Everyone in Palmer (it seems) is both reviewing the devastation and also bracing themselves for what we have heard from the guys who live in the weather radio is that another windstorm is coming.

Without a phone, without internet service, I didn’t think too much about how others might be affected. Just like when the November 2018 earthquake occurred, afterwards, everyone has a story.

Water leak at the Safeway store

I went today to a local restaurant to meet with my friend Bea because she is the other half of my writing group. She of course had stories, mainly about her place and having to set up six-or-so electric heaters, so as to raise the ambient temperature of her house.

Bea had heard from a mutual acquaintance about the problems at the Meeting House, where I sort the books. The fellow who spoke to her didn’t get all the details correct but I refrained from saying anything because, I thought, why bother?

We were joined by our mutual friend Nan who later told me about her friend Judy, who has ten horses. Nan said that Judy’s generator didn’t work so neither did her water heaters. The wind and low temperatures in her area continued, so she has had to break the ice in her horse stock tank while using a propane tank. Unreal.

I next ventured over to Turkey Red Restaurant where I talked for some time with Alex, the owner. Alex showed me photos of her restaurant roof, the panels all blown to smithereens. She is wondering now if she going to have new panels put up there or if she’s going to locate them elsewhere. Like everyone else, she’s wondering if the stiff breezes are a sign of things to come.

Alex walked over to the bakery window, and as we talked, she removed the items from the dairy case, saying they were too stale to sell. She did though, give me a wonder woman cookie. Alex added that she lost a lot of produce and was having to toss it.

As I was talking with Alex, Pete was driving around town and taking photos of the devastation.

Many, like me are fearful about what we hear is going to come, tomorrow night, more hard winds and low temperatures.

On the home front, we are somewhat ready. It’s hard to prepare, but we’re doing our best. Pete put up a blanket over door leading to the living room and has made sure that the pipes have access to heat.

And yes, we now have enough goat chow on hand.

It has occurred to me that we’ll really be screwed if we have another earthquake. High winds, low temperatures, and an earthquake, this would send many in our area packing which would be a good thing – the growth rate of the Matanuska Valley is right now the highest in the state.

So we will wait, and see what might happen next. Character builds adversity and adversity builds character.

Next: 7. 1/7/22: The Upward and Downward Spirals