Stay ConnectedWhen the power mysteriously goes out across the country, Martin‘s Plan B is to walk the 50 miles from Boston to his home in New Hampshire. His plan B must be revised to include Susan: a woman he only knew as a teller in his bank. They make it to his home in New Hampshire but they still have to adapt to a grid-down world.
This podcast is a reading of Mic Roland‘s Siege of New Hampshire series. Available at http://mic-roland.com
Copyright: © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
One Monday morning in October, the power goes out in Boston and apparently all across the nation. Martin decides to go home rather than get stuck in downtown Boston. With traffic gridlocked and no busses leaving for New Hampshire, his only option is to walk the 50 miles. He's not really ready for that.
While on his way to North Station, Martin encounters Susan, the bank teller. He escorts her home through the gridlock. Once there, her apartment house has caught fire. Martin volunteers to help her find a hotel room but one after another of the hotels in town are full with other power outage refugees. His good samaritan deed was becoming quicksand.
Martin tries to find a hotel room for Susan before continuing his trek home. The trouble is, all the other people stuck in Boston by the outage have already filled the hotels, or people are fighting over the few rooms left. They must search farther out from the city.
Stalled traffic on the highway becomes an opportunity for criminals to rob the stranded motorists. Martin hoped to avoid the trouble by walking through the woods, around the ongoing crime scene. A protracted gunfight between the criminals and armed citizens trap Martin and Susan in the woods as daylight fades and a cold night approaches.
After a night of sleeping in the woods, Martin and Susan venture through Stoneham looking for food and water but find little. What they do find is a populace lingering in normalcy bias. Even though it is only the second day of the outage, the two of them wonder long will it be before complacency gives way to desperation.
As Martin and Susan travel north, making their way through suburban Stoneham, they find a little food by dumpster diving. Susan begins to limp from a bad blister. This leads to an awkward moment, which leads to an even more awkward discussion about Susan's emergency housing options.
A pause in the story to answer two of the questions sent to the author.
One: Why isn't Martin carrying a gun? A few notes on why.
Two: What's up with Susan? She has her fans, others wonder how anyone can be that clueless. There are reasons...
Listeners can send in questions too: to mic@mic-roland.com
As Martin and Susan travel north through Stoneham, they get to know each other a little better. Susan begins to have second thoughts about agreeing to go with him. She worries that Martin is one of those crazy Doomsday Prepper types. All this is overshadowed by trying to evade what they suspect are opportunists wanting to rob them.
Martin and Susan narrowly escape the would-be muggers but Martin does not escape unscathed. Walking north hits a snag when the pair run into police roadblocks preventing people from leaving the area – even on foot. A distraught Hispanic woman agrees to give the pair a ride if they can find her a way around the roadblocks.
Riding with Isabel, the pair manage to slip past or get around some of the official roadblocks intended to keep the populace in place. That is, until they reach the checkpoint at 495. Now, the Merrimack River becomes a barrier. Once again on foot, they follow the railroad tracks toward Haverhill. Martin hopes an interstate bridge over the river will be less guarded. Before they get there, the sky grows dark and it begins to rain.
After waking up under the bridge, Martin observes soldiers tasked to guard the bridge. He also encounters a boisterous refugee named Kevin. The three of them continue north through Salem until they witness a brutal carjacking on a remote road. The carjackers pursue the trio into a small housing development where there are few places to hide.
Martin and Susan escape the carjackers by fleeing into a vast woods, playing an audio version of hide-and-seek. Martin's street map isn't of much use for cross-country trekking. As they work their way out of the woods, they get to know each other better. Although, Martin is too candid about his antagonism toward squirrels. Emerging from the woods seems like a victory until they run afoul of an angry man with a shotgun.
Martin and Susan emerge from the woods, only to be held at gunpoint by an edgy homeowner. He is convinced that the pair are the first of a wave of a 'golden horde' of starving & desperate Massachusetts residents. The man's wife proves to be the calmer head to diffuse the situation.
Todd Sepulveda, host of ThePrepperWebsitePodcast.com interviews Mic with some questions about the Siege story. If you're a subscriber to Todd's podcast, you'll have already heard this interview. If not, listen in. Todd asks some questions relevant to a preparedness perspective and about the background of the story.
While following now-familiar roads toward his house, Martin and Susan discover an old man sitting in his living room while a generator is running in his closed garage. The pair have to break in, in an attempt to save the incoherant man.
The final chapter of Book 1. Martin and Susan climb the last big hill and meet an old ham operator. Via Walter's radio they get help to the old couple and learn a little bit about what's been going on in the nation. A ride in a horse cart eases the last miles, but eventually, Martin has to introduce Susan to his wife, Margaret. He dreads the moment.
Epilogue -- Some final (?) thoughts on Book One and a bit of talk about the start of Book Two after a break for Christmas.
Coming up soon will be the start of Book Two in the Siege of New Hampshire Series: Siege Fall. This little kick-off podcast is an introduction: a very brief setting of the stage as the story continues.
Martin made it home but the power is still out. He, his wife Margaret, and their new houseguest try to get as ready as they can to face the prospect of a long winter with no more new groceries, gasoline, or other supplies. Martin finds the situation with 'two hens in a nest' to be more fraught than he expected.
On their way to a town meeting, Martin and Susan encounter what appears to be a dead utility worker at the damaged electrical substation. At the meeting, Martin tries to explain why be believes the power won't be coming back on in a few days. The news upsets some folks. Police and fire services will be severely limited, as well room at the school gym shelter. Tempers flare over what should be done, or not done.
Martin navigates the minefield of faux pas between Margaret and Susan. Martin's son, Dustin and his wife Judy arrive seeking refuge, telling a tale of escape from sketchy men up in the mountains. Even though they brought with them what food they had, it's not enough to improve the outlook for the Simmons' household.
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The Simmons' household gets an unanticipated additional strain on their food supplies when they take in an elderly lady from their church. She arrives with virtually no food to add to the Simmons' supplies.
While hunting squirrels, Martin discovers that a group of idealistic college students has set up camp in the woods behind his property, intending to live off the land.
The townsfolk of Cheshire grapple with the reality that they are on their own and just what that means. A bold FEMA man comes to town promising to be the social safety net that everyone has lost. His token gifts, proof of his professed benevolence, raise more questions than reassurance. The townsfolk resume their barter fair, exchanging surpluses for needed items. Awkward moments when Susan is mistaken as Martin's wife.
Martin loses his temper over wasteful uses of precious, limited resources. To make amends, he takes Judy to listen in on one of Walter's radio sessions. They listen to fragments of news from the outside world are both sublime and troubling.
The promised FEMA truck arrives in Cheshire. A long line of residents turned out to get whatever aid was being handed out. Some people receive the promised aid (scant though it is), but others do not. Some heated friction between the FEMA boss and the town selectmen cuts the distribution short. Back home, supper at the Simmons' house turns into a shouting match as tempers flare.
An unexpected turn for the worse. Ruby dies in her sleep. Now what? There's no one to call to come deal with it. The Simmons household has to deal with death and the aftermath up-close and personal. At the graveyard, Martin has to take the role of pastor and gets roped into officiating over two more burials.
The next FEMA truck fails to arrive. The town's shelter runs out of fuel, prompting the selectmen to place all of the sheltered folks into peoples' homes. Martin is not pleased with who he is asked to take in. A group of beggars attempts to intimidate Martin's neighbors until Martin and his people intervene. This trouble convinces Martin to introduce firearms training to his mostly-reluctant household. The results are not encouraging and, in a way, disconcerting.
While hunting for squirrels, Martin encounters Andy in the woods again, to find out that the Utopians were beginning to starve. Dustin and Martin start building a gasifier out of salvaged metal parts, in hopes of running their generator off wood chunks instead of gasoline. Adam and Trish began to be trouble for the Simmons household.
The Dunans become difficult houseguests, displeased at the limited meals and duties around the house. Martin helps his neighbor, Nick, secure a little food. While on the way home, Martin finds himself between a couple of city gang members attempting revenge on a fleeing hispanic family. Now, what to do with three more people?
Martin and Dustin manage to get Tin Man to run their little generator. Feelings of success are tempered by a town meeting in which the residents vote on whether to accept federal aid (and the many strings attached) or to decline the aid and face the coming winter on their own, with what little they have. (This chapter is in two parts because it was over an hour long. Part 2, next week.
The second half of Chapter 12: During the town meeting, an opportunity arises for the town to adopt some milk cows in Canterbury. Several folks raise objections for why the town can't take in the cows. Martin deflects each complaint with a solution. Jeff Landers and Martin have also been requested to speak with the governor in Concord about some weighty matters. Martin helps the Perez family get to the newly-commissioned town farm.
The convoy of trucks and trailers depart Cheshire, bound for Canterbury to fetch some cows. En route, they stop in the state's capital, Concord, for an interview by the governor. Following that, is a rancorous meeting in Representatives Hall as the FEMA Assistant Director and the Governor both make their cases before the legislature for whether New Hampshire should accept federal aid (and the many strings attached) or not.
The convoy arrives in Canterbury to pick up the cows. While at the dairy farm, Martin becomes upset over Eric Emulari's untoward attentions to Susan and Margaret's trading away her pistol for a few bottles of rennet. All of that turmoil takes a backseat to the trouble the convoy encounters on the trip home. Someone lay in waiting for them to drive through.
The caravan of trucks and trailers arrive at Cauloff's farm. All in all, the group survived the gang ambush with relatively minor damage. Martin remains upset over many things, the most obvious being Eric acting as the playboy with Susan. At the Simmons house, an already tightly-wound Martin snaps at hints of impropriety by Adam Dunan. Martin's outburst of rage has the whole house on edge.
Margaret confronts Martin over his volatile behavior since returning from Canterbury. He has no clear idea just what's upset him. With the Perez family joining the Simmons, the food supplies need to be recalculated. Homemade hominy is a promising solution. Work begins on the Hendrick brothers' gasifier truck. The men in the Stockman Hill area begin to form a neighborhood defense group, though the first meeting isn't encouraging. Later, Susan confronts Martin too, about his odd behavior. He's forced to confront thoughts he has been avoiding.
Amid a background of daily life and still trying to get the bigger gasifier working correctly, a call comes in. Trouble, in the form of several carloads of gang members are headed for Cheshire. Martin and the Stockman Hill Company drop everything and rush into town. When they arrive, the assault is already in progress. Several houses have been ransacked by hungry gang members. The Stockman Hill men take up position on the hoodlums' likely return path.
The people of Cheshire take stock after the first big test of their mutual defense groups. They repelled the attack, stopping all of the robbers, though not without some casualties. Following the grim task of cleaning up after the fight, Martin returns home. His blood-soaked clothing dampens what might have been a triumphal greeting.
This is the last chapter in Siege Fall: Book 2 of the series.
A brief review of Book 2 and The Power of Community. Also, announcing a short survey about Book 3. That survey is at:
https://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/6IDbzuU3 and is open until 5/24/22.
Lastly, a bonus question. :-)
While giving the survey a little more time for results, Mic takes you along on a little morning audio tour of his New Hampshire homestead.
Photos to go with the tour are HERE
Results from the survey soon.
The story continues. Margaret gets talked into helping with the Town Farm. Martin discovers a food source that might help the less-prepared residents of Cheshire get through the winter.
Here is the link for those asked who asked how they could 'buy me a coffee': https://www.buymeacoffee.com/microland
Martin and Margaret help out at the Town Farm. Most of the residents there exhibit little hope. Martin and the Hendrick brothers continue to try and convert Charles' old truck to run off a gasifier but they run into failure after failure in trying to produce clean enough gas to run a truck engine. The promise of potentially lucrative trade with people on the coast heightens the sense of failure. Martin thinks the sad "nick-knack" lady might hold the key to their success, though he has no idea where she is.
Martin helps the folks at the Town Farm start cutting new wood to help them have heat during the coming winter. Their shortfall of food supplies spurs Martin to go up to Town Hall to suggest that the town acquire some of Clyde's corn for the Town Farm. While at Town Hall, Martin becomes embroiled in what to do with the gang member prisoner.
Now there is a Patreon page for Siege fans. Check it out: https://www.patreon.com/mic_roland
Martin acts as surrogate lawyer for the captured gang member at the ad hoc arraignment/hearing held at Town Hall. Some townsfolk, especially Charles, want the accused to be shot for the murders. Martin frets that representing Trevor will ruin his standing in the community. Susan comes along for moral support and the opportunity to speak frankly.
Despite Margaret's help managing the food supply at the Town Farm, it's obvious that they don't have enough for the winter. At a town meeting, Landers offers Clyde Graedig a two-year abatement on his property taxes in exchange for corn for the town farm. Clyde declines the offer, preferring instead to insist that he should be made a selectman. In fact, he insists on being chairman of the board of selectmen. Since he has the food, it's an offer the town cannot refuse.
Knick-knack lady misunderstands Martin's interest in her metalworking tools, offering herself in exchange for food money. Compromise averted, Martin finds a family cold and near starvation. He shares his food and helps them collect firewood larger than what a carving knife could provide. With Joni's metalwork, Filter H is a success. While taking a quick shakedown cruise in the Hendrick brothers' gasified truck, they encounter the police chief and selectman Landers. They were sent by newly-proclaimed Chairman Graedig to arrest Martin.
To thwart Clyde's arrest order, Martin volunteers to go with Charles and Tyler on their first trading trip to the seacoast. On the way, a group of desperate men emerges from hiding, intent to rob Hendrick Brothers Trucking at gunpoint.
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Hendrick Brothers Trucking finally makes it to the seacoast to trade firewood for fish. Martin meets a little old man who wants to take his schooner out fishing. The man coaxes Martin into crewing with them for a share of their catch. The fishing trip turns out to be a bigger adventure than any of them planned.
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After cleaning their bountiful catch and a hearty feast of fish chowder, Hendrick Brothers Trucking sets out on its return trip. They are accompanied by a squad of National Guard, their HumVee disguised as a bread truck. The plan is to tempt a group of notorious highway bandits into attacking. Martin ends up far more involved than he expected.
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Martin wears a disguise into town to avoid arrest. News from the outside world tells of a tightening siege but also some plans by the Coalition to get aid to New Hampshire. All of Clyde's corn is stolen! Now what do the townsfolk do for food? As snow falls, the Utopians' camp is abandoned, except of Andy, who is unconscious from hypothermia.
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While on his way to a town meeting, Martin is ambushed by Joni's angry/jealous husband. At the trading session, Walter and Sally have some mysteriously new food products to trade. Martin finds his much-dreaded opportunity to have his 'talk' with Joni. Andy improves and negotiates staying with the Simmons'.
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Martin and Judy take Tin Man to Walter's house so he can have an extended radio session. They hear fragments of news about power plant repairs failing and a possible aid fleet to help New Hampshire. Malcolm, a new house guest of Walter's, relates how he escaped with a truckload of FEMA food, crashed through barricades and made it as far as Walter's house. Malcolm spoke of a relief mission called Operation Longbow. On the way home from Walter's, Martin discovers that the town's dairy barn is on fire.
A distinctive boot print suggests a culprit that started the diary barn fire, but no one is found with such boots. Rations get slimmer still at the Simmons' home. A old hen becomes the household's Christmas dinner. Despite the austerity, decorating, singing, and giving simple homemade gifts lifts everyone's spirits and takes their mind off their sobering future prospects.
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Tempers flare as neighbors begin to suspect neighbors for the barn burning and a rash of petty crimes. Walter makes radio contact with the Coalition. Malcolm's escape prompted increased security at bridges. Operation Longbow may be called off. Susan insists that there are fire trials and logging roads over the mountains. The agent says that person with knowledge of those fire trails must travel to the site to scout a route for the food trucks. It could be a one-way trip.
While on patrol, Martin and Margaret discover Mara (living the wild woman life in their backwoods) just as she is being abducted by strange (and large) man. Martin and Andy show the residents of the Town Farm how to make pine fries to supplement their dwindling food supplies. On the way home, they stumble across an apparent murder scene.
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The crowd at the Altman's house learn that their deaths were no accident. They were murdered. The mob haul in the neighbor, accusing him. Martin finds himself appointed as defense attorney again. Before the trial, Mara meets Martin on patrol. She wordlessly leads him to where the shopping cart bandits had created a nearly-invisible hideout. Martin suspects that one of the bandits was the actual murderer. He rushes to alert others to gather up enough men to arrest the gang before they can escape.
A group of Cheshire men accompany the police chief, attempting to bring in the shopping cart gang from their hidden camp. One of the gang is suspected of the Altman murders. A shootout ensues. Martin coaxes one of the survivors into telling her tale as a refugee from grid-down Manchester, taken in (captive) by the gang. She becomes Martin's "start witness" in the trial of the accused neighbor.
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Candice is confronted about her conspiring with FEMA honcho Quinn to foment trouble in town. (the dairy fire, the gang attack, the Altman murders,) She runs, chased by a very angry mob. Martin and others prevent the mob from killing her but what to do with her now? A plan is hatched to tell Quinn that they'll exchange Candice for the corn FEMA stole. The plan does not go as expected.
This is part one of Chapter 18, which was a bit long. Part two airs next week!
With Candice now in custody, implicated in helping Quinn foment trouble in Cheshire, the problem becomes what to do with her. Martin decides to take Trevor to the Simmons' home, freeing up room in the Town Farm's ad hoc jail cell for Candice. While getting Trevor settled in, a powerful snow storm descends quickly, with bitter cold and white-out conditions.
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Judy frets over the lack of contact with the Town Farm, where Dustin and Margaret were when a strong and sudden blizzard engulfs Cheshire. Martin helps search in near-zero visibility for his neighbor's son who started home from town but never made it.
Thugs and hunger were trouble enough. Now, they have to contend with the power of winter.
A blizzard tale is a great time for a nice hot cup of coffee! :-) Consider buying Mic a cup of coffee at BuyMeACoffee.com/microland. Or become a supporting member at BMAC or a patron at Patreon.com/mic_roland.
Martin gets work that a group of men have started to raid homes on the south side of town. They are moving north, toward the center of town. They will pass Town Farm, where Margaret and Dustin were holed up during the blizzard. Martin missed riding with the other defenders, so had to trek to Town Farm by snowshoes. Trevor comes along. Passing the dairy, Adam is one of the attackers. He recognizes Martin and raises his rifle to settle an old score.
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The conclusion of Chapter 20, the last chapter in Book 3: Hunger Season. Martin leaves the barn of the Town Farm after helping subdue their captors. His goal is to find Margaret, hopefully in the orchard's small store. While he's making his way through deep snow, a battle rages up the hill. Raiders from the criminals' camp in Nutfield have traveled north, attacking their way toward the center of town.
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A few author's thoughts about Book 3.
The Ending That Wasn't. (it turns out)
What do you do with the poor? After a collapse, there will be hundreds of thousands of the Suddenly Poor.
The Rule of Law vs mob rule. What do people do when the usual legal processes are no longer available?
Bonus Episode -- Horsepower
After a collapse, the use of horses for transportation and work could see a revival. What would it be like to farm with horses? Mic interviews Jonathan, a man who currently farms with horses. We get a glimpse of what it's like, and what it could be like.
Photos of Jonathan farming with horses at Buy Me A Coffee / microland / gallery
Resources from Jonathan:
SmalllFarmers Journal -- www.smallfarmersjournal.com
Www.DocHammill.com -- Doc Hammill does workshops and has a series of videos. He is a good teacher and excellent for someone that’s never been around horses.Book 4 starts with when, in Book 3, Martin and the others dropped Susan off near the Mass border. She is being escorted through the closed and guarded border by Charon, one of the Coalition's tactical operatives. While Susan is determined to help Operation Longbow succeed in getting food to New Hampshire, she battles doubts about herself and the wisdom of her choices.
Now that we're starting another book, consider buying Mic a cup of coffee at BuyMeACoffee.com/microland. Or become a supporting member at BMAC or a patron at Patreon.com/mic_roland, and keep the story coming! Thanks!
Susan and team evade drones as they cross the border into Massachusetts. They arrive at the (apparently) abandoned summer camp only to find that the community of 'rebels' live underground beneath the camp buildings. At her first exploration across the river, it appears the road she remembered no longer exists.
A ragtag crew of volunteers work on the old bridge, in hopes that it will carry the big trucks of Operation Longbow. Susan, Hal, and Charon explore the forest across the river, looking for the logging road that Susan remembered from her childhood. All they found, however was a dead end at a swamp. Was the road gone now? Back at the lodge, Susan gets tapped to help Byron dress out a raccoon -- her first (reluctant) experience with skinning an animal.
Happy Thanksgiving, listeners!
Susan assists Byron in the skinning and cleaning of a raccoon. It is more than she ever wanted to know. Afterward, she gets settled into her temporary lodgings -- the earthen basement of the camp's Girls' Cabin. Susan and her new room mate Justine get to know each other. At supper, Susan is gifted with the best cut of the raccoon meat -- at treat would prefer to avoid.
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After helping the volunteers get set up to work on the bridge, Hal, Charon, and Susan set out to look for the lost road again. Relying more on her memories than what can be seen, she identifies the spot where the true road forked off but had become overgrown. Susan and Charon follow the ghost of a road all the way to the dairy farm staging area. Their return to camp takes too long. The evening drone fights begin before they are back across the river.
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Susan awakens to the bustle of camp members getting ready to salvage three large gravel conveyors for trusses with which to repair the bridge. Embarrassed at not having a way to contribute, Susan talks her way into any sort of task in order to help out. At the distant gravel yard, she finagles a lookout post at what was supposed to be an empty sector. It wasn't empty.
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Susan and Owen flee through the woods but cannot escape. The two soldiers capture them and take them to an abandoned house where they each plan to "interrogate" Susan. She is certain that it will be her last day alive but she is determined not to betray the camp or their work.
This becomes a pivotal moment in Susan's life that haunts her and alters her.
Susan begins to experience uncontrolled anxiety as a result of her being assaulted and shooting the two soldiers. Others at the camp try to console her but she would rather forget than cope. While seeking some quiet time on a hilltop, perhaps to seek God's help, she watches Owen hunting crows with this throwing stick.
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Susan resolves to teach herself how to hunt with a throwing stick, like Owen did. After a great deal of trial and error, she develops some skill. As darkness approaches, she must confront her fears of enclosed spaces in order to tell the others of her intentions to help load the trucks due to arrive tomorrow. In order to load a truck and ride in it back to Cheshire, she will need to master her fears.
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The trucks began arriving at the staging area. They would cross the bridge the next day. The time had come for Susan to leave the camp, hopefully forever, and help load area. In a farewell, Justine worries that Susan being deliberately blind to what awaits her...or doesn't, in Cheshire. Susan overcomes her claustrophobia to help customize a truckload of supplies for Cheshire.
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Susan succeeded in getting a truck dedicated to supplying Cheshire and got to customize its load. Just one more thing to complete her list: a pallet of dry beans that won't arrive until midnight. With Malcolm driving, her truck leaves the staging area next to last in line. Many trucks get across the bridge. As her truck approaches the bridge trouble begins to erupt.
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National Guard troops arrive to interrupt Operation Longbow just as Susan was about to cross the bridge and return to Cheshire. Amid gunfire, she is forced back to the west side of the river. Susan and Charon run through the snow of the wooded hills, pursued by several Guardsmen.
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Susan and Charon, having escaped the guardsmen searching for them -- for now -- make camp for the night. They will need the rest, and daylight, to resume their escape. Someone is bound to find their trail eventually. Charon paints a dark picture of what life will be like back in New Hampshire. The trucks of food will only buy them a month or two. Despite the gloomy outlook, Susan still wants to go back. Getting back, however, will be extremely difficult.
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Susan has to face the fact that Charon pressed on to Ohio, abandoning her. She is alone in a woods, far from anywhere she knows. To stay ahead of any pursing soldiers, she heads north. Her vague plan is to travel up into Vermont where she hopes the troops guarding the river crossings will be less vigilant. En route, she encounters the body of a man who died alone in the woods.
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Susan discovers a remote, and apparently abandoned, cabin on a hilltop near her overnight camp. She cautiously explores it on the prospect of finding some useful salvage. The place looks like it had been trashed and abandoned but not as thoroughly ransacked as looters typically do. Finding a few hidden rounds to the dead hunter's rifle, she assumes it was his Bug Out Location. She finds a few useful items but becomes alarmed when it's clear that someone is beneath the cabin floor.
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Susan reluctantly agreed to let Heather and her children follow her up into Vermont, even though none of them know exactly where they are going. Susan helps them make hemlock snowshoes for themselves and get ready for traveling at night. Progress is slow. The family not only slows Susan down, they become an emotional drain as well.
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Susan and her group avoid a lightly guarded checkpoint at the Vermont border. She has them follow a power line cut that she hopes leads to the small hydroelectric dam at the town of Vernon. Charon suggested that she might be able to use the top of the dam as a bridge. Susan finds her ad hoc leadership increasingly difficult. Then, an unexpected stranger arrives.
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The eccentric stranger that came upon Susan's camp settles in as if it were a social call. He distributes some snack bars and offers packs of oatmeal for Heather's family to have for breakfast. Susan remains suspicious of the stranger but his effusive politeness has Heather relaxing and accepting his help. Kirk even offers to find a house for Heather's family to live in. Susan tries to advise caution, but Heather is leaning toward staying. Susan feels like a failure as a leader.
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Baron Kirk's generosity suddenly drops away and his true intentions become obvious. He draws a gun on Susan before she can respond. She manages to free herself from the zip-ties and attacks Kirk. He's fighting to ensure he gets his 'rent,' from Heather. Susan is fighting for her life.
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Susan emerges from the ravine, leaving Kirk behind to face his fate. She orders her ad hoc group to break camp while she checks out the junkyard garage. There, she discovers that Kirk lived in relative squalor and with medieval paraphernalia. She salvages useful items and food and fashions a makeshift sled to carry it all. Susan and the family resume their trek over rough and hilly country toward the town of Vernon and the possible crossing point.
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Susan, Heather and family continue traveling north over hilly terrain toward Vernon, VT. Finding the hydroelectric plant busily occupied by soldiers. They join a general migration of people toward Brattleboro. A chatty old woman joins them. She provides useful information about what lies ahead and some cover for entering the Canton.
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En route to Brattleboro, Susan's group is joined by a chatty old woman. She is an inadvertent source of much useful information. Within Brattleboro are many more housing options and support systems that could take care of Heather and her kids. However, the conditions turn out to be austere and the environment grim. Heather and her family decide they want to go to New Hampshire with Susan. She was not expecting that.
Q & A
To make it easier for you to send me a question you might have about the Siege stories, I created an anonymous survey at -- https://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/eZKv0o1d
Check it out and let me know. The survey is good for 2 weeks.
Susan's plan to run across the bridge to New Hampshire is interrupted by a stranger. His intervention saves her group from likely being shot by overzealous federal soldiers. Susan and Heather cautiously agree to accept his help with some temporary housing while Susan tries to figure out another way across the river. They are introduced to an extended (and somewhat curmudgeonly) family living at a cluster of family farms called Five Corners.
The survey will still be active until April 20th if you want to vote for the Siege character you'd like to hear more about -- AND -- if you had any questions you'd like to ask about the stories. Check it out. -- https://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/eZKv0o1d
Susan settles into the daily routines of the extended family living a Five Corners. She figures out that Paul had been secretly part of Operation Longbow. Connecting some clues, she guesses that he is still part of some underground resistance network. As much as she has been fixated on getting back to Cheshire, she realizes that it would not be as blissful as her imagination paints it. Staying in Vermont, and becoming part of the underground network is an option that would make her much more useful to the people of Cheshire.
Thus ends book 4.
There will be a couple Bonus Material episodes before the start of Book 5. If you'd like to get a preview of what's in Book 6, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at BuyMeACoffee.com/microland.
Some author notes about the making of Book 4 and about the process that led to the "need" for a Book 4. A bit, too, about Susan's new home outside of Brattleboro, Vermont.
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Here are the results of the survey question: Which characters you'd like to hear more of in the stories AND, answers to the questions listeners submitted about the Siege stories in general.
Book 5 will begin soon. If you'd like to get a preview of what's in Book 6, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at bmc.link/microland.
Following up on last week's Q & A about the Siege Stories, this week features an interview of Mic Roland by Brian Hawkins of NextStepSurvival.com. Brian had several questions of his own about the Siege stories, so he and Mic discussed things like writing techniques, whether the characters are based on real people and a bit of background Mic's professional history as a writer.
Brian's blog can be found at: https://nextstepsurvival.com. He has the interview with video on YouTube. We both took a stab at editing. :-)
Book Five Begins!
An armed contingent of people from Cheshire begin an assault on the compound of the group that attacked Cheshire (in the last chapters of Book 3). Despite detailed planning, things do not go as smoothly as hoped.
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The quick defeat of the hoodlum compound -- Baddaz -- was completed. What remained was conducting the surrender. It did not go entirely peacefully. While chipping up more wood fuel for Tin Man, Martin spots Trish in the crowd of prisoners. She tells of a very harsh life after leaving Cheshire, betrayal by her husband, Adam and abuse by fellow 'comfort women' of the Baddaz leader. The return of Adam with the other prisoners compounds her despair.
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The criminal-inhabitants of Baddaz hear the terms of their surrender. They can join the march to Portsmouth for trial and likely internment aboard an improvised prison ship in the harbor. Or, they can stay in Baddaz and grow their own food. The catch being that those who stay must accept a tattooed X on their foreheads. Anyone with an X caught outside of Baddaz could be shot on sight. Martin arranges a work-parole for Trish so she doesn't have to take the mark.
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The story shifts to Vermont. Susan and Paul travel to the house of a man with a ham radio. They listen to disturbing news from Detroit, a likely Fed trap, and a desperate plea for help from Byron Davis, lead of the group that sheltered Susan during her quest for her bridge.
Podcast News: The Free Trial option is still open at Mic's Patreon page. You can check out the membership perks for seven days for free! Becoming a supporting Patron might be just the thing for you.
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Susan and Paul meet up with Shivley, the sketchy scrounger, to arrange a deal to provide Byron's group with antibiotics. The negotiations dance around, finally settling on four boxes of ammo for the two bottles of pills. The meeting takes place on an island in the middle of the frozen Connecticut River. Bryon and Owen show up and close the deal. Susan suddenly realizes that she's on the border. She could escape to New Hampshire.
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The action returns to New Hampshire. The Simmons house is getting a radio upgrade with Walter's help. He also delivers the message that Susan sent from Doug's mountain. Martin is relieved that she's okay. Andy suggests that Susan is Martin's soulmate, just as Mara is his. While pulling stumps in Martin's back acre, Mara arrives with news of four mysterious men that snuck up along the river overnight. She leads Martin to where they're bedded down for the day.
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The confrontation with the hoodlums hiding in the hollow turned into a shootout. It looked like they were all killed, but one was faking it. He grabbed Andy as a hostage to cover his escape. Mara, however, ends his attempt. This solidified Andy's theory of them being sole mates.
The hoodlums had a mysterious little gray box which, upon examination, appeared to be a low-power transmitter -- a locator beacon of some kind. The men of Cheshire decide to turn on the beacon in the post office parking lot and see who comes.
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In this conclusion to Chapter 6, some of the men of Cheshire watch through the night to see if a fire-bomber will seek out the radio beacon that the Xs carried. They have people watching the little box in the middle of the post office's parking lot and telltales to signal if someone attempts to sneak between any of the nearby buildings. They get their answer but it is not at all what they expected.
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Meanwhile, back in Vermont, Susan takes Erin out to hunt woodchucks with their hunting sticks. They get one, but also overhear the arrival of a new government leader for the region. Everyone in the area is ordered into Brattleboro for a meeting. Susan worries that her venture to the border has been found out and it's all a trap to arrest her.
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The people of Brattleboro listen to a speech by their new regional director, Jamal Baylem. He extols the virtues of the new America the leaders in Washington are making. The new America gets a new flag -- a rainbow flag. The new America also gets a new currency -- Shares. Barter becomes illegal. The old flags and old dollars are illegal. The changes promise to make life all the more difficult.
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The Ames family drop Adele off at her house near Vernon, giving Susan an opportunity to check out the new border security measures and where she might hide a boat...if she could find one. When Susan and Paul return the next day to escort Adele to the currency exchange, Susan notices a row of motion sensors installed along the river. When a flock of ducks trigger the sensors, a drone arrives in less than a minute to check out the triggering. How can she get across without tripping the sensors?
If you're liking the Siege story and wonder where it might go after Book 5, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, where you can read character sketches, novelettes, and chapters of Book 6 as I'm writing them. Of course, cups of coffee are always welcome.
Paul and Susan travel by horse cart to Adele's house to give her a ride up to Brattleboro to exchange her dollars for the new currency -- Shares. Adele's small house triggers Susan's mental trauma. She's not "over it" after all. At the exchange, Adele finds out that her three thousand dollars gets her only twenty-five Shares. As if that weren't bad enough, the price of goods in the Co-op have gone up too.
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While Margaret is tending to the milk cows at the dairy, an alarm is sounded. Mysterious raiders rush in to kill the cattle. The panicked cows scatter. Two of them escaped to the woods. Martin, Andy, and a worker named Dan set off to find one of the cows. While searching, they come across the concealed camp of the raiders. Among their scant belongings is a cryptic piece of paper. They find the missing cow but then have try to herd the frightened animal back to the farm.
If you're liking the Siege story and wonder where it might go after Book 5, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, where you can read character sketches, novelettes, and chapters of Book 6 as I'm writing them. Of course, one-time cups of coffee are always welcome.
The Agriculture Committee of Cheshire meet to discuss plans to ensure enough food can be grown for winter. Their problem is that there isn't enough farmland to grow both crops and hay to feed the cattle and workhorses. Their meeting is interrupted with the prisoner, the captured raider. He tells what he knows of the raiding schemes. This provides some clues that suggest Quinn might be the information source used by the raiders.
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Martin, Dustin and Trevor accompany Sergeant McCutchin and his men. They prepare to sneak into the airport, that Quinn and his men have used as a fortified compound. Dustin uses his hacking skills to gain access to the compound's cameras. This lets Cutch and his men get in undetected, but it also lets Martin and the others watch as events unfold. Quinn manages to escape and drive away in his big SUV. Cutch and the others give chase.
If you're liking the Siege story and wonder where it might go after Book 5, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, where you can read character sketches, novelettes, and chapters of Book 6 as I'm writing them. Of course, cups of coffee are always welcome -- to keep things going.
A bonus episode, tracing the origins of New Hampshire's stubborn, self-sufficient, independent attitude. It is this cultural mindset that underpins the onset of the "siege" in Book 2, and animates much of the remaining stories. This week, Mic looks at the historical roots of that NH mindset and shares some of his personal experience with it too.
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After the capture of Quinn's men, a military truck is found, its back full of corn. While everyone sees it as a windfall, Martin insists that it be returned to Clyde, the rightful owner. Clyde is cantankerous toward Martin, but accepts the return nonetheless. Once home, Martin discovers that his wife Margaret has fallen ill. She has a severe infection from the cut she suffered during the dairy raid. What antibiotics her caregivers could scrounge up have failed to stop the infection. Connie, the nurse, has little hope but does cite one long shot cure using three different antibiotics. Martin grasps at the straw.
Andy makes a plug for listeners to buy Mic a cup of virtual coffee on at Buy Me A Coffee. He would have mentioned becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, but he heard Mic returning to the studio room, so he had to run.
In the search for the special antibiotics to treat Margaret's MRSA, Martin has to travel to Manchester on short notice. Connie told him to talk with a Dr. Rowlett at the Elliot hospital. Dr. Rowlett is kurt and dismissive. The only place with those antibiotics is the Catholic Medical Center on the west side -- which is tightly controlled by the Kings gang. When Martin snarks about taking a boat across at night to avoid the gang sentries, Dr. Rowlett suddenly becomes helpful. They then hatch their plans for sneaking across the river that night.
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Martin and Dr. Rowlett head across the river in a small boat by night to land on the west side -- the Kings gang's territory. Martin is hopeful that a doctor on the west side will have some of the antibiotics needed to cure Margaret's MRSA. Dr. Rowlett wants to smuggled back something larger. That mystery cargo proves to be highly problematic.
There's one week left (until Sept. 29, 2023) to tell Mic how they feel about the ads that play during the episodes. He has a survey here. Here are the links to Mic's Buy Me A Coffee page and his Patreon page.
Martin wakes up on the riverbank and learns that his companions had saved him from the river, though he suffers from hypothermia. Since he had no extra (dry) pants and shirts, they dressed him in Chandra's extra dry clothes. They meet up with Davy Walsh and Robert who had been searching for them. Once home in Cheshire, Martin can't go back in the house. His hypothermia makes him vulnerable to infections -- especially MRSA. He delivers two of the three medicines Margaret needs. He wonders where (or if) he'll find the third.
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Meanwhile, back in Vermont, Susan is helping her hosts with chores -- making soap and beef jerky. While helping, a pan falls to the floor beside her. The loud bang triggers overpowering feelings of doom and danger. Nearly blind from the anxiety attack, Susan shoots at her demons -- the eyes that haunt her. Her shot narrowly misses Paul. Shocked and terrified at her uncontrolled behavior, Susan runs away into the wooded hills. She is alone...again.
Consider becoming a monthly member on Mic's Buy Me A Coffee page or his Patreon page. Monthly members have been getting previews of the chapters of the next book in the Siege series. Chapter 8 will be posted very soon. Of course, even a cup of virtual coffee is much appreciated.
Douglas visits Susan at Three Oaks, telling her how he heard that Mrs. Simmons was sick with MRSA. She needed a very particular type of antibiotic. Susan wants to help but her only idea is to ask Shivley if he can procure the medicine. Shivley reluctantly agrees to see if he can. Susan follows him, curious to see where he would get such a thing. She follows him into town and sees him hide a note behind a fire hydrant. While watching to see who would come to pick up the note, Susan is ambushed by a young man intent on dragging her into an abandoned house.
You can listen to these episodes ad-free. Check out Mic's Patreon page. Click on Membership, and select Ad-Free Access. The episodes are then available on Spotify. You can let Mic know that you are enjoying the story by buying him a cup of coffee on Buy Me A Coffee. You can also become a monthly supporter on both Buy Me A Coffee and on Patreon.
Erin visits Susan at Three Oaks, bringing gifts from the others at Five Corners. Erin seeing Susan's bloody knife prompts a confession about what happened. Erin tags along while Susan meets Shivley to find out if he found that medicine. Shivley suggests that he might trade the medicine for some certain "favors" from Susan. She barely contains her rage. She threatens to expose Shivley's black-marketeering to the new regime. He backs off, but still requires five hundred ounces of silver.
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Susan and Erin walk up Doug's mountain to deliver the news that Shivley does have the medicine. This, so Doug can transmit the news to Cheshire. The problem is that the man Doug needs to set up a repeater for the call to Cheshire is being uncooperative. Doug needs Susan to convince the man that the cause is worth his effort. To do so, Susan must go up to Doug's radio attic. She wrestles with her demons again, worried that Doug and Erin may be in danger from her.
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Martin is thrilled at the news that someone out there has the medicine his wife needs. He is also exasperated that the cost exorbitant -- 500 ounces of silver. In an outpouring of support for Margaret, many townsfolk gather to contribute silver to the cause. They come up far short. Clyde Graedig enters to provide the remainder -- in exchange for Martin building him a gasifier. With the 500 in hand, the next hurdle is how to get it to the rendezvous island in just four days.
Consider supporting this podcast by becoming a monthly member on Mic's Buy Me A Coffee page or his Patreon page. Monthly members have been getting previews of the chapters of the next book in the Siege series. Chapter 9 posted recently. Mic says 'thanks' for those who bought him virtual coffees at BMAC.
Martin, Robert, and Trevor set out on horseback to make the rendezvous at Connecticut River. Saddle-riding is harder on the new riders than expected. While following trails in the power line cuts, they encounter a booby trap -- likely an outer defense for a settlement nearby. The three decide to go around. While pushing through the woods, they overhear a group of raiders attempting to break into a remote home. As much as Martin is in a hurry to get the medicine for Margaret, he can't leave the anonymous family to such a terrible fate.
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Martin, Trevor and Robert ride long power line cuts and trails until they get close to the town of Jaffrey. When they try to cross a short bridge, a dozen men jump out and capture the three. They are held in an abandoned school. When the leader of one of the two factions controlling Jaffrey finds out the three are from Cheshire, she flies into a rage -- accusing them of causing the suffering and death of her people. She plans a public "trial" to punish them.
If you're liking the Siege story and wonder where it might go after Book 5, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, where you can read character sketches, novelettes, and chapters of Book 6 as I'm writing them. Of course, one-time cups of coffee are always welcome.
Martin, Trevor and Robert escape from captivity in Jaffrey. They can only collect a few of their possessions and flee at a full gallop. They have their guns, but no ammo. They resume their trek following the power line cuts west. When they figure they're far enough away, they stop for rest and water. Four raiders jump them. The man fighting Martin gains the upper hand, but abandons the fight to try and ride away on Jasmine. Martin whistles, causing Jasmine to throw the rider. She tramples him savagely. Martin and Robert find Trevor with a nasty knife wound.
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Three local men came to investigate the shot Robert fired. One of the men took his revenge on the dead bodies. Martin excused himself, briefly, to quietly tell the fallen raider in the woods that he was giving the man his best second chance by not telling the crazed man with the machete that he was there. Martin delivered the stark gospel that the raider was likely to die that night of hypothermia. His going to heaven or hell was his own choice. After getting Trevor rigged into a stretcher between Peaches and Jasmine, the group headed to a Christian camp at the foot of Mount Mondadnock. There, Trevor found some medical help. But, the day was spent. Would Martin get to the rendezvous island by noon the next day?
If you're liking the Siege story and wonder where it might go after Book 5, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, where you can read character sketches, novelettes, and chapters of Book 6 as I'm writing them. Of course, one-time cups of coffee are always welcome.
Susan meets Shively at the river's edge, awaiting the drone to pass so they can venture across the river to island. Susan discovers that Shivley has a double-cross planned with four henchmen prepared to cross the river after them. She sabotages that plan before she, Erin and Shivley cross. When the people from New Hampshire appear, Susan is dumbstruck to find out that one of them is Martin. Instead of joy, she is engulfed with a paralyzing realization.
If you're liking the Siege story and wonder where it might go after Book 5, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, where you can read character sketches, novelettes, and chapters of Book 6 as I'm writing them. Of course, one-time cups of coffee are always welcome.
The exchange of silver for medicine is complete on the river island. Susan realizes that she cannot return to New Hampshire with Martin, for his sake. After the patrol drone passes, Shively takes Erin hostage, intending to strand her and Susan on the island while he escapes. While Erin is disarming Susan (under duress) they are both reminded of how Susan stopped Baron Kirk.
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Martin is back home and breaking sod in his back acre field with Robert and Jasmine. Andy emerges from the woods with a swollen eye, the result of a 'spear-handling accident' when he tried to invite Mara to the Spring Planting Festival. Margaret is recovering from her MRSA and brings Martin a couple bits of good news, and to remind him that he still has time to ask her to the festival dance.
This is the End of Book 5.
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Merry Christmas to all you faithful listeners out there.
Mic shares some author's notes and some of the backstory on the development of Book 5. He also shares some ideas on what might be coming up next for the Siege Podcast
Mic appreciates all of you who supported this podcast by buying him a coffee at Buy Me A Coffee. Or becoming monthly supporters on both Buy Me A Coffee and on Patreon.
Have a Happy New Year and stay tuned to find out what's next!
This was Mic's "week off" to drive out to the Midwest to see his newest grandson. Along the way, he listened to an EMP novel and mused about being stranded on the highways, farms and the cost of food, the future of farming, etc.
Link Mic mentioned: Food Prices in 1919 and 2019
Link to Mic's Week-of-Groceries list
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Your support helps keep the Siege story podcast going.
Mic, Jeff and Brian discuss the Get Home story -- a subgenera within prepper fiction -- of which Book 1 in the Siege of New Hampshire series is one of them.
They discuss the novels: Going Home, by A. American.
The Borrowed World, by Franklin Horton,
77 Days in September, by Ray Gorham, and others.
And, since we're discussing Get Home Bags, here is a link to a video Brian made about HIS Get Home Bag.
You can support this podcast by buying Mic a cup of coffee on Buy Me A Coffee. You can also become a monthly supporter on both Buy Me A Coffee and on Patreon.
With this sixth book in the series, the story continues as Cheshire moves into summer. Martin laments about projects and work not getting done. Everyone is too busy. Margaret makes cheese. Andy digs out the septic tank, etc. Despite have more to do than he has hours in a day, Martin agrees to help the Hendrick brothers with yet another entrepreneurial scheme.
Show Mic that you are enjoying the ongoing story by buying him a cup of coffee on Buy Me A Coffee. You can also become a monthly supporter on both Buy Me A Coffee and on Patreon.
For over 200 years, people have been fearful that a comet would strike the earth and end civilization as we know it. For an event with so little probability of occurring, Comet Doom has produced many books and movies. This week, Mic looks into some of the amusing history of Comet Doom. He is joined by Brian and Jeff to discuss two more-recent Comet Doom movies -- Deep Impact and Greenland -- from a prepper's perspective.
Check out a post with some images of Halley's Comet craziness from 1906 on Buy Me A Coffee or on Patreon.
You can also buy Mic a cup of coffee on Buy Me A Coffee or become a monthly supporter on both Buy Me A Coffee and on Patreon.
Martin arrives at the Hendricks' farm to do the welding he promised. He finds out that the brothers' plans depend on overhauling an old tractor engine. While Walter was able to use his ham radio connections to find the necessary parts, it turns out that they are in Massachusetts -- Fed territory. They can still make the trade, provided Martin can persuade a thorny nemesis.
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Your support helps keep the Siege story podcast going.
Mic, Jeff and Brian discuss books and movies about nuclear doom. There are two broad subgroups: Gloomy Doom -- in which no one survives, and Hopeful Doom -- in which people DO survive. Actual research suggests that a nuclear exchange could, indeed, be survivable if you aren't in or near a target zone. Mic, Jeff and Brian discuss preps to improve one's surviveability.
Nuke Doom Movies and Books referred to in this episode:
Five! -- a 1951 movie about five random survivors
Day The World Ended -- 1955 movie about remote cabin of survivors.
Alas, Babylon -- 1959 book: classic nuclear survivors' story.
On The Beach -- 1959 movie about aftermath in which no one survives
The Day After -- 1983 TV movie about the horrors of nuclear war.
Martin and Charles drive down to the border, noticing how life near the border is less tranquil. They meet up with the cranky Mr. Varney. Eartly the next morning, they meet a man named Harold out in the no-mans-land at the border but the trade does not go as planned. Fed drones interrupt. Some of them are equipped to shoot!
If you're enjoying this new stage in the Siege story, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, to support this podcast. Of course, one-time cups of coffee are always welcome.
Mic takes you on an early spring / late winter walk-around the homestead. It is the start of maple syrup season and collection has begun. The days are getting longer and the chickens have started to lay more. The ice on the pond might be sturdy enough to cut a couple trees out in the pond. There's still too much snow for gardening, though.
You can support this podcast by becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee. One-time virtual cups of coffee are always welcome.
Martin and the Hendrick brothers resume work on their gasifier-engine-generator-welder trailer. Mrs. Hendrick tells of seeing her "Corn Ghost" again, with proof of some damaged corn at the edge of her field. Jeff Landers comes by, lobbying Grange members (which includes Martin, Tyler and Charles) for support of a pending warrant article to stem brewing trouble in town over water rights.
Support the ongoing writing of Book 6 by buying Mic a cup of virtual coffee, at Buy Me A Coffee.
To become a monthly supporter, go to Patreon, or Buy Me A Coffee,
Your support helps keep the Siege story podcast going.
What would it be like to lose power at your house for two weeks? Mic interviews Jonathan, a Siege stories listener and farmer/prepper, who lost power due to an ice storm. Which of his preps worked well? What holes in his preps did the outage expose? Generators are a godsend but fuel for them is their Achilles Heel. What can be done about that?
If you enjoy these 'Extra' content episodes, let Mic know by buying him a cup of virtual coffee at Buy Me A Coffee. You could also become a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, or drop him an email: mic (at) mic-roland (dot) com.
Nick attends his first Grange meeting and comes forward for membership. After some farmer-related business, and a lecture about corn by Clyde Graedig, a guest speaker addresses the group. Clive Farnum seeks support for his Central Rail Collaborative, a steam train project that he is promoting as the key to a revived New Hampshire economy.
If you're enjoying these new chapters in the Siege story, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, to keep the story going. Of course, virtual cups of coffee are always welcome.
Mic, Brian and Jeff explore some of the fiction featuring pandemics or plagues. They will narrow their scope to include the more realistic stories and save the zombie stories for another episode. They discuss several fictional stories with an eye toward what we really experience with the recent Covid pandemic. They also share their own experiences during Covid as well as advice on being ready for the next pandemic.
Stories discussed in this episode:
Edgar Allen Poe's short story: "Mask of the Red Death."
Albert Camus' 1947 novel: "The Plague"
The 1996 film: "Outbreak"
The 2011 film "Contagion"
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Mr. Farnum visits the Hendricks' farm and is impressed with Charles' new gasifier-generator-welder. He tells of the need the Central Rail Collaborative has for a bigger welder and some of the the difficulties the CRC has faced thus far. Charles tries to finagle profitable terms in exchange for helping the CRC. To his and Martin's surprise, Farnum agrees to a rather generous deal. "That was too easy," Martin says.
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In this episode, Mic, Brian, and Jeff look at three famous fictional works in which an economic collapse is the cause of SHTF. What caused those collapses? Is there anything we can learn from them? How did the main characters and the populace respond to the collapse? Are there lessons there too?
Links for titles in this episode:
"Patriots" by John Wesley Rawles, 1995 (updated through 2011). Synopsis and reviews on Goodreads.
"Atlas Shrugged" Ayn Rand, 1957. Synopsis and reviews on Goodreads.
“The Grapes of Wrath” 1940 movie, based on 1939 novel by John Steinbeck Internet Archive link - https://archive.org/details/the-grapes-of-wrath-1940
“Our Daily Bread” 1934 movie.
YouTube link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=166XhPVGfgU
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Martin and the Hendrick brothers set out for their journey north. While passing Indian Lakes, they are stopped at a roadblock. There, they meet up with Davy Walsh who was on an assignment to clear out the squatters around the lakes. While Davy hitches a ride to Concord, he tells Martin about the efforts to clean up Manchester's drinking water in hopes of curbing rampant sickness. In Concord, they learn that their trip north will be trouble.
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Join Mic and his regular co-hosts Brian and Jeff, as they venture into the world of environmental disaster through - literature, film, and real-world predictions. Unlike the commonly explored apocalyptic narratives involving comets or nuclear weapons, EcoDoom is a surprisingly scarce disaster narratives in Hollywood, despite it being trumpeted as an urgent crisis. Where are all the climate change-themed movies?
Our trip down memory lane will discuss environmental disaster movies that come close: Soylent Green, The Day After Tomorrow, and an old British film about global warming, The Day the Earth Caught Fire. Scrutinize with us the underlying narratives, their practical survival lessons, and the politics of fear exploited by these films. We provoke the question –
What lessons, if any, might a prepper take away from these films? We discuss common preparation practices and critique the approach towards the global warming conversation. Common sense reminds us to be discerning, respectful of nature, and above all, prepared for the ever-changing environmental landscape.
Soylent Green (1971 movie) Imdb.com plot summaries.
The Day After Tomorrow (2004 movie) Imdb.com
The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961 movie) Full movie at archive.org
Yellowstone (4-book series) by Bobby Akart (reviews on Goodreads.com)
Climate: The Movie (The Cold Truth) Full movie at YouTube
Climate Refugees (More of the usual predictions of dire doom)
Review in Hollywood Reporter.
Mic, Jeff and Brian review and discuss the newly-released movie "Civil War" by Alex Garland. The possibilities of civil unrest is an increasing concern among the preparedness-minded, so we approached our look at the movie from a prepper perspective. There is a no-spoilers synopsis in the beginning of this episode, as well as a spoiler warning and a point to which you can fast-forward to skip the spoilers, if you like.
Later in the episode, we discuss questions engendered by the movie, like: what can a prepper do about civil unrest? Would the government actually fire upon disobedient citizens? How might a civil war affect citizens outside of the conflict zones?
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Martin, Tyler, and Charles are met with an unforeseen difficulty on their way north. The ongoing argument between the Hendrick brothers causes them to nearly crash. To compound their trouble, they learn that the road they were told to take, to get round the troublemakers in Plymouth, has become blocked by them too. How can they sneak a loud white truck past the guards at the new roadblock?
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NH had a storm in early April that took out power for tens of thousands of people. It was a chance to practice using the homestead's grid-down preps. Somethings worked well and life was quite normal, despite the outage. Some things were not as good as they should be. The outage exposed a few weak spots in the preps -- things to fix up for next time.
Here are links to some photos of the preps mentioned in this episode. At Buy Me A Coffee and at Patreon.
The three men from Cheshire finally arrive in Lincoln. They confront Mr. Farnum about the danger they had to face. Rather than make their ordeal a waste of time, they renegotiate a deal -- one day of labor for a trailer full of wood. Farnum suggests that they might wish to revisit the original terms at the end of the day. The Hendrick brothers repair broken drag saws and create new rail spacers. While Tyler still thinks the railroad scheme is all a scam, the evidence of all the other people working argues that it is legit. Will they work another day for 5%, or will they go with just a trailer full of wood?
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Mic, Jeff and Brian discuss a few movies in which people expect to survive some SHTF event in an underground bunker. Bomb shelters (bunkers) were very popular in scary parts of the Cold War. While bunkers are best suited to surviving Nuke Doom, some people can see sheltering underground as a great way to survive a whole range of SHTF scenarios. But is it? Our trio of prepper movie watchers discuss this, as well as the movies listed below.
Twilight Zone, S3 E3, 1961, The Shelter -- Stream-able with Amazon Prime
Take Shelter, 2011, a Jeff Nichols film -- Stream-able with Amazon Prime & Hulu
10 Cloverfield Lane, 2016, starring John Goodman -- Stream-able on PlutoTV
Article about wealthy people building bunkers, Hollywood Reporter, Sept. 2016
Updated article by same author, Hollywood Reporter, Feb. 2024
Martin, Charles and Tyler begin their second day of work for Farnum. The mood of all the workers starts out upbeat. The old and new tracks are connected and the locomotive is nearly to the old railhead. A squabble among the workers reveals that Farnum has massively over-promised everyone's stake in the profits. The angry mob attack Farnum, leaving him bloody and unconscious. Too late, do they realize that Farnum was the only one who knew what to do. Is the railroad project doomed?
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In the preppersphere, zombies are a metaphor for the masses of the unpreppared, weakened after a prolonged collapse, who slowly fan out into the countryside seeking food. Mic, Jeff, and Brian look a few landmark films and a popular TV series. Does how the characters deal with their zombies hold lessons for how preppers might deal with a possible horde of weakened, emaciated city people?
What can you do to help prevent yourself turning into a "zombie"?
Movie Links:
White Zombie, 1932, starring Bela Lugosi. The first actual zombie movie.
The Minnesota Starvation Experiment, Army study in 1945 on effects of starvation.
Plan 9 From Outer Space, 1957. Cheesy sci-fi in which aliens raise the dead as an army.
Night of the Living Dead, 1968, George Romero's cult classic that launched the modern zombie trope.
The Walking Dead, 2010-2022, Television series, with Romero-like zombies
Survival Theory II, 2023, Audio book by Jonathan Hollerman
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Martin convinces the three railroad partners to carry on the project, even if none of them fully knew what needed to be done. A key to getting the workers to resume work was for the partners to create their own money -- based on firewood -- as a medium of exchange. Once the rails are connected, the engine assembles the first train south. Martin rides in the gondola car to operate the gasifier and welder, if needed.
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Will AI be the cause of human extinction? That's what some experts are warning of. Mic, Brian and Jeff discuss some of the many movies and news stories about artificial intelligence taking over. On the optimistic side, the AI establishes a harsh but overall benevolent dictatorship. On the darker side, the AI systematically tries to wipe out humanity -- as an "inferior" and troublesome pest. How is a prepper to prepare for an AI overlord?
LInks:
Atlas, 2024, Jennifer Lopez battles an AI villain trying to wipe out mankind.
Colossus: The Forbin Project: 1970. A super-computer establishes itself as benevolent dictator of the earth, with the threat of nuclear destruction for disobedience.
The Invisible Boy, 1957. A super-computer attempts to become unstoppable. eliminate mankind. It's goal is to rid the Earth of the troublesome humans.
100K!
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The train is finally on its way south. En route, Matt explains his group's plan to neutralize the Greens' northern outpost, then sneak in to free to slave laborers. With their increased numbers, they move on to free the political prisoners. With their larger ad hoc force, they will attempt to capture the Greens' leaders while the rest of the Greens are trying to capture the train. Martin is not too keen on being the bait.
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What would bugging out to the woods really be like? Mic lays out five historical examples of people surviving in the woods for years.
> Nicholas Cresswell, 1770s traveling through the American frontier.
> The Lykov family, 1936-78, 42 years in Siberian wilderness.
> Max, 1941-43, A young Jewish boy hiding in a Polish forest from Nazis for 2 years.
> Christopher Knight, 1986-2013, 27 years in the woods of Maine.
> Thomas Johnson, 1989-99, living secretly underground for ten years.
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As the Train rolls into Plymouth, the gunfire begins. Matt and his men are carrying out their plan, but those plans meet their first wrinkle. The Greens have damaged the tracks. The train can't roll through town as a distraction. It is stuck in the middle of town. The men on the train have to take defensive action. Martin catches a pair of Greens attempting to hijack the train and run it off the broken rails.
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--
Mic, Brian, and Jeff all watched what might be the first realistic SHTF-Bug-Out movie: Panic In Year Zero (1962). While it is, of course, Hollywood fiction, many of the scenes are directly applicable to today. If you needed supplies, would you steal to get them? If you were confronted by someone you meant you harm, should you 'terminate' them right then? Our three movie-watchers discuss many of the scenes that raise relevant questions for today.
Panic in Year Zero Movie: (YouTube Link) Shown in 10 parts. Link is to Part 1. The subsequent parts usually follow automatically, but take note that the new part has the next part number. They don't always follow correctly. But hey, it's free. :-) Give it a try. See for yourself what we were jabbering about.
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Martin is tasked with riding on the front of Engine #6 to inspect the rails as the train leaves Plymouth. He sees two people running on the tracks toward the train. They jump into the brush beside the rails. More people come running down the tracks and jump off at the same place. Shots ring out. Martin signals for the train to stop just before it reaches a small bridge. What he discovers under that bridge was completely unexpected.
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Is it better to prep by trying to be an off-grid homesteader, or a basement stasher of a year's worth of all your consumables? Mic, Jeff, and Brian discuss these two poles of the spectrum of prepping. Brian goes into a couple of rants about the cons of homesteading. He is also frank about some challenges to the basement stasher.
Feel free to email Mic with your two-cents on the issues we discussed. mic (at) mic-roland (dot) com
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The train leaves Laconia, making its way down through Tilton and Concord, on its way to Manchester. When they arrive, everyone aboard is surprised to see very little ready for them. The city is oddly open-looking. All the trees are gone. lMartin returns home to an enthusiastic welcome, but the chores he frets over were still not done.
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Mic gives an audio tour around the homestead as things stand at mid-summer.-- the quiet, elderberries that were only mostly-dead, what seems like slow fruiting, the chickens and the sad tale of dropping a tree on top of his low garden. Doh.
All that, and news that target shooting is, apparently, a popular spectator sport for chickens. Who knew?
To see photos that go along with this audio tour, visit my Buy Me A Coffee page and click on Posts. If you prefer Patreon, go to my Patreon page and it should be the top post. Both are available to everyone.
If you're enjoying these between-the-chapters episodes or the chapters themselves, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee,
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Martin resumes his chores around the house and checks out Dustin's rabbit snares at the back bean field. He takes a break to help Andy move out to Mara's camp. Andy is thrilled to be rooming with his soul mate. Martin gets back home in time to attend a contentious Grange meeting. Members complain about the Ferals stealing food and spreading disease. A mood of vigilanteism sweeps the meeting.
To check out Mic's post about the recent bobcat attack on his chickens, check out his Buy Me A Coffee page or his Patreon page.
The US Government's EMP Commission's report stated that at E.M.P. attack could take out the nation's power grid for over a year. After a year without the grid, said the report, that 60% to 90% of Americans would be dead. None of us can prevent an EMP, a CME, or a terrorist hack, but there are steps we can take to help be in the surviving 10%. Mic, Brian, and Jeff discuss grid-down media and an EMP movie.
Links to material the boys discussed:
Grid-Down / Power-Up (2021 documentary starring Dennis Quaid)
Ted Koppel interview discussing his grid-down book: Lights Out (2015)
Ted Koppel's book, Lights Out, on Amazon (2015)
Movie, E.M.P. 333 Days (2018) free on Tubi, for rent for $2 on YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime.
Early one morning, the motion alarm that Martin installed in his bean field, goes off. He rushes out to find a mysterious silhouette at the edge. He chases and tackles the person. She turns out to be a member of a group of Feral women who had been hiding in the woods across the road. Margaret coaxes them into cooperating and relocating to behind the Simmons' house so that they would be safe from the disgruntled townsfolk who are hunting them. The Simmons' do not have enough food for eight new mouths. What can they do?
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Mic, Brian and Jeff discuss one of the iconic tropes in prepperdom -- the world gone "Mad Max". Formed mostly on the basis of the first two Mad Max movies (and there have been sequels afterward), the chaotic, desolate, and violent world of Mad Max serves as a sort of worst-case archetype for a post-SHTF world. But, how likely is the world to Mad Max? Can one prep for that? Why aren't there roving gangs of good guys? Join us for the discussion and feel free to share your thoughts too.
Links to films referred to in this episode
Things To Come (1936) Movie adaptation of H.G.Wells' novel. A world war destroys civilization, sending mankind back to the stone age. Synopsis
Captive Women (1951) Movie about post-SHTF barbarism. Synopsis
World Without End (1956) Another movie about post-SHTF barbarism, but with astronauts! Synopsis.
Mad Max: (first film: 1979) -- Wikipedia synopsis. Watch it free at archive.org.
Mad Max 2 (1981) -- Synopsis on imdb.org Rent at Amazon Prime, YouTube subscription, etc.
Martin was busy tending to his unexpected guests when an urgent radio call came in. The railroad project needed the welding repair done immediately. Martin tried to tell Charles to get his welder up to Manchester and do the welding as he had promised, but the Hendrick brothers had gone to the coast and would not return until Friday. The welder was still at the Hendricks' farm but how could he get it up to Manchester without the truck?
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A counterpoint to the dark Mad Max vision, are stories of people rebuilding after an SHTF event. Mic dips into his old-movies archives to discuss Swiss Family Robinson (1960). Mic, Jeff, and Brian then look at Kevin Costner's The Postman (1997) as a tale of SHTF survivors who grasp at hope that "America" is coming back and begin to assert control over their own lives and defy the local warlord.
Links from films discussed in this podcast
Swiss Family Robinson -- The imdb.org listing, cast, reviews, etc.
Swiss Family Robinson -- Rent from Amazon, or available on Disney+
The Postman -- The imdb.org listing, cast, reviews, etc.
The Postman -- Rent the movie on Amazon if you have Prime
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Harold and his family arrive in Manchester. The casting process process begins for making a new cylinder head for the ailing locomotive. While they work, Harold shares some of what life was like in the detention camp and some of the mysterious goings on. Once the work was completed, Martin returns home to find a difficult surprise.
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--
In this episode, Mic, Brian, and Jeff discuss the post-apocalyptic film of 1970, No Blade Of Grass. It is called by some as the British version of the American film Panic In Year Zero. But the story is not about living in the woods, post-SHTF, but looks only at the journey from the big city to their Bug Out Location in the country. The boys try to look past the awkward artsy-ness of the director to discuss the story's events from a prepper's perspective.
Links for this Episode:
The book that the film is based upon: The Death of Grass (1956) Read online (free) at archive.org
The movie No Blade of Grass at Amazon Prime (rental)
Description of the movie No Blade of Grass on ClassicScifi.blogspot.com
Description of No Blade of Grass on Wikipedia
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Martin and Margaret try to manage the sudden horde of Ferals that have settled around the Simmons house. While a solution is found, they put many of the Ferals to work in exchange for a meal of pine fries. A big project to keep most of them busy is digging out an area for a pond along the little stream on the Simmons' property. The work is interrupted by two men who wish to arrest one of the Feral women whom they accuse of stealing a chicken.
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Link for Next Friday
Next week, Jeff, Brian and Mic will be discussing a 15-minute intro video by a scientist who tries to sort out what humanity would have to know to rebuild civilization after an apocalypse. If you want to view the video before the guys discuss it, here is the YouTube link. Humanity After An Apocalypse.
This week, Jeff, Brian and Mic will be discussing a 15-minute intro video by a scientist named Lewis Dartnell, who tries to sort out what humanity would have to know to rebuild civilization after an apocalypse. Of course, you can't describe everything you'd need to do to rebuild our current civilization in just a short video. Some things he touches on are sound. Some things superfluous. The boys put in their two-cents as to what someone would need to know for post-apocalyptic knowledge.
The Link to the Video: If you want to view the video before the guys discuss it, here is the YouTube link. Humanity After An Apocalypse.
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Martin and his crew assemble the Ferals for the hike into Manchester. They are blocked by the stocky man and his men who insist on taking some of the Ferals as their own personal slave labor. Stocky's plan is derailed by the Overseer of the Grange.
After all of that, the long march into the city begins. Once in the city, the Ferals find opportunities for work and housing. Martin is finally free to return home without the distractions he had endured all summer.
This is the final chapter of Book 6: The Summer of Wood and Iron
Thank you to all of you who supported me and encouraged me in the creation and completion of this project. I have appreciated the feedback, the coffees on Buy Me A Coffee, and the regular support on Patreon and BMAC.
What's Next?
In his outro, Mic discusses his plans for the podcast going forward. Check it out!
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