Things continue to get better

The phone company was working in our area full
steam ahead today. I think everyone in this
part of Salina should have phone service by
this evening. I think everyone now has power, too.




The Haz Mat Team showed up today to clean up the
site of our former Solar Hut. When they got a
good look at it they decided the one drum they
had brought would not be sufficient to carry
away all the batteries and other debris. They
are coming back Monday with three drums.

In the meantime the State Health Dept has
declared all the sites to be hazardous waste
sites so the dumpsters that have been filled
and not yet emptied must be emptied into
plastic lined dumpsters and hence forth we
are to put any debris into the plastic-
lined dumpsters.

The State has also decreed that we should
wet down the sites. Where we are to get
water for such an effort hasn't been
mentioned.

Robert had a tooth pulled today so when I
went to town I dropped off a prescription
for pain meds for him. I guess my brain
is still on vacation. I did my shopping
and came home, remembering the prescription
as I pulled into the barn. Fortunately,
I had given him some meds (left from
an earlier occasion) to hold him over
until I got back. I don't think he has
taken anything and is planning to go to
Cosmology Book Club tonight.

and more pictures

This is the first view I had of the destruction
of the forest.

and worse...


Climbing the hill it looks worse.

The fire came right to the back side of the house.

Close to the back patio, note melted water
pipe.



The fire scorched the back of the house.

and a few more

More pictures

The fire scorched the wood of the cistern
house, but the concrete siding saved the
building.




The remains of the Solar Hut, its batteries
and electronics are toast.

More cleaning...

Another day with the cleaners. They are
thorough, but it is going to be a challenge,
when they leave, to find things. They are
taking EVERYTHING out of all the cupboards,
closets, desks, etc, etc cleaning them and
putting everything back. The putting back
is what is interesting. Nothing is where
it has been, may be close, but not in the
same place. But, the house is going to
be cleaner than it has ever been in my
residence here.

We are hoping they will be able to clean
up the solar hut mess. Robert was going
to have us do it, but has decided we
really don't have the energy to do it
ourselves nor do we have the energy to
direct others to do it. If ECOS does it
we don't have to worry about a thing.
It will get done. We won't get the money
for the lead or nickle, but c'est la vie.

ECOS is also going to lay some sort of
layer over the burn area around the house
to help prevent the wind from blowing
the ash and soot back into the house.

A walk in the woods

The woods above our house September 2010

The Good Hope Mine September 2010

















The Good Hope Mine with Keating, May '03

Today I finally went up in to the woods in back
of our house. At first it didn't look too bad.
Many of the trees were burned, but not so
severely that they are doomed. Then we went
further and it was awful. I broke down and
wasn't sure I could go on and see the rest of
it, but decided to get it over with. Jeanne,
Robert and I went on to the Good Hope Mine,
aka The Apple Tree Mine. Robert thinks the
apple tree, although very burned, may come
back in the spring. It sits over a spring
so always has wet roots. We'll hope it
survives.