09 December 20XX+1
My Dear Lucilius:
Snow again.
By snow I mean a sheet of snowfall so constant and so white that it completely blanks out any attempt to see more than a few feet. It roared in last night, borne on a wind that howled not so much with the souls of the damned as much as the souls of civilizations that have disappeared.
Going outside is useless beyond a few feet. I have tied my ropes to the outhouse and green house as I do every Winter; this time I do not know that I could make it back without them. I also essayed getting out to try and check on others, but gave up within twenty feet of the house; I had no idea if I could find my way back.
There will be not much of anything done until this blows over.
I have endeavored to keep the front door clear and enough around the Cabin that I can use a rake to pull the snow off from time to time, and have tried (not very successfully) to clear paths to the outhouse and greenhouse. To both; I have tried to not enter the greenhouse at all to preserve whatever residual warmth may be left. This has left me frozen, sweaty, and hot at one or more points during this exercise.
On the way to the outhouse one can see the beehives, heavily wrapped for Winter and standing like lone sentinel rocks in a bay. They, too, need their snow occasionally removed.
Heavy snow was not a thing I had ever seen growing up. You remember as well as I do our childhood, with its occasional few inches or even foot of snow that was enough to slide on or perhaps coax a small snowman out of, snow that was good for a day or two and then melted to slush, retreating to the shadowed corners of yard and house.
Not now, Lucilius, not now.
I have driven Pompeia Paulina to distraction with my pacing and worrying to the point that she actually ordered me to sit - quietly – for 20 minutes to give her some peace. I sat of course – never before have I seen such a side eye from my wife – but the worrying did not stop.
Has snow happened here? Of course it does; every year. Sometimes heavy snow. And even with power outages at times. But between that snow and those power outages were things like power that came back on and places one could go to restock and refuel. There is none of that now, of course.
And nothing to be done for it.
I write this, bundled up even with the stove radiating heat. In a bit I will go back out, clear the paths again, pull what snow I can down, bring in more of the wood – and we will hunker down. Again.
Outside, I can hear the howl of the wind. It is ridiculous to think that I can hear the snow borne on the wind as it crashes into the house or piles on the ground, but I swear I do.
Your Obedient Servant, Seneca
What modern convenience would I miss the most in an apocalypse during the winter months? An indoor plumbed bathroom would definitely be on top of that list!
ReplyDeleteEd, when we first started going to The Cabin (it exists as a real place) there was no indoor bathroom. I have vague memories of having to use the outhouse exclusively.
DeleteCamping in the wilderness and the accompanying use of a trowel and burying makes one appreciate modern conveniences.
Fear is the mind killer...
ReplyDeleteIf worry gets you to DO something worthwhile about the situation it is good.
Otherwise, it's a sin. Matthew 6:25-34
I worry. Seneca worries. It is more of a way to pass the time and a habit at this point.
DeleteA Collapse will bring about the loss of much, with this post weather forecasts are a thing of the past TB, something I hadn't thought of until reading this. For those in Northern climes snow shovels become a wee bit more important along with all the other issues cold weather brings. That blizzard reminded Seneca of how impotent Man becomes when Mother Nature does it's thing. Heaven help those living in tornado country.
ReplyDeleteNylon12, I had not (intentionally) thought of weather forecasts - but yes, that is something that would be gone as well. In my youth, I remember at best having a day or two of forecast from the local television news. Imagine having no warning at all, except what one remembers or can learn from the signs.
Delete(I took a meteorology course in college. It was one of my favorite classes. Still have the book.)
We have forgotten that Nature is a force in our daily lives and think of it more as an inconvenience. Seeing its destructive force, one can understand how the Ancients looked for ways to placate it.