Day 49/183: Scenes from the pandemic apocalypse

[nanila]

Scene 1 Yesterday. The weather’s nice and we’re digging over the veg patch with the help of the children.

Him: “I’m just going to pop to the garden centre and get some manure and seeds.”
Me: “Good idea.”

45 minutes later

Him: “I bought 300 litres of horse shit and enough seeds and seed potatoes to get us through rationing, when it starts.”
Me: “...”

Scene 2 Today. Weather’s still nice. Veg patch has had manure dug into it and things planted in it.

Him: “If you don’t mind, I’m going to pop to the shops a bit earlier than I have been doing [after the children are asleep] and see if it’s better stocked. I’m not going to panic-buy anything.”
Me: “Sure. OK, no worries, I’ll make dinner.”

45 minutes later

Him, plonking six bags and some large bits of wood on the floor.: “I couldn’t find pasta, rice or eggs, but here are a bunch of gardening supplies and £110 worth of groceries, including tinned spinach.”
Me: “...”

I mean, I’m the American one in this relationship, aren’t I supposed to be the one who goes full underground survival bunker in this situation?

Comments

[nanila]

How is your lettuce getting on? Ours has popped up in the cold frame and we're optimistic. Your bread has been looking amazing so the sourdough starter is certainly paying off!

Oh yes, I think the survival bunker mentality is definitely an American thing. It gets inculcated relatively late, I think. I only remember becoming aware of it around 8-10 years old, when living with my maternal grandparents, who were children of the Great Depression and were definitely prepared - or at least thought they were - for EVERYTHING. Always extra clean drinking water in the garage, regularly replenished, and extra tins of petrol. Fully stocked larder, kept up to date with tinned, preserved, and dried goods. And those are the more - benign, shall we say - elements of the preparation.

[annofowlshire]

Haha. Yeah, we had a gun room and loaded guns stashed in “secret” places around the house. And whenever there was a power cut, my dad would sit on the sofa with the radio on and a shotgun leaning next to him. >_>;

Memories like that make sort of glad I’m here and not there right now >_>;

[annofowlshire]

Ah! And my lettuces are doing well, although far from eating. I also ordered a bunch of seeds recently that I’m hoping to do something with although I’m still not managing to source potting soil so I’ll probably be limited by that soon.