Sorry for the exceptionally long delay in posting. I have lousy excuses other than the insanity of mentally getting through a disaster.
A few things have changed since last I posted…
Right now, I’m 32 weeks pregnant with our second daughter! We very much wanted to have another child, but I had a very hard time getting pregnant… needless to say, chlomid (an entry level fertility drug) and disaster recovery make for some interesting mood swings.
Eleanor Edna is due August 29… but as I will likely have a repeat c-section, she will probably come a week earlier. And, the first anniversary of the fire is Sept. 4, so apparently we decided to have as much change in one year as possible.
We also got a new kitty in November. A calico named Ruby. She turned 1 around June…
We also got a new house. But, as people were asking what it looked like here before, I am doing a series of pictures below. From before, right after, during and now…
March 2009, the day we moved in. Rosie was 8 months old then.
This is spring 2011 I think.
Fall 2010.
September 2011
And then, today. the new house, which is currently in the process of being painted by volunteers.
The new house was built by a group called Christian Aid Ministries, which is a cooalition of Mennonite and Amish volunteers who go to disaster areas and help. We paid for materials, Russ did a LOT of the labor, but they did 3/4 or so of the house building, the stuff that was beyond our tool and capacity set.
The carport has been taken down, Russ will put it on the left where the car will park eventually. The shed will be pulled to behind the house. The RV sold. And we still have a lot to do after that.
There’s a lot more sunlight than before. A lot fewer trees… we’re slowly planting back trees and Russ had planted annual rye grass to stabilize the soil over the winter. He’s since planted tall native grasses around the perimeter – we’re not used to being so exposed and are wanting some privacy back.
Officials say it will be 60-100 years before the trees return to what they were. Maybe Rosie and Eleanor will get a chance to see it.
I really hope to be posting more now that I’ve braved it all again. My stress is getting less, with each step towards normal that we take. I have even started sewing again this week! More later… thanks for stopping by.
