LABOR DAY WINDSTORM CLEAN-UP

Farmhouse -- late summer

JoAnn Fabrics announced this morning that it’s officially the Halloween season. They ought to know.

The big limb that snapped off the maple tree yesterday just hung in the tree for several hours, and Mike worried about how we’d get it down. Milo and Clint had been with us Sunday afternoon, but of course, they had both left by the time the storm hit. “The help left,” said Mike. But with more wind, the limb eventually dropped to the ground. Problem solved.

As of yesterday afternoon, two wildfires are burning in the region on the south side of the Clearwater River along Hwy 12. The one to the east of us between Orofino and Greer is pouring smoke into our neighborhood, darkening the sun and giving our world an eerie appearance.

It was chilly last night, so I put on my winter pajamas with fleece robe and warm slippers. Then I covered up with the afghan I’m making, accidentally flipping the crochet hook onto the floor. I had to find it because I didn’t remember what size it was. We didn’t find it in its resting place under the sofa until this morning. One thing leads to another. We got the vacuum, pulled the sofa out, and cleaned under and behind it. This is notable because it needed to be done and I did it.

Then the two of us worked to clean up the front yard. Mike hauled three loads of limbs, twigs, and leaves to the burn pile in the 4-wheeler trailer and then cut the larger limbs for firewood, which he stacked at the woodshed. I also cut back the hollyhocks and included those stalks in a load for the burn pile.  

Bess' old pillow blew into the yard

We congratulated ourselves with all we accomplished. We found the crochet hook, cleaned the living room floor, made firewood of the maple limbs, cleaned the debris in the front yard, and cut back the hollyhock stalks. And it wasn’t yet 10:00 a.m. KW