Rain makes Green Grass

BY SKEETER

We have had our share of rain in my GEORGIA GARDENS the past few weeks. So much so that Clarks Hill/Strom Thurmond Dam had to be opened to control the flooding. The Saint and I drove out to the dam to check it out as we have never seen all the locks open at one time. It was an impressive sight. I could not get my video to load so sorry you cannot see it for yourself. Must settle for this photo of the Saint instead.

We also drove over to the Augusta Canal Head-gates on the Savannah River. The water was almost to the top of the gates as you can see in this photo.

 The Gate House was open for visitors to see the operation in action. Again, I had a video but could not get it to load.

 This was the second time we had been inside the gatehouse as we were there the day they opened it after a complete renovation. Can you see the Love Locks on the fence? Click HERE to learn about Love Locks.

 I had never heard of Love Locks until the story of the Bridge in Paris. Click HERE to hear about the removal of the Love Locks.

I enjoyed seeing some of the neat locks.

 I have never seen the Savannah River so full of water in the 15 years we have called this place home.

The water in the canal was almost up to the wall of the old dam and locks.

 We spotted this otter having the best time diving for lunch. It was not bothered by us due to being so busy.

All this rain has been good for our Winter Rye Grass. As you can see, it is very happy and bright green.

I have not cared for all of this massive rain fall but RAIN MAKES GREEN GRASS, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Happy to SAD

By Skeeter:Life gave my family a major Blow last year. On May 3, 2010 their Tennessee home was flooded. I left my Georgia Gardens often during the year to help with whatever my parents needed.
This is the mess that Mother Nature left in the Great room of the house.
I am happy to say that back in October 2010 (on my last visit home to Tennessee), this is what I found! A beautiful new Great room ready for family gatherings.
This was the Flooded view from the other end of this room.
Here was that view on October 2010.
The kitchen was a total flooded mess.
Here is the Kitchen on October 2010.
Red Clay mud after the flood in the bathroom.
A beautiful Bathroom now!
The first thing back into the newly renovated house were the plants! Some plants spent the 6 months on the back porch during the construction. My parents were able to maintain them during their daily visits to the house. Some plants went missing for a while. They were discovered in a neighbors basement which had been taking care of them all summer long. Thank goodness for wonderful neighbors!
I put in long hours for 2 weeks helping them get settled into their new home. This golden Bald Cypress tree brought me back to life each morning outside my Window after a tiring day before.

It was a Happy Time helping my parents move back into their home...

The first of the Year, I became sad again from what I believe to be a major case of SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder. I usually get the Winter Blues but nothing like this year. I have a lot of the symptoms of SAD such as: Not wanting to get out of Bed, Craving Comforts foods, Lack of energy and I cannot seem to complete started tasks. I have not even wanted to Blog and I love writing and talking as you all well know. Ha ha.... There is no real cure for SAD but I am trying to get my groove back by forcing myself to Blog. I had some Happy things to share with you and hopefully, this will help me to get over this funk. So Bare with me on Blogging and commenting...

I know that spring is around the corner because I spotted Daffodils popping up and hopefully, I will be over this for good when Spring gets closer. If you wondered why I have been missing lately, I guess you can say that I have gone from HAPPY TO SAD, In the Garden....


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Life after the Flood

By Skeeter I once again left my Georgia Gardens for an unexpected trip to Tennessee to be with my family. It is becoming a bit tiresome to tell of our trying year but such is life at times. It is how we deal with these moments that make us who we are and stronger people from our trails and tribulations known as life...

What was to be a normal Same Day Surgery for Gall Bladder removal, turned sour for my father. He ended up in the hospital for 4 days thus my unplanned trip home. We were on the edge of our seats for a while but things are back on track.

The positive side of being home, I was able to check out the progress of their house renovations from the May Floods. (Click HERE to view that Blog) The kitchen is coming together with a new floor, new dry wall, paint and new cabinets in place. The counter tops were under construction as of this photo being snapped. Wood Flooring and paint colors the wall of the bedrooms.
The Guest Bathroom has a new tub and tiles in place. I can hardly wait to try out that tub!
A custom seat to make showering more easy on replaced hips.
Bathroom vanity's are in place while the tops are being constructed.
New panel doors are throughout the house replacing outdated dark stained doors.
The Great room is much brighter now with lighter wall color and wood floors that should be sealed by the time of posting today. I am crossing my fingers that they will be back in their house within a few weeks. Looking out the Great room, one use to see a beautiful Glass Green House surrounded by a manicured garden.
The Floods damaged the glass Green House to the extend of removal. Money will be the factor in what will go here in the future. Imagine my parents surprise when they discovered this little garden popping up this summer!
By the time I saw this garden, it was starting to play out with the summer heat. Just look at the beauty surrounding an empty shell of a patio! My parents did NOT plant one single flower this spring as the flood arrived before their planned planting date. All these flowers came up voluntarily and put a smile on my parents face.
The Green House may be gone but there is LIFE AFTER THE FLOOD, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,In the Garden

Tennessee Floods part 2

By SkeeterAs you know from my last posting, my parents Tennessee home flooded recently. I was with them the day the waters started to rise. On that Sunday morning, May 2, we awoke to mud on the driveway of the house.
My father takes pride in his home and yard and was not happy with a neighbors renovations causing the mud to creep into their driveway with the heavy rains. Little did we know, this would be the least of worry.The waters continued to rise and their house was under water by Monday. This picture I found on the Internet of their house still makes my stomach turn into a knot when I see it.But what is done, is done and now the cleaning and rebuilding begins.... After talking to my mom on the phone on Monday evening, I longed to be with my parents. The house was still under water and the interstates remained under water as well so nothing I could do to help.

The waters finally lowered and they could get into the house by Wednesday. Thursday morning, I was on the way back to Tennessee with a car full of supplies such as boxes, tape, cleaning supplies, etc. The Saint headed to TN after work that evening. He had our pressure washer with him to help where needed. He sprayed the house, porch, part of the driveway, swing, garden statues, etc while I worked on clearing the remainder of the stuff from the house. Most items on higher spots such as cabinets remained and needed to be removed. We were shocked as to how high the water was in the house. As you can see from me standing on the deck, the swing is much lower then the house. The swing was completely under water! The house you see behind my parents in this picture is a story too. It is a two story house with flood insurance. The homeowners were in the process of getting the house ready to go on the market For Sale. Most everything was removed from the house but the garage held lots of boxed items and a new zero-radius (expensive) mower and all other lawn equipment. I am not sure just how high the waters got into their house but at one point my brother said it was about to cover the entire front door of the house! Insurance will cover the house repairs but NOTHING that was in the garage! You see, the insurance company states the garage is not part of the house as it is on a separate foundation being concrete! You better read the fine print in your insurance policy people!!! Debris such as this large stump were all over the yard.
The first thing I noticed when stepping out onto the deck was the missing Air Conditioning and Heat Unit. It along with the entire duct work had to be removed. Several family heirloom pieces were stored under the crawl space of the house. They were all lost to the flood. Rocking chairs belonging to grandparents, wash stand, library table, etc.
The deck and screen porch combination will have to be inspected by a professional as the right side of the deck has settled into the ground thus it is leaning.
Water was up to the arrow I have marked to show you on the screen porch.
The same amount was also in the garage.
The Hot water heater was under water so a new tank must be purchased with renovations.
Luckily, the water did not get above the electrical outlets thus they still had electricity. Fans were in every room running full blast to dry out the sub flooring. The contractor had to drill holes in the floor for drainage as well.
The carpets in the house were removed as they were saturated with smelly contaminated water. The wood paneling must go.
Look at that red clay on the kitchen floor! Water got into the cabinets so new ones are on order. The dish washer was damage so must be replaced but the stove was fine and the refrigerator was removed before the flood.
The sun room doors had to remain closed as this room was a health hazard according to the inspector.
Rotting worms were covering the floor and they were an awful scent to the nose. Shoooo-weeeee.
Red clay in the bathroom and lower vanity's filled with water. All tile must go and the shower as well.
The master bedroom closet water line was saddening. The louvered closet doors must all be replaced as all other doors in the entire house.
Guest bathroom vanity will have to be replaced along with the toilet, tub and tiles.
Marble foyer floor will have to be replaced as well.
One week after the flood, everything remaining salvageable was placed into boxes and put into a neighbors basement for storage. Monday morning, May 10 demolition begins for major renovations. My mom had been wanting to update the house and with Mother Natures help, it is now happening. Not the way she prefers a renovation but nothing can be done with Mother Nature's act but to move forward.
Dry wall was cut above the water line from all walls and door's begin to be removed.
Kitchen cabinets were removed. Anything salvageable will go to Habitat for Humanity as the contractor on this project is a big HH fan and donates lots of time and money to this program.
It was sad to see the house slowly being demolished by a mere 6-8 inches of water inside.
A sad view for what was once a gathering place for a fun family kitchen.
The Great room does not look so great now.
When my mother saw the old wood paneling and dark doors gone, she was excited while my dad had a minor break down. Mom is seeing the positive side of things while my dad is having a difficult time with change. He does not like change and at his age, I know this is very difficult for him.
Can you imagine the horror of walking into your home of 26 years and seeing this sight?
My mother is so happy to see the 'Harvest Gold' colored tiles, tub and toilet going away. We must find the Rainbow at the end of the Storm...
About 3/4 of the dry wall is okay so that will save some of the cost of repairs and renovations.
All wall paper is now stripped and all staples from the old carpets have been tossed into the huge trash container.
The house is now starting to look like a new house under construction.
The Great room is ready for new walls and floors.
New kitchen cabinets/counter tops are on order and the wall cabinets will be recycled for use in the garage.
The sunroom was pressured washed to clean out the smelly worms but the structure was damaged. Since this picture was snapped, the glass room has been removed with the metal and glass being recycled. This spot will remain a patio for now.
The Bathrooms are totaly gutted with the Gold tub removed since this picture.
Bedrooms ready for new construction.
Closet's ready for make over as well. A lot of do it yourself Free labor has applied in getting the house to this stage. Family and Freinds have pitched in where possible (manual labor, donations of materials, food, water, etc) and will continue to do so to keep the cost of repairs low.
Here you see my mom and dad taking a moment to sit and reflect their 51 years as a married couple. My nephew (their grandson) had renovated this swing and planters a few days before the flood. We were all happy to see it survived the wrath of the flood after being pressured washed. The contaminated dirt will be removed from the planters but it will once again have blooming flowers to enjoy as they swing. Bob the cat keeps a close eye on his best buddies in the world. He is the cat that belongs to neighbors but pretty much lives on the screen porch with my parents.

Houehold items remain in 3 different neighbors basements and my parents continue to stay in a basement apartment of one of these wonderful families. Mom and I had to joke while at the local "Wishy Washy" (laundry matt) doing our laundry together. It brought back memories of a time when that was normal for us as we did not have a washer and dryer in the 1970's.

I received news on Sunday that my dad was in the hospital emercency room. One of his hip replacements has jumped out of place. While putting on his shoes the same way for 16 years, this hip decided to jump on him. We are awaiting news to see if he will have to have it replaced a second time. What is that saying, "When it Rains it Pours". Well, in my parents case, it sure has rained enough on them.

This is a big hurdle for my parents to jump but they will survive with being surrounded by a loving family, caring friends and neighbors...

Note: I plan to be back in TN the first weekend of June. I hope renovations will be close to complete and I plan to remain in TN for as long as I am needed. Blogging will not be possible so I will be in and out for a while. Please keep my parents in your prayers...


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,In the Garden