The Journal: Cracked Earth Read Online Free PDF

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