The Yin and the Yang

With the good always comes the bad. Sometimes the bad waits awhile to show up, sometimes it doesn't. This time it couldn't even wait 24 hours before wreaking havoc on our lives.

The Good: We closed on our new house yesterday afternoon, without a hitch and even ended up paying less in closing costs than we expected. Very exciting! The very first house that is actually OURS. We are very, very excited and have so many wonderful plans for the house and the property. Did I mention it is on 13 beautiful acres of pasture and woods? Did I mention the inground swimming pool, the 1.5 acre pond and creek? How about the fireplace in the family room and huge garden tub in the master bath? Ooohhh...exitement! It needs work, it has been neglected, but it's not work beyond our abilities.

The Bad: Our current house now has a tree in it. Yes, a tree. The big beautiful elm tree I loved so much because of the wonderful shade it provided for the whole yard and the house is no longer. The tree tangled with 100+mph straight-line winds and lost. The roof is destroyed, my wonderful sunroom is GONE.

We're probably going to have to stay in a hotel, and I don't know what the hell we are going to do with the animals. The chickens survived the storm...the cornfields behind us did not. My garden didn't survive either, it's flat, and the neighbor's house is pretty badly damaged from the golf-ball sized hail.

At least Hubby wasn't hurt. He was in the house when the tree fell. It was a HUGE tree and would have killed him had it fallen on the living room or our bedroom and he'd been in there. I am so so happy Wild and Unruly are up north with my sister. I can't imagine how upset they would be seeing their home, the only home Unruly has ever known, with a tree in it and rain coming into her bedroom.

It could have been worse, and I'm going to choose to count my good blessings that the only thing damaged was the house and not my husband or the pets or my chickens. I guess that man can build a chicken coop! Dumb me for doubting his carpentry skills. The damn thing kept my chickens warm and dry and safe in the storm.