I love my family.
Yesterday I sat around my kitchen table. I don't have a formal dining room but I have a huge kitchen! I had 13 people in my house. It was so much fun. It's not often that us country bumpkins have a house full of guests, but yesterday was my once a year day.
My mom and dad are the greatest - and they don't even read my blog!!! I have always felt so much love and I've never worried about my relationship with them. Christmas Eve my dad brought our trailer back full of firewood. We were really sad that it was too warm to have a fire in the fireplace, but we have firewood. Then my mom just jumps in wherever she can to help me keep things clean.
I have one brother. I like him, too. He brought his wife and their two daughters. I must say that having girls around the house changes things... My SIL makes a wonderful pumpkin pie. We gave our nieces a tea set and a cooking set. The cooking set contained a chef's hat. My SIL tried to get each of the kids (except that oldest one of mine...) to put it on for a picture. The two youngest were the most averse to wearing it and the most humerous as the fended it off.
My SIL let me know her folks would be alone on Christmas day. As God would have it, I saw them in Sam's last Sunday. I was able to personally invite them to join us for our Chritmas dinner. I've never had trouble with in-laws and they aren't direct in-laws but still; I don't know my SILs parents very well. I shouldn't have worried. From the moment they arrived at my home I knew we'd be alright.
I married the man I used to call "the smartest man this side of the Mississippi". I don't call him that anymore, but I think it sometimes. Now he's just MM (My Man). But I learned something about him this year. I was shocked that I did not know it before now. I didn't discover it on Christmas day. It isn't a show stopper, but wow. I thought I knew MM. Now I wonder what I don't know about him. Really, he could have told me long before now. I was almost embarrassed to not know. We were at his Uncle's house for thanksgiving and I was packing up some leftovers -including of course, the obligatory turkey. Running out of time, I asked him to cut some more turkey and load it up in a bag. He looked at me as if I had asked him to bag up the garbage so we could take it home with us. I didn't get the message and kept doing my work. When we finally got in the van I asked (no volunteering of info allowed!) what was up with turkey? Was he totally offended that I asked him to do something? I had no idea.
So what did I learn? Not that prepping left overs is women's work - he would've walked home for that one. Or that he doesn't know how to carve a turkey... You know who does the majority of the cooking around here, right? I learned that MM does not like turkey. It was an amazing discovery. Now back to Christmas day.
Every year for Christmas we have never done a turkey. Until this year I never understood it. Now I get it. We eat pork ribs and chicken on Christmas day because it's the best and it's a treat (the ribs for sure). OK MM I'll eat ribs anytime, so long as I can have my family around the table.
So there you have it... My family. I have to count everyone to get to a baker's dozen but I wouldn't have it any other way!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
How grateful I am for my boys...
I love being a mother. I love that I have all boys. Sometimes I want a little girl but really I'm quite content letting other families raise daughters for my boys. Along those lines today I got to spend the morning at Dance Mommy's house being spoiled with brunch and a good time with friends. Later, I spent time with my dad at our favorite kitchen store and other places. I didn't make it home until nearly 7 p.m.! What a day I had had.
It wasn't until I got home, all the purchases were put away and I sat down that I noticed S quietly sitting on the lazy-boy. This mildly unusual for S as he is nearly 3 and full of energy. At the very least he meets me at the door with a hug and kiss when I've been gone all day. It was then that I was told: S was injured while I was out! Immediately I did what any mother would do: ask questions. I quickly shut my mouth as I realized that it was at the hands of one of of his brothers that he was injured. I imagined the worst when MM said "I don't think it's broken." Really, honey, I could live forever without you ever saying that again. Tell me it's just a surface wound, lie to me, but don't leave me hanging all through dinner until we unwrap the leg to inspect the damage.
It really wasn't all that bad, but it did make my heart stop and his older brothers give pause to their actions. I rebandaged it after dinnner and from what I could see, it was just a bad scraping.
According to L and M his foot got caught between the frame and the wheel of the bike and as the wheel turned under one brother's pedal power, the spokes scraped the skin from his ankle. Hows that for gross? MM was there within seconds and L had successfully laid the bike and S down on the ground so that nothing else bad happened. According to MM if it had been a fall, most likely we would have been in the ER/urgent care learning to care for a broken bone this evening rather than our nice cozy - air conditioned home! Can you believe it? - air conditioning running in December! I know I know, I live in Florida for Pete's sake (who is Pete anyway?).
Before I go too long on this post let me share that both L and M had been injured and to the ER before they turned three. It is my prayer that S not ever need to darken that door!
Go hug your kids... Thank God for his protection...
It wasn't until I got home, all the purchases were put away and I sat down that I noticed S quietly sitting on the lazy-boy. This mildly unusual for S as he is nearly 3 and full of energy. At the very least he meets me at the door with a hug and kiss when I've been gone all day. It was then that I was told: S was injured while I was out! Immediately I did what any mother would do: ask questions. I quickly shut my mouth as I realized that it was at the hands of one of of his brothers that he was injured. I imagined the worst when MM said "I don't think it's broken." Really, honey, I could live forever without you ever saying that again. Tell me it's just a surface wound, lie to me, but don't leave me hanging all through dinner until we unwrap the leg to inspect the damage.
It really wasn't all that bad, but it did make my heart stop and his older brothers give pause to their actions. I rebandaged it after dinnner and from what I could see, it was just a bad scraping.
According to L and M his foot got caught between the frame and the wheel of the bike and as the wheel turned under one brother's pedal power, the spokes scraped the skin from his ankle. Hows that for gross? MM was there within seconds and L had successfully laid the bike and S down on the ground so that nothing else bad happened. According to MM if it had been a fall, most likely we would have been in the ER/urgent care learning to care for a broken bone this evening rather than our nice cozy - air conditioned home! Can you believe it? - air conditioning running in December! I know I know, I live in Florida for Pete's sake (who is Pete anyway?).
Before I go too long on this post let me share that both L and M had been injured and to the ER before they turned three. It is my prayer that S not ever need to darken that door!
Go hug your kids... Thank God for his protection...
You know all those pictures you take of your kids?
The ones you say you'll use at their wedding? I thought of one better than their wedding... How 'bout long before they find the love of their life post those pictures on your blog or your facebook... then all the world will see. Am I just evil?
Yes, really I am. But that's another story.
If you know me very well at all you know I'm attached to my kids. When I was a mommy for the first time I spent much time holding L - when I wasn't working. I sure missed him... Then I wanted to take him every where and was moderately insulted when someone told me we couldn't bring him! How dare them.... We're a family now... but I must now record that I carried him in a sling until he was nearly 4 and he weighed 40 pounds! I do not regret a moment of that bonding with him. It's not for everyone but it sure gave me a way to connect with him and still get something done.
Recently a friend shared with another friend that I had made her sling. I received a call asking if I still made slings. I hadn't made any in a little while, but they aren't difficult - I've made many many versions of my sling, but I love the simplicity of what I make now. Since there's always the question about whether or not the sling will hold the baby I did a test. I found a willing participant who shall remain nameless (they all do on my blog...!) who weighs more than 60 and less than 80 pounds. Lo and behold, it held. Now. I can't decide if I should post the picture of this willing participant and the lovely new sling.
Will you help me decide?
Speaking of candid pictures. Anyone have a picture of Kelly in the outfit she got on sale?
Yes, really I am. But that's another story.
If you know me very well at all you know I'm attached to my kids. When I was a mommy for the first time I spent much time holding L - when I wasn't working. I sure missed him... Then I wanted to take him every where and was moderately insulted when someone told me we couldn't bring him! How dare them.... We're a family now... but I must now record that I carried him in a sling until he was nearly 4 and he weighed 40 pounds! I do not regret a moment of that bonding with him. It's not for everyone but it sure gave me a way to connect with him and still get something done.
Recently a friend shared with another friend that I had made her sling. I received a call asking if I still made slings. I hadn't made any in a little while, but they aren't difficult - I've made many many versions of my sling, but I love the simplicity of what I make now. Since there's always the question about whether or not the sling will hold the baby I did a test. I found a willing participant who shall remain nameless (they all do on my blog...!) who weighs more than 60 and less than 80 pounds. Lo and behold, it held. Now. I can't decide if I should post the picture of this willing participant and the lovely new sling.
Will you help me decide?
Speaking of candid pictures. Anyone have a picture of Kelly in the outfit she got on sale?
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
This is much nicer...
than being memed without mercy...
So here's the deal...
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Fill out the questions below
3. Tag 5-7 people at the end of your post.
4. Pass on the tag. Have FUN!!
Those are the rules, but they are rules. So I won't follow all of them. I'm done with rules.
1.Egg Nog (why does spell checker not recognize Nog) or Hot Chocolate? HOT CHOCOLATE!
2.Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Who's Santa?
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.
5. When do you put your decorations up? When ever MM drags them up from the basement.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Ribs. and crescent rolls.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: The year my mother loaded our gifts with bricks so we couldn't guess what they were. I suppose we'd gotten too good. Besides how else could she hide watches.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't think I ever thought he was real. My folks didn't take much interest in fairy tales.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? The kids do. We try to give them some small game or toy.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? We inherited many of our ornaments from MMs mother. We've added a few here and there but MM is all for the standard out of the box stuff so handmade stuff is out of the question.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Enjoy it. Get just enough here to be able to say "I've seen snow." It's not so far away that we can't drive to see it.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes. And knee-board and water ski, but not snow_____.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? It wasn't a Christmas gift, but it was a gift - 6th grade I really wanted a real backpack. Not the cheesy elementary kind, but the pack your books and get moving kind. I got it for my birthday. I really loved it.
14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you? I'm not to sure that any part of the Christmas holidays is more important than another. Although, I love having my family here at my house Christmas morning - the one time in the year I can count on them making the trip out here. Gee, you'd think I lived miles and miles from them...
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I make a Hungarian Christmas nut roll. I do it for lots of reasons, but I love to make it. I love to eat it and surprisingly - it has no chocolate.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? TRADITION! I must say that I like being home - my home on Christmas Day.
17. What tops your tree? Jesus, not literally, but in the colloquial expression: "Top that..." Remember I inherited much of our decorations. Our white walls prove that I'm no decorator and thus I'm original as they come - it's a star and it flashes!
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving. I don't like to admit I need anything and if you give a gift it must be because of need - certainly not want...
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?" Right now, Jingle Bells because it's all M knows right now. We'll have to change that...
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Did you say sugar - we like the Jelly Belly flavors.
21. What do you want for Christmas? See #18
But if I'm just being silly, (to copy MEG - a hair straightener and a Bissell Healthy Home Vacuum (Now Dance Mommy will have to blog about her great deal - perhaps that's borderline coveting?).
22. Do you attend an annual Christmas Party? Usually either the Adult (read: sans kids not XXX) or kids party from my office.
23. Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJs? As the kids grow we are making them delay so we must have eaten breakfast before gifts and since family shows up before noon we open a few gifts then get dressed for the day.
24. Do you own a Santa hat? Santa hat? Red, with white trim and a little white puff on the end. Own? Do you mean: it's in within my house such that if we are discussing illegal substances I am culpable for the item type of ownership? Or I bought it with my money for myself to wear as the occasion arises type of ownership? I'm culpable but it's not mine. (Meg, this is really fun now)
25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? See #14. We love being home so much that we invite our neighbors as well.
Now, I wonder if Dance Mommy, The Princess, Lea or even Clea will join in this fun... But I'm not memeing you... And I wouldn't dream of mentioning Daughter of a Polish Man as she's on vacation... (See, going to the blog social event of the month was a wise thing... Now I can tag them and know who I'm torturing and how bad it'll hurt them.)
25 Christmas Questions Meme
So, Meg decided to answer her meme and was quite gracious and didn't meme me. I'm thrilled.So here's the deal...
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Fill out the questions below
3. Tag 5-7 people at the end of your post.
4. Pass on the tag. Have FUN!!
Those are the rules, but they are rules. So I won't follow all of them. I'm done with rules.
1.Egg Nog (why does spell checker not recognize Nog) or Hot Chocolate? HOT CHOCOLATE!
2.Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Who's Santa?
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.
5. When do you put your decorations up? When ever MM drags them up from the basement.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Ribs. and crescent rolls.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: The year my mother loaded our gifts with bricks so we couldn't guess what they were. I suppose we'd gotten too good. Besides how else could she hide watches.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't think I ever thought he was real. My folks didn't take much interest in fairy tales.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? The kids do. We try to give them some small game or toy.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? We inherited many of our ornaments from MMs mother. We've added a few here and there but MM is all for the standard out of the box stuff so handmade stuff is out of the question.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Enjoy it. Get just enough here to be able to say "I've seen snow." It's not so far away that we can't drive to see it.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes. And knee-board and water ski, but not snow_____.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? It wasn't a Christmas gift, but it was a gift - 6th grade I really wanted a real backpack. Not the cheesy elementary kind, but the pack your books and get moving kind. I got it for my birthday. I really loved it.
14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you? I'm not to sure that any part of the Christmas holidays is more important than another. Although, I love having my family here at my house Christmas morning - the one time in the year I can count on them making the trip out here. Gee, you'd think I lived miles and miles from them...
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I make a Hungarian Christmas nut roll. I do it for lots of reasons, but I love to make it. I love to eat it and surprisingly - it has no chocolate.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? TRADITION! I must say that I like being home - my home on Christmas Day.
17. What tops your tree? Jesus, not literally, but in the colloquial expression: "Top that..." Remember I inherited much of our decorations. Our white walls prove that I'm no decorator and thus I'm original as they come - it's a star and it flashes!
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving. I don't like to admit I need anything and if you give a gift it must be because of need - certainly not want...
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?" Right now, Jingle Bells because it's all M knows right now. We'll have to change that...
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Did you say sugar - we like the Jelly Belly flavors.
21. What do you want for Christmas? See #18
But if I'm just being silly, (to copy MEG - a hair straightener and a Bissell Healthy Home Vacuum (Now Dance Mommy will have to blog about her great deal - perhaps that's borderline coveting?).
22. Do you attend an annual Christmas Party? Usually either the Adult (read: sans kids not XXX) or kids party from my office.
23. Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJs? As the kids grow we are making them delay so we must have eaten breakfast before gifts and since family shows up before noon we open a few gifts then get dressed for the day.
24. Do you own a Santa hat? Santa hat? Red, with white trim and a little white puff on the end. Own? Do you mean: it's in within my house such that if we are discussing illegal substances I am culpable for the item type of ownership? Or I bought it with my money for myself to wear as the occasion arises type of ownership? I'm culpable but it's not mine. (Meg, this is really fun now)
25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? See #14. We love being home so much that we invite our neighbors as well.
Now, I wonder if Dance Mommy, The Princess, Lea or even Clea will join in this fun... But I'm not memeing you... And I wouldn't dream of mentioning Daughter of a Polish Man as she's on vacation... (See, going to the blog social event of the month was a wise thing... Now I can tag them and know who I'm torturing and how bad it'll hurt them.)
Sunday, November 30, 2008
If you won't read the saga of our vacation...
Then check out my new link: Patrick and Barb in Haiti.
They are missionaries to Haiti and have a blog with their latest news. I am amazed every time I read about them. Please pray for Patrick and Barb and all the missionaries you know. Pray for God's provision and for his protection. Pray for God to break down the barriers that keep them from effective ministry to lost souls.
They are missionaries to Haiti and have a blog with their latest news. I am amazed every time I read about them. Please pray for Patrick and Barb and all the missionaries you know. Pray for God's provision and for his protection. Pray for God to break down the barriers that keep them from effective ministry to lost souls.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
You should never promise to..
#1 blog about your trip.
#2 post pictures on your blog.
#3 break a camera.
MM was ill from the time we left (We didn't go to Church the Sunday before we left because we were all ill to some degree...). He's allergic to pet dander and our first stay was with family. They have a dog and a cat - both indoor! It was great to spend time with them and eat and enjoy their company. I just wish that MM had been in better humor. Have you ever been to see any part of the TVA? You should. It's really pretty. The bridges and dams are huge in comparison to the dam that holds our river back... Since MM was ill enough I spent my sleeping hours sleeping and my waking hours chasing boys. But I did manage to blog a little while we drove...
We left Alabama for Chattanooga. As a kid I never understood all there was to know about Chatty. We stayed in a hotel and MM seemed to get better - a little. But I've already told you the fun we had there.
Onward to Boone, NC. My cousin and her family live near there. We watched the newscast for weather reports. The second night in Chatty brought cold cold wind and a little rain. Would we be driving in snow? One must know. I have always tried to keep the kids from getting too excited about things that may or may not happen. It's a fault of mine so when cousins started talking about frozen precipitation I tried to not let on that anything abby-normal was going to happen. Really, I just hate disappointment. The weather looked clear enough and it wasn't that far of a drive - just 5 hours or so...
The van was loaded and we were on the road. GPS was on and we were ready. If you are going to use one of those, be sure to have a paper map to go along with it. It helps avoid the back roads that are supposed to save you time but in the end lead you to a dead end just like the sign said. That only happened to us once and it was on this leg of the journey. I was driving - remember MM is still not 100% therefore I couldn't blog to my heart's content... Please accept my apologies. The construction signs all said "ROAD CLOSED to THRU TRAFFIC". I've always wondered what that meant - Now I know :o. You will drive until you are less than 2000 feet from your next turn and you will have to make a very tight u-turn to go back along the winding road from whence you had just come. It was a 30 minute diversion that left us at a gas station where the clerk spotted the boys right away and asked to give them a lollypop! She gave us great directions that the GPS hated and we were back on the road.
We finally arrived at my cousins' about an hour and a half past dark. Dinner was ready and we were worn out. The kids weren't terribly hungry - in fact they hadn't eaten well the whole time we were on the trip. All the time I kept saying "they'll eat anything" and turn around to one or the other complaining about what they were getting! UGH. So much for good manners. Guess I need to pull out that graces book I bought (NOTE TO SELF - Never buy books your local bibliovore is pushing...). By the next morning MM is feeling so bad he proclaims in my ear that he'll be packing up in the morning to take us all home. That would be an entire day early - and in haste!. What? Huh? The snow hasn't even fallen yet? How will the kids get to play in it if I'm busy packing their stuff? What are you saying to me?
Plan B begins: I call the GP at home and they can't do much for him since he's not feverish. Plan C: Visit local Doc in the Box and get something to knock out the illness or MM - I don't particularly care which at this point. We didn't get there until nearly lunch because of the road conditions. We don't and my cousin barely drives in the snow. The kids are out of school. My cousin and I laugh about family and growing up and raising kids. I realize I have been given something special - family. MM gets his meds by the rush of the Rx at Wallyworld who was going to go to lunch while MM suffered. I'm grateful for a measure of sanity in this blustery day.
We stayed one more night and began our trek home. After MM got us out of the mountains it was my turn to drive - the rest of the way home - therefore no blogging for me. HUMPH!
Enough from me, here are some pictures from the trip:
We really did visit family except I forgot to take pictures most of the time. But I did take some mental ones, and they're the best anyway-except I can't share them.
And here is M practicing his catching technique - we'll have to work on that.
This is MM's cousin's cabin in the woods!
This is what happens when S "Didn't see the step." and L couldn't stop his error.
Then there's the trolly ride all of 2 blocks.
And the sculpture of wood and railroad. You'll have to visit Chatty so see all of it...
The first time any of the kids play in the snow - S just doesn't know why mommy insisted that he get out of the warm car.
Then there's the first snow sledding of the season - a totally unusual snow in NC in mid November. Earliest my cousin has seen.
The next morning MM took this shot of the front door view as the sun rose our last day of vacation.
Then there's the donning of the layers. It's the only way I knew to dress the kids and not need snow suits for one or two days.
PS: My cousin has two dogs and two cats - both indoor. Amazingly MM started to feel better after he started his Rx but now that we're home, he's relapsing. Wonder if that's just where we live?
#2 post pictures on your blog.
#3 break a camera.
MM was ill from the time we left (We didn't go to Church the Sunday before we left because we were all ill to some degree...). He's allergic to pet dander and our first stay was with family. They have a dog and a cat - both indoor! It was great to spend time with them and eat and enjoy their company. I just wish that MM had been in better humor. Have you ever been to see any part of the TVA? You should. It's really pretty. The bridges and dams are huge in comparison to the dam that holds our river back... Since MM was ill enough I spent my sleeping hours sleeping and my waking hours chasing boys. But I did manage to blog a little while we drove...
We left Alabama for Chattanooga. As a kid I never understood all there was to know about Chatty. We stayed in a hotel and MM seemed to get better - a little. But I've already told you the fun we had there.
Onward to Boone, NC. My cousin and her family live near there. We watched the newscast for weather reports. The second night in Chatty brought cold cold wind and a little rain. Would we be driving in snow? One must know. I have always tried to keep the kids from getting too excited about things that may or may not happen. It's a fault of mine so when cousins started talking about frozen precipitation I tried to not let on that anything abby-normal was going to happen. Really, I just hate disappointment. The weather looked clear enough and it wasn't that far of a drive - just 5 hours or so...
The van was loaded and we were on the road. GPS was on and we were ready. If you are going to use one of those, be sure to have a paper map to go along with it. It helps avoid the back roads that are supposed to save you time but in the end lead you to a dead end just like the sign said. That only happened to us once and it was on this leg of the journey. I was driving - remember MM is still not 100% therefore I couldn't blog to my heart's content... Please accept my apologies. The construction signs all said "ROAD CLOSED to THRU TRAFFIC". I've always wondered what that meant - Now I know :o. You will drive until you are less than 2000 feet from your next turn and you will have to make a very tight u-turn to go back along the winding road from whence you had just come. It was a 30 minute diversion that left us at a gas station where the clerk spotted the boys right away and asked to give them a lollypop! She gave us great directions that the GPS hated and we were back on the road.
We finally arrived at my cousins' about an hour and a half past dark. Dinner was ready and we were worn out. The kids weren't terribly hungry - in fact they hadn't eaten well the whole time we were on the trip. All the time I kept saying "they'll eat anything" and turn around to one or the other complaining about what they were getting! UGH. So much for good manners. Guess I need to pull out that graces book I bought (NOTE TO SELF - Never buy books your local bibliovore is pushing...). By the next morning MM is feeling so bad he proclaims in my ear that he'll be packing up in the morning to take us all home. That would be an entire day early - and in haste!. What? Huh? The snow hasn't even fallen yet? How will the kids get to play in it if I'm busy packing their stuff? What are you saying to me?
Plan B begins: I call the GP at home and they can't do much for him since he's not feverish. Plan C: Visit local Doc in the Box and get something to knock out the illness or MM - I don't particularly care which at this point. We didn't get there until nearly lunch because of the road conditions. We don't and my cousin barely drives in the snow. The kids are out of school. My cousin and I laugh about family and growing up and raising kids. I realize I have been given something special - family. MM gets his meds by the rush of the Rx at Wallyworld who was going to go to lunch while MM suffered. I'm grateful for a measure of sanity in this blustery day.
We stayed one more night and began our trek home. After MM got us out of the mountains it was my turn to drive - the rest of the way home - therefore no blogging for me. HUMPH!
Enough from me, here are some pictures from the trip:
We really did visit family except I forgot to take pictures most of the time. But I did take some mental ones, and they're the best anyway-except I can't share them.
And here is M practicing his catching technique - we'll have to work on that.This is MM's cousin's cabin in the woods!
This is what happens when S "Didn't see the step." and L couldn't stop his error.
Then there's the trolly ride all of 2 blocks.
And the sculpture of wood and railroad. You'll have to visit Chatty so see all of it...
The first time any of the kids play in the snow - S just doesn't know why mommy insisted that he get out of the warm car.
Then there's the first snow sledding of the season - a totally unusual snow in NC in mid November. Earliest my cousin has seen.
The next morning MM took this shot of the front door view as the sun rose our last day of vacation.
Then there's the donning of the layers. It's the only way I knew to dress the kids and not need snow suits for one or two days.PS: My cousin has two dogs and two cats - both indoor. Amazingly MM started to feel better after he started his Rx but now that we're home, he's relapsing. Wonder if that's just where we live?
Sunday, November 16, 2008
I can't forget the Sawmill.
One cousin owns a sawmill. My dad would love to come see his place and perhaps help me refurnish my house with some of the most beautiful heart pine furniture in the world. If you've never visited a log cabin, you really need to some time in your life. Did you notice that I like to tell you what to do? We have pictures of the cabin. Words don't begin to describe it.
We think we might see snow today and perhaps tomorrow night!
Yeah.
We think we might see snow today and perhaps tomorrow night!
Yeah.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Part Two
Some of you have already read about this part of our journey - but only in bits and pieces. Now I get to spell most of it out.
I. The phone call
We woke Friday morning with full intentions of getting on the road and visiting Lynchburg, TN and the Jack Daniel's Distillery (that and my name may make you think I'm a lush - but I'm not!). Then we received the call. Our lovely dear and wonderful neighbors called to let us know what I should've already known - it rained all night Thursday night and most of it right on top of the lake and our river is rising rapidly. We moved quickly from calm and relaxed after three days with our niece and her kids to dazed and confused with total stress and anxiety mixed in. It was like we were paralyzed and didn't know what to do. I make calls and go online so we can make informed decisions.
II. The trip with a detour.
After searching and calling we decide that we can't change our course right now because we need a plane or rental car to get Kent home to take care of our stuff and neither of them were available from Alabama! We loaded the van and moved onward toward Chatty, but for some insane reason we thought that we could still visit the JD distillery and make it to Chatty on time - how could that be since we didn't leave on time? are you seeing a pattern? None the less, we detoured right by the facility and kept on trucking (or following - there was a funeral procession all the way through Fayetteville!). After a pleasant stop at Chick-fil-a (do you ever stop to think how out of towners feel when we invade our local CFA? - until Friday I didn't care, I'll have to reconsider that for my next CFA group!), we pressed on to Chatty with our faithful although mildly wayward in cloudy situations GPS in tow. The kids were all wiped out but they were in good moods anyway.
III. The arrival
When we arrived Kent went to check in and figure things out. If you haven't been here, downtown Chatty is quite fun and inviting. Kent saw all his cousins lounging in the lobby. The excitement built as the night went on. Where apprehension loomed before our arrival, now pleasure was taking it's place. When we had all gathered. We decided to go to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Our boys were exemplary. Most people including us worry about our kids behaviour in stressful situations like eating out, but we didn't need to worry! Our kids and our extended family really enjoyed one another.
IV. The Joy
It wasn't over with just one dinner. It started Saturday with Breakfast, swimming in the heated pool (M's favorite thing so far.) followed by lunch at MM's aunt's assisted living facility and concluded with a nice sit down dinner at Sticky Fingers. Between lunch and dinner we visited a nearby cousin's saw mill. His house is a log cabin made from parts of an old tobacco barn. It is so way cool. The way they have it decorated is like it was a family home and had been for centuries! While we were there we enjoyed apple cider and molasses cookies and one another's company. If you haven't given your family a chance to open up in a few years, now may be the time. MM was very unsure of what his cousins would think of our life but now he sees that they want to love him not judge him. What a joy!
Sidenote:
There were six kids total at the reunion. Half of them were my own. One had just turned a year and the other two were 12 and 14. All the kids were wonderfully behaved (except my own of course, because they can never be perfect, right?) but I must say that the 12 and 14 yo were very pleasant to talk to and get along with.
V. The conclusion
At the end of this reunion I must say that I'm sad that it has to end and we have to get back to our own lives. It wasn't long enough. We didn't have enough time to do all that we wanted to do. There wasn't enough time to ask all the questions and get all the answers and sort out who's who among the cousins. It's not like we can just visit them every week. We are all amazed at how much the blood relatives are alike and yet so unique. BTW: many of them were born in my hometown which means they aren't all that bad... I almost forgot: The river never made it into the first floor and no one lost anything of value during the heavy rains. Our neighbors and my dad made sure that any valuables were up and out of the way of any rising water. This marks high water #3 for this calendar year.
I hope to have some pretty pictures next time because I'll be home by then I think. The only time I've had to do this blog thing is when everyone else is asleep!
I. The phone call
We woke Friday morning with full intentions of getting on the road and visiting Lynchburg, TN and the Jack Daniel's Distillery (that and my name may make you think I'm a lush - but I'm not!). Then we received the call. Our lovely dear and wonderful neighbors called to let us know what I should've already known - it rained all night Thursday night and most of it right on top of the lake and our river is rising rapidly. We moved quickly from calm and relaxed after three days with our niece and her kids to dazed and confused with total stress and anxiety mixed in. It was like we were paralyzed and didn't know what to do. I make calls and go online so we can make informed decisions.
II. The trip with a detour.
After searching and calling we decide that we can't change our course right now because we need a plane or rental car to get Kent home to take care of our stuff and neither of them were available from Alabama! We loaded the van and moved onward toward Chatty, but for some insane reason we thought that we could still visit the JD distillery and make it to Chatty on time - how could that be since we didn't leave on time? are you seeing a pattern? None the less, we detoured right by the facility and kept on trucking (or following - there was a funeral procession all the way through Fayetteville!). After a pleasant stop at Chick-fil-a (do you ever stop to think how out of towners feel when we invade our local CFA? - until Friday I didn't care, I'll have to reconsider that for my next CFA group!), we pressed on to Chatty with our faithful although mildly wayward in cloudy situations GPS in tow. The kids were all wiped out but they were in good moods anyway.
III. The arrival
When we arrived Kent went to check in and figure things out. If you haven't been here, downtown Chatty is quite fun and inviting. Kent saw all his cousins lounging in the lobby. The excitement built as the night went on. Where apprehension loomed before our arrival, now pleasure was taking it's place. When we had all gathered. We decided to go to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Our boys were exemplary. Most people including us worry about our kids behaviour in stressful situations like eating out, but we didn't need to worry! Our kids and our extended family really enjoyed one another.
IV. The Joy
It wasn't over with just one dinner. It started Saturday with Breakfast, swimming in the heated pool (M's favorite thing so far.) followed by lunch at MM's aunt's assisted living facility and concluded with a nice sit down dinner at Sticky Fingers. Between lunch and dinner we visited a nearby cousin's saw mill. His house is a log cabin made from parts of an old tobacco barn. It is so way cool. The way they have it decorated is like it was a family home and had been for centuries! While we were there we enjoyed apple cider and molasses cookies and one another's company. If you haven't given your family a chance to open up in a few years, now may be the time. MM was very unsure of what his cousins would think of our life but now he sees that they want to love him not judge him. What a joy!
Sidenote:
There were six kids total at the reunion. Half of them were my own. One had just turned a year and the other two were 12 and 14. All the kids were wonderfully behaved (except my own of course, because they can never be perfect, right?) but I must say that the 12 and 14 yo were very pleasant to talk to and get along with.
V. The conclusion
At the end of this reunion I must say that I'm sad that it has to end and we have to get back to our own lives. It wasn't long enough. We didn't have enough time to do all that we wanted to do. There wasn't enough time to ask all the questions and get all the answers and sort out who's who among the cousins. It's not like we can just visit them every week. We are all amazed at how much the blood relatives are alike and yet so unique. BTW: many of them were born in my hometown which means they aren't all that bad... I almost forgot: The river never made it into the first floor and no one lost anything of value during the heavy rains. Our neighbors and my dad made sure that any valuables were up and out of the way of any rising water. This marks high water #3 for this calendar year.
I hope to have some pretty pictures next time because I'll be home by then I think. The only time I've had to do this blog thing is when everyone else is asleep!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
First leg of the trip...
You planned to leave before noon to go on your vacation, but it didn’t work out that way. The night before you all were really tired and needed some good sleep. It makes perfect sense to load up in the morning and then get on the road…until you get up in the morning and you realize that the amount of work to be done will take all morning if the kids are perfect and the boat extraction goes well and water doesn’t spill all over the floor… I wonder if I should have mopped the kitchen floor Lest you think everything went swimmingly (MM almost did…) this morning please allow me to share a few events from the chaos of getting ready to go on vacation.
The boys all slept until at least 8 a.m. which they haven’t done since the time change and that’s OK, but we’ve been fighting a cold all weekend and the extra hour of rest did me good. Since we are trying to clean out the fridge before we go, I took care to make sure we didn’t open a new box of cereal. The kids foraged for whatever they could find while MM and I made sense of ourselves so we could get going. But it wasn’t all good S took care to spill an entire cup of water right in the middle of the kitchen.
Quiz time: Do you know what flood waters do to boat ramps? I’ll tell you the answer in my next post. I can’t promise I’ll blog every day as we ARE visiting family but when we are driving I will try to include you on the happenings.
We didn’t want to leave it in the river while we are gone. With the boys all fed MM ventured up the shallow river to the nearest boat ramp (If we had a 4 WD truck we wouldn’t have needed to go there…). Rather than drive the boat onto the trailer, he just maneuvered it to where it needed to be to get it out of the water. It was quite an adventure to get the boat out and it did make it out of the water but not before MM declared in his mutterings that he wants a 4WD truck with a king cab so we can all fit into it. I didn’t hear him mutter it, but about the time the truck lost traction on the boat ramp I’m sure he at least thought it. I on the other hand was just glad to have it out of the water and don’t care to buy a new tool. {Note: I don't like this paragraph but I'm too lazy/busy to change it}
I discovered something I can’t do and this will make all my friends happy: I can’t back an empty boat trailer that I cannot see
We made it out of the house just before 2 p.m. Our first destination is less than 8 hours away so we’ll be there before midnight I’m sure! I have a really great brother. He’s a great geek and he comes with lots of gadgets. The latest one I discovered is his Garmin nüvi when he graciously took me to pick up our carriage at the “travel check” place it had been all day. I’m not sure it was a good idea to take it because now I’m sure MM will greatly desire possession of one in the near future. Oh well, it’s giving us turn by turn directions for the fastest route to our destination.
The boys all slept until at least 8 a.m. which they haven’t done since the time change and that’s OK, but we’ve been fighting a cold all weekend and the extra hour of rest did me good. Since we are trying to clean out the fridge before we go, I took care to make sure we didn’t open a new box of cereal. The kids foraged for whatever they could find while MM and I made sense of ourselves so we could get going. But it wasn’t all good S took care to spill an entire cup of water right in the middle of the kitchen.
Quiz time: Do you know what flood waters do to boat ramps? I’ll tell you the answer in my next post. I can’t promise I’ll blog every day as we ARE visiting family but when we are driving I will try to include you on the happenings.
We didn’t want to leave it in the river while we are gone. With the boys all fed MM ventured up the shallow river to the nearest boat ramp (If we had a 4 WD truck we wouldn’t have needed to go there…). Rather than drive the boat onto the trailer, he just maneuvered it to where it needed to be to get it out of the water. It was quite an adventure to get the boat out and it did make it out of the water but not before MM declared in his mutterings that he wants a 4WD truck with a king cab so we can all fit into it. I didn’t hear him mutter it, but about the time the truck lost traction on the boat ramp I’m sure he at least thought it. I on the other hand was just glad to have it out of the water and don’t care to buy a new tool. {Note: I don't like this paragraph but I'm too lazy/busy to change it}
I discovered something I can’t do and this will make all my friends happy: I can’t back an empty boat trailer that I cannot see
We made it out of the house just before 2 p.m. Our first destination is less than 8 hours away so we’ll be there before midnight I’m sure! I have a really great brother. He’s a great geek and he comes with lots of gadgets. The latest one I discovered is his Garmin nüvi when he graciously took me to pick up our carriage at the “travel check” place it had been all day. I’m not sure it was a good idea to take it because now I’m sure MM will greatly desire possession of one in the near future. Oh well, it’s giving us turn by turn directions for the fastest route to our destination.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Just when you thought you knew us...
We are going on a road trip...
If you aren't shocked by that statement then why are you reading any more? In the 13 years I've known MM I can count the number of family trips we've been on and name them all. We don't average even one a year. However, this one is a big one (according to my measure). Following all public safety advisories, I'll not give you an exact itinerary, but we are going to visit three different sides of our family. We'll visit, nieces and cousins and cousins and more cousins - some once or twice removed...
In other news, we found a wonderful delightful hot house for our garden this winter. If the Farmer's Almanac is right, all these acorns on the ground mean a hard winter is coming and we'll need all the help we can get for our plants - especially our citrus...
We are very excited about our trip and our green/hot house. So much so that I'll not be able to post more because I must go cook pancakes---
If you aren't shocked by that statement then why are you reading any more? In the 13 years I've known MM I can count the number of family trips we've been on and name them all. We don't average even one a year. However, this one is a big one (according to my measure). Following all public safety advisories, I'll not give you an exact itinerary, but we are going to visit three different sides of our family. We'll visit, nieces and cousins and cousins and more cousins - some once or twice removed...
In other news, we found a wonderful delightful hot house for our garden this winter. If the Farmer's Almanac is right, all these acorns on the ground mean a hard winter is coming and we'll need all the help we can get for our plants - especially our citrus...
We are very excited about our trip and our green/hot house. So much so that I'll not be able to post more because I must go cook pancakes---
Monday, October 27, 2008
Did I tell you how glad I am to have my M?
I didn't? Well, let me tell you. We celebrated his day this weekend. We have trained him and talked to him about proper birthday etiquette over the years. With firm words from MM we went boldly forward with our plans at G&Ps house. From beginning to end I was sincerely pleased with M. When I thought for sure that he'd fall apart because he didn't get a slough of pirates off his cake, he carefully handed out one to each guest (including his girl cousins!). There wasn't question that he wouldn't get them all. He knew they were for his friends. I thought for sure that he'd fight over his new toys and insist on opening them all just to loose the parts - no argument. Let's play, ARGH! I have had some fun at such events in the past, but this one goes down in the books as one I'd like to repeat! It seemed every time I turned around expecting disaster or at least uncontrolled chaos, I found my DS playing joyfully with all his friends!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
So how far did you walk yesterday?
I've been doing some measuring these past few weeks, it's not helped my figure at all, but I'm figuring anyway: On a good day (I'm not exhausted or ill) I walk nearly 10,000 steps. If I put forth a little effort, I make it to 11k. However if you go to an amusement park, you can in just a few hours, top 14k.
Yesterday we spent the day at Wild Adventures in Valdosta. Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. we clocked over 14k steps which is equivalent to nearly 7 miles. WOW. I never knew. Our kids rode their first roller coaster rides in their lives. L wanted to go again - now that he realized he doesn't get motion sickness. M decided he liked his the best - who can argue? The best is the best! L doesn't do dizzy - at all. I think that one ride cured him of the desire to ride anything fast. We'll see what he does next summer! MM was the designated baby sitter as he gets tired of waiting in line. I can't wait to go next time with my DSIL when it's not so crowded!
Yesterday we spent the day at Wild Adventures in Valdosta. Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. we clocked over 14k steps which is equivalent to nearly 7 miles. WOW. I never knew. Our kids rode their first roller coaster rides in their lives. L wanted to go again - now that he realized he doesn't get motion sickness. M decided he liked his the best - who can argue? The best is the best! L doesn't do dizzy - at all. I think that one ride cured him of the desire to ride anything fast. We'll see what he does next summer! MM was the designated baby sitter as he gets tired of waiting in line. I can't wait to go next time with my DSIL when it's not so crowded!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Gas Prices...
Did they really say that the law of supply and demand worked on the gas prices? I thought I heard that the other day on the news, but I can't be sure and I refuse to Google (TM) it. But now if you Google (TM) it, maybe my blog will be hit...
We have been trying to minimize our trips to town. We try to make family trips to minimize need for extra fuel. We tote our lawnmower/trailer between here and my dads so we don't both own a mower and we don't have to make special trips just to get it somewhere.
BTW: What's up with our grass, it quit growing, maybe too much nitrogen or something post floodish.
We don't run to town for special occasions - hear me whine - I don't get blackberry grits! I guess I'm a sore looser... Princess. We make do with what we have - tonight was leftover meatloaf. It sure is feeling better tonight than it did two days ago... What happened to "I tossed it up once, I'll not eat it again."? I must've had kids... Yeah, that's it. Nothing is gross any more. But I do get scrambled eggs on an english muffin with grape jam... cooked by MM!
But really, if supply/demand worked, we are winning. The only way to keep it going down, is to continue to minimize our demand.
I'm doing what I can, how 'bout you?
We have been trying to minimize our trips to town. We try to make family trips to minimize need for extra fuel. We tote our lawnmower/trailer between here and my dads so we don't both own a mower and we don't have to make special trips just to get it somewhere.
BTW: What's up with our grass, it quit growing, maybe too much nitrogen or something post floodish.
We don't run to town for special occasions - hear me whine - I don't get blackberry grits! I guess I'm a sore looser... Princess. We make do with what we have - tonight was leftover meatloaf. It sure is feeling better tonight than it did two days ago... What happened to "I tossed it up once, I'll not eat it again."? I must've had kids... Yeah, that's it. Nothing is gross any more. But I do get scrambled eggs on an english muffin with grape jam... cooked by MM!
But really, if supply/demand worked, we are winning. The only way to keep it going down, is to continue to minimize our demand.
I'm doing what I can, how 'bout you?
Monday, October 13, 2008
Monday: I'm home so I want to know if you knew...
that jewelry must be repaired from time to time. Did you know if you wear a ring full time for 12 years of wearing and you haven't had it repaired in all that time you are going to shock your jewler? Did you know that your ring may have gone up in value in the past 12 years? Do you know how much it costs to repair a ring?
My answer: No. All the way around with a final I had no idea.
Recalling what my ring looked like when I sent it in for repairs and what it looked like when I first received it, I'm amazed that it hadn't cracked before now. It's even been cut off once... by MMs orthopedic PA (I'm still grateful for TOCs services all those years ago!).
I have to wait another 10 days before I'll get it back, what do I wear in the mean time? I have no idea... It's driving me batty. But for now you can look at your wedding ring or other jewelry and be thankful for it and perhaps consider getting it repaired... It's much better than the alternative of loosing the stones, which is what nearly happened to me.
For a final did you know: Did you know that a stomach bug is really irritating, inconvenient and icky? That one, I did know.
My answer: No. All the way around with a final I had no idea.
Recalling what my ring looked like when I sent it in for repairs and what it looked like when I first received it, I'm amazed that it hadn't cracked before now. It's even been cut off once... by MMs orthopedic PA (I'm still grateful for TOCs services all those years ago!).
I have to wait another 10 days before I'll get it back, what do I wear in the mean time? I have no idea... It's driving me batty. But for now you can look at your wedding ring or other jewelry and be thankful for it and perhaps consider getting it repaired... It's much better than the alternative of loosing the stones, which is what nearly happened to me.
For a final did you know: Did you know that a stomach bug is really irritating, inconvenient and icky? That one, I did know.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Meet the WRR family...
Left to right, front to back:
S, L, & M, MM & KKK.
On the back row there is MM and me. I'm holding M. L is in the middle and S is on MMs side.
This first of many photos was taken under duress. My df in UGANDA has asked for an update family picture since she left in March of this year. The one she had was a year old when she left... What kind of friend am I?
Let's not go there. But you can go HERE (in case you missed the link above) and learn more and find out how to support my df and her family.
Rather than wait until MM was happy with his appearance, and we were all wearing matching clothes and the weather was perfect and ... and ... and... I just made sure we were all together and generally happy with ourselves. I like these kinds of pictures the best.
Wanna know what I just noticed? We ALL had on shoes of some kind.
Now do you have a good idea of who's who in this desultory blog?
S, L, & M, MM & KKK.
On the back row there is MM and me. I'm holding M. L is in the middle and S is on MMs side.
This first of many photos was taken under duress. My df in UGANDA has asked for an update family picture since she left in March of this year. The one she had was a year old when she left... What kind of friend am I?
Let's not go there. But you can go HERE (in case you missed the link above) and learn more and find out how to support my df and her family.
Rather than wait until MM was happy with his appearance, and we were all wearing matching clothes and the weather was perfect and ... and ... and... I just made sure we were all together and generally happy with ourselves. I like these kinds of pictures the best.
Wanna know what I just noticed? We ALL had on shoes of some kind.
Now do you have a good idea of who's who in this desultory blog?
Friday, October 3, 2008
Uh-oh everyone...
Lurker alert. Everyone be on your best behaviour now... We are having a guest. MM asked me to keep my blog up. Please be nice to him, and perhaps he'll put a comment here as fodder for us to giggle later...
Hey, MM, nice of you to join us...
Hey, MM, nice of you to join us...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Pictures, as promised
For a full view of all the pics we have of the flood visit this link.
Before we get started you have to appreciate the full effect of Fay on our family. The frequency of baths for the boys increased beyond anything they'd ever experienced. S is obviously exhausted from all the excitement...
When MM arrived home this is what he saw. He towed the boat to the drive and put in right here. Anything going to the house had to be boated in.
Until Fay, this is the highest I had ever seen the water rise.
When I arrived home, this is what I saw. The water had gone down enough that three boys and I walked across, albeit not on dry land like Moses... Now the boys were trapped in the house again and the smell, uh, the smell - anyone got a cold they'll share?
At MMs request I began taking photos... This is what I saw when I walked into our "basement" (please help me come up with a good word that convey's the area's true role). Look closely: There's silt all over the floor - and MM has been working hard all day. The sawhorses made it but many other things didn't.
Here's MM pointing out some things that made it. The bikes all received a good washing with WD-40 and they still work. It truly is shameful that we weren't able to put up more of these things.
See what I mean:
This is a view from our back porch. Most everything you see here is now at the dump. Some things were salvagable, but mostly, it was all just wasted.
The two big speakers near the tree on the left were pillaged by L for the magnets. We need to do something with them but for now, we have them and the speakers are gone... Why didn't we just get rid of them before now? Do you hear the regret?
This shows how much lumber we had stored for various reasons. Some was salvaged but some of it was gorgeous oak veneer ply wood that would have made a great TV stand. Some of this wood made up some really old saw horses that were held together by particle board. We had upteen heavy objects stored on them. When the sawhorses collapsed, all of the stuff went under.
Just when we thought we'd never see the light of day shining on our "basement" we managed to remove much of the silt that coated the floor and walls. Many things have been thrown out of the basement by now, but how will we get it to the dump? (ENTER Mr. N.G. himself:)
Through his help and encouragement, we discarded three truck loads of crapola. It's a good thing his wife is so easy going... Before the day was over power was out again :( a line dangled in the wind and shorted the power lines rendering us "powerless". I packed up the HB patties I had just bought, wrangled up some buns and was on my way to their house for the evening. I can't begin to express how much that meant to us. For just a few hours we were able to relax and not worry about anything - except the ebb and flow of the river across our driveway - when will it end?
A few days later another df (didn't get a picture!) arrived to give just a couple hours of her time to listen to me lament our state of affairs - and clean some mini storage drawers. Her presence and the words of encouragement received from friends and family made it possible to look up once again. Father God is so good at meeting me right where I am.
I have one more set of pictures to share about the damage a flood can render on a place, but it'll have to be for another day.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Conclusion of the flood, a few days in one...
Thursday: The water is receeding. Perhaps today we can go to the house. Perhaps today they'll restore power to the house. We've reached the end of the rope at G & Ps house. Not that we're not welcome to stay as long as necessary, but nerves are frazzled.
After a hearty breakfast MM packs up and heads to the house. His intent is to check on the house and encamp at the house. P sold us his awesome generator to run the fridge and a few lights, perhaps a fan. He was able to boat to the house and begin figuring out what needs to be done. Everything was rank. Power wasn't restored until late Thursday afternoon. MM spent the night alone in our stinky house. We spent the afternoon letting the kids unwind in water they could play in. Thank God for DFs who drop everything for you!
Rant: The county required new septic systems to be built above the water table mark in the ground. Down here, that's ground level. Every septic system must be above ground level. It makes sense until you think about it: Why is the water mark at ground level? Gee, I don't know... flooding! I'm sure there's a logical explanation, without a true water table mark because of the flooding, how do they know where the normal mark is? Yet, new houses built here are required to build up a mound into which they insert the septic system. End Rant.
I spent one more night at G & Ps so I could go to a homeschool meeting in town. I woke the next morning to begin repacking our van with all the important stuff that we'd extracted from home just five days earlier. It's amazing what you can fit in a van. Just before lunch the boys and I were headed home - of course we had to stop at the store for a couple things and by our DFs to get a few things from the freezer. So it was early afternoon when we arrived.
The water had receeded from the better part of our yard and out of the basement. Not long after I arrived MM wanted some pictures taken of the mess.
Sidenote: If you are in a purge mode (keep, give away, throw away kind) if you don't know what to do, go ahead and toss it. We had tried to purge before the flood and didn't know what to do with all that you see here. Now we had no choice about it, those things were trashed and headed to the dump.
The stench of our yard and neighborhood was very distinct. It's the kind of smell you'll never forget. I'm amazed that I didn't toss my cookies... The boys haven't a place to play, so "Up to the house and stay there." was the command of the day.
Now our lives are filled with cleaning up. A few DFs were able to make their way all the way out here to help with the clean up. All in all we hauled off 5 truck loads of junk from our house. I sure wish we'd done it before the flood. Our basement is no longer storage area but a play area for our boys. They love it!
I'll post pictures later.
After a hearty breakfast MM packs up and heads to the house. His intent is to check on the house and encamp at the house. P sold us his awesome generator to run the fridge and a few lights, perhaps a fan. He was able to boat to the house and begin figuring out what needs to be done. Everything was rank. Power wasn't restored until late Thursday afternoon. MM spent the night alone in our stinky house. We spent the afternoon letting the kids unwind in water they could play in. Thank God for DFs who drop everything for you!
Rant: The county required new septic systems to be built above the water table mark in the ground. Down here, that's ground level. Every septic system must be above ground level. It makes sense until you think about it: Why is the water mark at ground level? Gee, I don't know... flooding! I'm sure there's a logical explanation, without a true water table mark because of the flooding, how do they know where the normal mark is? Yet, new houses built here are required to build up a mound into which they insert the septic system. End Rant.
I spent one more night at G & Ps so I could go to a homeschool meeting in town. I woke the next morning to begin repacking our van with all the important stuff that we'd extracted from home just five days earlier. It's amazing what you can fit in a van. Just before lunch the boys and I were headed home - of course we had to stop at the store for a couple things and by our DFs to get a few things from the freezer. So it was early afternoon when we arrived.
The water had receeded from the better part of our yard and out of the basement. Not long after I arrived MM wanted some pictures taken of the mess.
Sidenote: If you are in a purge mode (keep, give away, throw away kind) if you don't know what to do, go ahead and toss it. We had tried to purge before the flood and didn't know what to do with all that you see here. Now we had no choice about it, those things were trashed and headed to the dump.
The stench of our yard and neighborhood was very distinct. It's the kind of smell you'll never forget. I'm amazed that I didn't toss my cookies... The boys haven't a place to play, so "Up to the house and stay there." was the command of the day.
Now our lives are filled with cleaning up. A few DFs were able to make their way all the way out here to help with the clean up. All in all we hauled off 5 truck loads of junk from our house. I sure wish we'd done it before the flood. Our basement is no longer storage area but a play area for our boys. They love it!
I'll post pictures later.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Lessons in obedience...
So I went to bed last night after a df typed in and e-mailed a recipe to me for white chili. It's wonderful use of chicken breast and it's fun to enjoy rather than it's sink staining predecessor - Texas Chili.
If you want the recipe, you'll have to beg...
Back to my dreams of white chili: It was my plan to make it for dinner today. While others, ahem, have been busy redecorating their homes, I've been remodeling our lives! We've been on a roller coaster for the past month or more and it doesn't seem to be ending any time soon. So some semblence of order is necessary to keep S, M and L happy. My first goal is to be up before them, easier done when I don't have a blog to write in the middle of the night.
Today happened to be a banner day. S woke around 7 a.m. hungry at least for milk. I sent him on a bathroom errand and back to bed - it's way too early for you to be up... Do you feel the time change coming? I do. Not much later, L woke. MM had informed me that he'd be making biscuits with sausage and eggs, breakfast wasn't going to be first thing. Making sure that the boys are busy I got L started on his lessons. S got a bowl of cheerios without extra sugar TYVM. M is now awake. I pressure cooked the great northern beans (who needs canned beans?) while MM fried our eggs.
MM laid breakfast on the table and we all ate heartily. Knowing that we needed to get going I did what all good mommies do - call a friend. The boys were all busy playing and working. I pulled out the recipe for white chili and continued my work. Sauteeing onions and celery, boiling chicken with onions, chopping cooked chicken, seasoning and simmering it all. Oh boy, it was smelling great. It was simmering before 11 a.m.
Blah, blah, blah, so you had dinner ready before noon... So what?
So what, at 5:30 this afternoon we were cleaning up (see next blog) the mess left after Fay's flooding and we heard the tell tale sound (that we'd heard at G & Ps Sunday night after Fay) of a tree falling. Sure enough it fell right across the power line to our house and our neighbor's house. Four males trapesed up the road while I did what every woman does when the power goes out... call the power company.
Now I'm really glad I followed the nudge to get dinner done early... The weather has changed recently and with the tables we acquired from our neighbor after the flood we moved our dinner from the semi-dark and cave like house to the front lawn. We watched a medium sized gator play hide and seek. Mullet leaped upstream and breezes blew gently around us making living here worth it.
How was I to know that power'd be out this evening?
If you want the recipe, you'll have to beg...
Back to my dreams of white chili: It was my plan to make it for dinner today. While others, ahem, have been busy redecorating their homes, I've been remodeling our lives! We've been on a roller coaster for the past month or more and it doesn't seem to be ending any time soon. So some semblence of order is necessary to keep S, M and L happy. My first goal is to be up before them, easier done when I don't have a blog to write in the middle of the night.
Today happened to be a banner day. S woke around 7 a.m. hungry at least for milk. I sent him on a bathroom errand and back to bed - it's way too early for you to be up... Do you feel the time change coming? I do. Not much later, L woke. MM had informed me that he'd be making biscuits with sausage and eggs, breakfast wasn't going to be first thing. Making sure that the boys are busy I got L started on his lessons. S got a bowl of cheerios without extra sugar TYVM. M is now awake. I pressure cooked the great northern beans (who needs canned beans?) while MM fried our eggs.
MM laid breakfast on the table and we all ate heartily. Knowing that we needed to get going I did what all good mommies do - call a friend. The boys were all busy playing and working. I pulled out the recipe for white chili and continued my work. Sauteeing onions and celery, boiling chicken with onions, chopping cooked chicken, seasoning and simmering it all. Oh boy, it was smelling great. It was simmering before 11 a.m.
Blah, blah, blah, so you had dinner ready before noon... So what?
So what, at 5:30 this afternoon we were cleaning up (see next blog) the mess left after Fay's flooding and we heard the tell tale sound (that we'd heard at G & Ps Sunday night after Fay) of a tree falling. Sure enough it fell right across the power line to our house and our neighbor's house. Four males trapesed up the road while I did what every woman does when the power goes out... call the power company.
Now I'm really glad I followed the nudge to get dinner done early... The weather has changed recently and with the tables we acquired from our neighbor after the flood we moved our dinner from the semi-dark and cave like house to the front lawn. We watched a medium sized gator play hide and seek. Mullet leaped upstream and breezes blew gently around us making living here worth it.
How was I to know that power'd be out this evening?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday after Fay
We've taken two of the three boys to see the risen water in our river so far. Today it's time for MM to take M for a survey of the damage. The water hasn't receded yet, but it's no longer rising. Our neighbors, P & K met MM and M at the landing upriver from our house.
M is thrilled that MM bought him a new life vest (his other one was a mile down river!)
At P & K's mailbox MM pushes the boat into their, ahem, "driveway".
But did he strap on his vest? AAAAK, mom just noticed it.
This is a picture of the water after it's gone down a whole foot and a half. At it's peak, the water covered three-fourths of the window shown here. See some of the debris in the basement? Yep, that's the stuff we didn't think would get wet... Thinking, a bad idea.
Just the day before M would have been knee deep in icky water.
"Jack and Diane".. not their real names. MM helped design this deck/dock. (Vowels are important, aren't they?) It was indeed designed just for the purpose of docking during high water. We're just upset that we couldn't stay in our house during this whole event... Not that I'd want the kids to be in it all day every day...
Here is MM standing in the middle of the cul-de-sac behind our house (front faces the usual river basin - away from the road!). Just two days ago it would have been up to his waist/abdomen.
At some point another neighbor drove his 4x4 down the road to check things out and to carry a film crew to see the water.
Next Fay post you'll see the aftermath when MM moves back into the house. I don't care what others say, being away from home is difficult.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Grief...
is an understatement if there ever was one. It's not right for me to blog about it, but suffice it to say that I am grieving with a dear friend whose loss yesterday is verifiably unmeasurable. Please pray for her, her dh and her children.
Friday, September 19, 2008
A Child's View of the World
Things had relaxed a little by Tuesday. I wasn't anxious to work (fortunately all my deadlines had been met the week before!). After a wonderful breakfast, we packed up S and headed to see the river again. What was our fascination with the river? I think MM just wanted to see it for himself. He's accustomed to being home during such events so not seeing it over our road himself is uncomfortable.
Following in his dad's footsteps, click here to see what S d
oes in the river on the road. For those who don't want to see the adorably cute S running in circles around his mother, who was required to be in the midst of the water!, here's a picture of us.
After we had romped a little in the river we loaded up the van to head back to G & P's house for the night. As we left S was rather chatty (obviously tired!) and asked with all sincerity "We go our house?" Proud that he knew where we were and how close we were to home, I replied with the very adult "No, the water's in the way." Realizing that this excuse doesn't phase the 2 yo who knows we have boat, I chase it with "The alligators and snakes are in the way!". About an hour later he wakes from his travel nap and manages: "No our house, 'gators snakes way." Apparently he got the idea!.
Now, for those who care, yes this blog is at the top. Re dating is getting old since I can't get you to scroll and see the latest post that's not dated. And since no one's suggested any names for S, M & L, they'll stay that way until I'm adequately inspired.
Following in his dad's footsteps, click here to see what S d
oes in the river on the road. For those who don't want to see the adorably cute S running in circles around his mother, who was required to be in the midst of the water!, here's a picture of us.After we had romped a little in the river we loaded up the van to head back to G & P's house for the night. As we left S was rather chatty (obviously tired!) and asked with all sincerity "We go our house?" Proud that he knew where we were and how close we were to home, I replied with the very adult "No, the water's in the way." Realizing that this excuse doesn't phase the 2 yo who knows we have boat, I chase it with "The alligators and snakes are in the way!". About an hour later he wakes from his travel nap and manages: "No our house, 'gators snakes way." Apparently he got the idea!.
Now, for those who care, yes this blog is at the top. Re dating is getting old since I can't get you to scroll and see the latest post that's not dated. And since no one's suggested any names for S, M & L, they'll stay that way until I'm adequately inspired.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
NOTICE: Contest Enclosed
Please scroll down past my dingding post and get to the good stuff that I'm trying to keep in chronological order of flood events. That way you can comment on my handsome son, L.
Why don't I assign cute names that represent their personalities? I wonder...
Contest in the Middle of the Remember session
I have three Boys, S, M & L. If you know them and can come up with creative names that reflect something you know about them, please comment with their current initial and the suggested name.
Why don't I assign cute names that represent their personalities? I wonder...
Contest in the Middle of the Remember session
I have three Boys, S, M & L. If you know them and can come up with creative names that reflect something you know about them, please comment with their current initial and the suggested name.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Here's my response to all this meme and youyou and tagtag stuff.
Please don't dingding me again!
Attached or Single? Attached for 12.5. We'll celebrate our 13th next memorial day.
Best Friend? No single best friend. Several very good friends who are the best at different things.
Cake or Pie? Cake.
Day of Choice? Sunday.
Essential Item? DIVA cup.
Flavor of Ice Cream? Chocolate Carmel something with nuts.
Gummy Bears or Worms? Bears.
Hometown? Born in Tallahassee, raised in Tallahassee. Home is now in Tally.
Indulgences? Cookies at my mom's
January or July? January. I have an exciting birth story from January not so long ago.
Kids? Yep. Three of them. Three boys in that order, but the opposite of this: S, M & L.
Last Movie I saw in a Theater? Bourne something...
Middle Name? Karen
Number of Siblings? One. A brother 2.5 years older than me
Oranges or Apples? Oranges. Especially blood oranges.
Phobia or Fear? Fear rising water.
Quote? "Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe." - Lewis Carroll from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872.
Reason to Smile? Knowing my dear friends will fuss over not translating this to a legible text.
Season? Fall. I can feel the coolness long before others are thinking that coolness will ever come.
Tag five more: Purposeful Princess (because she has time to do these silly things!) and I only have a few friends and I'd like to keep them.
Unknown Fact About Me? I used to stare out the window during school lunch.
Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals? Omnivore.
Worst Habit? Not doing dishes.
Xrays or Ultrasounds? Ultrasound if I have to, but must I visit the doctor?
Your favorite Food? Mac and Cheese
Zodiac? Aquarius.
For those who took the time to scroll, copy and paste the text into your text editor. Change the font should be somehting normal like Courier and read all about me.
Laura, I couldn't resist the challenge. Yes I did copy some of your first answers but corrected the numbers. If I had the patience I would have translated this to hex or binary and then you'd really need Scott's help reading.
Please don't dingding me again!
Attached or Single? Attached for 12.5. We'll celebrate our 13th next memorial day.
Best Friend? No single best friend. Several very good friends who are the best at different things.
Cake or Pie? Cake.
Day of Choice? Sunday.
Essential Item? DIVA cup.
Flavor of Ice Cream? Chocolate Carmel something with nuts.
Gummy Bears or Worms? Bears.
Hometown? Born in Tallahassee, raised in Tallahassee. Home is now in Tally.
Indulgences? Cookies at my mom's
January or July? January. I have an exciting birth story from January not so long ago.
Kids? Yep. Three of them. Three boys in that order, but the opposite of this: S, M & L.
Last Movie I saw in a Theater? Bourne something...
Middle Name? Karen
Number of Siblings? One. A brother 2.5 years older than me
Oranges or Apples? Oranges. Especially blood oranges.
Phobia or Fear? Fear rising water.
Quote? "Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe." - Lewis Carroll from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872.
Reason to Smile? Knowing my dear friends will fuss over not translating this to a legible text.
Season? Fall. I can feel the coolness long before others are thinking that coolness will ever come.
Tag five more: Purposeful Princess (because she has time to do these silly things!) and I only have a few friends and I'd like to keep them.
Unknown Fact About Me? I used to stare out the window during school lunch.
Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals? Omnivore.
Worst Habit? Not doing dishes.
Xrays or Ultrasounds? Ultrasound if I have to, but must I visit the doctor?
Your favorite Food? Mac and Cheese
Zodiac? Aquarius.
For those who took the time to scroll, copy and paste the text into your text editor. Change the font should be somehting normal like Courier and read all about me.
Laura, I couldn't resist the challenge. Yes I did copy some of your first answers but corrected the numbers. If I had the patience I would have translated this to hex or binary and then you'd really need Scott's help reading.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
I didn't get meme'd
Ah, the sweet sound of me not typing 26 things about me from A-Z. When I first saw Meg's post about herself, I thought, she didn't hit me with it this time. Then I read some other friends posts and they'd been meme'd. Thank you Meg and PPP and Kelley, for not meme'ing me.
I'd tell you that you could meme me on some numbering system like 0-9 or 010101, but the responses would all have to be numerical and then translated to something my readers could understand. Thus, meme'ing me just won't work.
As another break in the Flooded Blog cycle, I will say that I had dinner with neighbors tonight that really blessed me. It's not often that you meet neighbors that you really enjoy spending time with. Our neighbors are great, not perfect, but great. Out here in the sticks we all take care of one another. My cup runneth over...
I'd tell you that you could meme me on some numbering system like 0-9 or 010101, but the responses would all have to be numerical and then translated to something my readers could understand. Thus, meme'ing me just won't work.
As another break in the Flooded Blog cycle, I will say that I had dinner with neighbors tonight that really blessed me. It's not often that you meet neighbors that you really enjoy spending time with. Our neighbors are great, not perfect, but great. Out here in the sticks we all take care of one another. My cup runneth over...
Good news. Looking towards "THREE" - Mommy get's a clue.
S, the youngest of our clan, turns three in January. Yes, it's 4 months away, but we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.
For almost a year and a half we've struggled to get him to eat dinner at all. We've battled many nights as he won't touch his mashed potatoes (what kid won't eat them?). It's not just the potatoes. It's everything. About the only thing he would eat is rice and meat.
Why have I struggled with this for so long? I have no idea, but last night and tonight he actually ate all that we put on his plate (which is next to nothing).
Note to self: It was the milk he got in the mornings.
After all the flooding, his last bottle ended up "rotting" in the car ewe! I had warned S that the milk would end when the last drop in bag was used and it just so happened that Fay worked her magic and the bottle was lost, for good.
We've graduated to sippy cups but really, he doesn't care so much for them and his milk. He wants to be just like L and M.
So for all you mommies wondering why your toddler won't eat, is he still getting the bottle?
This post really counts for today...
For almost a year and a half we've struggled to get him to eat dinner at all. We've battled many nights as he won't touch his mashed potatoes (what kid won't eat them?). It's not just the potatoes. It's everything. About the only thing he would eat is rice and meat.
Why have I struggled with this for so long? I have no idea, but last night and tonight he actually ate all that we put on his plate (which is next to nothing).
Note to self: It was the milk he got in the mornings.
After all the flooding, his last bottle ended up "rotting" in the car ewe! I had warned S that the milk would end when the last drop in bag was used and it just so happened that Fay worked her magic and the bottle was lost, for good.
We've graduated to sippy cups but really, he doesn't care so much for them and his milk. He wants to be just like L and M.
So for all you mommies wondering why your toddler won't eat, is he still getting the bottle?
This post really counts for today...
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Two ways to relieve stress when things are out of your control...
#1. Call DELL (insert trademark symbol here!). Complain about the order you placed but never received. Hang up, call again, hoping to speak to someone sitting over American soil who understands you. Hang up, call again, "breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Internet." Hang up, tell them in no uncertain terms to listen to you... Get the picture? For what it's worth, I did receive my $50 worth of gift card redemption.
#2 I can't remember what it was but I did something else totally un-called for that week and it wasn't any prettier than #1. I'm sure we can all live without repeating my shame. I'm confident it did not involve tagging anyone.
It's Monday. Normally, I go into the office and work the day a way at my computer (which we did take with us out of the house). Today, I get up and my parents are preparing pancakes for the evacuees. Did I tell you how great my parents are? About that time I decide it's high time I check in with our insurance man (knowing full well that our homeowners does nothing for the flooding). What a gracious man he was. He took the time to listen to my story and encourage me that our house has stood for the past 40 years on the existing foundation and weathered many floods, it's history is on our side. An hour is past and it's time to get back to the kids at G & Ps.
Not knowing what really should be done, we pack up with L and head to the river, just to see where it is. Along the way we call our neighbors to check on their accomodations. They are in a friends house and have a roof and a bed and they are all alive. When we arrived on our road we were met with the officers in charge of keeping people off our road. This is what it looked like:
L is standing in the road. Just in front of him you might make out the yellow lines on the middle of the road.
MM and L walking up the road. This is 1 mile from our house. Water covers the road right here. The white spot in the way background is road that isn't wet, yet.
I had never seen the water this high. Knowing that this is a very exciting time for L we asked if we could take a tour of the dam.
Here is a picture of the top side of the lake. On the far left you can see the flood gates are all wide open.
You can see the effect of so much water flowing. What you can't see is that the gates are wide open, but the water in the lake doesn't even touch the bottom of the gates.
On the way back to G & Ps we stopped in to see our displaced neighbors. We were all in shock. None of us was able to focus on much of anything let alone work. So we gathered around the kitchen bar and ate a few chips.
Until you've lived through something like this, you can't fathom the feelings that flow through you. Tomorrow: A child's view of the world.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The Wake-up Call You Never Wanted
Sorry: no pics right now because I'm on the wrong computer.
By now you've figured out that I'm cheating, and I am part of the biggest loser contest.
Saturday was a long day for us, but not so much that we couldn't enjoy a nice dinner with each other and catch a show or two. We made our way to the comfort of our own bed and went right to sleep - amazing what a good nights rest will do. This respite was soon abruptly truncated. At 6 a.m. Sunday our phone rings.
"KKK, this is P, your neighbor, they are taking the river to flood stage by noon today. They expect the river to go to 7 feet above flood stage before this event is over."
I'm awake now. The Lord is good to me. What if my kids had been here? I wouldn't have been able to get everything done that needed to be done... What if I hadn't done so much work yesterday cleaning the floor of all the oil that would have coated the walls with it's ick? What if... That's where I had to stop. The "What ifs" were beginning to rack my brain. What about our books, our pictures... What about our house?
In a state of panic I made a few phone calls: "Dad, please help!" was the first. Before long Dad was here with BB and a couple trailers. Another couple, B&MW, showed up with their truck to get things belonging to them. Moving as quickly as possible, we loaded our trailer with large items that just must go up and out. Quickly - that's an interesting word. Remember, water is rising rapidly over our entire yard. Our driveway is a low spot. I have on crocs and my waders. Everything is slippery.
I look around the basement. I see all the things I could have done if I had just obeyed over the past month. Oh to only obey. I start pitching junk:
Cardboard boxes
Plastic Grocery Bags
Plastic plant pots
Tarps that are torn
Over the course of three days we pitched three truck loads of trash - it all came from our basement. Shame on us.
My dad, being of sound mind and body, insisted that the freezer and little fridge be unloaded and trucked out of the house. Apparently he's seen a few rotten freezers in his day. So, before they left, B&MW helped us unload all the freezer contents into coolers (of which we have plenty). They have a freezer that they hadn't hooked up in a while and it was ready to be filled. See, God is good to me. I'm really glad my dad was there.
At the end of the day we had loaded our truck and trailer with all the expensive equipment and moved it to higher ground. Power had been cut by about 3 p.m. and there was nothing left for everyone else to do, so they went back home (and BB prepared to go to NY... I wonder how his trip went?). In the next few hours I prepared to evacuate our personal stuff. Laundry to be folded, computers, curriculum (all the good books we read), a few final groceries, and all the essential papers we need.
Why did it take three hours to load our van with what we felt was important? We had to boat it all to the road. The river is now three feet deep in our driveway (remember the low spot?).
Next time: Two ways to relieve stress when things are out of your control...
By now you've figured out that I'm cheating, and I am part of the biggest loser contest.
Before I move forward, I must say that Saturday afternoon we spent the better part of an hour lifting our generator up higher, but still in the trailer. I didn't get pictures of it, but it was a redneck joke waiting to happen. Our future disaster plan involves a wrap around porch and a permanent home for the generator. Our next storm will be much easier to endure.
Saturday was a long day for us, but not so much that we couldn't enjoy a nice dinner with each other and catch a show or two. We made our way to the comfort of our own bed and went right to sleep - amazing what a good nights rest will do. This respite was soon abruptly truncated. At 6 a.m. Sunday our phone rings.
"KKK, this is P, your neighbor, they are taking the river to flood stage by noon today. They expect the river to go to 7 feet above flood stage before this event is over."
I'm awake now. The Lord is good to me. What if my kids had been here? I wouldn't have been able to get everything done that needed to be done... What if I hadn't done so much work yesterday cleaning the floor of all the oil that would have coated the walls with it's ick? What if... That's where I had to stop. The "What ifs" were beginning to rack my brain. What about our books, our pictures... What about our house?
In a state of panic I made a few phone calls: "Dad, please help!" was the first. Before long Dad was here with BB and a couple trailers. Another couple, B&MW, showed up with their truck to get things belonging to them. Moving as quickly as possible, we loaded our trailer with large items that just must go up and out. Quickly - that's an interesting word. Remember, water is rising rapidly over our entire yard. Our driveway is a low spot. I have on crocs and my waders. Everything is slippery.
I look around the basement. I see all the things I could have done if I had just obeyed over the past month. Oh to only obey. I start pitching junk:
Cardboard boxes
Plastic Grocery Bags
Plastic plant pots
Tarps that are torn
Over the course of three days we pitched three truck loads of trash - it all came from our basement. Shame on us.
My dad, being of sound mind and body, insisted that the freezer and little fridge be unloaded and trucked out of the house. Apparently he's seen a few rotten freezers in his day. So, before they left, B&MW helped us unload all the freezer contents into coolers (of which we have plenty). They have a freezer that they hadn't hooked up in a while and it was ready to be filled. See, God is good to me. I'm really glad my dad was there.
At the end of the day we had loaded our truck and trailer with all the expensive equipment and moved it to higher ground. Power had been cut by about 3 p.m. and there was nothing left for everyone else to do, so they went back home (and BB prepared to go to NY... I wonder how his trip went?). In the next few hours I prepared to evacuate our personal stuff. Laundry to be folded, computers, curriculum (all the good books we read), a few final groceries, and all the essential papers we need.
Why did it take three hours to load our van with what we felt was important? We had to boat it all to the road. The river is now three feet deep in our driveway (remember the low spot?).
Next time: Two ways to relieve stress when things are out of your control...
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
I love the waterfront view
The river level right where we like it.
Well, the kids have left. What do you say we catch a few shows before heading to bed? Sci Fi looks fun tonight. Sound like shock yet?
Rewinding a few weeks: About a month before Fay arrived I had this nagging urge to organize my basement. Nesting is a form of PMS for me. I chalked the nagging up to PMS, and politely went about my days taking care of the kids and our living space. So much to do so little time. "The basement can wait. It's not that bad." I kept repeating this to myself. Talking to your self is bad! Exactly a month before Fay arrived in N. Florida, I actually did spend one afternoon tidying up a little. MM came down to supervise and got us into the mess with the rancid oil and moth ball laden grains. Two weeks before Fay the grains actually made it to the dump. What a mess! So while I didn't complete the task of getting the basement purged and ready for high water, I did eliminate a major source of yuck.
The river bed with our boat anchored out in what will become 15-18 feet of water in less than two days time.
We woke up Saturday morning and notice the river has fallen several feet... what are they doing? We got busy in the basement putting up somethings and considering what to get rid. It was hard to understand that the water will rise when it was actually falling. It's like telling a kid they'll go to the amusement park when the car is headed for home. It just doesn't make sense. All the feelings I have are unpredictable, one minute we have a feeling of calm because it isn't raining right now so let's not fuss so much. It won't get as high as the bottom shelf. The next minute we are worried about the house falling down on top of us if the water does really get as high as is predicted. Mixed in constantly was the feeling of being a wet trapped rat. Nothing that needs to be done makes sense.
The boat was anchored near that tree that is out in the watery background. Now it's moored at the edge of the hill.
You may not know this but our house is where MM grew up. His dad built it in 1955 and raised it up 12 feet in 1969 to prevent repeated damage to the living quarters in future floods. We live here by choice and love it. Others however, are not native. If I ever had to buy a house, waterfront wouldn't be my choice, not because it isn't pretty, but because it would introduce so many variables (Meg, variables = things that are unknown or can change). There are many homes in our area that flooded and only saw an inch of water, but that inch ruined the first 4 feet of drywall in their home along with their carpet and hardwood floors. One of the most basic necessities for life is as destructive as it is vital. One neighbor in particular has lived here less than two years. This is their first major flood and only their second high water and both happened within 6 months of this year!
A side view of our house. Notice where we had the HVAC ouside unit placed?
Tomorrow's installment: "The Wake-up Call You Never Wanted"
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