Missive #543

Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans—though no one calls them that anymore.

His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly.This book is not recommended for those of you that are overly sensitive. As one reviewer said “If you suffer insomnia or still believe in monsters hide under your beds this book is not great fit for you”. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.

Then one day he’s given a a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved. — Book promo @ goodreads.com

This posting was started before I went to get Desperaro’s engine replaced. I didn’t think I would be outside but Desperado was too tall to get inside so I got an electric connection and have a good signal from Starlink. There were two, occasionally three, mechanics working on Desperado and they had her old engine out by 14:15 yesterday. The whole front end was taken off and the engine slid out. I sure hope they know how to put the new engine in as well as they took the old one out.

It is cooler here than at Cruzville because of the added elevation, now at just a few feet over 7,000′. Did only one walk yesterday at about the same time I usually do what I have been labeling as Afternoon. Today I will try to get out there for two walks. There is a reasonably wide shoulder on US 180 that I can walk on but all walks are out and back. That is nothing new because all my walks from the Park are also out and back.

During my walk last Saturday I had a car approaching me slowly and I was watching them to see what they were going to do. They stop by me and the driver said “Did you see the mountain lion?” I said that I had been watching them and did not. There had been a lion go behind some trees about 75 yards from where we were. I warned the Park host that there was a lion in the area and also told my neighbor, a deputy county sheriff. The warning was also passed on to the Horse Motel that was maybe 300 yards from were we saw the lion. Not my usual walk!