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April 20, 2020: What Gives?

The world is now a troubled place. This country is being run by a wanabe dictator. His following are small in number but loud and vociferous. Alaska is now in the throes of a major recession, no let’s call it what it is, a depression. It’s a state with a history of a boom and bust economy, and right now it is in bust mode.

Pretty soon, people are going to pull up to gas stations and will be paid to drive. Oil is going into the negative numbers because cruise ship, train, airline, and automobile use is taking a huge hit. Many will leave as soon as they feel it will be safe to travel. The rest of us are going to stay.

Our neighbor is thinkig of baling
Our neighbor is thinking of heading south

I’m afraid that Pete and I are in the latter category. I would have no regrets about packing it up and moving elsewhere. It would be like the Beverly Hillbillies, with animals hanging out the trailer and truck windows. I would not leave any of them behind. Therein, of course lies a problem. Getting two goats across the Canadian border would be a near impossibility.

I had an acquaintance who once took 88 supposed homing pigeons across the border. I suspected that they were not homing pigeons but the ordinary, flea ridden kind, the one’s who’s close and distant relatives subsisted on breadcrumbs and popcorn. They had that look about them.

This acquaintance had to have completed paperwork on each and every one of her damn birds. My thought was that she should release the birds before crossing the border herself and then catch up with them on the other side. After all, they were supposed homing pigeons. But no, Victoria and company took the legal route.

She moved to Montana. I heard that most of the pigeons didn’t fare too well. Well, the common kind are a dime a dozen.

I would not leave Stormy and Ranger behind. I’d have them go by cargo plane. Same with the chickens. Funny how animals will tie you down. Actually, it’s not so funny.

Pete and I aren’t talking much about how good we have it; rather, how bad others have it. We both always knew that those who live in cities would have it worse off than us, should something like a pandemic occur. The question is, how are we going to do down the road?

The two worst case scenarios. Pete loses his job and groceries become unavailable.

I’m not so attached to Alaska that I’m 100 percent committed to staying here. In fact, I’d lobby hard for us to leave if I thought Pete might take me seriously. But for now, it’s one of the safer places to be.

Today, it was business as usual. I made a list of Alaskan books/authors for a friend who is blind and can get them on tape. It felt to me like I was doing a Bright Lights Book Project. And Pete and I went for a bicycle ride to the end of Buffalo Mine Road. Last time I did this ride it was slushy. Today it was mushy. I felt like I got a workout. Now I feel virtuous because this was such a healthy thing to do.

Leave or stay, leave or stay, leave or stay – so many are weighing the options. Us, we are just acknowledging that there are options.

Next: 111. 4/21/20: Eulogy for Grey Baby

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