Amazing to slowly drive by

Any time you're driving on US 70 through Swannanoa NC, someone will slow down here. Maybe they've not seen the extent of the destruction before, or in my case, I just clicked a bunch of photos this last week. The other drivers (most of them) understand what's happening. See the houses in the distance? There used to be similar ones here where the earth is scraped bare, and the piles of rubbish are all that's left of people's homes, and lives. Yes this is where several people died in Swannanoa NC in the flood from Hurricane Helene.

Here's a YouTube video, one of the best I've seen showing the disaster and recovery.

Hurricane Helene: A Love Letter to Appalachia

-----------------

I've got a 2 minute clip from the interview with a father and son who lived in one of those houses. I hope it will load. Maybe I'll have to cut it down into more than one...a new challenge here!

Well that didn't happen. I downloaded it from iCloud to my PC computer, where microsoft said I could edit it in Chimp Chip or something like that. But when I asked for help, it showed a different screen completely which provided editing capabilities, while my screen just seemed a big mess. Yes I could cut. But no "save" was available. Sorry folks.

Basically this is what they shared:  a father and son and partner and dogs quickly went into the attic of their home as the water rose and they had no cell service. But they had no way to get out as the flood waters were almost to the ceiling below. So father and son swam in the cold muddy water to the kitchen window, broke it and pushed the screen out to get outside. Some woman came by on a kayak - it must have been daylight by then - and they asked her for an ax so they could break through the roof to the attic. This done, the son went through the opening and pulled the dogs to safety. (They did leave out how the partner was saved.)

I'll keep the original. It probably is copyrighted by the TV station anyway.

------------
Today's  quote:

I saved this for the creativity that is needed now:

From Heron Dance's Journal: "The universe is a creative entity. We are both the result of that creative process and participants in it. When we do creative work we express, in our own unique way, our reverence for life, for the holy aspects of the creative forces out there, whatever they may be. And we often then sense that those forces approve, and provide support, provide energy, to our journey.

"But first effort. First dedication. Before entering sacred realms, we need to offer a sacrifice, and that sacrifice is part effort, part courage, part faith. We need to believe in our uniqueness, the value, perhaps even crucial necessity, of what we have to contribute."

------------

Happy Yule, Winter Solstice

Solstice prayer:

Cold and dark, this time of year,

the earth lies dormant, 

awaiting the return

of the sun, 

and with it, life.

Far beneath the frozen surface,

a heartbeat waits,

until the moment is right,

for Spring.

May your longest night give insights and delightful dreams, and when you wake in the morning, may you feel joy that the light has returned once again!

Leonard Cohen, "Anthem"