We learned that thousands were without power. Having horses and animals, water was essential, so Mark brought home the generator and we ran it for a few hours. It was enough to fill waters, cool freezers, and refrigerators. Fortunately it wasn't crazy hot so the house stayed mildly cool. We were without power Monday and late Tuesday it was restored. Once again, we were the fortunate ones. Many across the state were without for days to weeks. Some communities without power had no water. I had friends who talked about going days and days without a shower, hot homes as the heat picked back up. They had to be creative with meals without power and no toilet flushing. Ugh!
Wednesday Mark and I drove around to see some of the damage along with delivering a couple meals to friends that had no power. I prepared some enchiladas and brought chips and salsa too. We took to a family in Boone and a family in Ames. The damage was something to see with so many fields of corn leveled, trees down, and homes damaged. It was like a war zone. The craziest were the grain bins and harvest stores. It took some serious wind to cause that kind of damage! Iowa did not make national news, people didn't make over it. It wasn't sad enough, there wasn't protests or rioters burning business. The media is so sad in where they put all the focus. Iowans came together and took care of each other.
Thursday my friend Jessica called and invited me last minute to come for a visit and have a girls sleepover. The get together was planned for Paula to pick up a new puppy, and to take a shower. Paula's home has been without power and water. She was anxious to get out of her house and take a shower. She also had been planning for months to get a puppy and surprise her daughter. She made the arrangements and decided with all that has been going on, now was the time to do it. Her family went through so much this summer, she needed a little joy. With COVID, storm damage, power outage, and her father's death, she has had a challenging year! Paula, Jess, and I have been close friends and continue to be there for one another. We have stayed in touch so much this year supporting one another through our video chats. Toady we all met at Jess's home and enjoyed a great meal from Jess and sat outside around the fire for hours. It was a perfect night as I saw without shoes in her soft green grassy yard. I paid for it by itching all night and the next several days. I must be highly allergic to bug bites. Pretty sure I had mosquitoes bites like the Minnesota trip all over again. It was so nice to hang with my girls and catch up. Even Jess's husband Mark sat with us awhile. The next morning, we drove in to pick up Paula's new puppy. Paula has never in all her life owned a pet, not even a fish. She was my neighbor growing up on a farm and her family had no pets, not one. I cannot even begin to imagine. So, this puppy experience was a whole new deal for her. She was so nervous, was overprepared with all her collars, leashes, toys and even bought a stuffed animal puppy that made heartbeat sounds. She asked us a million questions and was so funny when she first held the puppy. It was a small soft fluffy adorable pup, called a Havapoo. She named it Bacon and was surprising her daughter who had been saving her money for 8 years to buy her own puppy! I got to see the video when Paula's daughter met her puppy. She never really knew if her parents would ever let her get a puppy. She was in awe and tearing up, the boys were shocked as well and so happy. It was great to see them all happy and excited.
Sunday morning Mark went with his parents and the boys to visit Uncle Lavern. He had been in the hospital in Iowa City with heart problems. He had a stent put in, but had complications from swallowing a pill. The pill became lodged in his esophagus and remained there during surgery and burned his esophagus. Now he is having a hard time swallowing and eating and it will take some time to heal. He was staying with Kellie a few days before heading back home. I met Karla and took her to Keystone church in Ankeny. She recently moved to Ankeny with a new job and was asking me about churches. I knew Cornerstone had a plant there and told her about it. I told her I would take her when I got the chance, that was today. I was anticipating wearing a mask because both Cornerstone and Stonebridge require them. Not one single mask! Oh my heart! I was so full of joy even before I entered. I have felt suffocated this last week going to Ames and not being able to enter a single store without a mask. The city of Ames has recently mandated masks. Today I was free and in a church service for the first time since March 14. It was wonderful. We were seated front and center, which was totally awkward, but fine. The service was great, the music great, and the message awesome. It was a great message all about prayer , when we are talking to ourselves out loud or in our mind, hashing over our problems and thoughts, we need to take that to prayer. Instead of listening to yourself, simply pray. I loved everything about the church. I would like to take our family back and Karla again. After church we got some Chinese and ate at Karla's cute new apartment. We talked for hours about so many things. Her daughter Karley just got engaged and planned the wedding for March 2020 after only 4 months of dating. I can't believe another wedding and so soon. Torrie gets married next summer too. I think Chandler is getting married in 2021 as well. The weddings are just going to roll in though this family.
The day of the Derecho storm, our friends Dan & Angelia posted a live video of the storm happening from their house. It was a frightening video and I had not been able to get ahold of them after the storm. I tried all week before I finally got in touch. Living in Cedar Rapids, they lost power and cell phone reception. There was so much damage to the town it was like a war zone. My friend said it was indescribable, not a home that didn't have damage. Trees, power lines, debris lined every block in the town. People had no way of communicating, no phones, no internet, no power. I cannot imagine. Some couldn't even get to or from their homes. They had lots of stories to tell. They lost hundreds of trees in their heavily wooded backyard. We offered to come help with clean up, but they had lots of neighbors and help from the community.
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