05 December 20XX+1
My Dear Lucilius:
The Picking Over is largely complete.
It is rather amazing what a group of people can do when focused on a particular task. I also have to admit, much to my pleasant surprise, that the operation has been quite an organized one – and by “organized”, I mean I did not organize it. It happened organically.
As the saying goes, when the leader has done his job, the people say “We did it ourselves”.
One of the practical matters that was brought up was that a central clearing locations would be needed to sort and organize stuff. As it turns out, there was another idea that came up: use of the Post Office which has been a somewhat fortified. It is central, it is now fairly impregnable to anything that we have or know of locally as a weapon, and it can be secured effectively.
And so, a series of piles, organized and unorganized, has started to fill floor, standing like isolated islands on the old wooden floor worn smooth in places by foot traffic.
I have been through this exercise already once this year, in the Summer as you might recall. It is odd to me – in an interesting sense – what has shown up this time.
The piles are smaller of course, due to the sample size of homes visited. They are also smaller because most of the homes here either had folks that already left (and took their things) or were the sorts of vacation or Summer homes that generally do not store as many things.
Foodstuffs were of the commercial canned or dry variety. Some clothing, mostly of the non-cold weather variety although there were a few coats. A surprising amount of tools – the “general tool box” sort as well as an assortment of shovels, hoes, rakes, and the like. A variety of kitchen wares – not so much things like table utensils and flatware but kitchen utensils and pots. And somehow, a pile of books and reading materials (I see Young Xerxes and Statiera’s hand in that). The sorts of over the counter medicines and first aid kits people store for minor emergencies.
A few standout items as well – an early 20th Century stand alone record player in the wooden cabinet with the hand crank and a collection of records and packages of needles, an entire tea setting for six, some well restored wooden antique chairs and tables.
What was not there: Firearms or other weapons, beyond the equivalent of some utility sorts of knives. Valuables of any kind (except perhaps for the tea set, which may be silver). A wide variety of food. And, of course, anything that required power to run things (not surprisingly, everyone had the presence of mind not to drag those along).
Perhaps not as much as I was hoping for.
Still, something is better than nothing, and the activity has given folks a place to focus their energy and emotion other than on everything else. The sorting will continue on; Young Xerxes assures me there will be second round of going through to make sure nothing of use was missed.
Sometimes, Lucilius, it is in the smallest activities that we can find elements of what feels like progress.
Your Obedient Servant, Seneca
The proverb of not having a pot to piss in was when urine was collected for laundry use. (Cue eww sound here but it worked before tide pods).
ReplyDeleteA very poor family had to "rent" a urine collection container at a steep rate. Sad story when every penny was a roll of bread.
I'm aware this isn't a survival blog but I would have been thrilled if glass (something you're not making anymore) was salvaged for replacements and greenhouses. Found "wild" remains of cabbage and such were secured.
I was mowing yesterday and was amused to find a couple of cabbages and some beans I planted in my "emergency garden" experiment two years ago. Emergency as in covering the weeds-grass-pasture with tarps for a couple of weeks to smother it and plant into the rough. Poor production compared to my well developed gardens but still useful.
Super fair point about the glass, Michael. Perhaps they are not there yet - pulling house apart seems like an even more committed step (plus, perhaps not an initially planned fir activity given the cold and tools required.
DeleteA thorough combing of the abandoned structures, more than once and by trusted eyes.........smart move. Perhaps that Post Office becomes the New Library so that knowledge can be shared TB.
ReplyDeleteNylon12, I have often missed out on things because I rushed through. Wise to revisit a second and third time.
Delete"A New Library". Hmm. This deserves thought.
Thanks to the wind-up Victrolas, the music of the 1920s through the 1950s is more likely to survive The Collapse than all of our digitized stuff. And hopefully someone will remember what to do with a guitar or a ukelele.
ReplyDeleteWarren, this is based on one my parents owned -and yes, it very well preserves the music.
DeleteBack one or two posts there was a discussion by Seneca of music and the fact that his concern - like yours - was that all of our digitized comment was gone without power.
Next time through, look for hidey places, for weapons n' stuff.
ReplyDeleteProbably they will, T_M - although given the houses left have been purposely abandoned by their owners or are the sorts of Summer homes that are only visited during parts of the years, they likely will not be much.
DeleteI'm surprised there was much of anything to find, especially foodstuffs. Still, it was a wise move.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, I think timing had something to do with it. When The Collapse happened (a little over a year ago in story time), it was after Summer so likely folks had left some things thinking they would be returning the next year - after all, no point in dragging things with long expiration dates back when you will be back before they expire.
Delete