At the end of August, Louisiana was hit by Hurricane Laura. She beat up most of the state and my area was no exception. My home was spared the destruction that most homes suffered. I had a little damage to Averi’s swing set and trampoline and the roof of my house was ruffled a little, but overall we faired well.
We were without electricity for several days but had a generator, running water, cold baths, a gas stove and grill to cook on, and good friends who stayed with us due to the damage at their home. Our families, friends, and neighbors as well as people from all over the United States came together to help each other. It was both a sad time and a time of hope.
My in-laws (Mi Mi & Paw Paw) were less fortunate than I. They didn’t suffer damage to their home but their property was littered with downed trees one of which took out their travel trailer. It was a mess and they needed help to clean it all up. So of course I volunteered to help with the clean-up.
Rockin’ the Boots & Shorts 
Cutting some limbs 
Still Working
I like power saws! I also got to drive the tractor. I slipped on my faithful Lacrosse boots, work gloves, and went to work on those trees. While the guys cut up the big stuff with the larger saw, I got to work cutting the smaller limbs. And of course, drove the tractor whenever possible.
The work took several days. On one occasion, I stayed over and woke up to some wonderful biscuits. They were part of a great breakfast and helped fuel us throughout the day. I love the smell of fresh-baked biscuits in the morning. I can almost smell them now! Put a little butter and jam on them and we have a meal. Of course, adding bacon or sausage to it makes it even better. We call these big ones “Catheads” because they are as big as a cat’s head. Just look at that golden brown toasty bottom. Think about the warm white fluffy centers. Whew!!!
Of course over the weeks of cleanup, we worked hard too. Wished I would have gotten more shots of the good food that we had. Those people love food as much as me. But we were so busy working and eating that I forgot to take pictures. I got to work on that.
We slowly regained the yard and although a few trees are missing it’s beginning to look nicer these days. Somewhat normal. And I managed to not get into many crazy situations. Although at some point I was up in there trying to recover some of their belongings that were not too damaged. Managed to save quite a bit. The kitchen/ living area was demolished. The bath and bedroom suffered little damage. That was good. We were able to get most of it out.
We cut up and moved the large trees. A friend came over with another tractor and we removed the debris from the RV and cleaned it out the best we could. We pulled the larger pieces of the tree to the edge of the property. It’s amazing how much damage the tree did to the travel trailer. Thankfully no one was in it.
Averi building her fairy village. 
Putting the nest back.
Meanwhile, Averi made “A Fairy Village” in the front yard and collected acorns so she could “replant trees to replace the ones that fell.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her that oaks take a very long time to grow back. She also replaced a bird’s nest she found on the ground. She’s a good-hearted kid. She broke into tears during blessing over dinner, because “so many people lost so much and their homes were destroyed”. We explained that those things could be replaced and that we were thankful so few were injured. Love that kid. She has “Hope” and that’s something we all need.
The damage to our area was unbelievable but the people of Louisiana are a hard-working bunch and we will rebuild. Although this kind of damage in central Louisiana is a rare thing, it’s not new to the state. As usual, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start again with what we have.
I’m thankful for all those who came to help and for those who can rebuild again. We are Louisiana Strong!
