Story Grace, Mercy and Blessings

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
There's reasons to turn the old billy into goat biryani every few years and use a younger, much smaller and easier to handle one.
Oh yes there is!! Sadly haven't found an Indian eatery nearby that offers that dish although I'm sure if they were catering out, it might be available. I think I'll investigate ..... all y'all got my taste buds working!

Now, to find some Tiger beer.......
 

Old Gray Mare

TB Fanatic
Oh yes there is!! Sadly haven't found an Indian eatery nearby that offers that dish although I'm sure if they were catering out, it might be available. I think I'll investigate ..... all y'all got my taste buds working!

Now, to find some Tiger beer.......
Goat biryani! Oh yeah! DH had a Indian coworker. We gave them some goat meat and we were gifted homemade goat biryani. Yum. I love indian food. Homemade was a special treat.

Also found out some had a hankering for spent hens and tough roosters. The geriatric feather dusters found a new use and I didn't have to feel guilty for not turning them into stock or my poor attempt at coq au vin.

Apologies for drift. Good memories...
 
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PacNorWest

Veteran Member
#265

Very stealthily, Mark moved his hand to his gun butt. Billy's had but one use and then their life should have been naturally over. If by chance, it hadn't naturally expired, Mark was sure his pistol would complete the job nicely.

Mark looked up to see Clora staring at him with a calm gaze. She was shaking her head ever so slightly; as if to say...not in front of the children. Hoping to deflect her observation, Mark asked oh so casually, "now how in the world did these cows get here? Clora, did you know they were coming?"

Completely guileless, Clora replied with a heart felt answer. "No, I was just coming outside and I heard a moo. Isn't it a blessing from God that we have cows. I have been praying, and God answered."

Both cows has a chain and a tag around their neck, as they had once been registered and in a milking string somewhere. Cows that probably had an owner that wanted them back.

"They probably belong to somebody," Mark said neutrally, and was surprised when Clora shook her head no.

"They need a home, and this is just the place to provide for them. Come sweethearts, come have hay and do we have a little grain to tempt them with?" Clora opened a box stall and in both cows went with a soft moo.

While Mark's attention had been occupied elsewhere, the billy had circled around until he was behind the dignified, white haired patriarch of the clan.

"Clora, I will shoot him if he so much as takes a step in my direction." Mark warned with a dark glower. Someone snickered in the barn, but no one knew who it was.

Tess stepped in and patted her leg. The nanny and billy responded, and went willingly into two more box stalls. The nanny needed milked, and Clora went for a bowl, and to ask Ivory if she was interested in a treat, Both Ivory and Red seemed like they agreed, so the nanny's full bag was relieved.

Peter was down, practically on his stomach in the dirt, watching the dogs lap up the milk. "Ma, I want to try; that looks like fun."


The five members rode along together. The cold weather miserable and constant rain depressing and unusual.
 

Sammy55

Veteran Member
I was so caught up in the hilarity of the new cows and goats and Mark's discomfort that I almost forgot who "the five" were!! And where they are coming from/going to.

Thanks, Pac, for the new chapters!!
 

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
#265
The five members rode along together. The cold weather miserable and constant rain depressing and unusual.
So any thoughts on whom Dory awaits? I think Jerry is off the the menu unless he & Abby get all askew again and I'm sure Dory will be happy to see her sister (at least a little) so....hmmm:shr::hmm:
 

wab54

Veteran Member
As far as the "first born" goes, who messed up with GOD for him to put the "first born to pay for the sins of the Father" type punishment in play?

WAB
 

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
As far as the "first born" goes, who messed up with GOD for him to put the "first born to pay for the sins of the Father" type punishment in play?

WAB
Hmmm....I can't think of who it might be .....I see some some research coming up, you know, going back to 'For Pete's Sake' or 'Pride Goeth Before A Fall' ....:hmm:

Oh well, if rereading great chunks of this epic are required ..... so be it.
 

juco

Veteran Member
I think Jerry has grown emotionally and spiritually, but has Abby? I’m not sure she’s able to be half of a whole yet.

How old is Donnie now? I’ve been thinking of him as an older teenager, 18 or so.
 

wab54

Veteran Member
Hmmm....I can't think of who it might be .....I see some some research coming up, you know, going back to 'For Pete's Sake' or 'Pride Goeth Before A Fall' ....:hmm:

Oh well, if rereading great chunks of this epic are required ..... so be it.

Not unless it came all the way from Pete.

WAB
 

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
I think Jerry has grown emotionally and spiritually, but has Abby? I’m not sure she’s able to be half of a whole yet.

How old is Donnie now? I’ve been thinking of him as an older teenager, 18 or so.
Not sure if Abby really gets the team concept; she seems more concerned a 'partner' will put her above all else, in all things.
 
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PacNorWest

Veteran Member
Folks,

sorry to be absent. We went to help a neighbor on Thurs. she is having an estate sale, and is overwhelmed. So here it is Sunday, and as soon as we get done with church, we are going back to help. It is so sad. She has astonishingly high values on everything, and has sold very little. She refused to 'deal' and the traffic to her sale has almost stopped.

Tonight, we will have all this stuff, to put back under cover. We have been asking her to have a second hand dealer come, or a charity, and let them 'help' remove all this moderately useless junk.

We shall see what develops. Something quick, I hope.
 

Sneaker 11

RECONDO
No apologies need from here, you need to do what is important rather than that which we may think immediate. Hope this lady recognizes what she must do to move 'stuff'.

11
 

wab54

Veteran Member
Pac,
I know how she feels. I feel the same way about my "stuff". I am trying to get things to someone who can use it. Want to get the best stuff situated before I die. I have all this Ham Radio stuff and dont have anybody to pass it to. If I could find a lady that is interested, I would set her up with a complete station if she would use it. A lady on the radio is a great thing. Especially one who would be a net control operator. A lady always has a crowd on her net. But anyone that is interested and is close by would benefit as well.

WAB
 

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
If her values are high, she needs to get a storage locker. We donate stuff we're not using all the time. If I was in a garage-sale friendly environment, I'd price aggressively and rarely have had to put anything back.

Easy for me say but I'm notorious for being pragmatic; hard for some when every thing they look at triggers a memory or, like my ex-wife, a clear memory of what she spent on it; a human, Excel P&L statement.

As to your 'absence', you didn't abandon us and you're trying to be of aid & comfort to a neighbour which, hopefully, is what we'd all do.

Carry on Ma'am; we're all occupied with the current little puzzles you've left lying around so, you know we're waiting for more clues. :)

We'll just park over here, out of the way. It wouldn't do to block traffic to the Estate Sale! ;)
 
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Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
I believe that Chuck is on his way with the Sheriff.
True but Tess & Clora got into a positive mode about that as soon as they were aware of his change of course; we'll see. He's still on the 'needs to get with the program' list.
 
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PacNorWest

Veteran Member
#266

Abby put Bruce and Donny in her wagon, wrapped in blankets and out of the wind. They had heated rocks in the last of the morning campfire, to try and stop the almost uncontrollable shivering the men were doing.

Cold and wet was not the best scenario for healing, and both men gratefully cuddled with the hot rocks.

Because she had been driving very carefully, to keep from jostling the men in the stiff straight axel wagon, Pricilla had to step up her hustle, to keep up with Abby and Jerry as they hard pounded the trail.

Several times they passed westward bound wagons and the people looked interested in stopping to talk; but Abby and Jerry kept a punishing pace, so Priss waved and continued to follow. Several times she thought it wouldn't have hurt to stop and talk, but the two lead wagons kept hustling on. It took two weeks of this exhausting travel to get close to the river and the work-for-passage ferry.

Bruce had not complained, but as thin and stooped over as he was, he was plenty bruised by laying on the wagon bed as it went from bump to bump.

Donny had given up and pleaded to get back on his horse, he told Jerry he wasn't man enough to take the bouncing as Bruce was doing.

They camped in the outskirts of town, while Abby and Priss cooked meals to bolster Bruce's stamina. Suddenly the reason for the rapid punishing pace was clear. Bruce was rested for a week, before the men went into town to see how much work would be required to earn passage for the three wagons.

News that Bruce was a doctor ran through the settlement like wildfire. Almost immediately, he was put to work, and Donny was dispatched back to camp to have Abby or Priss come in and be his nurse.

Priss agreed and Donny escorted her into the makeshift first aid tent. Jerry was on the ferry, helping to pull the wooden raft back and forth. He was busy, straining with the hard work, and wondering why the owners didn't use horses, as they had done in St. Louis when the clan crossed.

The crossing fee had been set at three weeks work; and it was seven days a week, dawn to dusk. On Sunday of the end of the first week, Jerry was groaning with the muscle strain, Bruce looked shell shocked with the amount of sick and injured people he had helped, and the line was already forming for the next morning.

Abby had been cooking, Donny was security and Priss thought she might throw up if she had one more infected boil to lance.

Finishing supper almost too tired to eat, Jerry had an idea. "What if," he ventured, "we consider selling the four horse team and small wagon to the ferry operators and install a horse pull, rather than using man power. If we keep the two big wagons and six up teams, there is room for all of us and we would get on the road two weeks sooner."

There was a long stretch of silence as thinking was done, and then Jerry asked, "who does the wagon and team belong too, I guess that's the first order of business."

Priss spoke up. "The wagon and team belonged to Phoebe and Seamus. I guess by default, they belong to the three of us now."

Jerry nodded. He liked dealing with Priss, she didn't dither, and came to mostly correct conclusions in a swift hurry. "Then it's up to the three of you, if you are in agreement or not, to sell and speed up the crossing."

"It suits me fine," Bruce said quietly. Long hours and short nights had the good doctor in sleep deficit, and his whole body was protesting.

Donny nodded his agreement, he basically didn't care one way or the other. He was out of the jolting wagon and off his horse as he slowly healed from the clawing. But, he was anxious to head South, the weather was just cold, too cold.

Priss was agreeable. She already knew that they had boils, splinters and a burn to treat tomorrow, so anything to help move them out quicker was Ok in her book.
It was agreed upon and Jerry was dispatched the next morning to do the deed.

The ferry owners were agreeable, no one crossing had been willing to sell horses, but the owners were interested and the transaction completed. By Tuesday morning, they were on the ferry inching across the big muddy.

Priss was scared to death, kept her face hidden in the crook of her arm as they creaked and jerked through the water. Lots of prayers were sent heavenward, and when they reached the solid land, more prayers for the deliverance from the river terror were prayed.

"So, where do we go now?" Donny asked as they settled inside the wagons. Abby and Jerry drove one, and Priss with the two maimed men.
 

PacNorWest

Veteran Member
#267

Mark retreated to the barn bedroom to do a thinking session. Some way, some how, he was going to get the billy to help clean the tunnel. What a fitting and satisfying way to work his old nemesis; and if the evil creature happened to catch something from the putrefying bodies and die, too bad and so sad. The thought made him chuckle aloud.

With the revenge against all billy goats, evil or not, settled in his mind; Mark came out of the bedroom whistling and in a very good humor.

Clora looked up sharply, gave her grinning husband a sideways glance, and shook her head. What ever he was planning had put him in a sprightly mood.

"Don't you be poking around in my business," Mark threatened as he snitched a cookie from the rack; alluding to Clora's esp abilities. "Have you sorted out who is on the way back here?" he used a question to re-direct his sharp and sensitive wife to a different track of thought.

"I am getting Bruce and Donny, and I think Abby and Jerry, maybe Priscilla. There are others, but they aren't clear." Clora straightened up and put her hand on her aching back. "It certainly is a strange combination, and it puzzles me how they happened to get together."

"I wouldn't mind if they all came back, all except the bagpipes." Mark snitched another cookie. "Do you want me to go into the retreat storeroom for more supplies?" After all, flour and sugar for cookies was a great necessity.

"Good idea," Clora approved. "Let me ask the other ladies what they need, that way one trip will do the trick."

"Ok. I'm gonna go see what Milo and Toby think about an idea I have, there are a few more problems to work out, but on the whole, it should work."

"Hummm," was all Clora said as he almost pranced out the door.

Toby and Milo were still in the other part of the barn, tending to the newly arrived Holstein ladies.

"I've seen it with my own two eyes, and I still don't know how Ma collects these animals," Toby was muttering to his brother.

"Animals and kids," Milo laughed, "I think she just asks God, and whammo, there it is."

"Remember those two really weird girls from when we lived at Applewood Farm? They were the creepiest humans I have ever been around. I also remember Tess and her outrage when she discovered they had beheaded her doll. I don't think I've seen her that mad since." Toby snorted.

"Yeah, she sure has a temper like Dad." Milo had his head down and didn't see Toby give him a hand signal to be quiet, as the Dad in question was wandering in earshot.

Milo heard the footsteps almost too late, and did some quick thinking to cover his gaffe. "I wonder how many kids Ma and Dad have acquired over the years?" he questioned.

"It sounds like at least two too many," Mark said with heavy meaning, and then laughed at his sons discomfort.

"You're as evil as those goats you hate," Toby finished brushing the cow standing contentedly in the stall chewing hay. "It will be so good to have milk, the kids are almost wild waiting for the probation to be over. How old do you think these two old gals are? Rennie said they looked like scarecrows, and I have to agree."

"I think this one is not long until she calves," Milo laid his hand on his cow's side and felt the rippling movements. "Yup, not long at all. I think we had better let her dry up."

"Something I've been meaning to ask, what do you suppose happened to the people we left here and what about the horses and Boss Hoss?" Mark asked as they cleaned and tidied the barn.

"They were over run, I suppose; this was a tempting plum of sorts. Maybe we are here under false sense of security, perhaps the same thing could happen to us." Milo stretched up as he hung the manure shovel back on it's peg.

"Yeah well, don't say that too loud; that's not a welcome topic of discussion." Toby reminded them. "Especially near my house. As for the horses, they would have made good eating or trading. We've still got garden to plow and wood to cut. Rennie keeps reminding me, as a way to keep me out of trouble."

"She must have been talking to Honey, as I'm getting the same sounding song." Milo half grinned. "I wonder how long Gary and Ricky are gonna be gone?"

"I'm guessing a while," Mark stood looking around the animal half of the barn. "We're gonna be in a world of hurt for hay; I can't believe this backward weather year."
 

PacNorWest

Veteran Member
#268
"Listen men, I have this idea and it has to do with cleaning the tunnel and using the billy to do the work." Mark gave a wicked chuckle, rubbing his hands together in a parody of great satisfaction.

"What an idea," Toby laughed, "does Ma know?"

"Not yet," Mark threatened darkly, "I believe that is for later." as he used his very best "I'm in charge here' voice.

"You betcha," both men were quick to agree when Mark used his 'commander' voice. "This is going to be worth the wait and watch," Milo chuckled, "one I'm gonna enjoy seeing."



Jerry and Abby were discussing how to travel. "We're across the Mississippi, but we still have the Ohio South of us; and it's fairly good sized. The mountains are going to be the greatest problem. The easiest way for us to travel is gonna be following the river, if I could find us empty flat boats, I'd try to strike a deal with somebody and float down to St. Louis and then follow the trail back to North Carolina."

"I don't know," Abby said concerned. "All the fares seem to be outrageously expensive, considering the times; and then there are river pirates'." and she shuddered.

Jerry turned to give her a considering look, "what do you know about river pirates?"

"Several of the 'tours' that stopped and used the Inn had spoken about the river and it's problems. The ladies especially were very distressed about the 'fees' charged by the rascals. It's not something ladies like." Abby added in a very quiet voice. "I don't think Pricilla knows about this, she wasn't at the Inn when a tour came through. The men seemed to think it wasn't a possibility, but the ladies were pretty convinced it was.'

"That's not a fee I would ever consider paying," Jerry said firmly, "if that's the way it is, we shall continue by wagon. Tell me about the tour, how do they move people amid all of this?" Jerry hoped to change the subject to ease Abby's fears.

"I don't know what happened after they left the Belnap Inn. All of that was secret, I never knew who and what was coming next; except the driver would leave information of how many people would be in the next group. I had no information who conducted the passages, or how much they charged in total, They paid well for overnight and two meals, as far as I'm concerned."

"Would you know any of the group if you saw them?"

"I don't think so, each driver was different, only the wagons seemed the same or at least similar. I might be able to pick out the wagon, it was one of those wagons with bench seats on each side, like we used to see in dude trail drives." Abby looked around and pulled her coat tighter around herself.
 
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