3 weeks after Ike

Ok, I started this last week and am just now getting it posted...I'm posting it anyway in it's current state even though it is now closer to 4 weeks after Ike.

-Our front yard is still full of bags of debris, but the huge pile of branches was picked up on Thursday!! We are very excited about that.

It is a little weird to see huge semi trucks going thru the neighborhoods, but it is nice to see the piles of tree branches slowly disappearing.

-As of Wednesday, 5 of the 12 traffic lights on my way to work were still out. But by Thursday, 2 more were fixed and by Friday all but ONE were fixed--YEA! I've never appreciated traffic lights so much in my life.

-Grocery stores are back to normal. I finally found some ice cream!

-We have 1/3 of a new fence.


the rest of the yard still looks like this...


-School is back in full swing for me. My class came back very calm and remembered more than I expected them to. :)

-Lichar's lab is now in Dingetje's room...


...and in the dining room....


...and in the kitchen.


-Lichar is still working mostly out of the house (obviously), but they did have their first study on Friday at a local clinic and occasionally have meetings at his boss's house.

-All of the things that belong outside are now back outside, and the inside of the house was close to normal, until the lab moved in. (I still prefer Lichar's lab to the back yard in the dining room.)

-Local news still has the "After Ike" section, but it is no longer the whole broadcast.

-I think there are still several thousand people in the city without power, but for the most part, things are getting back to normal.