02/09/2287
I moved a table and chair downstairs for Aubrey's computer... she finally got it working, I'm not going to make a big deal out of it though. I don't want us relying on it for everything and it is Aubrey's to do with as she sees fit. I hope she can link it to the furnace and generator though as it will allow us to better monitor them and run system checks. I'm actually surprised by just how much she knows about computers, I wonder how she learned all of it?
My eyes have been causing me issues still... constantly turning on and off several times a day. Earlier while I was talking to Bethany about the greenhouse it felt like the world came to a near stop, and Beth had a strange green outline around her. What is happening to me? I don't need this right now. After things went back to normal Bethany reacted oddly moving several steps away from me, when I asked her what was wrong she told me I had suddenly turned towards her faster than she'd ever seen me move and my hand had moved to my gun... I left her alone for a while to continue her work while I went for some water. I hope things go back to normal soon.
02/10/2287
The mills finished, me and Kyle went out and searched for some good trees to cut down. He seemed to know what to look for and once we found our first it actually makes sense, has to be somewhat straight, wider means more boards which are easy to work with, and good spacing on the branches. We didn't cut any down though, we'll do that tomorrow just wanted to find a few good ones first and plan out how to get them home. Kyle suggested cutting it down and cut off the branches and take those back with the cow then split the tree into sections based on how long we want our boards then use the cow to help drag those back as well. We decided to pull an axle off a car with the wheels to put the log on to help move it instead of dragging it across the ground. We should be able to make one of those rather quickly today.
Got the cart built and ready to go, just have to wait till tomorrow. I'm going to bring Aubrey along to keep an eye out while we work, going to let Beth stay behind to keep up her work in the greenhouse though she can come with if she wants.
02/11/2287
We went out and got the first tree downed, we cleared most of the branches and have them piled up near the overpass supports. We ended up cutting the tree into three sections and got two of them moved to the mill, took a lot longer than we expected but it will take less time in the future now that we have done it and know what to do.
The cutting takes some time to do, we have to do it manually so... yeah, I'm dead today. At least Bethany had the foresight to suggest a box or bucket underneath to collect the sawdust. Might want to find a better system for that though as the log is stationary while we cut. As it is we have to move it as we cut, but the sawdust can be useful.
02/12/2287
Eyes started acting up again while we were pulling up the last log. Kyle told me I should probably do something else and he would have Bethany help him cut the logs. I ended up working with Aubrey on designing a better purifier... she talked to me about my eyes asking me a lot of questions I never really considered people would have. She apparently had no idea how I saw the world with them. I answered everything to the best of my ability, she asked a lot of technical questions too that I couldn't answer. She actually asked to touch them, I let her... still odd to have so little feeling that she can do that.
[GNR BROADCAST 11:45 02/14/2287]
THREE DOG HEEELLLOOOOOOOOO WASTELAAND, BECAUSE ONE DOG AIN'T ENOUGH, AND TWO IS TOO LOW, IT'S ME, THREE DOG! AND DO I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU! SO ONE OF OUR GOOD BROTHERHOOD FRIENDS FOUND A NOTE ON THE FRONT DOOR OF THE GNR STUDIO THAT READS:
"HEY THREE-DOG, ME AND THE SNAKE BOYS ARE HEADIN' NORTH. WE HEARD TALK OF THE GREEN JEWEL AND HOW THEY HAVE NOODLES FOR DAYS, TELL AMATA NOT TO WAIT UP. WE'LL BE BACK IN A FEW MONTHS SO CARRY ON WITH BUSINESS AS USUAL.
P.S. BUTCH AND THE BOYS BROUGHT LIBERTY PRIME WITH US, DON'T TELL ARTHUR."
THREE DOG HAHAHAHAHA, WELL PLAYED KID! I WON'T TELL ON YA, BUT I CAN'T KEEP HIM FROM LISTENING TO THE BROADCAST!
02/16/2287
My eyes aren't as bad today as they have been, only shifting in and out of focus occasionally and color comes and goes. I can work again so that is all that matters. The lumber is piling up quickly, currently, we're storing it in one of the old bathrooms so it will dry out. Not sure how long to let it sit but a few months would probably be a safe bet, it will be slow but when it's ready to use we'll be able to work with fresh stuff instead of the worn-out materials we have been using.
Kyles has been working non-stop on the logs for the past few days, I heard him last night sawing away. His strength is coming back, that is good but I'm going to make him stop and take a break later. I don't want him hurting himself and there are other matters to attend to.
Aubrey and I have gotten work done on the purifier, now it uses an electric heating unit instead of a fire. It will work a bit slower but the bonus is we aren't collecting wood all the time now and can spend more time making another heating unit to reinforce our current one. Bethany has a lot of work done on the garden, no food yet but the plants look healthier. Apparently, she has been working on fertilizer by mixing our waste with the cows and sawdust occasionally mixing some dirt in. Aubrey was disgusted by this but I honestly see no issue and neither does Kyle but at the same time, Beth and him come from the same farm they probably did it all the time. Foods running down again, we're going to need to start rationing a bit differently. We aren't running low but it is going faster than it should. Aubrey said she will try making stews for a while.
02/18/2287
Aubrey seems to be constantly high on the drugs the doctor left us, can be humorous at times but it worries me to see her this way... at least she doesn't seem to be hurting anymore. The infection hasn't come back but the wound still seeps blood periodically. I wonder when the doctor plans to return? hopefully soon.
Told Kyle and Beth to keep it down at night... seriously ever since they got their strength back up they've been at it like f**king rabbits. I don't care what they do in their spare time just as long as it doesn't keep me up all night.
02/19/2287
The stupid cow wandered off again... didn't go too far but we're going to need a fence. Aubrey suggested we use the chain-link over at the drive-in, of course, that is a stupid idea as it has rusted over far too much to be of any worth but she's trying, and in her current state that is better than nothing. The other two suggested a log fence out of the smaller trees, I added the idea to use rocks as well to prevent things from easily slipping under or through it. Not really a great solution but it keeps the cow near the house and that's fine with me at the moment.
Went and cut down a few more trees, the axle broke but whatever not worth fixing just to have it break again. Going to find another one later. Bethany started planning out where the fence will go and seemed to have some sort of idea involving the branches we've been collecting. It'll take some time to build this thing but when we're done it might even look nice.
02/23/2287
Bethany is sick, she's been feeling ill daily now and seems to have difficulty eating... I'm letting her rest whenever she feels like. It might be something harmless like a cold, but really getting sick at all isn't going to be good for anybody. I hope this passes quickly...
02/25/2287
I went out to scavenge today along with Kyle though we decided to split up and go two different directions. I went more south and he went more North, probably not the best idea but we had no plans to get involved directly with anything. Found a gravel pit not too far away from Mystic Pines, good amount of rock lying around too might need to come back and grab some later. Got down to the bus station and was surprised to find a Minuteman outpost established there. They were fixing up the walls and appeared to be setting up a sort of checkpoint. Decided to go say hi and got a relatively warm welcome though several appeared to actively avoid me. Their commanding officer Captain Garcia asked me about a purifier or established farmland and I informed them I had water but food was scarce... he offered to trade water for food from another farm even going as far as to suggest "providing security" for it. I'd say that is a bit underhanded but with only a small number of men and women under his command, I guess trading manpower for extra water isn't an unfair deal. I told him, no, if he wanted or needed water I would sell it to him for caps. He agreed to the offer and... gave me a contract and badge... So to explain the first it is apparently a "trade agreement" which would mean I agreed to sell water to Minutemen, it was more for him than me a sorta receipt. The other though marked me as "Sheriff" of Mystic Pines, I am not a member of the Minutemen but I will be recognized as the local authority granting me several rights including issuing orders to Minutemen in special cases when they are in my territory... also according to the Captain I am formally recognized as owning the entirety of Lexington due to no other settlements in the area to compete with the claim. So great I own a city of dead things, always wanted one.
02/28/2287
Bethany is struggling to keep any amount of food down, is always tired, can't stand stag meat, and seems to have a constant headache... So I suggested to Kyle and her that she might be pregnant and I'll admit the hostility from them when I suggested it was staggering. According to them, she isn't even able to bear children due to being infertile... not sure how they know but the way they talked told me there wasn't any doubt on the subject. Aubrey is worried about it, as she doesn't want everyone else to end up sick as the winter is hard enough as it is and I agree entirely.
I started giving Aubrey her medication closer to when she goes to sleep so that she doesn't have to sit around rambling about nonsense. Still seems to be high all the time but at least we can have mostly intelligent conversations again...
02/28/2287
[BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL ORDERS, LYONS PRIDE DISPATCH]
ALL PERSONEL NOT ASSIGNED TO CLASS 1 MISSIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS ARE TO CEASE OPERATIONS AND ARE RECALLED TO THE NORTHERN BROADCAST STATION FOR REDEPLOYMENT.
LYONS PRIDE AND RED EAGLE ARE ASKED TO DEVIATE FROM CURRENT OPERATIONS AND INTERCEPT LIBERTY PRIME AND THE LONE WANDERER.
ADDED NOTE, SARAH I NEED YOU TO STOP HIM. I UNDERSTAND WHY HE WANTS TO GO TO THE COMMONWEALTH BUT WE NEED TIME TO PROPERLY PLAN THIS OPERATION OUT IF YOU CAN'T STOP HIM WITH WORDS THEN YOU NEED TO USE FORCE. HE HAS GONE TOO FAR THIS TIME AND I KNOW YOU KNOW IT.
-ELDER AURTHUR MAXON
02/30/2287
Started selling water to the Minutemen periodically. They sometimes try bartering instead of caps which is fine with me, apparently, the organization has financial issues but that's no surprise really. I was over at their outpost again and they had installed a 155 howitzer just outside in a makeshift bunker... where did they find one of those? Who the hell is fixing all this old world tech for them?
From what I have gathered from the various Minutemen stationed there is that they reclaimed the Castle and now the command staff has been trying to reinforce all their holdings as another group known as the Gunners have openly declared war on them along with several gangs. Currently, General Nate has wandered off to who knows where, Commanding General Preston and Colonel Nora is at the Castle dealing with logistics, and Field Marshal Seers is at Fort Cantabury... what the hell is a Fort Cantabury?
Bethany seems to be eating better but now she is going through mood swings and still seems constantly tired and ill... I call bull***t on her being infertile.
03/10/2287
Finally found a new pen after my old one broke, even after the bombs fell you can never find any. I could have sworn we had hundreds of the stupid things...
Anyways, yeah Bethany's pregnant. Though her reaction is still quite odd, it's not that she is mad or really upset but she is surprised by it and constantly insists it can't be possible. Kyle seems a bit more on the angry side but seems to have the same line of thought and supports Bethany's claim that it is impossible. Neither one of them have given me a very good reason though as to why she can't have kids... I've decided to drop it. Really it isn't my business and it will be spring soon, which means that the garden should start producing food soon and our food problem should diminish to a manageable level by the time things start getting difficult for her.
03/11/2287
Minutemen came by today with their APC towing a trailer. They only stopped long enough to inform me that they are going to storm the Super Duper Mart and reclaim their fallen. I hope they clear the place of all the ghouls, it would be nice to search it in relative safety.
03/16/2287
Beth is sick again, having difficulty keeping food down. I'm going to go talk with the Minutemen about getting some food from a farm or something, she needs to eat something that isn't as old as me. They might be willing to trade for water, but a farm should have a supply of their own... so the value probably won't be as good.
03/18/2287
Talked to the Minutemen, the Captain will look into it for me... I wish I didn't have to get so involved with them, but repercussions wouldn't matter at all if we died from starvation and illness.
Went to the Mart today... the Minutemen really made a mess of the place but they cleared it out for the time being. Found a coach gun in one of the isles as well, took me a while to remember that it was the same one I found a while back. Glad to have it back, we have a lot of shotgun shells but had nothing to shoot them with. Found a few other things as well but nothing of serious value. As I was on my way back my eyes gave out on me and I must have passed out because when they came back on I was face down in the dirt and it was dark out. Ended up scaring Aubrey when I got home, poor girl...
03/21/2287
Aubrey was shaking this morning, she has a fever... this is great... just what we need. Kyle is cutting planks again, seems to help him deal with stress. Bethany is also feeling sick but she insists she can still work and is currently tending to the plants in the garden. I offered to help but she gave me a strange look and said she would be fine. Ended up on the roof working on the radio receiver setting it up so I can broadcast from it. Later tonight I intend to repair the HAM radio.
For now, though I'm going to go start a pot of stew for later.