Wind and Rain and Flooding, Oh My!

Wind and Rain and Flooding, Oh My!

The wind is howling, the rain is pouring down and the rivers and streams are flooding here where I live.  Needless to say, the weather is what everyone is talking about.

Last week we lost power for a little while, but weren't impacted too much because it came back on after 4 hours.  We enjoyed talking and being together without the distractions of the technology we are usually tied to.

11 years ago, though, was a different story at my house.  We had just moved back to our home town after being gone for 5 years.  Our oldest was 3 and our daughter was 11 months old.  We moved from a brand new home into a 50 year old house that needed massive remodeling.

The first week we were in our new (old) home, the weather made me begin to wonder about living in our new home.  A storm came in similar to the one we are having now.  We have a huge picture window in our living room that faces the front of the house.  The wind was as fierce in that storm as it is now.  I was sitting on the couch in front of the picture window with our 11 month old daughter and the wind blew the single pane window onto the couch, very close to us.

We got the pane put back in the window frame and looked around to make sure everything else was secure before going to bed for the night.  The wind was howling and the single pane windows made it seem like there was a freight train coming through our bedroom.  I loved that we moved to the country where our kids could have the freedom to play without fear, but our home was stretching the limits of my patience.

We set about to slowly replace and remodel many things in our aging home.  I was pregnant with our third child when we started the remodel process and remodeling with 3 small children was challenging, but now brings fond memories.  I wielded a sledge hammer and helped take out a double sided fireplace, while my son swung a hammer and helped take down walls.  All three kids rode their bikes through the house because there was sub-floor for a while. 

We rewired, re-plumbed, insulted everything, took some walls down to the framing and rebuilt, re-floored, put in new windows and doors, re-roofed and much more all while living in the house.  Whew!  I am exhausted just thinking about that process with three small children!  No wonder I was exhausted for several years!

Though remodeling was exhausting, I am ever so grateful now because we have a warm, energy efficient (my electricity bill this month was &50!), secure and quiet house.  The wind is howling, the rain is pouring, the river is flooding and we are safe and warm.  "The weather outside is frightful, but inside it's so delightful." 

Managing an old house by myself without it being remodeled would be exhausting, but managing an old house that has been remodeled is a blessing.  I may not have been able to see the blessing while we were remodeling, but I can see it now that we are safe and secure in the middle of the storm.

P.S.  I hope you are all safe and secure in this Winter weather!