Trucks and Chainsaws

Some of you know that we had a terrible ice-storm in December. It left many limbs on the ground and just as many trees in terrible shape. We have had several crews cleaning up the base over the last couple of weeks. Today they were in our front yard. Literally. They started working during Widdle's nap, and I thought he would miss all of the fun. Thankfully for us, not so much for the guys, they were still working when he woke up. Widdle has learned the words "chain-saw" because of all of the work they have been doing. We have listened to some sort of outdoor cleanup almost every day for several weeks. He was thrilled to sit in our driveway and watch the men work. We had a dump truck in our drive way, a chainsaw to the right, a "claw" tractor to the left, and five men wearing hard hats. What could be more entertaining for a 20 month old little boy? He sat as still as a little boy can, watching the tractors going back and forth. We also had a stump grinder visit our yard. All of the men were very friendly and seemed to enjoy having an audience. We talked to a couple of them while the dump truck emptied his load. It was interesting to talk to these "good ole boys" and get a small glimpse into their lives. They have all been out here for three weeks or more. One man has an eight year old boy waiting for him at home. His grandpa is taking care of him. The dad is a single parent with a job that forces him to travel. I thought my job was hard! Another man is single. He has a couple of grown daughters and was married. But, as he said, "My wife said she didn't marry me to sleep alone. She liked the money, but not being alone all the time." Another man has 3, 6, and 8 year old kids waiting for him at home. I am thankful they are here cleaning up the storm mess and thankful for an afternoon of entertainment. I can understand the sacrifice they are making of their families for us.

Interestingly enough, one of these men came down to the Pensacola area for hurricane Ivan clean up!