Who Was Listening In?

As I was writing my last post of the old year, it was almost as if Fate itself was reading over my shoulder.

I'd been lamenting the lack of progress at This D*mn House during 2010. Less than an hour after I'd posted, my cell phone rang. When I flipped my phone open and saw the Caller ID I could barely contain myself. "Nicole?" the voice questioned. I confirmed it was me. "Well, hi there. Happy New Year! Just wanted to let you know that I was still alive."

It was none other than my favorite DIY partner, my project partner in crime, LAWRENCE!!! If it was possible to hug someone through the telephone wires, I'm afraid poor Lawrence would have been crushed.

While I was on the phone with Lawrence, I heard a loud conversation. I assumed it was our next-door neighbor who is now practically deaf on top of his many other ailments. And, I was on the phone, a phone which was covering my good ear. (I have about a 60 percent hearing loss in the other ear, thanks to scar tissue from constant childhood ear infections.)

But then I started hearing a siren. The voice I'd heard wasn't the neighbor. It was the emergency warning system going off. We were under a tornado warning! (I had mentioned in my last post that we might be in for some bad weather.) I wrapped up my conversation with Lawrence, with the promise that we'll be getting together again soon (YAY!!!)

Luckily, the tornado warning was just that for us, a warning. But many families throughout Missouri (including St. Louis' north city and south county) are starting 2011 homeless. I feel so bad for them.

The good news is, that at least in the St. Louis area, no one was killed or even seriously injured. God bless all those in other parts of Missouri and in Arkansas who did lose loved ones. (And Karen, I'm SO glad you commented! I was worried about you.)

So, watching all the destruction kind of tempered my exaltation over hearing from Lawrence. But, in interview after interview, people were grateful to have survived. It really is life-affirming to see people be so grateful when they've lost so much.

The upside is that Lawrence is back on the scene. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. The mother is thrilled, too.

What this means is that 2011 will be seeing some things get done around This D*mn House. So, the year is already getting off to a great start!