America's Sunset: A Post Apocalyptic Fight for Survival by Norman Christof Read Free Book Online

sounded a little too utilitarian, Jake thought.
    Maggie had accused him of building a man cave to hide in when he showed her the plans. Jake had preferred to focus on the practical aspects of the shed. They’d have room for all that stuff you need in case of an emergency, and they could finally make room in the garage for both cars. At least that had been his argument. Maggie had conceded. It did sort of make a lot of sense, to have a little more room, and she knew how much Jake liked to putter around with different projects. Now that he was retired, that list of projects and hobbies multiplied rapidly.
    Jake did a lot of the work himself, which kept the cost down. He was pretty handy, but paid some contractors to do the heavy structural work, and to lay the concrete foundation. This shed would be strong and beautiful. He settled on a rustic log cabin look. He didn’t actually build it with real logs, but found some pretty good-looking log cabin siding that would lower the costs and keep maintenance down. The front porch on it—yes, Maggie, every self-respecting man cave needs a front porch—was made out of real wood and timber from the forested lot at the far edge of his property. Playing lumberjack was harder work than Jake had imagined, but it was fun. He figured it helped keep him in shape during his retirement days. Cutting, hauling, and planing the trees took almost as much time as building the rest of the shed. There was no doubt that it gave the building a very distinct look. It was like having a little hunting cabin in his own backyard. I wonder , he thought , what a small pond would look like in front of the cabin? Maybe a plan for another day, he grinned to himself. One step at a time. One step at a time.
    He saw a hawk fly overhead, circling a field off in the distance. Those are beautiful creatures , thought Jake. I wonder , he thought, if falconry is a fun hobby? Nah . He shook his head. Finish this project first, then you can think about moving on to the next one. Jake’s head was always swimming with his latest batch of interests, ideas and hobbies. The world is a great place , he thought. So many things to do and try, and now that I’ve got the time I can’t wait to do them all. You won’t catch me walking around shopping malls in my retirement years. I fully intend to make these the best years of my life .
     
    With coffee mug in hand, Jake made his way across the yard and up the wooden steps onto the porch. He ran his hand along the railing, remembering the work it took to clear the trees he used to build the steps. The front porch was bare, but Jake had a few ideas for handcrafting some rocking chairs from scrap sticks and branches that came from the trees he'd chopped down for the porch. That would seem appropriate; keeping the whole tree together, kind of like keeping the whole family together. He turned and surveyed his yard from the shed, looking back at the house. Hmm , he thought, looking at the roof of the house. From this angle, I’ve got some work to do up there. Those shingles never last as long as they’re supposed to. Maybe some solar panels up there after I put on the new roof would be a good idea. The shingles would probably last longer too. I’m sure Maggie would go along with that. Practical, and some cool new technology to play with. She hates when the power goes out, especially when she’s alone.
    The door into the cabin was unlocked. The shed was completely empty so far, and besides, he knew all his neighbors. There hadn’t been any real crime in this neighborhood for a long time. Everybody looked out for one another, and whenever a local real estate agent put a sign up somewhere, they all made a few phone calls to let the agent know what kind of neighborhood this was, and what their expectations were. There’s no substitute for good neighbors , thought Jake.
    The empty interior of the cabin echoed his footsteps as he walked across the concrete floor with his boots on. The