The Journal: Cracked Earth by Deborah D. Moore

and it was
surprisingly easy; two jars of beans, drained and tossed with some
bottled Italian dressing, plus a finely sliced onion that Kathy
carefully picked out. Maybe it was the freshness of the garden
beans that was a hit. Then someone suggested we play some cards,
like we did when everything was normal. I sent extra food home with
everyone except Don and Nancy, who don’t need it, and I kept two
slices of ham for my lunch tomorrow.
    I checked the internet after everyone left to
find there is a cold front moving in tonight, and snow predicted
for tomorrow, a LOT of snow. I knew I smelled it in the air!
    This was the first night in a long time that
I slept well. I had a full stomach, some fun with my family and
friends, and forgot, if only briefly, about the trouble we’re
in.

CHAPTER
SEVEN
     
    The winds are howling outside, and there’s already
five inches of snow, at least that’s how much that hasn’t blown
away yet. The morning started out at 29 degrees, then dropped to 27
degrees and stayed there.
    I’m trying hard to stay on top of email while
I can. Only a few more days left on the batteries for the cell
tower. I’m guessing on that because I really don’t know and there’s
no way to find out. After that I’ll have to go into town with the
tablet, which will not be convenient.
    I finally heard from Suzy in the Willamette
Valley of Oregon. With her hubby driving trucks to Texas and
Louisiana, she’s often alone at home with their four kids, Koty,
Katie, Joey and Charlotte. They’re doing okay. The goats, cats and
horse sensed the quake and aftershocks in Yellowstone, but the
chickens were oblivious for the most part. Typical, I suppose.
She’s trying to keep the kids busy with tending the animals so they
don’t worry about their dad. Phil had just left on a trip to
Louisiana when the quakes hit. With so much disruption everywhere,
Suzy has decided to home school rather than risk the young ones
being away from home if anything else happens. I certainly can’t
blame her. I worry about my boys all the time and they’re
grown.
     
    * * *
     
    JOURNAL ENTRY: November 24
     
    It’s a day for good news. I got an unexpected
phone call from Eric! They are doing fine, and with Beth busy in
her higher level of emergency management, she’s asked him to move
back in, temporarily of course, to take care of Emi and the
livestock. He said no. I’ve got to hand it to him to stick to the
rules that she laid out. He set up a bedroom for Emi at his new
place and told me that he would pick Emi up from school and then go
to Beth’s. While Emilee picks up a few things and feeds the cat,
Eric will feed and tend the horse and chickens, collect eggs, and
then they will go to his house, where Beth can pick up their
daughter when she gets off work. If she works too late, Eric will
take Emi to school from his house. He works from home ninety
percent of the time anyway, so it makes sense. Why should he sleep
on an air mattress on the floor, when he could/should be sleeping
in his own bed? Beth is learning that she can’t always get her
way.
    I finally turned on the TV for some news.
It’s been seventeen days since the first quake and rescue efforts
have turned into body recovery. The toll now stands at 78,523
confirmed dead, some not identified or even identifiable, with at
least that many more missing. They’ve lost count of the injured.
Unbelievable. It was said that the only way to deal with the sheer
number of bodies is with mass graves.
    One thing everyone will have to be cautious
of now is all the inmates on the loose. It seems that they offered
some maximum security prisoners a reduced sentence if they helped
with recovery and clean up. The prisoners just walked away. Now the
population will have to contend with some real nasties wandering
around. I suppose the officials felt that it was worth the risk,
but then they likely won’t have to deal with it. I’m forever
thankful to be way up here in this small corner