Chapter 44

I woke up with a start, but didn't know what woke me. I couldn't hear dogs moving around and everyone in the big bed was soundly sleeping.

A whimper, almost a moan, came from down the hall. I moved out of the bed and followed my sense of hearing toward the origination of the noise. Minya was sitting up in bed, looking around as if afraid of something around her.

She raised her arms for me to pick her up when she saw me, so I did, holding her to me. She whispered, "I think my mommy and daddy came to see me. I saw them and felt them, but they wouldn't talk to me. I wanted them to talk to me, but they just stared at me. Why wouldn't they talk to me? I know they went away in the car wreck, but I saw them and felt them. Hold me and make me feel like I belong."

I lay down in the two little ones' bed and held Minya as she snuggled up to my chest. She told me, "Daddy didn't do this with me, and Mommy didn't hold us much either. You make me feel so good. Millie and the other girls call you 'Mike' but I want to call you 'Daddy'. Can I?"

"You can if you want, Minya. I'll try to be the best daddy you could ever have. I promise to take care of you."

In her soft voice, the little girl asked, "Why could I see them, but not talk to them?"

How do you answer a little one about this? "Minya, the spirits of your people sometimes come to you. It usually happens at night, like in a dream, but they come to you to let you know you are being taken care of. I think the spirits of your mom and dad are making sure you and Mato are safe and taken care of."

"I feel good in your arms, Daddy. Stay with us tonight."

I had to remember why I was sleeping with my two little Indians when morning came. I suppose I should think of them as my two little 'Native Americans', but it was more fun to think of them as two little Indians.

After letting the dogs out and cleaning up, I started some coffee so that anyone who wanted a cup when they woke up would have some.

Knowing that I didn't have to be concerned with the morning chores, I contemplated all that was going on and what I needed to do today. I knew that Esteban could probably use some help milking so many cows and cleaning the extra milk cans that were now needed to hold the milk. This is going to become a lot to handle unless we can very quickly get the milking equipment, along with the bulk tank, and the pasteurization equipment installed.

I went out and helped Esteban, his wife Eve, his oldest son, Cisco, and the oldest daughter, Karri, to milk the cows. We were able to get the job done quickly, and Esteban thanked me for helping since he said it took a lot longer last night. I apologized for not helping, and he told me that I didn't need to worry about it.

When we were all having breakfast, I asked Esteban, "Do you think you could work an entire farm? Not just the dairy part, but also handle the grain, hay farming, and harvest?"

Esteban looked at me funny, and asked, "Where would this be? How would we do this?"

I finished my biscuit and had a sip of coffee before answering him. "Bert wants to sell me his place, but we would have to build a milking parlor and house to accommodate the equipment, bulk tank, and pasteurization equipment. If you and your family were to take care of the farm, I would build you folks your own place there. How about taking a ride with me this morning and we'll go see Bert and his place? I'm going to call Raul and ask him to come along. If we do this, it is going to be up to you to take care of that farm. I can get help if you need it, but with the size of that place, you might be able to handle it with only your family."

Esteban was nodding in agreement, but I could see apprehension in his eyes. We really didn't know each other well yet, and I was about to put a lot of responsibility on him. This was another situation of 'we'll see what happens'.

Raul was his usual agreeable self, and was ready to go see what I had now dreamed up. He was all ears when I told him there may be another way that I wanted to handle the dairy barn.

I called Bert before we left, and he said he would meet us when we drove up.

Sure enough, the old guy was standing there in his bib overalls, with his thumbs hooked on the suspenders. After we shook and I introduced him to Raul, we walked around the burned out barn. You could see where the milking equipment had been and where the grain had been stored, but there was nothing much left worth salvaging; maybe a few hundred pounds of grain, but that would be it.

Raul surprised me and began taking pictures of the area. He and Esteban paced the area off to get a rough idea of the space we could build on, and what would be required to clear the area. Both of them were taking notes as they walked.

When they came back to Bert and me, Esteban pointed to a stand of trees on the other side of the barn. He asked, "If Mike buys your place, would that be a good place for me to have a house?"

Bert thought about it a second, and answered, "That would be a great place for a home. Would you have a trailer house or a regular house?"

Raul told the man, "I am finding many homes that are being demolished, and we use the materials to build good homes. I have a big home I've just torn down and already have all the material. I can build a home there very quickly."

I asked Raul, "Are you going to need a bulldozer and front loader to clean this up?"

"Yes, Mike. If we can get this cleared quickly, we can set the forms up for the dairy buildings. Esteban and I will design them this evening and figure out the cost. Do you want to go ahead with this project?"

I turned to Bert, "I suppose it's time for you and me to talk turkey on this deal. Do you want to go see Benson so he can do the paperwork?"

Bert looked at me and smiled, "You're going to farm the place yourself, or at least with some of your people and not give it to the Conners, so take these two men home, then meet me at Benson's in an hour and we'll haggle a little."

This was going to require some extra money. I was going to have to dig into one of the accounts, but I would let Benson and Maude decide on which one. On the way home, Raul and Esteban were busy talking about options they had on how to build a big barn or a pole barn.

I made the suggestion, "How about building the dairy buildings first, and a good sized pole barn next to it to keep the animals out of the bad weather. When we have the manpower, we can build a real barn next to the pole barn. That should work for the animals and any special breeding efforts we might undertake."

Esteban commented, "That you should consider special animal husbandry is important. If we can expand our herd by using a progression of good bulls, we will have the best Jersey dairy business around."

When I let the men out at the house, I went inside to have a quick cup of coffee. Millie told me my sister, sister-in-law, and all of the kids were in the garden this morning. I told her that we might be buying another farm for the dairy business.

Millie looked alarmed, "What will we do with our customers that want butter, buttermilk, and milk? Can we have a couple of cows here, or can we get milk to process from this other farm?"

I assured Millie, "We'll figure something out. We do need milk here and we should continue to produce butter and cream for the Kitchen. We'll work it out."

Bert was already in Benson's office, talking to him when I arrived. After finding out that Bert had already told Benson what kind of deal he wanted to make, and that he had some papers from an appraiser from Mount Sterling, I spent some time looking over the appraisal that included the barn and milking equipment, but not the farm implements.

When I was through looking at the appraisal, I was a little apprehensive about the price. It seemed to be almost twenty-five percent higher than I had estimated.

I asked Bert, "How set are you with the numbers on these papers? They include the barn, but don't include the implements."

Bert said, "Remember what I said, Mike. I told you that I'd make you a good deal if you will let me live out my days in the house I've lived in for the last fifty plus years."

He handed me a piece of folded paper and said, "This is what I think I should get for the place with the option of me staying in the house. You'll own the house, but I'll be like a renter for a while. You know that I'm already seventy-nine, but you should also know that my pappy died last year at a hundred and one." Bert giggled a little, "I'm looking forward to twenty plus years of telling you how to farm the place, Mike."

I unfolded the paper and just about choked. "Bert, you have to get more than this for your farm. I can't accept this or I would be stealing from you."

Benson stretched his hand out for me to give him the paper. I gave it to him; he looked at it, opened the appraisal file, then looked at it again. He offered, "Bert, let Mike give you what he thinks you should get. What you're offering him is way out of line, and people could think that Mike is taking advantage of you."

Bert sat there and asked Benson, "What the hell am I going to do with the money, Benson? Both of my kids have already passed, and I don't have any living relatives that are worth a hoot to leave it to. Hell, I'll have enough money to live high on the hog, do some traveling, and still have a home base in the place I've lived in most of my life. Mike has already said I can come eat with him and his family anytime I want. Hell, I might make a nuisance of myself over there. Let me do what I want, Benson, and you take the deal, Mike. I like you and your man, Esteban. I'll enjoy having neighbors I can visit with close by."

Bert stuck out his hand and said, "Just tell the legal eagle here to put the money in my bank. I already gave him my bank number. Now, let's meet back at your place for lunch. I'm going to start being a regular there."

Benson told us, "I'll have some papers for you two to sign later today or in the morning. I'll call to see where to meet you."

I told Benson, "Take the money from whatever account it needs to come from. You might as well make the farm a separate business. I'm sure you'll think of a name."

That's when Bert turned and looked at us; "Name it the "B&B Dairy Farm' for Bonnie and Bert. I think she would like that."

I gave Benson a nod and he smiled. I suppose I now own the 'B&B Dairy Farm'.

At home, Bert and I had soup and sandwiches with the rest of the family. The kids excitedly told us of how they had been helping in the field this morning. Sis told me the fencing guys had been looking for me, and would be up after lunch.

The women did a quick cleanup when we were through eating, then headed back to the garden. Bert wanted to tag along, so he left with them while I walked back to where the fencing crew was working.

The main man was watching a gate swing out and back into place. After testing it a few more times, he turned to where I was approaching. "Just the man I needed to see. We're done. There is another gate just like this on the other side so that you can get to the field over there. Just pull the line when you come up, and the gate will open. Pull on the other side when you're through and it will close. The spring opener will work from either rope. The cows can't accidentally trip the opener since you have to reach up and give it a good pull. Do you want to walk the fence to check it out?"

I told him, "I've checked your work every night, so I know you and your men did a first class job. Come up to the house and I'll get you a check."

The man was standing with his men, "How about we help you herd your animals from the orchard area into the new pasture? You're a mite heavy on stock for the area, but rumor has it Bert is going to sell you his place for your cows. It's funny that you bought them, brought them here, and will now take them back home. Call us if you need fence while you're building over there. I'd love to do some more work for you."

I told the man and his men, "We're going to be building some homes on the mountain west of town. I'll make sure we use you for fencing and suggest your company to any of the homeowners who want fencing." I began walking toward the orchard gate, "Let's get these critters in the new pasture."

It took a lot longer than I would have thought to get the animals from one area to the other. They were reluctant to leave the orchard and didn't care for the rocky area they had to traverse to get to the gate for the new pasture.

When all of the animals were moved, I checked on the new upper and lower water troughs to make sure that water was traveling through them. I would still need some shelter for the winter, but that could be done with an easy to build open pole barn.

Up at the house, Millie gave all of the men working on the fence coffee and cookies, while I wrote a check for the price the man had quoted. He had five men with him, so I found five twenties and gave one to each man as a special thank you.

As they drove down the lane road, Raul startled me when he announced his presence by asking, "Do I build here or over at Bert's?"

I laughed and told him, "Let's build over there. Do you need to import some help from Lexington or Mount Sterling? You're going to be busy doing the job up there and the dairy barn at the same time."

Raul smiled at me and said, "I'll have half the crew work on the buildout in Mount Sterling and still beat the deadline. The other half will be working on the dairy barn. Can you have Jimmy work with me to clear the debris from the old barn and help level the area for the new or rebuilt house? We're going to be busy for a while, and I'll have every good man I can find busy. I sure hope your housing development works out. I can keep a hell of lot of men working with that. We'll have about half Latino and the other half locals right now. People have been hearing that you're hiring and have been coming to us for work. I tell all of them that I'll only keep those who are the best workers and who do the best work. I think I'm on to something around here."

Raul left to find Esteban, and I sat at the picnic table to call Jimmy. I told him, "How about making sure all the guys come for supper tonight. I want to have a few words with them, and also ask about scheduling some work with Raul."

Jimmy asked, "Are you going to begin on the roads for the new housing development? All of us are anxious to test the new road materials. We're going to apply some on your lane road this coming week, so be ready to be inconvenienced for a couple of days. We need to test the material on all types of conditions."

Millie brought me a cup of coffee as I hung up with him. She told me, "You need to go out and tell the kids what a good job they're doing. Sissy is directing all of them and is moving right along. She seems to have a system down that is working out. She's a lot like your mom, isn't she?"

I hugged Millie and asked, "Are you going to be able to keep up with the big suppers that you'll be serving? Do you have enough help?"

Millie said, "Rosita and Marita stayed in to help get ready for this evening. We should be full at all the tables tonight, but that will be okay. Benson's wife is inside helping out too, because she wants to learn to cook like Mom. I also want that, but she's already taught me a lot."

We stood to go inside and I said, "I need to work on some things in the office for a few minutes. I'll get that done, then go out to the garden."

I started for the house, and then decided to go to the garden first. "You know what? I think the kids in the garden are more important. I'll do the office stuff later."

Minya and Mato were getting dirty pulling weeds around the plants. Sissy had them working on the asparagus so it would be easy to tell what a weed was and what a plant was. Some of the women were using hoes, and others were thinning vegetables out and replanting them in the adjacent row. It looked like it was going to be a good garden this year.

Carmen pointed at the sky and said, "We should probably go in soon. It looks like it will begin raining any minute. I can smell it."

Anita was happily hoeing, and said, "Down will it come. Rain will wet get us. Stop we should."

Shirley looked at Anita with a smile, and waved for her kids to bring their baskets of weeds and head for the house. I helped Minya and Mato brush the excess dirt off from the clothes and took them toward the house. I pointed out the way the chickens and guineas were heading toward their houses, telling them that they knew the rain was coming and were going inside too.