that part unsaid. They didn't need to know that.

Jimmy and I steered our horses to the gate and then headed home. William would make sure the gate was closed when the photo crew got out of the pasture.

"Did you actually catch yours, or did you have to chase him down?" I asked Jimmy, knowing' that he saw me catch mine.

"Hell, didn't you see me? I made a perfect throw and dropped him. Then I ran up the rope and put him on the ground and knelt on his neck so they could take their damn pictures."

"No shit? That's great. We might get you into rodeoin'. I'll ride as hazer for ya."

"Ain't no way. Miracles don't happen ever'day. Let's just be glad we got through this without a major mishap."

"Awww, just think of all them big belt buckles you could win bein' a top roper."

"Hell, I don't need a buckle. I'm 'bout ready to start wearin' galluses. Them belts is startin' to cut the circulation off to my lower body when I bend over."

"Naw, you need one of them big, shiny belt buckles that shows a cowboy ropin' on it. Hell, if ya get one big enough, it'll hide a beer gut when you get one."

"Well, I could use it as an ID. Surely folks'd know who I was if I had one of them things."

"There ya go."

We got back to the corral and unsaddled our mounts. I got the hose and cooled down their legs and then we brushed them out. We were almost done by the time the crew got back. We turned our horses out and then walked up to the front porch.

Cammie had brought out some tea and Jimmy and I drained a glass each and then poured another. Before we sat down, we went inside and changed out of our hot shirts and into a cool tee shirt. Then we returned to the porch and our tea. We had just sat down when the caterers showed up.

William and the boys came over and joined us on the porch. They poured themselves some tea and we chatted while we waited for lunch. We were all glad that our part of the photo shoot was over and all that was left was for some shots of Bonnie for her campaign.

It didn't take the caterers long to get set up and then we were called for lunch. They had fixed barbecued chicken, green beans and cole slaw. Everyone had a half of a chicken and it was delicious. For dessert, we had Dutch apple pie and ice cream. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

As I sat there, I got a kiss on the cheek from the twins.

"We hear you was playin' rodeo again today," Lana said.

"Playin' was about right. They needed some pictures and Jimmy and I did some cuttin' and ropin'."

"Why didn't you call us so we could watch?" Leanne asked, with a big grin on her face.

"Well, I figured ya'all would need to be workin' so you can pay your folks rent."

"Noooo," Lana said, "we're gonna buy clothes with our money."

"That's not fair. Ya'all are workin' so you need to be payin' rent for all that you get around there."

"Only after we're done with school. Until then, they have to take care of us," Leanne put in.

"You're gettin' off easy. When I was growin' up, I had to pay rent if I worked."

"You had mean parents. Ours are nice and let us buy clothes," Lana put in.

With that exchange, I got another kiss and they escaped before I brought up more about them paying rent. Then we went back to chatting.

Once the coffee was gone, us guys retreated to the front porch and waited to see if we were needed for anything. Sharon came up and said they had great pictures of this morning and they were going to work with Bonnie this afternoon. She left and we sort of breathed a sigh of relief. We were off the hook.

With that out of the way, us guys headed for the workshop. The boys went to work on their bowl and I got the snakeskin down. I washed it real good and then worked some oil in to it to make it more pliable. This last coat should do it. I still didn't know how I was going to break it to Cammie that it was going on my good Stetson.



-------

Chapter 70


We spent most of the afternoon in the workshop with the boys working on the bowl they were carving out of the one part of the stump. It was sort of difficult going for them as the sap was still in the stump and they would have to stop to clean their gouges every so often. But it was easier to do it this way rather than to wait for the wood to cure and get extremely hard. Then it would be almost impossible to work with gouges by hand. They would need to use mallets to strike the gouges and chisels in order to remove any wood.

William stayed right with them and kept giving them encouragement as they progressed. If they had a problem, he would show them how to solve it. The main problem they seemed to have was in reading the grain. They would go along fine for a bit and then the grain would dip on them and their gouges would dig too deep to work effectively. He would show them what was happening and how to change direction with their work to eliminate the problem. He had great patience with them and allowed them to learn at their own pace. He never tried to force something on them, but waited for them to ask a question or ask for help.

Jimmy and I piddled around and cleaned things and made sure that everything was in its proper place. We did a bit of sharpening of some tools, but mostly it was cleaning things. We also separated some nuts and bolts and put the same size stuff together and labeled everything so we could find it at a later date. Anything that had rust on it was soaked in some penetrating oil and then cleaned off and oiled to prevent a reoccurrence of that. Basically, we were totally bored and were trying to kill time until supper.

We finally gave up and decided that we would go feed the calves. William came with us and left the boys on their own. It was a vote of confidence in their ability that he would do that.

We headed for the equipment shed and got the tractors going. William walked to the feed bin and waited for me to pull under it. Then he filled the spreader and climbed up with me for the ride out there. When we got there, he cut the bales apart that Jimmy brought in while I spread the feed in the troughs.

Once we got back, I hosed out the spreader and then put the tractor away. The boys weren't in the shop and they had left their mess where they had been working. We waited for a bit and they returned, telling us they had gone to feed and milk with the girls so everything would be done before we went to supper.

It was getting sort of close to that time, so we helped them clean up their mess and then us guys all headed for our places to shower. As we walked to the house, we saw the photo crew in the garden with Bonnie and Sharon. The rest of the females were standing to the side and watching intently. Jessie and I went inside and took a shower so we wouldn't be in the way when the women needed to get in there.

Jessie beat me out to the porch and had brought some glasses and a pitcher of tea out for us. I joined him and we chatted about the woodworking he and Jamie were learning and how it was a lot more difficult that he thought it was going to be. He said he thought it was just a matter of taking out all of the wood on the inside, but didn't realize how important it was to make sure they were working with the grain and not against it. But he was learning about these things and I was confident that he was learning a great lesson too. I knew he was learning that the older folks had a lot to teach and were very willing to part with the information they had if someone would just listen and pay attention. To me, that was the most important lesson they could learn.

William, Jimmy and Jamie showed up about the time the females walked around to the porch. They had finally finished up with Bonnie's pictures for the campaign and were getting ready to take their showers. We told them we were finished and they would have the run of the place. The photo crew all got into their vans and headed to take their showers. We were informed that the reservations were for 6:30, so they would have plenty of time. Cammie asked if I wanted help picking out clothes to wear. I told her I had on what I was going to wear and she told me that I definitely needed help. Reluctantly, and with my head held low, I followed her back inside so I could be dressed properly.

She picked out a shirt and had me wear a pair of black Dockers. I began changing clothes and did so in silence, but when I began to put my belt in the loops of the Dockers, she started in again.

"That belt doesn't go with those pants."

"Why? It's black, my boots are black and the buckle is silver and ivory. It all matches."

"It's too gaudy. You need a plain buckle."

"Darlin', I love you dearly and will take most of the advice you give about me dressin'. But, when it comes to my boots, belt, or my hat, I draw the line. Them things is a personal choice."

I should explain that my belt buckle is a Montana Silver oval with a scrimshaw insert of a buck jumping over a log. It looks like it's on ivory, but is really just yellowed plastic. It's not overly large, being about four inches by two inches.

"But it just looks so gaudy and out of place."

"Few people, if any, pay any attention to my belt. It's there to hold up my pants and break up the line between my pants and shirt. That's it."

"Well, if nobody pays attention, why do you insist on wearin' that thing?"

"Because I like it and it's my own choice. The same goes for my boots and hats. They're personal choices and off limits to any meddlin'."

"Ok, if you wanna look like some yokel from the sticks, just go ahead and wear it. I'm just tryin' to give you some class."

"Darlin', class is somethin' that no one has ever accused me of havin'. I'm just an ol' country boy and very settled in my ways. I enjoy my lifestyle and plan on keepin' it that way."

"Even if you look like someone who just escaped from the rodeo?"

"Yep. That's the plan."

"That belt is an eye sore with good clothes. It's all right with your jeans when you're workin' on the farm. But it's just gaudy with your better clothes, especially your suits."

"Too bad, because it's gonna stay."

"Urrr, men just have no class at all."

"Yes, Dear."

"Don't start."

"Yes, Dear."

With that, I slipped my boots on and headed back to the porch. I wanted to quit while I was no further behind.

When I got back, William had left to drive Lena to their house to get ready and Bonnie and Dianne had left to go to their house. The rest of the females had also disappeared into the house to get ready. I sat down and sipped my tea.

"My, you sure look all dressed up," Jimmy said, with a big grin on his face.

"Even with my gaudy belt buckle?" I answered.

"Oh, that's just the icin' on the cake."

"Well, not accordin' to Cammie. She thinks it's way too gaudy."

"Ut oh. Sounds like she's tryin' to improve you."

"I tol' her she could have her say with my clothes, but my boots, hat and belt are out of bounds for her. Them's my choices."

"That's funny, because I didn't hear no yellin' or cryin'. Are you sure you tol' her that?"

"Yep, sure did. And, I'm gonna stick to my guns on that part. A guy's gotta have some choices in this life."

"But generally them choices are whether to stay or not. The women get to pick out how you look as long as you're here."

"She can, on the clothes, but not the other stuff."

"Right. I'm not sure this battle is over. She might just be regroupin' for another attack."

"Ain't gonna happen."

Us guys sipped our tea and waited for the women to get ready and for everyone to gather here so we could head for the restaurant. I was sort of afraid that Jimmy was right. Cammie was just regrouping and planning her next assault.

Slowly, everyone showed up and we were finally ready to drive to the restaurant. It was like a caravan driving up there. I had the van, Jimmy had his Navigator, William had his pickup and Jamie had his pickup. Then there were the three vans of Sharon's crew.

When we arrived, they had a room set up for us. They ushered us to the room and the waitresses began taking drink orders. Since I was driving, I just had tea. A couple glasses of wine were fine, but I didn't need much more. I really don't like to drink when I'm driving.

We stood around and chatted while we waited for the meal to begin. Sharon had done all of the ordering, so the only thing we had to decide was how we wanted our steak cooked. That would come later, after we began.

"I had them order the same wine we had before," Sharon said, as she walked up to us. "It was good and everyone seemed to like it."

"Well," I responded, "it's probably not the best in the world, but I like it. It does have to breathe a bit, but that's about its only fault.

"I don't know anything about wine, except that red goes with steak and white goes with chicken and seafood."

"That's a great start. If you stay with that, you can't go wrong."

Two chefs came in with tableside carts and we took that to mean we should find a seat. They began preparing the Cesar salads and the waitresses came around to take our steak preference. Once the salad was served, they poured the wine. They didn't pour any for the underage kids, but did leave a glass at their place and turned their backs while someone else poured them a glass.

Just before the salads were ready, Sharon stood up to make a toast.

"I want to toast a great catalog shoot. We only had one minor incident. Although I don't think Dean thought it was minor at the time. But everything else went like clockwork. I want to thank William for his help on the square dance. It was his calling that made it work properly. Also, I want to thank Lena for her help with the girls. You two were a lot of help. As for the rest of ya'all, you're great models and the camera crew knew what they were doing. Jenna, our excellent seamstress, did a wonderful job fixing my mistake on the men's pant legs. And our makeup ladies all did great, as did our hairstylists. All in all it was a very successful shoot. Thanks to all of ya'all."

We all raised our glasses and sipped our wine when she got through. Then they began serving the salad. Most of the talking stopped as we ate. Just as we were finishing our salads, the steaks began arriving.

My steak was almost perfect. I could almost cut it with my fork and the center was just right. In addition to the steaks, we had baked potatoes and succotash. It was all delicious and everyone ate pretty much in silence.

As we finished, the waitresses cleared our plates and brought us coffee. I ordered a green crème d' menthe on the rocks to help my digestion and then sipped my coffee as everyone else finished their meal.

When everyone had finished their meal, the chefs returned and began to make dessert. Once again Sharon had ordered Peach Melba. It was good and we ate what was put before us. After dessert, we all sat back and sipped our coffee. It was a fabulous meal and I'm sure that everyone enjoyed it. I was also fairly sure that everyone was very glad the photo shoot was over and we could return to our normal lives after the crew left tomorrow morning. Everything had been put on hold around the farm except for the must do items. We did get the calves moved and feeding wasn't interrupted, but nothing much else got done.

We all finished our coffee and then mingled a bit before we made the trip back home. I used the time to allow the food to kind of settle. I had eaten way too much, but it was too good to leave on the plate.

The trip back home was quiet, for the most part. Cammie, Chrissy and Donna talked about various female things and I paid little attention to what was said. I just wasn't interested in that conversation.

When we got back home, all of the photo crew left for their places. Of course, Sharon was sleeping at our house, so she stayed. The rest of us watched the news to see about the weather. They were still calling for rain beginning tomorrow and now lasting the entire weekend. That was good because we sure did need the rain. But they said there shouldn't be any severe weather to accompany the rain. It was just a wet front that was moving in and the conditions weren't right for any severe weather.

Once the news was over, everyone gave and got their hugs and kisses and then departed for their sleeping quarters. As soon as they left, Cammie, Sharon and the girls headed for the kitchen to talk. Jessie and I headed for bed.

I made my trip to the hot tub and soaked for about 15 minutes. Then I dried off and checked the water to see if any adjustments were needed. It was still within normal limits, so I put everything away and headed for bed.

I slipped into bed and slowly drifted off to sleep. I did hear some noise coming from the hot tub room, but didn't pay any attention to it. I just heard it in the background as I slept. The meal had moved all the blood from my head to my stomach for digestion and sleep came fairly easy.

I did awake to the rooster crowing and just remained in position and enjoyed where I was. Cammie had put herself against me and had my arm around her waist. This had to be the way to wake up. I couldn't think of a better life for me, no matter what the circumstances might be. This was just the way it should be for everyone.

I disengaged my hand from Cammie's grasp and slowly moved up and began to tease her nipple. She moaned and then grasped my hand and held it to her breast. Then she turned over and kissed me and draped her leg over my hip and pulled herself close.

"I just love when you wake me up this way. I can't think of a better way to start the day."

"Me neither. It's just too bad we need to get out of bed. I could stay here for a long time just doin' this."

"They'd come lookin' for us and I'd be embarrassed when they found us, so we need to get goin'."

With that, she kissed me again and then slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her after I got out of bed. I took charge of the throne when she was done and then washed up.

We both got dressed and then headed for the kitchen. Bonnie and Lena were already there and Cammie went to help them while I got the coffee going. When Chrissy, Donna and Dianne showed up, I got a kiss from them before they went about their duties.

When the coffee had steeped, I carried three pots into the dining room and put two on the pot warmers. I carried the third to the front porch and poured Jimmy, William and myself a cup. Then I lit my first and took my seat to wait for breakfast.

The photo crew stumbled in and mumbled their "good mornings" as they passed us on the way to the house and coffee. Then the kids showed up from morning chores and poured themselves a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a full one out. I got a kiss from the girls and then we sat back and chatted while we waited for food.

The sky was partially overcast and we could see the clouds moving in from the west. They were moving slowly, but there was no doubt that we'd have rain before the day was out.

"Looks like we're not gonna get much work done today," Jimmy said.

"Nope," I replied, "we'll probably be rained on all weekend and we'll have to find somethin' to keep us busy."

"Well," Jamie put in, "we're gonna work on the bowls while it's rainin' and maybe we can finish at least one."

"With three days," William said, "we can probably finish the one ya'all're workin' on now. Once ya get the inside hogged out, then the fine work begins. That'll take more time. Once we start on the one in the lathe, it won't take too long. That goes pretty quick, once ya get the hang of it."

We sipped our coffee as we chatted and finally Donna came to call us for breakfast. We took our cups and the coffee pot and walked to the dining room table and sat down to a feast of our normal breakfast. Very little talking was heard as we stuffed our faces. It tasted too good to interrupt with conversation. Once we cleared our plates, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

The conversation revolved around what us guys were going to do today. We explained to the women that we probably would be spending our time in the workshop or with the equipment since it was going to be raining. They thought they would get all of the linen from the other houses and maybe wash it. The only draw back was that they wouldn't be able to hang it outside to dry. But we did have a dryer. They didn't use it much, but that was one solution.

By the time we finished our coffee, the photo crew was finished with their meal and coffee. Sharon informed us that the plane was going to arrive about 9:30 or 10 and they wanted to be ready to go so they didn't have to take off in the rain.

We all shook hands and thanked them for working with us and they thanked us for the hospitality. Tim and the other photographer apologized again for the incident with the flash and I accepted it in good faith. I figured they had learned a valuable lesson and there was no sense in beating a dead horse.

They had their vans all packed and we walked them outside and said goodbye as the departed for the airport. It was a real relief to have them gone. Now, maybe we could get back to our routines.

The women went about cleaning up the kitchen mess and us guys headed for the workshop. The boys immediately went to work on the bowl while Jimmy and I basically watched. I had the feeling this was going to be a long day and maybe a long weekend.

We hadn't been there too long when we heard the women driving away. They were headed for the other houses to gather the dirty linen and clean things up.

They had been gone about ten minutes when the rain started. It began as a gentle sprinkle and slowly turned to a steady rain that would probably put down about a half an inch per hour. That would be great if it just stayed that way. The ground would be able to soak it in and it wouldn't run off. We really needed this.

Jimmy and I got bored just watching, so we looked around for something to keep us busy. Most everything in the shop had been cleaned within an inch of its life and there wasn't anything that needed sharpening, so we headed for the equipment to see what we could find out there.

As we walked, we stayed close to the building and under the overhang of the roof to keep from getting too wet. We checked the balers to make sure they were loaded with twine for our next baling. They were, so we moved to the haybines. They were in good shape too. The belts were not frayed at all and the tires were full. The grease fittings were to the point of overflowing, so they didn't need any attention. The oil level was correct on them and the batteries were in good shape. We even checked the battery cables and wires. Nothing needed any attention. We had sharpened the plowshares when we finished plowing, so they didn't need any attention either. All of the tractors had their oil changed earlier in the year, so they were in good shape. We checked the hydraulic systems and they were good. We were getting desperate for something to do.

We walked back to the workshop just as the women drove back home. They made a dash for the porch and were carrying all of the linen in baskets. I definitely wanted to stay out of their line of sight for fear they would find something for us to do.

We ducked back into the workshop. The boys and William were still working on the bowl. William had just finished sharpening their gouges and they were back at work while he cleaned his stone.

It wasn't too long until the van drove up to the workshop. I went to the door and Bonnie rolled the window down.

"We're goin' shoppin'. Ya'all wanna come along?"

"I'll pass. What're ya'all shoppin' for?"

"Groceries, mainly. We went through a passel of food this week."

"Well, ya'all have fun."

"Donna was sayin' it's about time to order more peeps so they'll be big enough to survive the winter by the time it comes."

"We might do that this afternoon or tomorrow. As soon as we get some free time."

"Ok, well ya'all will have to fend for yourselves for lunch. We'll probably eat in town."

"We can do that."

"Ok, see ya'all later."

With that they drove off and Jimmy and I realized we could relax and enjoy ourselves without fear of being drafted to do some housework.

We stayed around and watched the boys work on the bowl until almost lunchtime. Then Jimmy and I walked up to the house and made lunch for all of us. William and the boys showed up a bit later and we dug into our soup and sandwiches and then sat back and sipped our tea.



-------

Chapter 71


It was raining fairly hard when we finished lunch and cleaned up the mess, so we put on windbreakers and ball caps to shed the rain. It wasn't that we feared we'd melt; we just didn't want to be soaked.

Back in the shop, we resumed our pre-lunch activities. The boys went to work on the bowl, William supervised and Jimmy and I watched. It didn't take too long before Jimmy and I became completely bored. What they were doing was fascinating, but it didn't involve us and we can only stand so much inactivity. So we decided that we would go to the barn and see if we could find something to do there.

The barn was in pretty good shape. The kids kept the milking area almost spotless and the stalls were in great shape and didn't need any repairs. So we turned our attention to the tack.

We had just checked it last week but decided something might have happened that would require our attention since then. Someone once told me that the hardest thing to do was nothing. I was beginning to believe him.

We thoroughly inspected all of the tack and did find a couple cinches that were worn a bit more than normal, so we turned our attention to them. We had enough spare leather to change the straps and did that with minimal problems.

Then we took a good look at the strap we had removed and cut it in two pieces so the bad part could be thrown away. We would have enough left out of that strap to make repairs to other pieces of tack. A lot of folks are using the nylon tack, but I still prefer the leather. It takes a bit more to keep it up, but I find it works better on the horse. There is less chafing and it's easier to repair. Once nylon is worn, it has to be complete discarded. There is no repairing that.

I took a close look at my roping saddle and decided that it could probably use a good cleaning. So I got the saddle soap and a sponge and went to work. Jimmy decided he'd do the same thing, so that's how we spent most of the afternoon.

The women showed up about 4 and we went to help them carry in the groceries. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, so we didn't get very wet on our walk to the house. We carried in the boxes but let the women put things away. We'd just get it in the wrong place and get in trouble. We weren't completely dumb.

After we had that chore done, Cammie told us to light the grill because we were having burgers tonight. The grill was under the overhang of the porch, so we wouldn't get too wet while we were grilling.

Jimmy and I each got a Dos Equis and then piled the charcoal in the grill and lit it. We sat back and sipped our Dos Equis and just watched the fire burn down. We had pretty well killed a rain day and weren't too much the worse for it.

William and the boys showed up and I got William a Dos Equis and they joined us while we waited for the coals to get to the grilling point. The boys told us of the progress they'd made with the bowl and were just about done using the gouges. Next up would be finishing the inside of the bowl and getting it smooth. Next they would turn their attention to the outside and getting the final shape. After that, they would need to let it cure and then oil it with mineral oil to preserve it.

Donna brought the burgers out and told us we could grill them as soon as the fire was ready. They had the rest of the meal pretty much done, so they were just waiting on the meat.

She went back inside and Jimmy and I got the coals spread around the base and put the grill on without getting burned. Then we put the burgers on and watched them until they were seared on one side. We flipped them and then put the lid on the grill to let them absorb the smoky flavor. We checked them every so often to make sure there were no flare-ups that would spoil the meat.

Once they were ready, I took them off of the grill and put them back on the platter. Then we made our way to the table and found a seat. This was our first meal with Charlene and Deanne back without the photo shoot crew there.

With the hamburgers, we had baked beans. That must have been what was in the oven cooking. I had noticed it when we made lunch, but didn't bother to look because I know better than to disturb anything that the women are making unless there's smoke coming out of it. We also had a fresh salad, and peas. We ate in silence and then sat back to sip our coffee.

While we were doing that, Charlene and Deanne got to tell us some of the things they did over the summer. A lot of it was about work, but they also talked about all the fabulous shopping around Denver. I'm sure the women were jealous of that, but us men sure didn't complain about missing it. They sure had missed the home cooking; since most of their meals were from take out places or microwave meals. They worked late most evenings and didn't have a lot of free time. They spent most of their time at work planning the new line and the layout of the new catalog. They had learned a lot on the computer and had brought a copy of several design programs home with them.

Bonnie asked them if they had their report for school started and they replied that they hadn't started it yet, but they would. They were going to chronicle their entire summer and have it in a diary form with a summary at the end, detailing all of the things they had learned during their internship. They said it wasn't due until before the first report card came out, but they should have it ready by the first of October.

After we finished our coffee, the kids went to milk and Jimmy, William and myself went to feed the calves. It was only drizzling, so we weren't too worried about the feed getting wet, but we did cover it with a tarp for the trip out to the pastures just in case the rain picked up. Since it hadn't been a driving rain, the troughs weren't loaded with water and the feed was not going to get soaked. I spread the feed while William cut the bales apart that Jimmy set in place.

We wound up back on the porch after we were done and chatted for a bit. The boys joined us while the women had their own conversation going inside. When it was time for the news, we went inside and turned on the TV. They were calling for the rain to stay around for the entire weekend. But it would be an off and on thing. There would be short breaks, but they wouldn't last long before another rain cell hit. We really needed this and were happy to have it. The only thing I was worried about was the lack of things to do. With so many hands working, we were caught up on most everything.

The women came in just as the weather was over and joined us. We all chatted for a bit and then everyone got and gave their hugs and kisses before departing for their own places. That left the girls, Cammie and myself. We continued our chatting about various things until almost 10. Then everyone decided it was time for bed. In the back of my mind, I wondered when I had fallen into such a rut that 10PM was late and time for bed. It used to be that I'd stay up all night, work the next day and then be up most of the next night too. But we did start early around here and most times, the work was hard, so we really did need our rest.

The girls helped us close up and turn everything off. Then I got a kiss from each of them and we all headed for our beds. I told Cammie that I had made it part of my routine to spend a bit of time in the hot tub before bed and she said she'd join me. I sure couldn't say no to that.

We stripped out of our clothes and took a quick shower to get the day's dirt off of us. Then we made our way to the hot tub and slipped in. I had set the timer for 30 minutes and we eased back into a seat.

The hot water jets felt good on my muscles. Even though I hadn't done much today, it was soothing to feel the tension leave all the muscles so I could relax.

Pretty soon, Cammie decided that my lap would be a great place to park herself and I welcomed her. We kissed and cuddled for a bit and then things began to heat up.

My hands began to wander over her body and she moaned into my mouth as we dueled with our tongues. That only lasted for a minute or so and she moved farther up on my lap and used her hand to guide me inside of her.

It took a bit to get completely inside because the water has a tendency to wash away the lubrication on the outside, but the inside was very slick. Once we were completely meshed, we just maintained our position and rocked a bit for any motion.

As her excitement mounted, she became more animated and it wasn't long until her first orgasm hit. She moaned loudly into my mouth as her pussy clamped tight around my invading cock.

It wasn't a monumental orgasm, but it did shake both of us as we rode it out. As soon as it subsided, she began to move again and I matched her movements from below. She was marching toward another orgasm when I pulled away from our kiss.

"Feed me your tits so I can nurse on you," I whispered.

She moaned and used one of her hands to pull her tit up to my mouth level. I sucked on it and used my tongue to massage the nipple. Shivers went through her as I suckled on her nipple. It was hard and extended as my tongue flicked over the nub. With her free hand, she held on tightly to me as her next orgasm approached, quickly.

When it hit, she went rigid and I kept at her nipple to extend her pleasure. She was locked tightly around me and her fingers were digging into my back. This one was a lot bigger than the first one and it took a bit to pass.

When it did, she resumed her movements with vigor that had her slamming against me.

"Milk your tit into my mouth, don't just hold it there," I whispered.

She moaned loud and began to milk her tit. Her hands squeezed the nipple out even farther and she was almost shaking as she did.

"Don't let your other tit get lonely, milk that one into my mouth too."

She moaned even louder and switched hands and tits and brought that to my mouth. She began her milking motion and her moaning increased. I sucked on the nipple and she increased her movements against me as she climbed the wave for another orgasm.

When it hit, she screamed and clamped tightly against me. She was shaking as she rode out her third orgasm and it was bigger than the last one and lasted longer. She had her head buried in the crook of my neck and her screams were muffled against my neck. That was probably a good thing because we'd have a lot of company if she didn't.

I continued working on her nipple as her orgasm waned. When her pussy released me, she began to move with a vengeance.

"It's time for you to cum in me," she whispered. "I wanna feel you shootin' your cum up inside if me. Fuck me like you're gonna knock me up real good. Put your cum up in me as far as you can. I wanna feel that hot stuff splashin' inside of my steamin' pussy.

That was about all it took to push me on the path of no return. She slammed down on me and I arched up into her like I was trying to push all the way up to her mouth. We kept that up for a bit and I was slamming against her cervix. It wasn't long until her pussy went into its pulsating mode and it felt like I was getting a blowjob and her cervix was acting as a tongue.

My balls drew all the way up to my body and might have even gone inside. The tickle started next to my asshole and quickly rushed the length of my cock. It felt like I had set off a canon inside of her when it rushed out. She screamed into my mouth as the first blast hit her cervix and blew up inside.

The second wasn't far behind the first and it was almost like a fire hose effect. It felt like I was pissing cum out instead of squirting it out in individual bursts.

After that, everything became a blur of activity. I have no idea how many contractions I had or when I stopped actually squirting cum out. It felt like I had emptied my body of all fluids and would need a serious transfusion of liquids to be able to even survive.

When she stopped moving, she settled against me and we cuddled and kissed and slowly eased back from the height of our orgasms. We were both breathing heavily and gasping for air between kisses.

"Wow, that was a big 'un," she whispered, as she rested her head on my shoulder between kisses.

"It sure as hell was," I responded.

"It felt like you shot a quart of cum up in me."

"I don't think that's possible, but I know I ain't got none left inside of me."

"Well, maybe not a quart, but a lot."

We kissed and cuddled until the jets turned off and then slowly climbed out of the tub, between kisses. I didn't bother checking the water purity because I was too spent to do much of anything. I'd do that tomorrow, maybe.

We made our way to the bathroom and she drained herself in the throne. I took a leak after she was done and then we headed for bed.

We slipped in and cuddled and kissed until we were too drowsy and then assumed our positions and quickly slipped off to sleep. Well, I did. I don't know if she was as tired as I was.

I don't think I moved at all during the night because I woke up in the same position that I went to sleep in. I was holding Cammie's tit and she was snuggled up against me. I reflected about last night and how I'd missed that kind of intimacy recently. We hadn't grown apart; we'd just been so busy that we hadn't taken time to be with each other.

I began to tease her nipple and she moaned. Her hand clamped on top of mine and she turned over for a kiss. Her leg draped over my hip and she scooted close as our tongues met. As soon as the kiss ended, she quickly slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed and used the throne after she relinquished it. Then we washed up and got dressed.

Lena and Bonnie were already in the kitchen and Cammie went to help them. I went to work on the coffee and ground enough for our family. This was a change since it was the first breakfast without the photo crew. Charlene and Deanne only added one pot of coffee to our usual amount.

Donna and Chrissy showed up and I got a kiss from them. Then Dianne came in and she kissed me too before starting her duties.

I got the coffee steeped and took three pots into the dining room. I set two on the pot warmers and took one out to the front porch and joined Jimmy and William who were waiting for me. I poured a cup for each of us and then sat down and lit my first.

"What's on the agenda for today, boss?" Jimmy asked, with a grin.

"I don't know, why don't you ask the boss?" I replied.

"Because Cammie and Bonnie are inside."

"Well, I guess we need to go order some peeps. Maybe we'll visit Elmer to see if he has anything new we can't live without. There ain't a lot we can do in the rain."

"Yep, I got pretty bored yesterday tryin' to find somethin' to do. There's only so much you can do with the saddles and bridles that are in good shape. We can't paint because it'd never dry and we can't do anything out in the fields because we'd sink in too far."

"Well, let's not tell the women we don't have nothin' to do. They'd damn sure find us somethin' to do."

"Yep, and it would probably be some type of house work or maybe even shoppin'."

"We should be able to kill a bunch of time in town. We can putter around the shop until about 10 or so and then go into town. That way we can eat in there and kill more time. We could probably manage to get home in time to feed this afternoon, if we really string things out."

"That sounds like a plan."

The kids came up and joined us on the porch. They poured themselves a cup of coffee and Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a fresh one out.

We told the kids that we had plans to go into town this morning and the boys wanted to stay here and work in the shop. I asked William if that was all right with him and he said they could work on their own and he'd come with us. I think he was getting a bit of cabin fever too.

We chatted until Donna called us for breakfast and then we all headed for the dining room. Cammie had a big breakfast on her plate and the rest of us had our usual. There was very little talk during our eating, but then we sat back and sipped our coffee. We informed the women what we had planned. Well, actually we told them we were going into town and were going to order the peeps. Then we would probably stop at Elmer's and see if he had a couple things. We told them we'd probably eat lunch in there and would be home after that. They seemed fine with that. I think they were probably glad to have us out from under foot. If we were around, they'd have to look busy too.

We chatted until the coffee ran out and then us guys headed for the workshop. William got the boys working on the bowl and showed them what needed to be done. He told them that when they got to the point that the gouges were a bit difficult to work with, they probably had enough taken out of the inside. He said he'd show them how to work a special plane on the inside after that, but they shouldn't get that far before we returned. He had previously put a line around the edge of the stump to show them the limits of how far they could go out. If they went beyond that, they were in danger of the bowl splitting when it was finished on the outside.

I looked over our supply of most everything, including our drill bits. It seemed like we had a good supply of everything and an over supply of some things. All of our tools were in pretty good shape and we really couldn't think of anything we absolutely needed. It was close to 10 when Jimmy, William and myself climbed into the pickup and pointed it towards town.

Our first stop was at the feed store. I found the guy I always talk to and ordered 48 peeps. I told him that we didn't need any more roosters since we already had three in the yard. He made a note and said they'd be in next Friday.

With that done, we nosed around the rest of the place and tried to see if there was anything we couldn't live without. We didn't find anything, so we left there and headed for Elmer's.

"Well, well, look at what the rain's chased in," Elmer said, as we walked in the door.

"Yep, we've run out of things to keep busy with and thought we'd kill some time in here and maybe find somethin' we couldn't live without," I told him.

"Well, I'd like to sell ya'all a bunch of equipment, but ya'all've got most ever'thin' you need. That is unless you're wantin' to trade Bonnie's ol' tractor in on somethin' bigger."

"Nope, we just rebuilt that last fall and it's runnin' great. It does ever'thin' we want it to and don't break down, so we're right satisfied with it."

"Well, ya'all've got haybines, planters, plows, discs and harrows, wagons, balers and a log splitter. I don't know what else ya'all might need."

"Well, right now, a place to keep out of sight of the women and keep dry will do."

"Well, then ya'all've come to the right spot. Say William, have you thought anymore about callin'?"

"Nope, I sure haven't. I ain't done that in a long time and don't know if I wanna get back into it. It's fun to do once in a while, but it can get to be a lot of work."

"Well, there's plenty of folks who're lookin' for a caller all the time. We've only got one in this county and he's overworked as it is. He'd probably welcome the he'p."

"Elmer, it's been years since I called in public. I'd need to memorize my routines again and see if I could get in time with whoever was playin'."

"We've got three dance clubs in this county and they're always havin' to go some place else to dance or hirin' someone from out of the county to come call for 'em. You could probably get work at least twice a week, if not four or five nights a week."

"I just don't know, Elmer. It's been so long and I don't know if I'm up to it anymore. It is a lot of work and I kinda like bein' retired and he'pin' around the farm. It's relaxin' for me and I get to spend time with the kids."

"Ya, Elmer," I jumped in, "he's got the boys makin' bread bowls right now. You should see his collection of woodworkin' tools. And them boys are eatin' it up. We have a tough time keepin' 'em out of the shop."

"Well, you'll sure be a hit at the flea markets if ya'all're makin' them. People'd kill for them things. Most of them are handed down in the family and they's a lot of folks that don't have any. Ain't nothin' like a bread bowl to let dough rise in. The bread just tastes better. In fact, I know my wife'll want one. Just let me know when you have one ready to sell."

"Well, I thought we'd make one for each of the girls and Jamie's lady before we began sellin' any. It'll go in their hope chests."

"The last ones I saw sold for over $50 and they were small ones."

"Well, these won't be small. We're usin' the stumps we pulled this year to make 'em. They'll be at least 16 inches."

"Whoa. That is a good sized bowl. You'll be able to get a pretty price for them."

"Well, right now, I'm more interested in boys learnin' how to do the work. It's not all that hard, it just takes learnin'. They're comin' along pretty good, but they need some he'p at times. They're workin' with gouges right now, but they'll be usin' a shipwright's plane next."

"Boy, you do have a selection of tools if you've got one of them things. I ain't seen any of them since my pap died and Mom sold all his tools. I wish she'd a kept 'em, but I was young and didn't know how to use 'em. They would a probably gone to waste sittin' in our shop. I remember him havin' about five of them things, all different sizes to fit in different curves."

"Yep, it takes a few of them to get in all of the places. The next bowl they're gonna make is gonna be on the lathe. That shouldn't take too long. But I want 'em to learn both ways of makin' the bowls, just so they'll know how to do it."

"They'll always have that knowledge, even if they find a different way of doin' things. They'll never lose them lessons."

"That's what I'm hopin'. Maybe they'll be able to pass it on to their kids and it won't die out."

"I sure hope you're right. Too much gets lost and not passed on. I know that kids are into a lot of other things now, but they need to learn the old ways too. Maybe they'll even teach some others. I know they encourage things like that at school."

"Well, since you don't have nothin' we can't live without, Elmer," I said, hoping to break up the conversation since it was getting near noon. I knew Elmer needed to get home and probably back to work too. "We should probably head out so we can get a bite and then check out the tack shop. We need to kill some time so we don't get back too soon and get roped into some housework."

"I heard dat," Elmer said, with a big smile. "William, you think about callin'. Folks could sure use you around here."

"I'll think about it, but I don't hold out no hope on it. I'm kinda happy doin' what I'm doin'."

"Ok, ya'all take care now. Thanks for stoppin' by."

We climbed in the pickup and headed for the barbecue place. There would be a crowd, but we weren't worried about how much time it would take. We were killing time today.



-------

Chapter 72


When we arrived, it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. I guess the rain had cancelled a lot of work and folks were staying home.

We found a table and the waitress came over. We told her we'd go to the buffet and that we wanted ice tea to drink. She left and we headed for the buffet.

They had just stocked the trays and everything looked good. I took some ribs and chicken thighs, along with some potato salad and cole slaw and went back to the table. Jimmy and William followed, after they had filled their plates. Our ice tea was waiting for us. Each of us made another trip back for more food and then one more trip for dessert. Their Dutch apple pie with ice cream is always a favorite of mine and I made a hog of myself by going back for seconds on that. Then we had the waitress bring us some coffee and we sat back and chatted while we sipped our coffee.

We paid our bill and then headed for the tack shop. We had killed over an hour at the restaurant and could probably kill another one at the tack shop. That would put us home in time to feed and get ready for supper.

We arrived at the tack shop and began looking around. The lady told us to take our time and if we needed any help to just holler. We told her we would.

We started on one side and went up and down the aisles and walls to make sure we saw everything. We spent a good deal of time checking out the saddles. None of us needed one, but the new roping saddles were interesting. They didn't seem as heavy as the one I had and that was probably because the form was made out of fiberglass instead of wood. But I liked the heavy one I had and the stallion was big enough to carry the weight.

I had a fairly new hackamore, so I didn't need one, but there were sure some fancy ones there. I'm not sure how they would look on the stallion with me riding, but they sure did glimmer with all the silver on them.

Of course, I had to check out all the belt buckles. I didn't find any that I liked better than the one I was wearing. Some were bigger and shinier, but that just wasn't my style. I did think seriously about buying a keeper for my neckerchief, but I knew that would tip off Cammie and the women that we'd been shopping and that would never do.

We were about three quarters the way through the store when two men walked in. I knew one as the owner but I had no idea who the other man was. But he kept looking at us and I was almost to the point of getting uneasy about it.

"Excuse me, folks, but ain't you two the ones in the B & T clothing catalog?" he asked, and finally quieted my fears.

"Yep, we'll have to plead guilty to that," I told him.

"Damn, it's good to meet ya'all. I'm Gene Hastings. I cover Arkansas and a good part of Missouri for B & T."

"Well, I'm Dean and this here's Jimmy. The other guy here is William. He's Cammie's Grandpap."

"Wow. I've struck gold. Cammie's sure been good for our tool sales. What're ya'all doin' here?"

"Actually, we're killin' time and tryin' to stay out from under the women's feet at home. But don't tell Sharon that, otherwise the women will have us goin' shoppin' with them."

"Who's Sharon?"

"She the woman that designs all the catalogs and does a good deal of work for the clothing line at B & T."

"Oh, she must be the one that called my boss and had me come over here."

"Probably. She just left the other day to head back to Denver. We just finished the catalog shoot for the new line comin' out in October."

"I didn't know ya'all lived around here. I was just talkin' with Darrell here about carryin' our line of clothes. Hell, I coulda used you as a reference and I probably wouldn't a had to talk so hard."

"Well, we've bought some stuff here, but I doubt he'd remember us."

"Oh, I remember you. Cammie bought you that ropin' saddle," Darrell said.

"Wow, you do have a good memory."

"I didn't know that ya'all were the models for the catalog."

"Yep, they sprung that on us the first of the year. I had no idea they were even thinkin' about a clothin' line. They had me send pictures of ever'one to 'em and then they flew out and recruited all of us. They was a write up in the Searcy paper about it last spring, I think."

"Tell ya'all the truth, I don't even read the paper. I watch the weather on TV, but that's about it."

"Welcome to the club. The newspaper would just be somethin' we'd have to burn."

"Well, how 'bouts, if I decide to take on the line, ya'all come out and sign pictures at the kick off?"

"You'd need Gene to clear that with B & T. We don't have nothin' to do with any plannin' at all. We just smile and look unugly for the camera when we're supposed to."

"You think you could arrange that, Gene?" Darrell asked.

"I don't see why not, but you'd probably need to take on the entire line of clothing, not just the square dance stuff."

"Well, we can talk about that."

"Gene, when you make your request, make sure you don't mention that you ran into us over here. We don't wanna have to be shoppin' with the women just 'cause we got found out about."

"I'll make sure about that. I'll just put it to my manager that Darrell would like ya'all to sign a bunch of pictures for the grand openin' for our clothes."

"That'll work."

We chatted until it was a bit after two and then we said our goodbyes and headed home. We'd get there in time to feed and wash up for supper.

When we got home, we went directly to the workshop to check on Jamie and Jessie and their progress with the bowl. They had most of the wood hogged out of the interior and were trying to get more out with the gouges.

"Well, it looks like ya'all have been busy," William said.

"Ya, but we're havin' trouble gettin' any more out," Jamie said. "The gouge won't get in the places we need to get and we're kinda afraid of gettin' too deep with them."

"Well, then it's time to change tools. I've got just the thing that'll let ya'all take it to the next level."

William pulled out his chest and opened the lid. He lifted the main plane tray out and then selected a plane from underneath. It was a curved bottom plane that he called a Shipwright's plane. It was not only curved along the length of the plane, but also the width was curved.

"The way you use this is to make sure the bowl's secured again' the stop on the bench and hold the bowl with one hand and use the plane with the other. That'll keep it from movin' side to side."

He carried the plane over to the bench and positioned the bowl against the stop and then gripped it with his free hand. He started on the close end and worked down and across the interior. It was taking a very thin shaving as it cut the wood under it.

"Ya'all can take turns with this and the other one can he'p hold it. It'll also cut down on the amount of sandin' ya'all're gonna have to do later too."

Jessie took hold of the bowl and Jamie picked up the plane. He was cautious at first, but quickly learned how it worked. He made about ten passes and then traded places with Jessie and let him try his hand at it.

Jessie was a bit more impatient than Jamie was, but finally figured out how to work it.

"Well, ya'all go ahead and work on that and we'll go feed. If ya'all have any problems, we'll be back before too long."

Jimmy, William and myself walked to the equipment shed and got the tractors running. I pulled under the feed bin and William put the feed in the spreader. We covered it with a tarp. It wasn't raining right now, but it could start at any time and we didn't want the feed soaked.

William opened the gates for us and then cut the bales apart as Jimmy put them in the feeding rings. I spread the feed in the troughs and we headed for home. I washed the spreader out and we put the tractors away and walked back to the workshop.

The boys were taking turns working with the plane and it was slow going since the plane didn't take a big bite out of the wood. But what it was taking out left a fairly smooth surface behind. It was possible they would finish the inside of the bowl by Sunday. The outside would not be as difficult since there were few limitations on movement.

We watched and chatted as the boys worked and it wasn't too long until we heard the dinner bell ring. We put things away and walked up to the house and washed up on the back porch. Then we took a seat at the table.

The women had fixed baby back ribs, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, and green beans. It was delicious and a definite change from what we'd had over the last couple weeks. Then Donna brought out some Dutch apple pies for dessert. They were great and we all stuffed ourselves. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"What did ya'all do today?" Cammie asked, as we sipped our coffee.

"Well, first thing was we ordered 48 peeps from the feed store. Then we went over to Elmer's because I wanted to check on a couple things we might be needin' for the farm when we start pickin' corn. After that, we ate lunch and then went to the tack shop. I noticed a couple stirrups that were gettin' kinda worn, and I wanted to see about replacin' 'em. But I didn't see what I was lookin' for, so we'll go back later on and maybe have him order the things for us."

"Well, ya'all sure spent a lot of time in town."

"Yep, there wasn't too much we could do around here and we wanted to stay out from under ya'all's feet."

"Couldn't ya'all work in the barn or somethin'?"

"We did that yesterday."

"What'd ya'all do yesterday?"

"We cleaned things up in the barn some and then I saddle soaped my saddle. It was gettin' kinda grungy with sweat and dirt."

"What do ya'all have planned for tomorrow?"

"Not much. Probably look at the equipment and see if anything needs somethin'."

"Well, we thought we'd go shoppin', up in Searcy. Wanna come?"

"Not only no, but hell no."

"Don't ya wanna know what we're gonna shop for?"

"Nope."

"I was thinkin' of gettin' you a new belt and buckle."

"If you wanna waste your money, then go right ahead. I tol' ya that boots, hat and belts are personal items and you can't mess with them."

"So, if I bought you a new belt and buckle, you wouldn't wear it?"

"Probably not. I'm happy with the belts I've got."

"I've only seen you wear one belt. That black one with the deer jumpin' over a tree on the buckle."

"That's the one I wear with my jeans and gray suit. With my brown suit, I've got a brown belt with a silver buckle that has an Indian head on it. You've seen it, but you just never noticed it."

"I've never seen you wear that. I don't even think you have another belt."

"Well, I do, and you have seen me wear it. Several times when we were out in Denver."

"Why don't you get it and show it to me?"

I got up from the table and went to the bedroom and returned with my belt.

"Here it is. This is what I wear with my brown suit."

"First of all, your suit is tan. And secondly, I don't ever remember seein' that belt."

"Tan is just a shade of brown. And if you didn't see it then you're just not that observant."

She started to say something, but I guess she thought better of it and shut up. We continued sipping our coffee and it was fairly silent after that. I didn't think I did anything wrong, but I wasn't real sure. But I sure wasn't going to test the waters to see if I did. I just let it pass.

We finished our coffee and then us men headed for the front porch. The kids went to milk and feed and the women cleaned up the table and kitchen.

When we got settled in our chairs, Jimmy said, "See, I tol' ya that Cammie was just regroupin'."

"Well, I'm standin' my ground on this. Boots, hats and belts are personal things. She can change a lot of things, but not them."

"You just keep thinkin' like that. As long as you can convince yourself that you're still in charge, you'll be able to smile more. But trust me when I tell ya', this ain't over. The next thing that'll happen is she'll get you a pair of pants that your belt won't fit in and then you'll need to change."

"Ain't gonna happen. If I have to sew new belt loops on a pair of pants, I'm keepin' my belt. A man's just gotta take a stand sometimes."

"Yep, you can take a deer stand, a political stand, a stand on what to plant in the ground, and a stand about most anythin' the women don't care about. But once they get it in their mind you need to change, somethin's gonna give and it ain't generally them."

"Ya know, I'd be right careful about who you're pullin' for. If they get me, then you're next. In case you ain't noticed, Cammie is Bonnie's daughter and I'm pretty sure they think a lot alike. Bonnie's liable to have you dressed in a suit while you're plowin'."

"Sure, pull me into your fight. I'm not takin' sides at all. I'm just tellin' ya what God knows."

"Well, God ain't tol' me yet, so I'm holdin' my ground. And besides, I ain't pullin' you into the fight, you're just jumpin' around the edges and will probably fall in all by yourself."

"Boys," William said, with a big grin, "ya'all are goin' about this all wrong. What ya'all need to do is to turn the tables on them. If Cammie wants to change the way you dress, then you need to change somethin' about her that you know she ain't about to change. That'll take her mind off things and put her on the defense. If'n you're gonna argue, then argue on your terms, not theirs."

"You might have somethin' there, William," I said. "Next time she wants to change somethin', I'll just start plannin' on how to arrange the deer head over the fireplace and where to hang the muzzleloader."

"Now you're thinkin'. Play by your rules and not theirs. When you play by theirs, they can change them and you won't know if that's correct or not. The same works for you. If they start winnin', then you can change the rules and they won't know."

"William, you are devious. I like that."

"Well, you don't survive bein' married 45 years without learnin' a thing or two."

We chatted until the kids came back from evening chores and they joined us. The boys told us about how the bowl was coming and how they were looking forward to finishing it and starting on the one in the lathe. The girls said they were planning on how to get their paper done for school and include some of the designs as part of it.

We chatted and just before dark, the women came out and joined us. We all chatted until it was time for the weather and then went inside for that.

The weather lady was saying that we would have showers off and on for the next two days and then it should start clearing on Sunday night or Monday morning. At their facilities, they had received about two inches in the last two days.

All of that was good news except for the fact that I didn't know how much longer we could keep dodging the women. They were going shopping tomorrow, so that would save us during most of the day. Then tomorrow night we had the Grange hall. But Sunday was another problem day. We would need to find something creative to do to stay out of their way.

After the weather, everyone gave and got their kisses and hugs and then left for their own houses. The girls helped Cammie and me close everything and turn off all the lights. Then I got a kiss from the girls and we all headed for our bedrooms.

Cammie and I stripped down and I headed for the shower.

"Where're goin'?"

"I'm gonna rinse off and then soak in the hot tub for a bit."

"Ok, that sounds good."

She followed me and we rinsed off and then climbed into the tub. I set the timer for 15 minutes and we both relaxed as the hot water and jets took away the tension. We chatted about a lot of little things and she didn't bring up the subject of the belt, for which I gave a silent thanks.

After the timer wet off, we got out and dried off. I got the chemical kit out and tested the water. I checked the test sample with the charts and then added the amount of stuff needed to bring it back to normal. Then we headed for bed.

We kissed and cuddled for a bit and then assumed our positions and drifted off to sleep.



-------

Chapter 73


I awoke to the rooster crowing and mentally shook my head to clear it of any cobwebs. I realized where I was and smiled. What a great life I have. Why did I have to wait until I was so old to find it? Then I told myself that I didn't find it, but it found me. Maybe we don't wait long enough for the things we want and grab at what we think are our last best options. Then I thought back to all the relationships I had had over the years and none of them even come close to what I have now. I don't think I would have been satisfied to wait until I was almost 40 to settle down. But things like that don't occur to you when you're 20. You grab someone or someone grabs you and you allow it. I'm not sure what the reality was of my marriage, but I had to admit that this was so much better than I had ever even hoped for.

I brought myself back to reality and gently teased Cammie's nipple. She awoke with a moan and held my hand to her tit as she turned over.

"I love bein' woke up like that," she said, as she kissed me.

"And I like wakin' you up like that," I said, as we broke the kiss.

She kissed me again and then slid out of my grasp and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and claimed the throne after she relinquished it. Then we both washed up and got dressed before heading for the kitchen.

Everyone must have gotten up early because we were the last to arrive. The women were probably excited about going shopping and wanted an early start. I didn't judge or even comment and went about my duties with the coffee. Someone had already put the water on and I ground the coffee for the presses.

As soon as the water began to boil, I filled the presses, stirred them, and then put more water back on for the next batch. After they had steeped enough, I filled the regular pots and carried them to the dining room. I put two of them on the pot warmers that were already lit and took the third one to the front porch.

I filled the cups for Jimmy, William and myself and then sat down to lit my first. It was cloudy out, but it wasn't raining yet.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Jimmy asked.

"Probably more of the stuff we did yesterday. The women are goin' shoppin' and that means we don't have to hide as much, but I don't have a clue beyond that."

"Well, I'm gonna work with the boys," William said. They're gettin' to the point where they'll be workin' on the outside of the bowl and beginnin' to shape it. They'll need a bit of supervision on that part and then we can start workin' on the lathe."

"I hate to tell ya'all this," Jimmy said, with a grin, "but I can only stand so much of bein' a watcher. I think I'll probably do some stuff over home and might even take a nap."

"That sounds like a winner," I said. "Standin' around is not one of my strong suits. I'll probably answer some e-mail and maybe put the snakeskin on my hat as a hatband. I get bored fairly quickly and can find lots of trouble to get into if I don't have somethin' to do."

"Ya, I'm kinda that way too," William said. "It's a stretch for me to just watch the boys, but I know they need a bit of coachin' on what they're doin', so it ain't too bad. But I can't just stand around and watch the grass grow or listen to the dust settle. I need to be doin' somethin'."

The kids came back from milking and joined us on the porch after they put the eggs and milk away. They poured themselves a cup of coffee and then Jamie took the empty pot to the dining room and brought a full one back.

The boys said they were anxious to get back to work on the bowl and were hoping that doing the outside would be easier than doing the inside. The girls were anxious to go shopping. They needed things for school and were hoping to spend the entire day looking and buying.

In the back of my mind I gave thanks for not being included on this shopping trip. I could just imagine the hours of pouring over and endless amount of things and then probably going back to buy what they had seen at the beginning. That was not my idea of fun.

It wasn't long until Donna called us for breakfast and we all headed inside. Of course all talking stopped while we ate our delicious meal. It's difficult to talk with your mouth full and your tongue enjoying the great taste.

After we finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee. We chatted about various things but mostly the women talked about what they were going to do today and what all they needed to buy. I was pretty positive that they would come home with stuff they never intended to buy and probably forget some of the things they went for because they got distracted by some flashy thing that caught their eye.

When the coffee was gone, we all got up from the table and went our separate ways. The women cleared the table and headed for the kitchen to get that cleaned and us guys headed for the workshop.

The boys started working with the plane and were making fairly good progress with the plane. It wasn't taking a big bite of wood, but the bites were longer. It was fairly easy to see progress with each pass of the plane on the interior. They took turns holding the bowl for each other and then taking their turn with the plane. It was really good to see brothers working together on a project. So often we hear of how siblings fight with each other and we were seeing full cooperation. I was happy about that aspect of this project as much as I was about them learning new skills. I hoped they could keep it up throughout their life.

Jimmy and I watched for a bit and then I got bored. I got the board that had my snakeskin tacked on it and began carefully taking it off. I was just finished with it when the women pulled up outside the shop and honked.

We all went out and they told us they were leaving to go shopping and wouldn't be back until suppertime. I told them to have fun and asked if they wanted us to get anything out for supper. Cammie said they were going to bring home a surprise for supper but we'd need to fix our own lunch. I told her that wouldn't be a problem and then they said their goodbyes and drove off.

We all went back inside the shop and the boys went back to work as William supervised them. I went back to the snakeskin and began to gently wash it to remove all of the excess oil. Jimmy watched for a bit and then said he was going over to his place and find something to do. He can't stand this lack of activity any more than I can.

He left and I continued working on the skin. I had to wash it four times to get all of the oil off, but it was very soft and pliable. I dried it off with some paper towels and played around with folding it so I could get it in the shape I wanted for the hatband. I had to fold the stomach ribs under so all of the good color would show up and reflect the light. The ribs would give it some reinforcement on the hat and make the skin curve out a bit to help the reflection.

Then I went to the house and got my good Stetson and a couple needles with big eyes. I took me a while, but I finally found my simulated sinew and then walked back to the shop.

I laid out three long strips of paper towels for a place to put the hat so I wouldn't stain it while I was working on it. I placed the hat on the towels and positioned it so the front was facing me. I took the skin and wrapped it around the hat to see how much I had to work with. There was about a foot left over after I wrapped it completely around it. I really didn't want to cut the skin up, so I played with the excess to determine what would look the best.

It took me a good while to finally decide how I was going to do this. But what I decided on was to wrap the skin around the hat and have big part of the skin around the smaller part of the body where it came together. I would tack that in place and then allow the tail to hang over the back of the hat just a bit. That would give anyone looking at it an estimate of the length of the snake.

The next step was a bit difficult. Men just aren't conditioned to threading needles. Besides that fact, the sinew was a bit big to try and put through the eye of the largest needle I had found. I knew that I had not brought my needles for sewing leather down from the lake with me, so I was forced to use what I had found. I fussed with that for about five minutes before my eyes crossed and I needed to take a break.

"I don't think you're gonna get that big thread through that little needle," William said, as I tried to focus my eyes on something besides the eye of the needle.

"I startin' to think you're right about that," I replied. "But I left my leather needles up at the lake and these were the largest I could find."

"I think I might have a couple of them somewhere in my stuff. Let me think where I might have put them. It's been a long time since I used 'em."

He searched through a couple of trunks and then came to the one he stored his sharpening supplies in.

"Ah, here they are. I knew I had some. I guess I put 'em away in here because I liked to keep 'em real sharp for some of the saddle leather I used to work on."

He brought out a cloth package and opened it up.

"I've got all different sizes here. Let's see the size of that stuff you're gonna use to sew with."

I handed him the artificial sinew and he selected a needle and handed both to me.

"This oughta do the job, William. Thanks. I'm glad you remembered where they were."

"Not a problem. Things go so much easier when you have the proper tool for the job."

"That's for sure."

I threaded the sinew through the eye of the needle and then cut off a length. Then I folded the sweatband inside the hat down and mentally measured where I should make my first stitch. I wanted to keep the stitches as hidden as possible, so I avoided putting one at the very front. The skin was folded so there was about a two-inch band in the front, but it tapered off some as it went around the hat. At about the one-o'clock position, I pushed the needle through the hat and then through the skin. Then I put it back through both of them and pulled it taut with both ends of the sinew. Then I tied a surgeon's knot and slid it tight. I tied a second one behind that just for security. Next, I repeated the sewing process directly below that first stitch. Once I had them knotted tightly in place, I held the hat up and looked at the outside to see how noticeable the stitching was.

Up close I could see it plainly, but I had to realize that most folks wouldn't be that close. I set the hat down and moved away a bit. From that point, the stitches were barely noticeable. The sinew is a yellowish tan color and it blended pretty well with the copperhead's color. Black thread might have been less noticeable, but I wasn't sure it would hold up all that well in this use.

I went back to the hat and made another set of stitches at eleven-o'clock and tied them off. Next, I knew it would be getting a bit difficult towards the back, so I worked on tucking the tail into the front part of the skin and tacking that together and making sure the tail came out from under the skin in a normal looking manner. I didn't want a big bulge. Once that was done, I went back to securing the skin to the hat.

It took me a couple hours to get it sewn in place exactly the way I wanted it. I folded the sweatband back in place and then put it on.

"Whadaya think, guys?" I asked, when I had it in place.

"That looks pretty good, Dean," William answered.

"That's kewl, Dean," Jessie said, as he looked up from holding the bowl in place.

"I get the next skin," Jamie said, as he held the plane he was working with.

"Well, hopefully we won't see any more of these varmints," I told them. "I'm gonna go fix lunch. I think it's gettin' 'bout that time. I'll give Jimmy a ring so he won't miss out on the food. He might waste away to nothin' if he don't eat."

I walked up to the house and put my hat away. Then I called Jimmy and told him I was fixing lunch. He said he'd just grab a bite over there and save the trip over here.

I went to the kitchen and got the soup out and put two jars of it in a pot to warm up. Then I put a pot of water on to boil and ground some coffee and put it in a press for when the water hot enough. Then I got some lunch meat out of the 'fridge and put it on a plate and set it on the dining room table.

This wasn't rocket science, but it was time consuming. I got the bread out and sliced some for us and then got the mayo and mustard and put it all on the table. Then I got some glasses on the table and took some ice in for them. Next was the iced tea. I put that on the table and went back the kitchen to stir the soup.

I walked outside and rang the dinner bell and then came back inside. I put a hot pad on the table and got some spoons and knives and placed them around the plates. Next I got some paper towels to use as napkins and put them out. I stirred the soup again and then poured the boiling water over the coffee grounds in the press and put the lid on so it could steep.

The guys showed up and sat down and waited for everything to be put on the table. I carried the soup in and put the pot on the hot pad with a dipper in it so we could dip out the soup. Then I poured the coffee into a regular coffee pot and took it to the dining room and set it on a pot warmer.

"Ok, let's eat," I said, as I sat down.

We had our soup and sandwiches and then sat back to sip our coffee.

"Since I made lunch, you boys get to do the cleanin' up before ya'all go back to the shop."

"We can do that," Jamie said.

We chatted about how their bowl was coming and they thought that they'd be pretty close to done after tomorrow. William said they might be done with the rough work, but it would take a couple more days before they were ready to put up and let it dry.

When we finished our coffee, the boys began to clean the table up and I went to the office and fired up the computer. I had a few e-mails and answered them. One was from Sharon, reminding me to get the per diem forms sent in. I thanked her and then answered the rest of them.

Once I signed off, I switched to the forms set up I had and filled out forms for everyone for the days we worked during the shoot. I signed mine and left the others out so everyone could sign them before we sent them in.

With that taken care of, I shut the computer down and headed for the living room. I kicked my boots off and turned on the TV. I found a pre-season football game on and went back to the couch and laid down. I watched about a half of a quarter before I drifted off. There was just something about that couch that insisted on being slept on if I laid down there.

When I woke up, I had to mentally shake myself awake and remember where I was and why I was there. I sat up and pulled my boots on and then looked at the clock. It was right at 4 and I figured the women would be getting home fairly soon. I grabbed my ball cap and walked down to the workshop.

"Hey, guys, that's lookin' pretty good."

They were almost finished with the inside of the bowl and would be starting on the outside before too long.

"It's a bit after four, so it would probably be a good idea if we took our showers now before the women show up and we have to eat. They'll be wantin' the shower after we eat."

"Shouldn't we feed before we shower?" Jamie asked.

"That's a good idea."

They began putting their tools away and cleaning up the mess they had made. Then Jamie took over Jimmy's tractor and Jessie rode with him. I got my tractor fired up and pulled under the feed bin so William could fill the spreader. Then we headed for the pastures.

Feeding went normally and we returned to the house. I washed the spreader out and then we walked up to the house and William and Jamie took their vehicles and headed to their places. Jessie and I went inside and headed for our showers.

Jessie beat me to the porch and had brought out some iced tea and glasses. I joined him for a glass and we chatted about how they were doing with their bowl. It was amazing listening to him. He was really learning and it was sinking in so he would remember it. He told me how they were learning how to read the grain and work with it instead of against it and how to work across the grain when they had to. But the most important thing I thought was that he was learning was that his grandfather had a lot of information and was willing to teach it to him if he would take the time to learn.

Jamie showed up and then William arrived and they joined us on the porch and poured themselves some tea. We chatted and Jimmy showed up. He looked like he had already showered and had probably taken a nap too, but I didn't say anything.

He had just sat down with his glass of tea when the women pulled in. We waited until the stopped and began taking out all the bags containing all of their purchases for the day. They had a bunch so we figured we'd best lend a hand so they wouldn't get upset. They pointed us to the bags of food from the Chinese restaurant and we carried them to the dining room table. In the mean time, they took all of their purchases and put them in the proper place. Cammie, Donna, Chrissy, Charlene and Deanne all brought theirs inside and took them to their rooms. Lena, Bonnie and Dianne took their bags to their vehicles.

As soon as they had their bags in their rooms, the girls came downstairs and set the table. Since the restaurant was about 45 minutes away from us, they needed to nuke the food so it would be hot. While they did that, us guys made ourselves scarce, lest we get into some kind of trouble.

It took them about 30 minutes to get dinner on the table and then Donna called us off of the front porch. They had all kinds of different dishes. From chow mien to garlic beef, sweet and sour pork and shrimp, Szechwan beef, broccoli beef, garlic chicken, and several that I didn't recognize. But it was all good. Everyone had an egg roll and there were some Chinese barbecue ribs for appetizers and they had brought some won ton soup and hot and sour soup. Plus, it looked like enough rice to feed an army. We all pigged out and stuffed ourselves. Jimmy and I went hunting for the tiny red peppers in the various dishes so we could add spice to the meal and to protect the women folk from burning their taste buds out. And most surprisingly, there was enough left over for lunch tomorrow.

When we finished, we sat back and sipped our tea. The boys told the females what progress they were making on the bowls and how much they had learned.

Then Cammie turned to me and said, "Don't you wanna know what all I bought?"

"Not really, unless it involves me. I trust you to have good taste on most things, so I don't really need to know."

"But I did buy you some stuff."

A cold chill went through me and I had the sinking feeling that Jimmy had been right about what she was going to do.

"Well, I hope it's stuff that I'll actually wear."

That seemed to put a damper on the conversation and we sipped our coffee until it was gone. Then the kids went to milk and Cammie insisted that I come to the bedroom to see what she had bought for me.

She sorted through some bags until she found what she was looking for.

"I got you these and I really want you to try 'em. If you don't like 'em, then I'll take 'em back."

She pulled out a pair of khakis with a thin belt already on them. In addition, the belt loops were too small to accept my belt with the big buckle on it.

"I thought we talked about this."

"I know, but this is in style now and your old belt is way out of style."

The anger came up in my throat, but I swallowed it back and I flashed back to what William had said. "If you're gonna argue, then argue on your terms and not on hers."

I searched for the words and they came to me after a bit of deafening silence.

"I told you that boots, belts and hats were off limits to your meddlin'. But you have chosen not to respect my feelin's in this matter. I try to respect your feelin's, but you've chosen to not respect mine. So, tomorrow, I'll be makin' a trip up to the lake."

"What're goin' up there for?"

"I'm gonna pick up the deer head, the two muzzleloaders, two powder horns, two possible bags, and the two deer skins so I can hang them over the fireplace."

"Oh no you're not."

"Just you watch me. I respected your feelin's about that until now. Since you don't feel the need to respect my feelin's, then I don't feel the need to respect yours no more."

"You're not gonna ruin that room by hangin' that crap in there."

"Well, you ain't big enough to stop me. Ya'all have had your say and now I'm gonna have my input into what I wanna put in that room."

"But nobody wants that stuff in there."

"That's where you're wrong. I want it in there."

"Well, none of the people that have any taste want it in there."

"Who?"

"Me for starters, and Mama."

"Mama don't live here no more so she don't get a say in the matter. It's just you and me and it's a tie vote, so it's goin' in there."

"Why are you doin' this?"

"I tol' ya. It's a simple case of respect. You choose not to respect my wishes, so I'm choosin' not to respect yours."

"That's not fair. I ain't ruinin' the whole house. I just wanna see you dressed more in style."

"Whose style? Yours? It's damn sure not my style."

"You don't have a style."

"I sure do. You might not like it, but I do have a style. And I'm gonna keep my style."

"I don't understand why such a simple little thing like a belt is such a big deal to you."

"And I don't understand how you can completely disregard my feelin's in the whole matter. It might not be a big deal to you, but it is to me. If it's such a small deal, why do you insist on me changin'?"

"I just wanna get you in style."

"We're back the style thing again. I've got my own style and it's gonna stay that way."

"I don't understand you at all. Why are you bein' like this?"

"I just tol' you. Evidently you don't listen either."

"Urrrrrr, this ain't over."

She stomped out of the room and I changed into my shirt for the hall and carried my guitar out to the van. When I took my seat on the porch, Jimmy had a big smile on his face.

"I wouldn't smile too wide. You're next."

"I don't have an I told you so bone in my body."

"You don't need any. Your smile says it all."

"I'm assumin' you're gonna be makin' a trip to the lake tomorrow."

"More'n likely. We're gonna get this respect thing straightened out, one way or another."

"Well, it should be right interestin' to see where you're gonna sleep tonight."

"I might sleep up at the lake. Who knows? But I ain't givin' in on this."

"Famous last words."



-------

Chapter 74


It was a very quiet ride to the Grange hall. Not a word was spoken in the van as we drove. I was not going to be the one that broke the silence, that was for sure. Somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered someone saying "that when a woman isn't talking to you, you can be fairly sure she is either unsure of how things stand, or she is planning her next move, but she is sure she hasn't won, yet." If that was the case, I wasn't going to give her any more ammunition against me.

When we arrived, I parked the van and then got the guitar out of the back and carried it inside. I opened the case and set it on the guitar stand so it could acclimate to the conditions there. Jimmy wasn't very far behind me and did the same with his guitar. We took a look at the play list and didn't see anything that was a big surprise. Then we went to get a Coke and tried to stay away from the table until we had reinforcements.

Allen and Frank showed up and sat down with William at the table. Then Jimmy and I figured it was safe to join them. We chatted about the farms and various other things until Elmer called us up for the first set.

I tried to remove all thoughts from my mind about anything except the music and was fairly successful at doing that. I only made a couple mistakes in my chords during that set. That's the thing about music. You can't have a lot of other thoughts running through your mind if you're going to play with others. You have to concentrate on what you're doing and listen to what is happening with the music. Other thoughts tend to break your concentration and lead to mistakes.

When the set was over, Jimmy and I got a Coke and then headed for the table. Again we chatted about the farms and some other related stuff. I kept myself from glancing at the women's end of the table so I wasn't tempted to get back into the argument. It seemed like a long time while I was setting at the table before Elmer called us up for the second set. I guess when you're not having fun, time doesn't fly by so fast.

Our second set was our rowdy set and we went through a bunch of songs. "Up Against The Wall You Redneck Mother," "I'm Goin' Back To Texas And Be One More Horses Ass," "When I Die, I May Not Go To Texas," "Achy, Breaky Heart," and others in the same class. The folks were up dancing so we knew they were having a good time.

When the set was over, Jimmy and I got ourselves a Coke and rejoined the men's end of the table and continued our chatting. Our conversations were mainly about farming and various other things that we all had in common. I made sure not to cast glances at the women's end of the table so I wouldn't be tempted to continue an argument that didn't belong in public.

Elmer called us up for our third set and Jimmy and I returned to the stage. It was our normal third set routine. Slow, belly-rubbin' songs so the folks could slow dance until the end of our playing. After all, the music was for their benefit and enjoyment and that's what we wanted to accomplish. If it were up to me, I would play Bluegrass and rowdy songs. But, when you're on stage, you are little more than a live jukebox. At least until you're a star, and we were very far from that point. We were just playing so other folks could have some fun.

At the end of the set, we all packed up our instruments and Jimmy and I returned to our end of the table. We chatted with Frank and Allen until Allen decided it was time to go home. He said to Fran that everyone had talked enough and that broke up both ends of the table's conversations. Jimmy, William and myself headed for our vehicles and waited for the women to follow.

It was a very quiet and chilly ride home in the van. Hardly a word was spoken and there was nothing said to me. I made up my mind that I could live with that but I wasn't going to give in on this point. If they wanted to remain silent, then it might be a sign that they weren't sure who was in charge and that could be a good thing.

Everyone showed up at our house to wait for the boys to get home. Jimmy, William and I had our own conversation while the women sat around the dining room table and had their private one. Nobody mentioned the women's avoidance of us and I was glad they didn't. I didn't want to say anything they might hear and hold against me. Women are infamous for that.

When the boys showed up, everyone got their kisses and hugs before departing for their own homes. Cammie was noticeably absent from the group. It appeared like it was going to be a very chilly night in our bedroom.

Once everyone had departed, the kids helped me close up and turn everything off. Then I got a kiss from the girls before they went upstairs to bed.

I headed for our bedroom and saw that Cammie was already in bed. She had the covers pulled up so all that was visible was her face. I didn't say anything, but stripped down and used the bathroom. I thought, if necessary, I could sleep in Bonnie's old bed. It might be less chilly in there anyway.

Tentatively, I slid into bed and pulled the covers up to my chest. I really didn't know what to expect, but what happened next did not even cross my mind.

The covers from Cammie's side came away from her head and she had her hair in two ponytails.

"Mister, I know you're surprised to find me in your bed, but please let me stay. I can't go home tonight."

Okay, my mind was fully blown and I was at a loss for words. But I mentally shook myself and was able to respond.

"Why can't you go home?"

"I just can't."

"Well, you're gonna have to tell me why. I don't want your mama comin' over here and accusin' me of all kinds of things."

"Oh, she won't. I promise she won't, but I can't go home tonight."

"You're still gonna have to tell me why."

"Okay, if I have to."

"Well, you have to if you're wantin' to stay."

"Well, Mama and her boyfriend were both at the house and she had to get ready to go someplace. While she was doin' that, he came up behind me and cupped my titties and whispered in my ear that he as soon as Mama was gone, he was gonna bend me over the table and fuck me until he knocked me up. I'm too young to be knocked up and I can't go back there or he'll do that."

"Don't ya think you could tell your mama what happened and she'd protect you?"

"He'd just lie about it and say I was makin' it all up. I can hear 'em in the bedroom and he makes her really scream by makin' her cum so much, so I know she ain't gonna kick him out."

"She might."

"Nope, I know her. She's done tol' me that it's hard for her to find a man that can make her cum real good, so I know she's gonna hold on to him."

"I don't know about this. I'm thinkin' maybe we should tell somebody and they'd he'p ya out."

"I can't. He'd just lie and I'd be stuck there with him whenever she left. He's a lot bigger'n me and I know he'd bend over and fuck me until he knocked me up real good. I don't wanna have no big belly and have a kid growin' in it. I'm too young for that."

"But folks is liable to think I'm keepin' ya here and they'll charge me with doin' bad things to you."

"I'll tell 'em nothin' happened and they won't be able to prove nothin'."

"It don't really work that way. If they find ya here nekkid with me, they'll have all the proof they need."

"But, please, Mister. I really need your he'p."

"You don't know what you're askin'. I could really be in big trouble."

"Please, Mister? If you let me stay, I'll let you put your big ol' man thing in me, as long as you promise not to knock me up. When you get ready to cum, you can tell me and I'll get off and suck your cum out of you. That way you'll still get a lot of good feelin's."

"I don't' know about that."

"Please? I know I've had you in me before, but nobody that big has been in me since, so I should be real tight. It'll feel really good for ya."

"Wouldn't you think my man thing'd be all yucky after it'd been in you?"

"Oh, that's not yucky. Before I got my big titties, I was on the gymnastic team at school and I was so limber that I could put my legs behind my head and pull myself together and lick my own pussy. I taste really good too."

"So you can't do that no more?"

"Nope, my titties get in the way. But I used to do it all the time before."

"So, you ain't had nobody lick your pussy since you got big titties?"

"No. I've got this girlfriend that'll suck me anytime I let her. She really likes to do that. But I have to make sure we're alone before I let her. She'd do it in the bathroom at school if I'd let her."

"Do you lick her too?"

"Sometimes, but mostly she just licks me. She's real good at it too. She's got a long tongue and she can curl it up and touch my good spot inside of me. If I don't stop her, she'll keep goin' until I pass out. She's done that several times. Now I know to stop her after she makes me cum three or four times, otherwise I'll pass out. So I don't think my pussy is yucky at all. Can I stay, please?"

"I don't know."

"Please? I'll do ya real good. And I'll swallow all your cum too. I like the way it tastes."

"Really?"

"Yep. In fact, I might be able to get my girlfriend to come over sometime and she'll suck ya off too. She's too afraid of gettin' knocked up to fuck at all, but she sure likes to suck folks off. She says she cums when the person she's suckin' gets off. And I know that's right too. 'Cause when she sucks on me, she always cums when I do."

"I'm still not sure."

"Oh, please? You can even suck on my titties while you've got your big ol' man thingy inside of me. I kinda like that anyway."

"Well, if ya promise that nobody'll find out, I guess maybe you can stay. But just for the night. You're gonna have to talk to your mama and get things straightened out."

"Oh, I will, Mister. I promise. But I just need to be here tonight, 'cause I can't go home when she's in a fuckin' mood, like she is now. After she gets fucked out, then I can talk to her."

By now, I was thoroughly confused. This evening, Cammie had been totally on the mad and cold side. Now, she was playing the little girl and wanting to be fucked. This just did not compute, at least in my mind. But I was going to play along with this until it turned away from my advantage. I was born at night, but not last night. Besides, I had a hard on that could cut diamonds.

She pulled the covers back and leaned over and kissed me. This was definitely not the kiss of a little girl. Her tongue went wild in my mouth and her hand moved to caress my raging hard on. I moved my hand to her tit and gently stroked it as goose bumps appeared on her skin.

As she broke the kiss, she said, "Oh, my, I forgot it was this big. It's gonna be tough gettin' that big ol' thing inside me again. I'll need to make it real slick."

With that, she kissed me again and then kissed her way down my body until she came to my cock. She sucked it in very slowly and used her tongue to caress it and to make it wet. That wasn't much of a chore since I was leaking pre-cum like mad.

She spent a good amount of time down there and when she pulled away, I had spit running down my cock and puddling at the base. She moved to my hips and slowly straddled me. Then she grasped my cock and pointed at her pussy. I didn't move a muscle and let her take the lead on this. I wasn't going to spoil whatever she had cooked up in her mind.

She got the head lodged at the entrance of her pussy and then said, "Oh, Mister, this is really big and it's gonna take some time to get that big ol' thing in me."

Then she began to move around some and I have no idea what she was doing, but it felt like she was trying to stuff a limp noodle up a wildcat's ass. Except there was no way I was limp and that sure wasn't her ass.

She managed to get the head in and then said, "Oh God, Mister, please don't move until I get used to this big thing inside me. It's really stretchin' me out."

I have no idea what she was doing, but there was no doubt that she was clenching her pussy muscles and it felt like my cock was in a velvet vise that was compressing it. She panted and moved a little and I could feel her juice slowly leaking around my cock. Then she loosened her muscles a bit and slid a bit more in her.

"Oh, this is so big I think I'm gonna be ruined after we get through. Now remember, don't cum in me. Tell me when you're 'bout ready to cum and I'll get off and suck all your cum out. I'll bet it tastes good with my pussy juice mixed with it."

I just nodded and sort of gritted my teeth and tried to think of anything that would keep me from cumming very quickly. She slowly got more of me inside of her and I took the hint and began to play with her tits.

"Oooo, that feels good, Mister. But you can suck on them if ya wanna."

Playing the game, I said, "If you want me to suck on them, then you have to feed 'em to me."

She opened her eyes and they had a glassy look to them. Then she grasped my shoulder with one hand and cupped her tit with the other and offered it to me. I gently licked the nipple and then sucked on it until the nipple got even longer than it already was. As I got it inside of my mouth, I began to run my tongue over it and produced a moan from her.

She finally moved around enough and allowed me to slide fully inside of her.

"Oh, Mister, it feels like you're up in my stomach. Please don't move until I get used to this. It almost feels like it's ready to come up into my mouth. I didn't remember it bein' this big and long."

I kept sucking on her nipple and she finally pulled that one out and offered me the other one. I did the same thing to it and she moaned and began to squirm. It seemed like I had been inside of her for a full five minutes before she began to move. She took short strokes at first, but then began to take full length strokes, almost moving completely off of me and then back down. She was very slow and deliberate in her motions.

"Oh, Mister, I feel so full when you're all inside of me. I can't even imagine how much bigger my little pussy would be if I had to squeeze a baby out of it. I'd be wrecked for life. Please remember not to cum in me."

I didn't say anything, but kept at my sucking and licking her nipples as she offered them to me. I know I've been in tighter pussies before, but I couldn't remember when. She was extremely tight and she had to be really clenching to do that.

It wasn't too long before she came and her pussy got even tighter. She stopped moving and I doubt seriously that I could have moved if I had wanted to. When her spasms had passed, she began to move again and I worked with her. She seemed to have a goal in this game and I was playing along as best as I could. But it was getting more difficult with each motion she made. She would rear back and rub her g-spot over the head of my cock. She would cum and I would have to think of unpleasant things to keep from cumming.

I lost track of the number of times she came, but she finally got me to the point that I knew it wouldn't be too long and I would be spewing. As I had promised, I let it go until I was really close and then said, "Little girl, I'm gettin' real close to cummin', so you'd best stop now."

"Oh, Mister, I don't know if I can. Can't you hold off just a bit more?"

"Nope, if you don't get off now, I'm gonna cum for sure and knock you up."

"Oh God, no, please don't knock me up."

She stopped and sat upright and then slowly rose off of me. My cock plopped back down and smacked my stomach and then rose to full mast again. In an instant, she had her mouth over the head of my cock and began licking.

"Ummmm, we taste good together, just like I knew we would."

Then she went back to sucking and licking the underside of my head. In less than a minute, I was spurting in her mouth. She moaned as I did and I could feel her swallow with each spurt. As she sucked on me, I played with her tits and gently pulled on her nipples. As the spurts got less powerful, she began to use her hand to try and get more out of me. She kept sucking and licking until she was convinced that there was no more she could tease from my body. Then she crawled up and kissed me.

"Thanks for not knockin' me up, Mister. But you sure did make me cum a lot. I think I came more then than I ever did before. I was gettin' kinda dizzy at the end, but it sure felt good. And, your cum and my pussy juice sure do taste good together. I'm gonna want more of that. If my titties weren't so big, I'd let you cum in me when I wasn't in the danger days and then I'd suck it out so I could get a good mix."

"Well, I sure don't wanna knock you up. Then there would be folks askin' a lot of questions. I sure don't need to go to jail for fuckin' you."

"Oh, I'd never let that happen. I'd say someone else did it before I'd let that happen."

"Who would you say did it?"

"I don't know. One of the boys that I fuck ever once in a while. They don't have big cocks and I kinda like it. A couple of 'em can't even cum yet, but I make sure I'm not in my danger days when I fuck anyone. I sure don't wanna have no baby tryin' to get outta my pussy. Your big ol' cock is plenty big for me so I sure don't wanna have some baby stretchin' me out."

She cuddled in my arms for a bit and then got up and went to the bathroom. I tried to run this scenario through my mind and discover what I had missed. I sure didn't see this coming and I'm not usually that surprised about things. But this came completely out of the blue. Was she trying to dazzle me with a bunch of sex so I'd finally give in? Or maybe she figures she'd wear me down and I'd not argue so much. I didn't know, but I would try to be ready for whatever she had planned, if I could. If this was makeup sex, I sure hadn't heard anything about making up.

I was as confused when she came back as I was when she went to the bathroom.

She came back to bed and snuggled up to me. Her hair was now back down and looked normal. That was confusing too.

"I'm sorry I tried to force them pants on you. I didn't realize that you were so dead set again' 'em."

Talk about things coming out of the blue.

"Darlin', I wasn't upset about the pants at all. It was the belt that upset me. I tol' ya that my belts, hats and boots were off limits and that they were a personal choice. And as soon as I turn around, you up and buy me a new belt that ain't anywhere close to what I'd consider wearin'."

"I know, and I was wrong to do that. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course, but only if you promise not to do it again. I don't like fightin' and I especially don't like fightin' with you."

"I don't like fightin' with you, neither. I just wanted to get you in style. But that ain't who you are, so I was wrong to try that."

"Darlin', there's an old sayin' about relationships that goes, 'Women enter a relationship and think, he's got a few flaws, but I can change him. Men enter a relationship and think, she's great, now if she just don't change. What happens in reality is that the men don't change and the women have to change to accept the fact that the man won't change. Both sometimes wind up unhappy.' That's what you were tryin' to do and it just won't work. If you can't accept what and who I am, then we're gonna have a lot of problems. A relationship must be built on trust and each of us has to trust the other with some vital things. Once that trust is lost, then it's really hard times. When the trust is lost, then respect also suffers and them things are key to a good relationship."

"I know and I'll try not to do that no more. I just kinda wanted you to be different than most of the men around here. They all wear them belts and big buckles and I just wanted you to be different."

"Well, there might be a reason for them wearin' things like that. It's comfortable. The belts, boots and hats are part of our personality. And it's an important part. It sorta defines us. Nobody around here has a buckle like the ones I wear. I like it like that. My boots are comfortable to me and I don't feel like losin' that comfort. My hats are also somethin' that reflects my choices. I pick 'em out because I like 'em. I don't try to tell you how to dress because I respect your choices in things and I get bent out of shape when you don't respect my choices."

"I know that now and I'll try not to do that ever again. Can you answer me a question?"

"Probably."

"Why do you wear them western suits?"

"There's a really good explanation for that. I have to have my suits custom made because I'm not built so the ones off of the rack will fit me. The custom made stuff is pretty expensive and I don't wanna have them go out of style real quick. Western suits don't have the changes of the normal business suits, so I don't have keep updating them. I can buy two suits that will last me for a few years and not worry about that at all."

"I guess that makes sense. Why don't the suits in the store fit you?"

"Well, my shoulders are too big for my waist on the coat and my legs are too big for my waist on the pants. If I buy one that fits my shoulders, the waist on the coat is way too big and can't be cut down to fit right. If I buy it to fit the waist, then my shoulders will rip the back seam apart. If I buy pants to fit my waist, then the legs are skintight. If I buy them to fit my legs, then the waist is so big that I have to fold it over or have it cut down so the back pockets meet. They just don't look right on me."

"I guess that sounds right. I've never seen you in a store bought suit so I don't know, but it would seem like they'd make some sizes to fit folks like you."

"Well, they don't. Jimmy and I have the same problem. The shoulders is from swimmin' so much and the legs are from all the other stuff we used to do. Maybe when I got older and fatter, them store suits will fit me."

"What about the Dockers and Levis? How come they fit?"

"They don't. If you ever notice, the legs on all of my pants are almost skintight. I have to check each pair of pants out before I buy 'em to make sure they'll fit. It's not easy findin' ones that do fit. That's why I stick to certain brands. Because I know how they're cut."

"Well, now that I know, I'll try never to change them things on you again. If I slip up, you'll just have to remind me."

"I'll make sure and do that. It also works for shoppin'. I just don't like that and resist it with all my might."

"I've noticed."

We kissed and cuddled for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions. To say I was confused would be putting it lightly, but I was willing to accept things on their face without questioning too much. I sure didn't want to spoil a good thing.



-------

Chapter 75


I awoke to the rooster and smiled to myself that I was in a place in my life that I was so content. I know a lot of folks search for this and never find it, so I considered myself very lucky.

I teased Cammie's nipple and she moaned as she grasped my hand and then turned over to kiss me.

"I can't think of a better way to wake up than this," she whispered, as she kissed me.

"Me neither," I agreed, after the kiss.

She kissed me again and then slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I pulled the covers back and followed her. I claimed the throne when she was done and then we both washed up before getting dressed and heading for the kitchen.

Everyone was already there and I got a kiss from Dianne, Donna and Chrissy. I went to work grinding the coffee and waited silently for the water to boil. As soon as it started, I emptied the pots into the presses and put more water in the pans for the next batch of coffee.

Once they had steeped, I poured the contents of the three presses into regular coffee pots and carried them to the dining room. I put two on the pot warmers and carried the third out to the front porch.

I poured Jimmy, William and myself a cup and then sat down to light my first of the morning.

"I surely wanna thank you," Jimmy said, with a big grin on his face.

"Well, you're surely welcome, but for what?"

"You takin' that stand on them pants seems to have cured Bonnie of wantin' to change me, or at least that's the way it seems. We had a talk last night and she tol' me to just tell her what my limits were and she'd try and steer clear of 'em."

"Glad I could he'p. But it was touch and go there for a bit."

"Well, this time you won, but I wouldn't get too proud about it. Women have a habit of knockin' the stilts out from under any pride."

"Oh, I ain't proud of it at all. Actually, I'm more confused than anythin' else. Normally I don't win things that easy. I'm almost waitin' for the other shoe to fall."

"I don't think it's that bad, but both Cammie and Bonnie seem to know their limits, at least for the time bein'."

"I'll take that as a positive thing and quit while I'm not any farther behind."

"Good thinkin'. Ain't no sense in beatin' a dead horse."

"Nope."

We sipped our coffee and the kids joined us after they put the milk and eggs away. They poured themselves a cup of coffee and Jamie took the empty coffee pot in and returned with a full one.

We chatted about various things and Jimmy asked what our plans were for today. I told him that with the rain we couldn't do much of anything. The boys said they wanted to work on the bowl and maybe get the first one done. Since there was nothing much else to do, I agreed with that plan for them.

The girls didn't know what Cammie and Bonnie had planned, if anything, so they had no idea what they were going to do. Jimmy said he might just rest and maybe take a nap since he had a late night. I told him I might do the same.

We were almost finished with our second pot of coffee before Donna came to call us for breakfast. The women had fixed sour dough pancakes and everyone dug in while they were still hot. Lena, Bonnie and Cammie were still in the kitchen making more. The rest of us worked on the mountain of pancakes they had on the table already.

I had two big helpings of pancakes and sausage before I quit eating and sat back to sip my coffee. However, my appetite was put to shame by Cammie and Bonnie. They packed away the pancakes like they hadn't eaten in several days. I guess Jimmy had good reason to thank me after all.

Once everyone was finished stuffing themselves, we sat back and sipped our coffee. Cammie said they were going back to Searcy to continue their shopping since they hadn't completed it yesterday. Bonnie said they'd be home about 3 and that would give them plenty of time to fix dinner. I just nodded and gave silent thanks that I wouldn't be going with them. I told her we'd wait for them to return before we killed the chickens. She said that would be fine.

We finished our coffee and then the guys all headed for the workshop. The women stayed in the house and worked on cleaning the kitchen so they could go shopping.

The boys went directly to the bowl and got things laid out for what they would be doing. There was a lot of wood on the outside that needed to be removed. While they were getting the planes out and setting up, William walked over to his trunks and opened one of them. He got out a broad axe and carried it over to the bench.

"Boys, it's time for a change in strategy. It would take ya'all forever to remove all that wood with planes. Ya'all are about to learn how to do rough work."

They kind of looked at him with disbelief in their eyes. They had put a great deal of effort in this project and now he was brining out an axe to work on it with. It just didn't seem to add up.

"This is not a normal type of axe that ya'all use around here. This is an old fashioned broad axe. When this was made, steel was very expensive so the majority of this is made out of iron. There is a steel plate that is welded to the iron on the cuttin' edge and that's what is sharpened to do the cuttin'. This is not made to chop down trees at all. This is made for shapin' wood. Now the way this works is that you need to make several scorin' chops like this."

He held the wood with one hand and started at the bottom. He made about four chops at a steep angle to loosen what needed to be removed. Then he lessened the angle and chopped in a straight downward motion, removing what he had loosened before.

"Each time ya'all do this, ya'all need to remember what the shape of this is gonna be. That means ya take deeper chops at the bottom of the work so you're removin' more down there than at the top. Ya'all don't need to swing very hard. This is sharp and will do all the cuttin' that's needed. Ya'all just need to provide the force for it to cut."

He repeated his actions several times and the boys watched intently as he removed wood and began to shape the outside of the bowl. Then he handed the axe to Jamie and showed him how to hold it. Jamie took a grip about half way up the handle and then grabbed the back part of the bowl. His first cut was too strong and the chip went flying off.

"Not so hard, Jamie. Keep it at a pretty good angle and just let the axe cut into the wood."

Jamie swung again and this time used less force. The axe took a good bite, but didn't split the chip away.

"Ok, now do the same thing just above that, but with less muscle."

Jamie swung again and left the chip in place. Then he moved above that cut and did the same thing. After one more cut, William instructed him to change the angle of the axe and remove what he had loosened. He went about halfway around the bowl until he got into the rhythm of the work. Then he handed the axe to Jessie and William worked with him to get him to let the axe do the work and not use so much muscle.

Once Jessie had the thing working in his favor, he handed it back to Jamie and he went to work on his half of the bowl. Jimmy and I watched them until the women pulled up outside and honked.

We all went to the door and saw that it was raining pretty hard. Cammie rolled her window down and said they were leaving and would be back in time to cook dinner. I told them to have fun and Jimmy told them not to spend too much. They waved and drove off. We all went back inside the shop.

The boys and William went back to work on the bowl and Jimmy and I watched until we got completely bored. There is just so much watching that either one of us can take.

I told them that I was going to go up to the house and do some stuff up there and that I'd ring the bell when lunch was ready. Jimmy said he was going to his place and that I didn't need to call him for lunch because he'd find something around there. With that, we headed to the house.

Jimmy got in his vehicle and drove off while I went inside. I had to change shirts because I was soaked from the walk up. It was coming down pretty hard.

It didn't take long to get bored at the house because I really didn't have anything to do. It was too early to fix lunch, so I decided I'd sharpen the knives. I hadn't done that in a while and I was sure the women had worked their wonders on the blades. Knife edges will last a good long time if they are used properly. Unfortunately, the women don't know the proper use. They are continually cutting things on surfaces other than wood.

I got my kit out and then assembled all of the knives on the kitchen table. I set the timer on the stove so I wouldn't lose track of time and forget to fix lunch.

Once I got all set up, I began on the knives. A few of them were still very sharp and I had to assume they were not used much by the women. It seems like everyone has their own favorite knife and the others are left alone as long as their favorite still cuts.

I was about halfway through sharpening when the timer went off. I set everything aside and fixed our soup and sandwiches. Then I rang the dinner bell and waited for them to come to lunch. The rain had slacked off a bit, so they weren't completely soaked when they arrived.

After lunch, the boys cleaned up and returned to sharpening the knives. William had never seen the setup I had for that and he was really interested.

"Boy, that solves the problem of maintainin' the proper angle when you're sharpenin'."

"Yep, that's the main reason I bought it. There's another stone for sharpenin' the ripple edged knives, but I've never bought it. I never had any before I came down here."

"Well, they're kinda nice for cuttin' bread, but that's about all. If you've got a good edge, you really don't even need 'em then."

"I just have to remember to warn the females that I sharpened the knives again. I don't wanna have to be runnin' 'em to the hospital to sew fingers back on."

"Yep, they'll fuss and fight with a dull blade and then complain about a sharp knife too. Hard to keep 'em satisfied."

"I heard dat."

The boys finished up and the drug William back out to the workshop so they could continue to work on the bowl. I finished up with the knives and then washed all of them so I wouldn't get accused of putting things away dirty. Then I printed up a big sign and hung it on the knife block. "VERY SHARP KNIVES!!!" I'd try to remember to tell them when they got home, but that was in case I forgot to tell them or they forgot I did tell them.

After that chore was done, I headed for the living room and found a pre-season football game on. I must have watched a full ten minutes of the game before I fell asleep. That couch and the TV just seemed to conspire to put me to sleep.

Jamie woke me a little after three and told me what time it was. I sat up and shook the cobwebs from my mind.

"Grandpa said we should kill the chickens before the women get home and then maybe we could feed so that would be done."

"Good idea. Why don't you get a big kettle of water on the stove to boil and then we'll go catch the chickens. That way we can have 'em killed, plucked and gutted by the time they get here."

He went to the kitchen and I pulled my boots on and found my hat. He had a big pot of water on the stove on the porch and I caught up with everyone there. We headed for the chicken coop and they grabbed four chickens. We carried them to the clothesline and hung them upside down. As soon as they quit flopping around, I cut their throats and let them bleed out.

Jamie carried the big pot of water out and Jessie brought a garbage bag out. We dipped the chickens and wiped the feathers off. Then we plucked what feathers didn't come off.

We took them inside and I got out a cutting board and went to work on gutting them. I had Jessie get a bowl and put the gizzards, heart and livers in there, after cleaning the gizzards. Once that was done, we covered them with old dishtowels and headed to the equipment shed.

It had quit raining, at least for now, and I pulled the spreader under the feed bin. William filled the spreader and we both put the tarp over the feed. It wasn't raining now, but it could at any minute.

When we got to the pastures, Jamie and Jessie speared the hay bales and Jessie and William cut them apart while I spread the feed. On the way back, it started drizzling again.

We stopped briefly at the stream and I could see that it was up about six inches over normal. It was flowing pretty strong, but there wasn't any debris coming with it. We got back to the shed and I washed out the spreader and then put everything away.

The women were home by the time we got back and we found them in the kitchen.

"I sharpened the knives," I told, them as we walked in.

"We noticed," Bonnie said, as she looked up from the cutting board. "It's a good thing you put that sign up or I woulda cut my fingers off."

"Why didn't ya'all tell me they were gettin' dull?"

"So we wouldn't need to wear protective gloves to keep from takin' a finger off. These things will just cut right through everythin' without much pressure at all."

"That's the way they're supposed to work."

"I know, but we get used to 'em the way they were and we forget."

I just shook my head and walked out to the front porch.

"How far did ya'all get with the bowl?" I asked, as I took my seat.

"They've got a goodly amount done," William said. "They'll be ready to use the planes here, 'fore too long. They's a bit more shapin' to do, but they's 'bout done with the axe."

"Well, at least they got to learn how to use it."

"Yep, and they done right well too."

We chatted for a bit and then Jimmy showed up. He joined the conversation as we waited for our call to supper. We talked mainly about what we could do tomorrow. That, of course, depended a lot on the weather. It was supposed to clear up tonight. But even if it did, the ground would be too wet to allow any work in the fields. Jimmy had the idea that we might be able to work on the stumps that remained because they would probably be easier to pull from the wet dirt. We all agreed that might be a good plan.

Donna finally called us to dinner and we all filed to the table. Of course they had prepared the fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy but we also had green beans, a fresh salad, and corn on the cob. It was probably pretty muddy in the garden and someone had to get their feet wet to pick the corn. Then Donna brought in the cobblers that she had fixed. Everything was great and we all stuffed ourselves.

After we finished the food, we sat back and sipped our coffee. I told everyone that I had printed out their per diem forms for the modeling and that they should sign them so we could send the in and get paid. I got nods from everyone involved, but that was it.

Once the coffee was finished, the women went about clearing the table and tending to the dishes. The kids went to milk and feed while us men settled on the front porch.

We chatted until the kids came back and they joined the conversation. Charlene and Deanne told us about their shopping trip and all the school clothes they had bought. Of course, us men had to act interested as they described their shopping trip.

When the women finished in the kitchen, they joined us on the porch. Donna claimed my lap and Cammie snuggled up beside me. They too told us about their shopping and what they had bought. Us guys tried to look attentive while they described the items they bought, but I think we probably failed as the conversation sort of trailed off.

We told them about our plans to work on the stumps tomorrow if nothing else came up and they nodded, I guess in agreement. We kept the conversation going until it got dark and then adjourned to the living room.

We turned on the TV and watched the news. The satellite images showed the storm moving through and it did appear that it would leave the area tonight. They had flash flood warnings up for most of the counties around us and said the major water would hit tomorrow as the run off went down stream.

After the news, everyone got and gave their hugs and kisses and everyone departed for their own abodes. The ones that were left here helped my close up and turn off everything. I got a kiss from the girls before they went upstairs.

Cammie and I headed for the bedroom and stripped down. I headed for the shower to wash off the collection of dirt and sweat I had accumulated. Cammie went directly to the hot tub room after she rinsed off and I followed as soon as I got the soap off of me.

I set the timer for 15 minutes and we both settled in the tub and let the jets ease the muscles into relaxation. We hadn't been there long when Donna and Chrissy showed up.

"How come you didn't invite us?" Chrissy asked, as she came into the room.

"I didn't know you needed an invitation," I told her.

Both of them stripped off their robes and went to the shower to rinse off. Then they climbed in beside us. Chrissy was on my left and Donna settled in next to Cammie.

Almost instantaneously, Chrissy moved to kiss me. I returned the kiss and she got more aggressive. I heard a moan next to me and assumed that Cammie and Donna were doing the same.

It didn't take me long until I was rock hard and Chrissy took advantage of that. She straddled me and used her hand to guide my cock to the entrance of her pussy. It was a bit difficult for her to get me inside of her since the water tends to wash away the lubrication, but she finally managed to impale herself. Once I was partially in, the lubrication was greater and she was soon resting on my lap.

Her mouth never left mine as she began to move in a circular motion, grinding her clit against my pubic bone. I played with her tits and gently pulled on her nipples as she increased her movements.

It didn't take her very long to cum. Probably less than two minutes before her muscles clenched in orgasm and she went rigid. Her pussy snapped at me as she shuddered through a fairly large cum. She rode it out and then almost collapsed against me.

"It's been a long time and that sure felt good," she said as she caught her breath.

I just kissed her ear and neck as she recovered.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Donna and Cammie had moved to the edge of the tub and Donna was on her back with her legs wrapped around Cammie's chest. They were locked in an embrace and their mouths were glued together. Cammie was making small strokes so she wouldn't come out of Donna and both were moaning.

Chrissy recovered and began to move again. I tried to compliment her movements so she would get the most pleasure, but it was difficult since she wasn't real smooth as her hips ground against me. Her second orgasm came as quickly as her first and she tensed up as it hit.

She had to pull her mouth away so she could gasp for air and her entire body trembled as it rumbled through her. I held her and kissed on her neck and ear and let her ease back down.

Even though Cammie's little girl character had visited me last night, I was getting close to joining Chrissy in her orgasms. It didn't seem possible that I could do that so soon, but having a 16 year old on you sort of changes the rules.

"Let's move out of the water," she said, as she regained her senses. "My legs are crampin' up and I can't move too good."

I held on to her and stood up with me still inside of her. I took a step back and then up on the seat and sat down on the edge, next to Cammie and Donna's head. They didn't seem to notice our presence and I didn't do anything to disturb them.

Chrissy went back to work as soon as we were settled and she got her legs placed where she wanted them. There was more room out here and I guess her cramped position did feel a bit constrictive.

Now that there was more lubrication, she increased her movements and began to move up and down as she went around in a circle with her hips. I can't say that this was my favorite position, but I was inside of her and that wasn't bad at all. I couldn't move a lot since my back was not against anything and I didn't have a lot of leverage. But that didn't seem to matter much to Chrissy. She was moving for both of us.

As she approached her next orgasm, I felt myself getting very close. I tried to thrust upward, but didn't have a lot of success. I couldn't move much, but I tried the best I could. She slammed down hard against me and then the tickle started.

She must have felt me grow inside of her because she opened her eyes and gasped as the first shot exploded from my depths and exited inside of her. That set her off even more and she went wild. She slammed against me, repeatedly, and moaned even louder. I was gasping for air as my muscles contracted to expel any cum my body could manufacture.

Her pussy kept snapping and it seemed like it was sucking the cum out of my depths as she worked her magic on me. My cum kept exploding from the end of my cock and her pussy kept sucking it upwards. I'm sure at the end, I didn't have anything to expel, but that didn't stop the contractions at all. My prostrate was in the dry heave mode and didn't have any intention of quitting and I wasn't interested in trying to quit, either.

But, as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Finally, I slumped and began to shrink inside of her. She locked her legs around me and held me tightly against her. She shuddered through her after shocks and I held her and stroked her body as she slowly came down.

I noticed movement beside me but didn't pay much attention to it. I was still coping with my shrinking and Chrissy's afterglow. We stayed like that for a few minutes and then Chrissy abruptly broke the embrace.

She stood up and moved to her left and straddled Donna's head. She lowered her pussy to Donna's waiting mouth and Cammie almost dove on my very wet cock. She nursed on it and coaxed any cum she could find as she lapped up our combined juices.

Chrissy leaned over to kiss me, as we were both being orally serviced by the others. She was having small orgasms or strong aftershocks as Donna sucked our juices from her pussy. About all I could do was to accept Chrissy's tongue and gently suck on it as Cammie's wonderful tongue worked on me.

I don't know how long that lasted, but the jets had ceased sometime ago and finally Cammie let go of me and came up to kiss me. I noticed that Chrissy had dismounted Donna's head and moved to lying on her body as she shared Donna's treasure from her mouth.

We stayed like that for a bit and then broke our embraces. Cammie got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy and then we moved to the shower.

The girls got the showerheads all working and the fountains from the floor going. I grabbed a bar of soap and washed up. The women took turns over the fountains and held each other so they wouldn't collapse and hurt themselves.

When we were all finally done, I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy as they departed for their beds. Cammie and I headed for our bed and cuddled and kissed until we got drowsy and assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off. It had been an eventful night.



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Chapter 76


Cammie woke me up with a kiss. I guessed I hadn't heard the rooster and just slept through it.

"Time to wake up, sleepy head," she said, as she broke the kiss.

"I reckon ya'all wore me out last night," I responded.

"I guess we did. Havin' four women after ya can do that."

"Well, at least I slept good."

"Ya, but I missed my wake up tease."

"Sorry 'bout that. But that's what happens when ya'all wear me out."

She kissed me again and then scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed and claimed the throne after she relinquished it and we both washed up. Then we got dressed and headed for the kitchen.

We were the last ones to arrive. I got a kiss from Chrissy, Donna and Dianne and then went to work on the coffee. The water was already boiling by the time I had it all ground and I filled three presses and waited for them to steep.

When they were ready, I filled three coffee pots and carried them to the dining room. I put two on the pot warmers and took the third to the porch. I poured a cup of coffee for all three of us and then lit my first as I settled onto a chair.

"Runnin' late today?" Jimmy asked.

"A bit. Guess I'm startin' to like my sleep too much."

"Or you might just be gettin' old."

"Bite your tongue."

"Well, we need to check the pastures first thing. The stream is really up. I guess the run off finally got here."

"I was afraid of that. I sure hope we don't have to move the fences and that we ain't lost no calves."

"Hopefully they're smart enough to stay out of the current and just drink."

"Well, I guess we'd best take the horses. The tractors would probably sink in too much."

"Probably would. It's awfully muddy."

The kids joined us and we told them about our plans. The boys agreed and the girls said that Bonnie was going to be working on her campaign posters and they had all been drafted to help. I told them I was sure they'd be a lot of help with their artistic talents. We chatted until Donna called us for breakfast and then we all headed for the dining room.

Breakfast was quiet until we finished eating. I told the women what our plans were and they agreed that was a good idea. Bonnie said they were going to be working on her posters so they'd be ready when the photo stuff got here from Denver. I just nodded and continued sipping my coffee.

Once we finished our coffee, us guys headed for the barn. We got our tack and I saddled the stallion and then went to get horses for the rest of them. When they were saddled, we headed for the pastures.

The stream was really up. Normally, it's about six inches where we cross it, but it was about two feet deep and very swift. The horses were a bit hesitant, but we finally coaxed them across and then made our way to the pastures.

We rode to the back of the first pasture and the calves were milling around the edge of the stream. Of course, this wasn't the pasture with the steep bank, so they weren't in much danger as long as they didn't wander out to the fence. The top strand of the fence was almost covered, so the water had to be at least three feet deep there, maybe even deeper.

The second pasture was about the same except the calves weren't hanging around the water as much. A few were drinking, but the rest seemed to be grazing.

The third was a different story. Two calves had wandered in and got moved to the portion with the steep bank. They seemed to be having trouble either making it to the place where they came in or remembering where it was. There was a slight bend in the stream there and they couldn't see the place they came in from where they were. It looked like they had tried climbing the bank and had slipped back several times.

I got my rope off the saddle and made a good-sized loop and then threw it at the nearest calf. I was successful, and probably lucky, because it settled around its head. I pulled the loop tight and then wrapped the rope around the saddle horn and moved the stallion towards the shallow slope. But I could only go so far and I had to dismount and Jimmy and I had to pull the calf the rest of the way by hand.

Jamie lassoed the other calf and brought it to the point where Jimmy and I were standing. We took his rope and pulled it the rest of the way so it could walk out of the water. It appeared that the calves were exhausted, probably from trying to climb out in the wrong place. Once we released them, the walked up with the rest of the herd and began grazing. I was pretty sure they were all right and would be fine after they rested for a while.

"It might be a good idea to knock that bank down some after it dries out," I told them.

"Probably couldn't hurt much," Jimmy replied. "I wonder how long this will be up this high?"

"I don't know, but I sure don't wanna try to cut the bank now."

"Me neither, but I wonder if we're gonna have to do this a bunch of times."

"I don't know, but I don't think we should be stringin' wire now either. That stream's right swift."

"Yep, but it ain't as bad on the other side. Do ya reckon we could wade in over there and attach a strand of wire to a line and toss it over here and then just pull it across the stream?"

"Might be able to. If we drive in a couple posts and then angle the wire so they can't get around that point, it might work just fine."

"I'm fer that. Calves is too expensive to let drown."

With that idea in our heads, we headed back to the equipment shed. We got two steel posts and a sledgehammer. Then I got a roll of barbed wire and some dikes. Jessie went to the workshop and found a long length of nylon rope and brought it back. Then I headed for the house and got my sneakers to wade in. I really didn't want my boots full of water.

Jamie and I took the barbed wire with one pair of dikes and the rope and headed for the pasture on this side of the stream that butted up to the other one. The rest of them took the steel posts and the sledgehammer and another pair of dikes and headed back to the other pasture.

Jamie and I made it to our pasture before the others made it to theirs. We waited for them to appear and I changed into my sneakers and put my hat on the saddle horn so it wouldn't get wet or washed away. I sized up the situation and thought it best to run the wire at an angle from the second post on this side and let them drive the posts on the other side by the point.

When they arrived, I told them my plan and they agreed. Jimmy drove the first post in right at the water's edge and then walked back to the top of the rise and drove that one in there. He drove the one at the top a lot deeper since it would have to provide support for the one by the stream.

With their side ready, I put the rope around my neck and carried the barbed wire out with me. When I got to the fence, I was over waist deep in the stream. I put the wire around the post and let it rest there and then got the rope uncoiled. I attached an end to the barbed wire and then threw the coil to the other bank. It just barely made it and Jimmy grabbed it before the current could take it down stream. I picked up the roll of wire and held it taut while he pulled the rope and dragged the end of the barbed wire over to him.

"Take it all the way to the far post and secure it there, first. Then you can secure it to the near one. When you're secure over there, I'll secure it over here."

He drug the wire all the way up to the far post and made several wraps around the post and then tied it off by looping the wire around the wire coming up. With that done, he stretched it tight and made two loops around the post by the stream. It was down low and that would be under water by the time I tied it off over there.

Once he signaled he was done, I pulled the wire taut and then estimated what I would need to secure it over here and cut the wire. I needed to get the wire under the bottom strand on this side and I couldn't do that without going under water. It was murky and I couldn't see anything so it would have to be done by feel.

I took a deep breath and went under. The current wasn't that strong over on this side, but it was still moving, so I had to keep a good footing to keep from getting washed down stream or getting washed into the fence and not being able to get free.

I pulled the wire as taut as I could and then looped it around the post several times. Then I made a couple loops around the fence wire and hoped that it would hold against the current. I surfaced and took a few breaths to get my air back. I hadn't been under for more than a minute, but that's a long time when you're not used to it. The good news was that I wouldn't need to go under for the next strand.

Jimmy threw the rope back to me and I tied it to the coil of barbed wire and threw it back. He caught it and just attached it to the post by the water. The other strand would keep the post from being pulled forward and we didn't need any more support. When he had his end secured, I measured and then cut what I needed and secured it to the post on the second strand on this fence. With that chore taken care of, I grabbed the roll of wire and waded out. I was soaked, but it was fairly warm out and I was sure I wouldn't take a chill.

I handed Jamie the roll of wire and then stuffed the dikes and my boots into the saddlebags and we started back for the house. I was glad I had washed and oiled the saddle last week because it sure got a soaking with me riding wet.

When we got back to the barn, I unsaddled the stallion and turned him out. Jamie did the same to his mount and I headed for the house to change clothes. Of course, Cammie wanted to know why I was wet and I explained things to her. She just nodded like she completely understood and I headed for the bedroom.

I swapped clothes and then made my way back to the equipment shed. Jessie fired up the tractor with the wagon and Jimmy got his tractor with the high lift on it going. Jamie, William and I got our tools from the workshop, which was the chain saw, a couple axes, the hand trowel and some chain and put everything on the wagon and then climbed on ourselves.

Once we got to the area of the stumps, the tractors were making some pretty heavy tracks. Jessie parked his tractor off to the side and Jimmy pulled up to the first stump. Jessie had trowel duty and he went to the stump and began digging so he could put the chain through. Jamie brought the chain over and Jessie soon had an opening and fed the chain through.

Jimmy pulled forward so the forks were above the stump and Jamie hooked the chain around them and then backed away from the lash up. Jimmy increased the rpm's and raised the forks slowly. Once the slack was out of the chain, the stump strained a bit and then lifted out of the ground. There were some runner roots still attached and I fired up the chain saw and quickly cut them. Then Jimmy swung the stump over to the freed stump area and lowered it to the ground. Jamie unhooked the chain and they came back over.

"That sure came free quickly," Jimmy said, over the noise of the tractor.

"Yep," I shouted back, "the ground's so wet that the roots ain't got nothin' holdin' 'em in."

We moved to the next stump and it worked the same way. We were removing a stump about every ten minutes. It's difficult to believe how hard we had worked on the others and how easy these were. We had about nine stumps taken out when William heard the dinner bell ring. He motioned to everyone and we quickly shut things down and headed for the wagon. Jessie drove us over to the farm and we washed up on the back porch and then started for the dining room. Cammie stopped us at the kitchen door.

"Take them boots off. Ya'all are gonna track up the whole house."

We all looked down at our boots and they were very muddy. We all pulled our boots off and then walked to the dining room table.

We dug into our soup and sandwiches and gulped our iced tea down. We hadn't taken anything to drink with us and were all a bit dry. Once we had eaten, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

The women said they had been working in the garden and picking most of what was out there. Bonnie said I needed to order another six dozen quart jars and four dozen pint jars all with the lids. I told her I'd do that when we came in this evening.

We told them how easy the stumps were coming out and that we would probably be done by tomorrow. They asked what we were going to do with the land once it was cleared and that puzzled me.

"I really haven't thought about it," I told them. "It's good soil and it probably wouldn't be too hard to get the rocks out. But I haven't thought about what we should grow over there. I'll take any idea ya'all might come up with."

They all said they'd think about it and we worked on finishing our coffee. We chatted about other things too, but mainly we just drank our coffee.

When the coffee was gone, us guys headed for the back porch and put our boots on and then climbed on the wagon and Jessie drove us back across the road so we could continue our stump pulling. Cammie and Donna had filled a thermos with iced tea and sent some plastic glasses with us.

We worked all afternoon, until about 4, when William told us what time it was. He had picked out four stumps and had Jimmy set them on the wagon to go back to the workshop. We would work on them later. Right now, we needed to feed the calves.

I got the tractor with the spreader hooked up and drove under the feed bin hopper. William filled it up and then climbed up with me. Jimmy and the boys had already left for the pastures.

When we got there, the boys were cutting apart a hale bale in the first pasture and I drove to the troughs and spread the grain for that pasture. Then I drove out the gate and William closed it and climbed up with me for the ride to the second pasture. We fed there and then moved to the last one.

Jimmy speared a hay bale and dumped it in the feeding ring and then drove off towards the stream. I spread the feed and waited for him to return. It took a bit, but he finally came back and said that the fence seemed to be holding and no calves were stuck in the water. Then we headed back for the house.

When we got there, I got the hose and washed out the spreader and then turned it on my boots. Everyone else lined up and took their turn with the hose and cleaned their boots off. I parked the tractor and we all walked to the front porch.

Jimmy and Jessie kicked their boots off and brought out a pitcher of tea and glasses with ice for all of us. We sat back and sipped our tea and chatted about things.

William said he thought the stumps we brought back would make good bowls and could probably get two out of each stump. The one stump was oblong and would have to be worked by hand, but the other two could probably be worked with the lathe. The boys said they were looking forward to that.

It wasn't long until Donna called us for supper and we all walked inside. Our boots had dried by then and we just wore them to the table. We got a wicked glance from Cammie as we walked in, but she looked at our boots and then didn't say anything.

We had a big pork roast and it was absolutely delicious. There were also mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, peas, and a fresh salad. By the time I had finished, I was stuffed. Then Donna brought out apple cobblers and I made room for more to settle in my stomach. When the eating was done, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"We're thinkin' about havin' ever'one out for Labor Day," Cammie said.

"Ever'one?" I asked.

"You know, Dianne's folks and the twins folks."

"Oh, that ever'one."

"Yes. And we're thinkin' about doin' steaks."

"That's fine with me."

"Well, they'll bring a bunch of stuff and we'll all make ice cream too."

"That'll work."

"Well, I'm thinkin' we should have it on Monday, ya know, really Labor Day, but I'll have to check with 'em to see if that's ok. We might have it on Sunday if they've got other plans."

"Either way, it'll work."

We finished our coffee and then left the dining room table. The kids went to milk and feed and the women worked on clearing the table and cleaning the kitchen. Us guys just headed for the porch and found a comfortable seat to let our digestive system take over so our stomachs would decrease in size after the big meal.

We chatted until the kids came back and then they joined the conversation. They talked about using that day for the last swimming party of the year. I told them it was fine as long as they made sure everyone was on the wagon before it started moving and they watched over everyone while they were swimming. We didn't need any accidents to mar the holiday celebration.

We continued our chat until the women came out and Bonnie asked me if I had ordered the jars. I told her I had forgotten about it and would do it right now.

I left the porch and fired up the computer. I went to the site and put in an order for eight dozen of quarts and pints and the lids to go with them. I knew that was more than Bonnie had requested, but I figured they wouldn't spoil and we would probably use them at some point in time. Once that was done, I saw the stack of per diem forms still on the desk and I picked them up and took them to the dining room table. Then I walked back to the porch.

"Anyone that ain't signed their per diem form needs to do so now. I've got them layin' on the dining room table. We need to sign 'em and get 'em in the mail tomorrow so we can get paid."

All of the models got up and went into the house and then returned to chat after they signed their form. We chatted about various things until it got dark. Then we went inside to watch the news and weather.

The weather lady was saying that it would be clear until the weekend and then we would have some clouds, but would probably miss any rain. She also told us that the streams should be cresting sometime late tomorrow. That was good news because we could probably get back in the fields after the water soaked down into the ground enough that we didn't sink in so deep.

When the weather was over, everyone got and gave their hugs and kisses and then departed for their homes. The kids helped Cammie and me close up and turn off everything. Then I got my kisses and they headed for bed.

Cammie and I headed for the bedroom and stripped down. Once we had rinsed off, we headed for the hot tub. I set the timer and we eased in and enjoyed the soothing jets and warm water as it soaked away the pains of the day. I had to admit that this was a good idea. I don't remember who actually proposed it, but I was sure enjoying it.

When the timer went off, we got out and dried off and headed for bed. We cuddled and kissed for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off to sleep.

The rooster woke me up and I just lay there for a bit and took stock the great life. Then I teased Cammie's nipple and she moaned as she grabbed my hand and held it to her tit as she turned over and kissed me.

"That's more like it. I like it a lot better when you wake up first."

"Well, sometimes you just beat me awake. When I'm tired, I don't always hear the rooster."

"Hmmm, maybe you're gettin' old?"

"Gettin'? Compared with you, I'm ancient."

"Well, I wouldn't say ancient, but you're sure not the spring chicken that used to beat me awake ever' mornin'."

"Darlin', I can't even remember when I was a spring chicken. It's not so much wakin' up that I'm gettin' bad at, it's the workin' hard durin' the day that makes me sleep so soundly."

"Nahhh, I'm thinkin' it's just old age."

"Are you lookin' for someone younger, maybe?"

"Nope, I'll just have to find a way to keep you young."

"Well, maybe we should consider sex in the mornin' instead of at night. That way I wouldn't be so tired come mornin'."

"I don't think so. They's too many folks around and they're mainly waitin' on us to get to the kitchen. We'll have to think of somethin' else."

She kissed me and then headed for the bathroom. I slipped out of bed and followed her. I took my turn on the throne and then we both washed up. We got dressed and headed for the kitchen and our morning chores.

Lena and Bonnie were already there and Cammie joined them while I went to work on the coffee. Dianne, Chrissy and Donna showed up a bit later and I got a kiss from them before they went to work.

Once the water was boiling, I filled the three presses and waited for them to steep. I put the three pans of water back on the stove for the next batch and tried to stay out of the way.

Once they had steeped, I filled the coffee pots and carried them to the dining room. I put two on the pot warmers and carried the third to the porch where I poured us guys a cup each. Then I lit my first and sat down to enjoy things.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Jimmy asked.

"I guess we should work on them stumps while it's wet enough that they pop out so easy."

"That sounds like a plan. Maybe we should check on the calves in the pasture we fenced off yesterday before we do that."

"That's a good idea. How was the stream when you crossed it this mornin'?"

"It might be down a bit, but not much."

We chatted until the kids came back. They poured themselves a cup of coffee and Jamie took the empty pot to the kitchen and brought a full one out. We told them of our plans for today and they thought that was a good idea. We had almost finished the second pot of coffee when Donna called us to breakfast.



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Chapter 77


We all made our way to the table and feasted on our big breakfast. It's just difficult to beat milk, juice, coffee, eggs, grits and biscuits with homemade jelly to get your morning off on the right foot. It gives you a great start to the day.

Once we finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee. I told the women what we had planned for today and Bonnie said they had put off working on her posters yesterday in hopes that the pictures would be here today. I told her she should call Sharon to see when they could expect them. She didn't want to bother Sharon and said they'd just wait. We chatted about various other stuff while we finished our coffee.

Once the coffee was gone, us guys headed outside.

"Dean," William said, "why don't you and Jimmy go check on the calves and me and the boys'll work on cleanin' off them new stumps before the mud sets too hard."

"That'll work," I told them, "they ain't no reason for all of us to ride out there. I doubt that they'll be any trouble, but we do need to check, just to set our minds at ease."

With that said, William and the boys headed for the workshop and Jimmy and I headed for the barn. We both got our tack and I saddled the stallion and then rounded up Jimmy's horse. When he was saddled, we headed out to the pasture.

As we crossed over the stream, it appeared to be down a couple inches and would probably continue to fall for the next couple days. It probably crested here last night sometime.

When we got to the pasture, we rode to the back of it and found the cattle grazing. We checked the stream and everything seemed secure and no calves were in the water. Our scheme seemed to work. We would probably be taking the extra fence down on Thursday, but it was still needed right now.

With that chore taken care of, we headed back to the barn. We decided to take the long way since it would be fairly easy to see what tracks were in the mud and we could determine what wildlife was around.

We followed the road back and saw quite a few deer tracks and a few coon tracks, but nothing that was alarming. They were mostly by the stream and there didn't appear to be any crossing into the cornfields. But we really wouldn't be able to say for certain until we could get in the fields and scout them out.

When we got back to the barn and put the horses out and the tack away, Jessie had the tractor with the wagon sitting in front of the workshop. It was already loaded with what we would need to pull the stumps. They were working on the stumps and had all of them washed off to the point that they were working with a tire iron to dislodge any rocks that remained.

"Well, that should take care of any mud and rocks," William said, as we walked over to them.

"They look pretty good," I told them. "Seems like they'll make some good bowls."

"I think they will, but we'll need to see when we cut them in two what the wood looks like. I'm pretty sure there's some good burl in there."

The boys put the hose and tire iron away and Jimmy went to get his tractor. He stopped at the gas tank and filled it up and then followed us over to the wood lot.

Jessie parked out of the way and we took our tools and headed for the first stump. Jimmy pulled up over the stump and Jessie finished poking a hole through the one side of the roots so we could hook up the chain.

Once that was done, Jamie looped the chain over the forks and backed away. Jimmy lifted and it took a bit more effort, but the stump finally popped out of the mud. I fired up the chain saw and cut the runner roots that were hanging on and then he swung it away and deposited it with the other stumps.

We worked on the stumps until we heard the dinner bell ring. We only had about a half dozen more before we'd be done. We climbed on the wagon and Jessie drove us to the house.

We washed up on the back porch and took our boots off before we made our way to the table. Cammie eyed us as we walked through the kitchen. I don't know if she was surprised or pleased that we didn't have our boots on, but either one would work for me.

We dug into our soup and sandwiches and gulped our tea down. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women that we only had about six or seven stumps left to pull and we'd be done. They seemed impressed, but I can never be sure about something like that. I'm not sure any man can be. Women have a habit of acting impressed when they are really thinking, "Well, it's about damn time."

I heard a vehicle drive up the lane and went to the porch to see who it was. The Fed Ex truck pulled up to the front porch and the driver got out with a package. I walked out and signed for it and thanked him. Then I took the package to Bonnie.

She opened it and it was the pictures and negatives for her posters.

"Oh, good. Now we can really work on the posters."

She looked at each picture and then passed it around the table. There were a couple of her on horseback and a couple swinging an axe when we were working on the stumps. There were also several of her in the kitchen that I didn't even know that they had taken and several of her square dancing, plus a few of her with all the canned goods we had stored in the basement.

"Well, you've got a good selection of pictures and you'll be able to find one for each type of poster that you want," I told her.

"How many do you think I should have?" she asked.

"Oh, I'd have at least four or five different ones. That way folks won't get tired of seein' your picture. There'll always be something new for them to look at."

"Hmmm, never thought about that. I was thinkin' about just one poster."

"If it were me, I'd use one of each type and have a different slogan for each one."

"I was just gonna say, 'Vote for Bonnie, '" on 'em."

"Well, you could have one with you choppin' that said, 'Cutting away the old wood, ' and one with you square dancin' sayin' 'Square Dancers give you a square deal for the School Board.' Then another with you on horseback sayin', 'Let Bonnie ride herd and protect our kids, ' and then probably the one with you in the kitchen sayin' somethin' like, 'Bonnie will cook up a square deal for our kids'.' And finally, one of you with the canned jars sayin', 'Let Bonnie preserve our kids future, ' or somethin' like that."

"Dern, them's good sayin's. Don't forget 'em."

"Best write 'em down in case I forget."

She went to the office and got a pencil and paper and wrote them down.

"Got any more?" she asked.

"Oh, probably, but I'd need to do a bunch of thinkin' about it."

"Well, be thinkin' 'cause I'm thinkin' I'll go to Searcy tomorrow and see about gettin' some posters made."

"I wouldn't rush into things quite yet. We might be able to come up with better slogans if we put our minds to it."

"I'd like to have 'em ready to put up right after Labor Day, so we ain't got much time."

"That's a week and a half away."

"No it's not. Labor Day is this comin' Monday."

"Really? I guess I lost track of time. I didn't think it was this late in August yet."

"Yep, Labor Day is on the third this year."

"Ok, well we can work on it tonight, maybe."

"Ain't no maybe about it. I wanna go to Searcy tomorrow and get these things ordered. I want some for inside and some for the telephone poles and on folk's yards and fences. I wanna have 'em spread all over this county."

"Well, let's do some thinkin' and we'll see what we come up with."

We finished our coffee and then went out the back door so we could put our boots on. Jessie drove us back to the wood lot and we went to work on the remaining stumps.

It only took us a little over an hour to get all of them pulled and stacked in the stump pile. Then we climbed on the wagon and Jessie followed Jimmy back to the farm. It was a bit early to feed, so we headed for the workshop.

We stopped outside and used the hose to clean our boots off and then went inside to look at the progress that Jamie and Jessie had made with the bowl. It had come down in size a great deal and was actually beginning to look like a bowl.

"Ya'all need to take the outside down a bit more," William said, as he picked up the bowl and turned it upside down.

He got a pencil out and drew an oval line that pretty much followed the contours of the rim, but a great deal smaller.

"Ya'all need to round from the rim down to this line. For that ya wanna use a spoke shave, but ya have to go easy on the cuts. Start at the line and taper it to the rim."

William put two stops in the workbench and pushed the rim of the bowl against them. Then he took the spoke shave and set it for a very fine cut. Next, he stood behind the bowl and pushed the spoke shave from the oval line he had drawn outwards and down the side of the bowl. He did that a couple times and then handed the tool to Jamie.

Jamie moved into position and was kind of tentative with the tool and it chattered as it cut.

"Don't be afraid of the tool or the wood. Ya wanna make a smooth cut, so ya have to move in a strong, steady motion."

Jamie tried it again and it was better, but it still chattered. His next try was a lot better. He took off a thin, smooth shaving as the tool coursed down the curve of the outside of the bowl.

"That's it, just keep a good grip on the tool and keep it movin'."

A couple more tries and he had the motion down so he was taking a good cut on each stroke. He worked for a bit and then handed the tool to Jessie.

He had the same problem as Jamie did at first, but quickly picked up what he needed to do and went to work like he had done that all of his life. It's just amazing how quickly kids can pick up some skill like that when their teacher has the patience and confidence in them.

We watched for a while and then William said that we might just as well go feed and the boys could keep working. Jimmy and I agreed and we headed for the tractors.

William filled the spreader as I pulled under the chute and we followed Jimmy out to the pastures. William opened the gates and then cut the hay bales apart after Jimmy dropped them in the ring. I spread the feed and we moved to the next pasture. This had become a routine now and it was just something that we did.

When we got to the last pasture, Jimmy dropped the hay bale and then drove off for the stream to check on the calves. I finished feeding and waited for him to come back.

It took a bit, but he showed up and signaled that everything was fine. William and I followed him back to the farm. I hosed out the spreader and then put it away, while Jimmy and William went to the workshop.

I followed them and checked out the boys work. They had made pretty good progress while we were gone and were more than half way around the bowl. We watched for a little while and then Jimmy and I headed for the front porch.

I checked my boots and then went inside and brought a pitcher of iced tea out and a couple glasses with ice. I poured us each a glass of tea and then we sat back and relaxed a bit. Even though the stumps had popped out of the ground easily, I still had to hold the chain saw out and cut the runner roots. Normally, that's not a hard job, but when you're not resting the chain saw on what you're cutting it can get to be a bit of a strain. My arms were feeling it after a couple days of that.

"What's up for tomorrow?" Jimmy asked.

"I'm not sure, but it will have to be somethin'. If we can't think of anything to do, we're gonna have to go to Searcy with the women for them posters."

"Damn, I forgot about that. I know there's somethin' we absolutely need to do tomorrow. Maybe we can haul stumps over and split the ones that William and the boys don't want."

"That's an idea. Almost anything that'll keep us from bein' drafted to go along."

It wasn't too long until William and the boys showed up. Jamie went inside and brought out three more glasses with ice and poured them all a glass of tea. William said they were comin' along real good on the bowl and would probably be to the point of scraping sometime tomorrow.

I told him that Jimmy and I planned to move some stumps tomorrow and maybe split the ones they didn't want to use for bowls. He said that he'd have to look at what we had before he could determine what might work.

We chatted about a lot of things and finally Donna called us for supper. They had fixed pot roasts with new potatoes, carrots, string beans and a fresh salad. Someone had used the dripping from the pot and made gravy and everything was delicious. Then Donna brought out apple pies for dessert. After that, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Dean," Bonnie started, "would you he'p me with the pictures and the wordin' for the posters this evenin', so we can go to Searcy tomorrow?"

"Sure, Bonnie." I replied. "As long as I don't have to go to Searcy with ya'all."

"Why? Did ya'all have somethin' planned for tomorrow that can't be put off?"

"We was gonna move them stumps over here and split 'em so we'll be ready to work in the fields come Thursday or Friday when it dries out some."

"Them stumps won't go no place if ya'all don't get to 'em tomorrow. I'd like to have you up there when the guy lays the posters out. I don't know nothin' about how to lay things out."

"I don't know much neither. I'd put my trust in the guy that does that for a livin'."

"I know he'll have some good suggestions, but I want you along to make sure it goes right."

I knew this was a losing battle, but if I was going down, I was going to take Jimmy with me.

"That guy will have a whole lot better idea about spacin' things and how to center things than I would."

"I know, but I don't wanna trust this to some stranger."

"Well, I guess that Jimmy and I could go along. We could take separate vehicles and I could take care of a couple things while I'm up there."

"What are ya gonna shop for?" Cammie said, jumping into the fray.

"I'm not gonna shop for anything. There's a place up there that sells carburetor conversion kits for the generators so we can convert them to run on propane."

"Why would ya wanna do that?"

"So we don't have to keep putting gas in them. We can hook them up to the big tanks and not worry about them runnin' out of fuel."

"Won't they use up all the gas in the tank?"

"Them's 500 gallon tanks. I doubt they'd use more than a gallon an hour, so I don't think they'd run out of propane very quick."

"How much is that gonna cost?"

"I haven't got the slightest idea."

"That seems like a lot of work for no more than we use 'em."

"Ok, if that's how it seems to you, how 'bout you do the fillin' with gas when the electric goes out?"

"I don't think so. I don't think I could lift that big gas can and be able to fill the tank on them things."

"Then don't complain if we're makin' life a bit easier."

"I'm not complainin', I just think it's kinda wastin' money."

"I don't recall askin' you to pay for it."

"It don't make no difference who pays for it. If it's wasted, it's wasted."

"If you wanna fill the gas tanks, I'll be happy to save the money."

"Oh, you men just do that so ya'all can shop and spend money. Just like all them tools ya'all keep buyin'. We probably don't need half of 'em."

"The next time you need somethin' cut, I'll be happy to fetch the hand saw for you and watch you do the sawin'."

"Nope, that's ya'all's job."

"Then the tools ain't a waste."

"I guess."

"So ya'all will go?" Bonnie asked, jumping in.

"I guess. It shouldn't take that long."

With that done and the coffee exhausted, us men walked out to the front porch. The kids went to milk and the women went about cleaning up after supper.

"You had to drag me down with ya," Jimmy said, as we took our seats on the porch.

"Damn right. It's your woman that's wantin' this so you need to be along to suffer with me."

"Well, at least you thought far enough ahead to get us a separate vehicle and we won't be stuck with 'em all day."

"I might be ignorant about some things, but I ain't stupid."

"Well, me and the boys will stay here and work on the bowl," William said, with a big smile. "I got no need to go shoppin'."

"Me neither, William, but I couldn't get out of it."

We chatted until the kids came back and the girls went inside. I guess they were wanting to get a front row seat at the big happening of the poster planning. The boys sat with us and we chatted about the bowls and how they were learning so much new stuff about woodworking.

Bonnie finally came to the door and said she was ready to work on the posters. I got up and told Jimmy to come along in case he had any ideas. He had this look like, "What did I ever do to you." I sort of chuckled and opened the door for him.

Our first order of business was to select the pictures we were going to use. Once we agreed on the actual pictures, then we had to come up with a slogan. We started with the ones I had come up with at lunch and worked from there. There were a couple minor changes, but each saying maintained the same thought. Then it was time for a Jimmy style payback.

"Why don't ya'all get a bunch of paper and tape them together in the size ya'all want and see how you can space things around the picture."

This time, HE got the dirty look. He just smiled in return and Deanne and Charlene went to get a package of paper from the office. They also brought some transparent tape.

After we taped several pages together, we placed a picture in the center and began to work the slogan in around it. At the bottom, we always had, "VOTE FOR BONNIE FOR SCHOOL BOARD," in two lines. I told her she would want two different sized posters for each one. One size for telephone poles and a larger size for other places that allowed for a bigger place to display things.

Once we had each one made of the small size, we selected the photograph for each one and then sorted through the negatives for that particular photo. By the time we were done, we just had time to catch the weather.

They were calling for the same thing they did last night and it appeared we could expect a rain free weekend. We really didn't need more rain now, so that was good news.

Once that was over, everyone got and gave their hugs and kisses and then left for their houses. The kids helped Cammie and me turn everything off and close up. Then I got kisses from the girls and they headed to bed. Cammie and I headed for our bedroom and then to the hot tub after rinsing off. I set the timer and then settled in so I could soak my sore arms, shoulders and back.

When the timer went off, we dried off and made our way to bed. We cuddled and kissed for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off to sleep.



-------

Chapter 78


Cammie woke me up again with a kiss. I guess the strain of the last two days had taken its toll on me.

"You slept in again," she said, as she broke the kiss.

"Yep, I guess it was too much work with the chain saw the last couple days."

"Ok, I'll let it pass for now, but you'd best get back to wakin' me up. I miss that."

"Me too, but maybe the rooster is gettin' old and hoarse."

"Nope. It's you that's gettin' old and deaf."

"What'd ya say? I didn't hear that."

"You heard me, now get up."

She kissed me again and then scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and took my turn on the throne when she'd finished. Then we both washed up and got dressed before heading for the kitchen.

Everyone was already there. I guess the prospect of going to Searcy and shopping was just too much to allow them to sleep in.

I got a kiss from Chrissy, Donna and Dianne and then went to work grinding the coffee. I had just finished when the water on the stove began to boil. I filled the three presses and put more water back on the stove for the next batch of coffee.

I waited for the coffee to steep and then poured it into regular coffee pots. I took the three pots to the dining room and put two on the pot warmers and carried the third to the front porch. I poured Jimmy and William each a cup and then one for myself. Then I lit my first and sat down to enjoy the morning.

"How long you reckon it'll take in Searcy? Jimmy asked.

"I don't have the slightest idea. Remember, we're dealin' with women havin' to make up their minds about posters. That includes the color of the paper, background and how it's gonna be laid out."

"Oh shit, I never thought about that. Why'd you involve me in this again?"

"Because it's your woman and, if I have to suffer, then so do you."

"Oh yeah, that ol' excuse."

"Well, before we go, we need to get the details of each generator."

"What details?"

"We need the motor brand, horsepower, engine number, and the type of generator for each of them."

"I guess if we're gettin' new carburetors we'd need that."

"Yep. So if you'll get the info on your two, I'll send Jamie and Jessie to get the info on Jamie's and William's. I'll get the one for here."

"You're sure that this is necessary?"

"It'll be worth it the first outage we have. We won't have to keep fillin' up the gas tanks. All we have to do is start 'em and they'll run until the power comes back on."

"I guess you're right on that. Fillin' the gas tanks is a problem when you've got five generators all runnin' at the same time."

"Yep and that'll keep us from havin' to get out in bad weather just to keep 'em goin'."

"Ya, them things never need runnin' in good weather."

The kids came in from milking and joined us on the porch after putting the milk and eggs away. They each got a cup of coffee and Jamie carried the empty pot inside and returned with a full one. I asked the boys if they would gather the information on the generators after breakfast and they said they'd be happy to. The girls told us they would probably get to do more shopping after we finished at the poster place. I asked them what they could possibly need after all the shopping they'd already done. They said that they always need new clothes and whatever else they might find that they'd forgot about or hadn't discovered yet. I just shook my head and gave silent thanks that I didn't have to go along.

Donna called us for breakfast and we all headed for the dining room. The meal was quiet as we all fed our face and enjoyed the great breakfast. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"We'll be ready to go as soon as we clean up the dishes and the kitchen," Bonnie said.

"We should be ready by then. We just have to get some information about the generators so we'll know what to ask for," I told her.

"Well, I wanna get to the printin' place as early as possible so we can get this thing goin'. I'd like to pick them up on Tuesday."

"I don't know if they can do things that quick. It takes a while to put things all together."

"Ralph told me where to go and who to ask for. He said they'd put a big rush on it."

"I'm all for it. I don't know a lot about printin', but I'd think it'd take more time than that."

"Let's hope not. I wanna be ready to whup Elsie's ass. The sooner I can get these things up, the sooner I can start that."

"I'm all for it. As soon as we finish our coffee, we'll get the info and then be ready to go."

"As soon as we get done with the printin' place, we've got some other shoppin' to do."

"Didn't ya'all get it all done last week?"

"We're never done shoppin'. That's like sayin' we're done eatin'. It's only done until the next meal."

"Well, ya'all can shop 'til ya drop. When we leave the printin' place, we're headed for the propane place and then for home."

"Awwww, are ya'all sure ya don't wanna come shoppin' with us?" Cammie asked.

"Not only no, dear, but hell no. When you're ready to take up field dressin' deer, then I'll consider shoppin'."

"But that makes me sick."

"And what you call shoppin' makes me sick."

That discussion ended abruptly and we chatted about other things as we finished our coffee. Once that was done, I gave the boys a list of the information I needed from the generators and they left. Jimmy took off for his places and I went downstairs to get the information from the one here.

When I came upstairs, I went to the office and got the piece of paper that had the propane place listed on it. I put that and the information from the generator in my checkbook and went to the front porch to stay out of the women's way while they got ready.

Jimmy showed up and handed me his information sheet and I tucked that into my checkbook. Then Jamie and Jessie came back and handed me their paper. I tucked that in with the rest and we waited for the women to come out.

The women didn't take too long and we were soon on our way. Cammie drove the van and we followed her since we had no idea where we were going. She led us to a strip mall on the outskirts of Searcy. We parked and followed them inside.

Bonnie asked a clerk if Tom was in and explained that Ralph had sent her. He came out and she introduce herself and explained what she needed. He took us to an individual meeting room and we spread out the things we had brought.

The guy brought out several samples of the material they used for election signs and Bonnie selected the sizes she wanted. There were two sizes. One for windows and poles and one for front yards and other places that could handle the larger size. Then the guy asked the question I was dreading.

"What color do you want these posters to be?"

I got this sinking feeling in my stomach and knew that we were going to be there a very long time. Then he increased the dilemma when he answered Bonnie's question of, "Well, what colors can we get?"

"We can make it any color you pick out."

The sinking feeling got deeper and I really didn't know a way out. Finally, Jimmy jumped in and asked, "What are the school colors?"

"What do you mean, the school colors?" Bonnie asked.

"What color are their football uniforms?"

"Blue and white," Chrissy answered.

"Well, then why don't you use those colors? It will identify you with the school."

"I'm already identified with the school. I'm runnin' for the board."

"I know, but this will give the folks the idea that you're aware of the school traditions and are loyal to them."

"Hmmm, that's an idea."

"I think he's right, Mama," Chrissy said. "Folks always pay attention to them colors."

"Why don't we make the poster blue and the printing white?" the guy said. "That way, you'll have the dark color on the outside and that will be framing the printing. It's called 'focusing the message' and it seems to work very well."

There was silence while Bonnie mulled things over in her mind.

"What do ya think, Dean?" Bonnie finally asked.

"Well, I like the school color thing and this guy does a lot more of this type of stuff than all of us here combined, so I think we should listen to him."

"Okay, but how will the pictures stand out on somethin' like that?" she asked the guy.

"We'll fix it so they stand out very well. One thing we might do is to put a blue and white border around the pictures or just a solid color. It will just depend on each picture and how they match up to the colors."

"I don't guess they's any way we could see it before ya'all print a bunch of 'em?" Bonnie asked.

"There sure is. We can get these set up on our computer and have a sample on the screen for you to approve before we commit to anything."

"How long will that take?"

"Let's see, it's almost 10 now, we could probably have them for you shortly after lunch."

"Can ya'all stick around for lunch?" Bonnie asked Jimmy and me.

"Well, if you're buyin' lunch, I guess we can," I answered for us.

"Sure, I'll buy if ya'all will stay in town until we can see this stuff."

"Okay, let's do it that way," Bonnie said to the guy. "We'll be back after we eat."

"We will probably have them ready by 1, this afternoon," he said.

With that, we stood up and walked out of the building.

"Where do ya'all wanna eat?" Bonnie asked, once we were outside.

I looked at Jimmy and he shrugged.

"How 'bout the Chinese place?" I asked.

"Okay, we'll see ya'all there about noon time."

They headed for the van and Jimmy and I made our way to his Navigator. I fished out the address of the propane place and directed Jimmy to the road it was on. It took us a bit, but we finally found the place and parked.

When we got inside, a clerk asked if he could help us.

"I was told that ya'all have carburetor conversion kits to convert gas engines to propane."

"Well, you was told wrong. We don't have 'em here, but we can order 'em for you."

"That'll work."

"What kind of engine do ya'all have?"

"I've got five of 'em. I got one Tecumseh, ten horsepower, two Briggs and Stratton, ten horsepower and two Kohler fifteen horsepower."

"What're these runnin'?"

"Generators."

"Ahh, now I understand. Okay, let me get my books."

He dug through a bunch of catalogs under the counter and came up with several manuals.

"Okay, here's the Tecumseh. Do you know the motor type?"

I looked it up on my list and gave it to him.

"Yep, we can do that'n."

He wrote down a part number on his pad and then continued thumbing through the catalog.

"Okay, here's the Kohler stuff. What's the engine types on them?"

I gave him the two different types for the Kohlers. He searched through the information and wrote the information on his pad. Then he continued going through his catalog.

"Ahhh, here's the Briggs and Stratton. What's the motor type on them?"

I gave him the information and he went through his list.

"Well, I've got one of 'em here. Let me look at another place."

He got another catalog and went through that and then another. He finally found what he was looking for and wrote the numbers down on his pad. Then he went back through that catalog to see if he could find the kits for the other motors in that one. He did and crossed off the old numbers and put the new ones in their place.

"Okay, we can do this. It'll take about a week or so to get them shipped here."

"That's not a problem except that we live a good ways from here. Could you get them shipped directly to us?"

"I dunno, let me ask."

He took his pad and disappeared into the back. When he returned, he said that his manager said they could do that, but we'd need to pay for everything right now. I told him that wasn't a problem and got out my checkbook. He wrote the order up and it was a bit over nine hundred dollars for the five kits. He said they should be at our place by the middle of next week. I thanked him and we left.

"That's a bit much for them kits, ain't it?" Jimmy asked, when we got to his vehicle.

"Not really. Most of them things are old and not in production anymore. If we had to buy a new carburetor for them, it would probably be about the same. But we'll never have to pour gas in them things any more. We just start 'em and they run until the power comes back on."

"Well, that's a plus. I didn't like having to check on them things twice a day and have to stop 'em and then restart 'em. How much do I owe ya for my two?"

"I don't know. We'll figure that out later on."

He started the vehicle and I directed him to the restaurant. We were a bit early, so we waited for the women to show up. They arrived almost at high noon and we all walked inside. They had a noontime buffet and we all decided that we'd try that.

I got a sample of everything that sounded spicy hot. Plus, I got a bowl of hot and sour soup and an egg roll. I used the hot mustard on the table and it was delicious. The soup was just fair, but this was Searcy, not Chinatown.

We ate and then sipped an additional pitcher of green tea and chatted about things. Bonnie was nervous about how things would turn out with the posters and was squirming around in her chair. Donna and Chrissy told us they found several new outfits for school and Charlene and Deanne said they'd only found one each.

When we finished our tea, Bonnie insisted that we leave and drive over to the printer. There was no sense in telling her it was too early to go there, so Jimmy and I just kept our mouth shut. There's no sense in teasing the 900-pound gorilla when they're already mad.

Bonnie paid and we all walked out to the parking lot. Bonnie made a beeline for the van and the rest of us followed. Jimmy and I went to his vehicle and we followed them to the printer. It was probably a good idea that Bonnie wasn't driving or we'd have been stopped for speeding several times.

When we got there, the guy that was taking care of us was still at lunch. I really wanted to say something, but thought better of it. The lady asked us if we wanted some coffee and immediately I told her I sure would. Jimmy and Cammie also got a cup, but Bonnie was too nervous to do anything except walk around. Eventually she went outside and walked around the parking lot. Both Jimmy and I held our ground and patiently sipped our coffee. We both knew that talking to her right now would only produce an argument. She was not in the mood to be calmed by either of us.

Very fortunately, for him, the guy that was taking care of us came in the back door. If he had run into Bonnie in the parking lot, I'm afraid she wouldn't have been able to contain herself. Jimmy went to the door and called to her to come inside.

He took us to the conference room and pulled up the file he had been working on. He had each poster set up the way it would be printed.

"I can't tell a thing by lookin' at that screen," Bonnie said. "It's too small."

"Well, if you can wait about ten minutes, we can print a sample on plain paper of each one," the guy told her.

"Print away. I wanna see what they're gonna look like."

He closed out the screen and pulled the disk out and went to the back room.

"How in the hell am I supposed to tell what they's gonna look like on that small screen? I couldn't even tell if it was men in that small picture."

"Bonnie," Jimmy said, to my great relief, "you're supposed to use your imagination and blow it up in your mind."

"I'm sorry, but I ain't no computer genius and I can't picture what things look like if I can't see 'em."

"Well, he'll be in after a bit with the actual size thing for ya."

I kept my mouth shut. This wasn't my fight and I didn't need to stick my nose in and get it bit off. Most of the time, Bonnie is pretty laid back. Except when someone is trying to get her to speak in public or challenges her, but this was a new side of her.

It was about five minutes before the guy came back with two large pieces of paper. It was the same poster, but one was the larger size and the other was the smaller size for the tack up places.

"How does this look to you?" he asked, as he laid the two posters out.

"It'll be on better paper than this, won't it?" Bonnie asked.

""Yes. This is just a sample run so you can see what it will look like. The real ones will be in stiff poster board and will be laminated in plastic."

"Board? Are they gonna be pieces of wood?"

"No ma'am. That's just a term for the stiffer paper we use to print things like this on."

"Well, that's a relief."

She turned her attention to the smaller of the two. The girls gathered around and there was some pointing and mumbles. Then she asked, "What ya guys think of it?"

Jimmy and I leaned over and studied it.

"I think it's just fine," I told her.

"I don't see a thing wrong with it," Jimmy said.

"Well, I'm not sure about the size of the picture. It's kinda small."

"If they make the picture any bigger, they'll need to make the print smaller," Jimmy said.

"I guess you're right. Let's see that other'n."

The guy laid it out and everyone studied it. We all agreed that this one was the best one because the picture was bigger and could be recognized from a greater distance.

The guy left the room and returned with another set of samples. We went through the same routine until we had gone through the entire batch.

"Well, what do ya'all think?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, I'm satisfied with the work," Jimmy said.

"I'll second that," I told her.

The girls just nodded their approval and Bonnie looked at each poster again.

"Well, I guess you should print 'em up. How long will it take to get 'em done?"

"We should have them completed by Tuesday afternoon of next week. We've got several big orders that we're printing now and you'll be first as soon as they're complete. We'll run part of yours on Friday afternoon and then the rest on Tuesday morning. Anytime after noon on Tuesday."

"Okay, you have our number if they're not gonna be ready. I don't wanna run up here if they're not done."

"I'll give you a call on Tuesday morning to confirm that they'll be ready."

"Okay, thanks."

The guy had a big look of relief on his face as we walked out of the door. I know he was very glad to get rid of her. It was a good thing that she didn't do this kind of thing very often. We'd all be a basket case if we had to go through this much.

We said goodbye in the parking lot and they headed out to do more shopping as Jimmy and I headed back to the farm.



-------

Chapter 79


It was after 3 before we got home. The boys and William were in the workshop and had walked outside to see who drove up. Jimmy and I parked and then walked down to them and we all went back inside. They asked what had taken so long and all I said was "Bonnie." They chuckled and the boys went back to work. They were sanding the bowl they had been working on and it looked great.

"Why don't you boys keep sandin' and we'll go feed," William said.

They agreed and the three of us headed for the equipment shed. William filled the spreader when I pulled under it and then we headed for the pastures. When we got there, William did the cutting of the hay bales and I did the spreading. At the last pasture, Jimmy drove down to the stream to check and see if any calves were trapped. We waited until he came back and gave up the thumbs up sign before we headed back to the house. I washed the spreader out and then put it away before walking back to the workshop.

The boys were still sanding and Jimmy and I inspected their work as they continued their efforts. The bowl was about a foot across and probably sixteen inches long. I would guess it was about seven or eight inches deep and would make a great bread bowl. It would still have to dry, but they were close to finishing that project. Next they would start on the lathe.

The women showed up and honked as they got to the house. We walked out to see them carrying a bunch of bags into the house. We all walked up there and carried the last of the bags in for them.

"We bought supper for tonight," Cammie said. "We spent too much time in Searcy to be able to cook."

"What're we havin'?" I asked.

"We stopped in town and bought a bunch of ribs and chicken from the barbecue place. Plus we got beans, potato salad. We're gonna fix a salad and then we'll be ready to eat."

Us guys went to the back porch and washed up and then made our way to the front porch to wait for supper. We chatted about the bowl and how good of a job the boys had done on it. They were anxious to get started on the lathe.

Donna called us for supper and we all walked in and sat down at the table. When Cammie said they had bought a bunch, she wasn't stretching the truth at all. There were three big platters heaped with ribs and four that were heaped up with chicken. There was also a pitcher of sauce to go with them and the beans and potato salad. The fresh salad was good but then we all dug into the meat.

We put a pretty good dent in the meat and the side dishes before everyone had eaten their fill. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Don't ya'all wanna know what we bought?" Cammie asked.

Gritting my teeth, I told her, "Nope, I trust your judgment."

"Well, Mama bought a bunch of curtains and stuff for their bedroom and brought a bunch of cloth swatches to see about makin' drapes for the rest of the house."

I tried. I mean I really tried to not grin, big time, but I just couldn't stop it. Now Jimmy was on the firing line and not me. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and he sort of had a grimace on his face, but he didn't say anything.

"We're all gonna he'p her with makin' drapes and such so she can get it decorated right."

I just nodded and sipped my coffee in an effort to hide my very large grin.

"Don't the kids start school next week?" I asked.

"Yep, but me and Grandma are gonna he'p her. We figure ya'all will be busy with the farm and our cannin' will be done by the middle of the month, so we'll need somethin' to do."

"Aren't ya'all gonna take some college courses?"

"Not this semester. Mama's got the campaign and I don't wanna do it by myself, so we're gonna work on the decoratin'."

"Okay and ya'all can he'p her a lot with the campaign too."

"Ya, we'll be puttin' up posters and such and then he'pin' her talk to folks out in the county. But we'll have time for the decoratin' too."

"That'll work."

We finished our coffee and left the table. The kids went to milk and us men went to the front porch.

"I seen you grinnin' like a mule eatin' briars," Jimmy said, as we sat down.

"I just couldn't he'p it," I told him. "It's nice not to be on the receivin' end of things for a change."

"Well, as long as she keeps her changes limited to the house decoratin', I don't mind at all."

"That's how it always starts. Little changes that you don't mind and then, before ya know it, she's changin' you."

"Now you're just tryin' to stir things up."

"I would never try to do somethin' like that."

"The hell you wouldn't. You always was a shit disturber."

"Not me. I'm as innocent as the pure driven snow."

"Yep, but you didn't say what was driven over the snow."

"The only thing that drove this snow was the wind."

"Well, you just stay driven and I'll stay unchanged."

"Famous last words."

"I think we can take that extra fence down tomorrow. The stream's pretty much back to normal now. If we leave it up much longer, it'll cut down on the amount of space the calves have."

"I was gonna ask you about that, but I got sidetracked with the curtains."

"Ya, I forgot to say anything when we came back from feedin'. We might leave the new posts there, just in case we need them in the future."

"Well, we can leave 'em there until we cut that bank back. I don't think we'll get much rain between now and then, but you can't never tell. If we take out that one point, the calves shouldn't have any problems. I figure you can use the bucket and I can use the blade to even things off after you've dug."

"That's sounds like a plan. But we'll need to haul the dirt off someplace. If I read it right, we'll probably have a couple pickup loads there that needs to be cut back."

"There's that one pasture on the other side and has some washout on the bank and we could fill that in. The rest we can probably dump over at the woodlot and fill in some of them stump holes."

"That'd work."

The kids came back and we told them what we'd been discussing and they reminded us that they'd be starting school next Tuesday so they wouldn't be around to help. I told them if we needed their help, we could just wait for the weekend, but I didn't think it would be that big of a job.

The women came out and joined us on the porch. Cammie said that she'd talked to Jenna and Fran and we were going to have them out on Sunday instead of Monday. She also said that the twins would be staying overnight on Saturday. I wanted to say something, but figured they had things worked out, so I kept my mouth shut.

We chatted until it was dark and then went inside to watch the news. The weather lady said that we could expect a clear weekend, but it would be hot. Since it was the end of August, I guess we should expect that in Arkansas.

Once the news was over, everyone gave and got their hugs and kisses and then departed for their homes. The kids helped Cammie and me close up and turn everything off. Then I got kisses from the girls and the kids headed upstairs.

Cammie and I went to the bedroom and stripped down. Then we rinsed off in the shower and headed for the hot tub. I set the timer and we settled in. We hadn't been in there more than a minute when Charlene and Deanne showed up.

They hopped in with us and snuggled up to Cammie and me.

"We figured if the twins were coming this weekend, we'd best get some now before they attack you," Charlene said.

"What makes you think the twins will attack me?"

"They've been waitin' for months to get a shot at you. They probably figured this would be the last chance they had since school is startin'."

"Okay, well what makes you think I'll allow it?"

"You won't have a choice."

"I won't?"

"Nope. I'm sure they've already decided how and when and I'm pretty sure it'll be in here. They're not easy to say no to. Just ask Jessie."

"But I ain't Jessie."

"Nope, but you're a man. That's all that counts."

With that, she moved up on my lap and leaned in and kissed me. Her nipples were rock hard and boring into my chest as she thrust her tongue into my mouth. Of course, having that happen to me made hard almost instantly. When she felt me rise, she scooted forward and lodged my prick between her pussy lips and slowly moved up and down so her lips rode over my shaft.

As good as that felt, the water tends to wash away the lubrication so it was not helping her get ready for penetration. I grabbed her ass and held her to me as I stood up and then moved backward so we could sit on the side of the tub, out of the water. In that position, her lubrication flowed easily and we both became very slick.

As soon as she felt she was ready, she lifted up and lodged the head at her entrance and slowly began to descend over me. She was very tight and her juicy pussy felt very hot and wonderful as she took her time bottoming out.

Once she became comfortable, she began to move around in circles with a bit of up and down thrown in. I didn't have to do a thing except sit there and allow her to do as she wished. Probably if I had moved, it wouldn't have taken me long to cum and the whole thing would have been over for the night.

But it didn't take her long to cum. It was probably about two minutes into our coupling that she tensed up and began to shiver. She clung to me and her fingers dug into my shoulders. I held her close and gently stroked her back and the sides of her breasts as the waves crashed over her. She had to pull her mouth away from mine to gasp for air, but she still clung to me as if she would fall if she didn't.

As soon as she could breathe again, she glued her mouth to mine and her tongue went wild in my mouth. She began moving again, only with more demanding moves. This time I tried to rise up to meet her strokes. She moaned and increased her pace. Her clit was rubbing over my pubic bone and sending shivers through her on each downward stroke.

Her second orgasm was quicker to arrive than the first and she squealed into my mouth as it arrived. I got my hands between my chest and her tits and began to gently pull on her nipples. This drove her higher and she ripped her mouth away from mine to gasp.

She rode this one out with her head in the crook of my neck and gasping for air. It took her longer to come down this time, but she attacked me with a vengeance when she could function again.

Since there hadn't been a lot of foreplay, I wasn't real close to cumming, but I could feel her effect on me. Probably if I had been on top, I would have been a lot closer than I was. But my lack of movement tended to slow me down a bit. That was a good thing for both of us. It gave us longer to enjoy each other.

Her third orgasm was the largest. It hit her like a brick wall. She just froze and almost went into convulsions as the waves washed over her. I held her as she shook and her pussy grasped me in its velvet clutches and squeezed me very tightly. I stroked her back and sides as she rode out the waves. She was gasping for air and her fingers were digging into my shoulders.

When she got to a point where she could function again, she kissed me and her tongue went wild in my mouth.

"Ummm, that was a good 'un."

"It looked like it was."

"Yep, it was. But now it's Deanne's time. I got you at first, but she gets you last and gets your cum."

With that, she slowly stood and tapped Deanne on the shoulder. She was on her hands and knees with Cammie perched behind her. No doubt, Cammie was fucking her, probably in the ass.

Slowly, Deanne moved away and over to me. She straddled me and used her hand to guide me inside of her. She was already very wet and I had no problem with entry. She slowly sank down and kissed me once she bottomed out. She remained still for a few seconds and then began to move. She pulled her mouth away from the kiss and said, "Oh wow, that feels good. I need a lot more of this."

I kissed her in response to her statement and she began moving again. Deanne's pussy was very different than Charlene's. Deanne's began snapping at my cock as soon as she began to sink down on me. She was massaging my cock the entire time we fucked. It was almost like she had another hand inside of her that kept gripping and releasing me. It was magic and I loved it.

Her first orgasm came quickly. It struck her when she was at the top of her stroke and she immediately sank down completely and began to quiver in my arms. She had to pull her mouth away from mine so she could breathe and she tucked her head into the crook of my neck and her fingers grasped my shoulders and back.

As it waned, she kissed me and began moving again. Her movements were insistent and demanding. Her pussy kept grasping at me and almost demanding that I cum. I was holding off but it was getting close.

It took a couple minutes for her second orgasm to hit her, but it was bigger than the first one and she clung to me as she rode the waves that crashed over her. I stroked her back and sides and finally got my thumbs to ride over her nipples. That just sent her higher and prolonged her cum.

When she came down, she began her erotic movements again. She would move up and down, but also around in a circle at the same time. I've never figured out how girls do that, but it sure felt wonderful.

With her doing that, she was involving her cervix so it was riding over the head of my cock on every full penetration. With that happening, there was no way I was going to last very long. It was like she had a tongue in there that was licking me and that was a sure way to get me off.

When her third one hit, I knew I was going to be right with her. I gently pulled her down so her cervix was resting against the head of my cock and then I felt the tickle. It was like an instant explosion. From the time I felt the tickle to the first shot, was almost the same second.

The first shot exploded from me and shot against the mouth of her cervix. When that happened, it just set her off even more. I held her in position and kept pumping my cum directly into the mouth of her womb. Each succeeding spurt just followed the first and sent her even higher on the mountain.

I have no idea how many times I shot and I'm sure I was dry heaving at the end, but it felt like it went on forever. She was clinging to me and quivering like she was in below zero conditions without any clothes on to keep her warm.

As I ran out of cum and finally quit trying to expel any, she began to calm down a bit. Her mouth attacked me and her tongue went wild. We kissed and clung to each other as aftershocks rumbled through her.

As I began to shrink, she pulled her mouth away from mine and turned to Charlene and told her to get ready. I looked over and Cammie had Charlene lying across her lap, nursing on her tits. Cammie had this distant look in her eyes and her hand tucked between Charlene's legs.

They both snapped out of it and came back to reality. Charlene got off of Cammie's lap and laid down on the side of the tub. When she was ready, Deanne lifted off of me and moved to straddle Charlene's head. Cammie moved over to me and captured my wilting cock with her mouth and cleaned it of any juices and cum. Then she moved up to kiss me. Her tongue penetrated my mouth and roamed around as I dueled with it. Her nipples were extremely hard and boring into my chest. Evidently Charlene had done a very good job on them.

She stayed with me through a bunch of kisses and then moved over to the girls. They had switched to lying on one another from Deanne straddling Charlene's face. They made room for Cammie in their embrace and shared what was left of Charlene's treasure she had sucked from Deanne's pussy.

I eased out of the tub and made my way to the shower. I quickly washed and rinsed off. I was just leaving when the girls came in. As I dried, they got the faucets going and one of the floor jets. They held Deanne as she was the first one to stand over the jet. At first, she used it like a bidet, but then she moved a bit and allowed the jet to stimulate her. She came before I could get dried off. I left them to their own devices and headed for the bedroom.

I slipped into bed and waited for Cammie. She showed up about 15 minutes later and slid in next to me. We kissed and cuddled for a bit and then I asked her, "What's this about the twins decidin' that I am fair game?"

"That's just the way it is. You're head of the clan and they're wantin' to be in our clan, so they will have to have you before they can be considered."

"That's a bit early for any decision on that, ain't it?"

"Nope, not for down here. They're 14 and most girls are already claimed by that time."

"I'm not sure I'm the one that needs to be claimin' them."

"You're the only one that can. Jessie can decide he wants 'em, but it's you that has to make the final decision."

"And I don't get a say in this?"

"Well, you can say yes or no, but, if you say no, then they'll start lookin' for another clan to be in. Either that, or Jessie will have to leave home to be with 'em."

"How come this didn't work this way with Jamie?"

"Because you weren't around and there was no other man to be head of the clan. Otherwise, you'd have been searched out by her a long time ago."

"How come she ain't made a move on me?"

"She will, but she's already in the clan now. But it's still not official until you have her, at least once. Jamie and Jessie know this is how things work around here. So do the twins' parents and Dianne's parents. It's just normal down here."

"I wish these rules were written down somewhere so I could see what I've signed on to."

"We've been through this before. The women carry the rules of the tradition in their memories. It's not written down so outsiders can't come snoopin' around and bring shame on us."

"I still think ya'all are just makin' this crap up."

"It ain't crap. It's our way of life and we're not makin' it up. This has been goin' on for more than a century. It's our way of life and it works for us."

"So, you're sayin' that I have to fuck both of the twins?"

"Eventually, yes. And Dianne too. But you'll probably only have to fuck one twin this weekend. They'll only be here one night. But the other'n will get you next time."

"And you're all right with this?"

"Yep. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Not many women would put up with their man fuckin' other women."

"I wouldn't either, if it wasn't in the family. I'd be all over you and the woman if you decided to go outside and hook up with someone. But this is clan stuff and it's all right."

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this. I've always considered myself a one woman man, but I can't even think about bein' like that down here."

"Down here, you're a one family man."

"Some day I'm gonna write a book about this."

"No one would ever believe ya."

"I know, but think of all the minds I could blow just by writin' it."

"Well, no one down here would ever admit to it and you'd just be a fiction writer of dirty stories."

"I guess you're right. But I think I should still have a say in the matter. Maybe I can just tell 'em that they have to get your permission."

"They've already done that."

"When?"

"Earlier this summer."

"Was you plannin' on tellin' me about it?"

"Nope, not until the time came."

"Whoever said that men run the world ain't never lived down here."

"Oh, men do run the world, but it's with our permission."

"Very funny."

We kissed and cuddled a bit more and then assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off. I wondered, in the back of my mind, how I'd gotten involved in this. It sure didn't start out this way. Or, maybe it did and I just wasn't told about it.



-------

Chapter 80


Thursday dawned without me. Cammie woke me with a kiss. I had slept through the rooster and light coming in the window. But the girls had worn me out last night, so I guess I had an excuse.

"You missed wakin' me up again," she said, as she pulled back from the kiss to look at me.

"Well, them girls wore me out last night."

"Sure, blame it on them. I just think you're startin' to like sleepin' too much."

"Well, it ain't all bad. But it's a good thing I've got you to wake me up."

"I guess it is or we'd never get things done around here. But I miss you wakin' me up."

"I'm sorry, I'll try to do better."

"You'd best."

She kissed me again and then slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and claimed the throne when she was done. We both washed up and then got dressed before heading for the kitchen.

We were the last ones to arrive and I got a kiss from Chrissy, Donna and Dianne before I began grinding the coffee. Then I waited for the water to boil so I could fill the three presses.

As soon as it boiled, I poured the water into the presses and refilled the pans and put them back on the stove. I waited for the presses to steep before I poured them into regular coffee pots and took them to the dining room.

I put two of the pots on the pot warmers and took the third to the porch. I poured a cup for William, Jimmy and myself and then sat down and lit my first of the day.

"What's up for today?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, I thought we'd work on the pasture this mornin' and then maybe move stumps this afternoon."

"That's a lot to get done in one day."

"I guess you're right. We will have to move the dirt to the wood lot and fill in them holes. But we'll just work until it's time to eat. I figure we'll have about two or three pickup loads of dirt from the bank."

"I think you'll have a lot more than that," William said.

"Really? I asked.

"Yep. I'd bet you'd have about five or six times that. To cut that bank back and grade it down, you're gonna have a lot of dirt."

"Maybe you're right. We'll just have to do what needs doin'."

"Well, ya'all can work the tractors and I'll drive the pickups and the boys can do the shovelin' over at the wood lot. We should be able to cut the time down some if ever'one is workin'."

"Yep, that'd he'p a lot. We can take the two pickups out and ya'all can drive one over while we fill the second one. We can work the dumpin' in shifts that way."

The kids came back from milking and each poured a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a fresh one out. They asked what we had planned for today and I told them what we had talked about before.

The boys thought that would work fine. The girls said they were probably going to be helping Bonnie in the garden. We continued our chat until Donna called us for breakfast.

We all made our way to the table and proceeded to wolf down our breakfast. It was the beginning of the day and that made everything right with the world. With our stomach's full, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women what we had planned and Cammie said that they were going to be working in the garden, at least in the morning. They had plans to go to town tomorrow to get the steaks and other things for our holiday cookout. She also reminded us that we had to set up the table for Sunday. I told her we wouldn't forget.

After the coffee was gone, I got my sneakers. Cammie and Donna fixed us a big thermos of tea and then us guys headed for the equipment shed. Jimmy got his tractor with the high lift fired up. Then he took the hayforks off and maneuvered into position to put the bucket on. After that, he pulled over to the gas pump and filled up. I unhooked the spreader and put the scraping blade on and gassed up my tractor. The boys got a couple shovels from the workshop and William and then got the pickups gassed up and we all headed for the pasture.

We drove to the back of the pasture and I took off my boots, socks and jeans and put my sneakers on. I waded out with a pair of pliers and unhooked the two strands of barbed wire so Jimmy could roll them up and stow them. The boys took the two posts down. I started to say something, but decided it would be easier to work the bank without the posts there.

"How we gonna do this? Jimmy asked.

"Well, we need to have a gentle slope into the stream, so I guess we'd best pick a spot and start our digging there. That way we won't have to work in the water as we cut the bank back."

"Ok, where should we start?"

"Let's draw a line that joins the two shallow spots and start carvin' there. Eventually, we'll be in water, but it'll only be for a few bucket loads."

I got on my tractor and moved to the far end of our digging area and lowered the blade to the ground. Then I raised it a bit and canted it some, so I was actually running a groove along the ground. Then I moved across the ground and we had a line where we wanted to start our new slope.

I pulled away from the line and walked over to Jimmy and said, "Try and maintain the same angle as each of the sides."

He nodded and moved his tractor into position. He lowered the bucket and made his first pass. The ground was still kind of soft, so digging was fairly easy. With each bucket load, he moved over to a pickup and dumped the dirt in the bed. It took four loads to fill the bed and then William got in the cab and the boys got in the bed and they took off for the wood lot. I pulled the other pickup into position and Jimmy went back to digging.

Once he filled that pickup bed, I used the blade to smooth out what he had dug so far. We were getting closer to the stream and it looked like this was going to take a lot longer than we figured.

When William and the boys returned, they swapped pickups and headed back to the wood lot. Jimmy went back to digging and quickly filled the pickup bed. We had a good dig going and the slope was fairly even with the two sides. However, we were getting to the point where we'd be digging into the stream. I wasn't positive how that would work, but I figured we'd work it out as we went. We didn't have to take too much out of the stream, probably only about twelve buckets or so.

William and the boys returned and we all took a short break for some tea. Then they took the loaded pickup and Jimmy and I went back to work. Jimmy filled the empty pickup and then I graded with the blade the area where he had dug. We had to wait for the others to get back before we could continue with anything.

We waited and chatted a bit about various things until they returned. When they got there, they told us that lunch was ready and the girls had stopped them on the way through the yard. I hadn't realized we had been working so long. We climbed in the cab and the boys rode in the back since they were already muddy.

We got back and I hung my sneakers on the clothesline to dry and then walked to the back porch to wash up. We all took our boots off and left them on the porch before making our way to the table. Cammie eyed us as we walked through, but didn't say anything. I guess she was thinking that she had us trained, finally.

We had soup and leftover barbecue from last night, along with the side dishes they had bought. We also went through an abundance of iced tea to quench our thirst. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told them we were making good progress on the digging and Bonnie said they were planning on canning most of next week. They would probably pick on Monday and then begin the actual canning on Tuesday. Since we didn't have anything planned for Labor Day, it was just another day for us, plus they would have the girls to help because they didn't start school until Tuesday.

We finished our coffee and then headed for the porch to put our boots on and return to the pasture. Once we got there, William and the boys took the loaded pickup to the wood lot and Jimmy and I went back to digging.

We didn't finish digging until almost four. It took a lot longer than we had planned. But we had the bank set up so the calves wouldn't get trapped if we had high water again. Digging the final part of the point out that was in the stream was the most difficult. Then I had to back my tractor into the water and use the blade to smooth things out. The stream was muddy flowing past this area, but it would clear up within a day or so. After we moved the calves to the next pasture, we would seed the area we had just dug to help stop any erosion. Planting it now wouldn't do any good. The calves would just trample the seeds and nothing would grow.

William drove the one pickup as far as the shed and then let Jessie take over so he could help us feed. The boys took both pickups to the wood lot and Jimmy and I worked on swapping implements on our tractors.

Once that was completed, I pulled the spreader under the feed bin chute and William filled the hopper. Then we followed Jimmy to the pastures to feed. When we returned, the boys were hosing out the beds of the pickups. I pulled the spreader up and they hosed it out so I could put it away. Then we went back to the trucks and used the hose to wash our boots off. Everyone was muddy and we would never be allowed in the house like that.

William, Jimmy and myself made our way to the front porch and I went inside to get some iced tea. Donna had seen us arrive and she met me in the living room with a pitcher of tea. I took that and she returned for glasses with ice and brought them to the porch. I filled our glasses and then sat down to relax. It had been a long day.

The boys joined us and poured themselves a glass of tea and sat down. We chatted about what we had gotten done today. The boys said they had about half of the stump holes filled in and we would need more dirt to complete the job. I told them that would come in time, but we needed to get other stuff done before that required our attention.

Our next project would be to get out into the fields and check on our crops. I knew the corn was not ready for harvest yet, but the hay would be getting close. We didn't want that to go to seed or it would be useless for feed.

It wasn't too long until Donna came to the door and said that dinner was ready. We took our glasses and the pitcher and went inside. Cammie eyed our boots, but didn't say anything. The women had fixed a pork roast and it was delicious. For a treat, Lena had fixed some stuffing to go with it and we devoured all of that and topped it with gravy. There was also corn on the cob and green beans, fixed just the way I like them. I'm sure everyone was completely full before we sat back and sipped our coffee.

As we sipped our coffee, I told Bonnie that I didn't think they'd be able to start canning on Tuesday. She asked why not and I reminded her that her posters would be ready that day.

"Oh shit, I forgot about that. Well, we'll just have to put off canning until Wednesday. It won't hurt anything."

"You mean to tell me that you're gonna have them posters here and not start puttin' them up?" I asked, with a doubting smile.

"Yes. It should only take us a couple days or so to get the canning done and then we can start with the campaign stuff."

I had my doubts about that, but I sure didn't say anything. There's no need to poke a sleeping bear just to see if it's cranky when it wakes up.

I told them our plans for tomorrow and the beginning of next week and they just nodded. When they do that, I don't know if they're agreeing with me or they just don't care. Either way, it cuts down on more discussion about it.

Once the coffee was done, us men moved to the front porch. The kids went to milk and feed and the women went to work on the dishes and kitchen.

The kids came back and joined the conversation. It wasn't too long until the women came out and sat with us too. We chatted about various things and Bonnie wanted to know what was the best way to put up the posters. I told her that using roofing nails with the large head would probably work best. She asked about putting them in yards and said that she'd seen the real estate signs in the metal stand and wondered where they could buy those. I told I had no idea, but maybe a real estate place could help her on that or maybe she might be able to rent some of their stands, if they were the right size. She didn't think her signs would fit in a real estate holder, but wondered if we could make some.

Right then, I knew I should keep my mouth shut, but I didn't listen to myself, again.

"They probably wouldn't be too hard to make if we could find some 'U' channel."

"What in the world is 'U' channel?"

"It's metal that is shaped like a 'U' and it comes in lengths of about eight feet. Then it can be cut to length to make any size you want."

"Where would you get something like that?"

"Around here, I wouldn't know. There used to be an iron shop that formed about anything you'd want up in Pennsylvania, but I don't know what's around here."

"What about the channels they use to make aluminum storm door windows with?" William put in.

"That would probably work," I replied. "Although it wouldn't take much hammerin'."

"Well, we could rig it up to a steel fence post type thing for putting in the ground and that would stand up to any hammerin'."

"I guess we could attach a bracket to the post and screw the channel to it."

"Somethin' like the legs on a Christmas tree stand would work."

"Where can we buy that channel stuff?" Bonnie asked.

"Probably at any big home repair place."

"They's a place in Searcy that manufactures things out of aluminum," Jamie said.

"You might check there," I told Bonnie, now trying desperately trying to extricate myself from this situation and very sorry I had opened my mouth to begin with.

"What do I tell 'em I'm lookin' for?"

"Any type of 'U' channel."

"How much should I buy?"

"If it's in eight foot sections, then I'd buy about a dozen."

"That many?"

"Well, you've got to go all the way around the sign. So your two foot by four foot would take twelve feet just for one sign."

"Then we'd best get more than a dozen. We've got a lot to put up."

"Yes, but some of them will be on walls and some in stores and some on fence posts. Not all of them will be in the metal stands."

"Still, we'd best get a bunch more than a dozen."

"What ever you think is right."

It was getting dark, so we all moved inside to watch the weather. There wasn't any change in the weather from the last few days. That was good news for the women and their cookout. It was good news for us too, since it would be nice if the ground dried out some, especially where we dug today.

After the news, everyone got and gave their hugs and then left for their own abodes. The kids helped Cammie and me close up and turn everything off. Then I got a kiss from the girls before they went upstairs. Cammie and I headed for our bedroom. We stripped down and rinsed off in the shower and then went to the hot tub. I turned the timer on and then climbed in. I know we didn't do a lot of what would be considered physical labor today, but the tractor had strained my body and the jets felt good.

"Do ya think ya'all'll be able to build them holders for Mama's posters?" Cammie asked, as we relaxed.

"I'm sure we can. The frames won't be hard at all. We might have to do some thinkin' about how to mount 'em, but we'll work it out."

"Why can't we just put 'em on wood stakes?"

"Well, you could but they would be at the mercy of the wind and some will probably get blown down. Besides, steel is a lot easier to drive into the ground than wood. With all the rocks around here, it might be hard times tryin' to drive a wood stake in."

"Others do it."

"I've never been one to do things just because someone else does it. We might have to spend more, but they won't come down and we can always use the steel fence posts later on, so those'll be a wash."

"They won't if you cut 'em off."

"I was thinkin' about that. If we'd drive two into the ground and just mount the frame in between 'em, we wouldn't need to cut 'em off."

"How would we do that?"

"Well, they've already got holes in 'em, so we can just use some screws to tap into the frame and hold it in place."

"We can't do that."

"Why not?"

"How'er we gonna drill holes in the frame and screw screws in 'em?"

"You won't have to. We'll buy some self tappin' screws and ya'all can use the screw gun. They'll automatically make the hole and then screw in."

"What?"

"The screws have a special point on 'em and they make a hole as you screw 'em in. They do all the work themselves."

"Are you makin' that up?"

"Nope. When the time comes, I'll show ya'all how to do it. It's real simple."

"Maybe for you men, but we're women and don't know all that fancy stuff."

"It ain't all that fancy. The screw gun has a magnetic tip on it and it will hold the screw in place. Ya'all just put it through the hole in the fence post and hold it against the frame. Then you pull the trigger on the screw gun and it does the rest. It's real simple."

"I'll believe this when I see it done. I ain't never heard of such a thing before."

"I'd bet they's a bunch of stuff you ain't never heard of before."

"You'd probably win that bet, but I wanna see this before I believe it."

"I'll show you. Don't worry about it. If you want, I'll show you tomorrow."

"Well, I think ya'all had best show us before we spend a bunch of money on somethin' that won't work."

"It'll work. I guarandamntee it."

"Ok, well you can show us tomorrow before we go shoppin'."

The timer went off and we got out of the hot tub and dried off. I got the test kit out and ran a test on the water. It was a bit off, so I measured out the chemicals that the chart said I'd need and put them in. I put the timer on five minutes to circulate everything and then we headed for bed.

We cuddled and kissed for a bit and then slowly drifted off to sleep. It had been a long day. Everything took longer than we thought, but I guess that wasn't all bad. We'd killed a whole day just on that one project and stayed away from the women. That kept us out of trouble.



-------

Chapter 81


Finally, I awoke to the rooster. I guess it was about time. I had worked hard yesterday, but I hadn't been worn out last night, so I slept pretty good. The hot tub had done a good job at getting rid of the aches from yesterday.

I teased Cammie's nipple and she moaned and grasped my hand against her tit and rolled over. She kissed me and draped her leg over my hip as we kissed.

"That's better. I've been missin' that."

"Me too. But you women have been wearin' me out at night so I wasn't wakin' up in the mornin'."

"Are you sure you ain't just gettin' old?"

"Nope, darlin', I done got old. At least compared to you."

"Well, you can't get no older than me. You've done gone far enough."

"Works for me."

She kissed me again and then scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and used the throne when she was done. We both washed up and then got dressed before heading for the kitchen.

Everyone was there except Dianne. I got a kiss from Donna and Chrissy and then set about grinding the coffee. When the water was boiling, I poured three pans into the presses and refilled them for more coffee.

Dianne showed up while I was waiting for the presses to steep and I got a kiss from her. Then she went about her duties.

Once the coffee had steeped long enough, I poured the contents into three regular pots and made my way to the dining room. I put two of them on pot warmers and carried the third to the front porch.

I poured a cup of coffee for William, Jimmy and myself and then sat down and lit my first of the day.

"What's up for today?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, I guess the first thing we need to do is to check on the crops. I know the corn ain't dry enough yet, but we need to check its progress. We also need to check the hay fields. We don't want them to go to seed before we can cut it."

"That sounds like a plan."

"Well, I think me and the boys are gonna work on them bowls, if ya'all don't mind," William said.

"No, not at all. It don't take a parade to check out the fields. We'll probably be done by noontime. I think the women are goin' shoppin', so we'll probably need to fix our own lunch."

"Well, we can handle that. We don't need 'em for ever' meal."

"Ya, but don't tell them that. They might quit cookin' all together."

"Nope, I ain't gonna tell 'em. I like eatin' too much to do that."

The kids came back and poured themselves coffee. Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a fresh one out. We told them what we had planned for the day and the boys were fine with that. The girls said they were going shopping with the women to get food for Sunday.

I told them what I had discussed with Cammie about the signs last night and William thought that was a better idea than cutting the fence posts and rigging some clamp to hold the frames. He suggested we make a post driver so they wouldn't need to be hammering the posts in with a sledge. I asked him what a post driver was.

"It's a piece of pipe with two handles welded on the outside and the top quarter filled with concrete. That way you just lift the driver over the post and drop it. It drives the post down with each drop. It saves a lot on busted fingers."

"That's a good idea. I think we've got some pipe around here and I know we've got a bag or two of concrete mix."

"Well, we won't need a whole bag. We just need enough for a few shovels full. We do need some handles though. If ya'all have some old pipe that we can bend or some thick rods, then we can weld them to the sides as handles."

"We've got some three quarter inch black pipe," Jamie said. "It's in the workshop from when we worked on the generators."

"That'll work for the handles, but we need a big piece of casin' for the actual driver."

"I think we've got some bigger pipe at the workshop at home. We were gonna make some cattle guards at one time, but we never got around to it."

"That'll probably work. As long as it ain't too rusted and we can weld it."

"Last I saw, it had black paint on it."

"Well, we've got that MIG welder and the propane torch to bend the small pipe with."

"We should be in business."

Donna came to the door and told us that breakfast was ready. We all made our way to the table and sat down for our meal. It was our usual fare, but it was like a feast to me. Right now, I couldn't imagine not having this for breakfast, unless it was substituted with sourdough pancakes with real maple syrup.

There was very little talking as we ate, but then we sat back and sipped our coffee and chatted. I told the women what we had planned for today and Cammie said they were going shopping for the steaks and other things for Sunday. She also added that I was supposed to show her how those screws worked that didn't have to have a hole drilled for them. I told her we'd do that before they left for town. We all chatted about various things as we continued to sip our coffee.

Once the coffee was gone, us guys got up and headed for the workshop. But before we could get there, the UPS man drove in the lane.

"Whatcha got for us?" I asked him, as he pulled to a stop.

"Well, the packages say jars and I got a bunch of 'em."

"Ok, pull around to the back porch and unload 'em there."

We followed him as he drove over and then helped him unload them and stack them on the back porch. Of course, the women came out to see what was happening. As soon as I counted the boxes and signed the slip, he got back in his truck and drove off.

"Ya'all might just as well stack them things downstairs," Cammie said. "We can't have 'em up here for Sunday."

"But don't take 'em out of the boxes," Bonnie put in. "They'll be easier to carry if they're still in the boxes. Also, ya'all can use the boxes to carry 'em back down when we're done."

Us guys worked a relay and passed the boxes from person to person down the stairs and stacked them in front of the shelves. I wasn't sure we'd have enough shelves to handle all of the canning, but that was something to worry about for another time. We walked back upstairs and headed for the workshop. We got about five steps outside the door when Cammie said I had a phone call. I walked back inside and picked up the phone.

"This is Dean."

"This is Denny at the feed store. Ya'all's peeps are in."

"Thanks. Someone will be in to pick 'em up today."

"Ok, thanks."

I hung up and turned to Cammie.

"The peeps are in. Do ya'all wanna pick 'em up when you go to town?"

"We won't have room in the van with all of us and the groceries."

"Ok, we'll go in and get 'em sometime today."

"Well, maybe Donna should go with ya and be here to take care of 'em."

"That's probably a good idea."

She called Donna from upstairs and told her the peeps were in.

"Maybe you should stay with Dean and be here to take care of 'em when they get here."

"I probably should," she replied. "I guess I should make sure the coop is cleaned out for 'em too."

"Probably."

"Donna's gonna stay here and clean the coop out and then go with ya to get 'em."

"That'll work. Jimmy and I're gonna ride out and check the crops, so that'll give her time to clean the coop and we'll go when we get back."

Once again, I headed for the workshop. This time I got there.

"The peeps are in, so Donna and I are gonna run in and pick them up after we check the crops," I announced, as I walked in.

"Oh, I forgot they were coming in today," Jimmy said. "They told us they'd be in today, but it slipped my mind."

"Ya, mine too. But Donna is gonna clean up the coop, so we'll have time to check out the crops."

The boys were working on the bowl and sanding a lot. They were getting it to the point of being done, except for the drying and oiling, and just about ready to start on the lathe.

Jimmy and I walked to the barn and got out tack. I got the stallion saddled and then got his horse from the pasture. Once he got saddled, we headed for the first cornfield.

When we got there, we rode around the edges. It was still a bit damp, but not really wet. We could see tracks of deer, but not a lot of them. We also saw some coon tracks, but they were few also. I got down and stripped off an ear of corn and pulled back the shucks. It looked good. It was ripe and had a good color. The rows were even and filled out on both ends.

"This looks pretty good, Jimmy."

"Yep, but still too wet to even think about harvestin'."

"Ya, that won't happen until the end of October or the middle of November."

"You think it'll be that late?"

"Depends a lot on the rain. If we keep havin' good rains, then it'll be that late. If it dries up, then it could be sooner. We don't wanna put it away when it's too wet or it'll rot on us."

"Yep, but I'm not sure we'll have that much rain between now and then."

"Well, only time will tell on that."

We rode out of that field and headed for the next field. It was hay and it was greening up on us. It had been a bit brown, but the rain took care of that. It's amazing how quickly the plants will draw up the water and green out after a rain.

"If it stays dry, we should think about cutting this the end of next week."

"Really? That's a bit soon, ain't it?"

"Well, I'm afraid that if we wait any longer, you'll be doin' it by yourself."

"Why?"

"Cammie and I are scheduled to go to Denver a week from Tuesday."

"Oh hell, I forgot about that. You think a week'll make that much difference?"

"If we get any rain, then we'll have to wait. But it might dry out too much or go to seed if we don't. Then it wouldn't be good for much."

"I guess you're right about that."

"If we cut on Thursday, then we could start balin' on Saturday when the kids are off from school. If we get it all baled, then ya'all can take your time about movin' the bales."

"Yep, once it's baled, then they ain't no rush."

"Well, except for the small bales, but the kids can take care of that with no problem at all."

We continued our ride around the fields and checked them all out. It was the same with all the fields. The corn was looking good and the hay had all greened up nicely. Things were looking good for the entire farm. The calves were gaining and there didn't appear to be any problems with them at all. If things kept up, we should have a great sale next year at this time.

We headed our mounts back to the corral at a gentle pace. There was no big rush and it was too hot to put them to any strain. Once we got back, we unsaddled them and turned them out and put our tack away. Jimmy headed for the workshop and I walked over to the coop to see how Donna was making out.

She was inside, sweeping out the peep side. I shut the water off and emptied the watering troughs out. Then I took them to the equipment shed and used the hose to clean them up real good. When I got them back to the coop, I turned the water back on and checked to make sure the turn off valves were working properly. Then I propped the windows open to get some air moving in this side of the coop.

Once we had things cleaned up, we got a bale of hay and spread it around the floor for the peeps and then checked the wire that separated them from the chickens to make sure it was secure. With that done, we headed for the house. We washed up and grabbed my checkbook and then we climbed in the truck and I drove to the workshop.

We walked inside and I told them we were headed for town. Since it was getting late, we'd probably eat lunch in there. They said that was fine and they went back to work and we headed for town.

As soon as we turned out of the lane, Donna scooted over next to me and put her arm around my shoulders.

"I'm so glad you're he'pin' and that I get to spend time with you alone."

"Ya, we don't get much alone time with ever' thing that goes on around here. But, about he'pin', I wouldn't think of not doin' it. We all pull together around here and you and Deanne have fit in very well. Ya'all are part of our family and we take care of each other."

"I know and we're glad to be part of the family. It just feels like home to us. I can't remember a time when I've ever been this happy. I think my life began when we moved here."

"Well, maybe the good part of your life. Nobody should have had to go through what you did. It's just not right."

"I know, but I didn't know any better. I thought that was just how things were."

"Well, now ya'all know different and you'll remember those lessons throughout your life. You might be able to he'p out others that are goin' through rough times in the future. Teachers are sometimes closer to kids than their parents are."

"I know that and that's why I decided I wanted to go into teachin'. I really love kids and I really wanna he'p 'em."

She reached over and kissed me on the cheek and then settled in next to me and we both just enjoyed the alone time. It pleased me to see her and Deanne adapting so well in their new home. It gave me good feelings that I could help be a part of that.

It was close to lunchtime, so we went directly to the barbecue place. I figured we have lunch first and then pick up the peeps.

As we pulled into the parking lot, I saw our van there, so I knew the women were in there too. We walked in and spotted them at the buffet.

"So this is how ya'all shop?" I said, as I walked up behind Cammie.

She turned around and looked surprised to see us.

"No, we're just eatin' before we go shoppin' for groceries. We've been up to Searcy to that aluminum place and got a piece of that stuff you was talkin' about."

"Ya'all ain't anxious or nothin', are ya?"

"Well, we just couldn't picture it, so we had to see for ourselves. I still don't see how you're gonna put screws in that."

"I'll show ya'all before ya have to do it. It's not a big thing."

"It's a big thing to us. Have ya'all picked up the peeps?"

"Nope, we was gonna eat first."

"I think we can fit ya'all in at our table. That's our waitress over there."

The other women had already taken their seats at the table and were eating. I went over to the waitress and told her we would be joining them and both Donna and I were going to have the buffet. She made a note and asked what we were drinking. I told her iced tea and she left to get it for us. Donna and I got our plates and began our trip through the line.

I had a little bit of most everything on the line and then had Dutch apple pie with ice cream for dessert. Then we all got coffee and sipped that as we chatted about various things. Bonnie paid for the meals and we all left after we finished our coffee.

Donna and I drove to the feed store and I paid for the peeps. We put them in the bed of the pickup and headed for home. Once we got there, I drove up to the gate of the coop and we carried the boxes inside and began releasing them.

Once they were all out, I took the boxes back to the truck and then went back inside to join Donna. She was sitting on the floor and observing all of the activities of the peeps as they investigated their new home. I sat down behind her and put my arms around her waist. She leaned back against me and sort of sighed.

"Mama would have been so proud of this. I just wish she could have seen it."

"I know, but you're carryin' on for her and doin' a great job. With all of our peeps, we've only lost a few and that's strictly due to your attention to 'em. You really take care of these chickens and they show the care you give 'em. All of our chickens are healthy and that's your doin'."

She just leaned against me and watched the peeps like a mother hen. They scurried around and stumbled over the hay as they looked over their new territory. It didn't take them long to find the water and were soon drinking from the little troughs. Of course, some of them had to climb in the water, but they didn't stay too long. We both chuckled as they got wet and then scurried out of the water to dry themselves off.

We had probably been there more than an hour when I heard the van pull in.

"Hon, I'm gonna go he'p the women with the groceries. Will you be okay out here by yourself?"

"Yes. I just wanna make sure they get a good start on things out here. A couple of 'em are havin' a hard time with things, but I wanna let 'em figure stuff out for themselves."

"Okay, if you need any he'p, just holler."

"I will."

Before I could release my hold on her, she turned around and kissed me, very gently at first and then with a lot more passion. Her tongue explored my mouth and she moaned as I sucked gently on it.

When she broke the kiss, she whispered, "Thanks for he'pin' me."

"My pleasure and I'll be back after I help them in with the groceries."

"Okay."

I walked up to the house and was in time to carry the meat inside. Cammie was making room in the porch 'fridge, so I set the package on the sink. Bonnie came out with a big box of gallon plastic bags.

"We need to put 'em in these so they don't dry out before we use 'em."

She began to open the bags and I began putting the steaks in the opened bags. I sealed them and made sure the air was out before I sealed the bags completely. Bonnie ran out of bags and had to get a second box so we could finish sealing them. There were a lot of steaks in our 'fridge. But then we had a big crew and there were more on the way on Sunday. After we got them all sealed and put in the 'fridge, I walked back down to the coop to see if I could help Donna.



-------

Chapter 82


When I got inside the coop, Donna was sitting on the floor, just watching the chicks as they explored their new home. I walked over and sat down behind her and put my arms around her waist. She leaned back against me and rested her head on my shoulder as she continued watch the peeps.

"How're ya doin'?" I asked.

"Fine. I'm just watchin' to see that they don't get into trouble before they can get used to the place."

"How can you keep track of all of 'em?"

"I don't. I just watch the ones on the edges. The ones in the middle are just fine. They're grouped up and the ones on the edge are still lookin' to find where they belong."

"I guess it takes some of 'em a while to find out things."

"Yep, and it might be that they are just stubborn, too. Some of 'em are like that."

"But I tol' 'em not to send us any roosters."

She chuckled a bit and then said, "Well, it's not only the guys that get lost. Sometimes the girls get lost too."

"Well, I guess I've seen a few stubborn females in my time, but it's generally the guys that are the ones that stay to themselves."

"Some of the girls are like that too. They don't know how to fit in, so they just stay away from the others."

"And, some of 'em might just be brave and are lookin' for a way to escape."

"That could be. Sometimes it easier to escape than put up with the rules of the group. But once they find out they can't get out, they'll find a place on the edge of the group. Sooner or later, they all figure out they need the others, even if it's just to keep warm."

I continued to hold her and we just sat and watched the peeps establish a pecking order and explore their new home. It was a nice hour or so and I just enjoyed holding her and watching. But the dinner bell rang and we got up to leave the peeps to their own devices. As we stood up, she turned to me and put her arms around my neck. She gently pulled my head down, as she reached up, for a kiss. The kiss was gentle at first, but then grew in passion. Her tongue explored my mouth and then she sucked on mine as our kiss continued. We held the kiss for a couple minutes and then slowly broke it. We held hands as we walked up to the house.

We both washed up on the back porch and then made our way to the dining room table. The women had fixed a fresh salad, liver and onions, cooked with bacon, mashed potatoes with gravy, and fresh peas for supper. We all ate our fill and then they brought out two carrot cakes they had bought at the bakery in town. The cakes were good, but certainly not homemade. When our plates were empty, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"You were supposed to show me how to screw them channels to the posts today," Cammie said, as we sat there.

"Well, ya'all went shoppin' and we had to pick up the peeps. I can show ya tomorrow."

"We'll be way too busy tomorrow to do anything."

"Ok, then we'll wait until Monday. There's not a big rush. Ya'all won't need to know how to do that for a couple weeks, or so."

"How 'bout this evenin'? I wanna see that work so I don't worry about it."

"Sure. That's not a problem. It won't take but a couple minutes. It's real easy."

"Ok, as soon as we finish the dishes."

Mentally, I shook my head and wondered how I'd got myself involved in this mess. This was a simple thing, but she was making a big deal of it. I guess men and women have different priorities on things like this.

We chatted as we finished our coffee and Bonnie reminded us that we needed to put up the table tomorrow. I just nodded as I sipped my coffee. Sometimes I think they believe we're completely stupid.

Once the coffee was gone, us men adjourned to the front porch, as the women went to work on the table and the kids went to milk. We chatted about the things we needed to do tomorrow. The big priority was to get the table put up and to make sure the chairs were functional. I'd clean the grill and get it ready for the big steak cookout. Then we'd probably need to make ourselves scarce so the women didn't draft us for anything. If we looked like we didn't have anything to do, they'd surely find something for us.

The kids came back and joined us on the porch and we told them the chores we had planned for tomorrow. Then it wasn't too long until the women came out to join us.

"Ok," Cammie announced, as she walked out of the door, "I'm ready for you to show me how to screw that channel to them posts."

I looked at her and decided there was not any way I was going to get out of this. I just got up and walked toward the workshop.

"Wait, I have to get the channel out of the van," she said, as we walked off of the porch.

"Is it so heavy that you need he'p carryin' it?"

"No, smart ass."

"Well, then I'll see you at the workshop."

In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have said that, but it was already out and I couldn't take it back. I'd probably pay for it later on.

I got in the workshop and began going through the collection of screws that we had down there. I finally found a self-tapping metal screw that wasn't obscenely long. I got that and picked up the cordless drill and put a magnetic Phillips-head screwdriver in the socket and chucked it up.

By the time I got outside, Jamie had retrieved a metal fence post from the equipment shed and Cammie had the U-channel. I had Jamie hold the post and asked Jimmy to hold the channel against the post so it wouldn't flex as she was screwing.

"Now, here's how you start. This screwdriver head is magnetized so it will hold the screw in place. You put the screw on the head and then pull this sleeve down to keep the screw from wobbling."

I showed her how to do those things and then handed her the drill and the screw. She put the screw on and pulled the sleeve down and then I said, "Now, put the tip of the screw in the hole here," and pointed to the place on the fence post.

"Now, you'll need to apply some pressure and pull the trigger on the drill and it should just drill a hole until the threads can catch and then it'll go in."

She put the screw up to the hole and pulled the trigger, but was not pushing hard enough.

"Press harder so it can cut the metal."

She leaned into it a bit and in about a second the screw grabbed and went in. She didn't let go of the trigger and it just kept spinning.

"Stop."

She let go of the trigger and just looked at me.

"Once the threads catch, you have to go slow so you don't strip out the hole."

"Huh?"

"If you keep the screw turning once it's all the way in, you'll strip the hole out and it won't hold tight."

I took the drill from her and backed the screw out by moving it at an angle. Then I moved up to the next hole and started it. Once it caught, I just gave it gentle pulses until it was tight. Then I stopped.

"See how that's done?"

"I didn't know it wouldn't stop automatically."

"Ok, well let's try it again."

I backed the screw out and handed it to her. Jimmy moved the channel down some so she was working on a fresh section. She was a little bit tentative, but finally got it to catch and then went slow until it was seated. She took the drill away and looked up.

"Oh, I see how that works. That's kinda neat."

"How're we gonna get them posts in the ground?" Bonnie asked.

"We're gonna make a special tool to do that," William said. "It'll be a pipe that'll fit over the post and it'll have concrete in the end of it with handles on it. You just lift it up and let go and it'll drive the post into the ground. Ya'all won't need to use much muscle at all."

"I don't understand."

"Ok, well think about a piece of pipe about three foot long. It'll have two handles welded on it, one on each side. Then there'll be about a foot of concrete in the end of it. One person will hold the post up and another will put the piece of pipe over the post and just let it go. It'll drop on the post and drive it in the ground."

"I guess that'll work, but I'll have to wait until I see it to know for sure."

"Trust me, it'll work."

We put everything away and went back to the porch and took a seat. We chatted, mostly about the get together on Sunday, and mostly we listened to the women tell us what was going to happen. We stayed out there until it got dark and then went inside to watch the news.

Once the weather was over, everyone got and gave their hugs and kisses and then left for their homes. The kids helped Cammie and me turn off everything and close up. Then I got kisses from the girls and they headed upstairs for bed. Cammie and I went to the bedroom and stripped down. We rinsed off in the shower and then made our way to the hot tub. I set the timer for 15 minutes and eased myself into the water.

It felt good and eased the aching muscles. I hadn't done a whole lot today, but some was left over from yesterday.

"That thing with the screws worked pretty good," Cammie said, as we relaxed in the water jets.

"Yep and it'll be a lot easier once you get used to it more."

"I'm not sure I understand how we're gonna get them fence posts in the ground."

"Ok, well picture a piece of pipe that is big enough to go over the post. It'll be about three foot long. Then picture two handles on it, fairly close to the top. That's pretty much what it'll look like. We're gonna mix up some concrete and put it in the top of the pipe and let it harden up. That'll give it the weight it needs to drive the post in. All ya'all will need to do is to lift the pipe up and let it drop on the post. That way ya'all won't need a step ladder and a sledge hammer to drive the post in the ground."

" Won't the concrete make it pretty heavy? Will we be able to lift the thing?"

"It won't be that heavy. It'll probably weigh about twenty pounds."

"Even with the concrete?"

"Yep. We're only gonna put about a foot of concrete in there. That's less concrete than is in a concrete block."

"And that'll drive the post in far enough?"

"It sure will."

"What about keepin' it close enough to put the posters in?"

"Well, ya'all put one post in and then hold the poster up to that post and place the next post right next to it. It's real simple. Ya'all just need to make sure the hollow part of the post is facin' in. That way the poster in the channel will just slide right in and you can secure it with the screws."

"Ok, well I guess it sounds easy enough."

"Won't be no problems, I guarandamntee it."

The timer went off and the jets stopped, so we climbed out and dried off. Then we headed for bed.

When we got there, Donna was in the bed, waiting for us. I looked at Cammie with a questioning look on my face and she just smiled at me and got into bed next to Donna. I mentally shrugged and climbed in on the other side of Donna.

"The way you sat with me today and held me and listened to me, just melted my heart," Donna whispered. "I've never had anyone that did that for me before."

"Well, that's a real shame. Listenin' don't cost nothin' and you can find out a whole lot. It's a real shame more folks don't understand that."

She put her arms around my neck and leaned in and kissed me. It was a gentle kiss at first, but then it turned very passionate. Her nipples bored into my chest as her tongue explored my mouth and dueled with my tongue.

As she broke the kiss, she whispered, "I don't need any preparation but I do need you inside me."

With that, she rolled me onto my back and straddled my hips. As her pussy came in contact with my cock, I learned she was right. She was almost sloppy wet.

She adjusted her position and then reached down with her hand and lined me up. Then she slowly lowered herself and impaled herself on me. I didn't move at first because I wanted her to get in the position that was best for her. I would have plenty of time to move later.

Once she had reached bottom and was resting against my pubic bone, she slowly began to move. She moaned and then moved her lips to mine and passionately kissed me. I remained still and let her do the work. I did move my hands to her tits and gently played with her nipples. They extended even farther as my teasing took its toll on them.

As her pussy snapped at my intrusion, she moaned and began a circular motion of her hips at the bottom of each stroke. It didn't take her long before she succumbed to her first orgasm. She froze in mid stroke and then crashed down against me. She moaned into my mouth and her entire body trembled as the waves washed over her. She finally had to pull her mouth away from mine so she could gasp for air.

As she started to come down the other side of the crest, she moved back and kissed me. Then I felt movement in the bed and I opened my eyes to see Cammie moving behind Donna.

Donna moaned as Cammie grasped her hips and moved closer to her ass. Her movements stopped briefly and she gently gasped and I figured Cammie must have penetrated her ass. I felt Cammie push against her and then Cammie moaned and Donna quivered.

Since Donna was remaining still, I began to fuck up from the bottom. I was very slow about it and wanted to maintain a gentle stroke so as not to dislodge Cammie from her position. With my movements and Cammie's, Donna's next orgasm hit her like a runaway truck.

Her mouth opened in a silent scream and her eyes were clamped shut. Her body trembled like she was having a fit and her pussy went into overdrive with its snapping.

Then Cammie slammed hard into Donna and moaned loudly. Donna was driven down against me and they both moaned. I guessed that Cammie was cumming too, although I couldn't see anything from my position with Donna's hair covering my face.

As they recovered and began moving again, I took that as my cue to resume my motions. Donna's movements were limited so Cammie wasn't dislodged, but she managed to meet my thrusts every time.

Cammie tensed and slammed against Donna again and then moaned out loud as she slumped over Donna's back. As she came down from her orgasm, she rolled off of Donna and to the side.

Donna pulled her mouth away from mine and whispered to me that she couldn't be on top any longer because she was tired. I wrapped my arms around her and gently rolled us over.

When she was on her back, she wrapped her legs around me and I began to slowly fuck her with long strokes. I lowered my mouth to hers and began kissing her. Then I used my tongue in concert with my cock and penetrated her every time my cock sank into her. She moaned and after about five strokes of that double penetration, she began to cum again.

Her legs clamped tightly around me and she trembled as her orgasm washed over her. Her pussy snapped at me as I remained still inside of her. She had to pull her mouth away to gasp for air and her fingers dug into my shoulders.

With all of this activity, I was getting close. Of all the women, Donna was definitely the most loving of all the crew, even more so than Cammie. It was like Donna's only existence was to please me and have me inside of her. With Cammie and me, it was a mutual love, but Donna's was all encompassing on her part. This is what she lived for, at least at that moment in time.

As her orgasm waned, she moved her mouth back and we kissed and I began to move with more determination. She took the hint and matched my movements exactly. I adjusted my position a bit so I was now ending my stroke at the mouth of her cervix. It didn't take too long after that for the tickle began.

I drove into her and my cum shot out of the end of my cock and surged into her cervix. She moaned and began to cum too. Her pussy went into overdrive and snapped relentlessly at me.

Each shot from me blasted against her cervix and that produced a moan from her. Between her trembling and my shaking, we probably set off a tidal wave in the bed. But we kept meeting in the middle and then crashing to the bottom on each stroke.

I have no idea how many times I shot into her, or when I quit expelling any cum and was shooting blanks. It seemed to go on forever. But finally I knew I was out of ammunition. I came to rest at the mouth of her cervix and just rested there.

I stroked her sides and kissed her ear and neck as we both gasped for air. Once we could breathe again, our lips met and we kissed as lovers always do. It was gentle, but passionate and we held that until I began to wilt and could no longer stay in her.

As I was forced out by her snapping pussy, she lowered her legs and I slowly rolled to the side. Cammie was there in a flash and cleaned my cock of all of our combined juices. Once she was satisfied I was clean, she moved to Donna and feasted on her pussy.

I watched as Donna wrapped her legs around Cammie's head and began to orgasm or was having some fairly large aftershocks. Anyway, she began to shake a bit. I gently kissed her as Cammie worked on the other end. She had to pull away a couple times to gasp for air, but came back for more kisses.

Once Cammie had gleaned all she could, she moved up Donna's body and they shared what Cammie had not swallowed. I took that as my cue to go to the bathroom since I was no longer a part of the equation.

I drained my tank and washed up a bit to get the sex smell off of me. I returned to the bedroom and I don't think I had even been missed. Cammie and Donna were locked in an embrace. Donna had her legs wrapped around Cammie as they kissed and they were both rocking back and forth to increase the pressure on each other.

I gently slipped into bed and just watched them. They finally realized that I was there and included me in their kissing. Then the girls made a trip to the bathroom and returned. We kissed for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions and slowly drifted off.



-------

Chapter 83


Saturday morning I awoke with Cammie and Donna kissing me. It was nice, but I was still sleepy. I guess last night had worn me out more than I thought.

"You didn't wake me again," Cammie said.

"And you didn't wake me neither," Donna put in.

"Well, ya'all just wore me out last night."

"I guess ol' men are like that," Cammie said, with a grin.

"That's what I've been tryin' to tell ya'all."

I got another kiss from them and then they scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I shook the cobwebs from my head and slowly followed them. I claimed the throne after they relinquished it and then washed up. We all retreated to the bedroom and got dressed before heading for the kitchen.

Everyone else was already there. I guess that the excitement of getting ready for the company tomorrow was too much for them to sleep. I got a kiss from Chrissy and Dianne and then went about grinding the coffee. Someone had already put the water on and as soon as I had all the coffee ground, I just filled three presses and put more water back on to boil. Then I waited for the coffee to steep.

Once the coffee was ready, I transferred it to regular pots and carried them to the dining room. I put two on pot warmers and carried the third to the front porch where I poured a coffee for us men and then lit my first.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, I guess we should get the table put up and then try to stay out of the line of sight of the women for the rest of the day."

"Good luck with that."

"Surely there's gotta be somethin' we can look busy doin'."

"Well, the boys and me are gonna be workin' on the bowls," William put in.

"Well, I reckon we could start haulin' them stumps over," I told Jimmy.

"Now you know they'll put a stop to that," he replied. "They won't want them things over here with company comin'."

"You're probably right about that. But we could take the tractor over and start lookin' like we're busy over there."

"Yep, we could do that. Or we could take the horses and go check the fields again. That'd kill the afternoon."

"That would kill the afternoon."

"Mind if I ask you boys a question?" William said.

"Nope, not at all."

"Where are ya'all gonna put all the corn from the harvest?"

"In the corn bin."

"It ain't all gonna fit in the one you've got here. You'll need about three that size to hold what ya'all got planted."

"Well, there's one over to Jimmy's and one down at your place," I replied.

"Yep, but your feed bin's up here. You might wanna think about movin' them two over here. Otherwise, ya'all'll be haulin' it up here by the pickup load to grind and put in the feed bin."

"That's somethin' I hadn't thought about, William. You just earned your salary for the next year with that 'un."

"We ain't gonna be able to move them things," Jimmy said."

"No, but ya'all could drill and pour the footers so they could be moved up here. Ya'all'll probably need to hire someone to take them down and reset 'em up here. Ya'all don't have no crane to take 'em down or reset 'em."

"Ya, I'll have to ask Elmer who does that around here," I put in.

"Well, ya'all can't move 'em, but ya'all can measure for the footers and then drill holes and pour the concrete for 'em. That'll save ya'all some money and time."

"Well, I reckon we can spend the time this afternoon checkin' that stuff out and maybe layin' it out."

"Actually, that sounds better than playin' with the stumps," Jimmy said, with a grin.

"Yep, and we can start work on the layout this comin' week," I put in. "We won't need the boys for that chore."

The kids showed up and poured their coffee and joined us. We told them what we had planned for today and the boys grinned when they were informed they would be working on the bowls today after we got the table set up. The girls said they'd be helping with the cleaning and getting ready for the gathering on Sunday.

We chatted and sipped our coffee until Donna called us for breakfast. We all went to the dining room and proceeded to devour the good food. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women what we had planned for today and Cammie said they were all going to be cleaning and then getting everything ready for tomorrow. Besides providing the meat, we were providing the salad and the ice cream mixture, plus they had to make enough tea for everyone. She asked if I had enough ice in the freezer to make three gallons of ice cream. I told her I was sure there was enough, but I'd check to make sure after breakfast. Then the women went into planning mode and talked among themselves and basically tuned us men out.

Once the coffee was gone, we all went our separate ways. I went to the back porch and checked on the ice situation. We had eight one-gallon containers of ice and that would be plenty. Then I walked out the door and caught up with the rest of the guys as we headed for the workshop.

At the workshop, we got all the components of the table down from the rafters and carried them to the tree. We set up the first set of sawhorses and then put the plywood on top. I walked back to the workshop to get the screw gun and screws that I had forgotten.

I secured the first two pieces of plywood to the sawhorses and then we put up the next section. After the third section was secured, we stood back to survey our accomplishment. This was the largest set up we'd ever erected, but we had more people coming. William and Lena were here and there were going to be an additional four people coming with the other families.

We tested the strength and it appeared to have a couple weak spots in the table. William and I decided that it would be best if we put more support under the plywood. He quickly took some measurements and then we walked back to the workshop.

We rounded up enough 2x4 scraps to make an additional four horses. William marked the pieces and had me cut them on the table saw. Then he got a bevel gauge and made more marks. Once he had things marked, he got his crosscut handsaw and began to make some cuts in the cross members.

"Jamie, you and Jessie get a good sized chisel and take out what I've scored on these boards," William said, as he pointed to the places on the cross members.

They got the chisels and went to work while he began to make cuts on the legs. I didn't understand exactly what he was doing, but I wasn't going to question his reasoning. He seemed to have everything working properly.

Once Jamie and Jessie had finished the first cross member, he had the four legs cut for it. He laid the cross member on the bench and fit the first leg into the mortise the boys had chiseled out. He had to pare just a bit on the one mortise, but then it fit like a glove. He did the same thing with the other three legs and then stood it up.

"Ya need to screw them in place and I'll measure for the cross brace," William said, looking at me.

I got the screw gun and fastened the legs in place and William found some scrap plywood and held it against the legs. He made some marks on it and told me to cut on the lines.

I ran them through the table saw and handed them to him. He handed them back and told me to screw them in place on the legs. I turned the horses on end and screwed the braces in place. Once they were secured, I stood it up and it was much more solid than the ones we had made with the metal pieces we had bought at the hardware store.

We quickly made the other three and then took them to the table and put them in the vital places for support. With those in place, we could have walked on the table and it wouldn't have had any sway in it at all.

With that chore done, we went to the house and the workshop for the chairs we'd need to sit on tomorrow. We had just finished getting all of the chairs when we were called for lunch.

We all washed up on the back porch and then made our way to the table. We had soup and sandwiches with iced tea and it tasted great. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. We chatted until the coffee was gone and then we were chased out of the house by the women. They had things to do and didn't want us around. We were happy to leave.

William and the boys headed for the workshop and Jimmy and I took the pickup and headed for his place. He had the biggest corn bin. We got almost to the lane between his place and mine when we remembered we didn't have anything to measure with. So we returned to the workshop and I got a fifty-foot tape measure. Then we headed over to his place.

When we got there, we took a minute to look at the construction of the bin. It had a metal pad that was welded to each leg and bolted into the concrete footer with four large bolts. The metal pad was twelve inches square. I wrote that on my note pad.

Then we measured the distance between the pads. That number was right at thirty feet. We measured the distance on each of the pads and it was exactly the same. Next we measured the distance between the pads that were catawampus of each other and I wrote that on my note pad. The next thing we made a note of was the alignment of the footpads on the legs. They were aligned facing the opposite pads that were catawampus and not with the ones right and left of them. That would make a big difference when we were locating the bolts in the concrete. We also measured the distance between the four bolts on each pad and then the distance between the bolts from one pad to the next. Since we were going to have to duplicate the bolt placement exactly, we needed all the information we could gather.

When we had all of the information written down in a manner we could understand, we headed back to my place. We needed to lay out the dimensions on the ground so we could determine where we would be placing the new bins. We had several things to consider. First, we needed to be able to have complete access to the feed bin, so that could not be blocked. We had to drive under the discharge chute to load up. It had to be a drive through arrangement since trying to back the spreader in would waste a lot of time.

Next, each new corn bin needed to be close enough to the feed bin so we could transfer corn to the grinder on the conveyor and keep the grinder close enough to the feed bin so the grinder could discharge directly into it. The final thing was to keep the corn bins far enough away from the barn entrance and from the corral so they didn't block access in any way. We also couldn't block access to the current corn bin.

It would be no problem to put the one new bin on the other side of the feed bin from the current corn bin. The second one would be the problem. It couldn't go behind, because it would be in the corral and too close to the barn. If we put it in front, we wouldn't have drive through access to the feed. If we put it on the other side of the current feed bin, the conveyor would be too short to allow us to move the grain to the grinder and then to the feed bin. We had some figuring to do. We studied the layout and then headed for the workshop to rest our brains for a bit.

The boys were working on the lathe and William was supervising. They had the lathe going at a slow speed and were still working on cleaning off the outside and rounding it a bit on the bottom.

"Well, it looks like you've got 'em goin' on the new bowl?" I said, as William looked up at us.

"Yep. It took a bit to figure out how the lathe works, but we finally got the speed we want. Now they're just workin' on the first shapin' of it. What're you boys up to?"

"Well, we got the layout of the bin over at Jimmy's, but we've run into kind of a problem. We've got to bring his over and the one over from your place. If it was just the one, there wouldn't be no problem, but with the two, we've got to figure out how to place them so we can have the proper distance."

"What do ya mean, the proper distance?"

"Well, we need to have them close enough together so we can take the corn out on the conveyor and put it in the grinder and still keep the grinder close enough to the feed bin to get the feed in it. Plus, we need to have drive through access to the feed bin so I can drive under it and load the spreader. Then we can't get the new ones too close to the barn or the corral."

"Hmmm, that is a problem. I'd say put the one from Jimmy's on the other side of the feed bin, but that still leaves the one from my place. How long is your conveyor?"

"I don't really know."

"Well, a good place to start would be to measure that. Then measure the chute of the grinder and how far away the grinder can be from the feed bin. You might be able to get a longer chute for the grinder, but I'm not sure about that."

"That's a start, William. Thanks."

Jimmy and I went outside and I hooked up the spreader to a tractor and pulled it out. I parked it away from the feed bin and then elevated the chute to the level of the top of the bin and pulled it so it was as far away as it could possibly be and still work properly.

Jimmy hooked up the conveyor to another tractor and pulled it out. We elevated the one end to the top of the grinder and then pulled it up like we would be putting corn on it from a corn bin. Then we got the tape measure out and came up with the distance. That would be the farthest distance the corn bin chute could be from the feed bin. I had Jimmy hold the tape under the edge of the feed bin and I walked around with the length to see where we might place the corn bin. It wasn't looking good. We'd either block the entrance to the barn or it would be right in the middle of the lane that leads to the pastures on this side of the stream. We were standing around kind of scratching our heads when William came out, followed by the boys.

"How's it lookin'? William asked.

"Not real promisin'," I replied.

"What's your choices?"

"Well, either in front of the barn or in the middle of the lane or inside the corral."

"Them don't seem like good choices. I don't even think a longer chute for the grinder would he'p that much."

"Nope, me neither."

"You could relocate the current bins to a place where you'd have room."

"I'm thinkin' that'd be a lot more expense. That'd be four moves instead of two."

"Yep, but you'd have plenty of room and it could be organized the way you want it."

"I'm not sure we wanna spend that much money on our first year in business."

"Well, ya'all could move ever'thin' over to Jimmy's place or mine. That'd only be movin' three."

"Since this is the central area and we gather here and eat here, that'd make things pretty inconvenient."

"That it would.

"Well, let's try another choice. Run the conveyor up until it's at the top of the corn bin and see how much distance that'll give us."

I walked over to the conveyor and elevated it until it was at the level of the top of the corn bin. Then Jimmy and I measured how far away that would be.

"Ok, bring your tape over here and measure from the edge of the corn bin out that amount in this direction," William said.

We did that and marked the spot. Then William had us move a bit farther away from the lane and we marked that spot.

"Now, if ya'all was to put a bin there, then ya could empty this bin first and refill it from the new bin. It's a bit more work, but it will save ya'all the money of relocating ever'thin'."

I thought for a minute and tried to picture the alignment of the bins in my mind. The new bin would be clear of the lane so we wouldn't need to worry about hitting it and clear of the corral.

"That just might work, William. During the winter, we'll probably be lookin' for something to do and that would give us some work and keep us out from under the women's feet for a couple days."

"Well, where's the layout of the bin ya'all measured for?"

I got the paper from the truck and showed it to William. He studied it and then told Jamie to go to the workshop and get a big framing square and four stakes. Then we walked to the north side of the feed bin and measured out ten feet.

Jamie returned with the square, the stakes and a hammer. William studied the layout on the paper and the size of the feet of the feed bin and the corn bin. Then he moved his position a bit and drove the first stake in the ground. He laid the square on the ground and told me to take the tape out to the measurement of the first leg. I handed him the end of the tape and walked out until I had the distance of the first leg. I held the tape and he eyed my position and waived me over one way and then back a bit and then told me to put a stake in at that point.

Next he had me move to the opposite leg and maneuvered me until he thought it was correct and had me drive the stake in.

"Did you take a catawampus measurement?" he asked

"Yep."

I told him what it was and he had me move the center between the two corner posts.

"Take the stake and hold it on the measurement and make an arc so we have a good idea where it's supposed to me."

I did that and then he moved to the left corner post and set up the square. He maneuvered me around until he thought it was correct and had me mark that point. Then he moved to the opposite stake and repeated the same thing. Where the three lines came together, I drove the stake in. We measured everything again for that stake just to be sure.

Then we took a measurement of the opposite angled corners. The measurement was exactly an inch off. Next we measured the two recent legs again and found that one of them was an inch off. Once that was corrected, William pronounced it was exactly square.

"Where did you take the measurements from?" he asked.

"From the outside of each pad."

"Ok, then you've got the outside corner marked for each new pad. Now you get to do a lot of diggin'."

"We'll do that later. Right now, we need to put these stakes in very deep so they don't get moved. Then we need to measure the other bin and stake it out. When that's done, then we can dig."

"You're gonna need a pretty big hole for each one."

"Yep, I figured we'd use the post hole auger and make several holes for each pad and then clear it out with shovels."

"It's gonna need to be at least four foot deep."

"Really? The auger is that long, but does it need to be that deep?"

"Yep. You're gonna have a lot of weight in the bin and it'll be top heavy as it is, so it'll need a good footin'."

"You're probably right."

"You might want to consider havin' the folks that move the bins actually dig the holes and pour the concrete. They're probably set up to do that a lot easier than you are and it probably won't cost much more than to have them correctin' your mistakes."

"You're probably right about that too. I'll talk to 'em before we do anything."

"Well, it's about time to feed. We might just as well get that done. The women'll want us to be showered and all before supper so they can clean up after we eat."

"Good thinkin', William."

Jimmy and I put the conveyor and grinder into their resting configurations and parked them. Then we got the tractors we use for feeding. I pulled under the feed bin and William filled the spreader and then climbed up with Jessie and me for the ride out.

When we got there, Jessie worked the gates and I spread the feed. William and Jamie cut the bales apart that Jimmy dumped in the ring. When we got back, I hosed out the spreader and then parked the tractor. Jimmy, William and Jamie headed for their houses while Jessie and I headed inside to shower.

Jessie beat me to the front porch and had tea waiting for us. We sipped and chatted about them working the lathe and he really liked using that. He said he was still learning, but it was going a lot faster than working the bowls by hand.

The rest of the guys returned and we sipped tea until we were called for supper. Bonnie and Lena had made meat loaves and they tasted great. We also had new potatoes fixed in butter, green beans, salad and corn on the cob. Very little was left on the table. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women we had the table set up and had measured for the corn bin to be moved. The boys told them they had worked on the lathe with a new bowl. Cammie said they had cleaned up most everything and gotten things ready for tomorrow.

When the coffee was gone, the women chased us out. I went to the bedroom and changed clothes and carried the guitar out to the van. Then I took a seat on the porch and chatted with Jimmy and William until the kids came back from milking. They boys joined us and the girls went to shower and clean up.



-------

Chapter 84


It wasn't too long until Lena, Dianne and Bonnie came out on the porch and said they were going home to take their showers. William drove Lena home and the other two drove themselves. Jimmy, the boys and myself sat there and chatted.

Slowly, but surely, the women joined us as they each showered, dressed and returned. As soon as Dianne returned, Jamie and Jessie headed for the truck and those three left. Chrissy and Donna came out and Cammie was the last to arrive. With everyone there, we got into our vehicles and headed for the Grange Hall for another Saturday night.

When we arrived, Jimmy and I took our guitars to the stage and let them acclimate to the surroundings. I took a quick look at the play list the guys were working up. It didn't seem out of the ordinary and I didn't make any comments. Since Elmer wasn't involved in anything, I got him away from everyone.

"Elmer, who erects corn bins around here?" I asked.

"That'd be the Pritchard boys, over by McCrory," he answered.

"Do they move 'em, too?"

"Yep. Why do ya ask?"

"Well, our crop won't fit in the one bin I've got on the place, but we've got one over to Jimmy's place and another one over at my other place. I'm figurin' that the three of 'em will hold the full crop. But I want 'em next to each other so I don't need to keep haulin' corn from one place to another."

"Well, they've got all the equipment to do the job. Ever'one I've talked to says they do good work."

"That's what I needed to hear. Thanks, Elmer."

I walked over to the table and joined William and Jimmy. Pretty soon Frank and Allen showed up and we chatted about various things. The women had everything all set up for the cookout tomorrow and they were doing the same thing we were, staying out of the way. Each of them was bringing a grill over and their ice cream freezer. Their wives had been fixing the stuff they were bringing all day and they just tried to keep out of their way so they didn't get roped into doing something.

As we were talking, the twins showed up and I got a kiss on the cheek from both of them. Then they held onto my arms and made sure to press their tits against me as I continued to talk. They stayed there until Jimmy and I were called up for the first set.

We got tuned up and I kicked things off with "San Antonio Rose" and the other singer came back with "Who'll Be the First to Say I Told You So." Next I did "Oklahoma Hills" and he came back with "Take Me Back To Tulsa." This was our fast set and it got folks up dancing. We continued like that until the break.

Jimmy and I each got a Coke and then headed for our end of the table. Us guys took up our conversation and I told them about having to move the corn bins. They both agreed that the Pritchards were the ones to call. They wanted to know why we were moving the bins and I explained about having them in the same location so we could grind them without having to move the corn from different locations. They just nodded their heads in agreement. We chatted until we were called back up for the second set.

As usual, our second set was our rowdy set. I started off with "I'm Goin' Back to Texas," and the other singer came back with "I'm gonna hire a wino to decorate our home." Next we did a duet of "Good Ol' Boys" and then I did "I Wouldn't Take Her To a Dog Fight." It seemed like we had a full dance floor and that's what we were shooting for. When the dance floor is full, folks are having a good time and that's the only reason we are up on stage. We finished out the set and then Jimmy and I each grabbed a Coke and returned to the table.

We continued our chat mostly about farming and what was happening tomorrow. They asked if I had heard anything from the folks about our organic certification and I told them I hadn't but it was a bit early yet to hear. The guy had told me about six weeks to get everything tested and completed. They asked me about the weight gain of the cattle and I told them I couldn't see much difference since we were feeding them daily. We continued our chat about that and they had more questions about what the price difference would be when we sold them. I told them I really had no idea since I hadn't delved into that much and wouldn't until next spring. Then we would start getting quotes from brokers that worked with organic beef producers. Since we didn't have our certification, it was way too early to even concern ourselves yet. Even if we didn't get our certification, we were spending less money to raise and fatten the calves and raise our feed crop, so our profit should be higher.

Elmer called us up for the last set and we all got tuned up. Then I led it off with "My Hero's Have Always Been Cowboys," and the other singer came back with "I'm Drifting Into Deep Water." We kept to the slower songs so the folks could do some "belly rubbin' dancin'." That's what the third set was about. It was supposed to be more romantic so the people could leave in a good mood.

Once the set was over, Jimmy and I packed up our guitars and took them to the table. The women were still gabbing at their end of the table, so we sat down at the men's end and chatted with the men. It wasn't too long until the twins showed up and latched onto my arms. They just stood there and listened to our conversation. I tried to ignore them, but they kept rubbing their tits against my arms and distracting me.

We sat there for about thirty minutes and Allen finally said that it was time to go home. The women slowly broke up their circle of gab and we all headed for the vehicles.

On the way home, Cammie said that everything was planned for tomorrow and they'd all arrive shortly afternoon. She told us what everyone was bringing and I just tuned her out. I wasn't the least bit interested in what they were bringing as long as they brought their grills and ice cream freezers. The food was the women's department. The men's department was eating.

Once we arrived home, everyone came inside. Since the twins were staying over, Jamie didn't have to drive them home. Inside, everyone gave and got their hugs and kisses and then left for their own houses. I got a kiss from Chrissy and Donna before they went upstairs. The rest of the kids helped us close up and turn everything off. Then they departed upstairs too.

Cammie and I headed for our bedroom and stripped down. Then we made our way to the shower and rinsed off before heading to the hot tub. I turned the timer on and we both settled into the hot water. It felt good and I let the heat soak away the minor aches and pains left over from today. There weren't a lot, but I guess some just come with age and lifestyle. I had to admit that I was a product of a misspent youth and it was catching up with me. Maybe everyone is like that, I don't know, but the hot water and jets sure felt good.

We had probably been there about five minutes when I heard the sounds of giggling coming from the shower area and then the shower was turned on. It wasn't very long after that until the crowd showed up at the hot tub. Jessie, Charlene, Deanne, Lana and Leanne all made an appearance, in the nude.

Both Lana and Leanne were built alike. Their tits almost defied gravity. They were probably a B cup and about the size of a medium grapefruit. Their nipples were not like the rest of the girls. They were large and didn't not stand out prominently but mainly covered the entire end of their tits. They were about the size of the old style silver dollars. Their upper chests and tits were covered by freckles even more so than their face and neck. Their bright red hair was continued around their pussy, but it wasn't as thick as I would have thought it would be. Nude, they looked older than their fourteen years.

Everyone climbed into the tub and found a seat. Lana chose a seat between Cammie and me, which I noticed, too late to do anything about, that Cammie had left open.

"This is really kewl," Lana said, as she leaned back and enjoyed the hot water and jets.

"We like it," Cammie replied. "We got the idea to have one from a place we stayed in Denver. They had one and everyone really liked it."

"I can see why. It's so relaxin'."

"Wait until you feel the jets hit a sensitive spot."

"What do ya mean?"

Cammie leaned over a bit and looked at the water and then said, "Scoot forward until your butt is just beyond the seat a bit."

Lana scooted forward and the jet hit her pussy.

"Oh, wow. That's um, ah, kinda weird. Good, but weird. I've never felt anything like that before."

"Ya, and that's not a very strong jet. It gets better when a little stronger jet hits you."

I noticed Leanne scoot forward after listening to the conversation and her mouth dropped open when the jet hit her.

"Oh my god," Leanne said. "How do ya'all stay out of here? That feels soooo good."

All the females giggled at her remark.

"They won't let us in here until it's bed time," Charlene said. "And then we don't have too much time to do much. But the shower is almost as good. Them floor jets can really do a good job."

"Ya," Deanne put in, "but ya need someone to hol' ya up so your knees don't give way and you wind up fallin'."

There was more talking by the females, which I tried to ignore. I had to get out and turn the timer back on. When I got back in, Lana moved closer to me as I sat down. Once I had settled in, Cammie moved and came to sit on my lap. She leaned in and kissed me and her tongue plunged into my mouth. Once that happened, I knew it was basically over for me.

I put my arms around her as we kissed and she took the one closest to Lana and moved it so it was around Lana. As she slowly broke the kiss, she leaned over and kissed Lana. That surprised me, but Lana seemed perfectly comfortable with it. I didn't know if this was planned or a spur of the moment thing. I guess it really didn't matter much.

As Cammie broke the kiss with Lana, she put her hand behind my head and gently pushed me towards Lana. As soon as I got close, Lana launched herself at me. Any other description of what she did would not do her action justice.

Her arms went around my neck and her lips attached themselves to mine. Her tongue shot into my mouth and searched until it found mine. She moved around until she was on her knees and she pushed her tits against my chest. My arm automatically went around her waist and she moaned into my mouth.

I felt Cammie get off of my lap and Lana immediately slid into her place. Her tongue continued to roam my mouth and duel with my tongue. Then she scooted up closer to my body. Of course, by that time, I had a raging hard on. She tilted her hips a bit and put her pussy lips against the shaft my cock. She moved a bit and soon her lips had trapped the shaft in their grip.

I felt hands moving on my chest and opened my eyes. Cammie was behind Lana and was now cupping her tits and playing with her nipples. That caused Lana to moan into my mouth again and her hips began to move against my cock.

The more Cammie played with her tits, the more Lana moved her hips. Her tongue also moved more in my mouth and then she began to suck on my tongue. It wasn't too long after that when I felt her shiver and figured she must have had a small orgasm because she moaned while sucking on my tongue.

Her small body trembled as Cammie continued with her ministrations. Then Cammie moved her head next to ours and began to kiss on Lana's neck and ear. That caused her to tremble even more and soon she moaned again, only louder this time. Her hips stopped and her body shook as her orgasm washed over her body.

Lana moved one of her hands from around my neck and put it between us. She grasped my cock and scooted back a bit. She aimed it at her pussy entrance and then moved forward. Even though she had just cum, the water was washing away the lubrication and complete entrance was denied because of the friction. She tried several times and it always ended the same way.

I grasped her tightly around her body with my one arm and held her to me as I used my other hand for leverage and moved us up to the deck. If she was going to get me inside of her, we needed to be out of the water. She came willingly and Cammie followed us up to that level. Once I got situated, I leaned back and lay on the deck. Lana followed me and never broke our kiss but my cock did slip completely free of her and slapped against my stomach.

After a bit, Lana broke our kiss and sat up a bit. She moved my cock upwards and then positioned her body over it. Very slowly she lowered herself and the head slipped in.

"Oh wow. You're even bigger than my brother."

"Well, go slow so you don't hurt yourself," I told her.

She moved a little bit and I slid in a bit more. She kept that up until I was about half way in and then she let go of me.

"I didn't think it would be this hard," she whispered, as she rested. "I thought you'd just slide right in."

I didn't say anything as she gathered her strength. Then she sat straight up and began to work on the problem again.

Cammie was behind her and began to play with her tits again as she kissed on her neck and ears. Then Lana turned her head and they kissed as Lana continued to work and gain more of me inside of her. Then one of Cammie's hands slid down Lana's body and she began to work on her clit.

It only took about thirty seconds and Lana began to shake with her orgasm. Her pussy tightened up on me and began to squeeze very hard. Those two kissed through Lana's orgasm and, as it passed, the lubricant she had produced greased the way for full insertion. As her pussy released its grip on me, she slid all the way down.

"Oh god," she exclaimed, as she sat motionless for a bit. "I feel so full and I can feel myself stretchin'."

Cammie whispered into her ear and she nodded. Then she began little movements with her hips. She moved around but not up and down. She was getting used the size and probably stretching a little bit. Cammie was still kissing on her neck and ear but Lana had a determined look on her face and wouldn't be interrupted with kissing until she was comfortable with me inside of her.

It probably took a couple minutes for her to get comfortable and then she leaned forward and kissed me. At the same time, she began to slowly move up and down in small strokes. Each time she moved down, she moaned and moved her hips in small circles.

It didn't take her long until she froze in mid stroke and her pussy clamped down on me. She moaned loudly into my mouth and then her whole body began to shake. I played with her tits as the waves of her orgasm rolled over her. Her pussy was even tighter than Cammie's when she cums and it was almost painful. There would have been no possible way for me to move at all. She finally had to rip her mouth away from mine so she could gasp for air.

Once she rode her orgasm to its conclusion, she kissed me again and her tongue went wild inside my mouth. She slammed her pussy down on my pubic bone and moved around in circles while she was there.

When she pulled her mouth away from mine, she whispered, "Wow, that was a big 'un. I saw stars there for a bit."

She leaned back in and kissed me and then sat up and began to ride my cock. Cammie encircled her with her arms and played with her tits as she leaned around and kissed her. Their tongues met and dueled with each other and I could hear Lana moan as Cammie tweaked her nipples.

They kissed like that for a bit and then Cammie pulled away. She let go of Lana's tits and Lana turned her head to see what Cammie was doing, evidently missing the attention.

Cammie stood up and walked around Lana and straddled me, facing Lana. Then she moved closer and slowly pulled Lana's head to her pussy.

Lana willingly accepted the offering and began to lick Cammie and then she pulled back and opened her eyes.

"Wow, you've got a little thingie," she whispered.

"Yes," Cammie replied, "and it's for you to suck as you lick me."

Lana returned to her feast and she held onto Cammie's ass as her mouth went to work. It didn't take long for Cammie to moan and grasp Lana's hair and pull her tightly to her pussy.

When she let go of Lana's hair, Lana pulled away a bit and said, "Oh my god, you can squirt cum too."

"Yep," Cammie whispered, and then gently pulled Lana's head back into place.

Lana went to work, licking Cammie's pussy as she slowly rode my cock. She worked Cammie's slit for a few minutes and then went back to her enlarged clit. As it slipped between her lips, Cammie began to fuck Lana's face and used her hair for leverage. This time when Cammie came, so did Lana. They both froze in position and both quivered. Lana's pussy clamped down tightly on me and she began to swallow what Cammie squirted into her mouth.

I was playing with Lana's tits when I saw Cammie's legs begin to buckle. I quickly put my hands on her ass to support her and she finally had to take Lana's mouth away from her pussy. I helped ease her down to a sitting position next to us.

Lana slowly came out of her orgasm and then leaned forward to kiss Cammie and then me.

"That was strange. I was cummin' and then she started to squirt in my mouth. I didn't think she'd ever stop."

Then she kissed me again and began to slowly move on me as Cammie gently stroked her back. She moaned and had aftershocks ripple through her as she continued to ride me and Cammie continued to stroke her back and sides.

I felt Cammie get up and then I felt her behind Lana as she straddled my legs. All of a sudden, Lana's eyes flew open and she looked behind her.

"She's playin' with my ass," she whispered, as she looked back and me. "That feels so strange to have somebody doin' that."

She kissed me again and I felt Cammie gathering lubricant from our joining. I knew what was about to happen, but didn't say anything. Pretty soon, Lana flinched, but never stopped kissing me. Then I felt Cammie move closer and Lana's eyes flew open again.

"What's she doin'?" she whispered.

"She's gonna fuck you in your ass," I replied.

"Can she do that?"

"Yep, but you'll have to hold still for a bit."

Lana stopped moving and said, "Oh wow, that feels so strange. Nobody's ever don't that before."

She leaned back down and kissed me as Cammie went to work on her ass and I began to slowly fuck up at her. It didn't take very long at all until I felt Lana gasp and then freeze. Her pussy clamped tightly on me and she began to shudder. I gently stoked her sides and breasts as she rode out her orgasm. She had to rip her mouth away from mine and gasp for air and moan as the waves continued to wash over her.

When she could function again she whispered, "She came in my ass and that made me cum. That was somethin' I never even thought about before, but I kinda like it. It made me feel warm all over and then I just started to cum."

She kissed me and we went back to fucking her from both sides. She held still and accepted what we pushed at her. When Cammie came again, so did she, only this time it was bigger.

It was evidently a big one for Cammie too. I looked up and Cammie had her eyes closed and was almost shaking violently behind Lana, as she held onto her hips. Lana pulled away to gasp for air again and moaned as Cammie pumped cum into her ass.

All of this was putting me very close to exploding. I kept thinking about other things in an effort to stave off my impending climax. It was working, at least for the time being and I watched as Lana and Cammie both recovered from their orgasms.

When she could function again, Cammie moved away from Lana and came to lie beside us. She kissed me and then Lana and then Lana kissed me and began to fuck me again. Her strokes became more demanding and I responded by fucking up at her. I would have liked to position myself at the entrance to her cervix, but that wasn't possible. She was too tight to allow any manipulation like that. There was just barely enough room inside her to fit at all. I could completely forget about repositioning myself.

As we picked up speed, I began to feel the inevitable tickle start. I began somewhere deep inside of me and slowly move outwards. Once the tickle found its center, time began to move very quickly.

I put my arms around Lana and pulled her tightly to me and the first shot exploded deep inside of her. Her eyes flew open and then she started. Her pussy clamped down on me and the cum had to fight to expel itself from my cock. It was like it would build up pressure inside of me and then come out like a shot when the pressure was great enough. Then the barrel was shut down again and the pressure had to build up again.

After the second shot, Lana had to rip her mouth away from mine to gasp for air. Which was a good thing, because I could do the same. Pressure continued to build up and finally expelled the shot during our gasping.

I have no idea how many times I shot or if I was even producing any more cum. My body seemed to have a mind of its own and paid no attention to the level of the ammunition left in the magazine.

Her pussy had my cock clamped so tightly that no blood could escape and I remained hard beyond my running out of cum. Her hips moved around in circles as her orgasm continued to roar over her. At this rate, I could be here all night.

Slowly, her pussy released its grip on me and the blood began to escape. We were kissing as I began to wilt and she tried her best to keep me inside of her. But the effort was all in vain.

As soon as she expelled me, Cammie rolled her off of me and clamped her mouth to her pussy. Lana gasped and clung to me as Cammie suctioned out all of the nectar that we had deposited in Lana's pussy.

As soon as she was confident that she had all of the cum, Cammie moved up Lana's body and they shared a kiss and the remaining cum. I sat up and slowly looked around.

Leanne was on top of Jessie, pumping away while Deanne stood in front of her and had her head in a death grip with her mouth against Deanne's pussy. Charlene was behind Leanne and was playing with her tits with one hand and her asshole with the other.

I slowly, and quietly, got up and made my way to the bathroom. I drained my tank and then walked back to the hot tub. I'm pretty sure that no one noticed my absence at all.

Charlene and Deanne had switched places and Leanne was working on Charlene's pussy as Deanne toyed with Leanne. I turned the jets back on and settled into the tub, next to where Cammie and Lana lay. Cammie was on top of her and had her enlarged clit in Lana's pussy. She couldn't move a great distance, but she was fucking her.

It took a few minutes for Lana and Cammie to realize I was back. It was the sound of the jets that finally alerted them to my presence. They slowly broke their embrace and moved beside me into the tub.

We kissed and watched and listened to the sounds the others were making. After a couple minutes, Jessie came and arched his back to get deeper inside of Leanne. She moaned and then began to shake. She had to remove her mouth from Charlene's pussy to gasp for air and I saw Deanne push her finger deeper inside of Leanne's ass. She arched her back and began to shake even more.

As Jessie shrunk out of Leanne, Deanne rolled Leanne over and clamped her mouth to her pussy. Soon she had all of the cum she could gather and she moved up Leanne's body and kissed her. Then she kissed Charlene and they all shared the prize with each other. Jessie got up and made his way to the bathroom and then returned.

By that time, the girls were finished and everyone slipped into the tub to relax in the jets of hot water soothing their body. Very little was said and when the jets went off, we all got out of the tub and headed for the shower.

The girls got all of the showerheads going and proceeded to show the twins the benefits of the floor heads. I washed up and then told them not to be too long and to make sure all the water was turned off. A couple of them nodded and I headed out of the shower. I dried off and then made my way to the bedroom and slid into bed.

It wasn't long before Cammie made her way to join me. She slid in and we kissed and cuddled for a bit and then drifted off to sleep with me holding her tit as we slipped into a deep sleep.



-------

Chapter 85


Cammie woke me up by kissing me. I guess I had overslept again.

"Did ya enjoy yourself last night?"

"Well, I didn't hate it, but I could've done without it."

"Ok, well one down and two to go."

"What?"

"Yep, you've got Leanne and Dianne to do yet."

"How 'bout you doin' them for me?"

"Nope, don't work that way. It's gotta be you."

"Can I resign?"

"Nope, not without leavin' me."

"Hmmm."

"Don't you even think about it. I'd come after you with a dull knife."

"Why a dull knife?"

"Because it hurts more when it cuts."

"That's just plain mean."

"Worse, it's called gettin' even."

"Even? Even for what?"

"For leavin' me."

"Ok, how 'bout I leave and take you with me?"

"That might work, but you'd be leavin' all your hard work here."

"I got along without this place before and I could do it again."

"But I wouldn't be happy away from my kin. Besides, they'd all miss you."

"Ya, but I wouldn't have the chore of havin' to fuck all them women."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"All I'm really interested in is you. I'd be happy with just you and me all by ourselves."

"Too bad. With me, you get all my kin."

"You didn't tell me that in the beginnin'."

"Nope. I ain't stupid. You might have backed out."

"I ain't sure I still won't."

"You love it and you know you do."

"Actually, I love you and put up with the rest of the crap."

"I guess that'll have to do. Besides, you'd miss ever'one here and you know you would."

"I'm sure I probably would. It wouldn't seem normal to just live by myself anymore."

"Good. Just keep thinkin' that way. Now, get up 'cause we've got lots to do before they get here."

"Not me. You might have lots to do, but I don't."

"Ok, well I do, now get movin'."

She kissed me again and then scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and used the throne after she did her thing. We both washed up and then got dressed and headed for the kitchen.

We were the last to arrive and I got a kiss from Donna, Chrissy and Dianne. Then I went to work on grinding the coffee. The water was already on, so when I had the coffee ground, I poured the pans of water into the three presses and put more water back on the stove for the next batch. Then I waited for them to steep.

Once they were ready, I poured the contents into regular coffee pots and carried them to the dining room. I put two on pot warmers and carried the third to the front porch and poured a cup for Jimmy, William and myself. Then I lit my first and settled into a chair.

"You all ready for the crowd today?" Jimmy asked.

"As much as I'm gonna be," I replied.

"Well, we do get fed good, so I guess that's a plus."

"I don't know. We'd get fed good even if they wasn't comin'."

"Yep, but we have to humor the women folk."

"You got that right. They could make things hard around here if we didn't."

"No, they would make things hard for us. Ain't no could about it. In fact, they would make it downright unenjoyable."

"Well, fortunately we are so charmin' that it wouldn't last long. They would come to their senses and realize how good they have it."

"Damn, what've you been smokin' so early in the mornin'?"

The kids arrived from morning chores and I got a kiss from each of the girls. I had forgotten about the twins being here, so Jamie had to go inside to get the new pot of coffee immediately. Everyone got their cup of coffee and we sat back and just enjoyed the morning.

The kids had things pretty well planned for the day. After everyone got here, they were planning on going swimming. I had already given my permission as long as they observed caution with the tractor and wagon. Jessie and Jamie, when they were by themselves were very trustworthy, but so many things can happen when there is a bunch of kids around, that I always feel that it's necessary to warn them each time. But that's the same with all kids.

Donna called us for breakfast and we all headed for the dining room and our feast. There was very little talking while we ate. There just wasn't time between bites to say anything. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

The women said they were almost ready for company and just had to put a few finishing touches on what they were making. Cammie asked if we would put the tablecloths on and fix them so the wind wouldn't blow them off. I told her we'd be happy to do that, but we had put up more than normal and would need more tablecloths. She said they had already planned on that and had bought two new ones when they went shopping. Donna said that she wanted to go check on the new peeps before the company came and she got a nod from Cammie about that. We continued our chat about various things until the coffee ran out and then we all departed to do our chores.

Cammie brought the two new tablecloths and Chrissy brought the old ones up from the basement. I took them and us guys headed for the table. I asked Jamie to get the staple gun and some staples from the workshop and he headed there. The rest of us stopped at the table.

We spread all the table clothes out and finally found the combination that would cover the entire table. By that time, Jamie had returned with the staple gun and a box of staples. Everyone held things down while I walked around and secured the plastic coated tablecloths to the wood. We didn't have a lot of wind, but it was blowing and they would have been scattered across the lawn if we hadn't stapled them in place. Since we only used them for the outdoor eating, it didn't matter much that they had staple holes in them. With that chore completed, we all headed for the workshop.

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned my head. Donna was walking to the coop. I told the guys I'd catch up with them after a bit and walked to the coop to join Donna.

I caught up with her just as she was entering the fence. We walked in together and closed the gate. Then we walked into the coop. I opened the partition that housed the peeps and we both went inside. Donna just stood there and looked for a bit. Then she began to count. The peeps were mostly huddled around the feeding troughs.

After a bit, she said, "There's two missin'."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. I counted twice."

We began to slowly make our way around the edges and Donna found one that was covered by the hay. It was dead and probably had been for about a day. We continued looking and found the other one in a corner and covered up. Donna had tears in her eyes.

"Hon, them things happen. It's not your fault."

"I know," she said, as she buried her head on my chest. "I just hate it when it happens, that's all."

"Well, we knew there were three of 'em that weren't doin' too good. It looks like the other one made it."

"Ya, I guess."

I guided her over to a corner and we both sat down. I positioned her between my legs and let her lean back against me and just cuddled her in my arms. She continued to hold the two dead peeps and we just watched the others eating, drinking and socializing in their group. Even at this young age, they had a social pecking order. There appeared to be three groups and they each had their own trough. Each of the three groups had a leader and the followers and they made their way to their own trough in the order in which they fit in the group. Any of them that got out of order received several good pecks from the one they were trying to pass up. But the ones that were in the back always tried to elevate themselves in the group. Some would make it and others were just relegated to that position and wouldn't challenge their place in the order. That's just the way it is in the animal world.

We must have stayed there about a half an hour before she was ready to leave. I helped her up and we walked out. Once outside the fence, I told her I'd get a shovel and we'd bury them. She waited for me and I walked to the barn and then came back with the shovel.

"Why don't we bury them behind the barn?"

"Ok."

We walked behind the barn and I dug a hole about nine inches deep. She carefully laid them in and then stood up and just looked at them. I waited a couple minutes and then covered them up.

She looked around and found a couple sticks. I knew what she was doing, so I walked to the barn and brought back a piece of baling twine. She held them and I tied them in the form of a cross and then she held it while I used the blade of the shovel to gently pound the cross in the ground. She stood there a minute or so and then turned to me. She didn't say anything, but put her arms around my neck and pulled us into a kiss. She still had tears running down her cheeks as her tongue roamed my mouth. She was on her toes to be able to reach me and she circled my neck with her arms and held on tightly.

She held the kiss for a long time and then slowly pulled away.

"Thank you for that."

"For what? The kiss?"

"No, silly. For bein' there with me and he'pin' me get through buryin' 'em. Anyone else would of just tossed 'em out in the woods and let the animals eat 'em."

"Maybe, but not everyone would of done that. Each thing that passes deserves some respect."

"Not ever'one thinks like that. They think they're just an animal and don't have no feelin's. But I know they do."

"Ever'thin' has feelin's. Some folks just don't take the bother to notice."

"Well, thank you for doin' that."

She kissed me again and then walked slowly up to the house. I put the shovel away and then headed for the workshop.

The boys were working on the lathe and gaining ground on making the bowl. They had a rough shape on the outside of the bowl and were just beginning to work on the inside. William had turned the tool rest so it was parallel to the face and he was showing them how to use the gouge to hog out the inside. He got his pencil out and held it steady on the rest and made a line close to the outside of the bowl. Then he held it close to the center and made a line there.

"Ya'all don't wanna get outside of them lines. Remember that you're makin' a bowl and make your shape accordin'ly. You can go down farther in the center than you can on the outside edge. But go slow and don't try to take out too much at once. We've got plenty of time. There's no need to rush."

Jamie was the first to try his hand. William positioned him and showed him how to hold the gouge so the outside of the cutting edge was just short of parallel to the work and then to ease the tool in against the work.

Jamie took over and was a bit shy at first, but then got the hang of it and went to work on gouging out a good part of the interior of the bowl. Then he handed the tool to Jessie and William worked with him, giving him the same instructions. He had the same problem as Jamie at first, but then found out how the tool cut best and was doing a great job in no time at all.

We stayed in the shop until the women rang the dinner bell and then walked up to the back porch. We washed up and then made our way to the table. We had our usual soup and sandwiches with iced tea. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Have ya'all got the grill ready? Cammie asked.

"No, but it won't take but a minute to get it ready," I told her. "I figured I'd wait until they got their grills here and get all of them set up at once."

"Well, have ya'all got the ice cream freezer ready to go?"

"Again, no. But it don't take nothin' to get it ready. When they get here, we'll get ever'thing out and ready to go."

"I don't understand how ya'all can just wait to the last minute to get things done."

"It ain't no big thing, hon. It don't take no time at all to get that stuff ready. With the grills, all we need to do is to pour the charcoal in the firebox and stack it up. Then it's ready. As for the ice cream freezer, that just needed to have the bucket rinsed out and it's ready. Two minutes and it's done."

"Ok, that's ya'all's area, but I'd think you'd wanna have it ready for when they get here."

"We ain't gonna eat right when they get here, are we?"

"No, but you should still be ready."

"We will be."

She just shook her head and I sipped my coffee and hoped she'd change the subject.

They didn't fix a lot of coffee and once that was gone, us guys headed back for the workshop. The boys went back to work on the bowl and William stood with them and watched to see they didn't mess up too bad. Mostly, he just watched and didn't say anything unless they made a mistake. Then he showed them how to correct that and what they did wrong. He was a very patient instructor with the boys.

It was about one when Allen and Fran showed up with their two daughters and their boyfriends. They introduced them and Jimmy and I helped him unload his grill and ice cream freezer. The women carried the food into the kitchen and went about their business. The kids all joined up with the new arrivals and they went their own way to talk.

We had just finished unloading the grill and freezer when Frank and Jenna showed up with their son and his girlfriend and their two other daughters and their boyfriends. The kids immediately went to join the other kids after the introductions and the women carried the food she had brought inside. Us guys all helped carry the grill and ice cream freezer to the back porch area. I asked the guys if they wanted a beer and they said it would go good. I got a Dos Equis for everyone and opened them and handed them out. We walked around to the front porch and sat down and sipped our beers.

I told them that William had been teaching the boys about woodworking and they asked several questions. William answered them and then we moved to other subjects. It wasn't long until the kids showed, en masse.

"Dean," Jessie said, "we're gonna go swimmin' now, ok?"

"First ya'all need to check with your mom to make sure of the timetable for ever'thin'."

"Ok, then can we go?"

"As long you remember the rules."

"We will."

They all departed for the house to ask Bonnie and change clothes. They returned about twenty minutes later, all dressed in their swimsuits. The new girls all had very revealing bikinis on. I'm not sure I would let my daughter wear something that revealing, but these were not my daughters.

They walked down to the equipment shed and Jessie pulled the tractor out, pulling the wagon. Everyone piled on and they headed for the swimming hole. I wasn't too worried about the kids from here, but it was the ones I was not familiar with that disturbed me. When kids get together, common sense sometimes just disappears. But I had to trust that our kids would be mature enough to ride herd on the rest of them.

We went back to talking and Frank asked if we could take a look at the corn crop. I said that would be fine with me and we left the front porch. Jimmy volunteered to take his vehicle because it would seat all of us without having folks riding in the bed of the truck.

We drove out to the middle cornfield on this side of the stream and all piled out. We walked into the field and got in towards the middle. The stalks were in good shape and I pulled an ear of corn off and stripped the husks back so they could see what it looked like.

"I can't tell any difference from my corn," Frank said, as he examined it. "In fact, you don't have any bores at all that I can see on any of the stalks."

"Well, we purchased a big bunch of ladybugs and put them in each field. We figured they'd take care of most of the pests that bother the crops," I told him.

"Was the seed much more expensive than normal?"

"I think it was about eight to ten per cent extra for the organic certified brand."

"What did ya'all use for fertilizer?"

"Just manure and lime."

"And no sprays?"

"Nope. That was it. Now we did use a plow on the field until the corn got too high. That knocked out the weeds until the corn would choke 'em out on their own."

"Man, that beats all the sprayin' and fertilizin' I've been doin'. I'm thinkin' I need to switch over to this method."

"Well, the only draw back would be that you won't be able to claim organic for a few years. You have to wait until the residue leaves the ground and ain't picked up by the crops."

"I can wait. But, in the meantime, I'll be savin' a bunch of money on my growin' costs."

"It does take a bit more work, but we're out here anyway, so we might as well be workin' and savin' money, rather than relaxin' and spendin' it."

"You got that right. How many times did ya'all plow the fields after you planted?"

"I think we did it three times before the corn got tall enough to work on its own."

"Hell, even with the price of gas, I'd save a ton of money."

"Well, I've already decided that I'll be switchin' over next year," Allen put in. "I can't see payin' extra money when ya'all can get these results with just a little extra work. I can ride a tractor a lot easier than I can find money to burn."

"Can we take a look at your cattle?" Frank asked.

"Sure."

We walked back to the vehicle and headed across the stream to the pastures. Jimmy drove to the middle pasture and we got out. The calves were grazing where we could see them.

"I can't see no difference from mine," Frank said, as he looked out over the herd.

"Well, we feed ever' evenin' and they seem to gain just fine. Also, we switch pastures about ever' three weeks or so to keep 'em from gettin' over grazed."

"Ya, I do that too, but you're savin' a lot of money by growin' your own feed and not payin' for the growth stuff to be ground in."

"We made up our minds not to use any growth hormones at all, even if we didn't certify organic. It just makes better beef, I think."

"By doin' your own shots and grindin' your own feed, you should have a really good profit come sale time."

"Well, that's what were hopin' for."

We walked back to the vehicle and headed back to the house. Once we were there, we settled down on the porch and I asked if anyone wanted another beer. They said no, but they'd sure drink some iced tea.

Jimmy and I went inside and got the tea, glasses and ice and returned to the porch. We chatted until the women came out and said it was about time to start cookin'. Cammie rang the dinner bell and us guys headed for the back porch to get things going.



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Chapter 86


The first thing we did was to get the charcoal into the grills and get them lit. Then we began to chip the ice for the ice cream freezers. Cammie, Bonnie and Fran carried the canisters out and we inserted them into the buckets and continued to chip the ice around them. Jimmy went around, adding the salt as we needed it. Once we had them full of ice, we plugged them in and turned our attention to the charcoal.

It was about 15 minutes before the kids arrived from swimming and they all came up to see what we were doing.

"Dianne, Lana and Leanne," I called. "Would ya'all do me a favor?"

"Sure," the twins answered in concert.

"Since ya'all have waitressin' experience, would ya'all get a pen for each of ya and take a stack of plates and get ever'one's order on how they want their steak cooked? That way I can keep track of who wants what."

"Sure will," the twins answered, again in concert.

They left and us guys sort of tended the coals until they were glowing. Jimmy and I went inside and brought out two large trays of steaks. We got the coals arranged and the girls returned with the plates for everyone's preference and I separated them according to their orders. Most were for medium rare and there were only three for well done. We had a couple for just medium and us men all wanted ours rare. I selected one grill and put the three for well done on and seared them on both sides before moving them to the edges to cook fully. Then we waited for a bit before putting the mediums on. I did the same for them and let them begin to cook.

Next, I had the two open grills and put on all the medium rare ones and put Frank and Allen in charge of them. Once I had turned the medium ones, I put the rare ones on and then turned the well-done ones and covered everything up to smoke them good.

Then we heard the ice cream freezers start to slow down and Jimmy took charge of them. As each on stopped, he unplugged it and waited for the next one to stop. Once all three were stopped, he poured out some of the water so it wouldn't flood the ice cream and covered them with a rug to insulate them.

As the steaks started getting done, I called Dianne, Lana and Leanne and began to hand out the medium rare steaks on a plate to them to take to the table. It was a chain event. They would carry off what they could balance and then return for more. Their last trip was for the well dones. Finally, us men carried out our rare steaks and took a seat at the table. Then the eating began.

It was a real feast. Besides the steak, there was fresh salad, green onions, two types of potato salad, a multi bean dish, corn on the cob, green beans, two types of cole slaw, some type of macaroni salad, baked beans, several types of Jell-O, a cucumber and onion mixture in sour cream, and some other stuff that I didn't recognize and didn't eat any of that because I had no idea what it was.

The steaks were great. I don't know what type of beef they came off of, but they had a great flavor and were tender. The rest of the meal was good, but the meat is always the star. By the time my steak was gone, I was stretching the waist of my jeans.

The women began clearing off the stuff from the table and all the females pitched in. When they returned, they had pies and the three canisters of ice cream, plus a bunch of coffee.

I have no idea how I found room, but I finished off my Dutch apple pie with a lot of ice cream on it. I even had a second helping of just ice cream because it was so good. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. I was stuffed and had no idea how I was going to move to do anything.

We all chatted as we sipped our coffee and it seemed that everyone was a bit uncomfortable from eating so much. It was probably about an hour before we finished all the coffee and then the women began to clear the table and carry all the left over food to the house.

It was closing in on 5 and Allen and Frank both said they would have to be getting home so they could do the evening chores. Us guys all went to the back porch area and dumped the ashes and coals from their grills into our grill. They were still hot so we had to use heavy-duty gloves to keep from getting our hands burned. Then I turned the hose on their grills to cool them down and get rid of any ashes and debris that might be left over.

Once they were fairly clean and cool, they drove their vehicles around and we loaded them up. The women began carrying out their dishes with very little of the left over food. They did take some of the Jell-O because we just don't eat that much of it. Then everyone was rounded up and said their goodbyes. I got a searing kiss from Leanne and Lana and they all headed for their vehicles and departed for home.

"Well, I guess we need to get the feedin' done," I said, not looking forward to any type of labor at all.

"Ya, we might just as well get it out of the way so we can find a place to plop down and let some of this food settle," Jimmy responded.

William, Jimmy and myself headed for the equipment shed and got the tractors going. William worked the feed bin chute as I drove under it and then climbed up with me once it was full. We followed Jimmy to the pastures and got the feeding out of the way.

I hosed the spreader out when we returned and then put the tractor and spreader away. Then we all headed for the front porch and found a chair to rest in. We were all still stuffed from the big meal and any movement was almost a chore.

The women came out to join us when they had finished in the kitchen and we all chatted about the day. Everyone had enjoyed the company, but it was nice to see them leave also. When it turned dark, we went inside to watch the news.

The weather lady was calling for the possibility of rain by Thursday, but said that it could change if the jet stream had any movement at all. If we were going to get rain, we wouldn't be able to take the hay in and that would mean at least a ten day delay with the upcoming trip to Denver scheduled for next Tuesday. But that is the life of the farmer. The weather controls most things and we don't get a say in it.

Once the weather was done, everyone got and gave their kisses and hugs and departed for their homes. The kids helped Cammie and me close everything and turn off all the electric stuff. Then we all headed for the hot tub. This was the last chance for the kids to get in there during the week with school starting on Tuesday.

We all stripped down and rinsed off in the shower and headed for the tub. I set the timer and then found a seat between Cammie and Donna. If anyone had any ideas of sex tonight, they were going to be sadly disappointed. I was too full to do anything.

Donna snuggled up to me and I got a kiss from her. It was not a passionate kiss, but more of an "I love you" kiss. Then we just sat back and enjoyed the hot tub and the jets. Chrissy, Charlene and Deanne were talking about school and the report the two girls needed to write. Jessie was just relaxing and Donna and Cammie were just snuggling next to me. It appeared that I was not the only that was still stuffed and not ambitious about doing anything physical at all.

Once the timer went off, we all climbed out of the tub and I got the testing kit out. The levels were a bit off, so I looked up what was needed and added the chemicals. Then I headed for the shower to rinse off. Once I had done that, I dried off and headed for bed.

I slid into bed and waited for Cammie to show up. It wasn't long until Cammie and Donna came in and climbed into bed next to me. We all kissed and cuddled for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off. I knew I was tired and I guess they were too. It wasn't long until I was fast asleep.

Cammie and Donna woke me up with kisses in the morning. I guess I had been more tired than I thought. I really hadn't done much that was physical, but a bunch of people around that I had to entertain must have put a stress on me that I didn't realize. But the kisses were a wonderful way to start the day off.

"Mmmm, it's so nice to wake up like this," I told both Cammie and Donna.

"We know," Cammie responded. "It's too bad we don't get it more often."

"Well, all your company must've worn me out yesterday."

"It wasn't my company. The men were here to see you."

"But I didn't invite 'em. I'm much more happy with just the family around. I don't care much for bein' a tour guide."

"I'm startin' to think you're right. You are gettin' old. And grumpy too."

"I've been tellin' ya'all that. Maybe I should get a cane and just wander around by myself until ya'all come to get me."

"Ain't gonna happen. If you can't find your own way back then you'll just be lost."

"I'm pretty sure my stomach would get me back by meal time."

"So that's what keeps you comin' back? Meals?"

"Actually, it's all the lovely women in my life. But I can't let 'em know about that or they'd get a big head about it. So I just tell 'em it's the meals."

With that, they both piled on top of me and I got a bunch of kisses. Then they scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed and used the throne when they were done. We all washed up and then got dressed for the day.

We made our way to the kitchen and were the last ones there. I got a kiss from Chrissy and Dianne and went about grinding the coffee. The water was already boiling, so I filled three presses and waited for them to steep as I put more water back on the stove.

Once they had steeped, I poured the contents into three regular pots and carried them to the dining room. I set two on pot warmers and took the third to the front porch. I poured a cup for each of us guys and then sat down and lit my first.

"What's on the slate for today?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, I'm not sure we really have to do anything. A day of rest might be a good idea for all of us."

"I'm for that. Babysittin' company just takes somethin' out of me. I was wore plumb down last night."

"Ya, me too. Besides, I think the kids'll be gettin' ready for school tomorrow."

"You're probably right."

The kids came back from milking and I got a kiss from the girls. They each got a cup of coffee and Jamie took the old pot in and brought a new one out. I told the kids we were planning on just resting today.

"I think we're goin' shoppin'," Charlene said.

"Shoppin'? For what? Ya'all went shoppin' twice last week."

"For school supplies. Mama was talkin' about goin' to the Wal-mart in Searcy."

"Well, we ain't goin'," Jamie said.

"Ya, we know you guys always leave it up to the girls to do all the shoppin'."

"If it was just for school supplies and nothin' else, we'd probably go. But ya'all spend your time lookin' at ever' little thing and only wind up actually buyin' stuff for about ten minutes."

"But that's the fun part."

"Have fun."

Donna came to the door to call us for breakfast. There were three big platters of pancakes on the table and the women were still cooking.

"Ya'all get started and we'll bring more out," Donna said, as she headed for the kitchen.

We all began to heap our plates with pancakes and sausage. I had a good sized stack on my plate and put butter on each one before I poured the pure maple syrup over them. Then I dug in and began to stuff my mouth with the goodness. They were absolutely delicious.

Everyone else was doing the same thing and we cleaned up those three platters with no problem at all. As soon as we would empty one platter, one of the women would bring another out with fresh cooked pancakes on it. I ate two big stacks of pancakes and several sausage patties. With that and the milk, I was stuffed and had to push myself away from the table. I poured a fresh cup of coffee and tried to breathe without loosening my jeans.

The women finally showed up at the table and began to eat their fill. With all of the pancakes they made, there was not one left on the platter. All the sausage was gone too. Everyone looked stuffed as we sat back to sip our coffee.

"We're gonna go to Searcy for school supplies today," Cammie said. "Do ya wanna come with us?"

"Not only no, but hell no," I responded.

"What are ya'all gonna do today?"

"Probably relax and recuperate from yesterday."

"Ya'all didn't do anything to wear yourselves out. Why do you need to recuperate?"

"Well, it was the mental stress of baby sittin' the company that wore us out. It would have been easier to work a full day than do that."

"Poor dears, they had to talk to someone. That's a real shame."

"I don't mind talkin', but draggin' 'em all around and explainin' things we already explained to 'em is just plain tirin'."

"I'm sure you'll survive. Anyway, there's plenty of leftovers in the 'fridge, so you can have that with your sandwiches for lunch. We'll probably bring stuff back for supper."

"Ok, we'll survive."

"I'm sure you will."

We continued to chat until the coffee ran out and then us guys headed for the front porch. The boys wanted to work on the bowls and William agreed to work with them but they were going to wait until after the women left before they went to work.

Jimmy said he was going to do some paper work and write some letters to his kids and would eat lunch over there. I told him I'd probably check my e-mail and then just veg out and maybe watch a football game on TV.

We chatted about a variety of things until the women finished in the kitchen and paraded out to the van.

"Is there anything you want me to buy?" Cammie asked, as she walked off of the porch.

"Not that I can think of," I replied, knowing that if I said I wanted anything I would probably be trapped into going along.

"Ok, we'll see ya'all in time for supper."

"Have a good 'un."

They all piled into the van and drove out the lane. We all headed for the workshop and William and the boys began to work on the bowls. Jimmy stayed around for about 30 minutes and then said he was going home. I stayed until just before lunch time and told them I was going to set lunch out and they should come up in about 20 minutes.

I walked to the house and washed up before I started on lunch. I opened the 'fridge and took a look at all the choices we had. There was so much stuff that I decided we didn't need any soup. I began taking out bowls and putting them on the table so everyone could have a choice of what they wanted. I put a big spoon in each bowl and then got the lunch meat out. I sliced up a bunch of bread and then put the iced tea on the table, along with glasses with ice.

William and the boys showed up and we all sat down for a feast. We had a go a most of the stuff in the bowls and each had a sandwich. We did a pretty good job of eliminating a bunch of the leftovers, but we still had cole slaw, bean salad, potato salad and some macaroni salad left over, but the rest all disappeared.

Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. The boys said they were getting close to being done on the lathe. William said that was just the first part of the bowl and there was still a lot of handwork to be done.

We finished our coffee and they headed back to the workshop. I cleaned the table off and put the dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned up everything else.

I fired up the computer and signed on to my account. I had a bunch of e-mails, but nothing of any real importance. There were a lot from my son and daughter that were mostly jokes or interesting pictures. I did send them a letter and told them how things were going around here and asked how they were doing. The rest were spam and I deleted them. Then I turned the computer off and headed for the living room.

I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels and found the last pre-season football game. Kansas City was playing St. Louis for the I-70 trophy. That's a local trophy they concocted for this in state rivalry game they play every year. I really didn't care for either team, but it was better than anything else on the tube, so I kicked off my boots and lay down on the couch.

I know I watched at least a series of downs by each team before I just slipped off to sleep. It seems that this couch and TV just demanded sleep when nobody else was around.

I probably slept about an hour and a half and woke up when someone was making a touchdown. I really didn't care who or how and I just turned off the TV and went to the kitchen. I poured myself a glass of tea and grabbed a slice of pie. I wolfed that down and drank my tea at the table and then cleaned up my mess.

I walked down to the workshop and the boys were sanding the bowl in the lathe.

"Well, did ya finally wake up?" Jamie asked.

"Yep. There's just somethin' about that couch that lulls me to sleep."

"It's been known to do that on occasion to a lot of folks."

"It's comin' on to three, maybe we should feed before the women get back."

"I guess we could do that. We're just sandin' this bowl, but it's gotta dry out before we can do much of anything else."

They shut everything down and cleaned up their mess with the shop vac and then we headed for the equipment shed. Jamie got the tractor for spearing the bales and I took the one with the spreader on it.

William operated the feed bin chute as I pulled under and then climbed up with me to ride out to the pastures. Jessie rode with Jamie and we made short work of the feeding chore. Then we headed back and I washed the spreader out before putting it away.

Jimmy showed up as we were finishing up and we all walked to the front porch. Jamie and Jessie went in to get the tea and glasses with ice while William, Jimmy and myself took a seat. We sipped our tea and chatted for a bit and then the women showed up. We helped them carry all the stuff inside and then returned to the porch and our tea.

Charlene and Deanne came out and said they were going to milk now so they didn't have to do it after supper because they wanted to get ready for school then. Jamie and Jessie went with them and us men stayed and chatted.

"What should we do tomorrow?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, I guess we could start haulin' them stumps over. That's gonna be a long and drawn out chore. I figure we can only haul about seven or so on that wagon because of the weight."

"Maybe we can select a few for bowls," William said. "They boys will need something to do on the weekends while these others are dryin'."

"We can do that. Just about anything to stay away from the women and their cannin'."

"I thought they were gonna go pick up them posters tomorrow," Jimmy said.

"That might be right. I can't keep up with their schedule. If they do, then we'll be makin' frames for the posters so they can start puttin' them up."

"That shouldn't be too hard."

"Don't tell them that. I figure we can make one cut and three notches and then bend the frame to fit the poster. That shouldn't take too much time at all. But we can dodge the women for a while."

"Then we should probably make that post driver tomorrow while they're gone," William said.

"That'd probably be a good idea. Once we see how many signs they have, we can go to town and pick up the fence posts."

The kids came back from milking and joined us. It was about ten minutes later that Donna came to call us for supper.

They had bought Chinese for supper and had a whole lot of it. I stayed with the spicy stuff and so did Jimmy. The rest of them didn't care that much for that and stayed with the regular entrées. They also had egg rolls and we all destroyed them. They had even brought some of the hot mustard for Jimmy and me. They had picked up two cakes for dessert. A carrot cake and a German chocolate cake. I took a slice of the German chocolate cake and washed it down with some milk. It was good, but not as good as the home made ones that I was used to.

Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. Without asking us, they told us about their shopping trip and all the stuff they had bought. I really tried to remain interested, but it was a chore. Bonnie took the attention from everyone when she told of the stuff she had bought to start redecorating over at Jimmy's. I just couldn't help myself and a big grin broke out across my face. I knew I'd catch hell for it later, but I just couldn't stop it.

After the coffee, us men retired to the front porch and chatted while the women went over their purchases and separated them for each of the kids. Their school supplies were not that much, but they had the note books and paper, along with pencils and pens and other various items the women deemed they needed. I really felt sorry for the boys, but I couldn't save them from that.

We stayed on the front porch until it got dark and then went inside to watch the weather. They were still calling for rain starting on Thursday, so it looked like haying was out of the question. The rest of them came in just as the weather was getting over and we chatted for a bit. Then everyone got their hugs and kisses before departing for their own houses. The kids helped Cammie and me close up and turn everything off. Then I got a kiss from the girls as the kids all headed upstairs.

Cammie and I headed for the hot tub and took a short soak before slipping into bed. We cuddled and kissed for a bit and then drifted off to sleep.



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Chapter 87


I actually woke up before Cammie and just looked around and enjoyed the fact that I was here and the woman I loved was next to me. I had really waited a long time for this. And I realized that the wait was worth it.

I teased her nipple and she clamped my hand to her tit and moaned. Then she turned over and kissed me.

"It's about time you woke me up. I was startin' to think that you were never gonna do that anymore."

"Darlin', I keep tellin' ya that ya'all wear me out. That's the only time I don't wake you up like this."

"Well, maybe we should start gettin' you to bed earlier."

"That might he'p, but what're ya gonna tell ever'one when I'm in bed by 8?"

"We'll think of somethin'."

She kissed me again and then scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and claimed the throne when she was finished. Then we washed up, got dressed and headed for the kitchen.

I began to grind the coffee beans and got a kiss from Donna, Chrissy and Dianne as they showed up. When the water was boiling, I filled the three presses and put more water on the stove for the rest of the presses. I waited until it had steeped and then filled the three coffee pots and carried them to the dining room. I put two on the pot warmers and took the other one to the front porch. I poured a cup for each of us and then sat down and lit my first.

"Are gonna stick with our plan of makin' the post driver today?" Jimmy asked.

"I don't see why not. It shouldn't take us all that long so we might just as well get it done so it'll be ready when they decide to start settin' them things around the county."

"It might take a bit longer than you realize," William said. "We've got to find the parts around here and the concrete will need to set before we can finish it."

"Well, we've got all day. I'm not worried about it at all."

"No, it's pretty simple and straight forward."

We chatted as we sipped our coffee and the kids came back from milking. I got a kiss from the girls and then they poured their coffee. Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a fresh one out.

"Are ya'all ready for school?" I asked them.

"We sure are," Charlene answered. "I'm kinda anxious to get back and see ever'one."

"This is my last year here, so I just wanna get it over with," Jamie put in.

"Well, ya need to enjoy this year because it gets a lot harder after you get in college," I told him.

"That's all right. I'm anxious to get into somethin' besides the humdrum high school stuff."

"I'll wait until next year before I accept that answer."

We all chuckled a bit and continued chatting until Donna called us for breakfast. We made our way to the table and all talking ceased as we ate the eggs, sausage, grits, and biscuits. Of course the raw milk was great to wash it down with and then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Are ya'all gonna drive in to Searcy and get the posters today?" I asked.

"We sure are," Bonnie replied. "But we need to know how many of them metal things we need to buy to go with 'em."

"Well, you'll need one for each poster. They have to be in one piece to be effective."

"Ok, well then we'll just count up the ones we want for that and buy that many."

"You might just as well get a few extra to make up for any mistakes. No sense in runnin' short."

"I had already planned on that. What about the fence posts?"

"Well, ya'all're gonna need two posts for each poster. But we was figurin' on gettin' them after we saw how many were needed."

"Well, we could get 'em."

"Ya'all can do that, but what size are ya gonna need?"

"What do ya mean, what size?"

"They come in different sizes. If they're too tall ya'all won't be able to reach 'em to drive 'em in. If they're too short, ya'all can't drive 'em in far enough to keep the bottom of the poster off the ground."

"Can't ya just tell us how big to get?"

"Not until we see the posters and know how big they're gonna be."

"Ok. Well I guess it's not a big thing. We won't be puttin' 'em up until Thursday anyway."

We continued chatting until the coffee ran out and then Jamie asked for the keys to the van. Cammie got them for him and I got a kiss from all the girls as they all left for the first day of school.

We were just about to go to the workshop when the phone rang. Cammie answered it and handed it to Bonnie.

She said hello and then just listened for a bit.

"Ok, we'll be there right around one."

She hung the phone up and announced that the posters would be ready after lunch. Then she said that they were going to leave around 9 and get some shopping done and pick up the metal strips before they picked up the posters. I reminded her that she needed to know how many to buy. She said that they guy had told her that there were 50 of each size, so she was going to buy 50 metal strips. I just nodded my head and us guys headed for the workshop.

The first thing we did was to make a list of what we needed. The pipe casing was at the shed where Jamie and Dianne were living. That was the easy part. We needed to find something for the handles. Re-bar would be great but it would be rough on the hands. Since there was a lot of pipe over with the casing, we decided we'd look over there for something. The next thing we needed was a cap for the end so we could weld that in place and we also needed an insert to weld in place so the posts wouldn't chip away at the concrete. The cap wouldn't be much of a problem, but the insert might be.

We got in the truck and headed for Jamie's place. In the shed, we found the casing. It was way too long but we could cut it to size with no problem. We set that aside and continued looking. It was threaded on one end, so we looked for a cap that might thread on to it. It took a while, but we finally found one. Both the threads and the cap would need a lot of cleaning, but that wasn't a problem.

We also found some smaller black pipe and decided we could heat and bend that for the handles. They didn't have to be pretty, but they did have to be functional. If the women complained that it was too ugly, we could always paint it.

We still needed an insert to keep the concrete from being chipped away. We searched through everything we could find and there was nothing that was ready made that would work. So we decided to take another cap for the casing and cut it down with the metal lathe. We would need to make a mandrel for it after we cut the top off. Then we could get it down to the size we needed. The hole for the mandrel could always be filled. With everything we needed in the truck, we drove back to the workshop.

Jimmy went to work on the casing threads and took a wire brush and finally a knife file to clean everything out. William went to work on the cap threads to clean them out so we could thread it on to the casing. I chucked up the extra cap in the lathe. I found a good sized bolt to use as a mandrel and then bored a hole in the center of the cap to the bolt. Then I moved the tool rest and cut the top of the cap off.

With that taken care of, I put the bolt in the part I had cut off and secured it with two nuts to hold it securely. I chucked up the bolt and turned the lathe on to see if it would hold. I moved the cutting tool to the edge of the cap and gently eased it in so it would cut. It worked well, so I shut the lathe off and got my inside calipers out and measured the inside diameter of the pipe. Then I set my outside calipers to that diameter and went back to the lathe. It didn't take me too long to cut it down. That type of material machines very well.

Jimmy and William got their job done and we were ready for the next step. That was to cut the casing to length. We decided on three feet and I got the sawzall out and we marked it and I cut it. It made short work of the casing. It's amazing how quickly those things work when you compare it to a hack saw. Next we made a mark a foot below the top and marked it. I got the drill out and drilled three holes around the casing at that mark.

Next I looked around for a piece of metal to weld to the spacer I had just made to cover up the hole from the mandrel. It took a bit of searching, but we finally found a piece that would work. I got the welder going and attached the two and covered up the hole. Then we waited for that to cool.

When they had cooled, we got two pieces of wood. William inserted one from the far end and I slipped the insert in. I used the short piece of wood to gently push the insert down until it lined up with the holes I had drilled. I had William and Jimmy hold the insert in position and I got the welder. I put the wire through the hole and welded the insert in place. Then I repeated that for the other two holes and the insert was secure.

We got the two smaller pieces of pipe and cut them to length and then got the torch and heated them until we could bend them to shape. Once they cooled, I used the welder to weld them in place as handles for the entire driver.

Then we mixed up some redi-mix and filled up the short end of the driver. That would have to cure for a while, so we secured it in place and went to the house and had lunch.

There was some left over Chinese and other stuff from the cookout. We heated up the Chinese and the rice and had that and some of the left over stuff from the cookout. It was mostly salads and it really didn't go with the Chinese, but we made it work. Then we sipped our coffee and chatted.

Once the coffee was gone, I cleaned up the dishes and put them in the dishwasher and we walked back to the workshop. We cleaned up things around there and then took a seat on the front porch and waited for the women to return. We knew there was no sense in starting something because we would have to stop when they returned and start work on the frames for the posters.

We chatted for about 45 minutes and the women returned from Searcy. They parked the van and got out. Bonnie was carrying some posters and Cammie was carrying an armful of mail. They headed inside and we followed.

Bonnie put the posters on the table and we gathered around to look at them. They were pretty much like the ones we'd seen on the mock up so I didn't think much about them.

"They're only printed on one side," Bonnie said, with a disgusting tone to her voice.

"Who's gonna look at the back?" I asked her.

"What about the ones we put in the frames. They'll see both sides."

"That's easy to cure. We'll just put one behind it."

"But that'll take twice as many posters."

"Do you think you're gonna run out?"

"We might. I don't know how many I'm gonna set out."

"Did you check with the printers? Have they gone out of business and won't be able to print more?"

"No, smart ass. But I'll be spendin' twice as much to for each sign."

"And that's what? Maybe two dollars per poster?"

"I don't know, but why can't they print them on both sides?"

"I'm sure they could, but it would cost a lot more to do it that way."

"Why? They'd only be using one piece of paper."

"Because it takes more labor to print it on both sides. It's probably cheaper to use another poster than it is to print on both sides."

"How can that be?"

"Well, they need someone to put the posters back through the process a second time and there will be some mistakes and they'll need to throw them away. Labor is the biggest cost these folks have."

"Oh. I didn't think about it that way."

"I'm sure they can make more up for you without any problem at all. In the meantime, we can get what you've got ready and you can see how many more you'll need."

"Ok, now let's look at the mail," Cammie interrupted. "We've got a bunch of it."

"Ok, what's there?"

"Open this big one from Denver first."

I tore the envelope open and it was checks for everyone. I handed out the ones that were here and put the kids all in a pile. I got to the one for William and handed it to him and he just looked at me.

"What's this for?"

"Well, what's it say on the bottom half?"

"It says for rent and one day of square dance callin'."

"Well, then that's what it's for."

"But we didn't rent them anything?"

"Yes you did. You rented them the upstairs of your house for the time they were here."

"Nope. We only rent the downstairs of that house. The rest of it's yours."

"Nope, you rent the whole house. I just don't charge for the upstairs because there's no wear and tear on it. Ya'all had to put up with the boarders, not me. The money's yours."

"That don't hardly seem right. And two hundred dollars for callin'? I only done it for a couple hours. That's way too much."

"Well, the way they see it, they rented you for a full day and that's what they pay."

"Ok, but Mama and me're gonna take ya'all out some place fancy to eat. I never earned this much money for rent and callin' in my life."

"Well, ya have now. We all got a check for our contracts and for rentin' the houses and barns. And that includes the kids."

"No wonder ya'all have so much money. That almost seems like it would have to be again' the law to earn that much."

"Trust me, William, it's all very legal."

"Ok, here open this one," Cammie said.

It was a letter from the Organic Farm folks. I opened it and began to read it to myself. I got about half way through the first paragraph and Cammie blurted out, "What's it say."

"If you'll let me read it I'll be able to tell you."

"Well, hurry up."

I went back to reading and they listed all of the tests they had performed and the results. The final paragraph said that we had been certified as Organic and were allowed to sell our products as "Certified Organic."

"Well, it says we passed and are certified."

"It took 'em three pages to say that?"

"They listed all of the tests they ran and the results. But that's what it says."

"So does that mean we can get more money for our beef?"

"That was the idea behind this whole thing. So, yes it does."

"How much more?"

"I have no idea. I guess we'll find out when it comes time to sell."

"But that's a long time off. I wanna know now."

"Well, they don't generally give any quotes until it's time to sell. The market goes up and down too much to be quotin' that far in the future."

"Hell, that's no fun."

All of the rest of the armful of mail was advertisements for organic stuff and a couple of cattle buyers offering their services when it came time to sell. I set most of it aside and put the two buyers' letters in a file in the cabinet.

"Is that all of the mail?"

"Yep, except for some coupons. Do ya want them too?"

"Pass."

"Ok," Bonnie said, "now let's get to work on these posters. They guy at the printer said that the county had passed a law a couple years back that made it illegal to tack up posters on telephone poles. So we're gonna have to put them in frames too. We can put them next to the poles, but not on 'em."

"That's not a big problem. It just means we'll need more U channel."

"Well, I bought a big bunch of it. It's all in eight foot sections and is in the van."

"Ok, I guess we'll get started on the big posters first and then work on the smaller ones later. You'll be able to put a lot of the smaller ones in store windows and on bulletin boards, so you won't need frames for them. We'll work on the frames today and then buy the posts tomorrow. We can deposit all of the checks when we go to town if they're made out."

"Well, I don't know where the kids keep their deposit slips so we'll have to wait for them to come home."

"Not a problem. We're not goin' until tomorrow anyway."

Us guys walked outside and I drove the van to the workshop. There were plenty of posters left in the van for us to work on and we began to take the channel strips out.

We set them on the workbench and left room for us to work. I took one of the channels and laid it by itself. Then I got a big poster and used it to measure on the channel. I only did one measurement at a time, since this was the first one. I didn't want to get ahead of myself.

I slid the top of the poster in the channel and marked where it ended on the channel. I took a tin snips and cut a 90-degree V just beyond that point in the top and bottom section of the U. Then I held the short part of the section and bent the bigger length to a 90-degree angle.

I slid the poster back in and marked for the second leg and repeated the cutting and bending. Then the same process for the third and fourth sides. Once it was all bent and I saw that the poster fit good, I cut the last leg about an inch long. Then I cut the U sections off, leaving a tab that I could fold over and tuck in. I had to make several attempts at getting it to stay, but once I bent the fourth leg a bit beyond 90 degrees, it worked just fine. The bend would hold it in place and the channel would keep it from going in too far.

It took us about an hour to make that first one. We all examined it and decided that it would work just fine. But, before we made any decisions about it being final, we carried it up to the house and got the women's approval.

They seemed pleased with the result, so we returned to the workshop and went to work. We worked for a while until we had the process down pat and then decided that we'd take a break and go feed. By the time we had returned, the kids were home from school. I got each of them to endorse their check for deposit only and bring me a deposit slip for their account. I put everything in an envelope and put it on the desk with my checkbook so I could deposit all of them tomorrow.

Us guys returned to the workshop and the boys joined us. We showed them what we were doing and they pitched in and helped. We didn't have enough tin snips, but they helped us mark and make the bends. We did that until we were called for supper and then put things aside and headed for the house.



-------

Chapter 88


We had pot roast with all the trimmings for supper and it was delicious. Then Donna brought out two peach cobblers and we stuffed ourselves even more. We sat around and chatted while we sipped our coffee.

I asked the kids how their first day of school was and got an answer from each of them. The girls all seemed to love it and were excited about it. The boys were somewhat less enthusiastic about the event. To them it was taking away time from the fun stuff at home.

Then Bonnie told us they would be canning tomorrow and hopefully, they would be able to get it all done in one day. She said they wanted to start putting up posters on Thursday, but that would have to wait if they didn't get the canning done. They were going to pick the garden clean and start early in the morning, so there wouldn't be a lot of coffee and chatting at the breakfast table tomorrow. I told her we'd just take our coffee to the front porch and allow them to get to work.

After we finished our coffee, the kids went to milk and the women cleaned up the dishes. Then they headed for the garden and began to pick everything in sight. Us guys went back to the workshop to put more frames together and stay out of the women's way. There was no need in starting an argument now.

The boys joined us at the workshop and helped us make the frames. We were putting out about three per hour per man. We worked out there until it was getting dark and then we headed for the house. We washed up on the back porch and saw that the women were sorting stuff from the garden. We quickly washed up and left the area so we didn't aggravate them.

We caught the beginning of the news and watched the weather. They were still thinking about rain starting on Thursday in the late afternoon. They said it wouldn't be a strong storm, but it would last a day or so with gentle rains. That was a mixed blessing for us. We could always use the rain at this time of the year, but it meant that we wouldn't be able to take the hay in before Cammie and I went to Denver. If we got back by the weekend, it probably wouldn't make much of a difference. The hay wouldn't go to seed during that short of a time period. If the trip lasted longer, it might be a different story.

The women came in at the end of the news and Bonnie asked what they were calling for with the weather. I told her and she wasn't real pleased with it, but accepted it as part of life. She said they'd put up posters until it started raining and then come back home.

Everybody got their hugs and kisses and then departed for their own homes. The kids helped Cammie and me close up and turn everything off. I got a kiss from the girls and then they headed upstairs for bed. Cammie and I headed for the hot tub and a soak to ease the day's tensions away.

Once the timer went off, we dried off and headed for bed. We cuddled and kissed for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off to sleep.

I woke up first again and teased Cammie's nipple until she moaned and clamped my hand to her tit. Then she turned over and kissed me.

"That's the best way to wake up that there is. I'm glad you're finally wakin' up first again."

"I generally always do unless you women wear me out at night."

"Well, they ain't never no time to fuck you durin' the day."

"Maybe we should start havin' a siesta time and use that for fuckin'."

"Nope, then ever'one would hear."

"Then you're just gonna have to put up with me over sleepin'."

"I'll have to think about a way to solve that problem."

She kissed me and then headed for the bathroom. I followed her and we washed up, got dressed and headed for the kitchen. This morning, in spite of waking up early, we were still the last ones to arrive. I got a kiss from Donna, Chrissy and Dianne and then went about grinding the coffee.

As soon as I had finished grinding, the water was boiling, so I filled three presses, put the pots back on the stove for more coffee and waited for the presses to steep.

Once they had steeped long enough, I transferred the coffee to regular coffee pots and carried three to the dining room. I put two on the pot warmers and carried the third outside. I filled cups for us men and then sat down and lit my first.

"What's the plan for today?" Jimmy asked.

"I guess we'll head to town about 9. Do the bankin' and then head to the hardware store and get some fence posts."

"I'm guessin' the six-foot length is gonna be long enough for them. I'm not sure they can reach high enough to put in the eight-foot ones."

"You're probably right. I'd like to get the eight-foot ones, because they'd work better here on the farm. But the women would need a step ladder to reach them."

"Yep, or they'd need us to go along."

"I'll pass on that."

"Ya, me too."

The kids came back from milking and joined us on the porch. They each poured themselves a cup of coffee and then I got a kiss from the girls. Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a fresh one out.

"When are ya'all gonna start on your paper about your summer?" I asked the girls.

"Well, we've got to talk to the teacher in charge of the work program and find out what they want before we do it," Charlene answered. "We weren't able to do that yesterday, so we'll probably find out today or tomorrow."

We continued chatting until Donna called us for breakfast. Then we all headed inside to the dining room and found our seats. There was no talking while we stuffed our faces. Everyone was too busy chewing to talk. After we finished eating, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Dean, we need ya'all to bring up a bunch of jars from the basement, if you would," Bonnie said.

"Sure, you want quarts or pints?"

"Oh, probably four boxes of each to start. We'll probably need more, but that'll get us started."

"Ok, well we'll be at the workshop for most of the day after we get back from town and we shouldn't be there too long."

"We won't need 'em 'til after lunch, I'm sure."

We chatted for a bit and then Bonnie said it was time for them to get busy and we should take our coffee outside. The kids got ready for school and us men carried the two remaining coffee pots outside along with two pot warmers.

"How many fence posts you plannin' on gettin'? Jimmy asked.

"Well, she's got 50 of the large posters and she wants to double side 'em, so I guess we should get 50 to start out with. We might need to get more, but we'll start with that."

"Damn, that's a lot of posts."

"Ya, but they won't go to waste. We'll be able to use 'em later on around here. Or if she runs for another office or somethin'."

"Don't even think about that. I'm havin' enough problems with this one."

"It might keep her mind off decoratin' the house."

"That don't bother me near as much as her constantly askin' questions about her campaign and such. She leaves me out of the loop on the decoratin', so I don't need to get involved at all. All I have to do is to look at it and say it looks good. I can handle that."

"Ya, I wish I could keep my mouth shut about them things. But I always gotta come up with an opinion and it generally turns into somethin' they don't wanna hear."

"Yep, you never could keep your damn mouth shut. That's probably why you never made it past chief. You kept pissin' off the brass."

"Ya, but I could live with myself a lot easier that way."

"To each his own."

We finished up our coffee and I took the pots back to the kitchen and then Jimmy and I started carrying up boxes of empty jars for canning. The women were busy doing whatever they were doing to get the canning going. We didn't bother them and just set the boxes on the back porch and told them they were there. I told them we were headed for town and would be back as soon as we finished buying the posts. I grabbed the checkbook and the envelope of checks for deposit and us three headed for town.

Our first stop was at the bank and we went inside. I went to the teller and handed her all the checks and deposit slips. She processed each one and handed me a receipt back for each. Jimmy and William had gone to another teller so they finished a long time before I did. Once I had all the receipts, we headed to the hardware store.

Once we got there, I found a clerk that wasn't busy and told him we needed 50 six-foot fence posts.

"Do you want the T posts or the U posts?" he asked.

"The U posts. They gotta have holes in 'em."

"I don't know if we got that many or not, but we'll check."

We walked out back and he found their storage bin. He counted what he had and there were only 30 of them. I told him we'd take them and asked if he knew of anyone else that might carry them. He said they'd probably have more in by the middle of next week. I told him we'd see him then. He said to check with the feed store that they sometimes carried some.

We went back inside and I got 200 self-tapping screws to hold the frames in place. I paid him for the screws and for the 30 posts and then drove the truck around. We loaded them up and headed for the feed store.

I asked the clerk there if he had any six-foot U fence posts and he said he thought they had some out back. We walked out there and he found a dozen of them. They had plenty of the U posts, but they didn't have any holes in them and were too thick to drill.

We went back inside and I paid him for the posts and asked him if he knew anyone that had any more. He said to check with the hardware store and I told him we had just come from there and bought out all they had. He told me that unless I wanted to drive to Searcy, I was probably out of luck. We drove around and loaded the posts in the truck and then headed home.

We drove directly to the workshop and left the posts in the bed of the truck. There was no sense in unloading them because the women would just have to put them back in when they went out to put up the posters.

We went back to work on the frames and were making fairly good progress.

"Ya know," William said, "I've been thinkin'. We're gonna need to drill a couple weep holes in the bottom of these frames."

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, it's probably gonna rain some after they get put up and the rain'll stand in the channel if it don't have a way to get out. It'll eventually wind up destroyin' the posters."

"I hadn't thought about that, William. You probably just saved me and Jimmy an ass eatin'. Both Bonnie and Cammie would've blamed us for that."

"Yep, that's one of them things that don't seem to come up when you're plannin' somethin' like this."

"Well, I never thought about it. I don't think we can use the drill press without doin' a lot of bendin', so I'll probably need to use the cordless on it."

"Ya, if you drill it from the bottom, it'll leave a slight cone where the hole goes through and it won't drain right."

We continued on with our frame making until they rang the dinner bell. We stopped what we were doing and headed for the house.

We went in the back door, thinking we could wash up there, but the sink was full of canning stuff, so we had to go to the bathroom to wash. Then we sat down at the table.

We had soup and sandwiches makings waiting for us. It was kind of a rushed atmosphere because of the canning activities going on. Bonnie got up three times to go check on something. As we sipped our coffee, Bonnie asked, "Would ya'all take down the jars we got done and bring more empties up?"

"Sure, we can do that," I answered. "Quarts or pints?"

"About six quarts and four pints. I'm hopin' that'll do it. If not, we'll get the rest ourselves, as we need 'em. Just leave the jars in the boxes that ya'all take down and we'll put 'em up later on. I'm not sure where they'll go yet."

"Will do."

We finished up with our coffee and then Jimmy and I began carrying down boxes of full jars and bringing up boxes of empties. I took a look at the shelves we had installed down there and was very glad I got the heavy duty ones. It looked like we had more than a year's supply of food stored there already and the only thing we'd need to buy would be meat and staples.

Once we had everything carried down and up, we headed for the workshop. We went back to work on the frames and were nearing the end of the large posters we had at the present time. With only a few left to do, I shifted to drilling mode.

I found a sharp drill that was the same size as the channel and chucked it up in the cordless drill. I moved the drill press table around to the side, so I had room to work and used that as a platform.

I began drilling three holes in each bottom section and checked to make sure there wasn't a cone on the inside of the channel and that the water would drain freely. Since I was drilling into aluminum, it went fairly quick.

Once William and Jimmy finished up on the frames, they took the ones I had drilled and used the grinder to take off any burr left by the drill bit. Once they got a caught up, William went back to grinding while Jimmy began to insert two posters in each frame and making sure the connecting legs were securely together.

We finally took a break and decided it was time to feed. William operated the feed bin chute as I pulled under and then climbed up with me and we followed Jimmy to the pastures. The feeding went smoothly and we returned to the farm and I hosed out the spreader before putting it away.

The kids were already home by the time we got back, so we walked up to the house. I got a kiss from the girls and I asked them how their day went. They were all complaining because they had homework assigned to them. I told them I was surprised that they didn't have it yesterday. That didn't make me more popular with them at all.

I gave each of the kids their deposit slips from my trip to the bank this morning and then us guys headed for the workshop. The first thing we did was to put the cap on the casing to enclose the end of the driver. Then we took it outside and got a fence post from the truck. Jimmy held it in place near the bottom and I slipped the driver over the end of the post and let it fall several times. The post sunk into the ground just like it was supposed to do.

"Well, that shouldn't be too complicated for the women to use," I said.

"Is it too heavy for them to lift?" Jimmy asked.

"I don't think so. Here, you try it."

He picked it up and said he thought they should be able to use it just fine. Then we wiggled the post until we could remove it.

"Do ya think we should put a frame up at the end of the lane?" Jimmy asked.

"Not without checkin' with the women first," I replied.

"I guess you're right about that. They might have other plans that we don't know about."

"Yep, they do that all the time. We'd get chewed out about it, but they seem to think that's their right as women."

"If that's all we have to worry about, we're in good shape."

We all chuckled at that and went back inside and began to assemble more of the poster in the frames. I continued with the drilling and William worked on grinding the outside smooth. Jimmy, Jamie and Jessie worked on assembling the posters in the frames and making sure they were secure. We were almost finished with that chore when the dinner bell rang.

We headed to the house and used the bathroom to wash up, since the back porch was canning central. The women had made meatloaf with some fresh green beans and new potatoes. Along with all of that, we had a fresh salad.

There was very little talking while we were eating and very little afterwards either. The women were wanting to get back to their canning in hopes of finishing up tonight. Bonnie did ask us to carry down the full jars and bring more quarts up. We said we would and then we all quickly sipped our coffee in order to finish the meal.

Once the two pots of coffee were gone, the women got up and headed for kitchen. Charlene and Deanne were left to clear the dishes. Us guys went to the back porch and carried down boxes of full jars and brought up what was left of the quart jars. The girls had quickly scraped off the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Once they got it started, they headed for their evening chores. The boys went with them to feed and clean the manure out. Us guys headed for the shop and finished up the frames.

We stacked them in the workshop in a place where they wouldn't get damaged and then began cleaning up our mess. Once that was done, we headed for the front porch and took a seat to stay out of the line of fire.

We were there about 30 minutes before Jessie came out and asked me if I could help him with his math. I went in and sat with the kids at the dining room table. Jessie was doing a review of what they had learned last year and he was having trouble with multiplying fractions. I walked him through a couple problems and he said he remembered how to do it, so I let him work and returned to the porch.

Us guys chatted until it was getting dark and then we went inside. I went to the dining room and sat with the kids and began to check their homework. I found a few mistakes, but nothing major. Once they were corrected, I rechecked everything and told them it looked good and that they had done a good job.

I went into the living room and the news was just ending. I asked Jimmy what the weather report was and he told me they were calling for rain starting tomorrow afternoon or evening and lasting, off and on, until Saturday morning. That completely ruled out cutting hay. There would be no way the fields would dry up enough to cut before Cammie and I left for Denver on Tuesday.

We chatted for a bit and the kids came in. They said they were going to take their showers and I gave them the ok on that. They left and I walked into the kitchen to see how the women were doing. Bonnie said they were just finishing up their last batch of green beans, but they still had a bunch of other stuff they would need to do tomorrow. Once the green beans were done, they were going to clean up and quit for the night. I asked what needed to be carried downstairs and she told me to wait until tomorrow morning so everything would cool.

I returned to the living room and chatted with the guys. Finally, Jamie and Dianne came in and said they were going home. William got a hug from Dianne and I got a kiss as they left and us three went back to chatting. I told them what I had found out in the kitchen and they were relieved that we wouldn't be drafted to do much work tomorrow since the women would still be busy.

The women came into the living room and just collapsed in a chair. They said they were just frazzled and they were looking forward to some sleep. It wasn't long until the kids came down and everyone got their hugs and kisses and they headed for bed.

William and Lena and Jimmy and Bonnie said good night and they headed home. Cammie and I closed up and turned everything off and then headed for the hot tub. She said that her back was tired and I let her soak for a bit and then gave her a massage in the places that hurt. Then I had her stand up and popped her back for her. She sat down and gave me a kiss and then soaked in the hot jets until the timer went off.

We quickly rinsed off in the shower and headed for bed. We had a few kisses and then assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off to sleep. I think she was asleep before she finished turning over. I guess all the women were just tuckered out.



-------

Chapter 89


I awoke first and teased Cammie's nipple until she clamped my hand to her tit and rolled over to kiss me.

"I really do enjoy gettin' woke up this way."

"And I enjoy wakin' you up this way."

She kissed me again and then scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and we washed up after using the throne and then got dressed. We headed for the kitchen and only Lena and Bonnie were there. They already had the water on, so I began to grind the coffee.

As Donna, Chrissy and Dianne showed up, I got a kiss from them. As soon as the water was boiling, I filled the three presses and put more water back on the stove for the next batch of coffee. I waited for the three presses to steep and then transferred the contents to regular coffee pots.

I carried the three pots to the dining room and put two on pot warmers. I took the third to the front porch and poured three cups of coffee and put the pot on the pot warmer out there. Then I sat down and lit my first.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, I'm sure we'll need to carry jars to the basement, but I don't know after that. The women wanna finish cannin' so they can go out and start settin' posters."

"How're we gonna dodge that bullet?"

"Seein' as we don't know hardly anyone in the county, it would be difficult for us to find places to put the posters up. So they ain't really no reason for us to go. We've only got one post driver, so we can't go by ourselves and they ain't room in the pickup for us guys with the women in there."

"I like the way you think. Let's just hope the women think that way too."

"Well, we'll just have to steer 'em in that direction."

The kids came back from milking and I got a kiss from the girls. They all got a cup of coffee and Jamie took the empty pot inside and returned with a full one.

"Did ya'all get to talk to the teacher about the paper from this summer?" I asked.

"Nope, we'll see him today," Charlene answered. "We both have him for our General Business class."

"What do ya learn in General Business?"

"I'm not real sure what all we learn there, but I know we learn to write checks, balance a checkin' account and some bookkeepin' stuff. I think there's also a thing about how to measure profit in a business, but I ain't real sure."

"That sounds like a good course for ever'one to be takin'."

"All the kids in the ninth grade have to take it."

Donna called us for breakfast and we all headed inside for the meal. There was little talk during the meal, but then we sat back and sipped our coffee and chatted.

"How much do ya'all have to do on the cannin'," I asked.

"Basically, just the tomatoes," Bonnie answered. "We're cannin' these whole so we don't have to do much except skin 'em and add water and spices."

"Well, when ya'all get done, we'll show ya how to use the post driver. We've got all the big posters in frames and I bought enough screws for ya'all to mount 'em to the posts."

"We should finish up by lunch time. If ya'all would, the green beans and the corn is read for ya'all to carry downstairs. Just leave 'em in the boxes and we'll put 'em away later on."

"That's not a problem. We'll do that right after we finish our coffee."

"What are ya'all gonna do today?" Cammie asked.

"Basically, just get things ready for hayin'. I've got to call the Pritchard's today to see about movin' the corn bins from William's place and from Jimmy's place."

"Why do they need movin'?"

"Well, our corn crop won't fit in the feed bin we've got here and we don't wanna have to put it up some place where we'll have to move it over when we need to grind feed. That'd be about triple work."

"When are ya gonna do the hayin'?"

"If it don't rain, I thought we'd start on Friday. If it rains, then we won't be able to do it until we get back from Denver."

"Will it hold up that long?"

"It should. I don't think it'll go to seed before we get back. It might not be as good a cuttin' as we'd like, but some things can't be he'ped."

"I guess. How heavy is this post driver thing ya'all made?"

"It's not too heavy."

"And how heavy is that?"

"I don't know for sure. I ain't weighed it. But one of ya'all should be able to lift it and work it just fine."

"What size posts did ya buy?"

"We got the six foot lengths. We didn't figure ya'all wanted to stand on a ladder to be able to drive 'em in."

"You got that right."

"See, we're always thinkin' of ya'all."

"Right!"

We sipped our coffee and chatted about various things until the coffee ran out. Then the kids got ready for school. I got a kiss from the girls and they all headed for the van.

Jimmy, William and I began carrying boxes of full jars down to the basement while the women went to work clearing the table and rinsing the dishes off for the dishwasher. We were about halfway through when Bonnie stuck her head out the door and asked if we would bring up any quarts that were left. I told her we would and she ducked back inside.

We brought up the last of the quarts and stacked them on the porch. The women were already working on the tomatoes. They had water on the stove to boil so they could dunk the tomatoes in and skin them.

Once we finished all of the carrying, I went to the office and looked up the Pritchard's phone number. I called them and got an answer on the second ring.

"Pritchard's," the voice said, on the other end of the line.

"Howdy, this is Dean Trimble. We're east of town and Elmer told me to get in touch with ya'all. We've got two feed bins that needs to be moved and he said ya'all would be the best ones to do the job."

"Well, we sure appreciate Elmer tellin' ya'all that. How far do you need 'em moved?"

"Well, I own the old Grishom and Miller places. One of 'em is on the Miller place and I want it moved up to the Grishom place. The other is on the old Baird place and it needs to be moved over here too."

"Them ain't that far away. Why do ya'all want 'em moved?"

"We grind our own feed and I don't wanna have to truck the corn over ever' time I wanna do some grindin'. I'm figurin' we got enough corn in the fields to fill all three of 'em."

"That sounds logical. Are ya'all the ones that're doin' the organic thing?"

"That'd be us."

"Ya, I've heard about ya'all. You the one that mated up with Cammie?"

"Yep, I plead guilty to that too."

"When can I come out to give ya'all a look see?"

"We ain't got nothin' goin' on for the rest of the week."

"How 'bout I come out there after lunch? I can take a look at what ya'all've got and pretty much tell ya what we're gonna have to have to move 'em."

"That'll work."

"You livin' at the Grishom place?"

"Yep."

"Ok. I'll see ya shortly after lunch."

"Thanks."

I hung up and started down to the shop when Cammie stopped me.

"What'd they say?"

"He'll be here after lunch."

"Can they do it?"

"He didn't say. He said he'll be here after lunch and I guess we'll know then."

"You talked all that time and you don't know if they can do the job?"

"Well, I don't think he would be able to see if they could do it or not until he looks at it."

"I swear ya'all can talk on the phone and not say anythin' or know what was said."

"I tol' ya what we said."

"That's not very much to get out of a conversation."

"Well, that's all we said."

"Men!"

I turned around and headed for the workshop. Sometimes women just don't understand how things are supposed to work. If I had asked her if she could lift something, she couldn't tell me if she didn't know how much it weighed or how far she had to move it. Yet women expect us to have all the details of something like that in the back of our minds.

I got down to the workshop and told Jimmy and William that the Pritchard's would be out after lunch. They nodded and we began to get things ready for the women. I put a fresh battery pack in the screw gun and set the two boxes of screws on the workbench beside it. I also set three pairs of gloves with the screw gun so they didn't forget them. Jimmy put the post driver in the truck but we left the frames with the posters in the workshop in case it rained. We didn't want them getting wet before they were put up. With that all done, we decided that we should hook up the wagon and begin bringing stumps over so we would at least look busy.

I got the small tractor fired up and hooked up the wagon. William found the chains and put them on the wagon. Jimmy fired up his tractor with the forks on it. William climbed on the wagon and we headed for the wood lot.

I drove in as far as I could and turned the tractor around so I could drive out without having to back up. Jimmy went around me and stopped by some stumps. William and I carried the chains over to the stumps and began to loop them around the stumps we wanted to haul back. Jimmy pulled up and I hooked the first chain over his forks and he lifted it and headed for the wagon. William followed and released the chain after Jimmy had set it on the wagon.

William stayed at the wagon and sent the chain back still on the forks. I took the chain off and hooked up the one that I had ready when Jimmy returned. We kept going like that until we had a full wagon. We could only carry about ten stumps at a time because the wagon wasn't all that strong.

Jimmy and William got on the wagon and I drove them back to the back of the house. We just dumped the stumps off where I pulled up and didn't worry about stacking them. We would be splitting them later and would stack the wood we got out of them later on.

We made several trips back and forth like that and the women met us on our last trip.

"We're ready for ya'all to show us how to use that thing ya'all made," Cammie said, after we finished unloading the wagon.

"Ya'all done with the cannin'?"

"Yep. We wouldn't be out here if we weren't."

"Ok, we'll meet ya'all at the pickup."

I drove the tractor to the workshop with Jimmy and William on board. The women walked over. I guess they didn't want to go to the effort to climb on.

We walked over to the pickup and I got the post driver out and Jimmy got a fence post.

"This is how it works," I told them, as I got ready to use it. "You stand the post up where you wanna put it and then slip the driver over it. One person will have to hold it and the other one just lifts the driver up and drops it on the post. That'll drive it in the ground."

"What if it slips and hits the one holdin' it?" Cammie asked.

"It can't. It's full at the top and it can't slip down that far."

"Huh?"

I took the driver off of the post and showed it to her.

"It's got this cap on it and under that is some concrete. Holding the concrete in is a plate we welded in place so the posts don't chip the concrete. It can only go down the post as far as the plate."

"Oh. Ok, now how heavy is it?"

"Here, lift it and see."

She took it from me and lifted it. She couldn't get it over the post with it standing, so I told her they would have to tilt the post down until they got the driver on and then set the post in place.

Bonnie lowered the end of the post and Cammie slipped it on. Then they put it upright and Bonnie held it in place while Cammie lifted the driver. She dropped it and it hit the end of the post. That scared Bonnie and she let go. Fortunately, Cammie grabbed the driver and the post didn't fall.

"I tol' ya'all that the driver can't come down and hit ya," I said, looking at Bonnie.

"Ya, but I guess I was just scared that it might work like a hammer and slip off."

"It can't."

She took hold of the post again and Cammie worked the driver. This time she held on, but she did flinch when the driver hit.

They worked with it for a bit and then changed positions. Cammie flinched when the driver was dropped the first time.

"Don't you say a damn word," she said, as she looked directly at me.

I refrained from making any comments and they worked on the post some more. When they finally said they thought they had it, I got the screw gun and a poster in a frame.

"Ok, ya'all seem to have that down, now let's try puttin' a poster up. One of ya'all will need to hold the frame against the post and the other will need to use the screw gun to attach it."

Bonnie held the frame against the post and Cammie took the screw gun. She put the screw through the hole and then tried to get the bit on the end of the screw.

"No, darlin'. Let me show you. The screwdriver bit is magnetized and will hold the screw in place. Just put the screw on the bit and then put it through the hole."

I showed her how to do it and then handed it to her. She tried it and had a bit of a problem hitting the hole, but finally managed. Then she pulled the trigger, but she wasn't applying any pressure to it.

"Hon, you need to push on it a bit so the screw can get a bite on the metal frame."

When she did that, Bonnie wasn't holding it tightly against the post and Cammie pushed the frame away.

"Bonnie, you need to hold the frame against the pressure so Cammie can screw it in."

They tried once more and got the screw to work. It bit in, but Cammie didn't shut the gun off and the bit just kept on turning until it had stripped the hole completely out.

"Hon, you need to let off of the trigger once the screw is in. Just give short bursts and once it's tight, then quit."

"How can I tell when it's tight?"

"Let me try somethin'."

I adjusted the clutch on the screw gun until I could stop it by hand and then moved it just a bit.

"Try it now. When the thing starts clicking, stop.

She tried it, but the clutch was adjusted too light. She stopped and I adjusted it so it would have a bit more strength. Then told her to try it again.

This time it worked just great. I gave her another screw to put in and it worked perfectly.

"Ok, don't touch this part of the gun. I've got it adjusted to the right amount of pressure. It'll start clickin' once the screw is tight. Now, back the screws out?"

"What?"

"See that button below the trigger?"

"Ya."

"Push it in all the way and it'll reverse the bit and you'll be able to back the screws out."

She moved the selector and backed the screws out.

"Wow, that's pretty neat. I've never seen anything work like that."

"Well, that's one of them new fangled toys I'm always buyin'."

"At least that one's useful."

"Ok, well we've got ever'thin' ready for ya'all. We've got the posters in the frames and the posts in the bed. I figured ya'all'd take several frames and carry 'em in the cab. That way they won't get wet if it starts to rain."

"I guess that'd work. How many do ya'all have framed up?"

"All of the big 'uns."

"We'll take a few of them and I think Mama wants to take a bunch of the small ones to put around town."

"Ok, that won't be a problem. Do ya'all have tape?"

"No, not really. Will that Scotch tape work?"

"Probably for a bit. But I'd stop by the hardware store and get some of the wide packin' tape and a dispenser. That'll last a lot longer."

"Will they know what we're talkin' about if we ask for packin' tape?"

"Yep. That's what it's called."

"Ok, well we'll probably leave right after lunch."

"When's that?"

"In about 15 minutes."

They turned and headed for the house and we followed. There wasn't enough time to get another load of stumps before lunch. We washed up on the back porch and then took a seat at the table and waited. We sipped some iced tea while we waited.

Then they brought in the soup and sandwiches and we had our usual lunch. Then we sipped our coffee and chatted.

"We'll load ever'thin' up for ya'all," I told them. "We've got gloves for ya'all to wear and that should save your hands."

"Don't forget to put the screws in the truck too," Cammie said.

Once we finished our coffee, they cleared the table and us guys headed for the workshop. I got the screw gun, the screws and the gloves and laid them on the front seat. Then Jimmy and I gathered up five frames each of the posters and stacked them in the back seat.

The women showed up and I showed them what we had. They nodded and climbed into the truck and headed out the lane.

"Well, the Pritchard's ought to be over here before too long, so we'd best not go for any stumps until we're through with them," I told William and Jimmy.

They agreed and we walked up to the front porch and took a seat and waited.



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Chapter 90


We sat there for about 15 minutes and chatted before an extended cab pickup drove in the lane. He pulled up to the house and we walked off of the porch to greet him.

"You must be Pritchard," I said, as he climbed out of the cab.

"Yep, I sure am."

"Well, I'm Dean and this is Jimmy and William," I said, pointing to each of them.

"Just call me Donnie," he replied, while he shook our hands.

"Well, Donnie, we're sure hopin' you can solve our problems for us."

"Since we put these things up, I'm sure we can move 'em."

"That sounds promisin'."

"Well, we put up most of the stuff around here. Been at it for near 'bout 20 years now. Most ever'thin' in this county that requires a crane to put up, we've done it since then. Even the manufacturers hire us to put their stuff up. It's cheaper for them than bringin' a crane down here."

"Would ya like somethin' to drink?"

"Not right now. I'd like to take a look at what ya'all wanna have moved and then where ya'all want it moved to. Then I'll probably have some tea while I do my figurin'."

"That'll work. What would ya like to see first?"

"Let's take a look at what ya'all want moved. If ya'all don't mind, we'll take my truck 'cause I've got some gear in there that I'll need to use."

"Not a problem."

He used the electric door lock on his door to unlock the other door and we climbed in. I directed him to Jimmy's place first.

He kept lookin' around as we drove. We stopped at Jimmy's corn bin and we all got out. He went to the bed and opened the toolbox and took out a measuring tape and a clipboard. He clipped the end of the tape to the one leg and measured the footprint of the bin and wrote the measurements on his pad. Then he examined the legs and counted the joints. Next he climbed up to the base of the bin itself and examined how it was put together. He made some notes while he was up there and then climbed down.

"I remember puttin' this one up. It ain't but about 8 years old."

We got back into the truck and I directed him over to William's place. He went through the same routine there and made all of his notations. Then we climbed back into the truck and I showed him how to get back to our farm.

Once we got to the farm, we headed for the porch and I went inside to get a pitcher of tea and glasses with ice for everyone. I had just sat down when my cell phone rang.

"This is Dean."

"I can't get this damn screwdriver to work," Cammie almost yelled. "The screw won't go into the thingy holdin' the poster."

"Are you pushin'?"

"Yes. We pushed so hard, we almost bent the metal thingy."

I thought for a couple seconds as to what could possibly be wrong and then it hit me.

"Did you switch the selector back from when you took the screw out?"

"I didn't know I had to."

"Well, you do. You can't put a screw in when you've got the driver in take out mode."

"Wait just a minute."

I heard the phone dangling and knocking around from where she dropped it. Evidently, she was calling from a pay phone. It was a couple minutes before she came back on the line.

"It works now. Why didn't you tell me to switch it back?"

"I really didn't think it was necessary. I thought you could figure that out for yourself."

"I don't know nothin' about this crap. The only screwdriver I've ever used was one with a wooden handle that you turned with your hand."

"Well, you've learned somethin' new today."

"You ain't gettin' off that easy. We wasted a good half hour tryin' to figure this shit out."

"It ain't my fault that you're inexperienced."

"It's your fault that you didn't tell me."

"Yes, dear."

"Don't start. Bye."

"Bye."

I put the phone away and turned my attention to the guys on the porch.

"Don't tell me, let me guess," Jimmy said. "It's your fault because you didn't tell her to switch the cordless drill direction back after she removed the screws out here."

"Yep. It's always my fault."

"You're learnin'."

Donnie was writing stuff on his clipboard and he looked up.

"Well, you boys are kinda lucky. They ain't no phone or electrical lines between here and them two ya'all wanna move. I think what we can do is to just cut the big bolt that's holdin' 'em and just bring 'em over here as they set. It'll be a bit tricky, but we won't need to take 'em apart."

"That sounds like a plan."

"Yep. We'll just pour the footers and let 'em cure about a week before we move 'em. We'll put the big bolts in the footer so all we need to do is set 'em down and bolt 'em in place."

"When can ya'all do it?"

"Well, we can probably dig and pour the footers this comin' Monday and then move them after they've cured for a week. We'll only be able to move one per day, so it'll take us two days to do the actual movin'. I'm figurin' we can do this job for twenty five hundred plus the cost of the concrete. That's a thousand a day for the crane and labor and five hundred for drillin' the holes, pourin' the footer and settin' the bolts. Plus, we guarantee our work. If anythin' goes wrong because we messed up, we'll fix it. If ya'all want, you can pay the concrete driver that cost and we won't need to get involved in that at all."

"I think ya'all have a deal. That's a lot cheaper than buyin' new ones."

"Yep, it sure is. It'd be even more labor costs if they had to be assembled if ya bought 'em new. There'd still be the charge for the crane and the footers. That wouldn't change. The only thing missin' is where ya'all wanna put 'em."

"We've got that pretty much set up. We'll walk down after we finish our tea."

"I'm assumin' ya'all wanna put 'em close to that bin you've got down there."

"Yep. But we gotta have 'em so we can take the corn out and put it in the grinder and then have the grinder chute discharge directly into the feed bin."

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem at all."

"The only thing I worry about is blockin' access to the corral, barn and equipment shed."

"Not to worry. We can work around that with no problem."

"Works for me."

"So, tell me about this organic thing ya'all got goin'."

"Well, basically, we ain't usin' no pesticides, herbicides on our crops. We've used all natural stuff and we just plow the rows until the corn gets high enough to choke out the weeds and then we released a bunch of ladybugs to take care of the pests. Plus, we ain't usin' no growth hormones on the cattle. They eat strictly our feed and graze. Nothin' else at all."

"That's the way they used to do it. All that other stuff is really expensive now, plus I ain't sure that it's all that good for a person to be eatin' that crap."

"That's what we're thinkin' too. And what's more, we will get more for our cattle this way. We might loose a bit on their weight, but we'll make up for it with the higher price."

"Sounds like ya'all've got this figured out pretty good."

"I'm not sure about that, we just went back to the old ways of doin' things. It seemed to work back then so it should work now."

"Well, from what I could see, the corn don't seem to be sufferin' any and your cattle seem to be in good shape. At least they looked that way as we passed 'em."

"I guess we'll know for sure when we sell 'em next year. It's kinda hard to judge things until then."

We finished up drinking the tea and then we walked down to the feed bin. I showed Donnie where I had laid out the one corn bin and where I thought the other one should go. He looked around and said that he didn't see any problem with what we wanted at all. He did a bit of probing the ground and looked at the access and how they would move the crane to get the bins set, but he didn't say anything that would indicate there would be a problem.

"Well, I guess I'd best be gettin' back. We're doin' some maintenance work on the equipment and my brother'll be bitchin' that I was dodgin' the work if I stay much longer. If it ain't rainin', we'll be out next Monday to drill the holes and pour the footers."

"Sounds good," I replied, as we walked towards his truck.

He shook hands with all of us and then drove out the lane. We walked back to the porch and I put the tea and glasses in the kitchen.

We walked to the back yard and took the last load of stumps off of the wagon. We had almost got back to the wood lot when it started raining. It wasn't raining hard, but the sky looked like it could open up at any minute. I drove over to Jimmy's tractor and he got off the wagon.

"Ain't no sense in workin' in the rain," I told him.

He agreed and I turned around and drove William and me back to the equipment shed. I parked the wagon and pulled the tractor under the shed roof. Jimmy parked his and we stood there for a bit.

"Do ya'all think we should feed now, or wait till later?" I asked them.

"Well, we know what we've got now. It might be worse later on," William said.

"I guess you're right. Might as well do it now."

We each grabbed a slicker and then William and I put the tarp on the spreader. He walked over the feed bin and operated it as I pulled under. Then he climbed up with me and we followed Jimmy to the pastures. It didn't take us too long to feed, but it was raining harder by the time we got back.

I hosed the spreader out and then parked it. Then I headed for the porch to join William and Jimmy. It was coming down even harder as we sat there. About 15 minutes later, the women showed up. They parked the pickup close to the porch and all three of them made a dash to get out of the rain.

"Are ya'all afraid you're gonna melt?" I asked them, as they made it to the porch.

"No, we just didn't wanna ruin our new hairdos," Cammie said, with a smirk.

"Well, that sounds reasonable."

"I'm still mad at you for not tellin' me about that damn switch."

"Anyone I know would stop and think that if they had to move it to reverse the screw out, they would need to move it back to put the screw in."

"Well, then I guess you don't know me. I don't know how them new fangled things work."

"Now you do."

"Yep, after us wastin' time tryin' to screw it in, then havin' to drive for ten minutes to find a phone and then drive back. We coulda had a couple more posters put up."

"How many did ya get up?"

"We got five put up and got permission to put up seven more."

"That's a good start. How many of the small ones did ya get put up?"

"None. We figured we'd do that tomorrow if it's still rainin'."

"Well, that makes sense. It'll be the middle of next week before they get more posts in. You've only got enough posts to put up 21 of the big ones. If you're gonna need more then you'll need to order more posters."

"Mama's already thinkin' about that. She'll probably call tomorrow to get more made."

I got up and went inside to get a pitcher of tea and glasses with ice. I couldn't carry everything out in one trip so I had to make two trips. Everyone got a glass of tea and we sat and chatted and just watched the rain. It was a gentle rain and it would soak in to the soil like it was supposed to do and not run off.

It wasn't too long until the kids arrived in the van. They got out and made a dash for the porch. I got them each a glass with ice and brought out another pitcher of tea. We chatted about school and Charlene and Deanne told us about what all they needed to include in their paper about their summer internship. They had three weeks to get it done.

The women finally got up and headed for the kitchen to start supper. The kids headed out to milk and feed. Us guys stayed on the porch and chatted until Donna came out and asked us if we'd carry down the last of the jars they canned this morning. We said we would.

We walked through the house to the back porch and I told William they were all quarts and Jimmy and I would handle them. He said that was fine because they were a bit heavy for him to walk on the steps with.

Jimmy and I carried all of them downstairs and set them with the others. I had no idea where they were going to put them, but Bonnie didn't seem worried and I wasn't going to worry for her. We headed back to the front porch and sipped more tea.

The kids returned from chores and joined us. We chatted about various things, but mostly about school. Jamie and Jessie weren't all that happy about it but Charlene and Deanne were thrilled to be back. Jessie did say that he had talked with his shop teacher and he would be able to make a bowl for his elective project this semester. He was happy about that.

We chatted and sipped our tea until Donna called us for supper. The women had fixed short ribs and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes, carrots and a salad. This was the sauerkraut they had canned earlier this year and it was delicious. We all ate our fill and then Donna brought in a couple store bought German chocolate cakes. They weren't as good as the homemade, but they did taste good. We washed that down with milk and then sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told them we had talked with the Pritchard's and they were going to be moving the corn bins. They asked how much and I told the. They thought that was a bit much, but I explained to them that they had to use their crane and get it out here and that cost alone was worth it. They didn't seem convinced, but accepted as a cost of doing business the way we wanted to.

Bonnie wanted me to write down the type of tape and dispenser they needed to buy to put up the smaller posters. I told her I would and that they should probably buy some type of thumbtacks to put the posters up on any bulletin boards. She told me they had a bunch of them in a little box in her purse.

We chatted until the coffee ran out and then the women began clearing the table. The kids gathered up their homework and sat at the table to begin work on it. Chrissy, Donna and Dianne would join them once they had the dinner dishes taken care of. Us guys headed for the front porch.

We chatted about various things and the women joined us as soon as they were done in the kitchen. I asked Bonnie where she was going to put all of the jars they had just canned and she told me she thought there was enough room on the shelves in the basement. She said if there weren't, it wouldn't hurt them to set on the floor until they could use them.

Charlene and Jessie came out and asked if they could use the computers in the office. Jessie wanted to use one to check his math homework and Charlene said that her and Dianne needed one to get started on their paper. I asked her if they were done with their homework and she said they were almost finished. I went inside and fired up the computers. I pulled up the spreadsheet for Jessie so he could check his math and the word processor for the girls.

Jessie started checking his math problems and said it wasn't working correctly. I sat with him and saw that he was stating the problem incorrectly on the spreadsheet. I showed him how to do that and he went back to work. He had a couple mistakes and redid those problems. Then I checked the entire paper for him and told him he did a good job.

Charlene and Deanne came in and said they were ready to start work on their paper. I took their homework and checked it as they got started on their assignment. I found a couple mistakes on their English paper and pointed it out to them. They stopped working on the computer and studied their mistakes and then looked things up in their textbook. Once they had their work corrected, I checked it over and told them it looked good to me.

Next I checked Jamie and Dianne's work. I didn't find any mistakes and told them they had done a good job. Donna and Chrissy were up next and I reviewed their work. It was basically a review of what they had learned last year and they had everything correct. I told them it looked fine and they had done a good job on it. Then I headed for the front porch.

We chatted until it got dark and then went inside to watch the news. The weather girl was calling for more rain through Saturday morning and then stopping. After that it would clear up for about the next week. That pretty much ruled out taking the hay in. But the good news was that it was going to be a gentle rain and nothing that would cause any damage. We just have to take what we can get.

Once the news was over, everyone got and gave their hugs and kisses and then departed for their own homes. I had to chase Charlene and Deanne off of the computer because it was time for bed. I showed them how to save their work on a floppy disk as well as the hard drive so any crash wouldn't affect them.

The kids helped Cammie and me close up and turn everything off. Then I got a kiss from the girls before they went upstairs. Cammie and I stripped down in the bedroom and rinsed off in the shower before getting to the hot tub. I set the timer and then climbed in. The hot water and jets felt good on my sore muscles. Pushing around those heavy stumps was a chore and I was feeling it now. Cammie and I chatted as we soaked and then climbed out as the timer went off.

I checked the water purity and then measured the amount of chemicals I needed to correct the situation. Then we headed for bed.

We cuddled and kissed for a bit and then drifted off to sleep with my holding her nestled to my body. It felt natural and the way it should be.

I awoke and teased Cammie's nipple until she moaned and clamped my hand against her tit. She turned over and kissed me.

"I'm gettin' used to this. This is two days in a row. It could get to be a habit."

"I'm all for it and it probably will be if ya'all don't keep me up so late with ya'all's wild ways."

"You love it and you know you do."

"I do love it, but it makes me sleep late."

"We might have to find a cure for that."

"That'll work."

She kissed me again and then headed for the bathroom. I followed and we both washed up after using the throne. Then we got dressed and headed for the kitchen.

Lena and Bonnie were there already and had the water on the stove. I ground the coffee and got a kiss from Donna, Chrissy and Dianne when they showed up.

As soon as the water was boiling, I poured it into the three presses and put more water on the stove for more coffee. I waited for those to steep and then transferred the contents to coffee pots. I took them to the dining room and put two on pot warmers and carried the third to the front porch. I poured a cup for each of us and then sat down and lit my first. It was still raining out, but it was a gentle rain.

"What've we got goin' today?" Jimmy asked.

"As long as this rain is comin' down, nothin'. The ground is probably too wet to get over in the wood lot, so even if it stopped rainin', we'd still be short of projects."

"I think the women are goin' to town to put up posters in various stores and such. At least that's what Bonnie has been jabberin' about."

"Well, all we need to do is to find somethin' to do to keep from goin' with them."

"Amen to that."

"I think they're gonna take the truck in case it stops rainin', so only them three can fit in there. That should keep us from goin' along."

"I sure hope you're right."

The kids returned from milking and I got a kiss from the girls. They all went inside to change clothes since they hadn't put on school clothes because it was raining. Jamie had brought his clothes over with him. Then they came out and each poured a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot in and returned with a fresh pot.

We chatted about various things, but mostly about schoolwork. That lasted until Donna called us for breakfast. Then we went inside and devoured all that was on the table. I guess the rain made everyone hungry because there wasn't a crumb left. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

Bonnie said they were going to be putting up posters all day and we would have to get our own lunch. I told her we could do that. She said that they were going to the hardware store first and I should write down what they needed to buy. I got up and got a pen and pad of paper and wrote down what they needed. I also put a note on the pad for them to have the clerk load the dispenser for them so they would know how to do it when that roll ran out. I handed it to Bonnie and she tore the top note off and put it in her pocket. Cammie asked what we were going to do today and I told her that we were just going to make sure everything is in good repair around here. I got a blank look, but she didn't say anything.

The kids got up from the table and got their stuff for school. I got a kiss from the girls as they left. Then the phone rang. Cammie answered it and then handed it to me.



-------

Chapter 91


I looked at her and asked who it was. She told me it was the lawyer's office.

"This is Dean."

"This is the attorney's office. He would like for you and Bonnie to come in to talk with him this morning, if possible."

"Can you tell me what it's about?"

"No I can't and he said it was not a good idea to discuss this on the phone."

"Ok, we'll be there around 9:30 or so."

"That'll be fine. He'll be expectin' you."

I pressed the button that disconnected the phone and turned to Bonnie.

"Bonnie, you and me need to be at the attorney's office around 9:30 or so."

"What's this about?"

"I don't know and they didn't say, but I would assume it's about the lawsuit."

"Damn, I don't wanna have to get dressed up. We're gonna be puttin' up posters all day and I don't wanna do that in my good clothes."

"Bonnie, we're his customers. We don't have to impress him, he needs to impress us. Dress like you had planned and it'll be fine."

"I don't know about that. Goin' to a lawyer's office in jeans and a shirt don't seem right."

"Well, you wear what you wanna wear, but I'm wearin' what I've got on."

We worked on finishing the coffee and then the women cleared the table. Us guys headed for the front porch and sat down.

"Is this about the wrongful death suit ya'all filed?" Jimmy asked.

"I guess so. I don't know of anything else both of us would be needed for. We're the guardians of the girls and it has to go through us first."

"Well, I'm guessin' it's a better offer than the last one."

"Regardless of what it is, the attorney is obligated to inform us about it. But I'm pretty sure it's a lot better than the last one. And I'm pretty sure that the attorney who hired the guy has weighed in on the matter too."

"I guess we'll know in about an hour or so."

"Yep, sure will."

The women finished up the dishes and came out on the front porch.

"Can I go too?" Cammie asked.

"I don't see why not," I replied.

"Well, he didn't invite me."

"That's because Bonnie and I are the guardians of Donna and Deanne."

"But I'm part of the family."

"But you're not involved in this."

"I am too."

"Legally, you're not. You're part of the family and this is a family thing, but you're not a guardian and, as far as the legal part goes, you don't have a say."

"Maybe not in the lawyer's office, but I sure as hell will when we get out of there."

"Yes, dear."

"Don't you start that shit with me."

"Yes, dear."

"Urrrrr."

"Jimmy, can I borrow your car? I don't wanna have to stay with these folks that're givin' me a hard time all day."

"Yep, just don't get no blood on it."

"I'll not let her attack me when I'm inside of it."

The women took the pickup with all the poster stuff in it and I took Jimmy's Navigator and we headed for town. We found a place on the square to park and walked to the lawyer's office. Lena said she was going to poke around at the stores while we were in there. She left us and headed for Main Street. Us three walked inside.

The receptionist greeted us and led us into the conference room. She asked if we wanted any coffee and we all said we did. She left and returned with a tray of three cups of coffee. She said that the lawyer would be in shortly.

"Don't you go turnin' anything down right off the bat," Cammie said, before I could even get a sip of coffee.

"I can't turn nothin' down until I've heard what it is. If it ain't enough, then I'll turn it down."

"What's enough?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to see."

"What?"

"Well, it depends on the offer and who it's from. If it's just from one person, then it's not enough if we have to sign off on the entire suit."

"I just don't understand you."

"Welcome to the club. I don't understand you, either."

She just glared at me and started to say something, but the lawyer walked in.

"I'm glad ya'all could make it on such short notice," he said, as he piled his file and some papers on the conference table. "I didn't want to talk about this on the phone. Too many times things have gotten out from phone conversations and I didn't want that to happen."

"It's not a problem," I told him. "With the rain, we weren't too busy today anyway."

"Well, as per your instructions, I wrote back to the attorney for the party that made the offer. I declined and told him that we wouldn't consider any offer that didn't include money from both parties. I also sent a partial list of the items we would be using at trial, just to show them the overwhelming amount of evidence we have going into this thing. I didn't include a copy of the Sheriff's report, but I hinted about the evidence contained in it.

"In addition, I included the fact that the trial would be held in this jurisdiction and not in Louisiana where they have a good deal of influence. I also included the fact that this extended family was well known and well liked in this area and a jury would not look favorably on anything they might bring up to try and lessen the amount of judgment. I laid it on fairly thick and told them about your being the guardian and your good name in this community and what all you have done around here. I also included the facts about Thibodaux sending people up here to kidnap the girls and about him buying the girls from their father. I wasn't real gentle about things he had done.

"Then yesterday, I got a letter from them with an offer. However, they said this would be their final offer and if this was not accepted, they would take their chances in court. It includes the attorney for the lawyer that is charged in the case. They jointly authored the letter. I'm inclined to believe them when they say it is their last offer. In addition, I believe it is a fair offer and I am not sure we can do any better in court. If we did, there would certainly be appeals as to the amount awarded. So, it's my considered opinion that this offer be accepted.

"They have offered each girl, two million dollars. It is to be kept in a trust until they reach age eighteen and cannot be touched by anyone, except to pay for legal expenses for this case. Those expenses will probably total about twenty-five hundred dollars for my services, plus an additional one hundred dollars for filing fees that the court charges. Their stated reason is that they do not want the money to go to anyone except the girls. However, that can be construed to allow normal expenses for raising them could be deducted from the trust. That is allowable under Arkansas law."

"First of all," I injected, "we don't need their money to raise them. We have enough money to provide them with a good life and a proper environment and home life. I want all of the money to be strictly for them. Next, where is the trust to be set up?"

"That is your choice. They did not specify any particular place."

"So we can set it up in the local bank here?"

"Yes, that would be acceptable."

"Would you give us a couple minutes to discuss this?"

"Sure, just tell the secretary when you're ready. I'll have her bring in a pot of coffee for ya'all so you won't be interrupted."

He got up and walked out of the door. Cammie and Bonnie had their mouths hanging open, as they had been since he mentioned the money. I held up my hand before they could say anything and waited until the secretary brought in the pot of coffee and left.

"If you even think about sayin' no to this, you're gonna have a hell of a fight on your hands," Cammie said, as soon as the door closed.

"I hadn't planned on sayin' no, but I did wanna say 'I tol' ya so' about turnin' down the first offer. But I didn't wanna just say we'd take it without discussin' it, either. This is some serious money and we've got things to consider about the girls."

"We can consider all you want to, but we are gonna take the offer, ain't we?"

"I think it would be a good idea. If they manage this money right, they will be set for the rest of their lives. But I sure don't want them to give up on the idea of goin' to college. I think we need to be in complete agreement on that. They need more than money to have a good life. They both need somethin' that will fulfill them as people."

"I agree with that," Cammie said. "What do you think, Mama?"

Bonnie didn't say anything for a couple minutes. She just sat there with a blank look on her face and stared at the wall. Finally, she snapped out of it when Cammie asked her again.

"I can't believe this. I was so mad at Dean for turnin' down that last offer and I keep thinkin' about how mad I would be at myself if we had accepted it. This is just beyond what I ever thought they'd get."

"Bonnie, nothin' can replace what they have lost. Losin' their mother is somethin' that just can't be priced out. We've got to explain that to them when we tell them about this. Nothin' can replace the pride they'd have in showin' Barb their children, or showin' her they could do great things in college. This is not a replacement for Barb, but a payment of money to try and ease their pain about that loss. We can't let them lose sight of the fact that they have lost their mother and that can never be replaced. But we also have to keep them aware that they now have a fortune at their disposal when they turn 18 and they must be very careful about that. It shouldn't change their lives at all, but just make their lives easier as the years go by."

We talked and discussed things for a good half hour and agreed on a united front in discussing this with Donna and Deanne. We also agreed that the other children would need to know about it, but we needed to impress on everyone that this remain a secret within the family. The girls could be subject to undue influences if word got out that they were rich. At least richer than they already are with their modeling contracts.

When we were in full agreement, I walked out to the reception desk and told the lady we were finished and asked her if she would notify the attorney. She said she would and I walked back into the conference room.

The attorney came in and I told him we had agreed to accept the offer. I also asked him if we can keep this information from becoming public. He said that there would need to be a withdrawal of the suit filed, but it wouldn't contain any of the details of the settlement. Then I asked him whom I should talk with at the bank about setting up trust funds for the girls. He said that the main person in their trust department over there was Walter Franklin and he would be the one to contact.

Next on the agenda was the timetable for all of this. The attorney said that he could have the papers drawn up and ready to sign by Monday. I told him that I was leaving town on Tuesday and he said he'd have them ready on Monday morning, but he would need the girls to be present also. We set an appointment for 9:30 on Monday morning to get everything signed.

"Will the money be here on Monday?" Cammie asked.

"No." he replied. "I will notify the attorney's this afternoon that we have an agreement on the settlement. After that, they'll work on putting the money together and getting it up here. Once the money arrives, I will forward the signed documents to them. It will probably take a couple weeks for that to happen. I will probably have them wire transfer the money to my account and that will speed things up. Once that is here, I'll release the documents to them and transfer the money to the girls' trust fund from my account."

"That sounds fine," I said. "We'll pay you directly for your services so no money will need to be taken from their funds."

"That will work out just fine. That way there will be no question whether they received the full amount. I'll have a bill ready on the day we transfer the money. Would you like me to set up an appointment with the bank for you?"

"That would be great. That way I won't be walkin' in cold and they'll know who I am and what I want."

"Ok, just a minute."

He turned around and picked up the phone and pressed the intercom.

"Julie, will you get Walter Franklin on the phone over at the bank for me?"

"This should just take a minute or two."

"I'm pretty sure we can have this wrapped up in a couple weeks. They're anxious to settle this so they can file papers to finalize the estate. Nothing could be done until this was taken out of the liability column."

The phone rang and he picked it up.

"Walt, how're thin's in the bankin' business?"

"Aw, you're always cryin' and claimin' to be poor. Listen, I've got some folks that are goin' to need to set up a couple trust funds. Can ya'all help 'em?"

"Ok, can you see 'em this mornin'?"

"They're here now and we're just about done. They could probably make it over in about a half an hour."

"Ok, it's Dean Trimble and Bonnie Williams."

"Ok. Listen, when we gonna go fishin' again?"

"You're spendin' way too much time on the golf course. You need more time on the lake."

"Ok, we'll talk later. Thanks."

"He can see ya'all when you're done here."

"Dean," Bonnie said, "can you do this by yourself. I don't know anythin' about this crap and we need to get busy with the other stuff."

"Sure, Bonnie. I can handle it. I don't think there'll be too much to be done today. Mostly, it'll be just gettin' information about things. The big stuff will come when the money gets here."

"Ok," the attorney said, "is there anything else I can help ya'all with?"

"I think we've rode this horse about as far as it'll run for today. We'll probably have more questions later on. But there is one thing that we should discuss, probably on Monday. I'm thinkin' the girls will need a will, now that they have this money."

"That's a good point. We can work on that Monday mornin', if you want."

"As long as it don't take up too much time. They'll need to be in school after we leave here."

"It should be a pretty simple thing. All they have is the money and that can be distributed however they want."

"Then that should wrap it up."

"Ok, then we'll see you on Monday, at 9:30."

"Ok, thanks."

We walked outside and Lena was waiting for us. I guess she'd been through all of the stores and had seen all they had to offer. She didn't have any packages with her, so I had to assume she was just looking.

"Don't forget to go to the hardware store and get that tape and dispenser," I told them, as we stood there on the sidewalk.

"Damn, I'm glad you said somethin'," Bonnie said. "With all that's gone on, that completely slipped my mind."

"All right, then I'll see ya'all at home for supper."

I got a kiss from Cammie and Bonnie and they both thanked me. Then they headed for the pickup and I headed for the Navigator and drove over to the bank.

I walked into the bank and asked to see Walter Franklin. I was directed to the back through a swinging gate and an aisle. I found the trust department and walked in. I asked the secretary where I could find Walter Franklin. She took my name and dialed the phone.

"Mr. Franklin will be here in a minute. Would you care for some coffee?"

"Coffee is always welcome, thanks."

She brought me a cup of coffee and a man walked in.

"Mr. Trimble?" He asked.

"Yes sir, but please call me Dean."

"Fine, then please call me Walt. Come on in and I'll do what I can to help you."

I followed him to his office and he closed the door.

"Now, Dean, what can I do for you?"

"Ok, before we start, all of this information must remain confidential. That is a must because it is vital for what we want to accomplish."

"All information received in this institution is strictly confidential. We will not allow any information to leave here without a subpoena from a court. Of course, then we have to choice in the matter."

"Well, that won't be a problem. Bonnie Williams and I are the guardians of two minor children. A lawsuit was filed and it is bein' settled for a substantial amount of money. It is to be set up in a trust until they are 18. Can ya'all handle that?"

"We sure can. We handle a lot of trusts for our customers in the three counties we operate in and we also get a lot of business from other counties where they want more of a personal relationship with their trust officer. From outward appearances, this would appear to be a poor area, and in many ways, it is. However, there are some very rich folks around and they have used our services exclusively. Mainly because of our personal relationship with them."

"That's a relief to hear. Exactly what is necessary to get this set up?"

"As you can imagine, there are a lot of legal forms to be filed and a lot of government regulations that must be adhered to. We can take care of all of that. I have a kit here for each trust. Basically, it needs to be filled out and then we can review it to see if there is anything else that is necessary. We are set up to handle all of the paper work for any legal problem that might pop up. We take care of all the filings and tax information. From what I've heard so far, it seems fairly straight forward, so there shouldn't be any problems. Can I ask how much these trusts are going to be?"

"They'll be for two million dollars each. One girl is 17 and the other is 14. We haven't told them about this yet, but I want to try and convince them to leave it in trust until they graduate from college and get on their own."

"That's admirable of you. It seems that you have the best interests of these children in the forefront."

"Yes. I want to impress on them that they need to have a full life and that money doesn't constitute a full life by itself. Before this, they had goals in their minds of things they wanted to do. I don't want that to change just because they now have money."

"I sure hope they listen to you. You have them pointed in the right direction."

"Well, the money won't be here for a couple weeks yet. The papers will be signed on Monday. I have to be out of town beginnin' on Tuesday, but I should return before everythin' is finalized."

"Ok, here are the kits. Are there any other questions I can help you with?"

"Not right at the present. This is very new and it really hasn't all hit me yet. I'm sure there'll be lots of questions as we get further into this."

"There always is. Please be assured that we are at your service. By the way, aren't you the one that is running that organic farm outside of town?"

"Yes. All of our accounts are with ya'all. Bonnie directed us here when we moved down."

"How is the organic thing working out?"

"So far, so good. This is our first year of operation and we just got our certification from the sanctioning organization this week. Our first herd will not be ready for sale until next year, so we've got a long way to go before we realize any profit from this."

"Well, we also have a wonderful loan department that works with a lot of farmers around here. If you need anything, just let us know."

"That's something I'm trying to stay away from. We've put up a goodly amount of start up capital and we're hoping that it will be sufficient to get us through our first year until the sale of the beef. That will determine if we are doing things right or not."

"That's always a good way to run a business. It seems like you have a great head for money."

"Actually, it's more common sense than anything else. If we don't owe anyone anything, then we don't have to pay anything back."

"I think you'll do just fine with that attitude. It's not good for our loan department, but the money is good in our bank."

"Ok, well thanks for all your help. I'm gonna get on my way. The women are out puttin' up election posters and I've got things to do back at the farm."

"Thanks so much for coming to us. I look forward to a long and very trusting relationship."

"That works for me."

I walked out and found the Navigator and headed for the farm. It was getting close to lunch and my stomach was growling. All of this thinking does that to me.



-------

Chapter 92


I arrived home just as William and Jimmy were getting things on the table for lunch. It had started to rain on the way home and was threatening to stay for a while.

"Damn, now we gotta set another place," Jimmy said, "and there probably won't be enough food to go 'round."

"Nice to see you too," I replied.

"How'd things go?"

"Well, we've got a settlement."

"I'm assumin' it was considerable more than the last offer."

"They'll each get two million."

"Damn, that was worth waitin' for."

"I think so. I even postponed acceptin' it so I could tell the women 'I tol' ya so.' But it didn't even sink in after they heard the amount. They're just stunned right now."

"I'm kinda stunned, too." William said. "That's a whole lotta money for kids to come in to."

"Well, it's gonna go into a trust fund until they reach 18. But we're gonna have a talk with 'em and explain that they need a life beyond this money. We're gonna insist that they continue with what they're already doin' and finish school and then college to prepare for the life they've had planned. Their dreams might change but they need to hold on to a dream for their life."

"That's a great goal. I just hope this don't spoil them dreams."

"I'm pretty sure that Donna will go on just as she had planned. But Deanne's still young and she might shift her dream to somethin' else or maybe expand it. It's way too early to tell for her. She likes designin' clothes right now, but I don't know if that'll last or not. We'll just have to see."

We sat down and had lunch and then Jimmy and I cleaned up the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher. Since it was still raining, we took a seat on the front porch and continued our chat.

"Where's the trust funds gonna be located?" Jimmy asked.

"Here in town at the bank. I've got kits to fill out to get the paper work started. I stopped by there after we finished up at the lawyer's office."

"Well, at least the fund's'll be under your control since they're located here."

"Ya, I wouldn't have agreed to anything else."

"Are the women puttin' up the posters?"

"That was the plan. They were pretty much in a state of shock when they left me. I had to remind Bonnie to go to the hardware store to get the tape. Her mind had gone blank when she heard the amount of money."

"Ya, she was pretty pissed at you for turnin' down that last offer. She railed on you until I tol' her to shut up so I could get some sleep. She sure don't let things go too easy."

"Yep, Scorpios are that way and then add in Irish and red hair and you've got a real combination there."

"You boys sure got that right," William said. "She can hol' a grudge longer'n anyone I've ever seen. I'll be very surprised if she gets through this election without her deckin' that other lady."

"I'm with ya on that 'un, William," I told him. "She can fly off the handle kinda quick like."

We chatted until the kids came home. They ran for the porch to keep from getting drenched by the rain and I got a kiss from all of the girls. They put their books inside and then came out on the porch again.

Just as they were getting settled, the women drove up. They also made a dash for the porch and then stood and looked at the rain.

"It's really comin' down out there," Bonnie said, as she looked out at the sky.

"Yep, but the roof don't leak, so we're safe under here," I told her.

Donna and Chrissy went inside and returned with two pitchers of iced tea and glasses with ice in them. We all poured a glass for ourselves and sat back.

"Well, how was school today?" I asked.

I got a general response of "ok" but not a lot of enthusiasm. I asked if they had much homework and got a mixed response. Charlene and Deanne said they didn't have a lot, but they were going to try and work on their joint paper about their summer job. Jessie thought he had a lot, but it turned out that he thought any amount on a weekend was a lot. Donna said that she had to write a poem of at least sixteen lines and had to do some reading for American History. Chrissy had some Geometry and some English that she had to do, but it wasn't a lot. Dianne and Jamie had some math and English to do.

Bonnie asked if she could talk to me for a bit and we walked inside.

"When are we gonna talk with the kids?" she asked.

"I thought we'd put it off until after supper. It might take longer than we have before then."

"Well, I was gonna take us out to eat tonight to sort of celebrate."

"I seriously don't think Donna and Deanne will be in a mood to celebrate after we talk about the death of their mother."

"I wasn't gonna make it a sad thing. I thought they'd be happy."

"It's like I said, Bonnie, we need to stress that this is not a replacement for their mother. That's probably gonna make them a bit sad. Besides, after we talk to them, we need to talk to the rest of the kids to explain it to them and that'll take longer than we have before supper."

"I guess you're right. We'll just say we're goin' out to eat because we're too tired from puttin' up signs all day."

"That'll work. Then we can talk when we get home."

"Ok, are ya'all gonna feed before we go?"

"It's rainin' a bit too hard to feed right now. If it lets up before we go, we might. It will only take us about 30 minutes to do that."

"Well, it's almost 4 now. We should leave just before 5 so we can get there when there's still food on the buffet."

"Let's just see how it goes. If we don't get to feed before we go, it can be done when we get back. The calves won't starve for a couple hours."

We walked back out on the porch and took our seats. I picked up my tea and Donna came over and claimed my lap. She laid her head on my shoulder and just listened as we chatted.

It was about 4:30 before the rain slacked off and us guys decided we'd do the feeding now instead of waiting for when we got back. It was still drizzling, so we put on our slickers and headed for the equipment shed. William and I got the tarp put over the spreader and I pulled under the feed bin. William moved the tarp back and filled the spreader with the proper amount and then climbed up with me for our drive to the pastures. We followed Jimmy and the boys out and Jessie operated the gates so we could pull in. William and Jamie cut the bales apart as Jimmy put them in the hay rings and I spread the feed in the troughs. Then we headed back. I hosed the spreader out and we all headed to the front porch to get out of the drizzle.

Bonnie immediately said it was time to leave for town and us guys washed up and we all found a vehicle to ride in. William and Lena rode with Jimmy and Bonnie while the kids all rode with Cammie and myself.

Surprisingly, the place was not crowded. I guess the folks didn't want to get out in the rain tonight. For a Friday night, it was almost deserted.

We walked in and they found a place for us in a back area and pushed several tables together. We told the waitress that we'd be going through the buffet and we'd be drinking iced tea. She wrote things down and we headed for the buffet.

I stacked my plate with ribs and chicken along with potato salad and cole slaw. I went back for seconds on the ribs and basically just stuffed myself. But I found room for Dutch apple pie with ice cream on it and made another trip for more ice cream. Then we all sat back and sipped our coffee.

We chatted about various things and the waitress brought us more coffee. I'm sure everyone was as full as I was and it was tempting to loosen my belt and open the top snap on my jeans. But I resisted that and we finished sipping our coffee.

Bonnie paid and we made our way to the vehicles. Dianne stayed behind to talk with a couple people so we waited for her. Once she climbed in, we headed for the farm.

When we arrived, we all made a dash for the porch to avoid the steady drizzle that was still coming down. We wouldn't melt, but there was no sense in getting wet either.

"You kids are gonna have to milk and feed without Donna and Deanne tonight. Bonnie and I have some things to discuss with them."

Jamie said that wasn't a problem and they all headed for the barn. The rest of us walked inside and took a seat at the dining room table.

"Did we do somethin' wrong?" Donna asked.

"No, darlin', we just need to talk."

Cammie and Bonnie headed for the kitchen and made some coffee while we chatted for a bit. We talked mostly about how school was going and how they were fitting in. They seemed a bit uncomfortable, but answered our questions. Once the coffee was ready, it was set on the table and we each poured ourselves a cup.

"Ok, what we need to talk about is not pleasant, but it is necessary. Ya'all ain't done nothin' wrong and you're not in trouble at all. There's just something's that have happened and it concerns ya'all. Actually, it concerns all of us, but mainly you two.

"After your mother died, Bonnie and I instructed our attorney to file a wrongful death suit against the people that caused that to happen. It was the only way you two and us could actually punish the people who did that. There was an offer they made a few weeks ago that we turned down because it wasn't what we thought was right.

"Then, today, the attorney told us about the offer we just received. It is a fair offer and we have authorized him to accept it for you. It's a large amount of money, but this money is not meant to be a replacement for your mother. Nothin' can ever replace her. This is just meant to provide you with things that she could not provide for you and to allow you to live a more comfortable life, without her.

"It is very important that you two understand that principle. Nothin' can ever make up for what ya'all have lost due to their actions. But ya'all have to get on with your lives as best you can without her. This money can help you to live very full lives and fulfill your dreams.

"Donna, you can go on to be a teacher, like you said you want to do. You won't need to worry about how inadequate teacher's salaries are, but can concentrate on teachin' and helpin' the kids. That's the important thing about bein' a teacher. You get to he'p mold children into something good and encourage them to be whatever they want to be. You can he'p them with their education and show them how to grow as individuals. That is a very important part of this country. We have the best public education system in the world and it needs to stay that way. Not everyone can be a teacher. It takes a special person to put up with the conditions that go along with bein' a public employee. The money isn't the best, but the rewards are great.

"Deanne, you will be able to study the art of design and fashion. It takes a long time to break into the fashion business and it takes a lot of study to get to the point that you can understand that industry. You've taken a big step this summer towards that goal. Now your goal might change as you grow and you might decide that you want to do somethin' else. That is absolutely fine. Your goals in life don't need to be decided at your age. It's just not necessary right now. But whatever you decide you want to do, you will be able to do those things and not worry about havin' to make a fortune in the beginnin'. This settlement will enable you to take your time and find what you really want to do in life.

"With all of that bein' said, it is very important that the fact you received a settlement remain a secret within this family. If others found out about this, it could make your life uncomfortable and much more difficult. Do ya'all understand that?"

"Yes," Donna said, "but you haven't told us how much we'll be gettin'."

Both girls had tears on their cheeks. Talking about the death of their mother was not an easy thing for them. It brought up bad memories and feelings they had suppressed. I knew that would happen going in, and I wanted to get that pretty much over with before I brought up any amount.

"Well, it's a good thing ya'all are sittin' down. Each of you will be receivin' two million dollars."

There was a very large and audible gasp by both of them. A year ago, they had absolutely nothing, nor did they have any hopes of getting anything. Now, they were rich.

"But," I continued, "the funds will be held in a trust fund until you reach age 18. That is part of the settlement and state law. However, it is my hope that you will leave most of it in the bank in some sort of trust fund to be invested in a safe manner until you really need it. Ya'all should be able to live fairly comfortably on just the interest until later in life when ya'all are out on your own."

"I can't even imagine two million dollars," Donna said. "I wouldn't know what to do with it. I do know I wanna be a teacher and I'm positive that will not change. This money might make me rich with dollars, but I'm really livin' my dream life right now. I love my life right here and don't see any reason to change at all. I might wanna buy some new clothes and maybe a car, but that's about all I can think of right now."

"I still wanna be a designer," Deanne said. "I don't know how long that'll take, but I've got a lot of time to go before I even think about that too much. I've still got to finish school and then college. I'm not sure which college I wanna go to, but I know I wanna be in the design part of fashion. Maybe not the high fashion, but some type of fashion. I know I'll want a car later on, but I couldn't drive one now if I had one. Will our cousins know about this?"

"Yes. As soon as we finish talkin' here, we're gonna bring them in and tell them about it. It is very important that this be kept a strict secret and that this secret stay within this family. You have no idea how it could affect your lives if this got out to the public. Ya'all would be hounded terribly. Ever'one would be your friend and have hopes of gettin' some of your money. You would never be able to distinguish a good friend from someone lookin' to get money. Ya'all could wind up bein' very lonely and very disappointed with the whole world."

"But we have to do that now with the money we make from modelin'," Donna said. "So it shouldn't be any different with this."

"As long as ya'all can remember that, it'll be just fine. Ever'thing from the lawyer will be confidential and it'll be the same way with the bank. None of them'll say anythin'. So ya'all'll just go along like nothin' has happened at all."

"We can do that," Deanne said.

"There is one other thing. The lawyer has agreed with this. Now that you have this amount of money, you'll need to have a will. We'll be doin' that on Monday too."

"Why would we need a will?" Donna asked.

"Because the guvmint gets involved with the money left in someone's estate is over a certain amount. If ya'all don't have one, the state and the feds can decide who gets it."

"Well, it's easy for me," Donna said. "I wanna give it all to you. You've done more for me than anyone else I've ever known in my life."

"Donna, first of all thank you. But I have just treated you like you deserve to be treated. I think that each of ya should leave it to your sister in case somethin' should happen to you. You can always have a secondary choice if she don't outlast you, but it should be your sister first."

"I guess you're right. I hadn't even thought about that."

"Well, ya'all have all weekend to think about this. We have an appointment with the lawyer at 9:30 on Monday mornin'. At that point, we'll sign the settlement papers and he'll begin makin' out your wills. I've got some studyin' to do on the trust fund thing, but that shouldn't be much of a problem. Cammie and I have to fly to Denver on Tuesday but we should be back by the weekend or the first of the week at the latest. We'll have plenty of time to get the trust thing worked out."

"Ok, we'll think about things," Donna said. "Is there anythin' else we should be thinkin' about?"

"Nope, that's pretty much it. About the only thing ya'all need to worry about is gettin' good grades so ya'all can get in college."

"That shouldn't be a problem. I thought it was gonna be hard when we moved here, but it's just about the same as our ol' school. We're keepin' our grades up and studyin' hard to make ya'all proud of us."

"We're all very proud of ya'all. You've come through some really hard things and are doin' very well. Ya'all have goals and you're workin' towards them. But, you're not sittin' back and feelin' sorry for yourselves and that is important as you go through life. Things happen and most of the time we don't have any control over them. It's how you handle those things and come out the other side that speaks volumes about who you are. Just remember that. Life ain't always fair, but we can always make ourselves better."

"We'll do that. And thank you very, very much for takin' such good care of us. If it weren't for ya'all, I don't know where we'd be right now. This is the best family in the world."

Donna came over and kissed me and gave me a big hug. Then she hugged everyone else. Deanne followed her and then they took their seats again.

"Well, I guess it's time to call the other kids in. They're probably wonderin' what all of this is about and what kind of trouble ya'all are in."

They chuckled, through their tears and Bonnie went to the front porch to call the other kids in so we could all talk to them. When they came in, we had them take a seat. Cammie went in and made two more pots of coffee. When she brought them back, we all poured ourselves a cup and then sat back. Bonnie's kids and Dianne were kind of on pins and needles, wondering what was going on.

"I know ya'all are curious about what we've been talkin' about," I said. "But it was important that we talk to Donna and Deanne before we talked to ya'all.

"First of all, no one is in any trouble. So ya'all can relax about that. After Barb was killed, Bonnie and I authorized a lawsuit for wrongful death be filed against those who were responsible. After some hagglin', we've agreed to settle it today. It is very important that this not be discussed outside of this family. This kind of information could be very harmful to them if it got out. It's kinda like keepin' it a secret about how much ya'all make from your modelin' jobs.

"They will each be receivin' two million dollars."

There was a large, audible gasp when I said that. Everyone's mouth dropped open.

"They won't actually receive the money until they turn 18. It will be kept in a trust fund in the bank until they get that old.

"We've had a long talk and they've agreed that they need to keep on with their plans they've made to go to college and graduate and take jobs, just like they planned to do before this. Money can't make a life. It can only make a life more comfortable. So, nothin' has really changed that much. They'll just have a bunch of money in the bank."

"I'll say," Jamie said. "A whole big bunch. Congratulations, you two. Now we really do have rich relatives."

"Well, that's one way to look at it, Jamie. But I'm sure they'd trade the money in order to have their mom back. It's really not much of a bargain, considerin' what they had to give up."

"Oh, I know that. I just meant to congratulate 'em. I know I wouldn't trade Mom for that money."

"We know, Jamie. It's just easy to overlook sometimes. They've been through a whole lot and have done really good in handlin' it. This will just make things easier in the future for them. If they're smart, they'll leave most of it in the bank until after they graduate and not really touch it. They've got their income from modelin' and they've got a scholarship to pay for college, so they shouldn't need very much at all."

"Well, at least we know someone who is really rich."

"Not really rich, Jamie. They've got some money, but the really rich have a whole lot more. Now, are there any questions?"

I looked around the room and nobody said anything for a bit. I think it was still sinking in that Donna and Deanne were rich.

"I have a question," Donna said.

"What's that?"

"Well, after I turn 18, can I buy some land next to here and join the farm? Or maybe buy into it. I really like it here and wanna see it get even bigger."

"I don't know if there's any land around, but, yes, you could. But I'd suggest that you get through college first. You might change your mind by then."

"I won't change my mind. I'm the happiest I've ever been right here and I wanna be part of it."

"Darlin', you are part of it right now."

"I know, but I wanna own part of it too."

"Well, let's see what happens. Any other questions?"

Nobody said anything. This was just too new for them to really understand yet. This had been quite a day.

"Ok, well I think the news is about to come on, so let's call this clan meetin' over with. Just remember that this can't leave the family."

We all got up from the table and most of us headed for the living room. Cammie and Bonnie stayed back and cleaned up the coffee stuff before joining us in the living room.

The weather girl was calling for showers, off and on, through Sunday, but no severe weather. We were having a great rain. It was soaking in and doing a whole lot of good. We couldn't hay, but our crops were getting a good drink.

Once the news was over, everyone got and gave their hugs and then departed for their own homes. The kids helped Cammie and me close up and turn everything off. Then I got a kiss from the girls and the kids headed upstairs. Cammie and I stripped down in the bedroom and rinsed off in the shower before climbing in the hot tub. I set the timer and we both sat back and relaxed as the water jets soothed our muscles.

When the timer went off, we got out and dried off before climbing into bed. We snuggled up and cuddled and kissed for a bit.

"See, this is just another example of the things that you say you're not responsible for, but that keep happenin'."

"Darlin', all I did was to tell the lawyer to file the suit. He did all the rest."

"But none of us would a known to even think about that. It's all you."

"Just 'cause I have a bit of information stored up that ya'all haven't had access to, it ain't my fault. If the situation had been reversed, you'd a done the same thing."

"Ya, we probably would've, but it was you that done it. This is strictly you and you can't deny it this time."

"Once again, ya'all are just jumpin' to conclusions that ain't really right. Just 'cause I was there when a tornado came through, don't mean that I caused it."

"This time, it does."

Before I could say anything, she kissed me and then turned over and pulled my hand up to her tit and held it there. We snuggled up together and drifted off to sleep.



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Chapter 93


I guess the tension of the settlement and the meeting with the family had worn me out, because I awoke to Cammie kissing me.

"You're slippin' up on wakin' me," she said as she kissed me again.

"Well, all that talkin' yesterday probably wore me out more than I thought."

"I thought it was just us women that wore you out."

"Well, tension'll do it too."

"I guess we're just gonna have to keep you away from anythin' that makes you tired so you can wake me."

"Maybe, but I doubt that'll ever happen."

"Me neither. You keep findin' stuff to get into."

She kissed me again and then scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and then we both got dressed and headed for the kitchen.

Bonnie and Lena already had the water on, so I got right to grinding the coffee. As Chrissy, Donna and Deanne showed up, I got a kiss from them. Once the water boiled, I filled three presses and put water back on the stove for more.

As soon as the presses had steeped long enough, I transferred the contents to regular pots and carried them to the dining room. I put two on pot warmers and took the third to the front porch. I filled the cups for Jimmy, William and myself and then sat down and lit my first.

"I don't know how you did it, but you absolutely stunned Bonnie yesterday. She was so flustered that she couldn't find the right words to say about the settlement. I've never seen her that way."

"I think she was just thinkin' about what she would've missed by acceptin' the first offer. They've never been through a law suit before."

"Well, that and they don't accept advice real well neither. You'd think if they didn't know nothin' about it, they'd at least listen to someone that does."

"How old are you? Women know ever'thin', just ask 'em."

"Ya, if they don't, they'll fake it. Maybe this'll teach 'em somethin'."

"Just keep on dreamin', it'll make life easier for you."

"Well, for my part," William said, "I'm right proud of the way you handled the situation and how you talked to the girls about it. It'd be right easy for them to just take the money and give up on ever'thin' else in their life. They need some structure and guidance when it comes to stuff like this."

"Thanks, William. I just try to give the best advice I can on matters for them. They'll be set for life if they just don't rush out and spend it. They won't have any money worries if they'll just pay attention."

"I'm pretty sure you got their attention on that part."

The kids showed up and poured themselves a cup of coffee. Then Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a fresh pot out. We chatted about various things and the boys were hoping they could get in the workshop and try and finish the bowls. The girls didn't know what was planned for today.

Donna called us for breakfast and we all headed for the table. Little was said as we ate, but then we sat back and sipped our coffee. Bonnie said that they were going to split up and put up posters today. She said that her, Lena and Chrissy were going to go in the pickup and try and put up some of the big posters. The rest would take the van and try and put up more of the small posters in stores and other places. I told them we didn't really have any plans. It was raining off and on and looked like it would most of the day. Bonnie said she'd take out steaks for supper if I'd cook 'em. I told her I would and asked her if she wanted me to bake potatoes too. She said they should be home in time for that but they were thinking we'd have some French fries instead. I told her that would be fine and maybe Jimmy and I would peel and slice them, if she wanted. She said that would be fine.

We chatted as we finished our coffee and then the women began to clear the table while us guys headed for the workshop. It had just started to drizzle again and I doubted that they would be putting up any of the big signs today.

The boys went to work on bowl that was still in the lathe. They had sanded it before, but it still needed more. Unfortunately, with the power lathes of today, you get sawdust instead of shavings from the wood. With the shavings, you could burnish the wood and it wouldn't need sanding. But sandpaper can only take it so far. William had the lathe turned on a slow speed and he got out some 0000 steel wool. He put the boys to work with that to further finish the bowl. It took them a bit, but the wood was starting to shine.

There was a honk outside of the shop and we all went to the door. Cammie was in the van and had the window rolled down.

"Don't forget to do the feedin' and take your showers before we get home. It'll be a rush for the showers after supper with us women to get ready for tonight."

"Yes, dear," I replied, knowing that there was no possible way we could get out of going to the Grange hall.

She waved and then rolled the window up as she drove off. We went back to the lathe and the boys finished up with the steel wool. They turned off the lathe and William inspected it.

"Well, that looks pretty good. Now we've just got one last thing to do on the lathe and this can be a bit tricky. You boys get on either side of the lathe. What ya'all are gonna do is to very lightly allow the bowl to glide through your fingers while I cut off the stub. When it breaks, the bowl is gonna come free and ya'all need to keep it from flyin' across the room or hittin' me."

They took up their positions and William turned the lathe on. He got the parting tool and carefully went to work on the center stub that was holding the tail center. He was careful not to get right next to the inside of the bowl so he didn't spoil the boys work. He took very fine cuts and it took a couple minutes before it came loose. When it did, the stub gave way and the bowl came loose from the live center in the lathe. The boys caught it and held it steady while William turned off the lathe. Then they lifted it away from the lathe and set it on the bench.

"How're we gonna get rid of that part?" Jessie asked, pointing to what was left of the stub on the bowl.

"That's where your trainin' with the gouges comes in to play. Ya'all have to whittle that down and then sand it smooth. You'll also need to plane the back part to get shed of the live center marks."

"Dern, and I thought we were done," Jessie said.

"I tol' ya that once the lathe work was done there'd be more work to do," William said, as he grinned at them.

The bowl was placed on the workbench and William got into his toolbox. He brought out a gouge and handed it to Jamie.

"You get to go first," he said, as he grinned at them.

Jessie held the bowl in place as Jamie began to take off very small shavings with the gouge. They kept turning the bowl to work around the place they needed to clean up so they didn't take too much off of one spot.

"Well, while ya'all are workin' on that," I said, "I'm gonna get some work done up at the house. I wanna get ready for our trip next week and make sure I don't leave no loose ends for ya'all."

"Yep, I'm goin' home too," Jimmy said. "No need to call me for lunch. I'll make somethin' over there. I'll be over to help with supper."

We both left and walked in the drizzle to the house. He took his vehicle and headed home and I went inside. I fired up the computer and then signed on to my account. I had some e-mail, but there wasn't anything that was vital. I had a bunch of jokes from my kids and I read them and then sent them a reply, telling them I was headed for Denver on Tuesday and that the farm had been certified as organic. That was all that was really newsworthy that I had.

Once that was done, I signed off and turned the computer off. I checked my boots to see if they needed shining and my everyday boots were too worn to go on a trip, so I got out one of the new pairs I had bought in Denver. I polished them and buffed them to a high shine and then set them aside. I'd wear them tonight so I could break them in and not be uncomfortable when I was in Denver. With these split calfskin boots, it doesn't take much to break them in. They'd conform nicely to my feet in a couple hours.

Then I went to the closet and put my two suits on travel hangers so they could hang in the garment bag. Next to them, I hung two white shirts, along with matching ties, and three of my fancy western shirts and two pairs of jeans. I wouldn't put them in the garment bag until Monday night or they would be very wrinkled by the time I got to Denver. All that was left was handkerchiefs, socks, underwear and my shaving kit. But those didn't need to be packed now either.

It was around 11, so I started getting lunch ready. I opened some jars of the homemade soup and put the contents on to heat. Then I got out the sandwich stuff and put it on the table. It wasn't fancy like the women fix things, but it was all there. I got the ice in the glasses and took a pitcher of tea to the table. Then I made a pot of coffee. When that was ready, I rang the dinner bell.

William and the boys arrived and washed up. We sat down and had our lunch. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee. The boys had pretty much finished taking the stub out of the bowl and were now just to the point of sanding that part of it. Their next thing would be to plane the base of the bowl to take the marks out of that. William said they would probably finish the work on the bowl sometime this afternoon. I told them I had my packing all ready and it was all hanging in the closet.

We agreed that we would do the feeding around 3 or so. Then Jimmy and I would work on getting the potatoes peeled and sliced before the women came home. Jimmy and I would also prepare the grill and get the charcoal stacked so all we had to do was light it.

After we finished our coffee, I cleaned up and they returned to the workshop. Then I went to the living room and turned on the TV. I found an Arkansas football game on and decided I'd watch that. I stretched out of the couch and probably saw about a half a quarter before I slipped off to sleep. There's just something about that couch and watching a football game that puts me out.

Jessie woke me up at 3 and said it was time to feed. I shook myself from my nap and pulled my boots on and we headed for the equipment shed. Jamie took over Jimmy's part and drove the tractor with the hayfork on it. I pulled the spreader under the feed bin and William operated the chute and then climbed up with me. It had stopped raining, so we didn't need the tarp to protect the feed. Jessie and Jamie rode the other tractor to the pastures.

Feeding went smoothly and Jimmy was waiting for us as we drove back to the farm. I washed the spreader out and put it away. William and the kids went back to the workshop and Jimmy and I headed for the kitchen. We washed up and then began peeling potatoes.

When we had enough potatoes peeled, I got the French fry slicer out and began to push the potatoes through. When I had a bunch on the plate, I put them in a big bowl of water and went back to slicing. It took a while, but I got them all sliced and soaking in water to take the starch out. Then I got out the deep fryer and plugged it in. I found the grease in the fridge and put it in the fryer so it would heat up and be ready when the women returned home.

Then Jimmy and I went to the back porch and got the grill ready. Once that was stacked with charcoal, we opened a Dos Equis each and sat back and sipped our beer.

It wasn't long until the women showed up. They parked the vehicles and came into the house. They all immediately washed up and then walked out to the back porch.

"Did ya'all take your showers?" Cammie asked.

"Damn, I knew we were forgettin' somethin'," I said.

Well, get goin' and get 'em taken while we work on supper."

"Yes, dear."

Jimmy headed for his vehicle and I headed for the shower. I heard the door slam as I was undressing and guessed that the boys and William were getting the same instructions.

I quickly jumped into the shower and washed off the dirt. Then I knocked off what few whiskers I needed to and got dressed. I didn't put on my good shirt because I didn't want it to smell like smoke from cooking. So I just put on a tee shirt. I returned to the kitchen and the women were making a salad.

"Thank you for cuttin' up the potatoes and puttin' the grease on to heat," Cammie said, as I passed through.

"You're welcome, darlin'. I do remember some things."

"Ya, I guess ya ain't totally aged and forgetful."

"Nope, not yet. How soon before I should start the fire?"

"You can probably start it now. We're almost ready to start the fries, so ever'thin' should be done about the same time."

"Ok, well send the steaks out when you're ready for me to start 'em."

I walked out to the back porch and lit the fire. Then I finished my beer and just kind of watched the fire to make sure it didn't do anything wrong. This place was calmer than the kitchen right now.

Jessie came down and we chatted and then Jimmy showed up. Jamie and William arrived and then Donna brought the steaks out.

I moved the charcoal around to get an even fire and then put the grill in place. I put the steaks on in order of how well done they were supposed to be. We all chatted as the meat cooked and I kept an eye on the grill and put out a couple flare-ups with some water. Then I turned the steaks and put the lid back on to let the smoke do its job on the meat.

When everything was done, I took them off in reverse order that I had put them on the grill. Jimmy put the top on the grill when I was done and closed the vents. I carried the tray inside and put each steak where the person was to be seated. I took the tray back and then took my seat with the guys. The women finally brought in the potatoes and set three very large bowls of fries around the table.

"How many potatoes did you cut up?" Cammie asked, as she sat down.

"Enough for everybody to have a good helpin'," I replied, knowing that I was not going to get by with that answer.

"We've got enough to feed an army here. That's a lot more'n we ever cut up."

"Well, next time ya'all get out the exact amount ya'all want cut up. I always figure at least one big 'tater for each person and then a couple for the pot."

"Oh, that's way too many. We figure two 'taters for three people and none for the pot. The pot don't have to eat."

"Well, I don't think they'll go to waste. If we don't eat 'em at this meal, they'll be good for lunch tomorrow."

She just shook her head and we all dug into our salad, steak, corn on the cob and potatoes. Everything was great and we made a huge dent in the potatoes. There wasn't enough left to worry about. Probably only about a couple handfulls were left in the one bowl. But I didn't say anything and neither did Cammie, but I sure wanted to.

Once the meal was eaten, we all sat back and sipped our coffee. The women told us they had put up a bunch of posters of both sizes. Bonnie and her crew had headed west and then started working their way back. They covered the two main roads to the west of town and had put up a total of 15 of their big posters. Cammie and her crew had covered all of the stores in town and then headed north to the county line and put up one in each store they passed. The net result was that Bonnie was almost out of posts and posters and would need to get more before they could finish the county. The post driver was working just as we said it would and they didn't have any problems with the screw gun. Cammie had no problems with the tape dispenser, once she figured out how to operate it.

When the coffee was gone, the women set about cleaning up the dishes and kitchen and then headed for their showers. Jimmy, Jessie, Jamie and myself sat on the front porch and waited. I did take the guitar to the van so I wouldn't forget it.

It wasn't long until the females started showing up on the porch. Once Dianne showed up, Jamie, Jessie hopped in the truck and they headed off to pick up the twins. When Bonnie, Lena and William returned, we all piled into our vehicles and headed for the hall. It was Saturday night and this was their "gathering" night. Us guys were just dragged along.

When we got there, Jimmy and I took our guitars to the stage and set them up so they'd get used to the climate there. Then I took a look at the play list and didn't see anything unusual. So we headed for our end of the table.

Bonnie tracked down Elmer and asked about putting up a couple posters in the hall. He said that was fine and she went to the van and got two posters. She taped one to the inside of the glass that adjoined the front door and then put one on the bulletin board.

Frank and Allen were talking with William when we sat down. We chatted as we sat there and waited for the Elmer to call us up on stage. The twins stopped by and I got a kiss from them on the cheek and then they disappeared.

Elmer called us up and we tuned up and began the set. It went smoothly and we finished in about the 45 minutes allotted for each set. Then Jimmy and I grabbed a Coke each and headed back for the table. The entire night went like that and we finally finished the last set.

The women were still talking when Jimmy and I sat down at the table with our guitars. I have no idea what they were talking about, but it was probably putting up posters and other very important things to the women. It was Allen that finally called a halt to the hen party and announced that it was time to go.

The women broke up their talkfest and we all headed for our vehicles. We chatted on the way home and the talk mostly involved stories about putting up the posters. Chrissy said she didn't understand why there had been a problem with the screw gun before. She said that it worked great and anyone should know about switching the direction of the driver, it was just common sense. Cammie was not real pleased about that, but didn't argue much about it. The plans for tomorrow were to take a day off and relax. Most of the stores would be closed and they were almost out of the posts and larger posters.

We arrived home and everyone came in and waited for Jamie, Dianne and Jessie to arrive. We all chatted about various things and what was going to happen tomorrow. Cammie was going to concentrate on getting packed. She was not amused when I told her I already had everything ready to go.

"That's so unfair. I'd just bet you didn't spend more'n about 15 minutes gettin' ready and it'll take me almost a day to do the same thing."

"I don't understand why," I told her. "I put my two suits on hangers, got my white shirts and ties next to 'em, then I got my jeans and western shirts ready to go. Next I laid out my socks and any underwear I might need. The shavin' stuff I'll do on Tuesday mornin'. Why can't you do the same thing?"

"Because it's not the same for women. I've got to have at least two changes of clothes for each day, plus my travel stuff. Then I have to have the right shoes or boots to go with 'em. It'll take a whole overnight case for my makeup, shampoo, deodorant, hair care stuff and other stuff that I can't do without."

"Well, then that's your fault, not mine. I've got the same two outfits for each day, but mine just happen to be easier to pack. You'll have to blame someone else for your problems."

"I wasn't blamin' you. I was just sayin' it was unfair."

"Sorry. I just assume when somethin' is unfair that it's my fault."

"Well, usually, it is. But not this time."

"Just remember that the plane can only hold so much stuff and don't be packin' the kitchen sink."

"Yes, dear."

Jamie and his crew arrived and everyone got and gave their hugs and kisses and then headed for their own place. The kids helped Cammie and me close up and turn everything off. Then I got a kiss from the girls and they headed upstairs. Cammie and I headed for the bedroom and stripped down. Then we rinsed off the sweat in the shower and made our way to the hot tub. I set the timer and we eased ourselves in and relaxed as the water jets worked on our body as we chatted.

When the timer went off, we got out and dried off. Then we headed to bed. We cuddled and kissed for a bit and then assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off to sleep.

That night I had a series of very disturbing dreams. We were at war. I don't know who we were fighting, but I was helpless. I fought against being helpless, but I couldn't overcome it. I watched as our team was attacked and was unable to do anything except watch. I couldn't scream, warn anyone, or even push them out of the way. I was in a panic all night long. I knew I needed to do something, but I couldn't seem to do anything except watch, helplessly. I couldn't even see the outcome because everyone moved away from me and I couldn't observe what was happening. I tried to get up and run to their side to fight with them, but I couldn't move. It seemed like I was being held by something. My legs wouldn't operate and I just couldn't get there. I could hear the all too familiar sounds of war, but nothing I did brought me anywhere near the action. I was just helpless. Things were going on all around me, but all I could do was to watch.

By the time morning came, I was exhausted. I was drenched in sweat and Cammie woke me up by shaking me.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, as I finally opened my eyes.

When I finally realized where I was, I replied, "I was just havin' a bad dream."

"Well, it must've been a whopper. You're soaked and so is the bed. You've been movin' around all night."

"Ya, I have them now and again."

"Well, I ain't real fond of 'em at all. I don't know if you know this, but when you move, so do I in this bed. You kept movin' and I felt like I was on a boat that was bein' tossed around by waves."

"Sorry 'bout that. I don't know what brought it on. It's been a long time since I had any like that."

"It must've been all them 'taters you ate last night. I tol' ya that ya made too many."

"Yes, dear."

She kissed me and then slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and she told me that I needed a shower before I went to the kitchen. I agreed and got the water running.

The hot water helped relax me, but I was still tense and tired. I wasn't going to be much good for anything today.

I finished and got dressed and headed for the kitchen. I got a kiss from the girls as I walked in. Then I immediately began grinding the coffee. Once I had three presses ready to go, I poured the water in them and put more water on the stove. Once the water was on, I ground the rest of the coffee for the other presses.

Once the three had steeped, I poured them into regular pots and carried them to the dining room. I put two on pot warmers and carried the third out to the porch. I poured a cup for us guys and then lit my first as I sat down.

"Runnin' late today?" Jimmy asked.

"I didn't sleep for shit last night. Had one of them dreams again."

"Well, if it makes ya feel better, I didn't sleep good neither. I don't remember the dream, but I was tossin' and turnin' all night."

"That don't make me feel better. Mine was disturbin'. We was at war and I couldn't do a damn thing."

"It's just a dream. They happen all the time."

"Ya, but I thought I was shed of them things."

"Well, one popped back up. Don't worry too much about it."

"I'm not. But I am gonna take a nap today. I feel like I've run ten miles."

"Shit, you couldn't run a mile and feel good. We're both so far out of shape that it ain't even funny."

"Funny or not, I'm takin' a nap."



-------

Chapter 94


The kids joined us on the porch and each poured themselves a cup of coffee. I got a kiss from the girls and Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a fresh one out.

The girls were going to work on their paper today and the boys wanted to work on the bowls. I reminded them about their homework and they said they didn't have much and could do it after supper. I said that was fine as long as they got it done.

We chatted until Donna called us for breakfast. The women had made pancakes and there were three platters heaped full on the table. We sat down and began to eliminate the heaping part. Donna took two empty platters back to the kitchen and returned with more.

I must have worn myself out last night because I was starved. I ate three plates full and sausage to go with the pancakes. The sourdough pancakes with maple syrup is just great. There's not much else to describe it. Plus, the sausage always tastes better with some syrup to sop it in.

The women finally came in and began to eat. I had already finished all I could stuff in me and sat back and sipped my coffee. I even had to open the top button on my jeans so I could breathe a bit easier. Once the women finished eating, they joined us and sipped their coffee with us.

"What do ya'all have planned for today?" I asked.

"Well, I'm gonna start gettin' things ready to pack," Cammie answered.

"Momma and me are gonna do some laundry," Bonnie put in. "We've been kinda slack on doin' that because of puttin' up the posters. So we're gonna catch up some. We'll finish it off tomorrow."

"That's good because our sheets need changin'," Cammie said. "Dean was sweatin' so much last night that he soaked ever'thin'."

"Well, just strip 'em off and we'll put 'em in," Bonnie answered.

Donna and Chrissy said they were going to do their homework so they didn't have to do it tonight. The boys said they were going to work in the shop and Charlene and Deanne restated they were going to work on their paper.

Jimmy said that he was going to clean up his e-mail and then maybe take a nap and William said he was going to help the boys in the shop. I told them I definitely was going to take a nap sometime today.

"When was the last time you picked up the mail?" Cammie asked.

"I thought ya'all would pick it up when ya came home yesterday," I responded.

"It was rainin' too hard. Maybe you'd best make a trip to the mail box and get it."

"I can do that. There's probably just a bunch of junk mail, but I'll go so ya'all can rest your curiosity."

"It's not that," she replied. "But there might be somethin' important in there."

"Yes, dear."

She returned a frown for my sarcasm and I went back to sipping my coffee. The women talked amongst themselves and we all finished our coffee. Then everyone departed the table. The women headed for the kitchen to clean up and the boys headed for the shop. Jimmy took off for his place and I fired up the van to go to the mailbox.

It's a good thing we had a very large mailbox. The thing was packed with mail. Most of it looked like advertisements, but I emptied it and then drove back to the house.

I carried it all in and piled it on the table that had just been cleaned off. I sat down and started to go through it.

The biggest percentage was stuff about organic farming. I separated it into stacks and began to go through it. There were some bills and I set them to the side. All of our credit card statements were in there and I stacked them according to the person it was addressed to. The electric bills for the three houses were also there. The two I owned went to my stack and Jamie and Dianne's went to theirs. Then I started on the junk stuff.

There was everything you could imagine that went with organic farming. Most of it I just put in the trash stack and set the ones that might be of some value aside for future reference. I was almost done when the women came out of the kitchen. Of course, I had to answer all the questions about what we had received. I gave Dianne the mail for Jamie and her and Bonnie her mail. Cammie picked up her credit card bill and immediately opened it. Then they all listened as I told them what the organic farming mail was. It took me longer to explain it than it did to sort it out. It crossed my mind to just let them go through it, but then I realized that it would have been like shopping to them and they would never get any work done today if I did.

Once they were satisfied that I wasn't keeping anything from them, they all headed to their stated goals for today. I took the junk stuff and trashed it and then put the others in the appropriate file in the cabinet. Charlene and Deanne were working on the computer and had the word processor open. They had their notebooks out and were setting up the outline for their paper. I glanced at what they were doing and then went to the bedroom.

Cammie had stripped the bed and was putting fresh sheets on. I helped her and then she took the sweaty sheets to the basement. I took that as a cue to make myself scarce, lest I get volunteered into helping her pack. I didn't want any part of that.

Chrissy and Donna were setting at the dining room table and had their homework spread out in front of them. I walked by them and headed for the living room couch. I turned on the TV and found I had a choice between two church services, one news interview show and an infomercial. So I turned it off and kicked off my boots. I laid back and closed my eyes. I must have blinked three or four times before I drifted off to sleep. I can't say it was a restful sleep, but at least I didn't have any wild dreams.

I didn't hear anything at all while I slept and it wasn't until Donna woke me up with some kisses that I came back to the present.

"Umm, I could take a bunch of that," I told her, as I reached for her.

"Me too, but I'm supposed to get you up so you can kill some chickens and feed."

"What about lunch?"

"That was a couple hours ago. We let you sleep 'cause Cammie said you were really tired."

"I was, but I didn't think I'd sleep this long."

"Well, ya did."

I got another kiss and then she backed away so I could get up. I pulled my boots on and then just looked around to try and get my head straight. I hardly ever sleep this long during the day.

I walked outside and Jamie and Jessie were just bringing the chickens up from the coop.

"Look, sleepin' beauty has arisen," Jimmy said, as I made my appearance.

"I don't think I'd classify myself as a beauty, but I did get up."

"'Bout damn time too."

"Well, sleepless nights will do that to a person."

"Yep, I've been there, a couple times myself."

We hung the chickens by their feet and waited for them to calm down. Then I sliced their throats and waited for them to bleed out. Once they did, we took them to the back porch where the women had water on the stove. It wasn't quite to the boiling point yet, so we just laid them on the drain part of the sink. Then we walked back outside.

We headed for the equipment shed and fired the tractors up. William operated the feed bin chute as I pulled under it and then we followed Jimmy and the boys to the pasture. The feeding went smoothly and we were soon on our way back to the farm.

Once we got there, I hosed out the spreader and put it away. Then we walked up to the front porch. Jamie and Jessie went inside and brought out a pitcher of tea and glasses with ice in them. We each poured ourselves a glass and sat back.

"So, what did I miss while I was dead?"

"Not too much," Jimmy answered. "I went to the house and did all of my mailing. I don't know what else went on, but it seemed quiet when I got back."

"Well, we worked on the bowls," Jamie offered, "and got them all sanded down. But now we have to wait until they dry before we can finish them."

"Won't they check when they dry?" I asked.

"They shouldn't," William said. "We're trickin' the wood by lettin' them cure upside down. It takes a bit longer, but they generally don't check that way."

"How does that he'p?"

"Well, the sap flows in veins, just like our blood does. Inside the veins there's a grain and it's meant to make it easy to flow in one direction. When they're upside down, the wood gets confused and tries to push the sap out the normal way. As the sap leaves, the veins collapse and that's what causes the checkin'. But it's all a lot slower when it's upside down, and that's what prevents the checkin'."

"That sounds reasonable. If they're tryin' to collapse and they're pushin' the sap instead of drainin', they wouldn't dry up as fast and wouldn't check."

"Actually, I think the veins stay open because the sap is runnin' to the top of the tree, or at least the wood thinks it is, so they stay open waitin' for more sap to arrive."

"Won't they eventually dry up and check?"

"Nope. Once we see that they're dry, we finish them with mineral oil and that soaks into the veins and keeps them open. It also seals the wood as it does."

"You don't use shellac or varnish?"

"Nope. You wouldn't want that stuff on your food."

"I guess not."

We stayed out on the porch and chatted as we sipped our tea until we were called for supper. We took our glasses and pitcher inside and washed up on the back porch. Then we took a seat at the table.

Sunday dinner was the usual. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, peas and a salad. We also had our usual homemade bread with fresh butter. For dessert, we had apple cobbler that Donna had made. It was all great and I stuffed myself to the point I was almost uncomfortable. But I had missed lunch, so I didn't think it'd hurt my waistline too much. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Dean," Bonnie said, "when you get back from Denver, the garden will probably be done for the year. I'm thinkin' it would be a good idea to use that tiller thingy and put everything underground. My compost pile can also be spread on the dirt and tilled under. That should make the ground really good for next spring."

"That shouldn't be a problem, Bonnie. The only thing is we'll need to be hayin' as soon as we get back. And after that, we need to move the calves. But once them two things is done, the garden should be next on the list."

"Well, we'll need to start on some speeches that I'll be needin' to give too. I don't know when the first one will come about, but I wanna be ready for that."

"Not a problem, either. You can start thinkin' of things you wanna say and the points you wanna make and we can put them in order and get 'em down."

"I can do that after I get the posters up."

"You need to order more tomorrow, right?"

"Yep. First thing in the mornin'."

We sipped our coffee and chatted about various things until the coffee ran out. Then the women cleared off the table and headed for the kitchen. The kids headed out for evening chores and us guys made our way to the front porch.

When the kids returned from chores, everyone except Donna and Chrissy headed for the dining room table to do their homework. Donna and Chrissy went to our bedroom with Cammie and helped her get everything ready to pack. I had no idea what the big fuss was about. Surely it didn't take three people to pack for a few days in Denver. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe women have a whole different agenda than men do when it comes to preparing for a trip and what they are going to take. But for the life of me, I couldn't understand what it could be.

Bonnie and Lena came out to join us on the front porch and we chatted about various things. I asked Bonnie if she had put a sign up out by the road. She said she hadn't, but thought it was a good idea. She would probably do that tomorrow after she called for more posters. We didn't get that much traffic, but each vote would count.

As we chatted, the kids came out, one at a time and asked if we would check their homework. Bonnie and I went inside and did the checking. I basically handled the math stuff and Bonnie handled the other. Jessie had some mistakes on his work and I showed him what he had done wrong. He did them again and the second time they were correct. Jamie and Dianne were doing some statistics and I went over those. Both of them had mistakes and I showed them where they had messed up in their thinking and conclusions. They said they understood and reworked those problems. By the time we finished checking the homework, it was time for the news.

We watched and the weather girl said it was going to be clear for the next several days. Cammie was glad to hear that since we would be flying out on Tuesday. She sure didn't need a rough ride on the plane. She was nervous enough about flying in clear weather.

Once the news was over, everyone got and gave their hugs and kisses and headed for their own homes. The kids helped Cammie and me close up and turn everything off. Then I got kisses from the girls as they all went upstairs to bed. Cammie and I stripped down in the bedroom and rinsed off in the shower before heading for the hot tub.

I set the timer and eased into the hot water. The heat and the jets felt good on my muscles. I was still tense from last night and sleeping on the couch didn't help my back at all. I allowed the jets to soothe and relax the muscles and then I did a series of bending and twisting to crack my back and put some things back into place. Maybe I would be able to sleep tonight.

When the timer went off, we got out and dried off and then headed for bed. We kissed and cuddled until Cammie got sleepy and turned over to drift off to sleep.

I stayed awake and tried to think of why I had those dreams. I hadn't been in a stressful situation. That was generally what caused them in the past. Of course I sometimes had them before a mission. But that was understandable. My mind was focused on the mission and it was natural to think about all the things that could go wrong. But I'm here, in the middle of Arkansas, on a farm with my loved ones around me and not in any danger at all. It really didn't make any sense. But then the dreams don't normally make any sense.

I lay there for a while and finally decided that I needed some help to get to sleep. I got up and took two of the Tylenol PM caps and then warmed up a glass of milk, all in hopes of making me drowsy so I could sleep tonight.

Instead of going back to bed, I went to the living room and turned the TV on but kept the volume low. There's not much on TV on a Sunday night. But I flipped through the channels just to see if I could find something that would bore me to drowsiness.

It took about a half an hour, but I finally got sleepy and turned off the TV and headed for bed. I snuggled up next to Cammie and put my hand on her tit because I knew she liked that. It wasn't too long until I drifted off.

I had a fitful night's sleep, but I didn't have any dreams that woke me until it was almost time to wake up. Then I was back where I was last night. There was combat and I couldn't do anything to help. I tried screaming, but nothing would come out of my mouth. They needed my help, but I couldn't move. I couldn't see who they were, but I knew I should be there, fighting alongside of them. Just as I was getting very angry, Cammie woke me with a kiss.

"Are you havin' more dreams?" she asked, as she lay across me.

"Just at the end there. It's a good thing you woke me up. That way I don't have to remember them."

"Maybe we should get you some sleepin' pills."

"They don't he'p. I've already tried 'em before."

"Well, you need somethin'."

"This generally passes in a couple days. I just don't understand why this is happenin' now. I haven't been under any stress and that's usually what causes them."

"Maybe you shouldn't take a nap durin' the day. You might be tired enough to sleep if you stay awake all day."

"Maybe. We've got a lot to do today, so I shouldn't have time to take a nap. Hopefully, that'll he'p."

"I sure hope so."

She kissed me and then headed for the bathroom. I followed her and we both washed up and then got dressed before heading for the kitchen.

We were the last ones to arrive and I got a kiss from Donna, Chrissy and Dianne. Then I went to work on the coffee. The water was already boiling by the time I finished grinding. I filled three presses and put more water back on the stove. I waited until the coffee had steeped and then emptied the three presses into regular coffee pots and headed for the dining room. I put two on pot warmers and carried the third to the front porch. I filled three cups with coffee and then lit my first as I took my seat.

"Sleep any better last night?" Jimmy asked.

"Some. I took a couple PM caps and drank a glass of warm milk. I didn't sleep real well, but I didn't remember any dreams until this mornin'. It was about the same as last night, but Cammie woke me before I really got into it. I just can't understand what's causin' 'em. I ain't been under any stress and that's generally what brings 'em on."

"Well, sometimes our minds just wander and they show up. I wouldn't worry too much about 'em."

"Except they ain't happenin' to you. If they was happenin' to you, I wouldn't worry much either."

"I know it's hard times when they hit, but you're safe around here. You're not in any danger and we're not headed for a mission. It's probably just your mind goin' back in time."

"Probably, but I sure wish it wouldn't do that."

"We all do when it happens to us."

The kids joined us on the porch after they finished their morning chores and each poured themselves a cup of coffee. Jamie took the empty pot inside and brought a full one back out. We chatted about various things until Donna called us for breakfast.

We all made our way to the table and commenced eating. It was our usual breakfast and few words were spoken as we ate. Once we were finished, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Bonnie, don't forget to call the school about the girls comin' in late," I said, as we all worked on our coffee.

"Damn, it's a good thing you reminded me of that. I'll do that as soon as I think they're there. They generally get in a bit before 8."

"How long do you think it'll last?" Jimmy asked.

"I don't have any idea. I wouldn't think it'd take too long. It's fairly simple."

"Well, I was thinkin' we could work on the rest of them stumps today."

"It might be a bit muddy over at the wood lot. There's not a lot of vegetation to soak up the rain we've had."

"Well, if it is, I guess we can work on splittin' the ones we've got over here."

"We can probably do that. I'll pack this evenin'. It won't take me long to do that."

I got a nasty look from Cammie about that statement, but she didn't say anything. We continued our chatting and Bonnie got up to make her telephone call about 7:45. The rest of us finished our coffee and then the kids got ready for school. Donna and Deanne worked with Lena and Cammie to clear the table and work in the kitchen. Us guys headed for the front porch.

I had just sat down when Bonnie brought the phone to me and told me it was Sharon.

"Howdy, sexy," I said, as I answered it.

"Back at ya. Ya'all ready for your trip?"

"Well, I am. I can't speak for Cammie. She's still fussin' about what all she needs to pack."

"I can understand that. The plane is flyin' the president to Phoenix today and they won't return until tomorrow around noon, our time. They'll have to refuel and then head out to pick ya'all up. I figure they'll be there between 3 and 3:30."

"That'll work. We won't have to rush to get ready in the mornin'."

"Yep. The way I've got it figured, we should finish up by Friday afternoon or Saturday mornin'. Then we'll fly ya'all back home so you won't need to spend the weekend out here."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"Ok, now let me talk with Cammie. We need to hatch plans for the week."

"I'm not sure I approve of that. Ya'all can get into a lot of trouble."

"Not nearly as much as you guys do."

"Ok, sweetness, have a good 'un."

I carried the phone inside and handed it to Cammie. She took it and headed for our bedroom for some privacy. Bonnie said that the school had been notified and everything was ok. I nodded and headed for the porch.

I had just sat down when the UPS truck drove in the lane. He pulled up by the porch and we went out to meet him. He brought out five relatively small packages and had me sign for them. We carried them to the front porch and I began opening them. The packing slips said they were the conversion kits for the generators so we could switch them over to propane.

"Now we've got something to do today," I said, as we inspected the contents.

"Yep," Jimmy said. "Do we have all the fittin's we need to convert 'em?"

"No. I'll have to stop in town and get the copper and fittin's so we can tap into the gas lines. Ever'thin' else is supposed to be here."

"Well, I guess that'll be in the afternoon before ya'all get back."

"Maybe before that, I'm not sure."

"Well, them lawyers don't do anything quick."

"I'm hopin' this 'un will."

We chatted until it was almost 9 and then I went inside and told everyone it was time to leave for town. The girls were ready, but Cammie was still on the phone. Bonnie finished up what she was doing and then Cammie finally said good-bye to Sharon. She quickly got ready we all headed for Jimmy's Navigator.

We arrived at the lawyer's office and the receptionist took us to the conference room and brought in a pot of coffee. She told us the lawyer would be with us in just a little bit. We all poured ourselves a cup of coffee and waited. The girls were nervous, but didn't say much at all.

The lawyer came in and brought us a copy of the release statement. I read over it and it seemed fairly straight forward. Bonnie had some questions about the language, but the lawyer and I assured her it was normal wording for a release of liability statement. The girls didn't say anything probably because they didn't understand the statement, but took our word for it.

Once we agreed that it was acceptable, the lawyer had his secretary come in and notarize our signatures on the statement. With that done, we turned our attention to the wills.

The girls told him how they wanted them set up and both were exactly the same. He made notes and made a couple suggestions on distribution of proceeds and we agreed on those. He made more notations and then said it would take him about a week to get it all set up. I asked him if it would be all right if we took care of anything else after school hours. He said that wouldn't be a problem and once everything was ready, he would notify us and we could set up an appointment. He did recommend that we rent a safety deposit box for each of the girls and put the release agreement and the wills in them. I agreed and that finished our visit with him. We thanked him and made our way outside.

I drove the girls to school and we went inside with them to make sure there was no problem with them being late. The office assured us that everything was fine and gave the girls notes to get into class.

While we were there, Bonnie went to see the superintendent. She asked him if it was allowable for her to put up a poster on the school lawn. He said that would be fine, but to realize that the other candidates would have the same privilege. She said she did and we said our good byes.

We got back into the Navigator and I headed for the hardware store.

"What're we stoppin' here for?" Cammie asked.

"I have to pick up some fittin's and copper tubin' so we can convert the generators this afternoon."

She didn't say anything, probably because she had no idea what I was talking about. I got the fittings, shut off valves, and tubing and paid for them and then we headed home.

When we got there, Lena was making lunch for us. We washed and sat down for our soup and sandwiches and then sat back and sipped our coffee.



-------

Chapter 95


We chatted as we sipped our coffee and I told everyone that we'd probably start with the generator in the basement because we spend most of the time here and this house could hold everyone if we needed to do that. They agreed and Jimmy said I was in charge of this because he had no idea what we were going to be doing. I told him that I really didn't have a total picture of it either, but I was sure we could work it out with the instructions.

We finished up our coffee and then us guys got the five boxes that UPS had delivered this morning. I kept opening them until I found the one that was for the generator in this house and got those instructions out.

I read over the instructions and it didn't make a lot of sense because I couldn't understand what they were talking about without seeing the carburetor. It was like looking at the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and trying to picture what it would look like without looking at the box.

"This ain't workin' for me. I can't see what we're supposed to be workin' on. I know the first thing we need to do is to run the gas line to it. Let's start with that and then we'll take a close look at the unit itself."

"That's right," Jimmy said, with a grin, "only use the instructions when all else fails."

"Ok smart ass, you look at this and tell me what we're supposed to do."

"Don't look at me. I done tol' ya that I don't know shit about this."

"Well, I have a general idea, but this don't make no sense if I can't see the carburetor to see what we need to do."

"Are you sure it'll work?"

"Sure am."

"Then let's do it your way. I'm with you on this but I thought they'd send a new carburetor for us to use."

"I was sorta hopin' that would have been the case. But I guess we're supposed to us the old carburetor and just replace a couple parts."

"What's them two big things?"

"Well, one is a regulator that we might or might not need. We only need it if there isn't one on the tank and I'm pretty sure there is. The other is a reservoir and primin' pump."

"There's one of them regulator things by the house. I saw that when we put the new water heater in."

"Great, that'll save us some time."

"Ok, well we're ahead of the game on that point anyway. At least we know what the big parts are."

"Yep, but them's not the ones I'm worried about."

"Well, let's not worry until we have to. Whatta we need to put the new gas line in?"

"The tubin' cutter and flarin' tool and some Teflon tape for the threads. I've got the rest in your vehicle."

"Ok, you get the tools and I'll get the stuff from the Navigator."

We headed outside and William came with me to the workshop. It took us a bit to find the tools. We had actually put them away after we installed the water heater. Of course, the last place you look is the proper place for the crap. I took my one toolbox and the drill with a set of bits.

"Why is this necessary?" William asked, as we walked back to the house.

"This way we won't need to be fillin' the gas tank on the generator every few hours. It'll just run off the propane until we don't need it no more."

"But why would we need it at our place? We're hardly ever there anyway."

"In the summer time, you probably wouldn't need it, but in the winter, it'll keep the furnace running so the water don't freeze."

"Oh, I didn't think about that. Does it run the pump too?"

"Yep. It runs most ever'thin'."

"Well, I guess we won't need near as many candles when the power goes out."

"Really, just a flashlight until you get the generator goin' and then you won't even need it."

"You sure seem to think of all of the ways to save things around here."

"Preparin' for disasters is kinda my specialty. I most always think about the worst case scenario and prepare for that. Anythin' in between is taken care of with those plans. I've been caught too many times when I wasn't prepared. I try not to let that happen no more."

"How many times have ya'all had to use the generator?"

"I think about three. But one was when we had a bad ice storm. That really saved the day. We were out of power for almost a week. It'd a been hard times if we didn't have it."

"I can just imagine."

We got down the basement and Jimmy was waiting for us. The first thing I did was to measure how much tubing we'd need and then cut that length. Then I turned off the gas to the last water heater and taped into that line. I cut off the length of the T I was going to put in and made sure I put a nut on each section. Too many times I've had to cut the flare off because I forgot to do that.

Next I got the flaring tool and clamped the pipe in it. I attached the tool to the clamp and began to screw it down. Once I had a good flare, I removed everything and taped up one section of the T. I screwed the T in place and flared the second section. Then I attached that to the T. I put a nut on the new tubing and flared that and taped up the final section of the T and tightened everything down. At the other end of the tubing, I put a nut on and flared it out. Then I attached the cut off valve and attached it.

I got out the instructions and took a look at the pictures.

"Ok, the first thing we need to do is to remove the gas tank."

I located the shut off valve and made sure it was closed. Then I took off the line that lead to the motor and began to loosen the straps that held the tank on. We set that aside and I could see the place we needed to work a lot clearer. I removed the gas line from the carburetor and put it with the tank. Next I took off the sediment bowl. Then I took off the actual carburetor.

"Ok, now let's take a look at what we're supposed to do."

We all studied the instructions and it appeared that we needed to remove the float from the sediment bowl, along with the pivot pin and the needle valve. I did that and put them in a safe place just in case this didn't work. Next we had to take out the main gasoline jet out of the carburetor. That was a lot more difficult that was described. I could move it, but not very far. I found the operator's manual for the generator and finally located the drawing of the carburetor and saw that the jet was just pressed in. The only thing I had that was close to the same size of the actual jet was a drill bit. I had Jimmy hold the jet with a pair of vise grips and support it on the tool box, so the jet was hanging over the edge. I put the smooth end of the bit in the hole and tapped lightly with a hammer on the cutting edge. I knew this was ruining the bit, but I had no option at this point. It took quite a bit of hammering, but I was finally able to drive the main jet out. Evidently, it had just corroded over the years because there was nothing holding it.

With that accomplished, I had to find a particular size bit that wasn't with this set of drill bits. So I headed for the workshop to get my good set of bits. When I returned, Jimmy had brought some iced tea down and we sipped that as I went through the index and found the bit I needed. I had Jimmy hold the piece and I drilled out the hole. It was just a tad bit larger than the current hole, so there wasn't much of a problem. Then I went upstairs and got some Q-tips and alcohol and returned. I swabbed out the opening to make sure I had removed all of the metal chips from the hole. Then we removed the idle screw and spring and put the carburetor back on the frame.

I attached the input for the propane and the new idle screw and was careful not to over tighten anything. Next the plastic tubing was attached to the input and we left that dangling.

We sipped some tea and then tackled attaching the main gas line. We had to attach what they called the load block, but it was the reservoir and the primer to the wall. The next item was to run the gas line to it. I put a nut on the tubing and flared it and then taped the threads before tightening the nut. The last thing was to attach the plastic tubing so it would feed the carburetor.

"Ok, time to test things."

I got a plastic squeeze bottle and mixed some soap and water. Then I turned on the propane at the shut off valve by the water heater. I squeezed some soapy water on the fittings and there were no leaks. Next I moved to the other fittings by the generator and found one small leak. We tightened that up and checked it again. Once we were sure there were no leaks, I put everything away and we prepared to test the set up.

I turned the shut off valve on and waited until the reservoir filled up. Then I pressed the primer button until I heard a hiss from the generator. Then I pushed the button to start the engine and it cranked over. Nothing happened, so I turned everything off and went back to the instructions. I read over them and couldn't see where I might have messed up. I remembered from something in my past that propane needs a lot of air with it so it will burn. So I closed the input jet a bit and turned the valve back on. This time I didn't prime it and it took a little bit, but it fired up. It wasn't running nearly fast enough, so I played with the input jet adjustment and got it up to speed. I let it run for a bit and then turned it off. I closed everything up and waited until things cooled off a bit.

We sipped our tea and waited and I went back to try it again. This time I didn't prime it and it fired right up.

"Ok, I think we've got this one licked."

"And it only took us two and a half hours to do it," Jimmy said, with a grin on his face.

"You wanna do the next one?" I asked, with the same grin.

"Nope, I was just makin' a comment."

"Well, we had to do some explorin' on this one. The next one shouldn't be so difficult."

"I hope not. Besides the price, it's a pain to do this shit."

"It'll all pay off the next time we have an outage."

"I'm sure you're right, but I guess it's like fixin' the roof. It don't need it when it's not rainin'."

"Nope, but it sure feels good when it does rain."

We took the tools, removed parts, and tubing up to the back porch and got some more tea. We stood around and sipped that. I finally said that I thought we should feed before we start another one. We all agreed on that, since it was almost 3 now.

We headed for the equipment shed and fired up the tractors. William worked the feed bin chute as I pulled under and then we followed Jimmy to the pasture. I spread the feed and William cut the bales apart as Jimmy put them in the hay rings. Then we drove back to the farm. I hosed out the spreader and put it away. Then we made our way to the back porch.

"Why don't we do William's house next," I said, as we sipped more tea. "Hopefully, we can finish that before supper."

We agreed on that and took all the stuff we needed to the pickup and headed for William's place. When we got downstairs, we ran into a problem. There was no shut off valve near the water heater and that was the closest gas line. There was one by the furnace, so we tapped into that. We got the fittings made and ran the line to the generator. Then I got out the instructions for that generator.

The instructions were about the same, but this carburetor was not as complicated as the one on my generator. It only took us about an hour and a half to convert this one. Once we got it fired up, I made a couple small adjustments and it was running fine.

"Ok, William, here's how to start this. First of all, you turn on the valve here, so you have gas. Then press the prime button here. But don't hold it in. Just press it for about a second. Then crank the starter and it should kick over. Once that happens, turn the breaker off in the main box and throw the knife switch and you'll have electricity."

"I think I can remember that. It shouldn't be too difficult. At least I don't have to pull start it."

We cleaned up our mess and took everything to the truck. When we got back to the house, I took the gas tank and drained it into the truck's tank. Then I got the tank from the back porch and did the same thing.

"Well, two down and three to go," I told them, as we headed for the front porch.

"Yep, that'n didn't take near as long," Jimmy said, as we took a seat.

The kids came outside and I got a kiss from the girls. I told the boys what we had been doing all day and they said they wanted to see how it was done.

"Well, since I have to leave town tomorrow, we'll probably have three more to do when I get back."

"Great," Jamie said. "We had a session in shop last year about converting gas engines to propane, but we didn't actually do it. One of the things they said was that the engine parts lasted at least twice as long when you run propane instead of gas, because there is no carbon deposits left behind."

"I don't know about that, but I hope it's right. I'd hate to have to replace these generators."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that. We don't use 'em enough to even think about that. We had to use them a week last year, didn't we?"

"Ya, plus the tornado time this year."

"Well, that's about a ten day period in a year. That's not a lot of use."

"Nope, and I hope it's even less than that for the rest of the time."

"Me too."

"So, what's on the homework agenda for tonight?" I asked, looking at everyone.

The girls had some English stuff to do and some accounting from their General Business class and Donna and Chrissy had just English and History to do. The boys both had math and Jamie had some English that he had to work on. The boys were a lot less enthusiastic about their homework than the girls were. But I guess that's normal.

It wasn't too long before Dianne came to the door and told us that supper was ready. We all made our way to the table and took a seat. The women had made pot roast with new potatoes, carrots, and green beans. It was delicious and we cleaned up everything in sight. Then we had some bread pudding that Lena had made and we stuffed ourselves even more. After that, we sat back and sipped our coffee.

I told the women that we had two generators converted and would probably wait until we got back from Denver to do the rest. Bonnie said that she had called the print place up in Searcy and her posters would be ready by Friday. She had ordered 100 more of each size. I reminded her that the new posts would be in on Wednesday and that she would need to pick them up from the hardware store. She said she'd send Jimmy in to get them. That earned her a frown from Jimmy.

After the coffee was finished, us guys headed for the front porch and the kids headed for their evening chores. The women began to clear the table and then would clean the kitchen.

"Are we gonna split the stumps tomorrow?" Jimmy asked.

"Probably," I responded. "I'll need to pack, but that's not a big thing. It'll take me about ten minutes or so and then I'll finish up after I shower."

"Well, I'll wanna look over them stumps before we split 'em," William said. "We need a few more for bowls so the boys'll have somethin' to keep 'em busy."

"That's not a problem. You can look over 'em while we bring the splitter up. We'll just set 'em aside and can work on 'em at your convenience."

"I figure about four or five should do the trick. That'll keep 'em busy for a good long time."

"We've got enough that you can choose from out there. Plus, they's more over at the wood lot."

"Maybe me and Jimmy can trim 'em up while you're gone. Then they'll be ready for the boys whenever they're ready."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Jimmy said.

The kids returned from chores and sat down for a bit and chatted. Then they decided they would get on their homework. They departed for the dining room and the women came out to sit with us.

Cammie said that she was pretty much ready but she still needed to pack everything tomorrow. I told her she should have plenty of time since we didn't have to leave for the airport until about 2 or so. Bonnie asked how long we were going to be gone and I told her we should be back for the weekend, according to what Sharon had said. She liked that since that would give her another helper to put up her posters when Cammie returned. Cammie said that her and Sharon had a shopping trip planned while they were in Denver. I just sort of rolled my eyes and then reminded her that the plane could only carry so much weight. I got a backhand to the shoulder for that statement.

Charlene came to the door and asked if I would come in and help them with their accounting. I got up and walked inside. They were having trouble understanding where things were to be posted. I looked at what they were doing and they had a bunch of bills that needed to be paid.

"Ok, well for each check you write, you need to make two entries. The first one is to the checking account and the second one is to the accounts payable."

"I understand that, but which column do we put the numbers in?" Charlene asked.

"Well, the accounts payable is a liability account, so to reduce that, you must enter on the debit side. Just the opposite for the checkin' account, it goes on the credit side because it's an asset account."

"I don't understand."

"Ok, the accounts payable is listed on the liability column on the spread sheet. So to reduce it, you post on the plus side, or the debit side. The checkin' account is an asset account, so to reduce it, you post on the negative side, which is the credit column."

"I think I understand."

"Ok, I'll set here with you as you work on it and try and help you."

They got out their first bill and wrote a check for that amount. Then they went to post the figures in the journal.

"So, in the checkin' account, we put it on the credit side? Right?"

"Yep."

"Then in the accounts payable, we put it on the debit side? Right?"

"Yep."

"This is confusin'. Why can't we just say it's paid and forget it."

"Because when you go to balance the ledger, you need to have an entry on each side or it won't balance."

They thought about it for a bit and then said they thought they understood. They went back to work and I sat with them for a couple more entries. Then Dianne and Jamie needed some help on their statistical homework and I worked with them for a bit.

Pretty soon, Bonnie came in and worked with Donna and Chrissy on their English homework while I checked over Jessie's math problems. I found a couple mistakes and showed him what he had done wrong and he made the corrections. Once everyone was finished, we told them they were doing a good job and walked into the living room to catch the news.

The news was the same as it was last night and the weather looked clear for the flight out there. Then everyone gave and got their hugs and kisses and headed for their own homes. The kids helped Cammie and me close up and turn everything off. Then I got a kiss from the girls before they headed for bed.

Cammie and I stripped down and rinsed off in the shower before sliding into the hot tub. I set the timer for 15 minutes and then let the water and jets massage my back and shoulder muscles. Maybe I could sleep tonight. We chatted in the hot tub about the upcoming trip and got out when the timer went off. Since we'd be leaving tomorrow, I got the test kit out and checked the water. It didn't need much, but I put in the proper amount and then we headed for bed. I stopped in the bathroom and took two of the PM pills and silently prayed they would allow me to sleep tonight so I wouldn't be so tired tomorrow when we flew to Denver. We cuddled and kissed in bed and then assumed our sleeping positions and drifted off to sleep.

The pills must have helped because I slept fairly well. Just before Cammie woke me with a kiss, I dreamt of large planes; bombers I thought, flying over and threatening everything and every body. It was disturbing but at least I did get some sleep.

"You're really fallin' down on your job of wakin' me," Cammie said, as she pulled back from our kiss.

"I know, darlin', but I took a couple pills last night. They allowed me to sleep pretty good, but I did have a disturbin' dream right before you woke me."

"Why are you gettin' these things now?"

"I don't know. It's been a while since I had 'em and I'm not right happy about 'em showin' up. I used to get 'em when I was under a lot of stress or very tired, but that ain't the case now. So I don't really know what to blame 'em on."

"Well, you did have the stress of the girls gettin' the money."

"I don't think that'd do it. I may never find out what's causin' 'em, but hopefully they'll go away and soon."

"I sure hope so. I don't like seein' you like this. It makes me think that I'm doin' somethin' wrong."

"Nope. This has absolutely nothin' to do with you at all. It's just somethin' in my warped mind that's bringin' 'em on."

"Well, as long as it ain't me."

She gave me another kiss and then scooted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed her and then we both got dressed and headed for the kitchen.

We were the last ones to arrive and the women already had the water on the stove. I got a kiss from the girls and then set about grinding the coffee.

By the time I got it ground, the water was boiling, so I filled the three presses and put more water back on to boil. I waited until the three presses had steeped and then emptied them into regular coffee pots. I took them to the dining room and put two on pot warmers and carried the third to the front porch. I filled our three cups and then lit my first as I sat down.

"Well, how'd you sleep last night? Jimmy asked, as he took a sip of his coffee.

"I took two PM pills and slept pretty good until the last. I saw these big bombers headin' for me and then Cammie woke me up."

"I don't think we're in danger from any bombers around here."

"No, me neither. I don't know if I was around here or not. I got woke up too quick."

"Whatta ya think brought these on?"

"I haven't got the slightest idea. But I sure wish they'd go away."

"They probably will. I was tryin' to think if we'd done anything that might trigger these, but my mind's a blank."

"Yep, mine too. We ain't been under any stress and I ain't worked that hard to be so tired that they would come around."

"Well, they'll probably go away just like they came, all of a sudden."

"I'm all for that."

The kids came back from milking and joined us on the porch. Jamie got another pot of coffee when they had filled their cups. We chatted and William told the boys that we were going to be working on the stumps today and he was going to select a few more to make bowls out of. They liked that idea and wondered how long it would take for them to dry. He told them it would be at least six months, if not longer. It all depended on the weather and how humid it was.

Donna came to the door and called us for breakfast. We made our way to the table and took our seats. There was very little said until we finished eating and then we sat back and sipped our coffee. Bonnie and Lena told us they were going to help Cammie finish packing and I told them we were going to work on the stumps after I did my packing. That was about all that was planned for today. I reminded Bonnie that she would need to pick up the fence posts for the posters on Wednesday or Thursday. She said that was the second time I'd reminded her and that she wouldn't forget.

After the coffee was gone, the kids got ready for school. I got a kiss from the girls and they all departed for another day of school. I headed for the bedroom and got my two garment bags out. I hung them up and quickly packed them with the clothes I was going to take. I laid out what I was going to wear and made sure my spare pair of boots were packed.

I closed the one bag and then went to the bathroom and got out my shaving kit. I set everything out that I was going to need and would pack that after my shower. Then I headed for the woodpile.

Jimmy and William were already there and had brought the splitter with them on Jimmy's tractor. They were inspecting the various stumps and William was marking them with a magic marker. I helped them roll the marked ones aside so we didn't worry with them and they weren't in our way. Then Jimmy fired up his tractor and we got the splitter in position.

We set it upright and positioned and put William by it. Then Jimmy and I began to move stumps to it. It was amazing how easily it went through the wood. It would have taken us a lot of time and energy to split what it did with very little effort. Several times we had to switch the stump around and take another bite on it so it would fully split, but that was minor compared to what we'd have to do if we were doing this by hand.

I guess we'd been at it a couple hours when Cammie came running outside. She grabbed me by the arm and yelled over the noise of the tractor, "Get inside right now!"



-------

Chapter 96


I turned and we ran inside. Someone turned the tractor off and it must have been William because Jimmy was right behind us as we went through the door.

"What's goin' on?" I asked, as she led us to the living room.

"You'll have to see it, I don't know."

I had every scenario running through my mind that I could think of. From someone having a heart attack or stroke to a broken bone or severe cut, or maybe choking on something. What I saw I was not even close to being prepared for.

We got to the living room and the TV was on. That is highly unusual around here during the daytime. Bonnie and Lena were standing in front of it, not saying anything, but just staring at the screen. I had to look around them to see what they were looking at.

There appeared to be some large buildings and smoke was coming out of two of them. I stood there and watched with my mouth hanging open. It was a couple minutes before they announced that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York and one into the Pentagon. My heart just sunk when I heard that. I almost went weak in the knees. I finally backed up to the couch and took a seat. The rest of the folks found a seat and we just stared at the screen and watched the replays of the big jets crashing into the buildings. Then my dreams came flooding back to me.

The big planes I had seen in my dreams were airliners, not bombers. And I was sitting here, far away from the action and couldn't help anyone. It was as if I was seeing my dreams all over again, except this time I understood. All of the frustration of not being able to help anyone came flooding back. Then that frustration turned to anger. How dare someone attack this country? How dare someone kill our citizens? They had to pay for this, big time.

Just then the screen showed a tower collapsing on TV.

"Damn," Jimmy said, "John's dead."

"Who's John?" Bonnie asked.

"He's a friend of mine from the Bureau. He left just before I did and took a job as head of security for the Trade Center. I just know he's in that mess."

It went silent after that and we just sat there and watched. I was in a state of shock and anger and wanted revenge. I didn't know what Jimmy was feeling, but I would have bet any amount of money it was the same thing. Cammie was setting next to me and had a death grip on my arm.

"Are you all packed?" I asked her."

"We're not goin', at least not today."

"That ain't gonna happen to us. They only want big planes for that."

"It ain't that. Sharon called and said nobody could fly until further notice. She said that their president and the plane were grounded in Phoenix. But you ain't gettin' me on no airliner ever again."

I didn't respond, mostly because my mind was fixed on what was happening on the screen. My fists were clenched and my entire body was tensed up. My stomach was churning and even my toes were clenching in my boots. All I could do was to sit there and watch the horror that was happening, or had happened already.

We sat there, mostly in silence and just watched. There was nothing to say and we couldn't do anything from here. Finally, Lena said she was going to fix lunch. I told her I wasn't hungry and that I couldn't possibly eat. I sat there for another few minutes and then announced that I was going for a walk. Cammie didn't want to let go of my arm, but I finally pulled free and walked to the door. I got out on the porch and tried to breathe in the fresh air, but it was difficult to take a deep breath.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned. It was Jimmy and he just looked at me. His eyes said more than his mouth could have ever said.

"Let's take a walk," he said, and then walked to the stairs and off of the porch.

I followed him, in silence and we walked to the lane going over to his place. Nothing was said until we got over to his place and he asked me if I wanted a beer. I nodded and he walked inside and came back with two Dos Equis. I took mine and we both sat down on the porch floor with our legs on the second step.

After a time of silence, he said, "I know what you're thinkin' and I'd like to go too, but we can't."

"Whatta ya mean, we can't? This can't go unanswered."

"Dean, I ain't said much since I got here, mostly because you know much more about what's goin' on here than I ever could and ever'thin' is goin' good. But now, we're in my territory.

"As we sit here, you know that the Team's already been called up. They'll be deployed before mornin'. And not just ours, but all of 'em."

"I know and I wanna be part of it. They've got to pay for this."

"Trust me, they will pay and pay dearly. But we ain't part of it now."

"But we can get back in it."

"No, we can't. Combat, especially our kind of combat, is a young man's game. Neither one of us is anywhere close to bein' in the kind of shape we'd need to be in to get back in to it. We'd be a liability to the Team and that can't happen."

"We can get back in shape. It'll take some work, but we can do it."

"Dean, it would take us more than a year to even get close to that kinda shape. We would have to be completely retrained. This is an attack from the Middle East. Neither one of us has the trainin' for that. In the jungle, I don't think I've ever seen anyone better'n you. But there ain't a lot of jungles over there. It's desert, and a lot of it. Neither one of us knows a thing about that. They've got new weapons and tactics that we haven't even seen.

"If we did go back, we'd have to start all over and we don't have the youth to do that no more. Neither one of us could run six miles and still go into combat. Hell, we'd be lucky if we could run a mile and still breathe. The tactics are a lot different. In the jungle, we, especially you, could sneak in without bein' seen, for the most part. You can't do that in the desert. We could strike and be gone before they knew somethin' was goin' on. We've done our time and now it's the younger guys that get the glory. If they want us, they'll come get us."

"How can you even talk like that? We can do this. We can be a vital part of the Team. We never waited for them to come for us before. Why now?"

"Dean, if they took us back, the only thing they'd allow us to do would be admin duties. You'd die doin' that. You'd never be able to shine a chair with your ass for very long. Do you remember how we used to make fun of the ol' timers when we were in?"

"Ya, but we ain't that old."

"We are that old. We're the same age that most of them were when we were makin' fun of 'em. They'd come through Nam and were damn good. But they couldn't keep us with us. We all used to say, 'them that can, fight, and them that can't, teach.' Do you want that handle hangin' around your neck?"

"Hell no. But we can still keep up."

"No we can't."

"I just went through some combat and I came out all right."

"No you didn't. You got bloody and there were only four of them. When we were in, they wouldn't have even got to shoot and you sure as hell wouldn't have used up three clips on two bad guys. We've slowed down. If you think clearly about it, you'd see it.

"You're pretty damn good with Spanish and passable in Portuguese. But tell me how much Farsi do you speak? Or Arabic or any of the dozen or so dialects they speak over there? You don't know shit about them languages. You'd be useless in the field.

"There's new equipment, weapons, and gear you never even thought about havin' that they're usin' now. Just the trainin' we'd need to go through would take a year, at least.

"Do you really wanna sit behind a desk and shuffle papers and read about others goin' into combat? Do you wanna file after action reports? To sit there and not be able to contribute to the action? You'd never be able to handle it."

"I'm not talkin' about bein' behind a desk. I wanna be on a Team."

"Dean, you're not listenin'. We're both too damn old and out of shape to get back in it. If we had stayed in, we might still be in shape. But that's not the case. We got out and we're completely out of shape."

"We can get back in shape."

"Maybe, in a year or so. But the Team don't wanna wait a year for us. They want and need action right now. Not next year. Hell, it might be over in a year. It just depends on how wide spread all of this shit is.

"What happened came from either Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, or Iraq. None of them have the ability to stand up to us for more'n month, at most. But we might find out that this is a lot more widespread than we think. John didn't tell me all he knew, but he thought this was comin', and said so and kept sayin' it until they got fed up with it. That's why he got pushed out of the Bureau. Folks wouldn't listen to him. Now, I'll bet some ears are burnin' for not listenin' to him.

"This is probably not gonna be a short thing. It'll be short for the big operational thing, but when that is over, we'll have to see how wide spread the terrorists thing is. The only good thing about this is now ever'one in this country will know what Israel goes through on a daily basis. They live with this constantly. Now we've had a taste of it. One plot was thwarted by an alert customs agent in '99, just before the New Year celebration. They were plannin' somethin' really big for New Year's night. But she detained a guy comin' through from Canada and they uncovered the plot. John did say that this group always finishes what it starts and they didn't finish the Trade Center the first time, so they came after it again. That's the reason he took the job there. He wanted to stop it. Guess he didn't plan on this scenario.

"You and I are so far out of the loop on this stuff that it ain't even funny. The methods the enemy use weren't even thought of when we were in. They have bomb methods that we'd have to learn very quickly or die, and we'd probably die because we're so far behind on the learnin' curve. You and me are dinosaurs. We're extinct and no amount of wishin' can bring us back to life."

"I don't buy that. I'm not too old to learn and I can learn anything."

"I'm sure you could, if you had enough time. But they don't have the time to teach us. The new guys grew up with computer games. You and me grew up with Pong and Pac-Man. When we joined, there was no such thing as the internet. Now, that's normal. Computers are second nature to them guys. We have to work at it. I'm sure we could learn, or die tryin'. And it would probably be die tryin', because it would take us so long.

"Do you remember why we left?"

"Ya, I remember. It was because of that cluster fuck in Panama. Bad intel sent us in to take an airport. We were told there was two squads when there were really two companies. You don't send a Team in to do that. You send Delta in. That's what they're trained to do. We're more for infiltration and hostage rescue. In and out. Not stayin' there and securin' a place where reinforcements are miles away. That and bad com lost us a bunch of guys. I remember it very well."

"Well, that ain't changed much. Them folks that were in charge got kicked upstairs, like they always do. They're still there and still in charge. The intel is better because we have satellites now and we can see what we're walkin' into, for the most part. The com is better because we have satellite communications now, but the command structure is still there and most of 'em couldn't find their ass with both hands sewed into their back pockets and backed into a corner. That ain't changed and probably never will until this batch finally retires and we get Team men in their place. And that's gonna be a while."

"Goddamnit, Jimmy. How can you just sit back and not get into this?"

"Don't you think I wanna be there? Hell I wanna punish some folks, bad. Real bad. I wanna lay 'em out in the sand and have the pictures broadcast around the world for all to see. Let 'em see what happens to folks that attack us. But we're old, Dean. We've been put out to pasture. We've been passed by and no one really cares about us and what we used to do. It's what they do now that they look at.

"You know there'll be at least one Team in place by tomorrow night. They'll be sent to recon things for the rest of the folks. I'd bet anything you wanna bet that SF already has folks in there. In fact they might be paintin' targets while we're talkin'. No matter what we want, or wish for, it ain't happenin' for us. I don't like it no better than you do, but we have to accept that fact. We're old and no amount of wishin' will change that fact."

"Jimmy, that's a damn bitter pill to swallow."

"I know, Dean. But it'll go down easier if you do it fast. We can't turn back the years and what they've taken away from us. Time is not a generous mistress. She'll never turn around or go backwards."

"So, we're just gonna sit here and watch others fight for us?"

"Well, you can sit if you want, but I'm gonna continue what we've got started here. We've got a good thing goin' here and I don't wanna give that up. I would if I thought there was a possibility that we could make a difference, but that's not the case. So we just need to accept that fact that we've grown old and useless in combat and then do the best job we can around here.

"We've got women that love us and families that love us. We've got a life here. And that's a lot more than most can say. I don't think we'll ever get rich, but we can eat good and live good. We can put our efforts into makin' this place all it can be. You've done a hell of a job gettin' it this far. I wouldn't have known where to start. We've made this place into a self-sustainin' business that can be passed on when we're dead and gone. But we've got a lot of work to do before that can happen."

"I don't know. Maybe you're right. I'll admit to you that I get sore a lot easier than I should. And I've added four inches to my waist since I rang the bell. But I still feel vital and that I can do most anythin'."

"Sure, that's how we all feel. We all feel like we can do things until we try. Our minds trick us into thinkin' that and it keeps us from realizin' that we're gettin' old. Gettin' sore is our body's way of yellin' at our mind and cussin' it out for makin' us believe we can still do all them things. Do you think that you'd a bought a log splitter 20 years ago? Hell no you wouldn't've. We'd still be out there splittin' it by hand with an axe. You have gained a bit of wisdom as you grew old. Hell, remember that TR-3 you used to drive. It didn't have no air conditioner or power steerin' and it was a stick shift. Now you drive a van. You wouldn't a been caught dead in a van before, unless it belonged to some split tail you was chasin'."

"Ya, then we got married. What a damn mistake that was for me."

"I don't know. It got you a couple great kids."

"Ya, but their carrier sure was a bitch."

"Yep, but you grew out of that. You got shed of her and got on with your life. Now you just have to do the same with this. We need to get on with our lives and put stuff in the past and remember it with a smile that only we can understand."

"Hell, we can't even tell folks about that crap. First of all, they probably wouldn't believe it and secondly because most of it is still classified."

"That don't change our smile none."

"I guess not. Jimmy, damn it, I need to get my mind around this if I'm gonna accept somethin' like this. This is big shit for me and I can't just change my entire outlook on things because of a conversation. This needs a lot of head bangin' for me."

"Take your time. I ain't goin' nowhere and I'll always be here for ya. That's the way it's always been and the way it'll always be. We've looked out after each other for too long for that to change."

He got up and got us another beer and I sat back and reflected on my life and how I got here.

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE FARM

"Mama, I just know they're thinkin' about gettin' back into whatever they used to do and gettin' themselves killed."

"I don't know, Cammie. But they ain't much we can do about it if they do. Men's kinda spooky that way. Do you know what he used to do?"

"He tol' me once that he was in the Seals. Whatever that is."

"Ya, that's all Jimmy would say too."

"Jimmy did tell me, when he was drivin' me up to see Dean after he got shot, that Dean had been in some really bad places before and he always came out all right. But I think he was just tryin' to keep me calm."

"I don't know what all they did, but I've heard tell that the Seals get into some pretty mean stuff. But Jimmy won't talk much about it. He just says it's personal and he don't wanna talk about it. I don't push him about it because I know they ain't no use in tryin'. Men are like that. They've got secret places in their minds that no one else is allowed into. Your daddy was like that about his combat. He never wanted to talk about it because he said I couldn't understand. And that was about all he ever said."

"Well, we'll just have to not let 'em go. We'll just put our foot down."

"Boy, do you have a lot to learn. You might be able to work that shit on some men, but not these two. If you put your foot down, he's just liable to step on it just to prove a point. Don't never threaten somethin' unless you're willin' to back it up. What would you say if he says, 'Well, if that's the way you are, I'm outta here.'?"

"He wouldn't do that."

"Don't you never bet on that with these two. Have you ever seen him scared?"

"No."

"That's right. He wasn't even the least bit scared when Junior came after him. These two ain't like the men down here. You can't buffalo Dean or Jimmy. It just won't happen."

"But what're we gonna do, Mama?"

"I don't know that they's anything we can do. Right now, all we can do is to be here for them. They'll talk if they want to and we can listen. But we can't tell 'em what to do. They just won't listen to us when it comes to this stuff. They're really upset about us bein' attacked. More so than most folks. They know what is involved and what the response has to be. I don't know if they'll leave or not. I don't know if they do leave if they'll ever come back. We are helpless in this situation. Women can't be in this decision. It's strictly a man's thing."

"But Mama, what're we gonna do? They own most ever'thin'."

"No they don't. We own half of the business. They own most of the land, but I still own our place. We might be hard pressed to do things the way they're doin' it, but we'd get by. I'm not real sure, but I think he and Jimmy leased their land and machinery to the business. It'd be hard times, but we'd make it."

"Well, even if they did lease it to the business, we don't know nothin' 'bout runnin' the organic thing. I'm not sure we could run the place without them around. They's a lot of cattle for just us, not to mention all the crops."

"We can always hire someone to do some of the work. This is Jamie's last year of high school and he and Jessie can work full time durin' the summer. If they did leave, they might be back before too long. I don't know how long somethin' like this will last."

"I don't know, Mama, I don't want 'em to go. I just know they'll wind up gettin' killed or somethin'. I'd miss him so much that I'd just die too."

"Hon, I know how much you love him, but this is a man thing and we can't be part of it. We've just got to trust that it'll work out all right for ever'one."

"What's goin' on?" Jamie asked, as the kids walked inside.

"What're ya'all doin' home from school so early," Bonnie asked.

"They dismissed early 'cause nobody was doin' any work. Ever'one was talkin' about what happened. We've got tomorrow off too. Where's Dean and Jimmy?"

"They're off discussin' things. Ever'one here is anxious about what decision they're gonna make. We're all afraid they'll join back up and we'll never see 'em again."

"I could see that happenin'. They're probably mad as hell about this and I don't blame 'em. Where'd they go?"

"We don't know, but they need to work this out themselves. Ain't none of us can do, or say, anything that could he'p what they're goin' through. This is their thing and we can't be involved."

"Why not?"

"'Cause none of us can understand what they've been through and how they feel about this. They've got a different way of thinkin' about stuff like this. Most folks just get mad. But they not only get mad, they feel they gotta do somethin' about it. They're not used to sittin' back and lettin' others do it for 'em."

"Come on in, lunch is ready," Lena announced.

Everyone walked in and sat down at the table. There was little talking about anything, although everyone's mind was racing a mile a minute about what Jimmy and Dean would decide to do. But this was not our decision and it was very frustrating for everyone involved. We just had to trust and then accept the outcome.

BACK ON JIMMY'S PORCH

I sat there, holdin' my Dos Equis, and thinking about what Jimmy and I had talked about. Could he be right? Are we over the hill and too old to get into this? I didn't feel like it right now. I wanted to make folks suffer for this act of war against us. This was an outrage and needed to be punished.

But I do get tired a lot easier than I used to. I don't wake up on time when I'm tired. And I do get sore and hurt when I do things that used to be a snap for me to do all day long. I had to admit to that, although only to myself.

Still, I could get back in shape. Ya, I smoke more now than I did before and my wind ain't what it used to be. But I could get that back. Couldn't I? I'd always done it before. What's different now?

Well, I'm over 40 and I haven't kept in shape. My 34's are fittin' a bit snug whereas my 32's used to be loose on me. But a couple weeks of trainin' could take care of that. Gettin' my waist down wouldn't be a problem at all.

But it ain't the waist that's the problem. It's my endurance. Could I swim a hundred meters on one breath? Maybe not right now, but in a couple weeks I could. Could I run six miles? Not now, but I could after I got back in shape. Couldn't I? How long would that take?

I remembered the instructors and how they rode the slow ones in the group. Could I take that riding and still survive Hell Week? Probably.

I know I could learn the new weapons with no problem. And the tactics wouldn't be a problem. The desert might be a challenge for me. I was used to having a place to hide. How the hell do you hide in a bunch of sand with no trees or bushes?

Ah, hell, I could learn to do that. The big problem was my being in shape. Could I do twenty one-arm pull up's with each arm? Probably not right now, but I could get in shape. Could I swim ten miles? Hell, yes. Hell, where would you find 10 miles of water in the desert? If you could, it wouldn't be called a desert.

Wait, where is Iran and Iraq? They're on the Persian Gulf. There's lots of water there. What about Afghanistan? Hell, I don't even know where that is, exactly. I know it's over in the Middle East, but that's it. Does it have access to the sea? How the hell did they get the resources to attack us if they don't even have a seaport? You got to have that to sell enough goods for your economy. How in the hell could they attack us? No, it has to be Iran or Iraq.

I knew that Iraq would come back to bite us in the ass when we didn't finish the job in '92. We should have done it when we had the troops over there. Now we're going to have to go back. No, they said it would upset the Arabs and the coalition forces if we did that. Fuck 'em. We didn't do it and now we're under attack. Goddamn politicians. They can't run a war. They proved that in Nam.

Wait, who the hell am I mad at? Shit, we don't even know who done this yet and I'm already wantin' to attack 'em. Maybe we should wait and see who we're gonna attack before I decide if I'm capable of joinin' up. Hell, it might be Castro that done this. I'd be perfect for that job. Wouldn't I? Maybe this time we wouldn't fuck up and leave troops on the beach unprotected. Fuckin' politicians. We could take that place out in a week. Maybe less if we set our mind to it.

No, I can't speak Arab. But I can speak Spanish good. That's what they talk down there. Maybe I can still be of use in a war? Who knows, this might work out. We could go back for the time it takes to take out Cuba and then come back home. Would they allow that? Hell, I don't know. But it's worth a shot. I just don't think I'm over the hill. Ain't no way I got that old so quick. I want in on this. I wanna feel vital again. I wanna feel like I'm doin' somethin' to contribute to this country. Not just sittin' back and bein' a farmer.

How the hell did I get this old? Well, I do have a 21-year-old daughter and a 20-year-old son. I know they got old, but how the hell did I? It just ain't fair. But whoever said that life was fair? I don't remember anyone ever sayin' that. But it should be. I should be able to go and do my duty to protect this country.

Wait, maybe I already did my share. Could it be that my time is gone? What would have happened if we'd stayed in?

Well, I'd probably be in a lot better shape than I am now. Would I still be on a combat footin'? Would I have kept myself from killin' them damn desk shiners who sent us out with bad intel? We lost some really good men because of that. And it didn't have to happen. Hell, we didn't even have any valid maps of the place. We had tourist's maps. Surely there was intel available better than that. We still had a presence down there with the canal and all. Why didn't they make an effort to get the correct intel? Two squads is a lot different than two companies. Can't them assholes count? Hell, a flyover should've been able to see that.

"Hey, Jimmy."

"Ya, what?"

"What if this came from Cuba? Could they use us then?"

"Doubtful. But this didn't come from Cuba. This came from the Middle East. Cuba don't use terrorist shit like this. This is like them suicide bombers in Israel. They found someone to fly a plane into a buildin'. Cuba don't do them kinda things."

"Are you sure about that?"

"As sure as I can be. It had been Cuba, they would have used missiles. They don't have the terrorist's mindset down there. I don't believe that this is even from a country. If you think about it, they ain't no country that would dare take us on. China and Russia are the only ones that could even stand a chance. This is probably from a terrorist organization. Something like Hamas, Hezbola, or another one called Al Qaeda. We don't know a whole lot about them, but they are sponsored by several countries. They are supported by Iran, Syria and Afghanistan. Hell, them countries can't even attack Israel and even think about winnin'."

"If it's not a country, then who the hell do we fight back against?"

"I really don't know for sure, but we'd probably go after the regimes that sponsors them. Nobody has a good record of fightin' in the Middle East. We sure don't wanna be there for a long time. Our best bet is to get in, take down the regime, establish a replacement government and get the hell out. Russia got their ass kicked in Afghanistan. Not because they weren't strong enough, but they couldn't establish a government that would be accepted by the people."

"What about Libya or Pakistan?"

"Again, I doubt it. Libya hasn't had much of an appetite to fight us since we took out Qaddafi's tent in an air raid. They don't wanna mess with us. I don't think Pakistan would do something like this. They came to an agreement with us when they got nuclear weapons. I don't think they wanna mess with that. We're about the only thing that keeps India from taking them over."

"Jimmy, I know you know more about this than I do, but I sure hate to think I ain't vital no more."

"Dean, my boy, you're still vital. Just not as a combat operator. You're doin' a hell of a job around here. You've got a set up here that ever'one in the county envies. You've got somethin' started here that is ever' bit as important as what we did in the jungles. You've established a system that is changin' things around here. You're very vital to the folks here. Look at what you took over. It was a small farm with a widow woman fightin' to raise her kids and losin' the battle. She was raisin' 'em, but they didn't have a future. Since you've shown up, you've turned that around and now they have somethin' to look forward to. You've he'ped the whole county get computers in the school. Nobody else thought about doin' that and they've lived here all their lives. You're very vital."

"That's not what I mean. You know the feelin' we get after a successful mission. We've completed it, accomplished what we set out to do and dodged death. There's no feelin' like it."

"If you mean the adrenalin high that we get, then no, there ain't nothin' like it. But that's a false high. We come down from it. What's goin' on around here, you don't have to come down. It stays with you forever. You've made a difference. A big difference."

"It's just not the same."

"Why? Because we don't shoot at folks or get shot at?"

"Maybe that's part of it. But it's not nearly as big as what we used to do."

"Maybe not in the view of world opinion, but in the long run, it's even bigger than anythin' we ever done before. We never saved a county and made them all better off. We took care of a small problem and allowed a government to work like they wanted to. Sometimes it was our government and sometimes it was some faceless government. Sure, we felt good and had the high, but this is much more important, especially in the long run."

"I don't know, Jimmy. This is still gonna take some gettin' used to."

"You've got the rest of your life to find out how vital you are around here."

"It's still pretty damn hard to swallow. To find out that I'm over the hill ain't a good thing."

"Damnit Dean, there are all kinds of hills and you'll keep findin' 'em all your life. We've done our job and did a damn good job of it. Now it's the younger folks' time. It's our time to fight the war around here. It's our job to keep this place in-tact for the kids. Yours, mine and the ones around here. Let's fight this war as good as we did the ones when we were operators."

"Ya, ya, I hear you."

"Ok, are we done with this shit now?"

"At least for the time bein'. Ain't no sense in beatin' a dead horse. But I might change my mind if I find out it's some place that speaks Spanish that attacked us."

"Ok, you can speak Spanish. That don't change the fact that we're old. If you wanna be an interpreter, then get a job at the UN. Otherwise, let's just fight our fight with the land."

"Well, I can't fight the people if I don't know who they are."

"Can we go back now? Them females are probably about hysterical now. They're probably figurin' we've done gone and re-upped."

"Ok, let's head back. It's probably about time to feed anyway. At least the cattle still need us."

We walked back to the house and everyone was on the porch. I didn't think the kids would be home this early and then I realized the school probably let out early.

As we walked up on the porch, I asked, "Ya'all get out early?"

"Yep," Jamie answered, "and we ain't got school tomorrow neither."

"Well, we couldn't fly out because they grounded all aircraft. So, we're stuck here. I think it's about time to feed. We can get that done and then relax."

Us guys walked to the equipment shed and Jimmy and I fired up the tractors. William operated the feed bin as I pulled under and then climbed up with me to follow Jimmy and the boys to the pastures.

The feeding went as normal and we were soon back at the house. I hosed out the spreader before I put it away and then walked to the front porch. The women had brought out iced tea and we all sipped from our glasses and chatted.

Bonnie said that her and the girls were going to put up posters tomorrow. They only had a few big ones left and then they'd have to concentrate on the small ones and finding places to put them up. I reminded her that the fence posts should be in tomorrow and she told me she hadn't forgotten since this morning.

It wasn't too long until the women went inside to get dinner ready. The kids decided they'd do chores before supper and they left. William, Jimmy and I stayed on the porch and chatted.

"Did ya'all get things sorted out in your mind?" William asked.

"As well as we could," I answered. "There ain't much to talk about, but we've kinda decided that we're too old for this fight and we'll have to leave it to the younger folks."

"I know that's kinda hard to stomach, but it's the best decision. You've got a lot of folks around here that wouldn't know what to do if you two left."

"Oh, they'd get by, William. But we've pretty much made our decision."

"They'd get by, but not near as well. Ya'all have the ideas that they can't duplicate. You've got a great thing goin' with this organic thing and that's what's gonna make this place. More so than just bein' a cattle farm."

"Well, it's done with so there won't be a problem with that."

The kids came back and had just sat down when Donna called us for supper. They had fixed a big roast with all of the trimmings. We had mashed potatoes with gravy, corn on the cob, a salad and green beans, fixed with salt pork and onions. Then Donna brought out Dutch apple pies and we all stuffed ourselves even more. Then we sat back and sipped our coffee.

"Well," Cammie said, "what have ya'all decided?"

"We're stayin' and I don't wanna talk about it."

There was dead silence for a bit and then Jamie said that the President was going to speak on TV this evening at 7:30. We all agreed that we'd be watching.

"Do ya'all have homework tonight?" I asked.

"Nope. They said it would be useless to assign any with all of the excitement going on and they even cancelled what we had been assigned before we got dismissed."

"I think I agree with 'em."

We finished our coffee and then the women began to clear the table. I was almost afraid to turn on the TV, so us guys all headed for the front porch. We chatted until it was almost time for the President's speech and then went inside.

It was a sobering speech and it confirmed that Jimmy was probably right. He didn't specify a country, but did mention Al Qaeda and said that any country supporting them and giving them refuge was as guilty as they were. At last, we had someone with some balls.

When the news came on, it was all dominated by the big story. There were all kinds of theories and ideas about this and I almost got sick when I saw the congress out singing. They just make my blood boil for some reason. I realize they wanted to do something to show whoever did this that we were united, but they could have found a better way to do it. At least in my warped view of things.

After the news was over, everyone got and gave their kisses and hugs and then departed for their homes. The kids helped Cammie and me close up and turn everything off. Then I got a kiss from the girls and they all went upstairs.

Cammie and I headed for the bedroom and stripped down before rinsing off in the shower. Then we slipped into the hot tub. I set the timer and tried to relax as much as I could. It wasn't easy and I was still tense. The water and jets did help some.

When the timer went off, we got out and dried off before making our way to the bathroom. We took our turn at the throne and then headed for bed.

When we were kissing and cuddling, it became clear that Cammie wasn't interested in just going to sleep. Her kisses became more demanding and she slipped her leg over my hip and ground her pussy against me.

Fortunately, I'm not completely dense and took the hint. I caressed her and played with her nipples until she determined that she was ready. She rolled on her back and pulled me on top. She guided me in her and I eased all the way in. I didn't move for a bit and then I finally realized that I was where I was supposed to be and doing things that mattered even more than combat, at least to me at this point in time.


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The End
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Posted:  2005-08-15
Last Modified: 2007-04-30 / 12:04:09 am
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