CH3
Come morning Alexis went back out to her greenhouse while Rick constructed the other greenhouse. However this time he needed Alexis's help with the panels. She had to hold some of the panels in place while he bolted them together.
Rick was done by lunch and Alexis was almost ready to start using the second greenhouse.
"I'm going out to the water pipe and pump after lunch. You ok to be alone for a while?" Rick asks her.
"I'll be fine dad, we've never had any visitors in the times we've been here. Our winter guest isn't likely to return till winter again. Are you going to take a gun or any of the traps with you?" Alexis asks him.
"I had planned on taking the S&W with me but hadn't thought about taking any of the traps. That's not a bad idea actually." Rick smiles at her.
Rick puts a few traps in his back pack and grabs his S&W and checks in with Alexis in the greenhouse to tell her he is leaving.
"Happy hunting dad." Alexis tells him smiling looking dirty again.
Rick walked and walked until he reached the edge of the little forest that bordered the stream. Looking back he could see the house in the distance.
It was near the edge of the forest area but far enough away that if any of the larger trees fell none of them would hit the house. There was a large expanse of open valley that the house sat in on a little hill, elevating it above everything else.
He could see the Range Rover still sitting out front, the two greenhouse's out back with the garden just the other side of them. It looked a little lonely all alone out there. The solar panels on the roof made it sparkle while the sun hit them.
A little further out were all the fruit trees, bunched together based on what fruit they produced.
The house itself was sitting on roughly 63 acres of land they owned. A good section of the stream and a lot of the trees on either side as well. If one followed the stream upstream you would find a small lake that was not part of his land.
Still it was a good place to go camping. They had in the past and planned on doing it again once or twice this summer as well. It was what the quads were used for mostly. Though they also used them to haul fire wood for the fire pit that they got from dead trees only. Cutting down a perfectly healthy tree just to burn it was stupid.
Besides green wood didn't burn all that well.
Turning back to the main task at hand he trekked into the woods to get to the stream.
He soon came across the pipe since it was above ground here. He checked each of the anchors that held the pipe in place, noting that he stupidly forgot to bring any tools in case the pipe was loose at any point.
He finally made it to the stream and checked the pipe entrance noticing that the screen was a little clogged with debris. After cleaning away the debris he went back down the pipe to look at the pump house.
The housing was in good shape and didn't look like there were any cracks or signs of damage.
Satisfied he pulled out his water bottle and took a drink before moving on.
He brought three traps with him and he spent a couple of hours setting them up spreading them out a little from each other and then tagging a nearby tree so he knew where they were located, so he could find them easily later to check on them.
All of them were on the ground. He was hoping for something larger. Rabbit, possum or raccoon. It had taken him a few tries to get the recipes down on how to cook them.
Each has a different taste to them and it took him some time to make them appeal to Alexis's finicky taste buds. But she had finally warmed up to the gamey taste of them.
Finishing his task he started his trek back to the house. Once back home he checked in with Alexis and told her what he had found along with that he had set three traps and had marked their place with little color markers attached to a tree.
"I'm going to wash off all the solar cells now." Rick informs her.
"Let me know if you need help dad." Alexis offers and watches him walk away to start his next job.
Finding the extension ladder and grabbing a 75' hose and a sprayer he started work on washing any debris off of all the solar cells. The ones on the second floor roof were the only ones that gave him any trouble.
Rick finally finished and he went inside and found Alexis working on one of the cheese kits. It was her third with three more to go.
"How is the greenhouse?" Rick asks since he wants to know if they will be eating fresh this trip.
"The greenhouses should get things started nicely. I've moved the strawberry plants that survived into the greenhouse so we should have at least a few fresh strawberries in a couple of months. Then I'll transfer some of them back outside.
I've also started the potatoes and lettuce in the greenhouse and I've got a lot of things as seeds that I've started that the greenhouse will help grow.
We are going to be short on fresh fruit for a little while but with two greenhouses' we should catch up eventually." Alexis is good and he knows it so Rick is betting she is under estimating.
"Nice work pumpkin I'm impressed and proud of you." Rick tells her.
Alexis can't help but blush a little. "You've done a lot of work while I've been in the greenhouse. I'm impressed and proud of you too. How do you feel?" Alexis was betting his muscles were soar.
"Honestly, I'm tired. A few more projects tomorrow and then we can sit back and relax and enjoy the location." Rick tells her.
"If you want to finish the last of the cheese kits I can go back out to the greenhouses. If I finish before dinner I can help you with what's left tomorrow." Alexis offers.
Speed up the process? Sounded like a no-brainer to Rick. "Deal." As Rick takes over for Alexis.
Alexis smiles at him and heads back out to the greenhouse's.
By dinner she had every pot or tray for seeds filled and sitting in the greenhouse and her garden while only a shadow of its former self was put back together.
Stepping inside she could smell dinner. "Smells good dad." Alexis was suddenly very hungry.
"You better go shower again pumpkin. You're a mess again." Rick tells her before she gets too close to the kitchen.
Alexis looks herself over yet again and chuckles. She may have a green thumb and can grow anything but she was a messy green thumb. "I'll only be 10 minutes dad." And she runs upstairs.
A few minutes later she was back dressed in clean clothes with her hair still a little wet. "God I'm starving."
Turns out they both were hungry. "How are the medical provisions?" Alexis asks with her mouth full. Too hungry for manners.
"The blood is in the mini-fridge, the plasma is in its cabinet in the pantry along with some of the supplies. Including all of our pain killers and the three different broad spectrum anti-biotics.
One of the EPMK - Level 4 kits is down here in the pantry. Another is out in the carport storage along with all our camping gear. The third is upstairs in the bathroom storage closet.
The defibrillator is also up there. The EPMK – Level 1 kits are in each bedroom closet and there is one hanging over there on the wall at the front door.
All of the air splints are also upstairs in the bathroom closet. All of the saline is down here in the pantry. Have I missed anything?" Rick knows some of it is scattered but it all has to go somewhere.
"First responder backpack?" Alexis asks thinking there was one more somewhere.
"Oh yea, that one is also out with all the camping gear. I was thinking we take it and maybe a couple of air splints when we go camping." Rick tells her.
"You'll probably have to wear it since the quads will already be packed to overflowing." Alexis warns him.
"I know but we will be 2 days even on quads from here. If we need medical that would be the one to take." Rick tells her. Getting a nod from Alexis as she continues to eat like a horse.
There were still a few things to complete but they were both tired so they put a movie in the DVD player and they both only made it half way through before they fell asleep on the sofa.
When Rick woke first he found that the movie was over. He turned it all off and picked Alexis up and took her upstairs to her bed. He took her shoes off then covered her and left her to sleep.
Come morning after a shower they were both downstairs eating breakfast. "We need to check out the quads, probably change out the plugs and fire them up and maybe go for a little ride.
The batteries need to be individually tested and replaced with one of the three we brought up with us and we need to finish the last of the cheese kits." Rick lists of the items for this morning. "Then we need to do a cleaning of all the rooms, things are a little dusty in here."
Opening the windows during midday had helped clear the air, but it still got a little cool at night.
"I'll finish the cheese kits then come help you with the batteries. But the quad's are all yours." Alexis didn't know anything about them. She could start them and ride them, but if it didn't start it was left to her dad to fix it.
Rick was almost done with the batteries when Alexis showed up to help him. They only had to replace one of the batteries. The other two were left in the outhouse for future use.
Rick went off to check out the quads while Alexis went inside to make lunch.
"Lunch is ready dad." Alexis comes out to the carport to tell him. After washing up Rick joined her.
"Are they working?" Alexis asks wanting to go for a quick ride later.
"I have to change the plugs on one of them still, after that we'll see." Rick tells her.
After lunch Rick goes back to work on the quads while Alexis starts cleaning. She had just finished doing the main floor when she could her one of the quads running as her dad gunned it a few times before turning it off.
She was almost down upstairs when she heard the other start up. She could tell that one was her fathers. It had a different sound then hers.
Alexis went out to the carport and grabbed both helmets poking her father in the side with his.
Rick took it smiling at her. Rick wasn't slow he knew this meant she was anxious to get going on a tour of their land. Taking his helmet he put it on finding Alexis with hers already on and sitting on her quad ready to fire it up.
Rick started his followed by Alexis and Alexis took off with Rick in hot pursuit.
They made it to the far end of their land when Alexis stopped and took her helmet off. Rick pulled up next to her and took his off too.
Alexis was grinning wide. "Having fun pumpkin?" Knowing the answer already if her smile was any indication.
"It's great dad! I haven't seen anything though." Alexis hadn't seen any wildlife on their little tour.
"It's the noise from the quads, it drives them off before we can even get within sight of them." Rick reminds her.
"Yea, they're not exactly stealthy. But sooooo much fun though." Alexis was still grinning.
"Shall we take at look at the far side and then head home?" Rick asks her. Getting a nod from Alexis and watches her put her helmet back on.
Rick follows her example and fires his quad back up and takes off after Alexis again.
They stop one more time and look around a little before getting back on and head home.
Once home they park the quads and go inside to clean up. Alexis heads out to her greenhouses while Rick goes inside to start fixing dinner.
For once since they got here Alexis comes back inside from the greenhouse clean and ready for dinner.
"The only thing left is to set up the patio furniture tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow night we can have our first campfire." Rick offers.
"With marshmallows and hot dogs?" Alexis asks excitedly.
"Of course what would a campfire be without food." Rick tries to sound shocked.
"Woo hoo." Alexis raises her arms. Getting a grin from Rick.
Summer vacation was finally going to start.
However they both woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of rain. This might ruin any plans for tomorrow as they tried to go back to sleep.
Come morning it was still raining and they could hear it. Alexis got out of the shower and went downstairs in search of breakfast. However her father wasn't down here. She had heard him take a shower before her so he was up.
He might be down in the basement but she couldn't think of a reason why. It was rain not a tornado, wasn't it? No, if it was he would have come gotten her.
"Dad, you up there?" Alexis yells upstairs.
Getting nothing back she goes to the side door to see if he was out in the carport doing something.
Not seeing him, she closed the door and went to the back door that lead to the patio. She could see him standing out there near the end just barely in the dry area.
Alexis closes the door behind her and goes up to stand next to him. She saw him looking up so she did the same, wanting to see what he sees.
"Wow, that is dark." Alexis notices the clouds.
"It's dark out the front too. Whatever it is it's big." Rick tells her.
"I heard it start last night. There is some wind with it too." Getting Rick to nod his head.
They stood there for a while watching the clouds swirl and rain. "You want breakfast?" Alexis asks him.
Rick nods his head. "I'll be in, in a minute." Letting Alexis go in first while he watches it rain.
It was going to fill their little cistern easily if it kept this up. It was only used by Alexis for her garden in case they didn't get enough rain to suit her.
Rick went inside eventually and ate what his daughter had fixed for them.
They were trapped inside for the rest of the day since it never did stop raining.
Alexis watched movies or read books or talked her dad into playing a board game.
Rick started working on his next book only stopping to eat or join his daughter to play a game.
They went to sleep that night listening to it rain.
Come morning after a shower Alexis found her father back outside looking at the sky and watching it rain.
"The clouds are moving but it's always dark clouds." Rick comments when he notices Alexis next to him.
"It'll keep everything wet and prevent there being a forest fire." Alexis thinks of it her way.
"It's going to turn your garden into a mud pit." Rick teases her.
"Nothing I can't fix." Alexis doesn't take the bait.
"Breakfast?" Alexis asks him.
"You can start I'll be in, in a minute." Rick tells her.
Once again they were trapped inside due to the rain. Another movie, board game and Rick typing on his new book, the day passed with it never stopping to rain.
It rained solid for another three days. Even Alexis knew her garden was a mud pit and was going to need work when it stopped and dried out enough for her to get to it.
Rick was making progress on his book since there wasn't much else to do.
On the third day of solid rain, Alexis was up first and she went in to take a shower. "Dad, there isn't any water." Alexis calls out.
Rick knocks on the door and is told he can come in. Rick turns on the lavatory faucet and gets nothing.
"The pipe must be clogged with debris from the rain. "I'll go switch to well water. Don't forget to use the purifier from now on just in case." Rick tells her and he heads downstairs.
"Not a problem dad, I'll remember." Alexis calls after him.
Rick comes back upstairs eventually and knocks on the bathroom door. "The water should be back on."
Alexis turns the shower on. "Thanks dad." After she is done she goes downstairs and her and her father repeat what they have done the last few days today too.
Next morning it was still raining. And Alexis found her father out on the back patio again watching the sky.
"This is not usual pumpkin. We're going to have our own pond to swim in if it doesn't stop soon." Rick comments chuckling at his own humor a little.
"It must be quite a system to put out this much rain." Alexis agrees. Wondering what could do this.
"Pumpkin, wasn't there a hurricane out there somewhere before we left. If memory serves they were thinking it was going to go up the east coast and make a mess of everything." Rick offers a possible reason for this.
Alexis thinks back. "Hurricane Sandy wasn't it?" Not that she paid much attention to it.
"We get rain and the coast gets flooded due to storm surge and damaged due to high winds." Rick agrees it is probably a hurricane.
"If it is it should blow out tonight and be clear by morning shouldn't it?" Alexis asks.
"Depends on how much ground speed this one has. If it is stalled out there somewhere it could rain for several more days. However it is likely still moving and will be gone soon." Rick agrees.
"I hope so; even after it stops raining this place is going to be one big mud pit. The ground is going to be soaked." Alexis moans. She was already tired of being trapped indoors.
Rick nods his head. "It'll take a few days for the ground to dry."
"Then we get to check for damage and fix what we find." Alexis moans. She was hoping they were done working on this place, now this.
"We'll get our summer vacation started eventually, it just may take another week before we can." Rick notes.