Autumn Saturday
the boy
Night Hike
Looking Glass Sunset
Conestee Re-Visit
Fall Soccer
Evening Walkathon
Saturday
Helene-Free Friday
We are fortunate indeed that I could even think of titling today's update "Helene-Free Friday." I guess it's not entirely accurate: the Boy and I did go out and get an enormous bit of wood that we'll use as our chopping block in the future, but other than that, Helene didn't impact our day that much.
Other than the fact that we still have friends family staying with us.
Of course, we're more than glad to help those we love, but it does come with certain advantages to us: three Polish women can make a batch of pierogi (we had leftover mashed potatoes from last night -- what else would we do with them?) in almost no time at all.
Most of the evening, though, we spent getting ready for our Chicago trip. We fly out at 6:30 tomorrow morning and arrive back here at 9:30 Sunday. We've got our walking tour planned for tomorrow,
and Cocia M is ready to take E for his early game tomorrow morning.
Tuesday After the Storm
Our street has been blocked since Friday morning when Helene took down the tree I'd expected to fall for at least five years.
"When are they going to take care of that?" L asked. "When are they going to get rid of that tree," E asked. The answer was simple, like so many things in Helene's wake: "I don't know."
We kept reminding them about fortunate we are: we had power back the same day we lost it. We never lost water. We have a home that "flooded" with about two inches of water at most, and in the basement, where we'd already prepared for just that much flooding.
Today, though, the linesmen began working in our neighborhood. They took care of the broken power pole behind our house and cleared the tree blocking our road (though that was the city's work, I guess).
And we decided it was time to do some exploring. We headed back along the creek that we've always called our adventuring area. There was a waterfall there that spilled over some rocks and enormous roots of two trees that towered over everything.
Those two trees, however, were casualties of Helene. Minor casualties, to be sure: they were tall enough to take out a bit of fencing in a backyard on our street, but that's nothing compared to the death toll that's in the Carolinas.
Heading back home, we noticed another change: without the enormous tree that was hanging over our street (and the blocking our street), our street looks a lot different.
It's not the only thing in the south that looks different thanks to Helene.
Reminders
The dump truck was a highlight of a birthday some years ago -- his fifth? sixth? seventh? It was all he was dreaming of, and he loved it so.
Then he outgrew it, and K thought of using it for a planter. She had a potted plant in it, replaced every now and then, for a couple of years.
Now it sits by the side gate of our fence, neglected and forgotten until I walk into the yard, happen to glance back down.