by Ron Foster
His new found crew was a mixed bag of stranded and bewildered people to say the least. A formerly mentally medicated woman far from home along with her young teenage son that was a bit of a wild child, a Retired Air force veteran who just happened to be a Chinese American with California like liberal tendencies and his Vietnamese wife that seemed to enjoy fussing about most things in general.
The “Tribe” as everyone now called this weird association of individual relations with each other and this place they all now called home had begun only yesterday it seemed like when Farley had inadvertently stepped into everyone’s lives. That a fanfare of problems came with him that he couldn’t help they accepted, that they couldn’t sustain themselves alone wasn’t his fault or responsibility rather something they all had to accept and so they were now committed to each other. He didn’t know how or for that matter why, but something in him had said take this group on to insure his own survival and he had done so gladly but with reservations.
He was aware of the dangers that other people bring with them during a time of mass chaos and civil unrest. The world is a dangerous place and without law and order it's a hundred times more dangerous. He thought about that and called himself lucky for finding these friends. With others he tried being as careful as he could be under the circumstances.
Farley remembered move in day at the military lake resort fondly but still wondered what he had got himself into this time as he reminisced to himself about that day.
“Miss Feng, your husband Charlie said it would be all right if we camped out here for a few days down at the cabins if it was all right with you, in exchange for a few chores around here by me.” Farley had begun the discussion on that fateful day not long ago with an Asian women speaking pidgin English.
“In exchange for what he say trade? He no tell me about this? I no problem you stay at cabins but what did crazy old man offer you without talking to me first? Crazy man!” Charlie’s wife Feng had blurted out upon his first broaching the subject of him and Becky and her son possibly moving into some vacant vacationer cabins for the duration.
“Miss Feng you know all about my obviously bad and unfortunate encounter with that insane old man and the axe so we decided that it might be a good idea for me to just hang out here and lay low for a bit. Charlie and I decided in lieu of me paying any kind of rent or making other arrangements that I could fix the security gates and see about some tasks around here like doing some light construction or getting some wild game for the stew pot.” Farley said before being harangued by the small feisty Asiatic woman again that he couldn’t just think he was going to sit around with Charlie and drink beer and stay there for free by not doing any of that work he proposed.
Once a pause in the bickering amongst them all had ceased and a chattering truce was called, Farley had set about doing the chores he had contracted for and had undertaken much more than he had even planned on doing for securing the welfare, comfort and safety of everyone involved that he had in his own optimistic euphemism referred to as having been ‘taken under his wing’.
Farley, Becky and Jeremy went to check out the cabins and chose which ones they wanted. The inside of the cabins were pretty much all uniformly the same and they finally decided to choose the last two on the end going towards the Wu’s house.
Farley mentioned that when they ended up moving over here full time later today that they should park their vehicles at one of the other cabins they were not occupying rather than their own new homes. By spacing them out, he hoped that to any outside observer that might find their way over to this place or remember it for looting or foraging might think there were more people living here than just them.
He scratched his head and tried to think of any other possible ways to get the same effect but couldn’t come up with anything other than maybe occasionally moving their cook fire around. They had enjoyed a communal meal with Charlie and his family today getting to know each other but for now Farley figured they would eat at their own respective cabins mostly and Charlie and his family would eat at their place.
There would be some barter going on between Farley and Charlie Wu regarding Farley’s long term storage food versus some supplies that Charlie was in control of that were left behind in the lake resorts snack bar and small store. Charlie had been the civilian military employee administrator for this Air Force recreational facility and possessed the keys to the kingdom as it were of this now abandoned and forsaken place.
Charlie and his family had been mostly subsisting on frozen hamburgers and hotdogs kept cold by the use of an emergency generator but fuel for it was running out. For Farley and crew finding someone possessing such a bounty of these types of delicacies though was like finding a fountain in the middle of the desert. This small amount of food stores left wouldn’t last long though and needed to be eaten up well before the gas ran out. Farley was going to try his hand at making hot dog rolls soon in his Dutch oven but he said that he couldn’t guarantee what kind of results he would have other than it would be some kind of biscuit shaped like a hot dog bun.
Farley figured they would be sharing a communal meal together off and on often enough if for no other reason than splitting up big cans of long term freeze-dried food was easier that way, as was tasting everyone’s different way of cooking and sharing the task. Later on when their supply started getting low, the communal pot was probably the best way to go though when they became more dependent on hunting and gathering but that wasn’t necessary right now. What was necessary now was the bonding and formation of their survival family or tribe as they began to refer to the arrangement.
“Farley, did you get yourself and everything moved in all right?” Charlie asked as he walked over to Farley’s place from Becky’s cabin.
“I pretty much got enough stuff unloaded for now I suppose. I got a lot of goods I brought along with me in that van and I haven’t wrapped my head around how to distribute or store it best. You know, Charlie, that driving all these preps and other crap around is kind of like being a Brink’s truck driver hauling gold or something and having no place you feel comfortable with delivering it at. Well let’s put it a different way now, once that driver decides to just park it, where do you stash all that bullion? I need to spread it out and cache it here and there but I am not comfortable doing that just yet. I have many practical and personal reasons to consider. You got to understand that I have been standing armed guard over my food and supplies with a gun 24/7 and for me to be even be considering leaving stuff behind tomorrow is hard even if I know I should be back in a few hours but it worries me. Oh, I know you all won’t bother my stuff at all or I wouldn’t be leaving it but I am not here to guard it either and it wasn’t too long ago I was worrying about having to walk away from it when I needed it most when I broke down on the side of that road.” Farley said a bit somberly.
“I can see your worries about even setting a bowl of rice down while you’re eating these days for fear of it getting spilled or something. The loss of even a grain of rice these days can be a tragedy. You can put some of your stuff up at my house if you want and get it when you come back. I can’t guard it too well seeing that I don’t have any firearms as you know but it will be at least harder to find and get to besides here.” Charlie offered.
“Thanks, I was considering that. We got to do something to remedy that gun situation. I got a few ideas how to go about that but we will discuss that in the morning. I only have my two weapons so I don’t have anything to lend you.” Farley said.
“Darn, I am sorry to hear that. I thought for sure with all that stuff you said you brought with you that you might have something to lend or sell to me. That’s one reason I waited to talk to you alone. How you planning on remedying that, if you don’t mind me asking?” Charlie asked.
“Oh, guns are not nearly as hard to find as you might imagine. This country is full of them, it’s the procuring one without getting shot or worse that is sometimes the problem. I will tell you an odd little secre
t. Where do you think the easiest place to find a pistol is nowadays?” Farley asked.
“I dunno, that’s a good question.” Charlie responded waiting for the answer.
“Cemeteries… Isn’t that bizarre? Folks committing suicide often go to cemeteries to die so they can be around their loved ones. Course these days whatever you might find would be rusted to hell and back but it’s not a bad place to find ammo and parts. I tell you another thing, lots of people have done themselves in outside like on their front porch for some reason. It’s spookier than hell to see a real corpse sitting in a chair having done themselves in by committing suicide, by overdosing on drugs or something on someone’s patio like its Halloween or something.” Farley said flashing back on some of the more gruesome sights he had seen so far in this apocalypse. He had still not gotten the stench of rotting bodies and pets out of his nostrils yet that seemed to follow him just like the screams and the acrid burning house smoke from the city that was forever etched into his senses and memories.
“Damn, Farley, that’s creepier than hell to even consider. I won’t even bother to ask you if it’s really gotten that bad out there. I know it’s got to be much much worse than I can even imagine. It really scares the hell out of me to even think about that picture you are painting of so many people giving up and taking their own lives, not counting all the other deaths that must have occurred in the millions from countless causes.” Charlie said.
“Its famine, pestilence and death that exceed even biblical proportions that waits out there.” was all Farley said before locking up his van and foreboding emotions.
.
2
Ponder The Problem
Farley surveyed the clearings and wooded sites around the cabins and tried to picture in his mind what they might want or need to stay here indefinitely. The cabins lacked fireplaces for heating and something needed to be done before winter about that. Being ever resourceful, Farley had the answer for at least one of the cabins and had anticipated the need for a small heater or cook stove.
He had in his preps two possible solutions; one was a Silver Fire hunter model that could be used as an emergency heater if you put an iron griddle on it to radiate heat. The Rocket stove design did not make for an ideal heating source because it was highly insulated and the sides and bottom of the stove did not get hot.
Silver Fire Hunter Model coupon code Foster
You could get some heat produced just from the exposed flame but fuel consumption was an issue because you could only burn small pieces of wood at a time. He had purchased a small steel barrel stove that could burn larger pieces of wood that was meant for a solution to that problem. It was actually meant for outdoor use but the purchase of an elbow joint from the hardware store and a few sections of pipe from the manufacturer allowed him to configure it to run out a window.
Great Northern Camp Stove
Farley didn’t worry very much about heating the cabins right now; he could concern himself with that later when it got closer to winter. On the other hand, being able to cook indoors if it was storming outside was something to consider but not likely.
The summer heat was oppressive enough inside the cabins and he speculated on finding himself some table or box fans and running them off a marine battery using his inverter. He only had his car battery at the moment to consider for that task but a trip back to that boat Marina and some luck should remedy that shortfall for an energy source nicely.
Becky remarked about how lucky it was that they were to be staying in the comfort of the rental cabins and that they would have to ask Charlie where the campgrounds normally stored its supplies of toilet paper and such.
“Hey, we need to find us some buckets to haul water indoors for the toilets and for doing dishes with and such, but on the bright side we got something approaching indoor plumbing so that is sweet!” Farley responded thinking it was nice to just have to fill the toilets tank once in awhile to try to time a flushable bathroom break as best they could.
“I wish we could figure out some way for us to rig up a pump or something to get running water and reduce how many trips we have to make to haul water up from the lake.” Jeremy said thinking about the never ending chore of going to fetch water.
“I am thinking on that problem, Jeremy, first thing we got to do is figure out a rain water collection system for ourselves. Finding any kind of empty 55 gallon barrels these days is going to be problematic but we should be able to find some kind of suitable containers. Now as for pumping water to the cabins, I have got a few ideas in mind that might work. That boat repair place on the highway is going to get a visit from me, I am thinking sometime tomorrow after we pick up your car. There are all kinds of marine bilge pumps and such that they should have around there. Some boats use 12v electric bilge pumps so I can check out their parts department or go looking in the boat yard for something that I might be able to take one off of. There should also be around there somewhere various types of hand pumps that people put in their boats to help bail them out.” Farley said pondering his growing list of scavenging goods he wanted to acquire.
sump pump or bilge pump
“That’s all 12 volt type stuff isn’t it, Farley? I say that we should add some boat lights to the list but how will we charge the batteries once they get run down?” Jeremy said knowing a lot of the rudiments of electricity.
“I was just considering that, Jeremy, thank you for reminding me about the lights, but back to your question about how to charge batteries. I need to look for Marine Alternators, specifically the ones that have the voltage regulators built in. We are going wind power!” Farley said excitedly and began to explain how they could build the blades for a wind turbine out of PVC pipe by sawing it in half at specific angles.
“Before the grid went down, I used to look at all the different kits or pre-built wind turbines made out of marine alternators or treadmills on EBay. Preppers and cottage industries used to have a lot of different wattages and types of those things offered for sale. I had a setup that was 1500 watts that I bought once but I traded it off to a homesteader because I needed the cash. They are very simple and useful designs and they are a hell of a lot cheaper than commercially made ones. I think that I only had like a total of 300 dollars invested in mine but I never got a pole made or purchased for it.” Farley said thinking back.
“Mom, do you have any paper and a pen in your purse? I want to make us a list of what Farley and me need to go scrounge and look for.” Jeremy said excitedly.
“ I am going to lend you some paper and a pen Jeremy but you and Farley are going to have a long talk with me about this so called “scrounging” you are thinking you are going to try doing. Its stealing, Farley, and you know it!” Becky said as she rummaged in her purse and gave both an icy looked that said “watch out”.
“Yea, we need to talk about that some in more detail later.” Farley admitted as Jeremy wore an “Oh no! What’s up?” look while eying both of them curiously.
“Ok, back to MY list.” Farley said stressing the “My” in his statement inferring that he was the only one that was going to go out and collect pilfered items he was needing for his projects.
“I am still coming along to help you aren’t I, Farley?” A greatly deflated Jeremy asked while he prepared himself to take notes.
“We will talk about that later, much later.” Farley said carefully with a wincing glance at Becky and then began telling Jeremy what to put down on his list.
1. Buckets (Plastic and Metal)
2. Marine Batteries
3. Battery connectors and 12 gauge or better wire.
4. Marine alternators
“Hey, Farley, didn’t you say you could make yourself a wind turbine out of a treadmill motor?” Becky asked.
“Yea, I sure can but a marine alternator is much better for what I have in mind. Why do you ask?” Farley questioned.
“I remember the brochure said there was an exercise room on this place somewhere. I bet they would hav
e what you need in there.” Becky said.
“Cool! Now that you mention it I remember seeing that place marked out also and forgot about it. Those tread mill motors are easier to turn or spin than a lot of alternators so we will see about that. Thanks, Becky.” Farley said thinking treadmill motors took much less power to spin than ones made to run off engines.
“There are probably lots of things you could use right around here going to waste instead of burglarizing the neighborhood.” Becky said dryly.
“Uh yea…. I see we are going to have that foraging conversation sooner than we had thought. Ok, Becky, I will attempt to confine my scrounging to only stuff on this facility as best as I can but we are still going to have that talk about what I need to find that is not here. Let’s just imagine for now that this list that Jeremy and I are building of possible items we might need or want, is temporary. Now if I mention a place or vacant store close by that I can find something at easily that’s just because I haven’t thought about looking for that item around here, ok?” Farley said with his own dead pan stare.
“I will help you with that, you make your list and we will show it to Charlie and Feng to see if they know where you can find those items first on this resort, ok?” Becky said reminding Farley he was out numbered when it came to the number of people around that strongly disapproved of his so called scrounging or parts foraging.
