western nights concert — rumors of cannibalism

September 22nd, 2007

We had a blizzard awhile back, about a foot of snow, made the South End look like a Disney movie.  Evergreen boughs drooped with a beautiful load.  Then broke off and took the power out for days.  Which meant no way to run the deep well pumps we rely on for our water supply.  No water.  No baths.  No toilet flushing.   Goodbye civilization as we once knew it.
     Most of us old geezers are semi used to this.  We got wood heat and we melted snow for coffee and we read by lantern light and we had provisions stored up in the pantry and we got the outhouse for just such emergency stand-by needs.    Course there are folks who aren’t prepared. Buy their vittles one day at a time.  Wouldn’t know a lantern from a bucket.  Couldn’t make a cup of coffee the cowboy way if they had 2 weeks of withdrawal headache to give em a sense of urgency.  Rather drink yak milk than melted snow.  And really Must attempt the treacherous hellish iceway to the nearest expresso stand that has, hopefully, a generator running.
     I guess that’s why the rumors bothered me, unbelievable as they sounded.  Unspeakable rumors really.  Tyee Store’s shelves had emptied the first two days and the denizens of the starving South End began to realize the pizzas were gone and the frozen burritos too and the Hungry Man’s were gonna prove prophetic now that they were missing from the puddling freezer chest bottom.
     The wines and beers went first, of course, then the fast food and even the cans of pork and beans double priced.  The food riots were a harbinger, I guess.  And then the rumors started drifting over to our west side, whispers at first, then full blown howls.  Cannibalism, ladies and gentlemen.  Cannibalism.
     The power eventually came on and Tyee restocked those delicious deli rotisserie gourmet hotdogs.  And the rumors?  We don’t mention this any longer. We just advise the newcomers to stock the pantry with more than a day’s supply……..

Entry Filed under: after the rapture (apocalypse then)