Tornado Entry: 18

Tuesday morning I approached the church with a dull leaden feeling. I can feel burn-out happening. This feeling reminds me all too well how I lived through out 1997-1998. I was living with Joe waiting for the elusive transfer south. I was a mess: (not the good kind of mess!) It was in November 1997 I had Ron’s Cat Chloe put down. That traumatic event was like turning a switch. From that time on I just lived to work. Overtime was off the charts then and I was working 60+ hours a week. That period of time is very painful to look back on for me.

The dull, dead feeling is returning as I try to do all I can to help in the clean-up. I need to have time to take care of my life. There are stacks of mail to go through and projects of my mine to do. A second load of laundry is in the spin cycle as I type this out. I have not cleaned the bathrooms or run the vacuum in weeks. I’m taking a few days off to get my life in order and get a second wind.

Tuesday I had a huge team. We split up. I took three to do a quick clean-up and put Clay in charge of the other team. Like an idiot I had forgotten to write down the work location they were at. I told them to call me on my cell which never happened.

It was an easy raking job we went on. Stopped back to the trailers to get the location to meet back up with Clay’s team: They were on Hargrove Road right by the entrance to Hillcrest. Hillcrest was devastated by the tornado.

This home we are working on sustained a fair amount of damage. I would estimate it would be a borderline call if it can be saved or not. There were roofing and gable sections from the garage lying in the yard. We got to work with the crowbars and axes to break up the sections. Slow but sure progress was made.

I had to laugh, in the morning before we headed out one of the girls asked if she could have another tee shirt as the one she wore yesterday was dirty. The ladies in charge of the shirts naturally told her “NO!” This girl was relating the story on the site as to why she was not wearing her “official” tee shirt. I laughed and told her I was lucky to get my shirt washed once a week. She still did not get it.

We were supposed to have a chainsaw team join us to take down a fallen tree in the back. Clay and the boys were sawing their hearts out of that tree with pruning saws. A bobcat was working in the neighbors’ yard. This man operating the bobcat and his son came over and took care of the tree in short order. It is like watching a ballet witnessing these craftsmen at work.

Clay in the center and the “chainsaw man”.

It turned out the homeowner and I had numerous friends in common. I was so happy to see Rusty, our “Starbucks Friend” from the days when Debby and I would stop by the coffee shop in the Ferguson Center on Campus. I did not know he lived in Hillcrest. His home survived. Steve and Des, friends who live across the street from him were not so lucky. I ran the gas line to their kitchen stove when they remodeled back in 2004. I cried when I saw that beautiful house ripped open.

It is this roller coaster of emotions that is wearing me out. I almost seems absurd, but this is how progress is made a little bit at a time. I took this picture to try and convey how a bit of green can have an effect among the ruins. My crew did a fantastic job. I am so proud of the work they did.

My crew:

After turning in my paperwork I told the coordinators I was burning out and was not sure if I would show up or not on Wednesday. Joyce told me to take some time off. “We need you at your best” she said. These past few days have not been my best.