A Hurricane and More!

So much has happened since my last post only two weeks ago.

My mom passed away at the end of August. She had been sick for quite some time. She'd bounced back after a stroke two years ago, but her health began to deteriorate quickly over the last year. My family is grief stricken over the loss, but we take comfort in knowing she is no longer in pain and that she's with my father. Hugs to my mom who I love and miss.

Then Hurricane Dorian arrived on September 7. After leaving the US coast line, she headed straight for Nova Scotia and made landfall in the capital. During the midst of Dorian's wrath, my husband, my daughter and I went out to cut down our (25 foot plus high) hackmatack tree. From our window, I watched the trunk of the tree sway from the high winds and not long after, the roots were lifting the surface of the grass. This was scary! The tree was coming out and it was just a matter of time.

We went into action before the wind pulled the tree out and dropped it onto the power lines, which would have ripped from the house and caused considerable damage. Or the tree could have toppled onto the roof, causing damage there as well.

Out we went into the storm and cut her down. My husband sawed the trunk while my daughter and I kept a tight grip on the rope we wrapped around the tree to guide it to the direction we wanted it to fall. Then we heard a 'crack' my husband quickly stopped sawing and raced over to us and helped pull the tree down. Thankfully, it landed in the right spot where it wouldn't hit us or the two trees beside it. It is very sad to see such a lovely tree go, but we had no choice. Better to be safe than sorry.

The next day we went out and chopped it's branches and placed them in two piles. The city will take the debris away, but we have to tie it in bundles. Well, we're talking twenty or more bundles! We are going to wait until my husband's brother comes in town with his truck and hauls it away. Or at least until the needles fall which will decrease the size of the bundles we have to tie.

But that wasn't the worst part of the storm. We lost power the afternoon of the hurricane and it wasn't restored until five days later! Yesterday, at 4pm! I will admit that my  patience was sure tested after a few days of no power. Our neighbour had a generator and took the food in our freezer to store in their deep freezer so it could be saved. We lost much of the food in our fridge, but the meat in the freezer was more important and costly.

On a positive note, I was thankful for my old Kobo, which I charged the morning of the storm and it held power for the next five days. I read three books in that time because there is only so many card and board games you can play by candle light and flash lights. New book reviews coming soon.

My heart is so heavy after the loss of Jagger and my mother. Then, being tested by a hurricane. I am hoping for calmer days as we approach the middle of September.