March 27 – “Yard work”

Today we met the Midland team at our house at 8:00.  I figured we could get started on cutting down the two trees left in our front yard before Nathan got there with the trailer.  Our big task for the day was to empty our stuff out of Mom's garage and take it out to Teri's in Jamaica Beach.  She is letting us use two bays of her three car garage for storage.  She was an answer to prayer right when we needed one.   The trees didn't take as long as I thought they might.  They hooked them up to a chain and ripped them right out of the ground.  No more crepe myrtle.  No more salt cedar.  They attacked the stump of the big tree Nathan and I chopped down earlier.  Found out that the tree had grown around several concrete blocks.  They recommended that we hire that one out to the pros.  I think I agree.   When Nathan got there it took us two trips to empty out the garage.  We simply haven't had time to sort through the stuff that was already there that was Mom's.  Not to mention what Nathan and April have added to what Chris and I have put there.  That's a lot of stuff.    Back at the house, these guys were a flurry of activity.  Chris said they reminded her of a bunch of bees.  They raked our yard.  They cleaned out the flower beds.  They pulled out dead bushes.  They broke the water pipe – oops!  They fixed it right away.  They drained the hot tub and moved it back to where the flood waters moved it from.  They watched as the infamous Claw came by and picked up the uprooted trees.   They visited our neighbor's "suspended in time" museum house.    Their final task of the day was to join us in Omega Bay for some spaghetti and maybe a little fishing.  We didn't catch anything, but they enjoyed looking through our Ike books, watching the Ike powerpoint, and playing fetch with Scooter.  Tomorrow they'll help out at Seaside, do some yardwork at Kel's, and maybe get in a little sightseeing.   Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.  He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."   Father, thank you for green, growing things.  We'd sure like to see some more.  Amen.