Wayne Gray

July 29, 1993 Wednesday, 9 AM Okay. More Jake and virus information. He's a pale, skinny MD who became one of the world's youngest virology and epidemiology experts. He's thirty-eight, has graduated med school, and piled on years of additional study and experience in his chosen field. He shared all this with us before and over breakfast and then went on to tell us what he knows about the Knox Incident and the virus behind it all. What I remember is below. "Mmm. I never though

I'm back to work tomorrow after a productive weekend. I've written another 3,000 words over the last two days, and this next chapter looks like it'll be done as I find time to write this week. Have a great upcoming week, all.

Glad you're reading along, Defiance19. I've never read Earth Abides, but it sounds like I'm in good company. There's a lot ahead for this group. The road won't be easy, but we're not here for that, are we? Stick with me. We'll get there. And thanks for reading!

Thanks for the great comment! Mark was honest, while Jake seemed too stressed and frazzled to be anything but honest. Plus, with a mountain of a man like Buck standing over him, that's a big motivator to get things right, too. The group gets tighter as time goes on. Each has naturally fallen into a role they fill better than anyone else, complementing and supporting the others around them. They feel organic to me. I'm not picking "perfect" people for this place - they're just the folks who have survived. An element of luck was a part of their initial success, but now? Now, it's because they're working together. You're not wrong concerning water. They do need another source. Kentucky has a lot of resources, including water. But most of those will need treatment/sterilization before drinking. We'll have to see what they do about that, their power needs, and housing, too. Stick with me to find out if there are more survivors around. I will finish this thing, no matter how long it takes.

Okay, now THAT is a fantastic description for our little group. LOL Thanks for the great comment, CincyKris. And you're so right as it concerns "geniuses." Many have no real-life skills because everything unrelated to their passion is deemed unimportant or not worth doing/learning. Dr. Jake would probably have trouble making oatmeal, but he knows the mechanism of action of gp42 in lymphocytic viral response and can walk step by step down the metabolic pathway of a rabies virus-hijacked mitochondria. 😐 So ... yeah. Jake is brilliant. His raw processing power is wild, but he's noticeably unprepared for the reality of the current circumstance. Stick around to see if he ends up fitting in or not. That'll be a fun process.

Thanks for reading and commenting, Daddydavek. Yeah. There's a lot out there in the world to worry about. I'm glad this story could distract you from some of that. Stay safe.

Hehe. Yes. There's so much more in store for our little group of survivors. Though, now they're up to nine (counting Hope) if they decide Jake can stay. Knowing these people and their goals, we can probably guess they'll let him stay, but it's still a conversation they'll have. Let's see what Mr. Jake reveals in the light of day. Next time!

Thanks for the read! And ... yeah. It's weird that on the computer, the text looked like a heavy-handed engineer wrote the entry, and on the phone, like a dainty calligrapher did. I made it plain text. It's a bummer, as it's so sterile, but I can't handle that flowing, perfect, text. Blah!

Thanks, JohnnyC! I'm glad you're along for the ride. And yeah, I hope to continue the writing. I've got a mostly free weekend ahead of me, and I want to see if I can churn out another chapter in the next few days. That'd be great. See you on here again soon!

Thanks, kbois! I plan to run with it as long as I can. 🙂 They're doing well, considering their circumstances. And they seem to have a realistic outlook, too. I like what everyone brings to the table. Each has something they can contribute, and they all fill a role within the group. Well ... other than Jake. If he can't actively work on a cure then what can he do for them? He'd have gotten eaten by zombies had it not been for our crew, so we can surmise he's not much good in a fight. He picked food a teenager given money for a roadtrip would be proud of, so he's probably not great in terms of practical survival knowledge. What good is a man with two advanced degrees when nobody cares how clever the old world thought you were? I guess we'll find out, and that's part of the fun. 🙂

Thanks, George! Yeah, I don't know why the flow stopped, and I don't know why it started again, but I'll take it. I've got three irons in the fire and they've been there for a LONG time, so I hope the muse continues to whisper. Thanks for reading!

July 28, 1993 Tuesday, 820 AM Well, someone finally asked the question out loud. We were having a (surprisingly good) breakfast of starchy porridge made from cattail root, butter, honey, and early-ripening berries we'd gathered. Lisa spoke at a lull in conversation as most of us scraped our bowls for the last bits of food. "How long, do you think?" She asked, her eyes shifting between Mark and Mister Buck. "How long before the army gets control of things and we go back to normal?"

Happy New Year, folks. Let's commit to doing things that make us happy to be alive. 🙂

Haha. I love the theories. Keep reading to find out!

Thanks for the good thoughts, all. And I was wrong. It was a freaking 7.0. That’s wild. When you consider a 7 is ten times as strong as a 6.0, it becomes apparent why 7 and higher quakes are both rare and usually destructive. There was very little structural damage here. We don’t even have a cracked window. Man, I love this little old house.

We had a rather significant quake today in Northwestern California. Ratings have varied between 6.0 and 7.3. I'd put it around 6.3-6.4, just based on past experience: no way it was a 7. We shook quite a bit and for quite a while. The cats were spooked and ran around like crazy things till they found a hiding spot, and the whole house shook and groaned. But this little dwelling has been around since 1940. It has yet to fall, and there have been far stronger quakes in its history. We lost a single ceramic reindeer. Other than that, there was no damage and no injuries. So I'll take it. I hope everybody is doing well out there.

you will do what you must. While that's true, you are not required to have all the answers right this minute. you have people who love and look after you. Let them. you are going to see a professional who can help. Let them. you will adapt, and that will take time. Take that time. you're worth the effort. 💚

Good luck, Cassie!

Yes. The way of boys is so mysterious.

My favorite way to have a pumpkin ... https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-savory-stuffed-pumpkin-with-sausage-and-gruyere-225029 It's much like pork belly - delicious, but a tiny bit will do. 😛

When I was growing up in rural Kentucky, my father shot a bunch of crows who kept destroying our garden. Then he and my mom cleaned them, and they went into the crock pot with a package of Lipton's onion soup mix. I'm not gonna say it was good, but it was edible (after about six hours of bubbling on low). And memorable. LOL

Swimming is a fantastic fitness regimen. I can't do what I love (weightlifting) to stay in good condition anymore. Well, I shouldn't do it, but I sneak it in when my joints allow. Now, it's mostly bodyweight exercises and my Versaclimber, with maybe two weight-lifting sessions a week. It just depends on the shoulders and what they will allow/tolerate.

Thanks for the nice words. I’ve always liked to sing, so I’m glad it appeals. 🙂

you already know my thoughts on this, my friend, but I don't mind repeating them. I liked how Charlie got to experience life a bit with his trip to New York. He learned about himself and gave a lift to another person who needed it. Then, he got to be with a lifelong love closer to home and closer to his sensibilities. It's a good story. Thank you for sharing it.

Do you know that axiom, "If you love something, sometimes the best thing you can do is let it go."? I've appreciated it but never considered what it means on more than a superficial level. Well ... that has changed. I'm in an open relationship with my husband. I'm polyamorous, and he accepts that. He and I have each other, and we each have a boyfriend. My boyfriend is a super sweet, lovely guy named Matthew. We've been together now for about three years. While camping with Matthew a couple of weeks back, he shared that he had decided to move back to St. Louis, where he had spent most of his adult life. It felt like I'd been hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer. Our rural environment has deeply challenged Matthew. He struggles to find work or keep a job, but most importantly, there is a severe lack of robust mental healthcare here. He desperately needs that. I know all of this. As I sat there, processing what he'd just told me and trying to keep my feelings off my face, I also realized the deeper meaning of that axiom above. I know what it means now. So I smiled, put my arm around him, and told him that if that's what he needed to do, he should. He asked if I would be all right, and I lied without a split second of hesitation. "Yeah. I'll be fine." I've got him till mid-November, then he's gone. I'll miss him. But ... I love him. So that's how it has to be.