So...I'm at work last night when a
little rain TYPHOON of a thunderstorm came through central Indiana. Normally in my office we can't hear the weather outside unless, that is, it is bad. Well folks, it was bad. Bad enough to wake my wife and kid around 0500 railroad standard time and to send me a text a half an hour later to tell me that our power was out at home. Anything that wakes my wife before 0700 must be bad. This was it. The storm knocked out power, caused wrecks and woke my wife up. It must've been stormageddon...
I didn't reply to the text as I was sure my wife and minion were back to sleep, waiting on the power to be returned to the kingdom at home before I got there.
I arrived at our humble abode around 0730 after a scenic drive of fallen trees, firetrucks and folks up early to make sure there homes were intact. I did the same. I pulled in the drive, looked around the front and side of the house, then slipped in the door awaiting a 45 minute nap before whisking the fam off to church. (We usually go on Saturdays to avoid massive crowds within our awesome sanctuary, but after an upset tummy and Barfageddon '12 at a Greenwood Mexican restaurant hindered our plans we decided to hit the 0915 service instead) ((and we did tip the staff well after said incident))
I came upstairs in the dark and laid down for a tiny rest as my wife rose to our bathroom to get all purdied up before service when I heard the following words, "Um...honey...you need to come here right now."
I thought that the previous night's monsoon may have blown water into the minor seems in the window...but our windows are relatively new and have never let in anything other than sunlight. I walked into our master bath and peered out our window that usually overlooks our backyard and the beautiful, lush and giant maple tree that shades the backside of our house. This would be the same backside that I didn't even think of checking when I pulled in the drive.
Well, instead of seeing our back yard, all I saw were leaves and branches of our maple tree against the house. I immediately ran downstairs to the back deck what I saw was this...
That is around 100 years or so of maple tree taking a nap on top our house, barn and deck. 100 years and tons of wood leaning against all that kept my family safe through the storm. I was shocked...or at least could have been had I gotten any closer as my power line was laying underneath all of the branches on top of my deck.
The power company was called immediately. They showed up within the hour, cut the lines and told us that power couldn't be restored until the tree was removed. I was in a pickle here. My chainsaw doesn't work anymore and the tree was
too big for one man, ginormous FRIGGIN' HUGE!!! Then I remembered one thing...rednecks and chainsaws.
I made a call to my Dad and my brothers. About an hour and a half later I had 6 strapping men (Daddy, brothers and their kids) at our door armed with chainsaws and an excavator ready to unbury our home from something Paul Bunyon would probably flinch at.
After about 8 hours and alot of sweaty labor the tree was cut up and removed from our home. Power was restored and I am now typing gleefully as I watch television. (Okay, it's the ROKU, but that's because the satellite dish fell victim to the maple massacre...DirecTV dude comes tomorrow)
I am happy the tree is off my house and barn. I am exstatic that we have power back on at the Casa de Goode. But I am most humbled and honored to be of a family that comes rushing in to help one another by just one phone call. Maybe it was the challenge to see who could clear more wood faster, maybe it was the fun of using chainsaws and machines...I think it was an opportunity to show each other that above all else, family love has no limits, or as one of my brothers but it, "Family sticks by family." Their Sunday morning was interrupted when I needed help. Nobody flinched when I called them. They all had plans, yet shut them down for me, my wife and our kid. Each phone call I made was met by "What do you need? and "I'll be right there". I can't tell you how that makes me feel. Proud, overwhelmed...loved.
Thank you Daddy, Tom, Joe, Taylor, Logan and Johnathon. Without your help today I would probably still be standing outside wondering how to get that tree away from our house and power back on to keep the A/C running on such a hot and humid day like this one.
Helen Keller said "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Today we did so much. We cut and cleared a tree and its mess. We got our power back. Best of all we worked together as a family and a team. I couldn't be more grateful.
The damage to the house and barn will be taken care of. The memory of my kin coming to the need of my family will never be forgotten.
And a special thanks to my
wife for making calls to utility companies and making such an awesome lunch. There were many happy and full bellies today. Thank you for keeping us all going.
And thank you, Lord, for keeping my my girls safe while I was workin' on the railroad all the live-long night....
