Tuesday, August 21

. . clean up, clean up ~ everybody, do your share ~

. . .our neighborhood will be cleaning up from last night's storm for a while today and probably some will be at it for a few days.  We had a crazy big storm last night and I am now aware of how fortunate we were to only have a very young tree that was uprooted and easily pushed back into place...

This was what I saw on my walk with the pups earlier ~ big old palm fronds were laying in the streets and in front of houses EVERYWHERE ~ but three very tall palms on a street couple over from us in the community must have been top heavy because they hadn't been pruned lately, or were particularly shallow rooted, because and they had completely toppled over like our tree... [in those cases the neighbors across the street from them were probably scared witless in the storm last night, because the trees were so tall they reached all the way across the street and the houses opposite had roof and window damage from being hit when they fell ~ clean up crews were already working on that damage...]

A few other different houses had what looked like enclosed patios that had been ripped off the back and were either sitting in pieces in front yards, neighbor's yards or the street.. some were draped over fences like fabric or over the roofs of the houses they had previously been attached to.  It was bizarre...

A LOT of people lost gutters and those temporary car ports that you see used for shade... I saw several older homes that were built before safety glass was the standard which lost plate glass windows ~ unfortunately most of those looked like they were also owned by snowbirds because the drapes were still hanging out of windows and were a shredded mess... I made note of addressed and called those in to the local PD.

I'm not sure why I didn't think to take a picture with my phone... but at the park we love to take the pups over to run at, there are a couple large eucalyptus stands and both were terribly damaged... I suspect a really bad micro-burst went through there and down the street from it, because a few trees were uprooted, stripped and tossed around the park... a couple trees were simply stripped and the trunks were left standing there looking sadly as though the giant from Jack in the Bean Stalk had walked through in an angry fit taking his frustration out on them ~ but then continued down the street that comes out from the park... nearly all the trash cans [which were no doubt taken out last night before the storm] were still topsy turvy at 5:30 am, and trash bags were laying every which way... many loose items that were probably safely stored most evenings on a porch for the night [strollers, tricycles, bikes and balls for small children] had been toss around too... I even saw one car on it's side and in the front yard of a house on that street.  Nearly everyone on that street also lost a few roof shingles or tiles, and quite a few lost Satellite TV receivers which were generally hanging from the wires for nearly the whole block I walked... and two house lost solar panels off roofs on that street... that was the worst whole street I saw, on all the other streets it was just a house here or there that seemed to take the brunt of the storm... but on that one street both side had damage ~ still the houses facing the south had the worst.  The craziest thing was possibly the pretty significant flag pole that was bent over flat too, a good reminder to take your flag down at night and/or during storms..

There were already the sounds of chain saws when I was coming home, so the clean up was starting early, but I'll bet it'll be a busy day for LOTS of insurance adjustors for a while...

Saturday, August 4

. . .catching up

We have been traveling the last couple weeks to visit family, and some very good friends...  When I say we, I don't mean hubby and I ~ HE evidently has spent a good part of the time I was gone sick with bad allergies, flaring RA and even a toothache.  Sorry honey ~ I missed you a LOT... and I will be home today ~ sounds like YOU need some TLC...

So back to my story ~ because Hubby has a fairly new job again, and couldn't get away ~ I begged Princess Bride and GrandP to go to the Great Northwest with me ~ because I do not fly alone.  It takes serious anxiety medication support to get on, and stay in an airplane, [all of my phobias rapped into one little tin can...] and I need someone to help me stay safe when I have that much medication in me...

That said we have REALLY enjoyed each minute of the last 2 weeks... Illness among my sisters aside, [2 of them ended up in the hospital for part of my stay in the Portland area, and I could get a complex if I thought about that too much... haha] ~ but, beyond that the trip was really GREAT.! 
 
I saw 5 of my 7 siblings [one of my brothers passed away some years ago, and my oldest brother/SIL are serving a mission for the LDS church in Nauvoo IL right now... so were not available for a gathering at our niece's wedding, even.]  But it was a wonderful reason for 5 of the rest of us to get together for a photo op...  We had tried to get all 5 sisters in one place but K was sick the day of the wedding and was SO sad to miss it...  So we will have to try again...

Our next planned extended family reunion will be in 2015 which all my parent's descendants are invited to ~ and those that can make it will always try to come... Still there are so many of us now... the great grands are piling up and there might even be some g-great grands among their posterity in the next few years... so it takes a LOT of effort just to get a few of us together... not to mention we are so spread out...

I miss mom and dad so much and when I see my brothers & sisters it's a huge reminder of just how much fun we have... Nevertheless, I know they look down from time to time and are proud of this big bunch of noisy and happy people...  There is not an bad egg in the whole group! HONESTLY.!!

We can be a tad on the silly/crazy side as is shown in the photo display below, 

Our youngest brother in the family and father of the bride the day this was taken ~ with 4 of his 5 sisters.  L to R ~ Me [#7], G [#2], M [#5], J [#6], J [#8 ~ the baby]...
G didn't catch at first that we were all suppose to make funny faces... but this was the best of M's silly face so I went with it...

 . . .then obviously the youngest two have no idea when to STOP being silly!  haha

BUT, all in our great big extended family are law abiding citizens ~ and compassionate caring people.  As a family [and as a rule] we serve and give to the community and greater good on a regular basis.  Many are involved in various church and community efforts to improve the world we live in... I was reminded lately that there are a BUNCH of Eagle Scouts [13 out of 19 grandsons just as a start on the posterity... I'm pretty sure there are already some g-grandsons that are Eagle Scouts too].  Several members of this family have served missions for the LDS church, some have given time and much effort to other churches and vital organizations, like the Red Cross, Literacy and Child Safety groups, the list goes on... Some have served in the military [Son1 ~ currently in the Navy, just the most recent].  All have reached outside their own comfort zone to emotionally, physically and financially help family/friends in need over years of following mom and dad's example.  That legacy will always continue because Daddy & Momma taught us well and we their children have taught our families well too.

I love my great, big, NOISY, loving and sometimes silly family... I appreciate that I can keep up through emails, FB, text messages and especially SEE them through pictures exchanged over many miles... When we get together the years and miles melt away... and I wish for a smaller world where we could see each other a little more often.

We are spread from one side of this great country to the other [quite literally].  I am proud to say that as a family we represent the NE, SE, SW, NW and an amazing number of points in the heartland of this country as well.  It's a blessing in my life to call each family member something... husband, son, daughter, brother, sister, nephew, and niece... and I thank God every day for the blessings we share as a family.  We are SO very blessed, and while we each have our own private challenges, collectively we are an amazingly fabulous and strong group... One that I feel so happy to call "my" family... I am very VERY grateful to have spent some time visiting them this last couple weeks ~ and while I am ready to go home, I am also a bit sad that I know it will be a while before I see them again.