The Healing Begins

I can remember the day I got Oreo like it was yesterday. It was 2001. I was fresh out of college, had my first apartment, and had no intention of getting a new kitty. My Furby had just spent the last 2 years living with my parents because I couldn’t have him in my previous apartment. I had him back around a month before this fateful day.

My then-boyfriend and I went into PetSmart, and low and behold there were kitties. There are always kitties at PetSmart because many humane societies use it as a vehicle to display their cats. One black and white 10-month old cat had spunk and kept playing with Matt’s finger through the cage. He was a troublemaker but adorable!

We left PetSmart and began talking about getting this mischievous cat. As I said, that was never my intention. After talking about it and calling my sister to see if she could take him if it didn’t work out with Furby, we headed back to PetSmart. The humane society had already caged up their animals to take them back to the shelter. They refused to let us adopt him then, but they said we could follow them back to their location, and so we did.

“Roger” was known as “The Intimidator” at the humane society. He would go up to other cats’ cages and antagonize them. He was beautiful and loving and sweet, but he was certainly the troublemaker of the bunch. That made him that much more endearing. “Roger” got a new home that day, and he became “Oreo”. Not only was he black and white, but if you flipped him on his back, he had a white stripe of fur running down his belly – just like an Oreo cookie.

From then Oreo was a member of my family. Furby had issues with him at first, but they soon became the best of friends and brothers. For better or worse, through two moves, a marriage, a stepdaughter, a daughter, a female kitty, and a bunny, they have been “my boys” and the furry loves of my life.

Oreo was always so patient, loving, and kind. When Taylor was little she would dress him up in her Build-A-Bear clothes and put ponytails on his tail. He just laid there as though nothing was going on. He had a heart as big as the ocean and was truly the best kitty!

Last Saturday, Oreo’s fight with kidney failure came to an end. My heart broke into a million pieces as we had to put him down. We buried him under the dogwood tree in our front yard, and we plan to make that a “nice” area with a bench or swing and flowers. A picture of him is now in our house so he can watch over us, and we can have his presence in our lives.

I miss you, buddy. You were a great kitty, and I will love you forever!

Pure Michigan

Amidst all of the drama of bad weather, we had a family vacation planned for Memorial Day weekend. We debated whether we should go several times, especially since our power was still out. Ultimately, Lee left the decision up to me, and I decided we should go. It would be our only chance this summer to get away + we needed to get away.

Our vacation was planned for St. Joseph, Michigan – a quaint little resort town on Lake Michigan. Its twin city is Benton Harbor, which I had heard of several times before but soon learned has lost its luster and small town appeal. We left Bloomington Friday night and stayed about ½ way in Lafayette; then we reached our final destination Saturday morning.

When we arrived, we explored the bluff area overlooking the lake, which also housed some historic markers and items. Amelia needed a nap, so we checked into the hotel, and once she was done we headed back to the bluff area. This time we ate what is possibly the best pizza I had ever eaten at a local pizza place in the St. Joseph Amtrak station. The station is made up to look vintage and was very cool. Then we headed to the Silver Beach Carousel. Silver Beach Amusement Park sat in a nearby location from 1891 to 1971. The amusement park left, but last year, St. Joseph wanted to recreate that magic, so they installed a beautiful indoor carousel. The girls had a lot of fun!

On Sunday we explored downtown St. Joseph. Along the streets are 40+ concrete painted animals that each tell their own story. Taylor’s favorite was the Cash Cow that sat in front of the bank and had dollar bills glued all over it. After another nap for Miss Amelia, we took the girls to the Curious Kids Discovery Museum and Discovery Zone. Amelia loved the water tables! Then it was back to the hotel for a night in the pool.

On Monday we visited the beach at St. Joseph, which was amazing. The sand was so soft, and the girls had fun scaring the seagulls, getting their feet wet, and playing around. On our way back to Bloomington, we stopped at Fair Oaks Farms. It is a dairy farm in northern Indiana that families can visit. We went on a bus ride tour of their farm – straight through a barn - , got to see two calves being born, and watched a very interesting rotating milk station. Amelia liked the “moo cows”, and I think us and Taylor all learned something we didn’t know.

All in all, it was a nice family trip, and I’m glad we decided to go. Even if we don’t go on a large or expensive trip, I will always cherish the memories we make. Happy Summer to you all!

Tornado May 2011

I have talked on my blog before about phenomenon caused by Mother Nature that have touched our lives – Ice Storm 2007, the small earthquake in 2008, Hurricane Ike’s strong winds in 2008, Snow Storm 2009, Icepocalyse 2011 – but nothing quite prepared us for May 25, 2011. On that night, our neighborhood was hit with an EF1 tornado, and the aftermath of that night will remain with us for years.

Southwest Indiana was in the “high” risk for severe weather that day. “High” risk days only come a few times a year across the entire U.S., if that. Indiana is rarely included, so I knew we could be in for a rough day. During the late-afternoon/early-evening hours several storms popped up with tornado warnings. Bedford was hit with a tornado, but all calmed down in Bloomington by mid-evening. Then, upon closer look at the radar, bad news was coming. A HUGE squall line of thunderstorms was heading into Indiana from Illinois, and there were tornado warnings up and down the entire state.

Just after 10:00 p.m. Bloomington received a tornado warning, and the winds started to pick up. Our power flickered off and on, and I turned to Lee and told him I was heading downstairs. The light in our garage was on, so I opened the door and immediately felt suctioning. We lost power for good, and Lee looked outside and saw our trees twirling in the wind. He grabbed Amelia from her slumber and joined me in our utility room in the basement. The duct work was shaking. The lightning coming in our front door was changing colors, and in less than 30 seconds, the wind subsided. We waited for the rain to calm a bit before heading upstairs. It was the first time since we bought our house that we used our “tornado” room. The above picture is the last image on my computer before our power went out and the tornado hit.

When we got back upstairs, we put Amelia back to bed and surveyed our backyard. A large part of our one tree had fallen on our neighbor’s fence and snapped our cable line. We called our neighbor and met him outside to survey the damage. Then Lee noticed a large number of trees down on our property line, including our beloved apple tree. Our neighbor mentioned the trailer park at the entrance to our subdivision. Oh my God – the trailer park! Lee took off towards it, and what he saw has haunted him since. Firemen, flashing lights, overturned trailers, bad news!

We were trapped on our street for several hours due to downed power lines, downed trees, a gas leak at the trailer park, etc. When daylight broke the real damage could be seen and news of a confirmed tornado came. Luckily no one died! Many, many trees came down – many homes were damaged – the trailer park is uninhabitable – power lines were down – power poles snapped – trees uprooted – etc. Our street was lined with news vans, and news helicopters flew overhead.

In the days following, we kept busy with tree cleanup and preparing for our vacation that was already planned. We went to IU and Steak N’ Shake to get internet access and updates. Our power did not come back on for 3 days, mainly because so many power poles and power lines needed to be repaired. We lost much of the food in our fridge and freezer, but we had our lives! On June 10, the Worthington Amish Youth Group came to our house and cut up the 6 downed trees along our property line. What a blessing!

All in all, we were lucky. 2011 has been a record year for tornadoes, strong tornadoes, and tornado deaths. And in the end, our property damage was less than most people’s. But as I said, we all lived to tell our tale, and that is the biggest blessing of all.