Journal 119

Shake, rattle and roll. The quakes continue although much milder than yesterday. It’s extremely cold. The earthquakes broke out several of our windows in several of the classrooms. Sheriff Pete divided chores. About a half a dozen people spent the day trying to seal up those classrooms with broken windows. We closed and sealed the unused rooms. Matt, Pete, and Jonas when looking for fire barrels or similar items. Victor, Hemy, Lisa and I went looking for items to burn.

I hate the cold. I hate it more now that I must go out and play in it. There are several new buildings collapsed around town. It’s sad we used to have a beautiful town. The area around Bear Country looks very much like a war zone. A snow-covered war zone.

While out searching for items to burn, we ran across several people looking for food and a place to stay. I hate beggars, they make me feel uncomfortable. Every time we saw a group of people begging, we went the other way. I know it’s hypocritical. I have been a beggar, but Bear Country does not have the resources to help everyone in need.

We must save ourselves and survive this winter. I can’t think of anyone who hasn’t been a beggar. It is an unpleasant fact. There are times when the weak are going to die. I was feeling awful about ignoring the pleas of the beggars until I saw a group of Followers of Aloysius offering food and a place to stay to those who needed help.