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October 21, 2016

IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

Whew!! What a storm we had! Last Friday we were all preparing for the "big storm" to arrive on Saturday but we were not expecting a tornado! We woke up to a normal rainy and windy October day and so Dave got out the new generator and electrical extension cords just in case we lost power. I headed for my water aerobics class. In the middle of our class we were told that a tornado had hit Manzanita and that we had better get out of the pool because the weatherman was forecasting more tornado warnings. So I hurriedly got dressed and headed for home through very windy conditions. While Dave and I listened on the emergency radios about all the fallen trees (240) and the destruction left from the tornado path in Manzanita, we were happy to hear not one person was injured or died. Luckily, all the kids who would have been waiting for the bus were out of school that day because it was an in-service day. The community pulled together to help clean up the mess, direct traffic and fed all the electrical workers and other volunteers and electricity was restored within 48 hours.

Actually, Saturday was supposed to be the "big" storm day but that fizzled out and we only had 35 mph gusts which is typical for this time of year. Thank God for small favors. We spent most of the weekend staying inside watching the weather just the same.

Later in the week, between the sunshine and rain, I managed to get out in the yard and pick up fallen branches and rake leaves from the storm. What a mess! I still have the front of the house to do and unfortunately, that is where most of the leaves got blown.

The rest of the week has been pretty normal. Dave had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday for an x-ray and follow-up with the orthopedist regarding his broken wrist. We were halfway to Tillamook when we got a phone call telling us the appointment was canceled because the doctor had an emergency. So it was rescheduled for today He is all done with therapy and was told that there isn't much more that they can do for him. He will always have some stiffness in that wrist. Meanwhile, he has learned to work left-handed and he can also do a lot of things with his right hand, even though it's stiff and sore. So he isn't hopeless.

Our church project is coming along. With all the rain and wind we have had things have been pretty slow this week. I got down there and vacuumed all the cobwebs off the walls and swept the floors. We did discover that the roof leaks so that is another thing to add to the "money" pool. The problem is that half the houses in Manzanita need roof repair following the tornado. Finding a roofer is going to be nearly impossible. In addition to the roof problem, they found a lot of rot under the sill for the big sliding barn door, so that has to all be replaced. Tuesday, when they cut open an old joist, a colony of really big, nasty looking ants came pouring out!. Oh the joys of renovating an old building! The plan is to continue until we either finish this phase of the project or the money runs out.

Our oldest daughter, Lara had a birthday on Thursday. We will all get together this Sunday to celebrate the occasion. She is such a joy and we are truly blessed to have such a wonderful daughter.