Robert Frost
Hey, everybody, I am waving to ya and dancing the happy dance. What a time getting back on line. FYI both Nina and I each called the cable company this morning, asking why we weren't hooked up yet (it's been nine days). My customer service girl said that her records showed that we had already been reconnected, but since we evidently weren't, they would try to get someone here TODAY. Nina's person said they could get to her abound the 16th of July!!!!!! Fortunately, Lon saw the cable company hooking up our neighbor and asked them about our service. They said their work orders only allowed work on the above mentioned neighbor's house. After a little this and that, they got the okay to get our cable, internet, and phone lines working. YIPPEE!! Back to civilization.
I am so glad that Jenna put some pictures on the blog. It helps explain what a mess we are in, but better times are ahead. Our insurance adjuster was here yesterday, and he said he was putting in the report that the entire house should be resided and that patio furniture, and 2 storm doors, and a bunch of other stuff we never dreamed would be covered, should all be replaced.
I am sure that anyone that lives around me has their own story about the storm, but here's mine.
Monday June 30th (sister Karen's birthday) I was talking to sister Sandy on the phone. Suddenly, she told me that she had her TV on and that it looked like a tornado was heading right for Toddville. Then the phone went dead. As everything started to get dark, I got Alec a Coleman battery operated lantern, and I got a big flashlight. Then the wind picked up and rain came crashing against my living room window. Leaves and twigs were slamming into the house, and I told Mr. Al, "Let's head for the safe room (my office on the lower level). I am so proud of him. He didn't give me any trouble, he just trotted down the stairs and into the office. We shut the door for a little while, and when I opened it, I could see out the window in my family room. The storm was pretty much over, but the wind and rain were still coming down pretty good. I called Lon and told him that I thought we had been hit by a tornado. While I was talking to him, I opened the front door and saw that a huge tree had crashed into our deck and tore it away from the house. If I had stepped out of the house, I would have fell about nine feet onto the concrete slab that was the floor of our closed-in patio below. Lon couldn't believe it when I told him our big deck was gone, and so were a lot of our nice trees that we had watched grow over 40 plus years. He came back to town, but couldn't get down our lane because of some big trees blocking it. He went to our shop and got the Link Belt and spent 3 hours moving trees so he could get to the house.
Meantime, Alec and I were trapped. The front door exit was gone, the lower level sliders were closed off by the broken deck parts, and our side backdoor was hit by a big tree and wouldn't open. Jenna came out and finally made it on foot, to our place, and pulled some limbs away so that we could get out of the house. Since no one got hurt, I figured it was ALL GOOD! Everything that is messed up is fixable. So there. :)
I don't remember if I mentioned that we sold Dad's farm. That went quickly. We found out that same day, that good friend Nancy Neustel who lived on the next farm, passed away at the age of 91. In one of the June posts, I talked about how she helped Mom in her younger days. I went to her funeral today, and it was extremely touching.
As far as the farm goes, the family is still busting their buns keeping up the yard work (Ken and Jill), and sorting tools and household stuff for the auction this coming Saturday. What a ton of stuff to go through. There's a 40% chance of scattered showers that day, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we don't get hit too hard.
Hey, went and had a echocardiogram (?) done today, 'cause I get to get my reconstructive surgery a week from Friday. The end of that tunnel keeps getting closer and closer. Yay! Anyway, just have to have a few more tests done in preparation, and everything seems to be going smoothly.
HAIR REPORT: The white sproutlets are coming along nicely. I finally started going to bed without a sleep cap. I figured Lon would have to see how awful I looked eventually, and I was getting tired of always wearing a cap or scarf or wig (uh - I mean "Roschelle"). He doesn't think it looks bad at all, but then we have been together so many years, nothing scares him anymore. (He was the wonderful husband that just laughed and went about everyday life when I got THE HAIR PERMANENT FROM HELL!!) Several years ago, I made the mistake of telling a new hairdresser that my hair was hard to curl when getting a perm. Well, that woman took me at my word, and I ended up looking like a sheep. My curls were so tight, I couldn't get a comb through my hair for a month. No lie! I almost called in sick to work the next day, because I was so embarrassed.
Hope you don't mind me rambling here. I need to get back into the swing of things. Anyhoo, got to go for now, but will be back soon.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL