Crafty and Determined

These dang squirrels are DETERMINED to get that bird seed. This feeder is supposed to close the openings to the seed when anything heavier than a bird gets on it. Well, the pesky squirrels were hanging on the post and eating out of the feeder. So we put the feeder on a longer rod, thinking they wouldn't be able to reach anymore. WRONG! It's like a circus trapeze act watching these guys. Not that the Cardinal who wanted to eat found it entertaining--he was mad!

Pesky Squirrels!

They just don't give up. They can't actually climb on the bird feeder because it's spring loaded to close with their weight. So they hang on the post and reach out for the seed!

Just what we don't need...more rain.

Kelly started his vacation today, and we decided to go run some errands and check out a few places. We started with breakfast at Red Tree, of course. Amy makes these great little egg & ham muffin things. One of the places we went was McKay's on Charlotte. They have the biggest selection of used books, music, movies, and games I have ever seen. Kelly picked up a few CD's and I got a dozen paperback books for less than $50. While I was there, in the Paranormal Romance isle, I talked several women into buying the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and the Dark-Hunter series. I hope they like them as much as I do.

While we were out, another storm came through. Like we needed any more rain around here.

Wordless Wednesday

The Aftermath

One thing I can say about Tennessee--we are the VOLUNTEER STATE! In the wake of catastrophic flooding, volunteers have literally flooded the neighborhoods to help others. The Red Tree Coffee House has been the command center for Kingston Springs and Pegram, and owners/sisters Amy Bruce and Katie Conley spearheaded the organization of volunteers and dispatched them to those in need. (See local news story.) The Methodist church across the street was command center for food, with volunteers making sack lunches for both those who lost their homes, and the volunteers helping with the clean up.

Kelly volunteered to help clear debris and rip out ruined drywall from homes in the Shacklett area, which was particularly hard hit. And is a rather poor area to begin with. I volunteered to help make lunches and deliver them to workers in the Harpeth Meadows and Tanglewood subdivisions. I also spent some time at the Middle School, which has been turned into a Red Cross Relief Center, helping them organize donations of food, water, clothing, tools, and cleaning supplies.

I didn't take any photographs today. There was something about it that would have felt like I was intruding on people's pain and suffering, since I was seeing first hand the damage to people's homes, not just public areas and streets.

There was a big BBQ for all the victims and volunteers at Red Tree tonight, but I had already committed to photographing a graduation party for some young men at Brentwood Academy.

Wordless Wednesday

The Thousand Year Flood, Day 4

It's Tuesday, and we are finally able to get out of our neighborhood, and even into Nashville. Highway 70 is still closed, but I-40 is open. I didn't attempt to go into Nashville because many secondary roads are still closed, and I didn't have a real need. I did drive around Kingston Springs and see the damages here.

I was amazed to find road crews from a private contractor already trying to make Kingston Springs Rd passable in front of the high school.

This is where several homes were completely destroyed after being swept off their foundations by raging flood waters. You can see the huge sheets of asphalt that were torn off the road surface.

There was little left of these train tracks over the Harpeth River. Normally, the river is way below the tracks, and only a few feet deep at this point.

Back in my neighborhood...

This is the bottom of the hill in our neighborhood, which was impassable yesterday.