We're Okay! And Very, Very, VERY Lucky

Maybe you heard about the storms around Beaver Crossing?


We lost one tree (see left), a lot of branches and limbs, and my cousins' pasture has a lot of insulation from the new building at the old Abel place (see right). That is the extent of our damage. And the electricity was out for twenty four hours, along with the power for everyone else on the south side of the interstate (although not everyone has power again yet). Oh! Plus, the roof of one of my great uncle's sheds ended up in the front lawn over on the other side of the road. But that's all.

We are so very, very, VERY lucky.

Everyone around the section has much worse damage. Some lost buildings, some lost roofs, and most of the pivots are mangled. The storm actually blew the wheels off. A lot of trees are severely damaged or just plain gone. (It looks like at least one of those sheds took out part of a shelter belt.) Power lines are down everywhere. And when I say down, what I mean is chunks of poles are missing, poles are splintered into bits, and some remind me of Lincoln Logs freshly dumped out of the bucket.

Beaver Crossing will never be the same. Ever. There's just no way, because so much has been altered or destroyed.

For someone who grew up in this area, it's really, really, REALLY sad.



A lot of my classmates' parents still live out here. I rode the bus with a lot of these families. We did 4H, played softball against each other, went to the same school. I don't necessarily always like everyone living in this portion of Seward County, but I do love them. We share something very important: The experience of living in this community.

It's more than living in the same neighborhood. It's more than graduating from the same school. It's like being on a team with lots of other people who generally have different interests and intentions, but we all have the same goal of just living a good life out here. When you move somewhere without a super-close grocery store or big box store around the corner (it's about fifteen or twenty miles away, not too far), you do it because of the people and because you genuinely love the place where you're living.

No, not everyone is a good person. There are jerks. There are dishonest people. There are mean, grouchy people that make you swear under your breath all the time. But it's kind of part of the experience, like it or not.

It's beautiful out here. Trees, sky, fields..... Gorgeous. Way better than any skyline in any metropolitan area anywhere in the world. Seriously. I see each season everywhere in everything around me because nature is RIGHT THERE. And few things are more beautiful than nature.

Well, most of the time. We just had a heck of a storm out here, and that is not so beautiful. But the resilience of the community will be. Farmers will get their fields cleaned up and their equipment fixed. Families will rebuild and repair. And our consolidated school district will reach out to help as they have already. Things will eventually be calm again. Because it's the way this community is, and if anyone can do it, they can.



Contact Centennial Public School, any local church, or the Red Cross if you'd like to help.





(These pictures taken at my great aunt's house in town. Leaving out pictures of her house for now.)