So, I haven't had time to write in a while, Guess its been close to six months now. Jack's computer died a couple days after my last post. Power Supply went kaput I guess. I'm not very up on these things - but Jack remembers the days when everyone had a computer.
Anyway - just before winter another trader came through with a busted power supply, not unlike ours. Took Jack two weeks solid, when he finally got the time to work on it to piece together something that worked...
But we're back online again.
So - there's a lot of things to talk about, but I guess I'll pick up where we left off, or try. So the new bunch that came up *flew* here. Well, one of them did. The other two were driving a rather beat up old Ford Pick-Up. No idea where they got the gas to get here, but they still had over a hundred gallons of desiel for the pick-up and something called 100LL for the airplane.
A real freaking airplane. I've read books and magazines about them, but I'd never seen one up close and *flying* like that. It was pretty awesome. Landed right on the old highway.
The guy that got out was huge too, had to be almost seven feet tall - all gangly, even though he was older, like Jack. He was the oldest of the bunch - names Brock. Nice guy, good worker. His brother Charles and his sister Helen fill out the trio. I guess they're from way south and East - near one of the old big towns called Fargo. In the last few months, I've gathered that Jack's from Fargo too, or around there anyway - and maybe I am too - though I don't remember it.
They came up because ther was a push of undead that were following the old interstates coming up from the Cities. Guess things got bad down south for a bit. Jack's still pretty sure we'll be ok up here. Gets too cold for the dead to move, and all that.
I dunno, but we'll see. Anyway, they took over the old Farm to the West which Jack still calls the Asheime place. Dunno why.
Both the men are good in the fields, though they aren't used to the work, and even Helen isn't afraid to get dirty. She and Annabelle hit it off after the first couple weeks. Anna still lives and works mostly with us, but when we all get together, and the men swap stories, and a little beer, Helen and Anna tend to disappear into another room to talk girl talk, or something. I dunno.
Harvest went well this year. We took in fifteen percent of the crop at the other Farm, and let the new comers have the rest. Overall, we're doing well, stored up a lot of extra food, what with the extra help we got from Annabelle we were able to put in a second crop in the garden. Lost a bit of it to Freeze, but kept enough that it was more then worth it.
We took Chuck and Brock into Bottineau after Harvest was finished for our last trade run before winter settled in properly. I noticed a lot more of the things I hadn't before but Anna's stories had made me look for. I really don't like it there at all. We left Anna and Helen behind. They spent the day doing some chores and they put together a pretty fine meal that we all shared when we got back.
Since the new neighbors got in though its been pretty quiet. We shared Thanksgiving and Christmas with them, and I think its really helped cheer Jack up. I try to listen in an all thier conversations, but I admit some of it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I suppose I could ask more questions, but the few times I have, the answers haven't always made sense to me. I mean - I'm not stupid, but the things they talk about missing - I can't even wrap my head around them.
This internet thing is pretty crazy as it is - and if Jack is to be believed, and I don't see why he isn't - it used to be way bigger.
Anyway. I guess I could talk about the dinners, and some of the other things we've done, but Winters are pretty quiet up here. There's always chores to do, but beyond them, we mostly focus on staying warm.
Jack's been thinking we need to go up into the hills next year for Firewood, says he doesn't want to thin out the windrows anymore. Not looking forward to that. The hills got some strange folk up in them. But, if we gotta, we gotta.
Guess we'll see. Anyway, I got to go finish my school lesson for the day before we turn off the power for the night.
-Jon
It's good to hear from you again. I thought something had happened to you. Power's scarcer now that the water for the wheel is freezing up.
ReplyDeleteDon't tell anyone - as if there was anyone you could tell that would matter - but I'm secretly getting ready to run away. I know Pa will be heartbroken to not see me, but my mother probably doesn't have enough wit left to notice. My grandma did what I was afraid of and promised me as the wife of one of the group who practically runs this town.
I'd be willing to give the guy a chance. There are a couple of them who seem almost decent. But not this guy. He's the second in command and he has this way about him that scares me. He likes to catch small animals and flay them. Look, I'm not squeamish about skinning whatever I can catch, but I kill it first, and I make use of the fur. As far as I can tell, he just does it because he likes to.
Anyways, I'm not marrying someone like that, so I'm getting out of here some time in the next few days or so. How hard do you think it is to walk from the northern East Coast to your area? I'm in the territory that used to be part of the State of Maine according to my father. I could just keep walking against the sunrise and towards the sunset, couldn't I?
Well, we'll see how far I get. Wish me luck. Pa will miss me... if he comes home. His ship should be have been in by now, and the winter storms have rolled in. I think I'm all alone on this one.
Rose, I don't think thats a good idea - at least not until spring. I should have some time here in a couple hours, and me and Jack will write something to explain why. Just... stay warm and stay safe for now.
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