Good Night Irene

She arrived in Midlothian on Saturday and left early Sunday morning. I was not thrilled about her visit but thankful she wasn't more irritable than she was.


Our home was not damaged nor were any in our neighborhood. We had two large trees come down. One scrapped the back deck and one landed on the shed. The damage to the deck was minimal, just breaking a few pieces of siding and trim. The shed only requires replacement of about six shingles on the top where the tree hit it. The fact that the roof did not collapse is an indication of the building skill of my neighbor Mitch. He is a carpenter and in the construction business. We had him build the shed back in 2008. A better idea than buying a typical "kit." Sometimes I make good decisions. So, if you need a new shed, let me know.


Power went out Saturday around 6:30 PM and returned at noon on Sunday. A short inconvenience thanks to the repair crews of Virginia Dominion Power. Mitch, the carpenter, loaned us a small generator so we were able to keep the refrigerator running, have a light on and made coffee on Sunday morning.


Cleanup on Sunday was long but fruitful. Thanks to great neighbors Mitch and Paul we cut up the trees and cleared the lawn. Dee was able to run the lawn tractor around to mow the lawn and get those small things we missed. Neighbor Roger was there to help her get the tractor going. I had gone in to rest a bit and fell soundly asleep. Dee was unable to wake me so went over to Roger for assistance. Hm, so much for team work.


This was Dee's Mom first hurricane experience. When the first tree came down Saturday, she was sitting at the table looking out the back windows. She had never seen a tree fall, especially one that came toward her. We made sure she spent the night with us and Dee took her home Sunday morning. Her apartment never lost power so she was able to go home and shower. Then, being the wonderful person she is, Mom brought dinner back for us Sunday evening. We are blessed to have her.


There are many people who are not as fortunate as we were. They have suffered from the high winds and flooding. They have to deal with power outages, damage and aftermath of the hurricane. Lord please watch over them and help them to get through their recovery.