The kitchen is open...

Whew!

Boy, did we have some VIOLENT storms come through last Friday night!

Personally, we had power most of the time,

but neighbors and friends did not.  

Our personal hardship is

no Internet/telephone/cable

during this SCORCHING HEAT...

(I stopped at a wifi hot-spot today on the way to town to check email and blog.

The last news that I heard was it could be expected back by the weekend.)

Many neighbors still do not have power,

and have not had it since last Friday p.m.

Our house lights were like

beacons in the storm,

as we became the

neighborhood B&B/laundromat/air conditioned stop-in place.

And if roles were reversed,

I know they would have done the same.

I love my neighbors!!!

But, truth be told,

I was glad to go back to work at

the LQS on Tuesday

where my work was not cook, laundress, or bed changer :).

Can you tell from this pic

what Sweetie got to do for his b-day (and for the next 4 days straight)?

Yep, he was wood cutter, extraordinaire!

This was the place on the front porch

where he paused to take off his work boots

after clearing storm-downed trees.

I love this pic!

Oxymoronic -

as it looks serene

with the boots on the deck beside a rocking chair,

but the little wood chips all around

tell the NOT serene story of hard labor and sweat

in the aftermath of the violent storm

of downed trees and wind damage.

So,

back to the heat and humidity -

and the removal of storm debris.

We are getting ready to host

the Paternal Family Reunion this weekend,

and I have stuff to do

that wasn't included in the original plan of getting ready!

But I wanted to make sure I checked in on my Blog Friends,

and to say

a big THANKS to all of those

workers from all around the U.S.

that have come to our aid...

THANKS Power and Utility workers!!!

We appreciate your help and long hours.

And if you need,

stop in for a cold glass of water,

some air conditioning

and a hot meal

at a table with a chair,

not on the blacktop in a grocery parking lot,

sitting against your work truck!