The Blue Ridge Resistance (5 page)

Chapter 8: Prepping for the Move

Over the next few weeks, Ed settled in to the daily routines of the Homefront with ease. After having been mostly alone in Ohio after the collapse, and with no family to turn to, his spirits were higher than they had been in as long as he could remember. In addition to helping them work the land and the livestock, Ed was filling in with the security duties at the Homefront. With Jason, Griff, and often times, Evan, away on a regular basis working on community-wide projects, preparing the Murphy and Muncie homes for Jason’s and Griff’s families, the extra manpower was a true blessing. If they were going to have time to get crops in the ground that season at their new homes, in preparation for the following winter, the moves needed to be accomplished as soon as possible. 

Jason and Griff both agreed that Jason’s family would take the Murphy home and the Vandergriffs would take the Muncie home. Both were similar in size, acreage, and condition, so it was a relatively easy consensus to reach. Both men were just happy to have the opportunity to provide a home for their families and their potential future generations.

Virtually everyone from the neighboring homesteads contributed to the effort. Those who were physically able, helped with the laborious duties involved with repairing the damage and neglect to the properties. Others donated supplies and materials, as well as items to help get their households up and running. Both were extremely generous contributions, as the homesteading lifestyle didn’t leave much free time to give, and supplies had been running thin for virtually everyone. 

The need for additional supplies and resources for two new households, made it clearer than ever that the men needed to venture out beyond their community in search of what they needed. They also hoped this would lead to a broader coalition of trading partners, connecting them with other homesteads in the region. The men decided that once the families were squared away in their new homes, they would put together a plan to do just that.

One day, while Jason and Griff were both away, working on their homes, Molly was going through the canned goods with Sarah and Judy, dividing things up equitably to help get their households running. “I feel like we are robbing you blind,” said Sarah, feeling guilty for leaving Molly’s pantry so bare.

“Nonsense,” Molly replied. “Where do you think these canned beans, tomatoes, and everything else came from? They came from the garden that you and your families put a lot of work into. Just because the seeds weren’t sewn into your own soil doesn’t mean you don’t have rights to it. The same goes for everything else that we have all chipped in and raised around here.”

“Well, thank you, anyway,” said Sarah as she placed a jar of canned goods into her box. “You know, it’s funny,” she continued, “when we first got here, it felt strange living in such close quarters with other families, doing everything as a team, from the laundry, to preparing meals, to cleaning. But now, the thought of moving on to our own home seems strange. Like, how can I possibly get everything done without you two in it with me?” she said as her eyes became watery and she wiped a tear from her cheek.

“I know,” said Judy. “I guess we are going to be living like our great grandmothers. They did everything themselves the old-fashioned way and somehow got by. Of course, it was the norm for them. They didn’t come from the generation of dishwashers and microwavable meals.”

Each of the ladies laughed and shed a tear together. During their many struggles since the collapse, they had become more like sisters than friends. The hardships they had endured brought them closer than they could have ever imagined.

~~~~

That evening around dinnertime, Jason and Griff returned from a long day of work at their new homes. Their routine was that Griff would ride from the Vandergriff home to the Jones home, as it was a bit further away, and then the two would travel together for safety back to the Homefront. They had both already set up CB radio stations at their new homes in order to stay in contact with each other, as well as the Homefront, if a situation should arise while they were away working.

“You’re just in time for dinner,” Molly said as they walked through the door.

“That was the plan,” replied Griff as he rubbed his belly. “I’m starved.”

Jason asked, “Where is Evan?”

“Oh, he’s out checking on the ewes and their lambs,” Molly replied. “He should be back any minute. How did everything go today?”

“Great,” replied Jason. “We are pretty much ready to go, except, of course, for a few supplies. Griff and I had a long talk on the way back, and we both think we need to venture outside of the area for supplies before we move our families. We don’t want to leave them alone while we are gone, just in case it takes longer than we expect. After we return, we can all make the move and get settled without having to worry about leaving home anytime soon.”

“I so hate the thought of you guys going on an extended run like that,” Molly replied. “I know it’s necessary, but the way things are out there… I mean, look at what it was like for you guys to get here, and for Nate, Luke, and Rachel to get here. There is no such thing as an uneventful trip.”

As Griff took off his hat to have a seat, he added, “Yes, but there are a lot of things we all need. If we can make alliances with other like-minded folks out there, possibly even some sort of communications relay, we will be a lot safer in the long run.”

Molly shook her head in agreement as the door opened and in walked Evan. “Hey, guys, how are things lookin’ over there?” he asked.

“Great,” Jason again replied. “We were just talking to Molly and the girls about something we wanted to run by you.”

“Go right ahead,” Evan said as he took off his rubber muck boots and tossed them outside on the back porch.

For the next half hour, the men and the women discussed Jason and Griff’s proposal, and with a unanimous consensus, everyone agreed that the extended supply run should be made prior to the moves. After dinner, Evan asked Judy to get on the CB and relay a message to all of the homesteads that they would like to hold a meeting, with at least one representative from each, the following day at the Vandergriff family’s new place. With the neighboring homesteaders notified and the kids put to bed, the adults of the Homefront all met at the backyard fire pit for a relaxing evening together.

As Jason lit the fire, Ed spoke up and said, “Hey, guys, I know I just got here and all, and need to pay my dues around here, and considering that I don’t have a family here to be worried while I’m away, I would like to go on the run. Then maybe one of you guys with a family can stay behind to keep an eye on them while we are away.”

“Thanks, Ed, that’s not a bad idea,” replied Evan as he took a sip of a new homemade tea recipe Molly had been working on. She called it Forest Tea because the ingredients all came from the neighboring woods.

“Damn, that’s good,” he said as he held his cup up in a solitary toast to Molly.

“Who should stay then?” asked Jason. 

Griff spoke up and said, “I can hold the fort down here with Greg and Jake to help me with the outer perimeter, and the women can handle the watches on the inner perimeter. I hate to miss out on the trip, but the security around here, with everyone else away, is kind of a big deal.”

“Are we sure we want three of us to go?” asked Evan.

“We can’t send a group out too thin,” Jason responded. “We want the group to be able to handle anything that comes up, especially considering everything we’ve heard on the HAM as of late. I think three is good. We can also draw from other homesteads while our supply party is away. We can even discuss with the other homesteads the prospect of establishing a quick reaction team of sorts, since they will most likely send a few warm bodies along as well. That quick reaction team can then be called upon if a security situation arises at any of the homesteads that are understaffed.”

“That’s an outstanding idea, Jason,” Evan replied. “I sure am glad I rescued you from New York and brought you along,” he added with a sneaky grin.

“Yeah right,” Jason replied with a sarcastic tone. “You just go ahead and remember things however you need to boost your self-esteem.”

“I’m gonna miss having you around all the time to mess with when you guys move out,” Evan said in a somber tone.

“Me too, brother, me too,” replied Jason.

Chapter 9: A Community Venture

The next day, Evan, Jason, and Ed left the Homefront for the Vandergriff’s new home, which had been the requested meeting place due to its central location among the confederacy of homesteads. They arrived early in order to scan the home and the surrounding area to make sure no threats were in the vicinity before the representatives from the other homesteads arrived. Once they cleared the area, Jason climbed onto the roof to survey the area from a distance with the Nightforce scope on his Remington 700 while they awaited the arrival of the others.

“You’re gonna like these folks, Ed,” Evan said as he and Ed sat on the front porch. “They all have a lot of character, and we are truly blessed to have them as neighbors. You can put your life in their hands anytime without fail. We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for each and every one of them.”

Just then, Daryl Moses rounded the corner at the end of the driveway on horseback, holding the reigns of his horse with his left hand, while he held his trusty lever-action rifle at the ready with the other.

“Here comes Daryl,” Evan said. “He’s like a character straight out of an old frontiersman movie. This place wouldn’t be the same without him.” Evan stepped out from underneath the porch roof and looked up at Jason, who was giving him the thumbs up to let him know the way was clear for Daryl. Evan then waved Daryl on up the driveway, letting him know the coast was clear.

“Howdy, Mayor Moses,” Evan said as Daryl approached.

Daryl climbed down from the saddle, and while tying his horse to the railing of the porch, he said, “I don’t know why you keep saying that.”

“Because you’re the glue that binds this place together, and if we ever vote on a leader, I’m nominating you for mayor,” Evan replied.

Daryl just grinned, looked at Ed, and said, “So this must be your Yankee aviator. Glad to meet you, sir. We’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Likewise, Mr. Moses,” Ed said as he shook Daryl’s hand.

“My father was Mr. Moses. Just call me Daryl,” he replied as he returned the handshake.

The men chatted a few more minutes and then heard Jason whistle from the roof. Evan looked up and said, “Well, here comes Nate, who you met at the Thomas farm, of course.”

“Who’s that with him?” Daryl asked as he squinted to see.

“Oh, Judith must have come along with him,” replied Evan. “Luke must have stayed behind to keep a look out. It’s smart not traveling alone.

One by one, the others continued to straggle in. Robert Brooks, Lloyd Smith, Charlie Blanchard, Jimmy Lewis, Linda Cox, Bill Duncan, and of course, Daryl, Evan, Jason, Ed, Judith, and Nate had all arrived and gathered outside the home. Once it appeared that everyone who was going to attend had shown and Ed had gotten acquainted with them, Evan invited everyone inside. He then flagged Jason down from the roof and the meeting got underway.

“The reason we asked everyone to come, is that we think it’s time to get our scouting trip put together to look for possible supply opportunities outside of our little comfort zone here. We, as a community, have done remarkably well providing for ourselves. From our gardens, to our livestock, to our barter of labor and skills, and our defense, one would be hard-pressed to want for more from their friends and neighbors. However, we do fall short when it comes to fuel, medicine, and a few luxury items such as coffee, salt, and other spices. We are also running short on a few raw materials. We are all well aware of the state of things out there. The reports coming in over the radio are that the political situation may be getting much worse with outside influences such as the UN’s so called peacekeepers being brought into the mix. There is also the matter of the renewed migration of people that such things trigger. Some people will be running away from the encroachment of global government, and some will be running towards them with their hands out, in search of support. Either way, people are on the move and supplies will likely continue to dwindle before any sort of recovery begins, if it begins at all.”

“What do you propose, exactly?” asked Charlie Blanchard.

“Jason, Ed, Nate, and I are going to make a supply run outside of the area, as we now have four households to support,” Evan replied. “We would like to make the offer that if any of the other homesteads would like to go along to procure supplies, we would welcome the additional manpower. We can all work together while we are out there to search for whatever it is that each of us need. We will work as a team, both in procurement and protection, at all times. If there is something you need but can’t make the trip, we understand, but we ask that you at least contribute to the expedition in terms of food or fuel and we will do our best to find what you need.” Evan then looked at Linda Cox and said, “Like you, Linda, we all know you live alone, so leaving your house and your animals unattended isn’t something you would be advised to do. We understand that.”

“What about security while you… uh, or we… are gone?” asked Lloyd Smith.

Evan replied, “Griff has volunteered to stay behind at the Homefront to provide security with the help of Greg and Jake, who have both grown in to more than capable young men. Luke will be at the Thomas farm, and we will delay the move of the Vandergriff and Jones families until after we return. I would like to ask that Daryl stay behind, as well, to set up and lead a quick reaction force for the homesteads that have members who are away on the trip, compromising their own security.”

Daryl looked at Evan with a puzzled look, paused, and said, “That makes sense. I was sure looking forward to getting out and about, but I can get around the area pretty quick on horseback. I would be glad to head that up. If I can get a few other folks who stay behind to join in, we can be the CB radio version of 911 until you return.”

“Outstanding,” Evan replied with a smile.

Jimmy Lewis then motioned for the room’s attention with his hand and asked, “How do you plan on traveling? By car? Horse? ATV? Tractor?”

“Once we know who all is going and what sort of supplies we are looking for, we can hammer out a solid plan then. Right now, we are in the brainstorming stages, but we do need to consider fuel economy and pulling power. I imagine we will take a large livestock trailer or the like to haul what we find.”

Robert Brooks looked around the room and then reluctantly stood up and said, “I’ve not been doing so well lately. My blood pressure is through the roof without my medication. I have headaches every day, and I just have no energy at all. I can barely keep up with the work I have to do around the house to keep us going. I was hoping going back to a natural diet, like all of us have, would help, but it hasn’t. If you guys can keep an eye out for something that may help me, you are more than welcome to use my John Deere 2140 tractor. She’s a tough old beast, diesel, four-wheel drive, and even has a loader. I could take the loader off if you think it would be in the way, but if you think it would come in handy, it will lift quite a bit. No offense, Evan, but it will pull a heck of a lot more than your little two-wheel drive Ford.”

“No offense taken,” Evan said with a grin. “Yes, that little Ford was supposed to be our starter tractor. We were gonna move up later, but well… you know. Anyway, unless anyone else has any other ideas, we will probably take you up on that. We could pull Ollie’s… um, I mean Mildred’s twenty-foot livestock trailer with Ollie’s homemade three-point hitch, trailer ball set-up. Then maybe have a couple of guys follow along with ATVs or something.”

Jason spoke up and said, “That would probably be way better than taking a street vehicle. Those big agriculture tires will go through a heck of a lot of crap, if need be, compared to pickup truck tires. Who knows what kinds of obstacles we will come across, or the road conditions?”

“Yep, you’ll be truly having a bad day if you get her stuck,” Robert replied.

“Well, I think we are well on our way to a plan then,” Evan stated. “At this point, I think everyone should go home and think things through with your families, make a list of things you really need, and let’s meet back here the day after tomorrow at the same time. We can hammer everything out then, and get going as soon as the next day.”

After a little more social chat and catching up, everyone returned to their homes, discussed the tentative plans with their families, and began to prepare for what roles they could or should play in the upcoming supply run.

Back at the Homefront, the Vandergriff and Jones families put together a list of what they needed to complete the repairs on their new homes, as well as what it would take to adequately stock them with the things they would need for the foreseeable future. Evan and Molly also put a list together of things they needed, as well as things they thought would be valuable for the community as a whole, such as schoolbooks and other reference materials. The long-term nature of the crisis meant home schooling the children and medical supplies for Rachel, who they all now looked to as their community physician, were things that had to be considered.

When the meeting finally came, everyone gathered at the Vandergriff home as planned. This time, several of the men brought their wives along, as they wanted to hear exactly what their husbands were getting themselves into. Everyone brought along their lists of needs, as well as lists of needs from the folks who were unable to attend the meeting and could not participate in the journey. 

At the conclusion of the meeting, they complied the lists and Evan read aloud the results. “Here is what we have, folks; other than the obvious need for gasoline, diesel, kerosene, etc., we seem to have several folks that need roofing materials of some sort. We need salt and spices of any kind available, coffee, and ammunition of various calibers. A few folks have some specific mechanical parts they need in order to fix tools and equipment they already have, and several of the guys are looking for scrap metal of any kind, as well as welding supplies. Molly wants us to keep an eye out for school or reference books to help with homeschooling the children. Rachel gave us a list of medications, in addition to yours, Robert, as well as some other medical and health related supplies. Aside from that, I’m sure a lot of what we bring back will be stuff we come across along the way that we just can’t bring ourselves to leave behind, so we will just adapt our list as we go.”

Jimmy asked, “What do you think the chances are of us even finding that sort of stuff.”

At this point, Ed spoke up and said, “I know I’m new here, but I’m also the most recent one to have been out in the rest of the world. As far as medications and stuff go, the odds aren’t good. Most pharmacies that I have seen that aren’t heavily guarded government facilities, were looted and ransacked early on. Medicine cabinets in abandoned houses and things of that nature may be our only hope in that regard, but as far as building supplies and random resources go, you can find that stuff everywhere. You may have to tear apart an abandoned building to get it, so I recommend we take plenty of tools along, but it’s there.”

“The same goes for the school materials,” he continued. “Not too many people bothered carrying that stuff along when they bugged out. Food supplies, though, have pretty much all been spoken for. I suggest we take some things along as barter for those. There may be a group out there with a cache of salt, for example, that would gladly trade it for some of the canned goods that some of you folks have put away from last season’s garden surpluses. It’s really all a big unknown, but all we can do is try.”

After a little more chatter around the room, the plan was finalized and the group planned to set out in two days in order to give everyone a chance to prepare for the journey. Going on the journey would be Evan, Jason, Ed, Nate, Charlie, and Jimmy.