Nature Does NOT Give a Damn!
You know, maintenance is designed for those who enjoy self torture. After spending a few days re-caulking the Rainstream, scrubbing baseboards with a toothbrush, wiping down walls, and cleaning out of all cabinets from the past three years of residue, I decided enough was enough. Truer words have not been spoken when children complain about making their beds. Why make the bed when it is just gonna be unmade tonight? Why scrub the trailer when we are just gonna move back into in another week or so? Maybe. Hopefully.
Therefore having spent the last three days cleaning the trailer, it was decided cleaning hurricane debris would best be use of free time. Also, not having been back home in three days, the chickens really needed to be checked on and eggs collected. I forgot to mention in the last post, not only did the chickens survive without incident, so did their watering feed system and the coop itself. The coop did sustain some damage but a cracked plastic roof covering resulting from a fallen branch is minor. Very minor. In order to protect the watering system from the full sun beatings, a sun blocking curtain was salvaged from the Doubter’s demolished trailer. This should keep the water cool enough for the chickens until a permanent fix can be developed.
Upon arrival at home something amazing happened. It was so utterly overwhelming. Moments were given to observe in its beauty. Sure this event was to be expected. But this soon? It was yet another moment when nature revealed its true power. Have you guessed it now? Isn’t it something so wonderful it takes your breath away and you need a few more moments to just soak in its beauty?
Just a little over two weeks after 150 mph winds cleared trees and brush of all their leaves, nature were returning! Nature taketh and nature giveth, as it turns out. Only us humans dwell on the loss of material items. Nature doesn’t give a damn! It just keeps on going: winter, spring, summer, fall, freeze, heat, drought, and as it turns out hurricanes.
Oh, sure there are still plenty of trees still without leaves. But the fact any form of new life has already appeared in just a few short weeks is something just AMAZING! With the majority of trees still missing their leaves and summer heat still upon us, the chickens now have to follow the shade around in order to remain cool. A tarp was placed over the top of their run to offer some shade during the day but as you can see they prefer shade with their freedom now.
First step in the clean up process was the scrap pile. Some materials managed to stay in place like the conex wall pieces (above picture bottom left corner). But for the most, scrapes were spread out far and wide. Unbelievably spread out.
Next was the removal of fallen branches. Broken branches will be removed, but at this time, no fallen trees will be removed, even if they look dead. As nature has already proven, it is very resilient. Besides what is the hurry. Don’t want to cause any more stress to the trees than necessary and there are other projects more demanding.
As we were leaving, another amazing site occurred. The cavalry arrived in the form of electrical workers! There were three different crews working on the power poles in my tiny neighborhood. After so many weeks without power this was a definite mood booster. I know what you are thinking, seeing electrical workers in the hot sun makes me kinda shallow. And you are right, too. It is a true story. There are friends in town with no homes to return too yet here I sit and complain because I don’t have power. And what is worse, I don’t have the energy to spare to be kind in my thoughts about other people and their problems. The hurricane has not brought out the best in me. This is not something that I am proud of, I admit, but there it is all the same.
I want to return home. Here it is three weeks and I am still commuting and it is wearing upon my positive nature. I want to return home to the home I left behind and that home is no longer there. For all those people who have been able to return home because they have had power for two weeks, they have had time to deal with the debris and destruction on a day to day basis. They have had time to adjust the new new. They live here where as I still do not. Not living here is both a blessing and a curse. If I get tired of looking at the destruction, I can run. And run I have done. As the saying goes, I can run but I cannot hide.
Besides, at this point in the game, the stress is killing me. I cannot eat. I cannot sleep. If I am not crying, I am mad. Grey hairs and pimples are my new friends. I try to remain calm, cool, and collective to teach the Kid how to properly handle heavy pressure but the pressure is just to high. So forgive me if it seems as though I am selfish but I just want to come home. Come home to start my new Boxes in Fields life. Right, wrong, or otherwise, home with all its hurricane destruction is where I want to be. So yes, dammit, I am glad we are getting power because now I can come home, too.