Coping with the Aftermath

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Coping with life's unexpected struggles and calamities should almost be a welcome part of living.


First it teaches that we are not in control.
Then it shows us exactly what kind of a sap we are by believing we have it all figured out.
When an upheaval disturbs our comfort we have choices to make. We can either whine and complain, or we can rig, improvise, engineer, contrive or cobble together a temporary solution. After all, we are Americans.


Being able to live in a country where we have the freedom to invent and expand our ingenuity is a blessing. Just think of the billions of people around the world that have been stifled so long by oppressive governments that their willingness to improve is replaced by dependency.


I'm deeply encouraged by the generosity and willingness of neighbors, friends and family to help one another during these last suffocating days. The power outage and oppressive heat has truly brought out the American spirit. We are a compassionate people, and I'm sure an improvising bunch as well.


Before the heat struck, Carol's blooms stood tall and glorious.

Then the power failure. Just like all our wimpy friends we "suffered" without air conditioning. We packed up the frozen stuff and dragged it to the cabin which reportedly had power.

Once settled in and in bed for the night, a vicious lightning storm hit the area. We got sapped. No power. After a day of borrowing a neighbor's generator, we dragged all our food back to Bedford, which had restored power.

While in Floyd, we toasted our waffles on the grill and brewed our coffee directly into our cups.

Then for sure, before heading back to Bedford with bags full of frozen food, I had to take a dip.

Ahhhhhhh . . . .
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