Mother Nature's Surprises

Super Tuesday tornado outbreak in February 2008 was strong and long lived.  We had roof damage, lost half of our barn (no insurance) and many, many trees. We were lucky.

The neighborhood just over the rise had one person killed and several homes destroyed along with life stock.  The small town of Zion, six miles away,  had one death and the same destructive result.

Here are two pictures from Zion.  I would like to repeat how lucky this county was. Being in a rural area most damage was in sparsely populated areas.

Hubby was Emergency Manager and was out for 36 hours straight  (and for weeks afterwards), organizing, rescuing, and working.  The people were wonderful.  Every one was out with chain saws clearing trails, checking on their neighbors and feeding the people. I was counting cows and calming the horses when a ATV appeared through another pasture to check on us.  I still don't know to this day who it was!

The tornado keeps on giving.  This is one of the large pecan trees.  About twenty feet off the ground we have found a brake cable, we think.  The recent constant winds must have dislodged it and dropped it down where we could see.

Another surprise from Mother Nature is the broken bottle I found as I was cutting down Virginia Creeper from the side of the same tree.  The root had grown through a buried bottle. The mouth of the bottle still was attached to the root.

Mother Nature and man leaves us many surprises,

good and bad.

Here's my most recent find left behind from the previous occupants.

Mother Nature has many secrets.

Surprises Appear...

Sometimes odd things show up 

In my water garden

Like plumber's art

Blooming lilies

And pecan blooms

A new hidden statue

and a nice surprise left by Hubby.

Always a surprise around the water garden.

Cleaning The Junk Drawer...

Admit it.  We all have one.  You know the drawer where every thing goes that we don't want to put away or don't know what is.  Yep, that drawer!  In most of my homes, it has always been in the kitchen.  Here I have more than one.  There's one in the mill chest, one in the kitchen and one in my sitting area.

I've been working on one in the kitchen today.  Inherited from my parents added to by all of us, it was quite the drawer.  I wish I had thought to take pictures before I began but don't worry I have other drawers waiting for the camera.

The Drawer after two thirds is gone!

I neatly gathered all my empty plastic containers, labeled them, nails, screws, bolts, washers, brackets and water things...things that have to do with plumbing or repairing anything that carries water.  I always have one labeled Things I Do Not Know. These containers will be combined with or join the ones already carefully labeled in my tool-construction-things you always need-closet. 

It's not completed yet, too many interruptions, like laundry, dishes, feeding the guys, but I'm closer than I was.  I now have enough keys to be a janitor.  Who knows what they fit but I can snap them on my belt and feel important anytime I need an extra picker-upper.

The drawer next in line.