Labor Day was the calm before the storm. As this blog has already shared, the next morning we awoke to a tremendous windstorm that left our neighborhood looking like a warzone for weeks. I don't want to rehash all of that drama here. Suffice it to say that it was a pretty traumatic experience. Even though our own property suffered relatively little damage, it was the most extensive natural disaster I've ever experienced. We were humbled. The storm literally reshaped the face of our community. We were also inspired by the way neighbors came together to care for one another during these challenging times.
Here's West High School, before and after the beautiful trees came down.
The daycare playhouse didn't fare well. Reminds me of Oz.
The commotion surrounding the storm was really loud, but Annika snoozed through it all.
A few more fallen tree photos from around town. Sugarhouse Park.
The Salt Lake City cemetery.
A pretty little fruit tree on the corner of our block.
In truth, I think our whole family enjoyed pitching in to help with the cleanup. After feeling helpless during the storm, it was empowering to create order from the chaos. There's something about hard physical labor that helps you feel like you are making a difference. So bring on the branches!
I was less excited about Jason being high up a ladder with a chainsaw, but he survived and the trees look much better.
Camping has given us lots of good practice for life without electricity.
Shortly after the storm, Eli commented on how in 2020 we've had an earthquake, hurricane-level winds, and a pandemic. What else could happen? I told him not to ask. Sure enough, shortly after we noticed that the foothills behind our house were on fire.
Fortunately they were able to contain the blaze, but it was far too close for comfort. I took this picture of the scorched ground while running my regular route through Dry Canyon.
Despite the natural disasters and political unrest, we are still doing fine. The troubles aren't going away anytime soon, so our new mantra is to thrive, not just survive. This family is resilient.
1 comment:
Yes ... "Thrive, don't merely survive" the pandemic and related obstacles. I'm really grateful for your being so resilient in both body and mind.
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