The Last Lunch Box

Chronicling the tear down and reclamation process of Energy Fuels Coal Mine in Southfields; Florence, Colorado; November 2001... THE LAST LUNCH BOX, is a short work of nonfiction. Contrary to what might be anticipated due to the difficulty of tasks involved, this story is uplifting rather than depressing. The realistic attitude and humored competence of management and crew release despair, especially inspired by spirits who walked before… opening paragraphs preface that mood:



“Accenting the season's first snow storm, a few days cold snap had broken minutes ago, dramatized by a cloud collection of fluffy-bright donuts with sky holes, which came across in a writer's mind looking like mystic gateways. Saturated with sharp light from a low-angle winter sun, these brilliant cloud banks made an eye piercing display.



“It was a presentation of nature which had me mesmerized by a clear, right purpose in the Universe. The first touch of winter, skimming bone with icy fingertips, had reinforced that something was in charge of the world and it wasn't me. Yet, in spite of the drastic temperature drop, maybe because of it, a warm, spirit-filled message seemed to be pocketed in the clouds.”



When you turn on a light switch, plug in an electronic device, or use electricity, what type of labor/industry has made it possible for you to receive that clean, economical power readily available for your fingertips? Civilization rests on this infrastructure designed and worked... day after day... by human bodies, minds, and souls.



VISCERAL HISTORY is Linda Shelnutt's term for true stories told from the gut, usually featuring the perspective of the author in addition to one or a small number of individuals. A detailed version of the Visceral History code is presented within this December 2013 Kindle edition, along with a list of other Visceral Histories by this author.