it's hard.

the following post isn't pretty...

it's dirty.

it's messy.

it's smelly.

it's hard to look at.

it's depressing.

it's overwhelming.

it's loss.

it's deconstruction.

it's overflowing.

it's overwhelming.

it's heart wrenching.

it's vulnerable.

it's scary.

it's homes torn apart.

and now threatened with mold.

it's life as we new it, torn apart.

it's uprooted.

it's strewn about.

and it's hard.

very hard. to see. to smell. and deal with.

and it's right down the street.

the waters have receded.

the clean up has begun

the healing has begun.

and the HELP has begun.

the people of Tennessee are pulling together.

this group of helpers were relieved and so grateful for the pizza and Gatorade my dear hubby donated today.

one homeowner said it "tasted so good to have something substantial to eat."

lots of hugs were shared.

volunteers are helping out.

after all, we are the

volunteer state.

and we will get through this together.

no matter how hard it is.

and

it

is hard.

i am very grateful for Anderson Cooper of CNN television for visiting River Plantation yesterday and sharing some of this turmoil with the world. I lived in this condo complex for 5 years when my kids were really little and my heart aches for the devastation here......

a foot note...i had very little damage to my own home. We are drying out our crawlspace and will have to tear out the soaked insulation surrounding the ducts, but that is NOTHING compared to the devastation nearby.

i thank you all so much for your kind and supportive comments. Before this storm, I found so much joy visiting pretty little blogs and gardening and decorating and painting in my studio, etc. that all seems so silly to me now.

right now, none of that matters to me.........

right now,

my neighbors matter.

pray for tennessee

"swamped" is putting it mildly.

we woke up sunday morning to a LAKE in the backyard,

5 feet of water in the crawlspace,

no electricity,

no land line,

no cell phone,

no internet,

and no way out.

my driveway.

my backyard .

my feet.

back entrance to my house.

my backyard.

my street.

my neighbors.

flooding across the street...

which swept away my neighbor's heat and air unit and left a gaping hole for the raging water to enter their house.

my neighbors back yard.

more neighbors.

garage damaged by water.

another back yard.

my grocery store parking lot.

jeep for sale...cheap.

empty shelves and no gasoline.

the sun is out today and we FINALLY have electricity and cable. which means contact with the outside world! we have been totally disconnected, except for blackberry rumors. my neighborhood, being surrounded by a flooded river has been an island. until today, with one traffic jammed way out.... we are now

a peninsula. woo hoo.

the clean up and damage assessment has begun.

a water logged vehicle.

and home...

observe how high the water level was on this house.

we have just begun to recede.

my home will be fine, some of my neighbors are suffering.

my heart hurts.

there is an eeriness here. everyone is reeling and only the forboding sound of rescue helicopters can be heard.

lowering water levels will reveal the damage

and

loss

of home

and pet

and family.

please pray.

thank you.

flooding in tennessee...

well, i am shell-shocked here in tennesee! our trip to memphis was canceled due to the rain of the century! over 15 inches of rain fell in 2 days. we headed to memphis, on saturday and drove for a white-knuckling, every muscle-in-my-body-tensed, hydroplaning, one hour nightmare.

until we could go no further, as the interstate became flooded in front of our eyes.

with rising water in front of us...

and to the side,

and cars piling up behind us with the impending threat of a multiple crash site...

i was on the edge of a clausterphobia attack and feeling literally sick.

my dear hubby made the quick decision to turn around and go the wrong way...

he wasn't the only one to do this.

and drive on the shoulder...

and up a ramp (going the wrong way remember)...

to get us, the heck out of there!

funny, how in extreme curcumstances, normal rules and laws can be broken.

i am curious as to how long those other travelers were stuck down there, if not washed away?! the next hour, we drove back home, through the same horrible storm we had just driven through. mu hubby and i agreeing we have NEVER ever driven through anything like this before!

on return, our neighborhood was already starting to flood.

this is my street with water over the road...

this was only the beginning.

may day

poor Bo

made to sit amidst the carpet of pink, spent cherry blossoms.

he's looking at me like,

seriously, are you kiddin me. do i look like THAT kind of dog?!

we are off to memphis for the weekend to see my daughter and son-in-law.

can't wait to see them.

also, can't wait to see some of my favorite musicians at the

beale street music festival.

john hiatt

alison kraus

leon russell

and

one of my favorite guitar players,

sonny landreth!

oh, yippie skippie!

in addition to all the lovely tunes that i have chosen for your listening pleasure here on my blog,

i also love me some

BLUES!!

oh yeh, baby, baby...

family

barbecue

and

the blues.

happy may day to me.