Well, that was short lived. We’re now under a severe thunderstorm warning with possible hail. The blankets are draped over chairs in the kitchen, drying very, very slowly. At least they won’t get any wetter. I bet Jacob would love it here with all these “blanket tents” to play under. It is fifty-seven degrees and too warm to start the stove to help with the drying. Other than the pillows, it’s also all too large to fit into the dryer.
I’m pleased that at least I got the gas in. I pushed some boxes out of the way, and parked the car in the barn. Quarter-sized hail can do some damage!
Everything has shifted fast. It’s dark out now and a thick fog has settled in. I can hear the thunder in the distance. Tufts is not happy about staying in. He might be a big kitty but he’s a coward at heart. The first crack of thunder and he’ll be hiding under the bed.
* * *
Tufts the cat is my friend and companion. I remember when I first brought him home. I was his fourth home in four months, and he was scared to death. I had lost my long haired white cat CeeCee six months before to cancer. That was a long and lonely six months for me. Then I saw an ad in the paper: Free to good home, long haired black cat, neutered, all shots, declawed, owner allergic.
I called and picked him up the next day. The first owner was moving into an apartment and couldn’t take him, so he went to the pet shelter to await adoption. The next owner wanted another black cat for a friend to their current black cat, only that cat wasn’t adapting. The third owner was more loyal to her other cat, which I understood. After a week with me, I saw the cat sitting at the glass door staring out, the sun shining in, illuminating the grayish tufts in his ears and on his tummy, and he became Tufts. He’s been a wonderful, affectionate cat that needed one owner (not a family) and to be an only child. Now, his golden eyes greet me every morning and I spoil him rotten.
* * *
The storms have completely moved out and it’s cool and sunny. I took all the curtains down, washed them, and put them out on the line. I can’t believe how much I’m getting done. It’s difficult to do all this by myself. I have to first remember what to do, then do it and do it right. Not doing a chore right is as bad as not doing it at all, especially when it might be one of those vital things like turning off the outside water, or filling the hot tub lines with anti-freeze. It could be disastrous if not done, or not done properly.
* * *
After I washed down the hearth of the wood cook-stove, I brought in a full load of wood. I had to fire the stove up this morning. It was chilly, only forty-two degrees out, and I didn’t expect the temperature to go much higher.
The fall colors are wonderful as usual, yet also go away quickly. With a predominance of maple trees up here, there is a vivid display of red, orange and yellow that draws people from all over for the Color-Tour, our last hurrah for tourism. It’s hard to believe that the peak color was two weeks ago and now we have bare trees. What an amazing transformation.
At least there’s been no snow yet. I remember one year when there was a foot of wet, heavy snow even before the leaves dropped. It brought down countless trees and took the power out. Mine was out for four days; others for over a week. The power company did massive trimming the next spring to keep it from happening again.
The forecast is for flurries on Sunday so I put the chickens’ winter walls up on the inner yard, yet another thing off of my list. Putting those sheets of thin plywood over the secure fencing keeps the blowing snow out of their small yard and the roof keeps everything else out. The chickens are happy when they are able to get out to scratch around in the dirt, and happy chickens lay more eggs.
My best friend Kathy called last night to see if I was going into town today so she could hitch a ride. Her husband Bob was already in town for a day-long workshop and there was a hockey game they wanted to watch later. Since I had planned a quick run, I told her I could drop her off and save Bob from coming back those thirty miles to pick her up.
Jason is planning to come for dinner tonight with Jacob and requested “meat,” so I need to shop. I suppose I could pull something out of the freezer...
I found a couple of steaks that should satisfy Jason’s appetite. Those, along with some steamed carrots with Swiss chard and a salad will make a nice dinner.
* * *
JOURNAL ENTRY: October 27
A major hurricane is making its way up the East Coast. New York City provides over 350,000 free meals each day, on a normal day. I wonder what will happen if there is no food to give out during or after this storm?? People can get real ugly when they’re hungry.
The weather here is strange, though I doubt it’s an effect from the storm. The skies are clear at night so it got cold, only thirty-three degrees when I got up. When the sun came up, the clouds rolled in so there was no solar heating.
I left one cherry tomato plant in the garden, covered at night with a frost bag. The few tomatoes on it won’t ripen without warmth, so I needed to pick those and bring them inside, then pull the plant up. There’s also most of the short row of Swiss chard that seems totally unaffected by the cold. I picked some last night for dinner, so that I will leave alone to enjoy while I can. It’s time to dump the flowers on the deck and put the planters underneath. One more thing to cross off of that nagging prep list.
Eric called to tell me that he is going to come up for Thanksgiving. Wow, two visits in two months. I wonder what’s up?
* * *
Jason brought Jacob over around noon. He had a job to do that would take him a few hours, and since Amanda, my daughter in law, is still out of town, I agreed to watch my nine year old grandson. Jacob is autistic and takes a bit more attention at times, but he plays so well by himself that it was easy to continue with my chores. I dumped the flowers, hauled in wood, changed the litter box, and did some laundry. Then Jacob and I went for a short walk along my road.
Jason showed up around 5:30 P.M., just in time for dinner. I made two Cornish hens, stuffed with fresh herbs and cooked in the woodstove oven, served on a bed of basmati rice with a side of Swiss chard. It was nice to cook for someone besides myself. Jacob is fussy a eater, so I always keep chicken nuggets or noodles on hand for him. He loves noodles.
* * *
JOURNAL ENTRY: October 28
No snow, although it sure is chilly! It got down to thirty degrees last night. I built a nice fire in the cook stove, started a new book, and spent the day relaxing. The fire felt good, and I’m planning to cook a pot roast for dinner, a nice long, slow cook. Yum.
It looks like that hurricane is going to wreak some havoc on the East Coast. The media is calling it a “perfect storm”, a nor’easter colliding with a cold front from the west. They are predicting that some areas might see fifty inches of snow! Even up here we don’t get that in one fall. The most that I’ve ever seen is forty inches when I still lived deep in the woods. That was a blizzard to remember, long before the Weather Service was naming winter storms.
Over on one of my internet groups, Survival Retreat, the speculations have already started on whether or not the hardest hit areas of the storm are going to be able to hold elections next week, or if they’ll be suspended. That’s never happened before.
* * *
Today is the last Monday of the month. I paid my bills for November online. Gosh, I love doing that! They are all done and will go out when they should, automatically. I still needed to plug in an amount for the propane bill, since the fuel will be delivered on Thursday. It felt really good to have enough in the checking for the rest of the year, with the balance in the savings, ready to transfer over, providing no expensive emergencies come up.
It was twenty-five degrees this morning, and the furnace failed to come on when it was supposed to. However, when I bumped up the temperature manually, it kicked right in. Hopefully it was only a glitch. The woodstove is going now and it’s quite comfortable. The temperature outside has risen to forty-five degrees and the skies are a deep blue with near blinding sunshine.
I got another winter prep done. I recharged the generator battery for easy starting. It isn’t hard to start it with the cord, but my shoulder still isn’t one hundred percent and I don’t want to re-injure it. The generator has the capability to start by either pull cord or key, and the key method requires a battery to furnish the necessary power. Jason got it all rigged for me after I got the right sized battery. When the gennie runs, it charges the battery, although if I don’t use it for months on end, the battery gets drained. I finally got the trickle charger Jason suggested and can now keep the battery level where it needs to be. I didn’t have these issues in the woods: Sam ran the generator daily to do his stained glass art and he did all the maintenance on the gennie. I sure had a lot to learn after we split up.
I had to do one last sweep of the deck. I don’t know where all these leaves are coming from, there sure aren’t any more on the trees!
It might be a good day to clean off my computer desk and the shelf overhead. Maybe my art table too. That might give me the incentive to start painting Christmas cards again. I used to hand paint all of our cards when I lived deep in the woods. Watercolor art came easy to me and I really enjoy it. I would work with two or three designs and then duplicate them individually. That last year in the woods I made seventy-five cards. After we broke up, one of Sam’s friends asked if he could stay on my Christmas card list. That was flattering, but not so touching as when I found all of my cards in Mom’s drawer after she died. She didn’t keep any other cards, only mine.
CHAPTER TWO
The storm was ferocious. The perfect storm, called “Frankenstorm” because it’s so close to Halloween. This was on a nationally known television commentary website: “Not even a back injury could keep him from coming onto the radio and telling the New York branch that if the storm didn't get them, the inevitable breakdown in the food supply and the subsequent rioting would surely result in their untimely demise.”
That was even scarier than the storm. A breakdown in the food supply is almost a sure thing, considering the Just-In-Time system most major cities utilize, and for those cities, yeah, there will be rioting. It makes me shiver. The JIT system seems to be way too prevalent. What bothers me the most about this is that people could have prepared! They could have stocked up on food, water, supplies. They could have done a lot of things but they didn’t, counting on the government to take care of them and then blaming others when that failed. I do hope that those affected by the storm wake up and realize that their safety, their future and their very lives are in their own hands, not the government’s.
We’re under a high wind advisory and Lake Superior is under gale warnings. It’s cold, windy and snow is in the air, likely tonight. I’m sure glad that I don’t have to go anywhere, though I did bring in extra wood.
The furnace kicked on as scheduled this morning, so it looks like yesterday was only a fluke.
Elections are a week away. I want all of my winter preps done before then. I’m slightly behind, nevertheless, if I push it, I might finish by my November 1st goal. I’ve used that date for my personal marker for seventeen years now.
Wow! I’ve been up here that long already? Yet there’s no place else I’d rather be. The air is clean, the water is clean and there’s no light pollution. There is little crime and it’s so peaceful and safe. The little town of Moose Creek is literally at the end of the road. There’s no drive through traffic because the road stops. The joke is that you either come here on purpose or you’re lost.
* * *
JOURNAL ENTRY: October 30
I read a report today that said one-third of all Americans are not paying their bills on time now, and that more than forty-one percent of all working-age Americans are not working, the economy is that bad. That’s the true unemployment rate! I’m thankful that I bought this house outright when I did. I have no car payment or mortgage, only utilities, insurance and taxes. I’m in much better shape than most people, even with a seasonal job. Plus, a large garden and canning helps keep food on the table.
* * *
I braved the well pit and shut off the water today. My prep list is almost done.
Dawn mentioned Halloween cocktails tomorrow night. Any excuse for a party!
* * *
On Halloween I went into town early and got four more fifty pound bags of cracked corn for the chickens. While there, I picked up some more of Tufts’ favorite crunchy treats. He’s so spoiled. Since it’s the official end of my season, I picked up my celebratory rib eye steak and a single slice of cheese cake for tomorrow. Dawn always puts out a lavish spread for her parties, so that will be my dinner for tonight.
I asked John to go with me but he had to work like usual. This is the second time that he’s turned me down. Guess he doesn’t like me as much as I thought. I can always hope though. Well, maybe not. Perhaps it is not good to mix business with pleasure.
* * *
There’s been a lot of internet traffic about looting and crime in the cities that have been hit hard by the hurricane. Eighty million households are without power. Without electricity, no surveillance cameras, and with the police busy elsewhere, it is a looter’s dream come true. I’m sure whatever we are hearing is just the tip of the iceberg.
* * *
JOURNAL ENTRY: October 31
I was right. Dawn put on a spectacular party. Costumes were optional and only Guy and Dawn wore them. I love dressing up, but I just didn’t feel like it this year. Dawn made an artichoke dip that she put into the body of a bread “spider”. It looked great and tasted even better. There were lots of appetizers from ham roll ups, raw veggies with plastic spiders nestled in between, chicken wings, a fruit tray, and the usual cheese and crackers, to the smoked oysters and our local whitefish caviar. It was good food and there was lots of it.
We all played cards after satisfying our appetites.
* * *
On November 1, the gals restarted our weekly Ladies Lunch, one of those events to help stave off the boredom when winter sets in, our own Cabin Fever Reliever. It has always been on a Thursday because Mary’s husband Alan plays poker on that day, which is the only day that he lets Mary do something by herself. Geesh, they’ve been married for forty-five years, you’d think they’d want some space, on the other hand, he is a control freak. Now Bob and Kathy, they have such respect for each other that it’s a joy to be around them. Dawn and Guy I don’t know well, not yet anyway. Dawn seems to do what she wants and Guy goes along with it. I’m the only single person in the group and the longer I’m alone, the more I like it. Usually. I do get lonely but I try not to let it show.
About two months ago, Dawn approached me about prepping. Their daughter turned them on to it. I’ve given Dawn and Guy what advice or suggestions that I can, and they’ve run with it. Then again, they’ve got the money to do it.
Sitting on their deck having cocktails, I asked them if they had any weapons and Dawn quickly said yes. I asked Guy how much ammo he had. Before he could answer, I said it wasn’t enough. Dawn admitted that she didn’t like guns; I told her to get over it. How else was she going to protect those four grandchildren if she was the only one there during a break-in? That really made her pause.
She also has extensive medical knowledge. I think her mother was a surgical nurse, so she could be a real asset, and lives within two miles of my place, an easy walk. I wish that she didn’t smoke.
Beginning with the bird-flu scare some years ago, I’ve added to my own medical stores. Though masks and gloves can be used for many different situations, I really went heavy on them. At first I wasn’t sure about what kind of masks, so I got a variety: regular surgical masks, respirators, N-95, N-99 and a gas mask. The gloves range from surgical, some latex free, some not, to several packs of “food handlers”. Those are really handy for cleaning the wood stove, enough to keep hands clean and free of the gunk. They also work for peeling beets. Once I went a whole day with pink palms.
Two years ago I added two stethoscop
es (plus repair parts), a blood pressure machine, sealed goggles, scalpels and a variety of sutures to my kit. I even split an order of cast compound with Rick from the Michigan prepper group. I don’t have everything that might be needed in an emergency, however, it’s way more than most people have. I set much of this up in a grab-n-go bag. A doctor with nothing would be impressed with my medical kit.
Some preppers stock up only on food, some only on guns and ammo— not a prepper to me. I prefer to be the kind of prepper that covers all the basics: food, medical supplies and yes, ammo. No one ever really knows what we may be faced with, yet I’m trying to cover all the bases I can.
* * *
JOURNAL ENTRY: November 2
I doubt that it’s even worth mentioning here, but I do like to keep records. Late yesterday evening, Yellowstone National Park had a serious tremor of a 4.5 on the Richter scale. Then the New Madrid Fault had a couple too, a 4.0 and a 4.4. There’s no damage in Yellowstone, nor was there any in the New Madrid, since they were pretty deep. Still, it’s something to pay attention to. With the hurricane damage on the East Coast, and now this, it feels like some higher force is shaking us up good.
The Journal: Cracked Earth Page 3
