Chapter 35

I woke up, sitting upright, trying to figure out what the heck the noise was that woke me. I looked over at Sarah's bed and it was empty. Then it finally hit me what the noise was. It was one of those hair dryers. Sarah must have gotten her hands on one to dry her hair. Boy was that thing noisy. I grabbed my stuff and headed for the boys shower down the hall. I got my shower and shave in record time as the water was barely lukewarm. This was something I would have to ask about because I knew women as well as men liked hot showers. Of course it never occurred to me that probably forty or so men and women had already had their showers as it was almost seven in the morning. The hair dryer was still going and I had to smile as I rubbed my bald head. I headed out, looking for coffee as I thought about the work we would be doing today. Although the old walls and buildings had been here since before I moved into this area, I thought it was a good excuse to clean up some eyesores as well as maybe make the small town look a little better. Besides, some of the stuff on the edges of town would provide a darned good shelter for any of the raiders wanting to take pot shots at people going about their everyday business. This was something I was determined not to let happen. What few people still alive here were needed, and I didn't think they should be put in danger because we were lazy and didn't do everything we could to protect them.

When I made it out to the dining area, I headed directly for the coffee pot. I had barely gotten seated when Shelly served me and asked where Sarah was. "Well, she was blow drying her hair when I made my escape." Of course Shelly thought this was funny and pointedly looked at my bald head as she laughed. I took a sip of coffee, watching her chuckle to herself as she walked back towards the kitchen.

I finished up eating, got a refill of coffee, and was joined by Barry, BK and Zeke. "I have two cats and a backhoe out front ready to go. What did you have in mind?"

"We are going to start on this side of town and go to the other end, knocking down old buildings, walls and anything else that a raider could hide behind. Make sure that all the men are armed and recruit your daughter and Mikey in case we run across any rattlesnakes that they could harvest. Once we knock the buildings down, I want them spread and flattened. We can't burn them because it might attract attention, but we can damned sure flatten them out so no one can hide in them. Since there will be no argument from property owners, we can spruce up the town as well as look for things we can use in some of the old buildings that are falling down. Barry, please make sure we do a walkthrough of any old houses or buildings before we knock them down. I know we might run across some old explosives, and I don't want to take a chance on anyone getting hurt because we didn't take that extra few minutes to check them out. Also, if any of the dwellings are livable, I want to make a note of them so we can repair them and have more housing, just in case we might need it in the future. From what I observed yesterday, we should be able to finish it all up in one day with both cats running. Also, have Brenda pass the word we will be having a town meeting tonight after the evening meal. I want everyone not on guard duty to attend so let's just say it's a mandatory meeting. BK, how is your range doing and can everyone who wants to learn to shoot be ready, say by the end of the week?"

"Ok, I will pass the word and I agree about the walkthrough. Some of those old shacks and building have been standing empty for twenty years or more and it's hard to tell what we might find in some of them. The town never wanted to spend any time cleaning up, but personally I think it's a great idea. I know of several mobile homes that are either in probate or used as winter homes. We can get them ready if we need them and I am glad you thought of it. We have two families here that could use something like that. Due to the fact the women and men are in separate sleeping quarters here they don't get much time together. Before you ask, the women decided on the separate sleeping arrangements, not the men."

"I never even knew it was set up that way. I just learned about the women's committee and I for one am not going to interfere unless it becomes a necessity. Barry, just be safe and keep your eyes open today. I want safety to be the priority as we do this."

I got a big grin from Zeke after I said what I did about the women, and then BK gave me a short report on the weapons training.