Two weeks ago, Davis County, Utah, experienced what we call "East Winds" but which were in reality hurricane force winds. They did terrific damage to trees, homes, fences, windows, etc. AJ's home in Farmington was one of only a few in the neighborhood who did not suffer damage, however, they were out of power for 12+ hours. With the cold outdoor temperatures and no heat they were planning to campout at our home but just as they were heading out the door, the power came on. School was closed for the remainder of the week.
(Keith, Ethan, Dallin and Jared pulled this giant stump out of the ground after chopping and sawing through the 20 ft roots that ran along the surface of the lawn) Our home and yard in Bountiful were not damaged. We were out of power for only a few hours. Frank went to work to close up his office which was without electricity and when he came out to his car the rear passenger window had shattered from the force of the wind.
Katie's car was damaged when a piece of the parking structure came loose and scratched her hood as it swung back and forth in the wind. Later in the day she returned home to check on things and found that the parking structure had collapsed on her neighbors cars.
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This photo shows the damage to Jared's fence when the neighbor's tree uprooted taking the fencing with it.) Jared....the lucky guy....received the most damage. He lost two trees fortunately they did not hit the house. A fallen 60 foot pine tree filled his back yard. The price to remove it was about $350 and since it did not hit the house, home-owners insurance would not apply. What a great surprise he had when he came home from work to start chopping it up and found that the city workers had cut and hauled to the curb all but the giant stump! On Sunday, church meetings in the area were shortened and all were invited to help the community clean up the thousands of fallen trees and other damage. When he came home to get ready to participate in the clean up, he found that the mountain of cut limbs at his curb had already been hauled away. He and Keith spent Sunday helping others clean up and haul debris to the dump. Another surprise came when the crew clearing up the neighbors yard offered to haul it off the giant stump in his backyard. What great blessings these kind acts of service were. We also feel richly blessed that our homes were okay and that no one was hurt through that memorable wind storm.
Boy, oh, boy, did my kids pull a surprise on me this year with their gift. I had no idea what was in the big box but I sure was delighted to find a sculpture done by my baby brother, Cory. He is a gifted artist and I have always wanted one of his pieces.
This depiction of the Woman at the Well is from the New Testament account (St. John 4: 6 - 30). It reminds me to find time each day, among daily tasks, to take time to drink of His Living Waters. I am so happy to display my brother's talents in my home. Thank you, my dear children, for this lovely and treasured gift.
