Saturday, January 31, 2009

While George Worked



I did this. It was 60 degrees today. I like this much better than ice falling on our heads.

Tomorrow George will be 62. I am going to buy him a new battery for his red truck for his birthday. It was my red truck and the white one was his until the red one broke. Now the white one is mine and the red one is his. If he gets it fixed, I may trade back.

Helen's brother




The one on the bottom is mine, and the first one is Clayton's. It is really the second one Clayton bought. He went to Meek's Lumber in Berryville and got a generator yesterday morning. When he got home and started it up, it started but did not produce any power. He called Meek's Lumber and they told him to call the 1-800 number. That was only a recording telling him how to start it. Then he got a number for their nearest service center which was in Neosho, MO. There he got an old country boy that said they had probably forgot to connect something on the inside when they made it and yes he could fix it, but if it was him he would take it back where he got it. Clayton took it back to Meeks Lumber. They told him to call the 1-800 number. Clayton called them a few names. While they were discussing this in load tones, Clayton saw several people from work waiting. He told them he hoped they were not there to by generators because they did not work and Meeks would not stand behind their product. Clayton and the Meeks man went outside still arguring. There in the lot was a whole truck load of generators Meeks was wanting to sell to unsuspecting people like Clayton. Meeks said he did not want Clayton to go away mad. Clayton told him he was not mad he was pissed and he was not going away. He was going across the hyway and parking his truck with the generator in the back and he was putting a big sign on the generator saying don't buy one of these, they do not work. Clayton came home with a different, working generator. He is Helen's brother.

Help arrived









He said he was coming down to help clean the yard, but he spent nearly the whole day making donuts.

Clean up day


George got nearly all the broken branches out of the yard. It looks a lot better now and nearly all the snow is gone.
Tyson did not work today afterall. I know that is what the radio said this morning. But, Green Forest still does not have electricity tonight. They are saying they think it will be back on later tonight and Tyson will work tomorrow. Not me.
Patsy has power tonight so I guess she is reading all the news on the net.

The Calvary


Snow Birds











Update

Green Forest has electricity today, so Tyson is working, but I do not do Saturdays so Brother has to go by himself. All those export letters that backed up all week will be taken care of and caught up by Monday when I go back. And, Janet will go in this afternoon so Patsy will have some peace.

It is supposed to get up close to 60 degrees today, so all the rest of the ice will be gone. And, Patsy said she saw Carroll Electric worker out in the fields looking at the polls and lines. Maybe she will have power back by tomorrow, if not today.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Snow almost gone, still no electric


No electric at Green Forest at all, so no work for me and Clayton till Monday. I bet we don't have electricity out here for another week. In many areas many people that had their electricity back on lost it again today because of falling ice.
Obama says we are a disaster. Patsy called George yesterday and said Obama was handing out free MRE's and free water at Harrison and could he go get us some. He said Hell No. Today she said they were over here somewhere in Carroll Co. but he still said no. He said after she had two bites she would not want any more.
Oh, yes, and Clayton bought a generator. He can run his TV, fridge and microwave at least. Kathy is pleased. I think Clayton was just pleased to have hot coffee from the camp stove.
The library will be open for a few hours tomorrow, so I may go get some books to read.
The libraries do not have electricity, but they are going to be open so people can get books.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

A frist



George has two chain saws but neither one was working yesterday. I told him today, just bring it in the house and work on it. Usually, I would make him build a fire in the shop, but I am thinking he may need the saw again to get to town to get gas for the machine that powers my computer and TV. He had it working in about 5 minutes. And, there are broken tree limbs all over my yard.

We took Clayton our little coleman camp stove so he can make coffee and cook a burger if he wants now. It is a little 3 burner camp stove, but it works pretty good. He could even fry bacon and eggs if he wanted to. Then I took him my little coffee pot, like the ones we had when I was a kid except it is only about 4 cups instead of 12 like Daddy always had to have. At least he can have a little hot food now.

For Junior



Want to go for a spin?


This is a picture of the hill out towards Dan's taken from the pond. I went down to make sure the horses had water, which they did. The horses are standing under that dead tree in the foreground.


See, a close up of the horses. I was down at the pond when I took this.




The pond taken from just inside the gate by my mailbox.





Green Forest, Springfield street just before you get to main street there by Exxon. See the water tower in the background and the leaning utility poll?

Today's News







I ventured out today for the first time since Monday. George drove us over to Walmart and I got some groceries. Yesterday I sent him and he got only what was on the list. I wanted more.
On the way back, there was a bad accident somewhere around Powell's Onestop and we had to turn around and take the cutoff over to Cisco Road near Patsy's. The last two photos above, are somewhere over near Patsy's house. The first two are coming down Meek Hill.
Patsy called. Sammy went to Berryville and got her a regular phone so we can call and pester her now. She said she is doing fine, but she is having computer withdrawal pains. She may have Janet drive her down here so she can use my computer.
I think it will be next week before we get power back. There are polls down and lines down in all the back areas, but Green Forest and Berryville have power in town. The main roads are clear, but the back roads are still bad. My thermometer says 33 degrees right now. Yesterday, when you went outside you could hear a tree crack and fall every 10 minutes or so, but I am not hearing so many today. It is really melting off the house. We have our satalite TV back now. It was not working until about an hour ago. I thought maybe something had broken out by the dish, but George said it was probably a power problem. I thought he was wrong, but it came back on so maybe he was right.
We did not work again today. I may not go in even if they work tomorrow. Now that it is a little warmer, I am enjoying this time off.



Wednesday, January 28, 2009

And more














The little boys has coveralls just like the big boys, but I guess he spent most of the time in the truck. Anyway, he had a great time and thought he was a big boy.
Clayton I guess is glad to get a way out, becasue he has electric cook stove. It does not work very well today. At least his house was warm.
I have heated water for a little bath and I am eating left overs for supper.
George called Kelly. He has and electric stove and his own well, so he does not even have water. I think he heats with wood so he should be warm.
No work at Tyson again tomorrow. I may go down the road with George tomorrow and see what I can see.

Working on the road









The little boy went with them, but the girl stayed with grandma. That is Darren Marr in the bucket, and the young boys are his sons. It took George about an hour and a half to clear the road down to Marrs and then it took them another 2 and a half hours to get to the top of Meek hill. Then, after clearing the road, he took Greg, Jackie and the kids home and went to Walmart for groceries.
And helen, the three babies are Hannah, Robert and the computer.

My three babies




WE moved the computer in the living room so the kids could watch DVD's on it. I only have one player and it is not working. And, helen, I am not cleaning. I think I will go cook the meatloaf and pototoes tho.
Does anyone have Janet or Kathy's cell numbers? I did, but can not find them now.


View from my back door




Cause the windows are so frosted over you can not see out them. Stuff has quit fallign on our heads but it is 24 degrees now. It is supposed to get around 30 or so today. Power is out all over the place.
George and Greg tried to get out around 3 pm yesterday and there were many trees in the road just past Dan's. They are going back now with the tractor, Daren and Craig Marr and a couple of chain saws. If they make it out, I think they will have to go to Walmart in Berryville to get supplies and gas becasue I think all the stores in Green Forest lost power.
It is warm and we have coffee, water and food. We will be fine. The babies may run out of clean clothes, but we can wash them out in the sink. The rest of us can just ware what we wore the day before.
Janet called on her cell phone but could only stay connected a few seconds. I am guessing her batery is about out of power. Maybe Patsy will think to tell her to go out and start the car and charge the phone.
I think we may be out of power for several more days.


Tuesday, January 27, 2009

More Pictures of ice
















How are you? We are fine...








We have the welder hooked up and are running the TV, the fridge and a couple of lights and the computer. Our little wall heater is keeping the whole house warm. It is around 32 right now but is going to get really cold tonight. It has rained and iced all day. Trees are crashing down all around us, but none are close enough to the house to hit it.
I think power is off over most of the county with lines down everywhere. We are warm and cozy here. I talked to Patsy around noon and she was doing fine.


Ice drops are falling from the sky...



So I just did me some talkin' to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
Sleepin' on the job
Those icedrops are fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'