The Solitary Man’s Refuge (38 page)

LowBuck cursed the solar storm taking out his and
Donald’s CB radios. Donald and he had worked out a few
hand signals but it was starting to rain and this last half
mile was going to be a bitch because he had to be on his
guard looking around as well as have his window down to
signal at a moment’s notice. He was already getting
soaked as he followed Janice and Michael into town. Well
maybe he didn’t have so much to grouse about after all.
Poor Michael on that motorcycle must be catching hell but
decided to push on. What’s this? They turning in? We got
here a lot quicker than I thought we would of LowBuck
mused as he turned the motorhome into a small white
country churchyard.

Janice got out of her car and explained to the
group quickly that she and her sister were going up to her
uncles house to get the church key and tell everyone we
were in the area. Michael sat in Donald’s truck out of the
rain awaiting her return.

“Looks like we are going to be stuck here until this
weather blows over some. You are going to call me a
dumbass but I forgot to get that trap out of the culvert we
set for that raccoon. I didn’t even think about it until I got
part way down the road.” Donald remarked.

“Me and LowBuck went out and got it on the way by
when we were getting my solar fence and driveway lights. I
am still amazed most of them still work after that solar
event. “Michael replied grinning that he had covered
Donald`s butt in retrieving the valuable trap.

“Man, I really appreciate that. The loss of that one
220 conibear trap these days is about the most bone
headed thing I could have done. One trap can be one
meal, one chance at a meal, the only chance etc. Well I
appreciate you running a bit of due diligence, water under
the bridge now. I guess trying to wear too many hats and
plotting and scheming is making me careless. I guess we
just be back in hunter gather mode soon enough right
Michael?” Donald replied smiling and starting to look
forward to just concentrating on foraging and not
speculating what might go wrong next but he knew it was
illusionary to think that way.

Having had to suffer through years of emergency
management academia as well as first responder duties
Donald knew in his heart that it was too much of an
ingrained trait by now not to wonder and worry about what
he could have done better with his planning or prepping.
Best to listen to LowBuck`s prepper credo of “Prep to live,
don’t live to Prep” philosophy. You can only do what your
brains, pocketbook and social network will allow you to do
to prepare for a calamity. Over worrying was the opposite
of prepping and reduced your capabilities to deal with
shortfalls or life in general. Life is good! As the You Tuber
GoatHollow always signed off his shows with, “We will get
through this!”. It was the idea that we did something, we
took time to care about and learn from and interact with
other preppers that was ultimately the most important
thing. Change one life or prepare one more person was
the fun and glory in it for the prepper community. We were
the lucky ones, blessed in preps and knowledge during
these hard times! Good people, intelligent and inquisitive
people. Ones that were patriotic but designed their own
destinies. Yea the movement had some wack jobs in it but
95% of folks in it had the same pioneer can do spirit that
surmounted mountains and forded rivers in the great go
west expansion their forbears had. Overcoming adversity
was a trait born or learned in every prepper. You
overcome life’s pitfalls by anticipating them and avoiding
them the best you can. You try to not let history repeat
itself and spend time learning lessons from the past about
disasters. Positive energy is directed at what you can do to
create positive progress in your preps . That negative
energy needs to be channeled and controlled.

33
LAYOVER
Janice and her uncle unlocked the church and
motioned for everyone to come inside.
“You all come right on in!” Her smiling uncle called
out to wet travelers hurrying towards its doors.

“I was telling Janice you picked a good day to come
around. I am cooking goat in the ground today and we got
enough to feed your bunch if you got time to hang around
a few hours.

Goat is the most popular meat in the world,
according to a recent article in the New York Times. And
cooking a whole goat or kid is common at celebrations in
North Africa, the Middle East, India and Jamaica. Roasting
goat in a pit in the ground works well because goat is lean
and slow roasting in an enclosed pit keeps the meat moist.
Most pit cooking involves lining the pit with moist
vegetation. Clambakes use seaweed, luaus use Ti leaves,
and in Mexico, where they call this way to prepare goat
"barbacoa de cordero," it is common to use banana
leaves. Her uncle was pretty secretive about how he did it
but Donald had seen him add sassafras leaves to his
cooking pit before as well as some kind of mint.

“Oh we definitely are hanging around for that! How
you been Lomax? Things going ok for you?” Donald asked
shaking his hand.

“Doing the best we can Donald, how about you?
Janice said you had some kind of trouble down your way
and was moving to the lake?” the old man said
questionably.

“Yea we had some wildfire do a lot of damage and
a few neighbors I didn’t trust much making me nervous.
Anyway, the lake seemed our best option so I am going to
do a huge roll of the dice and move this little clan that
way.” Donald concluded.

“ I told Janice that since you all are all prepped and
be an asset for the community you could move in down
here. The church will just be temporary until we get you
settled in. Some of the relative’s ain`t too keen on turning
a house of God into a house of humans long-term. By the
way the toilet don’t work unless you pour a bucket of water
into it. Water been shut off since last week and they say it
aint coming back on, no fuel and too much damage to the
generators they say.” Lomax said sighing and looking over
the rain soaked group trying to get a bit dried out.

“ Catherine is that you? Well I’ll be , I haven’t seen
you in a month of Sundays. How did you throw in with this
herd of folks?” Lomax said brightening and hurrying over
to help her with her rain jacket.

“ Lomax you old Jabberwocky, seems like I haven’t
seen you since Buddha got fat! “ Catharine said giving him
a hug.

“Hey is that saying I gained a few pounds!” Lomax
said smiling and happily patting his lop of a beer belly.

“Well you aint that gangly farm boy that used to try
to spark every girl on this highway anymore. How is your
wife Jackie these days.” Catharine said regarding his still
sparkling blue eyes.

“ Oh the missus is doing ok, you can see her later
on today at suppertime. She has got all the Grandkids
gathering Polk Salad and Fiddleneck ferns for today’s
Barbecue. She sure will be surprised to see ya.” Lomax
said watching everyone trying to figure out what to do with
all those guns they were toting in the confines of the small
church.

“ Now folks you all know I ain`t no Bible thumper
but them weapons ain`t going to sit well with some of the
church members if they come visiting. I know they a
necessary evil about right now but could you dream up
some way to sort of store them out of sight so they won’t
be so obvious?” Lomax said looking at the armory of
personal weapons that had just got dragged into the holy
place.

“ If you are saying its safe around here and nothing
to worry about we would be happy to put them up
wouldn’t` we?” Catharine said heading towards the broom
closet with her own Marlin 30-30 lever action rifle.
Catherine remembered the layout of the church from
attending a couple “Hopeview” celebrations she had
attended many years past. This was a family reunion type
thing held every mother’s day to celebrate and honor the
women of the linage as well as get about 5 generations to
help mow and tend to the family cemetery. Friends and
relatives came from miles around to share in the festivities
and catch up on who was doing what. Donald hated
attending these things and had managed to avoid them.
Too much passing approval and being interrogated by
various relatives of Janice for his taste. About right now
though he wished he had participated more in that
tradition though. He felt out of place even though he had
occasionally met many of the relatives over the years that
formed a couple hundred years of “ Fraziers” occupying
this county.

“ Donald when you get settled in and put your guns
up, I got a little deal I want to discuss with you that I been
thinking about since you were here last.” Lomax said as
Donald placed his AR 15 and shoulder pouch of mags in
the closet and began undoing his pistol belt.

“Oh shit, here it comes. That old man must be
wanting to trade goats for guns or food.” Donald thought
kicking himself for anticipating being asked but not having
a plan for the old codger to wear him down if he had to
stay over longer than the 10 minutes he had planned
before carrying on to the lake.

“Sure Lomax, what do you have in mind? “ Donald
said carefully and added his 9mm to the growing pile. He
still had his .380 pistol in his pocket as well as the rest of
his group concealing various weapons so he was not put
off by the action at all.

“ I had in mind before Janice told me you don’t
know how to ride a horse to trade you that old nag of mine
and a horse trailer for that .45 and shoulder holster you
got. You remember I used to tote one and wouldn’t mind
acquiring another.” Lomax said getting ready to do a little
dickering.

You couldn’t really call Donald a “Gun Prepper”, but
he did have more guns than he could carry and extra
holsters for his pistols to fulfill a variety of situations. This
was his under coat winter carry piece. A really nice Sig
with night sights. He wasn’t too keen to trade it off. This is
the pistol that can fire off 10,000 rounds in a day, without a
single failure. It is the one that earned the trust of
professionals who demanded a .45ACP that would always
come through when the stakes were high. But for the right
trade he might let it go, he preferred his 17 shot 9mm for
everyday carry now. His 45 wasn’t a 1911 style but he
remembered how much Lomax had treasured his when he
fought in Korea and Vietnam. Well if Lomax had a decent
trade it couldn’t go to a better home Donald figured.

“I can ride a horse! I can RIDE a horse! Amy
squealed excitedly.

“Hang on a minute. I got to wrap my head around
this having a horse thing. We going to be hard pressed to
feed ourselves let alone a horse. Although owning a horse
might come in awful handy. What do you think Catherine?”
Donald replied pondering the odd trade.

“I used to ride when I was younger and know a
thing or two about taking care of one.” Catherine began

“I can take care of it! There will be plenty of grass
around at that camp wont their be Donald that the horse
can eat. I can use the sling blade to cut hay for the winter
maybe.” Amy gushed like a little girl asking for a pony.

“ LowBuck get my 45 out your motor home if you
don’t mind. Hey what do you think of us acquiring a horse?
Good idea or not?” Donald questioned.

“ I don’t know much about them, you wanting a
horse now?” LowBuck responded before Amy jumped
back in the conversation.

“Oh we need a horse! Horses are handy for all sorts
of things. You will see it won’t be any trouble at all! Get the
horse Donald, you won’t have to do a thing. I will take care
of it. I could teach you to ride if you wanted also.” Amy
chimed in excitedly trying to sway Donald’s decision with
anything she could think of.

“I guess we getting a horse.” Donald said smiling at
Michael and Amy.

“ Good deal! Amy said giving Donald a hug and
then hugging Michael overjoyed she was sort of getting
her childhood dream.

“ I actually got three I would be willing to trade.”
Lomax began
“No one’s enough for now.” Donald fired back
grinning.

“ Amy go with Lomax and pick the one you want. I
hope I don’t regret this.” Donald said already missing his
45 even if he didn’t carry it all the time.

“ Oh you won’t regret it. Come on Lomax.” Amy
said hurrying the man before Donald had a chance to
change his mind.

“ Hang on girl we ain`t made ourselves a deal yet!
Let me see that shooting iron Buck Low , Buffalo? What
was your name again?” Lomax said to LowBuck and Amy

“ LOW BUCK” Bubba said to Lomax as Michael and
Donald sniggered in the background over the
mispronunciations and confusion.

“ As in LowBuckPrepper it’s my handle and
nickname on the internet” Bubba said looking irritated and
wondering how long it was going to be before Michael
started with the buffalo jokes to remind him of the
encounter.

“ Nice leather, so the gun the shoulder rig, three
mags and how much ammo you offering?” Lomax said
admiring the piece.

“ Uh hum, I got maybe 500 rounds of .45 caliber
and nothing else to shoot it in. Buck Low you got anything
in 45 ACP?” Donald responded taking the opportunity to
needle his friend a bit.

“ Don’t be starting no crap.” LowBuck said grinning
back evilly at Donald`s smirk.
“I don’t have anything to use it in, trade it off if you
want.” LowBuck advised
“Ok, Lomax I have that and a two hip holsters for it,
ones Kydex and ones nylon.” Donald offered.

“ That would be a mighty good trade. I didn’t expect
so much ammo. Can I see it? It isn’t all military surplus is
it?” Lomax said skeptically raising an eyebrow.

“Hell no, none of its surplus. I only got maybe 100
rounds of fresh made NATO military ball, the rest of its
quality hollow points of various weights and types. I even
got 50 rounds of that neat Triton stuff, that’s a bullet that
breaks into 3 pieces once it enters the body. Bubba I hate
to keep you running back and forth, you mind getting all
the 45 Cal we got together while I horse trade with
Lomax?” Donald asked