Journal Entry #7- The Smoke

    The city has always had smoke rising from it and filling the sky for as long as I can remember. It's a thick smoke, one that blacks out the sun and makes it feel like it is always night. A smoke so toxic you have to wear medical grade facemasks to even walk outside, windows have never been opened, children had never seen a blue sky, and pets are not to be had because they have no place to roam and be free. Then the pledge came and closed down the factories that produce this horrid smoke, for almost 2 years that sky was basically clear, the sun shown and the sky was blue. Children played and laughed.

    But people being a animal of habit, left that clear sky behind to go back underground, they forgot about the warm sun, and the fresh breeze. They went back to living their sad pitiful lives. when we got the call that the factories were back up and running, they were all to eager to get back to normal.

    Now as I look to those mountains that protect our small farm and town, I can see the dark cloud of toxic smoke once again filling the sky and blocking out the sun.

    Here in the country our sky is a muted gray, like there will be rain but there never is. The wind pushes the smoke our direction. Its never enough that we have to stay inside, but it does give us a gloom that makes it hard to enjoy the good.

    Our animals survive, they seem small and weaker then the ones I have seen in books. Our garden is modest, but we provide a lot of food for the city, there is no money here, food is traded for goods and services, as long as we provide our expected amount of food every week, we get fresh running water and power.

    It's not a perfect life and there are times we haven't met the quota and we have to go without heat, and be cold in the winter, but we are safe and we have what we need. 

    The factory on the hill has started back up, its fire is stoked and the smoke slowly rises from it. Its a factory that no one living has any memory of it ever working, its been a cold dark shadow for many years, always looking and hovering over our town.

Journal Entry #6- The Future

      I have recently realized that I have not painted the picture of what our modern world looks like. The year is 2218, we still call ourselves the United States, but now there are only 30 of us. many have dropped from the union to make their own countries, some took borders away and formed larger states or territories. I small handful of states are closed off to visitors because they generate too much radiation from the great nuclear wars, those were very hard time for everyone.

     In hearing what year it is you may be thinking that we have flying cars, robots that do the cooking and cleaning, smart houses, and self driving cars, we had all of that maybe 100 years ago, but the people got greedy, people were becoming more plastic than human, the sky's were always dark from the factory smoke, there was no live stock on in green house type building, you would think with such great technology there would be less smoke, that we would be able to figure out a way to clean the air. But that wasn't the case. If you weren't already serving a "essential Job" you were sent overseas to fight a war. Kids were sparse, stores were run by robots. If you couldn't afford the medical grade facemask, you couldn't go outside. You ordered food from the in home conceals and the food was delivered to you. 

   It never rained or snowed anymore, for years in fact. Kids grew up skinny and pale, never seeing sunlight, never being able to go outside. 

  If you were rich enough you go to go to school via the underground bus system. It contacted whole neighborhoods together and kids would be shuttled to and from school. if you couldn't you walked, if that wasn't a option, you were given a in-home curriculum. Life seemed easy for many. 

   When the big war hit and country went after country, it was all men for themselves, allies lied and turned against one another.  My grandmother talked a lot about those times and how hard they were without my grandfather home. He thankfully was home when the Great Nuclear War hit, and thankfully they didn't live in a big town, they were safe for the moment, my grandmother was pregnant with my mother at the time, it was crazy for sure. 

  Once the war was over towns were flattened, the capital was no more, and many of those states on the east coast closed down.

  Factories were closed, many of the robots stopped working, and life as they had known it was over.

  Fast forward to now, we live in the country side, we have a modest plot of land, many people had to relearn how to do basic things, wash dishes, sweep floors, but even simpler things like flushing a toilet, brushing your hair. This things were all lots to the modern age when everything was done for you. My husband works with industrial equipment to help with the production of clothing, much like the former sewing machines, there are a lot larger and harder to manage.  

   We don't to wear the medical grade facemasks, the air is cleaner out here, but in the city they are still required. We have no open/standing water, the air still isn't clean enough from that, all water is pumped from the ground. You can always hear the low humming of the water drills in the background. All water is pumped from underground revivors. Thankfully the mountains are once again clear and we can collect the snow in the winter. 

   The sky is always hazy, never clear, the sun hasn't shined since I can remember, but we survive. We have our kids, our garden, and our goats.

  We were modest clothing, muslin dresses in blues, grays, and yellows, with aprons to keep them clean, buttons aren't made any more, they are taken from old clothing, reused, or if you happen to find a piece of wood and know someone who has the skills for wood carving, you might be able to get yourself some new buttons for a new shirt. 

   We live a very modest life, we are still relearning lots of life's old skills. But always progressing forward.

journal entry #5- The Smoke

July, 15th

   It has been several months since the pandemic outbreak, store shelves are starting to become stocked again, people are starting to calm down from the initial shock 

   Millions of people have lost their jobs, many of my close friends and family are going hungry because they can't offord food. Landlords are easing up and giving people a break for rent, which is a blessing, but I worry what will happen once that want their money. I do what I can to help. I have been making bread and giving it away with jam and peanut butter, a small token of my care form them.

     When I work in the garden I count my blassings even more, now that a majority of the big factories are closed down, the sky has cleared a lot. I even saw a few blue Jays over the past few days, aerial birds hadnt been seen in years, the air quality was too bad.

July, 22nd

   Since the earthquake we have had over 2,000 aftershocks/small earthquakes, my heart still freezes and I begin to shake, when I feel the house move for any reason.

   Life is pretty much the same. The kids and I stay home, taking care of our salves, check on the neighbors, and tending to our little farm and garden. 

   One thing I have noticed since the earthquake is a thin line of smoke coming from the abandoned factory on the hill. 

   I can't remember when it exactly started, but it has become more noticeable. I am not sure if the piller is becoming wider, or if I am becoming paranoid. It doesn't matter, just something to keep a eye on.

Journal Entry- #4 Earth Shake

     It was a long night, restless kids, a antsy husband, I couldn't sleep, something felt wrong, like the earth was trying to tell me something but I couldn't get a grasp on it. It felt like I knew something big was going to happen, but I couldn't grasp what it was.

    Morning came and the sun was starting to rise, I was being lazy, dozing in bed, bearly on the edge of sleep. Trying to keep track of the baby crawling around on the bed. 

   That is when it hit, the earth had grown uneasy and showed us its rage, the house shook, pictures were dropped off walls, I jumped out of bed and screamed for my Matthew, the ground like jello under my feet. The kids were still sleeping but I ran to them. I held my baby in my arms and the earth showed us its mighty power.
   It felt like it lasted forever, but really it was only a few seconds.
James came running up from the downstairs crying, Olivia thought it was cool, and Abigail didn't really care.
  Soon another one hit, you could hear it before you felt it. You can hear the angry rumble of the ground before you feel it shake.
  Our house went dark, all power and cell service were gone. Thank goodness Matthew was home, I stayed calm and cool headed, but inside I was shaking just as badly as the earth.

   What had we done to enrage her so? Why was she mad at us?

   We got ourselves and the kids dressed as fast as we could and sent them outside, I talked with some neighbors and we decided to pack the car just in case we needed to flee. Many streets were blocked off as older building crumbled, many people were forced out of their home due to a broken foundation.

    Streets were packed, freeways backed up. We knew leaving was impossible, yet we felt better knowing everything was in easy access. People were advised to stay home, that overpasses might not be safe.
    It felt like we were all ants and someone had stepped on the nest, causing us all to scatter, with no concept of where we were going.

    They kept coming, all day long we were rocked, our stomachs in a constant shake.
   I worried for my friends and family, our way of communication was cut off, how was I suppose to know if they were okay?

   There was a lot of speculation on when the next one would hit, that God was punishing us, that we had done something wrong. What greater force in working? What is causing the unrest?

   Are these actions of God, or is man playing with the minds and hearts of the people, putting them into a state of panic for their own gain?

Quarantine Cooking: Episode 1- Hummus

    Last year while I was pregnant I craved canned raw chickpeas with salt and pepper, I would eat them all the time. I become super sick while pregnant and this was one of the things I could eat that caused little nausea.

    A friend told me that is was called raw hummus or naked hummus, I never thought about making hummus before. I have always bought it, it was just one of those things we didn't think about making from scratch.

     I looked at a few recipes and discovered it is very simple to make, and I had all the ingredients, so

we made it.

     I did end up adding a little bit too much Tahini sauce, so it had a strong sesame seed flavor, but still so good!

   I used this recipe here, check it out for yourself!

https://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/

     

Hedgehog

February 26, 2020

  Today our hedgehog Piper passed away, she lived 5 years in our care and was loved by everyone in the house. She passed peacefully in her sleep and is buried in the backyard.

   A few years ago we put her care in our sons hands, she got moved down to his room and it became his responsibility to take care of her. My son was experiencing a lot of behavioral issues and we noticed that once she was down there they stopped. He had a very close bond with her, when I informed him of her passing he cried for days. He kept running down to her cage to see her, he was very distraught.

   Even though she seemed like just a pet to those on the outside, she was a family member to us, her loss was hard to on all of us. Even though she was spunky, had a fierce attitude, and always got her way, she loved to run around outside, eat bugs, sit in your lap, and gave kisses.
 

    When she passed the ground was to hard to dig, we put her in a small box and set it in the garage, for the next few days every time James would become upset he would run outside and sit next to the garage door. We didn't understand what was going on and he kept getting in trouble for going outside without asking.

   A few days later after Pipers funeral services James and I were talking on my bed, I asked him why he was so sad, why he kept hurting others and being mean.
   He said that before Piper died he would go to his room and sit next to her cage and she would sit next to him and he would tell her how he was feeling and she was always there for him, now he goes to his room and she isn't there, he told me he is confused and lost. He told me that he was running outside all the time because because he wanted to be next to her, he was going to the garage to be near here, for a few weeks after we buried her he was going outside to her grave and would sit next to it and talk to her.

   We miss her a lot, but we know she is in heaven enjoying all the open fields and fresh air.

Journal entry #3- Total Panic

Growing up it seemed like our garage was a store, you could go out to the cupboard and find anything and everything imaginable, canned and dry packaged wise. 

That was just how it was, I learned to cook off of canned, frozen, and fresh vegetables and fruit. We had many 5 gallon buckets packed with rice, sugar, flour, and oats. If we needed something, we made it.

When I moved away from home my mother made sure I have 15-20 lbs of all the necessary items, and stock piles of canned goods.

Bread, learned to make it. Waffles, learned to make it, fried egg, learned to make it

 My mom had us in the kitchen as much as possible, and age 5 I was frying my own eggs for breakfast, and age 8 I was making full meals and using the oven by myself. My confidence came from the kitchen.

Now it have been just over a week since the order went out, stating we are on a 2 week quarantine, and well, this order says that we can stay in groupings of less than 30 people, and it also said to make sure you have enough food for 2 weeks, because if you get sick you will have to stay home and not leave your house for anything, for 2 weeks. People went buzerk. Shelves that were always stocked are now empty, store are having to open up specific hours just to the elderly, because people aren't leaving food on the shelves for them.

The top 2 items that are still hard to come by is water and toilet paper, now the governor of our land didn't say anything about the stores closing down, or not being able to leave our house. He just said only leave it if you absolutely need to. And if you are sick, stay home and self quarantine.

The problem we currently have is that a vast majority of the population do not know how to cook with the items that they have now stock piled into their house. They are going hungry, eating out, and complaining about being hungry because they have just filled the house with unusable items.

I am glad that they have bought all the noodles, rice, cream of soups, and beans, but they don't know how to make a meal out of it. Matthew was at the store, getting a few essentials for us, along with some ice cream, and was talking with the cashier. She informed him that she has had multiple people come in and stock up on items, get to the register and realize they can't afford it. So they put back all the fresh produce, frozen meat, and keep the crackers, cookies, and junk. I am lucky that my mom has taught how to cook, and how to live without the "extra's"

Stores are still bare, people are still going hungry because selfish people took more then they needed. Leaving very little for those who really need it.

People are scared, more scared then I have ever seen in my life. I hope things start to calm down soon, I hope nothing else happens and we are able to get back to a normal life.