Nucleus

Dear Mother,

It was wonderful talking with you this evening on WhatsFace. I'm sorry to be writing a long letter now, but there are a lot of things that are hard to talk about, especially with the kids around!

We all look forward to your arrival, as the kids made obvious. I know that the shower and month of quarantine is a lot to deal with. At the end, they'll bring you right here. Once you get here, you'll have the freedom of our house and our woods, and, of course, your grandchildren!

We don't - absolutely don't - want you to come here to be a servant. Yes, we had considered a servant when we started the application process, and had the room set up with that in mind. We would so much rather have you join us here than someone we don't know, who has to worry that we might send them away if it doesn't work out, who might not even be here for the right reasons!

Marie thinks that three women can take care of each other, the kids, and two jobs, without anyone needing to be a servant. I think she's right!

This place is amazing, isolated but still connected to services, centered on the facility that gives us power and keeps our food and supplies safe. I know you had doubts - lots of people did - about the Seneca Nuclear Generator, but it has kept this area alive at a time when the rest of the continent is dying. The people who still protest it should be locked up on grounds of mental derangement!

Don't worry - they won't be irradiating you. The shower and quarantine do a safer job for people, but all of your things and all of our food and everything that comes to our place from the outside go through the facility. Trucks leave deliveries in the shed at the end of the driveway, and we pick them up with the cart. No fuss, no muss, everything safe!

I know you'll miss your friends. When we built the extra room, we built it with extra communications. We figured that people working for us might be happier if they could still talk with the outside. While we suspect you'll enjoy talking with us and your grandchildren, there's a full comm wall in there. WhatsFace is easy, and you can watch movies, hear music, and even read books at wall size if you want. You can drink wine with your friends, just at a distance. Safely!

I know you're worried about your blood tests. Marie insisted that we install the Phlebot here when we built, so we'd only have to see doctors if it was really and truly necessary. It's worked really well, both for blood tests and for the two times we've needed to use an IV bag for Chester. At least it's less painful than the blood draws I remember!

We do go outside, almost every day. We keep a big yard clear and free of ticks, thanks to the robot mower. In winter we pretty much bundle up, turn up the heat, and don't worry about the outdoors except when we want to play. Since there aren't ticks in winter, we cross-country ski further along our property and check the boundary lines and cameras. So far it's been beautiful and peaceful, with no unwanted - human, anyway - vistors!

Mosquitoes are the one pest we do worry about, but they aren't bad here, and there hasn't been a mosquito-borne illness here in a decade. Regular monitoring and the rest of our work against disease have worked so far!

It sounded like you're about ready to move in here, and your pass is ready. Let us know about any final questions you have. Your room, your daughter, and your grandchildren are all set to welcome you!

Love,
Judy