Five Plus Months Later

Five months post tornado, on my daily drive to the house, I check to look for progress as I turn the corners into the tornado stricken area. A new roof here, finally new windows replacing the wood-covered gaps in that house on the corner there, and pods popping up in front of homes that were left way too long for the repairs to begin, showing some positive changes. The starkness and brightness where there was shade and towering trees, still hits me hard. I can't get used to having to shade my eyes from the glaring sun. 

Parking and getting out of the car, especially very early in the morning or on a weekend when the trades aren't working away, I listen for familiar sounds. I heard my first bird the other day. Usually, by this time of year, we would hear a chorus of birds. Now, there was only one. There aren't trees and bushes for them to nest and live in right now. I hope they find their way back once trees are planted in the area.

When I stand still, mostly what I hear is flapping Tyvek which wraps most of the houses in our

immediate area. Some ripped apart because of the wind we had last week, and some fighting the wind from ripping it off and still trying to protect what's underneath. Rather than bird song, we hear a chorus of flapping plastic.

Our windows are in!  One huge step towards moving back. But the floors, well, that was an issue we didn't see coming. Once the protective covering came off the floors, a thick muffling cardboard, we discovered the floors were broken in a very inconvenient places when it comes to repairs.  Upstairs, floor splitting in the middle of one of the bedrooms had to be investigated, floors removed and then, finding another issue in the upstairs hall, one more problem to figure out. And, on top of it, a week or so later, smack in the middle of the base of the stairs, directly under the issue upstairs, there was a gap and broken floor there as well. So now the dilemma is trying to figure out what to do to restore and fix it all.

Another delay. 

The chief carpenter Jean is like a rock. He's wise, has great advice, figures out how to fix things that no one else can and makes sure all the work is done with care and skill. He's checks in with my stress level every day and makes sure, even when I don't ask the questions, that I know everything that needs to be done, what will be done and when and how so I have no concerns. He knows I hold my breath when I ask him what the status is, hoping there are no more surprises.

So I tick off everything that's been done. The list of repairs is getting smaller and smaller. 

The floors is a big issue, but that too will be figured out this week. And as the snow starts melting, we'll be comforted in knowing that soon the outside will be addressed as well and our home will be whole again.