Wow, time had NOT flown by but the summer sure has. I begin teaching again in a few days. I will be quite relieve to see my kids, they are such darlings. I will have two new groups this year and look forward to getting to know them.
The house is returning to normal. I have wall colors I chose, carpeting I chose, curtains I chose...(otherwise it was here when we bought the house) so it worked out. The process just was overwhelming. We all lived through the ordeal, wouldn't wish it on my least favorite person, I am glad it is coming to an end so to speak. The trees will take years to recover and I will be very old and a lot more gray by the time that occurs.
My child is getting ready to begin her senior year in high school. Life is full of changes, we learn to adapt...or, as with natural selection, we die off or move on. Isn't that a funny thought.
My friend from high school is safely back in Kansas from his adventures across the western US and Canada. I was thrilled to be able to take part in his adventures. Thank you Tim.
I will keep this up for a while. I have needed the outlet and as life goes, will undoubtedly need it again. Even though I may have no audience, I have an avenue to express myself and move on.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Wednesday, July 16
Yesterday I had a serious breakdown. Bawled my eyes out. Today is much better. The pressure valve worked, the stress is reduced. A week from today will be the first half of my carpeting installation, the back of the house will follow on Thursday. Friday I pick up furniture and life will be returning to "normal" whatever that is.
School starts in three and a half weeks. Yikes, not ready for that yet.
I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone.
School starts in three and a half weeks. Yikes, not ready for that yet.
I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Saturday, July 5th
Thursday I raked a lot of small limbs and debris from the storm into small piles to burn. We also have a "pit" in which larger items were stacked. It has been burning since Thursday afternoon. Lots of larger limbs and some parts of buildings. We did find some sheet metal that we believe is from about three miles away. A rather frightening thought if we had been caught outside as all of the items we have found were flying through the air...saw blades, yikes. We are fortunate. I am a bit cranky from time to time, cleaning up this whole mess but I also know we are very fortunate to have made the right decisions to save our lives.
I walked through the neighbors yard the other day. Just to contemplate reality. She was placed in a nursing home in either January or February of this year. As terrible as a nursing home may be deemed by some, it saved her life. She had no shelter in her home...there is a cellar outside but she wouldn't have made it. I know there were people who called her to tell her, her home had been destroyed...why? She was never coming back to it...it didn't matter. She lived, all she needed to know it that things were being taken care of, no one was hurt badly and we were all pulling together to pick up the pieces. My only fear now is that the property will be left in its current condition and we will begin to see undesireable creatures living in the rubble of her home. The yard which was always well manicured, is now overgrown. Hasn't been tended since the storms. Her son has only been here twice to recover items (in a bucket). It is sad to think that ones life can be reduced to a bucket in one night. Also goes to show, our possessions are not worth much, they are just things. Friends and family are what matters. Maybe your friends are your family, often mine have been. Hold them close, let them know you care for them.
Yesterday I didn't get much accomplished. I think I may have overdone it lifting some things I probably shouldn't have. I lounged and caught up on e-mails and blogs. Watched a movie called The Reading Room. It was nice.
Today I should have a goal. Perhaps I will pack my collection of cookbooks to get ready for the carpet layers. They will be here the 23rd and 24th of July. I then think things will be back on track...when the insurance comes through, so we can pay some people who have helped us.
Signing off.
E-mail me Vienna @ kimrod@nckcn.com.
I walked through the neighbors yard the other day. Just to contemplate reality. She was placed in a nursing home in either January or February of this year. As terrible as a nursing home may be deemed by some, it saved her life. She had no shelter in her home...there is a cellar outside but she wouldn't have made it. I know there were people who called her to tell her, her home had been destroyed...why? She was never coming back to it...it didn't matter. She lived, all she needed to know it that things were being taken care of, no one was hurt badly and we were all pulling together to pick up the pieces. My only fear now is that the property will be left in its current condition and we will begin to see undesireable creatures living in the rubble of her home. The yard which was always well manicured, is now overgrown. Hasn't been tended since the storms. Her son has only been here twice to recover items (in a bucket). It is sad to think that ones life can be reduced to a bucket in one night. Also goes to show, our possessions are not worth much, they are just things. Friends and family are what matters. Maybe your friends are your family, often mine have been. Hold them close, let them know you care for them.
Yesterday I didn't get much accomplished. I think I may have overdone it lifting some things I probably shouldn't have. I lounged and caught up on e-mails and blogs. Watched a movie called The Reading Room. It was nice.
Today I should have a goal. Perhaps I will pack my collection of cookbooks to get ready for the carpet layers. They will be here the 23rd and 24th of July. I then think things will be back on track...when the insurance comes through, so we can pay some people who have helped us.
Signing off.
E-mail me Vienna @ kimrod@nckcn.com.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Wednesday, July 2
Today I had lunch with my friend Linda. She has started a new job and I am excited for her. I hope all goes well. We worked together for two years and became better friends this year. I am going to miss our daily banter.
I am now driving a loaner vehicle while mine is repaired to pretornado condition. It is a trailblazer and I'm thinking I may start to really like it. I currently drive an Impala which gets great gas mileage so a trailblazer would be a step down as far as fuel economy. My family is all getting together for the weekend but I don't feel like I can leave this mess to go down to be with them. Maybe I should anyway, this will still be here when I return.
Not much to share today. My friend Tim from high school is taking a motorcycle tour of the western US. Currently in Alaska. I am so jealous but enjoying his blog very much. Check it out for yourself at wendquest.blogspot.com. Amazing pictures and fun adventures. Glad I happened upon it. Thanks Tim.
Looking forward to my daughter coming back home. She is visiting with her father. I miss her but hope she is having a good time. Harvest in full swing here in northern Kansas. Have to watch out for those not watching for others on the road. Today is the second day in a row one pulled out in front of me on the highway without looking.
I am now driving a loaner vehicle while mine is repaired to pretornado condition. It is a trailblazer and I'm thinking I may start to really like it. I currently drive an Impala which gets great gas mileage so a trailblazer would be a step down as far as fuel economy. My family is all getting together for the weekend but I don't feel like I can leave this mess to go down to be with them. Maybe I should anyway, this will still be here when I return.
Not much to share today. My friend Tim from high school is taking a motorcycle tour of the western US. Currently in Alaska. I am so jealous but enjoying his blog very much. Check it out for yourself at wendquest.blogspot.com. Amazing pictures and fun adventures. Glad I happened upon it. Thanks Tim.
Looking forward to my daughter coming back home. She is visiting with her father. I miss her but hope she is having a good time. Harvest in full swing here in northern Kansas. Have to watch out for those not watching for others on the road. Today is the second day in a row one pulled out in front of me on the highway without looking.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Tuesday, July 1
Somehow I just deleted what I wrote. I was trying to edit it and zap, gone.
Now it is officially Wednesday, July 2.
Monday I ordered carpet for the whole house. Ours has GLASS in it. Finding new shards every day. I am going to be calling on friends and family to help move furniture and appliances to save costs. We are still waiting on insurance reimbursement for the items we have purchased thus far. They want documentation of the items we owned, some of that is not easy to find. How would people that lost everything document what they lost?
I also ordered and paid for a bed for my daughter. Hers was covered in dirt, glass, sheetmetal, ceiling tiles, etc.
I believe I will use a credit card for all purchases and pay my bill each month. The credit card companies (with the acception of Bank of America) have been great about helping. They have sent statements of account activity for the last four years. Cabela's was especially helpful and sent me (via phone) to each department of their business; retail, catalog, internet and then sent statements as proof of purchase of all the items we bought through them. They also send account summaries of any purchases not through Cabela's that we used our VISA for. Bless them! LL Bean sent letters stating what I had bought via the internet from them. Lands' End did the same.
I have furniture ordered, carpet ordered, bed ordered, bless the woman at the furniture store, she is holding all my purchases until I can pick them up after the carpet is installed. One less thing to move around. I am having it done on two consecutive days, front rooms first. I will then (with help I hope) move all the items from the back to the front and then they will carpet the back of the house the following day. The next day, I can pick up my furniture : ) and then my life...
I am fortunate that I teach school. I love my students (5th - 8th graders) but I am not sure I could deal with school during tornado clean up. I truly sympathize with anyone from Chapman, KS or Greensburg, KS that had to work while trying to put their lives back together. Bless you all!!
Tomorrow is another day. I will try to get some work done outside, weather depending. Today it was rather hot and I wasn't going to rake debris in the full sun while 98 degrees. Went out Monday night and rakes tree limbs, leaves, dead grass, etc. into small piles and burned them. It is starting to look like a yard again. Some day soon I will get grass seed and plant it too. I am going to miss my trees...
Now it is officially Wednesday, July 2.
Monday I ordered carpet for the whole house. Ours has GLASS in it. Finding new shards every day. I am going to be calling on friends and family to help move furniture and appliances to save costs. We are still waiting on insurance reimbursement for the items we have purchased thus far. They want documentation of the items we owned, some of that is not easy to find. How would people that lost everything document what they lost?
I also ordered and paid for a bed for my daughter. Hers was covered in dirt, glass, sheetmetal, ceiling tiles, etc.
I believe I will use a credit card for all purchases and pay my bill each month. The credit card companies (with the acception of Bank of America) have been great about helping. They have sent statements of account activity for the last four years. Cabela's was especially helpful and sent me (via phone) to each department of their business; retail, catalog, internet and then sent statements as proof of purchase of all the items we bought through them. They also send account summaries of any purchases not through Cabela's that we used our VISA for. Bless them! LL Bean sent letters stating what I had bought via the internet from them. Lands' End did the same.
I have furniture ordered, carpet ordered, bed ordered, bless the woman at the furniture store, she is holding all my purchases until I can pick them up after the carpet is installed. One less thing to move around. I am having it done on two consecutive days, front rooms first. I will then (with help I hope) move all the items from the back to the front and then they will carpet the back of the house the following day. The next day, I can pick up my furniture : ) and then my life...
I am fortunate that I teach school. I love my students (5th - 8th graders) but I am not sure I could deal with school during tornado clean up. I truly sympathize with anyone from Chapman, KS or Greensburg, KS that had to work while trying to put their lives back together. Bless you all!!
Tomorrow is another day. I will try to get some work done outside, weather depending. Today it was rather hot and I wasn't going to rake debris in the full sun while 98 degrees. Went out Monday night and rakes tree limbs, leaves, dead grass, etc. into small piles and burned them. It is starting to look like a yard again. Some day soon I will get grass seed and plant it too. I am going to miss my trees...
Monday, June 23, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Saturday we went to buy more fixer-upper stuff.
Sunday we painted, patched, cleaned and had trees that were blown over cleared.
I believe we will some day get back to normal. Though all of my trees are gone. We have a few that made it through the storm but not many that offer much for shade...and in Kansas in the summer, you want shade.
Last evening some of the neighbors came over with their children. Both neighbors will have to have their homes completely replaced (we live in a rural setting). The neighbors to the west are living in theirs until they can get it replaced. The neighbors to the south have had to bulldoze their home, they are currently living with relatives. Anyway, the children provided comic relief. They were determined to build a raft out of sticks and needed some rope. Reminded me of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. I am not sure the raft was built, but they came back soaked to the armpits, and muddy. We got out hotels soaps, the garden hose and towels and they washed themselves and their clothes all at once. They had a great time!
Today more painting, pulling out carpets, cleaning...as life goes on.
Sunday we painted, patched, cleaned and had trees that were blown over cleared.
I believe we will some day get back to normal. Though all of my trees are gone. We have a few that made it through the storm but not many that offer much for shade...and in Kansas in the summer, you want shade.
Last evening some of the neighbors came over with their children. Both neighbors will have to have their homes completely replaced (we live in a rural setting). The neighbors to the west are living in theirs until they can get it replaced. The neighbors to the south have had to bulldoze their home, they are currently living with relatives. Anyway, the children provided comic relief. They were determined to build a raft out of sticks and needed some rope. Reminded me of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. I am not sure the raft was built, but they came back soaked to the armpits, and muddy. We got out hotels soaps, the garden hose and towels and they washed themselves and their clothes all at once. They had a great time!
Today more painting, pulling out carpets, cleaning...as life goes on.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Another day of tornado activity, or replacement activity. Our roof is finally repaired. I had to go look at carpet and was asked to get 15' wide. The carpet I liked was only 12' wide so now I am not sure what to do...buy what I don't like or keep looking.
I have learned somethings through this. I choose to live in tornado alley, I expect severe weather as part of my life. I accept those facts and I don't expect the government or any other agency to accept responsibility for my choice to live here. I have a storm cellar and I know it is the safest place for us. I have a mess to clean up and it will get done. It may take longer than I would like but that is to be expected.
All of the mess is just STUFF, all of the lives in our community were spared. The worse thing to happen was stitches and bruises. Life goes on whether we are ready or not. I am thankful for family and friends - for they are the most important things in life.
I have learned somethings through this. I choose to live in tornado alley, I expect severe weather as part of my life. I accept those facts and I don't expect the government or any other agency to accept responsibility for my choice to live here. I have a storm cellar and I know it is the safest place for us. I have a mess to clean up and it will get done. It may take longer than I would like but that is to be expected.
All of the mess is just STUFF, all of the lives in our community were spared. The worse thing to happen was stitches and bruises. Life goes on whether we are ready or not. I am thankful for family and friends - for they are the most important things in life.
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