Sarah here again, reporting on our trip to town today as Tom has asked me to do. I'm sorry I promised to do it tonight; my hands are sore from gripping the wagon handles & traces. Morgan, Alex & I left early this morning; too early, but Morgan wisely noted that the plough men and women, might not take too kindly to us standing around watching them try to get the work done. So we left shortly before eight. We brought 2 wagons with us, wagons Morgan made from - well, I'm not sure. They're about 4 feet wide, 8 feet long & have slatted sides which can range from 1 to 3 feet high. Any higher & the wagons would be to prone to tipping. They're not easy to steer; it's more a case of steering the dogs & hoping the wagons follow without tipping, but Morgan says he'll eventually come up with something better. I'm sure he will, but this is working fine for now & I can control the speed by simply limiting the number of dogs we use. I only hitched three to each wagon today. With only three of us going, I didn't want to end up spending too much energy controlling rowdy dogs.

Alex being up a bit early this morning & having energy to burn, had already jogged most of the way to town along the roads from here - and yes, he did get permission first & went armed. He left about an hour before dawn & with a clear night, had just enough light to see by. He was back within 90 minutes or so & must have really moved fast to make that good a time. But yes, he reported the roads were clear enough - a few areas looked to be close to washing out, but there were no insurmountable barriers.

Using only three dogs per wagon meant I could keep the traces short & I also had choke chains & long leads on my lead dogs. Thank God for that as they weren't inclined to take their time. Next time though, I'll do the same for the wheel dogs as they kept nipping at the lead dogs' heels & that caused a bit of chaos until we were able to run some of the energy out of them.

We followed the easy way to town, the one Drew described as his usual route & all told, it's only about 4 miles. Alex has been able to take some short cuts across fields that still allowed him a good view of the roads. Under different circumstances, it would have been a pleasant outing. Early as it was, it was mild with just the slightest breeze. Birds of course are everywhere now & loud with their song. Some of the smaller shrubs & undergrowth are showing a faint, fuzzy green & grass, weeds & some old crops are sprouting just enough to let you know spring is really here. What struck me & that took time, was the silence. Other than our own voices & the dogs, we heard very little. There were no traffic noises, no vehicles to be seen or heard & no people. We did see some farm animals; cattle mainly, some cows here & there, more than a few with calves running along side of them. I'm pretty sure I saw a few horses, but that was at a distance.

We stopped just outside of town, maybe 500 yards from the downtown area. From this side, town starts pretty abruptly. You have miles of fields & pastures, then a small wood lot & suddenly, you're looking at buildings located in the former main town square. We stopped for a few reasons. Going from family to town these days isn't something taken lightly. It's not like deciding you need a couple of bags of flour, hopping into the pickup & being home half an hour later with your flour & whatever the latest town gossip is. This to me, was soooooo different & I needed time to pull myself together, put on my game face. I also was scared as anything.

Doesn't that sound stupid? I'm not a kid anymore & I can certainly take care of myself. I think I've proven that by now. I can carry my own weight & help others. I've worked hard all my life, looked after my parents & done well with WalMart. Yet there I stood like some bashful teenybopper about to go on her first date. I was feeling SHY! I found myself wondering what I'd say if anyone walked up to me & said: "Hi there!" Nuts! Actually, turns out Morgan & Alex weren't feeling much different but I wish I'd known that then!

We also wanted to get a good, close, careful look at what appeared to be happening. I was here just a few weeks ago, but things can change fast & this time I felt we had more time for some "sightseeing". It's clear things are not 'right' in our town. It looks like a set from a 'b' grade movie. The old town square is a park now; some grass & park benches set beneath some old & large trees. In the summer, the fountain in the center is pretty & the council does a good job with the flowerbeds. Right now it looks totally desolate. The fountain is still & covered in garbage & loose paper is littering the grass. The benches are gone - I suspect the wood was taken for firewood. Someone seems to have tried to cut the trees too. Lower branches are missing & we thought we saw marks from axes & saws on what's left of the trunks.

Some buildings are burnt, others look to have collapsed. Some light standards & electric poles are leaning or fallen over & the streets are littered with cars; thankfully most are 'parked' to the side. Wires from traffic signals are lying about & broken glass, what seems to be clothing & other store front items are everywhere. There's been some attempt to straighten things up but I doubt that's a priority right now. If you look closely, there are signs that the town hasn't been completely abandoned. Some buildings have had broken windows boarded up & one even had fresh glass & tools had been left beneath the window, as if the worker had gone for a coffee break.

Town Hall was a welcome sight, mostly because it was THERE. It brought tears to my eyes to see our flag flying proudly from the top of the flag pole. There was just enough breeze to lift it high & proud, all stripes & stars waving to all those prepared to see. Morgan had tears in his eyes & wasn't ashamed of them. The windows all looked intact & the front steps were swept clean. On the front door, fluttering slightly, we could just make out some tacked up papers through the binoculars Alex & Morgan had brought. We all felt more than a little nervous about making our way into the square; funny how quickly & easily you can get paranoid. There were no evident signs of danger though, no fresh digging which might indicate traps, no manned guard points - just... a lot of nothing.


We weren't quite sure how to do this, head into town that is. We didn't want to put our guns away but how do you signal that you're armed but not dangerous? Hard to do, so I had Alex grab my jacket, (which happens to be off white) & wave that around, walking slowly down the street towards City Hall. Morgan & I followed behind, each with a firm grip on the lead dog as the two teams pulled the wagons the rest of the way. We all took turns calling out & walked VERY slowly, looking all aroud us every strep of the way. I think I would rather have walked into a nest of rattlers, my heart was pounding so. I expected to be shot any second - no basis in reason for that, but I wasn't feeling terribly reasonable either.

We got all the way to the road right in front of the front steps of City Hall before we saw or heard anyone. Oh we were being watched; we all felt eyes boring through us, every single, long step of the way. We stood and waited in front of the steps for what seemed like forever before anyone spoke to us. From the third floor, a window opened & two people could be seen, just inside the window frame. One, the mayor it turns out, politely but firmly asked us to state our business. I was rather taken aback at his tone & Alex looked positively furious, but Morgan was able to answer calmly, telling him who we were, what we'd brought & what we were doing in town other than that.

It must have been the mention of food, but the tone changed appreciably after that. The mayor told us to: "Wait one", then a minute or so later, opened the main doors & came out, all smiles & hand shakes. From suspicious, he turned positively effusive. I have to keep reminding myself, we're all still under tremendous pressures, some more so than others. We introduced ourselves again, remembering this time, to identify ourselves as freinds of Andy & Joe. That certainly made us welcome - those two have been working pretty hard. The sight of two wagons full of food for the working parties didn't hurt either - I thought the mayor would cry with gratitude & I was especially glad Noreen threw in those dozen fruit pies. The fruit was frozen & had to be used & those pies will go down a treat. Glad too, they stayed pretty much intact on the way over.

We helped the mayor & several people at town hall unload the food, beinging the meat right to a pretty cool freezer arrangement they have in the basement. It's something like one of ours, a cold room surrounded by insulation & lots of ice. As the ice melts, it drains out through a drainage grate in the floor. The freezer was next to bare & even our contribution didn't make much of a dent. I hope other people are able to provide.

The mayor informed us, it was about ten o'clock by then, that body disposal teams were busy & had been since shortly after dawn. They rarely returned for a lunch & we could expect to see them shortly before mid-afternoon. They'd be too tired to work much longer by that time & those that felt able to keep on, usually returned anyway; ater then busied themselves with other chores around the building.

He offered us a tour of Town Hall to show us how operations were currently set up & we gladly accepted. Basically, they're using the south end of the building. It makes sense to take advantage of the natual light & sun in this way. The mayor's former office, a huge room really, has become "Town Central" with 4-5 desks crowded together, facing each other in a square type arrangement. Several large tables are pushed up against the walls & those walls are covered with lists & maps. The mayor & his current "staff" of 5 work out of this room & 2 smaller rooms leading directly off of that one serve as sleeping quarters. There's a bathroom there too & two large storage closets which are being put to good use. Just down the hall are two conference rooms, large ones, which are being used as dormitories for some of those working to remove bodies. A surprising number of those people live in town anyway & prefer to go home at night, so the two rooms provide just enough space for those bunking in here.

The rooms are neat & although crowded, well laid out, comfortable looking & pleasant. There are a number of cots & air mattresses topped by different bedding - bed rolls, sleeping bags & some nice, cushy comforters. The closets & bathrooms off the conference/meeting rooms have been turned into wash areas for the workers as they prepare to work, clean up for meals or simply try to expunge the remnants of a nasty day's work. A little farther down the hall are two small rooms which have been turned into "quiet rooms", rooms where workers can go to pray alone, cry, think - whatever they need to do to get through this horrid task. The minister drops by several times a day, especially in the evening & the mayor tells me he prays with the wrokers every morning before they start their day's work - praying for strength for them. He also visits the grave site as often as he can to pray over the dead.

Much of City Hall is unused right now but the Mayor said he's made sure all rooms are kept clean, closed up & that the windows are whole. In time, they'll be needed again & he wants to make sure they're up to the task. Some are being used to store extra supplies & much of a local stationary store's stock has found its way here. There are candles, books & games, decks of cards, extra clothing & a good deal of canned food as well as boxes & packages of cookies & various crackers. There is a surprising amount of condensed milk which they use in tea & coffee for the most part & the mayor offered the information that several days a week, 2 locals are providing them with fresh milk.

We were surprised to find the radio station had "moved" to City Hall. It does make sense. Most of the news they broadcast originates here & this saves trips back & forth. They had enough volunteers to move over the equipment they really needed, as well as to mount the antennas they use. It seems Andy was handy there! Morgan, Alex & I agreed to an interview after lunch & once we got over the nerves, rather enjoyed the experience. The radio dudes seem to have a good grip on their job & have really become comfortable with their new roles. I'm not sure they appreciate how valuable they've become to people, certainly that's the case at the farm.

To us, they're an absolute lifeline & a focus point on dreary days & those days where nothing seems to come easily. They let us know how things are going locally, how many people are here & what they're doing to cope. They provide the minister an opportunity to reach many more people than he could simply walking around. The doctor & nurses are now able to broadcast simple health infomration several times a day. They;re looking at what comes into the clinic during the day & when they see more than a few of the same sort of thing, give general advice - not a bad idea.

The newsies are also doing little features about those groups willing to be so discussed. That's what we were doing today; talking about who we are at the farm, what we're doing this spring & summer & how much work we figure it's going to be. What I liked was how they asked us what we individually found the most difficult ot challenging & how we coped. This interview was taped, so they were able to "edit out" the hesitations, 'oh' & 'um' noises we all made. They caught me flat on the 'what did i find hardest' question. I finally mumbled something about feeling like I had no REAL connection there, no family member or close friend with me. For Morgan, it was self imposed pressure to do as much as he could to make life easier for all & for Alex, it was the idea of being not quite a kid, not quite a man - really feeling trapped in between & not truly prepared for adulthood & whatever that means right here & now. I can see his point.

It was too bad Drew or Noreen weren't here. One of the newscasters asked how much we were planting for so many people & animals & why? Morgan sort of handled that one, but pointed out that such practical information should come from an experienced farmer. Morgan DID point out that experienced or not, growing enough food for a year was going to be a LOT of work & that people should be preparing land right now.

The news station also likes to cover stuff such as numbers of people in town; we're holding at about 1200 lately & is acting as a central clearing station for people with certain skills looking for specific situations. People with any practical skills are in high demand as those are sorely lacking. Farmers, medical types, carpenters & other trades people are especially wanted. We're now starting to hear of widowers left with children & no wives, looking for 'female' companionship & a mother type for their kids in exchange for a hard working man - the usual type of thing. There are plenty of women alone or left with young children, so hopefully those folks will match up. The elderly are surprisingly in demand, even those with medical conditions. Many have memories of days past when the skills we so badly need now were more common. Some of course, are past DOING, but they can certainly teach & supervise. They can also watch babies while more able & strong people do the harder physical work.

The staff at City Hall consists of 5 people now - the mayor, 2 clerks, the former city works manager & a janitor who's certainly had a major change in responsabilities! Currently, they're doing their best to keep current the list of those who have chosen to stay here or settle here & where they're staying. They're also keeping lists of people looking for certain placements or situations; groups of like minded people to live & work with. They're also noting identities, when obtainable, of the bodies being dealt with by the burial teams. Homes in reasonably good shape available for settlers are also noted & the new people trickling in are invited to look at several.

Currently, there's a cluster of people living close to City Hall, many of whom have converted rooms over stores into homes. Many of these are former professionals, who are offering their services in trade for food & other goods they can't obtain simply by walking into an empty store. Further out is a band of farmers, mainly groups of people like us determined to grow what we need as well as a surplus to trade for services & to pay in lieu of taxes to the mayor & his band of merry men & women. There's the radio guys too - thankfully Alex thought to keep back a pie for them!

The mayor gave us a heads up of a 'town meeting' he's planning on calling a couple of Sunday's from now. He thinks any later than that & most will be too busy farming & gardening. Tom & Drew will be delighted. Well, we all will be. It will be nice to see others, talk over our problems & feel like we're doing something about our situation.

Lordie, I really wanted to say so much more, but I'm wiped. We did do a lot more today & I know Noreen has plans for me tomorrow. I'd best finish this off when I have some apre time tomorrow. Morgan, Alex, Andy & Joe will no doubt have something to add, probably tomorrow once they get some rest. I could use about 11 hours of sleep but think I'll be lucky to get 6 or so tonight. Better hit the hay...