Story Broken Yet Rising

Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________
Mr Bill said:
Your font got away from you in the recipe.
Click to expand...

Don't know why it is showing up that way. I may just have to remove it.

I had to go in, remove the endnote, and then reformat the post. The program was reading the endnote as some kind of html command I think. Ugh. Friday evening is not the time for me to deal with tech mess. Hopefully the fix hasn't messed up anything else.
 
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________

Chapter 88​


I continued harvesting apples all through November, but I think they’ve all finally played out here at the end of the month. We finally got cold weather – Thanksgiving was surprisingly brisk – and I’m glad Mom kept all of Mitchell’s old clothes. It meant that we were able to get the boys into new-to-them cold weather coats. They’ll have to layer up once it gets even colder but for now what they have works. Nat was able to use one of my old jackets. It’s a bluejean jacket Mom lined with the remains of an old sheepskin rug she picked up at an estate sale. I remember how I loved that thing when it still fit and how sad I was when it had to go in the “Too Small Tub”.

School this month has been a bit of a mash up. We studied Veterans Day, Pilgrims/Thanksgiving traditions, and New World Explorers. For that one we even got in a bit of Florida History. It has kept me hopping because Derek has been really busy with EMS and then really tired once he gets home, and not much better when he is playing catch up at the law firm.

My garden is slowing down and so is the farmers market. I’ve added the following but much of it we are eating fresh though I try and freeze dry at least a little bit: broccoli, cabbage, tangerines, Myers lemons, satsuma oranges, navel oranges, tangelos, red grapefruit, avocados, carambolas, guavas, mushrooms, passion fruit, peanuts, squash, sweet corn, garlic, persimmons, Natal plums, chestnuts, pecans, tree tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, orange flesh watermelon, Charleston gray watermelon, cranberry bean (dry), edible soybeans (dry), Country Gentleman (white shoe peg corn), moon and stars watermelons (red, yellow flesh), rattlesnake watermelon, kohlrabi, Nantes carrots, Trucker’s favorite white corn, Trucker’s favorite yellow corn, Bloody Butcher (red corn), Blue Hopi corn (blue), Delicata winter squash, pumpkins, Hickory King corn (white), strawberry popcorn, yellow sweet onions, lettuce, miniature blue popcorn, butternut squash, cushaw green striped pumpkins, Big Max pumpkins, brussel sprouts, leeks, and burdock which looks like a giant white carrot.

Derek and I talked about the holidays. His family draws names out of a hat usually, but this year it looks like only the kids are going to receive gifts and that each family group will get one gift from each other as well.

“So what’s the problem?” I asked.

“You don’t see the problem?”

“Nope. I see a solution. A goodie basket. I’ll make some quick bread and include an Amish bread starter, some recipes, and some ingredients to keep them going for a little bit. Popcorn balls. Cookies. Some homemade candies. I’ve got enough baskets around here to make Little Red Riding Hood jealous. And decorative tins, some of which are probably older than my mother was because if you think my mom was a packrat, she got it honest from her mom who was twice as bad. I can even lay hands on them as they are stacked in one of the rooms on the third floor with roughly a dump truck full of craft supplies including wrapping paper for every special occasion on the calendar and a few you’ll only find on foreign calendars.”

Derek laughed in relief, and because he thought I was exaggerating. Unfortunately, no. The amount of stuff that came out of Memaw’s house only to be moved up here could have been turned into one of those horror comedies. It was a mess and I’m still organizing it and the stuff in the barn when I have a little bit of time to devote to it.

What I’m not having to devote time to is keeping Ms. Thang out of the billing program. Her wings have been clipped, and not by me. Taylor must have finally realized what she was doing (I’d given him enough hints) and had a showdown with Dayton over how his clients were being billed and where the credit was going. Dayton played dumb and threw some of his staff under the bus, blaming the war for taking his previous accounting staff. He tried to throw me in the same place until I showed where I had gone in and “corrected” as many errors as I was catching for Mrs. Barnes’ office but that perhaps he should do a review of the Tallahassee and Jacksonville offices as to avoid any investigation by regulating agencies. That did not go over well but he agreed to it for both appearances and because I wasn’t kidding. Once everything was explained to him in detail, the he had “over-relied on the people in charge of his billing department,” he got a little concerned for his own skin since as a senior partner he would definitely be held accountable and billable hours is taken seriously by the Bar and their minions. I still have to wear a Kevlar vest when her and I are in the office on the same days (not often) but I can live with that if it means protecting the ones that I’m loyal to.

On to more pleasant things. The house is now decorated for Christmas. We did it the day after Thanksgiving much to the caballeros happiness. Instead of putting lights outside, I offered a compromise and I let them string some inside. One of the third-floor rooms has been turned into “Santa’s Workshop”. If they want the lights to actually work, they have to charge the batteries by using a stationary bicycle as a generator[1]. It was one of their school projects. I figure the desire for lights will come and go depending on how busy they are and how many projects they have going. They are talking about setting them to Christmas music. Yeah, I could do it, I’ll just leave them to work out how on their own unless they ask for pointers.

I have projects going was well, and that includes gathering as many Amish Friendship Bread recipes[2] as possible. I’m doing the same for ways to use cornmeal in bread[3]. I depend on bread a lot to cover any shortfall in meals. Mom and Memaw used to say that it was gravy that covered a multitude of sins. That was about as “blasphemous” as those two women ever got. It is really grace that does. On the other hand, I’ve been known to put it down to bread.

Take for instance the other night. I was running late after a long day in the office. I got home and … OMG … I forgot to turn the crockpot on before leaving that morning. I threw the crock part into the fridge and tried not to panic. The kids were starving. Derek was going to be home soon, and I knew he’d be starving after a 24-hour shift at the EMS station. The power was going to be going off and it was cold and getting colder. Well, my brain started working and cold meant chilly which meant chili. I got a couple of quarts of the home-canned stuff out of the pantry and put a cast iron skillet on top of the wood burning stove. You laugh but I made hoe cakes that had creamed corn in the batter. Chili and cornbread to the rescue. For dessert we had the gingerbread that I had made the previous day while I was experimenting. First version was from the bread machine[4]. Second version was the Amish Friendship Bread version of Gingerbread[5]. Quick fix for a potential tragedy all because I was able to put some bread on the table.

I need to get to work on the holiday baskets. I need to make at least five for the family, one for the pastor, and then put together a goodie platter for the office and then one for the Christmas get together at church. The one thing I do know is the one for Mr. David and Lorena will have pickles and hot peppers as part of its contents. And I’ll give Taylor and his family a jar of pickled garlic and another of pearl onions.

So much to do, so little time. I just have no idea what I’m going to do for Derek.

[1]
View: https://youtu.be/k6-0PXRyVoo?si=zkTq36sBE7WawRRJ

[2] Recipe for Making Amazing Amish Friendship Bread
[3] Cornbread
[4] Bread Machine Gingerbread - Bread Dad
[5] Gingerbread Amish Friendship Bread
 
Sammy55

Sammy55

Veteran Member
Thanks much, Kathy! My DH has been in the hospital since Wednesday so today is a day for "catch up" at home, and one of the most important things for me to do is to catch up on TB news and stories! I need the break from the intense physical and emotional schtuff I've been going through, so your latest chapters are giving me a "calgon, take me away" feeling. Thanks!
 
Griz3752

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Kathy in FL said:

Chapter 88​


I continued harvesting apples all through November, but I think they’ve all finally played out here at the end of the month. We finally got cold weather – Thanksgiving was surprisingly brisk – and I’m glad Mom kept all of Mitchell’s old clothes. It meant that we were able to get the boys into new-to-them cold weather coats. They’ll have to layer up once it gets even colder but for now what they have works. Nat was able to use one of my old jackets. It’s a bluejean jacket Mom lined with the remains of an old sheepskin rug she picked up at an estate sale. I remember how I loved that thing when it still fit and how sad I was when it had to go in the “Too Small Tub”.

School this month has been a bit of a mash up. We studied Veterans Day, Pilgrims/Thanksgiving traditions, and New World Explorers. For that one we even got in a bit of Florida History. It has kept me hopping because Derek has been really busy with EMS and then really tired once he gets home, and not much better when he is playing catch up at the law firm.

My garden is slowing down and so is the farmers market. I’ve added the following but much of it we are eating fresh though I try and freeze dry at least a little bit: broccoli, cabbage, tangerines, Myers lemons, satsuma oranges, navel oranges, tangelos, red grapefruit, avocados, carambolas, guavas, mushrooms, passion fruit, peanuts, squash, sweet corn, garlic, persimmons, Natal plums, chestnuts, pecans, tree tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, orange flesh watermelon, Charleston gray watermelon, cranberry bean (dry), edible soybeans (dry), Country Gentleman (white shoe peg corn), moon and stars watermelons (red, yellow flesh), rattlesnake watermelon, kohlrabi, Nantes carrots, Trucker’s favorite white corn, Trucker’s favorite yellow corn, Bloody Butcher (red corn), Blue Hopi corn (blue), Delicata winter squash, pumpkins, Hickory King corn (white), strawberry popcorn, yellow sweet onions, lettuce, miniature blue popcorn, butternut squash, cushaw green striped pumpkins, Big Max pumpkins, brussel sprouts, leeks, and burdock which looks like a giant white carrot.

Derek and I talked about the holidays. His family draws names out of a hat usually, but this year it looks like only the kids are going to receive gifts and that each family group will get one gift from each other as well.

“So what’s the problem?” I asked.

“You don’t see the problem?”

“Nope. I see a solution. A goodie basket. I’ll make some quick bread and include an Amish bread starter, some recipes, and some ingredients to keep them going for a little bit. Popcorn balls. Cookies. Some homemade candies. I’ve got enough baskets around here to make Little Red Riding Hood jealous. And decorative tins, some of which are probably older than my mother was because if you think my mom was a packrat, she got it honest from her mom who was twice as bad. I can even lay hands on them as they are stacked in one of the rooms on the third floor with roughly a dump truck full of craft supplies including wrapping paper for every special occasion on the calendar and a few you’ll only find on foreign calendars.”

Derek laughed in relief, and because he thought I was exaggerating. Unfortunately, no. The amount of stuff that came out of Memaw’s house only to be moved up here could have been turned into one of those horror comedies. It was a mess and I’m still organizing it and the stuff in the barn when I have a little bit of time to devote to it.

What I’m not having to devote time to is keeping Ms. Thang out of the billing program. Her wings have been clipped, and not by me. Taylor must have finally realized what she was doing (I’d given him enough hints) and had a showdown with Dayton over how his clients were being billed and where the credit was going. Dayton played dumb and threw some of his staff under the bus, blaming the war for taking his previous accounting staff. He tried to throw me in the same place until I showed where I had gone in and “corrected” as many errors as I was catching for Mrs. Barnes’ office but that perhaps he should do a review of the Tallahassee and Jacksonville offices as to avoid any investigation by regulating agencies. That did not go over well but he agreed to it for both appearances and because I wasn’t kidding. Once everything was explained to him in detail, the he had “over-relied on the people in charge of his billing department,” he got a little concerned for his own skin since as a senior partner he would definitely be held accountable and billable hours is taken seriously by the Bar and their minions. I still have to wear a Kevlar vest when her and I are in the office on the same days (not often) but I can live with that if it means protecting the ones that I’m loyal to.

On to more pleasant things. The house is now decorated for Christmas. We did it the day after Thanksgiving much to the caballeros happiness. Instead of putting lights outside, I offered a compromise and I let them string some inside. One of the third-floor rooms has been turned into “Santa’s Workshop”. If they want the lights to actually work, they have to charge the batteries by using a stationary bicycle as a generator[1]. It was one of their school projects. I figure the desire for lights will come and go depending on how busy they are and how many projects they have going. They are talking about setting them to Christmas music. Yeah, I could do it, I’ll just leave them to work out how on their own unless they ask for pointers.

I have projects going was well, and that includes gathering as many Amish Friendship Bread recipes[2] as possible. I’m doing the same for ways to use cornmeal in bread[3]. I depend on bread a lot to cover any shortfall in meals. Mom and Memaw used to say that it was gravy that covered a multitude of sins. That was about as “blasphemous” as those two women ever got. It is really grace that does. On the other hand, I’ve been known to put it down to bread.

Take for instance the other night. I was running late after a long day in the office. I got home and … OMG … I forgot to turn the crockpot on before leaving that morning. I threw the crock part into the fridge and tried not to panic. The kids were starving. Derek was going to be home soon, and I knew he’d be starving after a 24-hour shift at the EMS station. The power was going to be going off and it was cold and getting colder. Well, my brain started working and cold meant chilly which meant chili. I got a couple of quarts of the home-canned stuff out of the pantry and put a cast iron skillet on top of the wood burning stove. You laugh but I made hoe cakes that had creamed corn in the batter. Chili and cornbread to the rescue. For dessert we had the gingerbread that I had made the previous day while I was experimenting. First version was from the bread machine[4]. Second version was the Amish Friendship Bread version of Gingerbread[5]. Quick fix for a potential tragedy all because I was able to put some bread on the table.

I need to get to work on the holiday baskets. I need to make at least five for the family, one for the pastor, and then put together a goodie platter for the office and then one for the Christmas get together at church. The one thing I do know is the one for Mr. David and Lorena will have pickles and hot peppers as part of its contents. And I’ll give Taylor and his family a jar of pickled garlic and another of pearl onions.

So much to do, so little time. I just have no idea what I’m going to do for Derek.

[1]
View: https://youtu.be/k6-0PXRyVoo?si=zkTq36sBE7WawRRJ

[2] Recipe for Making Amazing Amish Friendship Bread
[3] Cornbread
[4] Bread Machine Gingerbread - Bread Dad
[5] Gingerbread Amish Friendship Bread
Click to expand...
That YT on the stationary generator started something here!
 
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________

Chapter 89​


The end of another year and another year older. At least by the calendar. I feel a lot older than my birth certificate indicates. Derek and I had a talk, neither one of us was really into the whole, go broke to give the one you love a pretty package. He says that he is saving up in case we have any major expenses. I almost asked him what did he think the Estate was for but didn’t. If I learned nothing watching my parents interact, I learned men can be really strange about family finances. To the point I think it is encoded in their DNA. What I hope he is saving up for is his own and independent law office. More and more I think that is the way he is going to have to go if he is ever going to be truly free to do what he wants, how he wants. That’s a discussion for down the road.

For my birthday I got a night off from cooking because Derek brought home BBQ with all the fixings from a place called Aikens down in Gilchrist County when he had to go interview a client for a big land issue … an old RV park that had been allowed to “return to pasture” (yeah, right) was trying to “reopen to the public” but they’d skipped a lot of the hoops and gotten in big trouble. Derek had been assigned the task of getting them out of the trouble they’d intentionally caused by falsifying some past records. It isn’t a case that Barnes and Musgrove should have taken. The client expects to get out of all the fines and trouble, Derek says there isn’t any way that is going to happen because the fraud was intentional and obvious to anyone with eyes. The best he says he can do is keep the guy out of criminal court and he better be glad he’s getting that. On top of everything else, he bucked the state’s laws about knowingly housing illegals. Some people are just crazy and expect the moon.

For school this month we did The 25 Days of Christmas where we studied the different symbols of the holiday and their origins. We also did some astronomy, using the Christmas Star as the centerpiece. For the rest we continued what we started in November and studied the Colonial Era. That went along with our homemade Christmas. We made spiced pecans, strings of popcorn (for outside as I was not going to draw bugs or meece even if it was Christmas), wassail, and made our own wrapping paper and homemade bows and ribbon.

Next year, if they are so inclined, we’ll do a Jesse Tree[1]. I just wasn’t prepared for it this year. We used to do it every other year when I was growing up and I caught myself crying over the memories, and not in a good way. The last time was the last Christmas that Tessa had lived at home. I just couldn’t do it. It was just too overwhelming emotionally for me. A little more distance and I’ll be able to, this year I couldn’t.

For Christmas we focused on the kids. There wasn’t a lot under the tree, but the kids were thrilled with what there was. Lorena got the kids socks. On the surface I know that sounds kinda what it does, but they were Lego themed socks and for a fact Lorena must have gone to the effort of making Nat’s a little different by crocheting a matching lace edge on the top. Nat was thrilled I tell you and I’m not being sarcastic. Having the same as the boys but them being girly at the same time totally floated her boat. Lorena seemed a little stunned at how much the kids appreciated things during the group family call. Mr. David and the rest of them spent their Christmas Day with Caren’s and Sam’s families and since it didn’t hurt Derek’s feelings not to have to be in the middle of that chaos I was fine with it. Overall, those of us at the Homeplace have weathered things fairly well, all things considered. Unfortunately, not everyone can say that.

Many of those from the North that had refused to relocate over the summer are trying to do it now and being met with a cold shoulder in their migration efforts. They expected to force themselves on the Deep South and then force assistance out of us. That was the last thing that occurred. There was no one waiting at the bus stops with buttloads of help and freebies. As a matter of fact, many were surprised to be turned back at the state line. Florida is no longer accepting refugees or any kind of migrants unless they are moving in with family that will take legal responsibility for them, or can prove they are stable financially. Some of the refugees are trying to say they are only coming for a visit, only to find out they can come for two week but must leave at the end of that time or find themselves potentially facing felony fraud convictions and jail time. And if you receive any kind of assistance or entitlements you do not qualify to take anyone in, especially if you are in a federal housing program. The only people allowed to reside within those domiciles must appear on the Lease Agreement and your household cannot have more than two people per bedrooms. If the child is under five years of age, they can stay in the parent’s bedroom. For example, a family of five children (two boys, two girls, and a child under five) and one parent only qualifies for a three-bedroom unit … two children of the same gender per bedroom, parent in the third bedroom and the child under five regardless of gender sleeps with the parent.

You might wonder why I know all that. Well, turns out that some people receiving government assistance were subletting a bedroom to a family member and the landlord found out about it. The landlord told the tenant that the person would have to leave. Tenant refused on the grounds that they were a “guest.” Landlord was a friend of Mr. Barnes who asked Taylor to handle it. Taylor is neck deep in stinky stuff as several cases that Dayton had assigned to him are becoming a problem because they weren’t vetted sufficiently before the cases being accepted. Derek would have taken the case but he’s almost sleepwalking through the days he is in the office. So I said I would fill out the eviction papers if someone else would sign them. The case wasn’t open and shut but I had enough evidence that all Derek had to do was present everything to the Judge at the hearing and he gave the guy twenty-four hours to remove himself from the unit or he’d be picked up deported across the state line, and possibly into federal custody for a work program.

I am now in charge of eviction paperwork. Yay me. (Insert nuclear eye roll here.)

[1] What is a Jesse Tree? Meaning of the Advent Tradition
 
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________

Chapter 90​


The only thing at the farmer’s market this month was some tropical fruit including various kind of oranges. I got absolutely everything I was allowed to get. They told me next month I would have to bring proof that I was playing middleman with legitimate businesses. Only one business really and that is Sav-a-Lot with Junior’s mom being the broker since she is the store’s day manager. I hope the paperwork I have written up is sufficient and they won’t block me.

I’ve probably gotten my last wheat delivery as the vendor I was getting it from says he is closing up shop and will only be working in-state, meaning in his state which is Georgia. He says that hassle and danger of crossing the state line is no longer worth it for him. The added cost of hiring security eats up just about all of his profit. And yes, that was a bit of a pun on his part but he is a nice man and was trying to break it to me gently. I understand, it is getting rough to come to the farmer’s market on my own. I don’t know if looking too small a load keeps me from being a hijack target or if maybe it will eventually make me a bigger target as they don’t think I have the protection or security to fight off any potential hijackers. I will have to balance the threat and decide each month. For now my contact brought me 500 pounds of “feed”; 300 lbs of wheat and 200 of corn, both human grade clean.

I panicked over a possible meece buffet until I found some old-fashioned metal garbage cans. I lined them with food grade liners. Each can held 20 gallons and for corn that was about 100 lbs per can. It was approximately the same for wheat give or take a few pounds. Essentially it took five trashcans to hold all of that grain. The bigger problem was finding room for the galvanized cans once they’d been filled. Someplace that wouldn’t made for a mouse buffet. I wound up closing in the fourth bay of the garage that sits under the apartment over on that side of the house. There’s a concrete slab as the foundation and I don’t have to worry that there will be truss damage from all the added weight.

We only have two vehicles … the Sienna and Derek’s Jeep. The van sits in the barn with all the other motorized gizmos that I keep on trickle chargers as much as I can. The Jeep is a gas guzzler so we use the Sienna as much as we can when we share workdays. Derek uses his Jeep on EMS days but is allowed to count any fuel he uses as an expense which is about all the benefit he gets. I usually send a small loaf of quick bread or muffins for him to share with whomever he is partnering with just to make sure he eats enough. Lately I’ve been sending corn muffins that have something mixed in to make them heartier. Their favorite so far was the Pizza Muffins[1].

I keep the tv and radio off as much as possible when the caballeros are around. I don’t want them to be ignorant of current events but the things we are studying for school and what is going on in the world are converging a little too much for my comfort.

January we’ve been studying the American Revolution. Forget about the fact that we are talking about the colonial period of this country … except we can’t because our country feels so fractured. There is the Deep South for one. Regionally we are not exactly excommunicated from the rest of the country, but there are jealousies and irritations that most of the Deep South states aren’t having to deal with the same hardships as say the North East, North West, and the state of California. And within the Deep South Florida is viewed as playing too independent though given the number of important military bases and military retirees that live in this state I don’t see how people can think that at all. Knox, more than Nat and Daniel, grasped the similarities between what led up to the Revolution and what is going on now. I suspect that he is going to be a lot like Dad and Mitchell. Oh boy.

Let’s start with the Stamp Act of 1765. To recoup some of the massive debt left over from the war with France, Parliament passed laws such as the Stamp Act, which for the first time taxed a wide range of transactions in the colonies. Well we have massive expenses from fighting the war and taxes are getting pretty outrageous and we basically don’t get to have a say in it.

The Townsend Act of 1767. Parliament again tried to assert its authority by passing legislation to tax goods that the Americans imported from Great Britain. The Crown established a board of customs commissioners to stop smuggling and corruption among local officials in the colonies, who were often in on the illicit trade. There’s a reason why the blackmarket is thriving. There’s taxes, tariffs, and restrictions on so many basic essentials that if it isn’t grown or built locally, you might as well say it is unavailable for the duration. The farmers markets are just one example of this going on. Medications that must be imported from international sources are another one.

The Boston Tea Party of 1773 reminds me of all of the riots in manufacturing and warehouse districts where people are looting to get anything they can or they are burning the warehouses and manufacturing facilities in retaliation for something getting more expensive or getting regulated.

The Boston Massacre of 1770 reminds me too forcefully of some of the hard lines that law enforcement and national guard groups take. We don’t have that problem as much here in Florida but it does pop up from time to time, especially on or near college campuses.

The Coercive Acts of 1774 was in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party. Up north, there have been some very hardline restrictions put in place due to rioting and public displays that “get out of hand.”

I’m waiting (and worried) for the government to issue a Quartering Act even though it would be unconstitutional. The Quartering Act, which allowed British military officials to demand accommodations for their troops in unoccupied houses and buildings in towns, rather than having to stay out in the countryside. While it didn’t force the colonists to board troops in their own homes, they had to pay for the expense of housing and feeding the soldiers. The quartering of troops eventually became one of the grievances cited in the Declaration of Independence. That might send this country from a revolutionary phase into a civil war phase.

[1] Pizza Lunchbox Savoury Muffins - My Fussy Eater | Easy Family Recipes
 
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________

Chapter 91​


February meant strawberries at the farmer’s market. And let me tell you, I am glad that I went to the trouble of doing up that “official” paperwork so I could continue to do business. Not only did I do a good bit of business with Sav-A-Lot, I also did business with Publix and Winn Dixie. How did I pull that off? I drove the van that day and also pulled an enclosed trailer. It was a huge financial risk on my part but boy did it pay off. And it wasn’t just the strawberries, but more of the citrus fruit, and frankly anything I could get my hands on. And because I had the digi-dollars to spend, and the signed paperwork, I was able to support my favorite vendors with some really good sales that benefited all of us.

On the other hand, I was also very glad that Duff met me as I hit the county line and “escorted” me to the locations I needed to go. He wasn’t completely altruistic as he was off-duty, but what are a couple flats of strawberries and a basket of oranges between “friends.” I also took a bushel basket to church and one of the old-fashioned fruit squeezers and every child in attendance got a small glass of OJ with their animal crackers during snack time. I’ll continue doing that for as long as I can.

I keep the peel and pulp that is left, and I make candied peel or fruit powder with the dehydrator or freeze dryer. I’ve squeezed a lot of fruit that way and canned a lot of the juice rather than see the fruit go bad. I’ve probably got another month before the citrus fruit gives out at the farmers market. California, Texas, and Arizona aren’t exporting much fruit from their states, so I feel grateful to get what I do at the markets even if it isn’t the pretty stuff since most of Florida’s fruit is grown for juicing.

Knox continues to remind me a lot of Dad and Mitchell. He’s become very protective of Nat and Daniel, even at church. I catch him helping me to also protect them from information that comes in from other sources. He’s growing up faster than Nat when you would think it the other way around; girls maturing faster than boys at their age. I hesitate to allow the situation to continue but at the same time part of me wonders if Nat isn’t letting him be that way because she needs him to. She gets very stressed out and frightened when news of the war penetrates that protective shell around her. She had a nightmare that a terrorist had blown the Homeplace up with all of inside and she was the only one to survive and was all alone.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do if these nightmares continue. I often wonder if someone had stepped into my Mom’s life early that helped her to be … more resilient? More secure? Better able to handle those emotional bombshells life through at her? … maybe her emotional fragility wouldn’t have impacted her the way it did. Maybe she wouldn’t have needed so much protecting by other people because she could protect herself. I don’t know. I just wonder about that and worry that nothing I do can help Nat to be stronger emotionally than my mother and grandmother were. They weren’t weak, but their feelings were too easily hurt and their fragility in that area did affect their relationships and health. Ugh. This is one of those things that keeps me up at night.

This month we’ve been studying early 19th Century history. Again, Knox talked to me about some of the similarities between then and now. After the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution, the next major event on our country’s timeline was the Louisiana Purchase in 1808. There’s talk of annexing Baja on the West Coast and Cuba to our south. Puerto Rico may yet become a state though Guam may make it before PR does. Out in the Pacific, due to some island taking by the Chinese, there’s also talks with islands in Micronesia throwing in with Guam and the Mariana Islands.

Next came the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was a welcome relief for Knox to lay off the comparisons and simply enjoy something. On the other hand, he wanted to know about all of the things that they learned to eat, and he wanted to know if we could learn about foraging and wild foods here around the Homeplace. It actually isn’t a bad idea but I’m trying to find the time (and knowledge) to pull that sort of thing off. Mr. Dunst might be a source for that, or he might know someone. He laughed at my acorn experiments so maybe not. Maybe Mrs. Padfield might know someone. I’ll ask around at church as well.

The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain. This conflict was primarily centered around maritime issues and impressment of American sailors. Well we’ve got that going on even though it isn’t with GB. The Draft would be similar here I suppose.

The Trail of Tears in 1838 might correspond to the forced migrations of a lot of the illegals that remain in this country. They are being put on trains and sent South of the border whether they want to go or not.

And that leads straight into our study of the Mexican-American war of 1846-1848. It was a territorial dispute and that is exactly what we have on the Southern Border lately. And some people that were born here still identify with the country of their parents’ birth and they’d prefer to see the border disappear and not Amercanize as they are now being required to, even in the preschool years where the only language being allowed to be spoken in schools is English. Many Hispanic communities are screaming, like many Native Americans did, that they are losing their culture. It is different from the Native Americans, but the Hispanics that don’t want to Americanize are co-opting some of the arguments from that era and spinning them to fit their own agenda.

So many people have their own “agenda” and it is even becoming a problem around here. Even the kluckers are starting to want more of their historical dominance back, and the minorities are trying to have more share of the entitlements and assistance programs because they view themselves as more deserving.

Dad had a favorite movie. “Mars Attacks” which was a satire, a sci-fi comedy, made way back in 1996. One of the scenes always tickled him and he would laugh long and loud over it. That old actor Jack Nicholson played the US president, and he was giving a speech to the Congress after some aliens landed and everyone got into fights. Well, he said, “Can’t we all just get along?” A few seconds later the Martians started zapping Congress with their ray guns. I swear that’s what it feels like on some days. “Can’t we all just get along?” Next thing you know people are back to blowing each other up.
 
L

larry_minn

Contributing Member
To take a risk of buying so much, and be able to use, trade it all. I hit deals and have to decide. “Can I get this home, in place it will keep until it gets used.
Last few years I raise no potatoes. But I get to dig as much as I want. I fill +10 5 gallon buckets. *after giving a bunch before*. Then haul decent bag to relatives, neighbors…. Still have more that’s starting to grow. When I get home likely blanch, freeze if I can make enough room in freezer.
 
T

TALLON

Member
Kathy in FL said:

Part 1D​


Mitch rarely got as mad as Dad could get. Or let me rephrase that. He didn’t show his emotions the way Dad did. But he was so angry when the lawyer said “oops” about what his now retired partner had done, and that the situation couldn’t be fixed. The Judge gave us a month and then they were going to be allowed to move in. But Mitchell did manage to get it so that they couldn’t have access to anything for that entire month. They’d wanted to come over and store some of their stuff and take some measurements and all the rest. Well, that wasn’t happening, at least not on their timeline. And that’s when Mitch got sneaky to go along with his mad.

It was only our house, the physical structure, not the contents. It wasn’t the shed and carport area at all. And they couldn’t do anything about anything else including Mom’s garden stuff and Mitch’s trees in the big pots. The Judge had been firm on that. The Judge had also been firm on the fact that they could make no changes or renovations to the property without our prior consent, and it had to come out of their own pocket. In a hurry we packed up all Mom & Dad’s stuff, all the kitchen stuff, everything in all of the rooms but our bedrooms including most of the appliances, and took it all to the house in north Florida. Then he doubled down, and we packed up most of our bedrooms and all the stuff out of the oversized shed that Dad had built to hold all his business equipment. We also took the yard equipment and everything, like all of Mom’s plants, all her gardening tools, and stuff like that. We even dug up most of Mom’s plants, or at least those that would survive transplanting where we were taking them. Mitch even helped me to take Memaw’s succulent and cactus plants so they could be put in the greenhouse at the Homeplace. They fit around all of Mitch’s stuff. It took two enclosed trailer loads to get all of Mitch’s trees and plants. Those were his stress relievers and there was no way I was going to stand back and watch Doug mess with all that stuff.

Doing all of this took cash so it was a good thing we’d already had buyers lined up for the business vehicles and I started driving Mom’s little minivan. That also dropped the auto insurance down which helped. The twins – Knox and Natasha (Nat for short) – were still young enough they were sharing a bedroom, so it didn’t look nearly as empty as Mitch’s and mine. And we were going to move our family to the North Florida homeplace once Mitch finished college and could get a job in the hospital up there, we just needed to be able to stand it until then.

What is it that Memaw used to say? The surest way to make God laugh is to say you had plans. Boy, ain’t that the truth. We were on our last week of packing things up when Mitch got drafted into the military medical corp because of all the stuff going on in the world that I’d been trying to ignore. Well, Mitch hadn’t been ignoring it and the draft was one of the things he’d been worried about without telling me he was worrying about it. And then on top of that, our uncle died. He’d held out longer than anyone thought though he never left the hospital, and it felt like the world was coming un-freaking-glued all over again. Uncle hadn’t wanted a service. He’d just wanted to be cremated and then someone figure out what to do with the ashes, same as Mom and Dad and our grandparents. Our family is a little odd about that I guess. No one wants to be treated like an ancient Egyptian and worshipped where they were buried. So after Uncle, Mitch and I needed to figure out what to do with five urns. We’d decided to bury them in North Florida at the family cemetery, but it took a permit from that county we hadn’t gotten yet. One more thing we had to be the adult about.

Before Mitchell left, we’d tried to get everything that needed doing locked down. He’d even done everything but stand on his head and recite Shakespeare backwards to get all of the paperwork finished so that he could force a sale of the property (our home) but the Judge nixed it. He gave Tessa and her husband one year to buy us out. Doug was trying to come up with something to blackmail us with and decided it was going to be custody of the twins since Mitch wouldn’t be there. Well, the judge spiked that move … sorta.

That’s when I tossed the bomb that I would be living in North Florida to maintain my emancipation per the court’s stipulations. I knew I could do it, but this judge decided to add more stipulations.

First off, the custody would be split; I would get them one week out of the month and all summer and all major holidays including a week at Thanksgiving and two weeks at Christmas. When Tessa and Doug squealed about that the Judge gave them the hairy eyeball because Doug traveled a lot for his job, and we found out that Tessa was going to have Kid #3 which hadn’t been in their plan and was part of the reason for them trying to get the house.

“And this way there will be no misunderstandings that Miss Musgrove is a live-in housekeeper or babysitter.” Thank you very much Judge because by that point Mitchell had reported for Basic Training and Tessa, Doug, and a bunch of other people had told me just how helpful I was going to be. Yeah. Right. Don’t think so Charlie Brown.

A lot of people tried to stop me from leaving. Even Mitchell second guessed it until he realized that he was being manipulated. People tried to stop me from doing things left and right because no one seemed to understand that what had happened to our parents and afterwards had changed me and “grew me up” as Uncle called it. One of the things that Tessa tried to stop me from doing was taking the twins and going to see Mitchell graduate from Basic and then get his assignment. Then she tried to say she would come with us, but Mitchell didn’t want her, and sure didn’t want Doug there. In the end, despite them petitioning the court, because the date fell on “my” week, they couldn’t say anything. For the sake of how things happened I’m glad we didn’t have to miss those few days together as a family … or what was left of our family. Mitch was going to someplace he couldn’t tell me. And for some reason I was scared. Bad scared. And with reason.
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I am enjoying the start of this new story. Thank You for all you give us.
 
K

kittychat

Member
Kathy in FL said:

Chapter 89​


The end of another year and another year older. At least by the calendar. I feel a lot older than my birth certificate indicates. Derek and I had a talk, neither one of us was really into the whole, go broke to give the one you love a pretty package. He says that he is saving up in case we have any major expenses. I almost asked him what did he think the Estate was for but didn’t. If I learned nothing watching my parents interact, I learned men can be really strange about family finances. To the point I think it is encoded in their DNA. What I hope he is saving up for is his own and independent law office. More and more I think that is the way he is going to have to go if he is ever going to be truly free to do what he wants, how he wants. That’s a discussion for down the road.

For my birthday I got a night off from cooking because Derek brought home BBQ with all the fixings from a place called Aikens down in Gilchrist County when he had to go interview a client for a big land issue … an old RV park that had been allowed to “return to pasture” (yeah, right) was trying to “reopen to the public” but they’d skipped a lot of the hoops and gotten in big trouble. Derek had been assigned the task of getting them out of the trouble they’d intentionally caused by falsifying some past records. It isn’t a case that Barnes and Musgrove should have taken. The client expects to get out of all the fines and trouble, Derek says there isn’t any way that is going to happen because the fraud was intentional and obvious to anyone with eyes. The best he says he can do is keep the guy out of criminal court and he better be glad he’s getting that. On top of everything else, he bucked the state’s laws about knowingly housing illegals. Some people are just crazy and expect the moon.

For school this month we did The 25 Days of Christmas where we studied the different symbols of the holiday and their origins. We also did some astronomy, using the Christmas Star as the centerpiece. For the rest we continued what we started in November and studied the Colonial Era. That went along with our homemade Christmas. We made spiced pecans, strings of popcorn (for outside as I was not going to draw bugs or meece even if it was Christmas), wassail, and made our own wrapping paper and homemade bows and ribbon.

Next year, if they are so inclined, we’ll do a Jesse Tree[1]. I just wasn’t prepared for it this year. We used to do it every other year when I was growing up and I caught myself crying over the memories, and not in a good way. The last time was the last Christmas that Tessa had lived at home. I just couldn’t do it. It was just too overwhelming emotionally for me. A little more distance and I’ll be able to, this year I couldn’t.

For Christmas we focused on the kids. There wasn’t a lot under the tree, but the kids were thrilled with what there was. Lorena got the kids socks. On the surface I know that sounds kinda what it does, but they were Lego themed socks and for a fact Lorena must have gone to the effort of making Nat’s a little different by crocheting a matching lace edge on the top. Nat was thrilled I tell you and I’m not being sarcastic. Having the same as the boys but them being girly at the same time totally floated her boat. Lorena seemed a little stunned at how much the kids appreciated things during the group family call. Mr. David and the rest of them spent their Christmas Day with Caren’s and Sam’s families and since it didn’t hurt Derek’s feelings not to have to be in the middle of that chaos I was fine with it. Overall, those of us at the Homeplace have weathered things fairly well, all things considered. Unfortunately, not everyone can say that.

Many of those from the North that had refused to relocate over the summer are trying to do it now and being met with a cold shoulder in their migration efforts. They expected to force themselves on the Deep South and then force assistance out of us. That was the last thing that occurred. There was no one waiting at the bus stops with buttloads of help and freebies. As a matter of fact, many were surprised to be turned back at the state line. Florida is no longer accepting refugees or any kind of migrants unless they are moving in with family that will take legal responsibility for them, or can prove they are stable financially. Some of the refugees are trying to say they are only coming for a visit, only to find out they can come for two week but must leave at the end of that time or find themselves potentially facing felony fraud convictions and jail time. And if you receive any kind of assistance or entitlements you do not qualify to take anyone in, especially if you are in a federal housing program. The only people allowed to reside within those domiciles must appear on the Lease Agreement and your household cannot have more than two people per bedrooms. If the child is under five years of age, they can stay in the parent’s bedroom. For example, a family of five children (two boys, two girls, and a child under five) and one parent only qualifies for a three-bedroom unit … two children of the same gender per bedroom, parent in the third bedroom and the child under five regardless of gender sleeps with the parent.

You might wonder why I know all that. Well, turns out that some people receiving government assistance were subletting a bedroom to a family member and the landlord found out about it. The landlord told the tenant that the person would have to leave. Tenant refused on the grounds that they were a “guest.” Landlord was a friend of Mr. Barnes who asked Taylor to handle it. Taylor is neck deep in stinky stuff as several cases that Dayton had assigned to him are becoming a problem because they weren’t vetted sufficiently before the cases being accepted. Derek would have taken the case but he’s almost sleepwalking through the days he is in the office. So I said I would fill out the eviction papers if someone else would sign them. The case wasn’t open and shut but I had enough evidence that all Derek had to do was present everything to the Judge at the hearing and he gave the guy twenty-four hours to remove himself from the unit or he’d be picked up deported across the state line, and possibly into federal custody for a work program.

I am now in charge of eviction paperwork. Yay me. (Insert nuclear eye roll here.)

[1] What is a Jesse Tree? Meaning of the Advent Tradition
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Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________

Chapter 92​


I sit here in the dark and all I can think about is the fact that it is my fault my little brother lies here, so unlike himself yet exactly like; brave, protective, so like Dad and Mitchell. But he is so still and quiet. Damn strawberries. Damn selfish, violent idiots. And most of all damn me for not seeing the potential for trouble and dragging the caballeros into it.

# # # # # # # # # #

“People aren’t paying their billed hours Derek. I can only do so much. I warned Dayton. I warned Dayton’s accounting staff and they said they were on it.”

“I know.” Derek was leaning back in his office chair, both of us having just come from a meeting of the partners. He was exhausted and I was frustrated that I’d read the writing on the wall for them and they still were blind and wouldn’t listen.

“The Firm can’t continue to operate this way.”

“I know.”

“I’m trying not to say I-told-you-so, but dang it … I did tell people. Just because I’m younger than everyone and …”

“Mina. I know. Okay? Taylor and I talked about it after you saw the pattern and brought it to me. Dayton is in a panic.”

I growled, “Good lawyer, bad businessman.”

All Derek could do was nod. All I could do was try and come up with ways to economize. The only thing keeping the office open was the fact that Mr. Barnes, despite his health issues and the fact that he is currently unable to practice, is still the senior partner of Barnes and Musgrove. Dayton overplayed his hand and everyone else finally saw the pattern, what I’d been worried about.

See how it was supposed to work is that this office kept all profits from local clients and from clients the lawyers generated themselves. For that “privilege” Dayton could send clients to this office for service but he’d only have to split the profits 75 and 25 with him keeping the 75%. Then his offices took over scheduling because it was simply “more efficient”. It has taken time, but Dayton has controlled almost all of the business that Barnes and Musgrove has been doing. Locally we require payment up front. On Dayton’s side they require a retainer but would way overshoot on billable hours and then bill the client for the remainder. They started using this office’s profits, slim though they were, to make up the difference in the other two office’s shortfalls. Our clients also came almost exclusively Dayton’s where he would overbook, etc. and yada.

Dayton’s plan was that he was going to buy out Mr. Barnes’ position, but he was doing it – deliberately it turns out – from profits generated by this office rather than the non-existent profits from his two offices. Where it became obvious was when I caught Dayton’s staff siphoning off the billable hours they weren’t supposed to.

Man was that some stink. Mr. Barnes barely made it through the meeting, and he was shocked when Dayton admitted what he’d been doing, though he once again threw his bookkeepers under the bus for touching profits that should have not even been available to him had the accounting been done correctly instead of just “efficiently.” Rather than put the money back he claimed it as a account payable sort of thing and that he plans on it taking an entire year to make good on the debt.

I decided to play hardball. “The contract between you and Mr. Barnes gives you thirty days to replace those funds. If you don’t do so, you’ve broken the contract and your agreement with Mr. Barnes will be null and void.”

He tried to bluff me but I’ve worked with lawyers too long now and am proof against most such tactics. Then I pushed back and explained that no, I wasn’t practicing “law” but “business”, something I was much better at than he was and that I could absolutely do what I was threatening and didn’t need a law degree to do it. Dayton was very surprised that the three men didn’t shut me down. And it rolled from there. Mr. Barnes stood firm as did Derek. Even Taylor had enough as he felt like he had been cheated and he had. Dayton had thirty days to return the money that his accounting staff “borrowed” to fund Dayton’s offices which conflicts with the contract. And Mr. Barnes firmly explained that family or not, health issues or not, he would not be selling his position until he was on the other side of the cemetery sod and that it would be an equal partnership status with whomever remained at the firm at that time. That is why he had written the partnership contract the way he had. Wily ol’ man, and that’s a fact. Apparently, he knew Dayton’s proclivities better than any of us realized.

But the reality for all of us is the economy. And the war. And all that both of those things mean to the firm’s ability to operate successfully. The cost of fuel alone has meant that even Mr. Barnes has had to come into this century so that he can meet with clients virtually since often they cannot get a ride or a pass to go the shortest route to meet live and face to face. Usually, all Mr. Barnes can do is welcome a client, ask how they are doing, and then introduce them to Derek or Taylor who then handle the main work. Those that wonder why, I came up with a cover story. To the billable hours are as low as possible at the lowest rate possible. Those that have asked like that being explained to them … confidentially of course. Wink*Nudge

In a pure snit Dayton tried to take all the clients he’d been assigning to our office back. To his surprise not all of them were willing to go. So he called the paralegal and receptionist back to Tallahassee. I won’t say good riddance but … yeah, good riddance. I have just about everything automated. People can set their own meeting times, can email or text with a question, can access their case file, etc. And they can even add money to their retainer through a digi-payment system, all from the comfort of their own home or office … or car or just about anywhere so long as they can get a cell or wifi signal. I’m back to working three days a week but I’m only paid for two. Everyone is donating time to the firm to get it back in the black. Mr. Barnes has committed to repaying everyone once Dayton repays the money, but I’ll be honest and I’m thinking that isn’t going to happen.

What all of that means is that income I generated from my other business of playing middleman from the farmers market was even more important, especially if as an income source it was going to be cut off in the not too distant future as was the rumor.

March’s farmers market fell on a day that Derek had to work at the EMS station. I’m thinking that it was just an minor adjustment and the caballeros could help me load and unload and things would go even faster. I could kick myself at what a fool I was to not see what was going on around me.
 
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