Irma Aftermath

     We made it thru the storm of the year or at least the first biggest ever yet. I will not doubt there will be even worse things to come. Devastation is everywhere and in places that we would never have thought. In our little neck of the woods for example. We sustained very high winds and so many of us lost, us included.  Our county was hit good  and all surrounding counties also. Praying still for those who are far worse than us from both Harvey and Irma. We had very little effect us but not this time.
     I told my husband we had to be prepared for everything from power outages to flooding which on the hill is not a problem but in the area. Me, being the skeptic that I am, I always see the worst in the things they say on how bad it will be. My husband on the other hand always tries to change my way of thinking to his and say it will not even be close. This time he had me believing it too. We had no school due to emergency procedures and yes, it was like any storm we had ever had here. Rain sometimes hard winds too. This time I was prepared with extra waters, preparing food we could eat if the power goes out and  we had the G daughters here. We were all fine. We had always had power blinks and only once or twice since we lived here had our power really been off and it was when we had  pine trees  come down on power lines once by nature and once by man.  I rushed to make sure soup was cooked and crock pot was cooking too through all the blinking and lunch and dinner went off without a hitch. We were watching the news on the storm the last few days and the devastation kept growing. Irma was so big it covered over 600 miles across. No one knew for sure where she would hit in Florida and we have many friends who live there. I was thankful my mother had already left her home a few weeks earlier to go back to Ohio to her home there. I sent messages to all telling them to be safe.
     Soon I was watching out the window in the bathroom  as the winds picked up here.  Nothing we hadn't had before, but I noticed that the Oak tree was swaying a bit back and forth and I don't remember it ever doing that before and it was only feet from the house. I hated that tree too and wanted it cut down a while ago it was just too close for comfort for me. Earlier we had tree branches come down from that big Oak, I truly hate the one I always feared after a huge branch came down right after I reached the porch after moving my car from under it in a previous storm. That tree always scares me and I would love for it to be cut down because when it falls it will take out a huge mass.
     Well we were all getting ready for bed and we were watching TV in our room. The girls were in and out laughing and playing on their computer and watching TV in their room. We were anticipating them to come in and watch TV with us as they always do when the power went off and back on. Their mom had told them to stay in their room and stay away from the area where the biggest Oak could fall earlier that day. Then the power when out again but this time it was out. The girls were in our room by then for sure as we got out lanterns and candles so they could see to get around. Bathroom was lit up first than our room.  Then all of a sudden there was a loud crashing sound. Wow  there was a tree in the front corner of the girls room and the window and wall was gone. The whole bookcase was like a scene out of a Harry Potter movie only half was in the room and the rest out the hole in the trailer. I thought it was the Hickory tree at the side of the house, but it would have come through on our room too if that was the case and we may have all been dead.
     My hubby went out to see what had happened and said it was that Oak at the bathroom window. As he looked out the front deck. Wow I had an bad feeling about that tree  and I hate that feeling when I get it. He came back in and we started pulling as much as we could from the room so the rain didn't ruin it. We pulled off the futon mattress  and brought it down the hall and I started throwing anything I could get a hold of further into the room. I was not shocked or even scared  I was just thankful my girls were not in the room as they always play in that space. In fact it really never hit me.
     I had a great idea for that big table in the front room.  How about pushing it up to the bench and make a bed for the girls there. I was a great idea, but the fire was cooking away in the wood burner we had built earlier to take off the damp and it was so hot in the front room.  We lit candles and made up the bed. The girls loved it.  We opened a few windows and let their door open  so the breeze would  cool off tings. We got ready for bed and for the first time we slept with the door open and lantern lit in the bathroom. (Did I mention I have a phobia of lights in the night. I have to have everything pitch black when I sleep and this is something I have done all my life. Well I didn't sleep good needless to say.)  Calls were made to our overseer at the Kingdom Hall to let them know were had damage but were fine and we couldn't get out to really access the damage because the power line was under the tree and no longer on the pole, but still connected to the house. We had no phone service even on our cells the next day, but I could use my phone for pictures.

The tree ripped the fence of the deck  because it caught the clothesline

A scene from the next Harry P  movie!

See where the power box is 

not on that pole anymore!

 

     Thankful the damage is just this but what will  be done is all in Jehovah's hands now as we have no money to fix it. I am Blessed greatly through it all  no one was hurt, Dogs got a new pen  as the tree held a part of it up  and now is shredded and  we only lost about 35 chickens in the excess rain. All in all we are good. Life is great and it goes on.  

 Thanks to all who checked on us.