So, here we are, sitting happily in our cosy little nest, while just down the road from us, and six hundred feet or so below it, the relentless cutters of the longwall mine machine advance, cutting a seven-foot high and eight-foot-at-a-time wide swath, eight hundred or so feet long, of coal, which is dumped onto the adjacent conveyor belts, and carried away, leaving a void where it was removed, and into which the earth above it collapses as the machines continue their relentless, unstoppable, progress towards us. Above ground, I’ve been watching the subsidence and the dislocations in the surface with a wary eye, as the machine moves up the road. It’s almost here. It’ll be directly under the house in a few days.
Half an hour ago, I was on the phone with dear friend when I heard a funny noise. Turns out our water supply line under the stairs has ruptured (we have a well).
Will have to go to Lowes first thing in the morning for parts, and see if I can cobble it back together. Meantime, I’ve shut the water off, and I have to find some dry clothes. Fortunately, a few days ago, I filled up four 5-gallon containers, so we’re not completely out.
Is this the first breach in the defenses? I suspect it is.
Enjoy yourselves for the next few weeks, my friends. Take care of each other. I’ll be in and out, but right now, I have bigger fish to fry. All the best.
Fingers crossed.
PS: Never a dull moment.
