Ode to the Lilacs and Trees

When Gabe was young and lived here, I would find him lying on an area where 3 lilac branches formed a hammock just his size. He called it "my resting place". Over the past 22 winters, I have fed many birds that have nested in my huge maple tree and lilac "forest". I am so thankful for the shelter and shade these magnificent living things have provided for birds, even squirrels, my family, pets and me over the years. I know I had hummingbirds, goldfinch, many woodpeckers, robins, sparrows, and orioles who would perch on the branches within my sight. Early this spring, a tiny goldfinch left its nest too early. It kept trying to hop into the highway, so I picked it up over & over again in gloved hands and brought it back to its anxious parents in the backyard. I eventually placed it near them, prayed it would either learn to fly back up to them or at least be safe, and I went back inside. I hope it is in the flock of goldfinch which has been scolding everyone who comes to take away pieces of their former home. My yard will now be sunny. My entire roof will not be shaded from the hot summer sun but will gain solar heat in the winter. The tree stump is gone and I now have an area where cars can safely turn around before heading back onto the highway. It is a change. Change is inevitable, and I will adjust again, and pray the birds find shelter in the big sugar maple which remains to the side of my backyard. I found at least 20 Lilac "shoots" coming out of the ground around the lilac "tree" (over 25 feet high!) which was cut down. I found 4 clumps of Trumpet Vine around the garage pad. Life is coming back to my yard. Different shapes, less shade for now. I still have my bird feeders and there will be food for winged creatures in my yard again this winter!

First Blog entry: background and FIRE of 2013

I have so often been told I should write a book...!  Well, I'm not a novelist, but I do enjoy writing, so a recent suggestion to write a blog intrigues me.  Here goes: my first blog entry:

I'm a single woman, have 3 very successful grown children and 5 marvelous grandchildren. I became a Registered Nurse in the 1990's and am now a Hospice nurse.  This year I passed the National Board Certification for Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses (CHPN).  I believe I was created to be a nurse and I love it!  Frequently I see people at their absolute worst - and at their absolute best - sometimes at the same visit.  I learn from my patients and their families and I teach them and guide them through unfamiliar paths.

I am passionate about outdoor activities including Kayaking, Biking, Skiing (X-Country) and Rollerblading, hiking, swimming, gardening, feeding and watching wild birds and raising my 2 rescued dogs Cookie and Rosa.  I also have a cat whom the vet said was a girl kitty, so I had Kate spayed, only to discover after they opened "her" tummy that she's a neutered Male!  Kat often gives me nasty looks when cleaning his tummy where I can still see the tell-tale signs of a healed "hysterectomy" incision along his midline :-) He sleeps with my 2 little dogs - they are all great pals.

2013 has been a memorable year already: In January my son turned 40 and I celebrated with him and his family at their home in Las Vegas.  We hiked through Red Rock Canyon one afternoon and were blessed with fresh air and the most beautiful scenery!  We saw Cirque du Soleil, ate fantastic foods at home and at restaurants. It was a great time. In March 2013 I drove through a blizzard that shut down I-69 to pass my national CHPN exam.  

Around midnight-1:00 AM on Mon. August 12, 2013, my garage caught fire.  It burned completely to the ground with my car holding all my hospice nurse equipment inside.  After the fire department left and the sun came up, I found the remnants of my 2 greenhouses, 2 kayaks and kayak trailer which I built from a Malone Kit in 2009, the front fork and wheel spokes of my bicycle, bike carrier for the car, melted record collection, eBay items stored on plastic shelving units (the plastic melted into everything) my travel dog kennel and play yard... basically all my fun toys and tools for maintaining my home & yards. 

Just a couple weeks earlier I had decided to join Weight-Watchers online to lose 15-20 pounds.  In the week following the fire I lost 17 pounds.  It was very difficult to sleep and impossible to eat.  As a nurse I understand the importance of good nutrition and kept trying to find something tasty.  On Thursday I had an appointment at University of Michigan Pain Clinic so my first priority was getting transportation.  I was not able to rent a car in Jackson County that week as all available rental cars were reserved for a race scheduled at Michigan International Speedway the following weekend, so I rented a U-haul van -- did I say I'm resourceful?  The van was handy for taking 400 pounds of steel which I sorted out of the wreckage and took to metal recycling. I fully intended to drive it to Ann Arbor, but a wonderful man from my church who owns a Car Dealership dropped off a Chrysler Sebring on Wednesday night and gave me the key.  He said to drive it as long as I need it and if I decide I want it, he would give me a deal. With the stress of the fire & clean up, etc., no phone or Internet service, I trusted God and that weekend I purchased this car at a great price.  It is so comfortable and perfect for me: I have no second thoughts -- one less thing to worry about!

My Progressive car insurance representative was great. They totaled the car and paid its current value, but I stilled owed ~$4,500 above that. 

Through many phone calls and a visit to my Employee Assistance Plan counselor, I drew up an action plan: 

Get a dumpster delivered

Find some handymen to help with heavy lifting. 

Get reliable transportation (see above)

Follow through at Pain Clinic

Sort out metals for recycling.  

Recover anything usable (this WAS an unrealistic goal made before I started sifting through the residue.)

Remove 2-5 inches of soil around the old garage pad which contained hazardous waste from fire extinguishing chemicals.  

Cut down 2 trees which were burned by the fire - the walnut tree approx 6 feet behind the garage which was completely burned except a few main branches and the huge maple in my yard - about 1/3 of it was burned - the forestry expert said if we removed only the burned branches, the remainder which hangs over my house would be unstable. If I didn't want the tree to come down on my house with snowfall this winter, it needed to come down.  Consumers Power Company's Forester bid $1,000 to cut it down, but they would not grind the stump or remove any of the wood.  My goodness, it is 60-80 feet high and about 18 feet around!  I found another tree service to cut it down, take it away and grind the stump for a little more.

Put up fences between my yard & neighbors - this has been complicated - we have to wait until the trees are taken down because nobody wants to put up a fence only to have another tree limb take out a section or more.  

Build a new garage

Decide which "toys" will be replaced and which hobbies I will give up or rent equipment as needed

I just discovered a blog is an opportunity for reminiscing; and in that process, wounds I thought were well on the way to healing have seemingly opened up.  I shall take a day or two to let this settle, and will update as time allows.  

Meanwhile, the sun is trying to peek through the clouds, my dogs want to go for a walk, and when the grass dries, it wants to be trimmed again (with the new mower I bought the week after the fire).  Thanks for your interest and we'll "blog" soon :-)  Have a great day!