173 replies to this topic

[DianeHanna]

Alicia tried to bring it down a notch, “It’s true that Elliott has the best mechanical skills of all of us. Elliott, even if we haven’t told you, we do appreciate the extra effort. Now may be a good time to go around remind everyone of the special responsibilities each of us has taken on. We all have been sharing equally in the gardening and cleaning, so just tell us what other things you have been doing. We don’t want to take each other for granted.”

Carter went first. “It isn’t fancy, using only a grill, but I have been serving almost all the meals. I go to cooking class to prepare for when we have a better kitchen. In fact, at this morning’s class I learned to make Baked Alaska, which I brought home for our desert tonight.”

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Next was Faun. “I’ve been keeping track of our income and expenses, helping Demetra with the shopping, and making sure all our bills are paid.”

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Demetra mentioned that she was functioning as the group’s fitness counselor. She worked out with everyone and arranged sessions at the health club. She also led hikes around the area. “It’s important that we stay as healthy as possible.”

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Alicia was sitting to her left, so she spoke next. “I study the newspaper every day for new investment opportunities and manage our current holdings. I have been pretty successful, if I do pat myself on the back.”

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Everyone looked at Brady, who was trying his best to avoid eye contact.

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He didn’t think he should mention that his true contribution was keeping the female group members happy.

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He mumbled, “I’ll start learning from Elliott and help give him a break with the maintenance.”

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“If that’s it for the division of labor, there is one more item on the agenda,” announced Martin.
“Faun has proposed membership for her good friend, Moon Child.”

There were smiles all around the table and this decision was unanimous.

Alicia thanked Martin for hosting the meeting and they all went home feeling pretty good.

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Moon Child was invited to move in, and she happily accepted.

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[DianeHanna]

As spring drew to a close, the weather turned muggy. The refreshing rains of April gave way to violent thunderstorms which did nothing to cool them off. Everyone was sweltering in their tents. The thunderstorm they had been expecting since the previous afternoon finally blew in at about 4:00 AM. A couple of loud booms shook everyone awake. So far it was only sprinkling lightly and being outdoors was quite pleasant compared to the stuffy tents. There was weeding to be done in the garden, so Alicia, Faun, and Demetra headed out to get a jump on the heat. Carter started breakfast, since everyone was up already and bound to be hungry after the gardens were finished.

Brady decided to get in a short workout. The cooling rain did not bother him in the least, in fact it felt terrific. He was about half way through his warm-up at the ballet barre when the sky split apart. He was struck by a bolt of lightning. It was followed by the loudest clap of thunder anyone had heard. It rattled the tents and there was a horrible smell of burning in the air.

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When he was able to stand back up, he discovered that he was capable of walking. He was badly burned from head to toe. He did not know what had happened to him, and he was screaming about being on fire. Faun quickly called an ambulance for him, but because they were so far from the hospital it was quite a long time coming. Brady staggered around the lot in agony, and not even Alicia was able to convince him to lie down.

It was full daylight before he and Alicia arrived at the hospital downtown, where the ambulance was met by Nurse Meyers.

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Dr. Rogers began to examine Brady and judging by the incoherent answers he was getting to his questions, realized that there might be some neurological damage. He rushed Brady up for an MRI.

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Alicia was waiting outside of the imaging room for what seemed like an eternity. She was not ordinarily easily alarmed but she found herself wringing her hands with worry. Dr. Rogers eventually came out to speak with her.



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“Are you family?” he asked.

“In a manner of speaking,” she replied. “We live together as a family at the Freelove compound.”

“Well,” he responded, “Brady is a pretty lucky fellow. His MRI showed no major trauma. He will be confused for a few days, and he is going to be very uncomfortable. He’ll need to stay here where we can monitor him closely and treat his burns.”

Alicia left him at the hospital, and went home to tell the others.

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A few days later she got the call that he was being discharged. She taxied back to pick him up. She was amused that Brady had been in such bad shape he had barely noticed Nurse Meyers.

Everyone was relieved to see him looking like his old self, but the bank account took a big hit for the hospital bills.

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[isabellachanning]

The natives are sound a little restless...

[DianeHanna]

Summer Days

Spring passed as quickly as it had been slow to arrive. Summer settled over Riverblossom Hills like a fuzzy wool blanket. It was exactly as hot as winter had been cold. The tents had poor cross-ventilation and soon became ovens. The air could only be described as stifling, it was hot, moisture-laden, unbreathable.

Carter saw his first fireflies and was delighted with the experience. He let them go almost immediately.

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After the spring planting rush, work in the gardens slowed down some. Weeding was only possible in the very early mornings, leaving long, dozey afternoons to pursue other interests.

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Having an extra set of hands lightened everyone’s load.

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Brady sat down at the sewing machine, determined to teach himself to sew. He was soon swearing as the thread tangled around the presser foot. He eventually worked it out and completed his first project, a red pot holder. “That was a pretty lame project,” he thought. “Maybe Carter can use it in the kitchen.” Then he made another and another. He finally felt confident to tackle the project he really wanted to work on, a tent for his beloved piano. He chose a very colorful pink and green canvas and when it was done he was quite pleased with himself. He hoped that tenting the piano would prolong its life. “Now if we can’t buy clothes, I’ll be able to fix the ones we have.” All in all he was feeling quite smug.

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Carter came home from one of his scavenging forays in town and made an announcement. “I just sold three paintings. Can we please buy a stove? I’m sick to death of hot dogs and burgers.”

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This announcement was received with cheers, and the bargain stove that Carter located was delivered straight away. It was pretty sorry, as stoves go, but at least didn’t need electricity. Carter found it tricky to use at first, but got the hang of it eventually.

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From then on, meals became a lot more satisfying. Eggs and bacon or blueberry pancakes were a lot more appealing for breakfast than a hot dog.

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[wordlesswriter]

wow. Love the lighting painting. did you take the photo or down load it?

[DianeHanna]

Hi wordlesswriter!

I'm not real sure how it got in the game. I do have Maxi's More Functional Easels downloaded.

http://www.thesimsre...rset/id/755957/

I think it is one of the extra canvases that come with this download. I didn't start seeing it until they had painted lots of paintings.

[DianeHanna]

There was plenty of hammock time.

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Hunting bugs and birdwatching became popular pastimes as well.

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Brady found fishing an entertaining pastime. He dropped a hook in whenever he got a chance. As he became more skilled, the fish got bigger. The bigger the fish, the more he liked it.

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Elliott, on the other hand was not so successful.

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Summer was not without its usual mishaps, and the Freelove group was not immune. Brady ran headlong into a swarm of bees, and Demetra led a hike through a patch of poison ivy. All were minor problems, easily treated at home.

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Demetra kept in shape with her nightly workouts, while Brady enjoyed the scenery.

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The group was getting used to Carter disappearing into the neighborhood and coming back with bits and pieces. On the whole they were pleased with the things he brought home, even if they couldn’t see an immediate use for some of it. He had a built-in compass to lead him to any remodeling or demolition jobs in the area. Like with the stove, he spent very little money. They were starting to accumulate a large pile of lumber and bricks. If they couldn’t be worked into their building projects, they could certainly have a great weenie roast.

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Of course, they continued to search the night skies. Their purpose in being together in the compound was never really out of their thoughts.

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[DianeHanna]

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Elliott had also been making the rounds of the neighborhood, and wrangled an invitation to the McGreggor farm. Everyone was anxious to see how a real farm was run, so they all assembled on his property for a tour.

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He had a tidy little farmhouse, which probably had been decorated decades ago by his mother. His milking barn was close to the house, behind a small orchard. Chickens roamed freely in the dooryard, picking lazily at the ground. They could see milk cows in a variety of colors waiting to be let out to pasture for the day. There was also a rather scary-looking bull in one of the pens.

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Carter was fascinated by the farm animals. “This is what I wanted when we talked about moving out here,” he thought. He would have loved to pet the sheep, but they moved aside when he approached. Apparently they knew they were farm animals, not pets.

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He and the others listened carefully when Mr. McGreggor discussed his methods of planting and harvesting.

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Leod explained that although he studied agricultural science in college, he also employed some of the tried and true farming methods of his father and granddad, especially when it came to managing the livestock.

Although his farm was on a much larger scale than the Freelove place, he had plenty of information they could scale to their operation. He told them about how he rotated his crops and proudly pointed out the field of corn closest to the house.

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“Nothing like hot weather to ripen the ears,” he boasted.

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He ended the day by treating them to a barbeque. Brady found this hilarious. They had been eating grilled food for nearly six months, and no longer considered it a treat.

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Alicia, in particular, came away from the day feeling she had made a friend.

[DianeHanna]

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Their first harvest was a success and they were able to put away bushels of tomatoes for cooking, juicing and tomato sauce. It looked like spaghetti was going to be on the menu for a long, long time.
For days there were pots of sauce bubbling on the stove in preparation to be canned. The orchard trees produced some fruit, but not the best quality. Still, they would have plenty of Vitamin C. The fresh juice was a welcome change.

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Demetra was feeling closely connected to the earth and the seasons. She realized she was becoming more and more like her mother. The vernal equinox was approaching, and she wanted some sort of celebration, as her pagan ancestors had celebrated.

The days were very hot, but some evenings the temperature dropped enough to be comfortable. She enlisted Carter’s help in planning a feast. She ordered a few bottles of wine from a merchant downtown. Carter was going to get his bonfire at last.

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Carter finished repainting the inside of the storeroom, a project he had started back on Jan 1^st. “No way are we entertaining guests with dirty, ratty-looking walls.” A few strokes with a roller and it looked like new.

[isabellachanning]

I am really enjoying the your pictures.

[DianeHanna]

Thanks Isabella. I appreciate comments, especially kind ones like yours!

=========


Everyone was excited the day of the party. They all rushed through their chores and relaxed and rested in the heat of the afternoon, anticipating a late night. At this moment they again seemed like a group of carefree college students, their worries dropping away in expectation of a wonderful evening.

Demetra invited her mother, and Faun invited Martin. Sheila got wind of the celebration, and came along, likely to keep an eye on Martin, possibly with designs on Carter. Alicia hoped it was the former. Faun could take care of herself. She couldn’t imagine greedy Sheila having any long term interest in a man like Carter who was never going to be wealthy. Mr. McGreggor popped in as well, and left his dour expression at home. Everyone was ready for fun.

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Carter served a menu of summertime favorites, including strawberry salad, salmon and ice cream for dessert.

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Everyone ate and drank, and then the dancing began. Demetra had borrowed a small, battery operated stereo from her mother for the occasion. Brady was in charge of the music selection. He had kept his extensive CD collection from the dorm, even though he was mostly using his MP3 player these days.

As the sun lowered toward the horizon, Spirit led the party in a ‘not-so-pagan’ ritual called The Smustle.

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Carter arranged to sit near Moon Child. By now he was completely head over heels in love with her and was lapping up every word she spoke. She chatted amiably with him, and soon realized that if there were going to be any flirting, she would have to initiate it. She reached across the table and touched his hand. Carter was astonished. He smiled and caressed her arm lightly.
Emboldened, he gave her a clumsy kiss.

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Brady lit the bonfire and roasted a couple of marshmallows. It was really too hot for a fire, but it was fun anyway.

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Carter and Moon Child sat together by the fire talking, long into the night.


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[DianeHanna]

Elliott and Brady put their heads together and built a surprise for Demetra. They wanted to acknowledge her burgeoning bond with nature. Near the orchard they built a small potting shed where she could start seedlings, and they could store their garden tools. Demetra was delighted by the shed and touched by the thoughtfulness of her friends

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She got right to work, mixing soil and starting cuttings. This was someplace she could work, even in the middle of winter.

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It was truly a lovely addition to the lot, and provided their first flowers.


Carter came home one morning carrying a box of baby chicks.
Alicia was horrified. This went way beyond his usual scavenging!
“Chickens, Carter? What are we going to do with chickens?
Carter gave his best bashful impression. “Mr. McGreggor gave them to us. Won’t it be nice to have eggs, and maybe fried chicken once in a while?”

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“And just who is going to kill the chickens, Carter?”

“I hadn’t thought that far yet.”

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At any rate, the chickens were there to stay, and Elliott put up a small shelter with some chicken wire. Soon, they did what chickens do, grew up and started laying eggs. Carter seemed to get a great deal of fun out of feeding them and talking to them, so no one complained about the noise. It was pretty obvious there would be no fried chicken on their table.

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Although time had passed, no one had forgotten the miserable winter. The need for shelter was the topic of many individual and group discussions. They planned to build sleeping quarters on the abandoned foundations.

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Elliott walked slowly around the larger of the two foundations. He started thinking about how small it was when he considered seven beds. It also was way too far from the bathroom. “I’m not going to sprint across all this distance in my PJs in December. It would be better to tear this down and use the bricks and plywood for a whole new building. I’d like to see it go up where the tents are now.”

Elliott had a college buddy, Mark Porter, who was working as an architect downtown. He taxied in to see him for an informal consultation. He ended up drawing the plans himself, with only a little input from his friend.

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[DianeHanna]

Moon Child was fitting into the group fairly well, except for her tendency to borrow the other women’s clothing without asking. This was particularly irritating to Faun, who was her most frequent target.

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Each time, Moon Child would apologize and promise to be more considerate in the future.

Moon Child started going with Carter on his weekly rounds and said she enjoyed finding things, too. Later, she started going out by herself and coming back with finds of her own. Alicia, Demetra and Faun found some of the “finds” very odd.

“Let’s just ask her straight out.” Faun was in favor of the direct approach.

They spoke to her the next day over lunch.


“Moon Child, that necklace is really pretty. Where did you get it?”

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“Oh,” Moon Child waived off the question. “I like digging for treasure at the park. Carter showed me how to find good spots.”

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Alicia thought, “That’s really quite strange. I usually just find bones, rocks and the occasional wrinkly old treasure map. As far as I know no one else has found anything valuable.”

What she said was, “You must be really lucky.”

The three women decided they were not satisfied with the answer, but didn’t know what they should do about it.

“There is something ‘off’ about Moon Child, I never noticed in college.” Faun was increasingly irritated with her college chum. “She does her share of work around the place, but she makes darn sure everybody notices. She can’t keep her hands off my stuff, and I am getting sick of that ‘I’m just so sweet’ attitude. And it’s my fault Carter’s head over heels and thinks she’s perfect. I swear if she hurts that guy …….”

[isabellachanning]

uh oh.. its unfortunate, no matter where you go, you'll have one of those personality types to deal with.

[DianeHanna]

Faun hated the heat.
“I’m really getting cranky,” she thought. “A girl needs a little variety! I really like Martin, but he is old. “


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Even though she loved his cool, luxurious apartment, there was something creepy about being there. Sheila had an apartment on the same floor, and she seemed to have fail-proof knowledge of when Faun would be arriving. She always managed to be lurking outside the elevator when Faun got off, openly giving her an evil glare.

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“Brady is pretty lively, but we have to be so careful. Demetra definitely considers Brady ‘taken’. I guess the Hedge is my best bet.”

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Faun had become a frequent visitor to ‘Lost in Love Hedge Maze’. It was free to go there, and the tall hedges provided plenty of privacy.

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She knew several guys who could be counted on to provide entertainment and discretion. And the pool, glorious! “Public woohoo is better than no woohoo.”

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[DianeHanna]

After the short respite, it was time to put in a second planting. They had purchased seeds for cucumbers, strawberries, eggplants, and pole beans. If all went well, they were right on schedule to have this all harvested before the first frost. They had accumulated enough compost for about a third of the plots, so fertilizing was not so frightfully expensive this time around. It made Alicia feel they were one step closer to independence.


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By the first of July, Carter had nerved himself up to ask Moon Child on a date. He was overjoyed when she accepted.

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They called a taxi and went downtown to The Hub for some dinner.

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Dinner led to dancing and dancing led to slow dancing.

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This eventually became kissing, and Carter could hardly breathe. Moon Child suggested that they go home where they could be more private.

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“I can’t wait to be alone with you Moon Child, but I don’t want our first time to be in a tent,” he whispered. Let me call that B&B on Main Street and see if they have a vacancy.”

As they topped the stairway and stood outside the room, Carter spoke. “Just a minute,” he said. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the room.

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“Carter,” she giggled, “this isn’t our honeymoon!”

“It should be!” he answered.

As they lay beside each other in the massive bed, and tentatively begin touching each other, Carter’s nervousness vanished. He ran his hand across her cheek and murmured, “It’s even softer than I imagined.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead, then each eyelid.

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When he reached her lips, the fire lit inside him and he only had one thought, “I have to make her mine!”
“You make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world,” Moon Child whispered.
“You are the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Light pouring in the window woke Carter the next morning: his arms were still wrapped around Moon Child. Her hair had come loose and was fanned across the pillow. He tried not to move or breathe: he wanted this moment to last as long as possible.

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“Wow!” said Moon Child when her eyes blinked open.
“Right, wow!” said Carter.

As they got out of bed, a bit of the prior evening’s awkwardness returned. It quickly dissolved as they began giggling over the trail of clothing they had discarded on the way in. Moon Child put her hair back up and eventually they were all sorted out. They taxied home. From then on they were officially sharing a tent.

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[DianeHanna]

Demetra woke early one morning for no apparent reason. When she unzipped and looked around she saw a huge ugly paint splotch and some writing on the storeroom wall. Someone had been on the property during the night and spray painted disgusting graffiti.


The others joined her in staring at the vandalism.

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Without saying anything she strode off to do her weeding.


Alicia tried to scrub it off, but it was on for good. She hoped Elliott had saved some of the acid stuff he had used on the bathroom tile. Otherwise they would have to paint the whole building, and they all had other things to do.

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Elliott approached Demetra afterwards.

“I know you’re still mad at me about the fence, “he started.

“I’m sorry you think I am obsessed with this, but Elliott, we got tagged. Have you been reading the paper? There’s been four burglaries right here in Riverblossom, and at least another dozen downtown.”

“I have another idea.”

“I’m listening.”

“Someone at the U has developed a prototype of Guard Robot. They’re supposed to attack invaders. They call them Sentry Bots.”

“Do you think you could get one?” asked Demetra.

“No, but maybe I could learn to build them. I’d have to spend a few bucks on a workbench, tools and parts, but it would be a lot less than a §60,000 fence. Plus the kind of fence you want would electrocute all the wildlife in the area.”

“Can I help?”

“No thanks. You’re needed in the gardens.” he answered. “I’ll tap Brady. He’s been getting better with the repairs.”

Faun was on hand to accept another lumber delivery, and give a check to the driver.

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They quickly threw together a shed for the workbench. Construction was getting easier, this was the third shed they had built, if you counted the chicken coop.


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Elliott set to work immediately, teaching himself about bots with his usual determination.


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[isabellachanning]

I thought I was going to wipe some steam off my screen. :-)

[DianeHanna]

Elliot stood up after they had finished eating. “The plans for the new sleeping quarters have been approved by the town council. We have our building permits.” He bowed in response to the clapping and cheering.
“Tomorrow – Demolition Day!!”

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The first of the old foundations was coming down. Everyone helped: it did not require a lot of skill, mostly strength and enthusiasm. It only took a few afternoons and no one was hurt. This was a minor miracle considering sledge hammers were being used. At the end, they had a good sized pile of bricks to be scraped off and reused.


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Once the foundation was down they moved the tents out of the way. “I hope we can get the building up before it rains again,” thought Alicia. The ground where they erected the tents was bare dirt, and likely to get swampy in a good storm. No sooner had the thought occurred to her than it started raining. It was an excellent way to cool off.

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It was a hot day for digging footers, but they all got to work with their shovels.

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Heatstroke was a serious risk, so they took frequent breaks and downed gallons of lemonade. Their lemons, if not top grade, were at least juicy and tart, and felt like heaven on parched throats.


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Brady’s fair complexion proved a disadvantage, he was the first to succumb to the heat.

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A glass of lemonade revived him to an extent, but he was pretty out of it for the rest of the day.

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Elliott was supervising the job, so he was working harder than anyone. He meticulously checked the plans, carefully transferring the measurements onto the ground. “Too bad there isn’t any shade on this end of the property!” He complained. All the trees were on the south side of their land and to the back. There was not enough open space on that side to situate a building of this size.

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He used their wheelbarrow to mix the concrete and pour the footers.

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[DianeHanna]

A quick look by Alicia showed that the garden was OK. “No weeding tonight, thank heavens” Alicia was so grateful she almost cried. Every muscle in her body ached, and she was starving.

Carter was standing in front of the refrigerator trying to decide what to do about dinner. “It’s going to be leftovers tonight,” he decided. “We’re all exhausted and hungry and I’d better get something out soon.” As quick as he was with the leftover salad, Brady and Alicia still fell asleep at the table.

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They decided to rest the next day. After all, they’d been in tents for 6 months, what was a few more days?

The walls went up very quickly. Elliott was thankful for the practice they had building the sheds. Masonry was too expensive, so they had chosen wood and siding, with their used brick for trim. It was really just a square box with a few windows and a door. About half way through the construction, they ran out of the brick they were using for trim.

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The second foundation would need to be sacrificed, but before that they used it to lay out all the things they had dug up while excavating the footers. It was quite an assortment of items, rocks, bones, gnomes, even some nice sculptures. It was amazing the things people threw away. Carter couldn’t wait to take it all to the swap meet.

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The sleeping building wasn’t going to be plumbed, but they did go ahead and put in wiring. When they could afford it, they’d add some solar panels to their array for lighting. Right now they were concerned with getting some real beds.

Elliott was nervous about tackling a pitched roof, but decided it needed to match the other two buildings. He was very proud that all the angles worked out right.

Elliott and Mark had designed the building without load-bearing walls on the inside. They could put up interior walls and take them down to re-arrange them as needed. For right now it was laid out with five bedrooms. A double for Brady and Demetra and a double for Carter and Moon Child. Alicia, Faun and Elliott had singles. In the center was a little sitting area with, of course, a stand-alone fireplace. The piano was finally going to have a home indoors.


Faun tallied up the lumber, door and windows. The total came to §7323. They’d all better sell some paintings right away.

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The family, and Alicia was deeply satisfied when she noticed that they had unconsciously started to refer to themselves as family, rested easier knowing that they had walls up before winter. They enjoyed real beds for the first time since January.

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