We're finally coming up for a breather after two months of trials beginning with the loss of our sweet Labrador,
Lady, on March 18, followed by the loss of an aunt, two dear friends, Jerry Tucker &
Tina Bradford, & a tornado that struck our house & studio on April 4. God has shown us His faithfulness in countless ways through all of this & we are so thankful. We appreciate all of your kind emails & your patience while we were without power, telephone & internet access.
Fortunately, there was very little damage from the tornado compared to many around us whose homes were totaled. The studio sustained roof damage but not a drop of water. There was hardly any damage in the first photograph. The tree you see in the first picture was caught by a double tree in front of the studio (now cut, stump shown in this photo) & it appeared there would be no more damage. However, the tree services were in high demand & gravity further damaged the roof so that we moved out on tree-cutting day a week later. I am currently working from a POD while repairs & improvements are being made.
Trees & branches have been picked up at the street so that our house is visible again.
Very visible! Our once shady, low-canopied yard is a sunny yard. I always wanted to grow tomatoes! LOL. The three houses on that side of our house are vacant. Two will be rebuilt. The fountain & stumps are gone as are the dogwoods. The live oak, 7 water oaks & magnolia came through the storm. The Bobcat & other tree removal equipment took care of what little grass we had. So, we get to start with a brand new yard & fence.
This picture was taken on our patio on April 2, 2 days prior to the tornado. Getting ready to enjoy a cool evening.
Taken on the patio minutes after the tornado on April 4.
This should be entitled, "A Close Call!" This picture was taken looking the other direction toward the street. The brick fountain was torn down in order to have enough brick to replace the masonry around the patio. The tree that is standing is the other half of the one on the ground. It has since been cut. The house seen in the background has been been torn down as 5 trees fell on it. He is a building contractor & has begun construction on a new house. Check out the flower pot & grinding stone sitting on the masonry ledge of the patio & the makeshift bird feeder sitting on the fountain. Vibration from the falling tree did not move them...
Hopefully, we have rounded the corner to "normal." Last week marked the first week of dyeing to include Summer Haze, Blue Bayou & Tallahatchee Bridge. Look for these in
8/2 tencel first of next week.
It has been an eventful week with completion of repair to our home and studio. We spent the day Monday moving back into the studio. Not everything has been unpacked as I am taking time to organize. It feels great to find things! One day soon, we will paint the new shutters. It's nice to have new steps and fence on the back as well.
The patio looks exactly as it was. The carpenters and brick mason did a wonderful job. Our next door neighbor, whose house you see in this picture, will be taking down his house soon in order to rebuild.
Our neighbor (a custom home builder who lives on the opposite corner) has almost finished with demolition of his house. We look forward to seeing what he will build in its place.
Posts
