I was sitting at the computer, entering dimensions from a blue print. The clerk hollered across the room that my daughter was on the phone. I picked up the receiver to hear an excited voice...
"A passenger jet just crashed into the World Trade Center!" What a strange and horrible accident. I shared the news with my co-workers. We all thought it was terrible. We talked a minute about how devastating it is outside of a city, but to crash in New York? There would certainly be a large death toll.
We went back to work, a bit more somber.
A few minutes later, "It's Jenny again." I picked up. "What? Another one? That's so bizarre!" What was happening? "They think what? You're kidding? Oh, my God!"
My co-workers huddled around the radio for news. We didn't have an internet connection in that room. Besides the clerk, I was the only woman. Most of the men were veterans. I can't say for sure, but I think it was harder for them.
Jenny called yet again. Washington, D.C.? Other planes missing? Airports were shut down.
We felt trapped. The world as we knew it was coming to an end, and we were there, stuck in this office space inside a factory, sealed off from the real world. I walked to the restroom by the break area. The monitors were tuned to an outside news station. Very strange. Workers were standing in front of them, their necks stretched back, staring silently at the screens. No one at the vending machines. No one talking. The noise from the machinery drowned out whatever was being said on the TV. All we had were the pictures. Chaos. Surreal. Not here. Overseas maybe, but not here!
I went to my husband's department and told them what had happened. My step-son was in the military. Returning to my area, I learned another plane had gone down.
Finally, in the afternoon, we were free. We went home and turned on the news. Every channel - those same images. The towers crashing down. New York city looking like a war zone.
I couldn't not look. I had to watch. I clung to every word, every theory. They were saying that the last plane may have been brought down by the passengers, to prevent the plane from reaching its planned target. My husband couldn't bear to hear it anymore. What did this mean for his son?
We had just bought seventeen acres in the county, a little over a half-hour away. He wanted to go there and cut wood. He needed the serene setting to make everything all right again. It would never be all right again.
I'll never forget the beautiful and strange sky that day. There were no jet trails. Nothing but blue sky and clouds. It was like being on another planet. We were glad to be at the farm. I took the camera, but discovered the batteries were dead. I decided to run into Xenia to KMart.
I was at the electronics counter paying for my batteries. Some guy was talking to the guy at the register. Word was that they were running out of gas everywhere and stations were raising their prices to $2/gallon! It had been $1.40 that morning. I thought about our near empty tank. I hope it's not true.
I left the store and drove through the parking lot to the street. I could see the long lines of cars waiting at the corner for their turn to get into the station. The world had gone crazy!
We spent a few hours in the fields, trying not to think about what was going on here and there. We then headed home, down the back roads. The gas gauge was low. We turned into Waynesville to find a station. Just like it had been earlier that day in Xenia, cars were lined up in both directions, waiting. We got in line and when it was our turn, paid the $2/gallon just before the pump ran dry, and then headed home.
We came into Springboro to find police cars at the main intersection of town, where two gas stations sat across from one another. There were orange cones and yellow police tape blocking and guiding the traffic through the lots. All the tranquility of the farm was wasted. The little release we had felt, melted quickly away. At home, I watched the news in one room, my husband did not watch in another room.
Although many heroes were born that day, sleep did not come easy. And we will never forget.
Of course, he couldn't have done it without help from Sadie...
Then, after some more rain...
And today...
I think this project was a success! Hopefully, with good weather next year, it will be ready for four-foot traffic by mid-summer.
I've wanted to see this show for quite a while. It has played there many times in the past. I recently found out it was a comedy. I kinda crinkled my nose at that, but thought, "Well, everyone seems to enjoy it." Yes, it was a comedy, though it did tell the story of Joseph... just in a different way. Here's my granddaughter with Elvis.
If you want to know why Elvis was in a play about Joseph, I guess you'll just have to pay the admission and go! It is definitely worth seeing... extremely entertaining. We all enjoyed it, very much.
Do you remember the picture of granddaughter number two being kissed on the cheek by the handsome host? Well, here is her older sister, trying to look serious while they gaze deep into each others eyes.
...and she's supposed to be an actress?
But, she comes by it naturally!
All in all, 'twas another good night to remember...
Judy, a.k.a. Squirrel Queen over at The Road to Here is the gracious hostess for the Farmer's Market Challenge.
Here is some squash given to us by Hubby's boss. It was delicious. A family chef told us how to best cook it. Using a long nail, punch a hole to the center from top and bottom to release steam pressure, then bake it. No hard cutting! Scrape out the seeds after it is cooked.
Here is a pear that came from one of our fruit trees. We have several apple trees, too. One of these days I'll add peach trees to the mix, and replace the plum trees we lost.
Guess how much you'll pay to
Here is a shot of our sweet potatoes early in the season. Hubby planted two different varieties. I recently posted about the four-and-a-quarter pound potato. You'll have to visit my earlier posts to see pics of them.
OK, this is the last you'll hear about the sweet potatoes... (that is, until my Farmer's Market Challenge post.) I wanted to show you the storage rack Hubby built for them, using wood from skids. You know we love to re-purpose. This room in the basement is behind the stairway. It is dark and cool. We will have to expand the rack next year, as Hubby is already talking about 3 rows instead of 1.
Being confined to the AC put me way behind on the stairway garden project. Hubby finally took over for me and stained the new steps the other day. Don't they look great? Since the red crushed brick flows down from above to the stone steps below, the wood color adds to the continuity. (Note the chives I planted next to the wall.)
I wasn't out there to harvest the chives when they were small. Better late than never!
This bad boy is huge!
They still taste great. I'll be chopping and freezing some for use over the winter. They don't keep their flavor when dried. These are onion chives. I will add garlic chives next spring to the other side of the steps. I'm thinking about putting some in a flower pot to see how they do inside over winter.
Of course, I couldn't resist posting a picture of Sadie. 
I not much of a potato eater in the summer,
They got quite a lot out of each mound!
Some were long and skinny, some short and fat. 
The rest will have to wait until tomorrow...
Which brings me to the second great thing today... my first pear of the season! Yes, this is from our pear tree. They are yummy. We don't get much fruit because we don't spray our trees. We savor the ones we get!
Check out the egg carton. It's what prompted me to fix the old camera. The other one wouldn't take a good picture with the writing in focus. We saved our old 'store-bought' cartons. I never noticed this before. It has a favorite scripture inside the lid! Let's just call that the fourth thing!
My Swing-away wall-mount can opener. Hehe... I just noticed in the picture... I never put the magnet thing in place. It's still stuck there on the back end where it was in the package! It hooks in and catches the lid. Oh well, think I'll go do that now...
See the pouring rain?
I did not correct the exposure on these; the sun was blindingly bright! It poured rain so hard that we had standing water all over the yard and pasture. I just knew there had to be a beautiful rainbow to the east.
I just love it when I can see both ends and the double bow! The other end was other the barn and not very picturesque. Someday I'll have a new camera and be able to capture those moments much better!
