Days Spinning Like the Tornado
It's 8 months later and we're finally back home. It's still a whirlwind of activity. We're living with boxes, but each one that I unpack brings back memories all their own. Some things to keep and others to give away to someone who might need them. All in all, it seems as if the last 8 months have been suspended in time while flying by in a blink — kind of like the tornado did.
There's a lot to get used to. Everything inside has been fixed for the most part and the outside is getting there too, but it's like moving into a different home. We're still looking for things that are packed away somewhere in some box. I know we'll find them eventually. There isn't a day that goes by where I'm not coordinating with the contractors, tree people, stone people, electricians and all the rest. The moment I get into the car to get to work is when there are requests to schedule and full days are devoted to booking as many people as I can to come and do work on the same day. It's a revolving door.
What's fascinating to me is when people find out we just moved back in and ask, "When was that tornado? Wasn't it last year some time?" where I realise how much I've been caught up in a time warp. I know I've disconnected from many of my friends as, by the end of the day, I just need quiet time where there is no hammering, beeps from machines whirring of saws and tornado-centric conversations.
But every day brings progress. Yesterday the electrician finished fixing the outlets and the last of the switch plate covers were put on the wall in the kitchen. I loved making them; another way to personalise the kitchen.
The last of the tree stumps were ground and removed. A HUGE thank you to James and crew from Carty Tree Removal. He was there for the community right after the tornado and is still there for us now that we're in rebuild and clean-up mode. He is the best of the best!
And we got lights on the outside of the house and our first tree thanks to Trees in Trust from the City of Ottawa! It's tiny compared to the one it's replacing but it will grow and thrive. We'll see to that! Next week some more are coming to be planted and soon after the larger ones will arrive and give us some privacy again. Once that is done, we'll get a fence, have the lawn scraped to get rid of all the nails, screws, glass and metal that have become embedded in the ground over the last 8 months and so new grass can be planted and grow.
I know we'll settle in. One day at a time. My mantra. Somehow, I think that once the work is all done, the silence will be deafening but something I so look forward to! But the best part of all is going outside and seeing our neighbours, supporting each other through the work and just giving and receiving a hug. Our community is coming back, slowly but surely. That's knowing we're home.
There's a lot to get used to. Everything inside has been fixed for the most part and the outside is getting there too, but it's like moving into a different home. We're still looking for things that are packed away somewhere in some box. I know we'll find them eventually. There isn't a day that goes by where I'm not coordinating with the contractors, tree people, stone people, electricians and all the rest. The moment I get into the car to get to work is when there are requests to schedule and full days are devoted to booking as many people as I can to come and do work on the same day. It's a revolving door.
What's fascinating to me is when people find out we just moved back in and ask, "When was that tornado? Wasn't it last year some time?" where I realise how much I've been caught up in a time warp. I know I've disconnected from many of my friends as, by the end of the day, I just need quiet time where there is no hammering, beeps from machines whirring of saws and tornado-centric conversations.
But every day brings progress. Yesterday the electrician finished fixing the outlets and the last of the switch plate covers were put on the wall in the kitchen. I loved making them; another way to personalise the kitchen.The last of the tree stumps were ground and removed. A HUGE thank you to James and crew from Carty Tree Removal. He was there for the community right after the tornado and is still there for us now that we're in rebuild and clean-up mode. He is the best of the best!
And we got lights on the outside of the house and our first tree thanks to Trees in Trust from the City of Ottawa! It's tiny compared to the one it's replacing but it will grow and thrive. We'll see to that! Next week some more are coming to be planted and soon after the larger ones will arrive and give us some privacy again. Once that is done, we'll get a fence, have the lawn scraped to get rid of all the nails, screws, glass and metal that have become embedded in the ground over the last 8 months and so new grass can be planted and grow.
I know we'll settle in. One day at a time. My mantra. Somehow, I think that once the work is all done, the silence will be deafening but something I so look forward to! But the best part of all is going outside and seeing our neighbours, supporting each other through the work and just giving and receiving a hug. Our community is coming back, slowly but surely. That's knowing we're home.
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