I’m in Franklin, NC and we are among the lucky ones. We had trees down and power out for a week but we have a generator and never lost our water. We just got cell and wifi back so things are starting to feel normal. I resonated with every word of this post. I saw black throated blue warblers feasting on caterpillars in my trees today as they fuel themselves for their journey south. The hummingbirds left a couple of days ago but I will leave my feeder up for a while longer. All of life feels tender and precious now, more than it ever has.
Wishing you gentle healing from the trauma we have all gone through, even those of us who are lucky.
Such lovely thoughts, Beth! And I'm glad to hear from a neighbor of sorts. You definitely live on the better side of Asheville in this one. I have friends in Murphy who also fared well. I love that your warblers were fueling for their journey today; so wonderful. Wishing you gentle healing, too.
I write in total comfort in our house in Quebec, mourning about the devastation in our mountains. But we both know nature can heal quickly. The loss of trees in Asheville and in our historic neighborhood and the surrounding mountains; well, I'm steeling myself to see the damage when we return in early November, to vote, and hopefully stay if we have power and water by then. Power, I think, water could be weeks.
The human toll and rebuilding. It will take a long time.
I was reminding myself this evening that when we bought our house in Asheville, the River Arts District was a relatively modest place of galleries in old warehouses. When we first started visiting Asheville back when we moved to Clemson, downtown Asheville was still fairly low-key, with relatively few restaurants and Malaprops. But an attractive place. We kept coming.
The mountains and its cities and towns will come back as will more remote place like where you live.
But the time frame will be longer than a lot of us wish, I think.
Hi Lisa, I've been so glad all along that you and Tim were safely in Quebec during this. I hope all will be well when you head south. We have friends who live in AVL (near Beaver Lake, if you know where that is) and they have gotten their water back already!
Our power came back on today (Oct. 12) and running water (albeit non-potable) is incrementally moving towards Asheville.
We're planning to return at the end of October, giving our tenant additional time to move her things to her new house. She's been fortunate to continue traveling.
We are fortunate indeed, as I just keep giving $$. It's all I can do.
Thank you for your voice for nature! It's definitely a healing place.
I'm very familiar with Beaver Lake, a wonderful place; amazing that your friends have water. Woodfin's water system is back, so perhaps they're attached to it rather than Asheville's system. Lucky!
Kansas is assembling crews from across the State (firefighters, EMTs, other first responders…) to leave here this week to help as needed after Hurricane Milton passes through.
Thank you for your update, Jeanne. Good to hear you are able to find small blessings like in the field notes you mentioned like the Eastern Phoebe singing and others.
Ah, I am so glad to hear that things are moving in a positive direction there. And that you find joy in the birds who survived the storm, the monarch butterflies at the mist flower, and other gifts--despite the loss of your beloved rock. Embracing change is hard, especially catastrophic change like that from Hurricane Helene. We are resilient, forests are resilient, streams are resilient--we know that intellectually, but feeling it in our hearts is more difficult. May the love and care coming to you from all around lift you in the most difficult times, and buoy your recovery.
I’m so glad you are okay. Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s so helpful to hear firsthand. Thank you too for blowing kisses to the linemen. One of my best friend’s 19-year-old son is in those crews right now. They sleep in a tent city, haven’t seen their families, and drive two hours each morning to where they are needed. ❤️
Yes, I've heard stories that their conditions aren't good. So sad. They are such a vital part of helping communities recover and get back to normal. Thanks to your friend's son! I also had a chance yesterday to thank in person the guys who were working on lines along our road. I said, "I know you're working your asses off and we appreciate you so much." One guy smiled and said, "It's part of the game."
Aww, love that! I can say also that despite being away from family and living in a tent city, my friend’s son is appreciative of his pay grade right now. The company compensates them well for these overtime situations !
We meet as a community every other day to share supplies and report in from our mini teams organizing water, gas, food, internet access, FEMA applications, and mental health support for those in need.
I’ll write when I finish my community stint and re-open Black Mountain Pilates.
I will restack this. So many of your sentences are stunning. Kudos.💧💦🩵🌱🌿💚
Katharine, is that where you are? Black Mtn? Oh goodness ... I know y'all were SO hard hit. With you in spirit, sister, and hoping for easier days. If there's anything I can do from down here a couple hours south of you, please let me know. I think/hope we're going to be back to normal (powered up) in a few days and I have some time if you need a supply run. Seriously, give me a holler.
Glad to hear that you weren't too badly harmed by the storm. I've been thinking about you because I wasn't sure of the impact just south of us where you are. I don't have a generator and this has been quite an education. Thank you for the picture of your Earth altar. I've been meaning to create one for quite some time. This feels like the time to do it. Stay safe and connected.
Good to hear from you, Marsha. I just read your most recent post, haven't commented yet. I was trying to find where we had a message exchange, so I could remember exactly where you live. I know you're close. I know the trucks are working their way up 178 toward Rocky Bottom as we speak. (Do you have Blue Ridge Electric?) I'm glad you're hanging in there, too, and hope all will be back to (new) normal soon.
My community is called Round Mountain but because we have a Brevard mailing address it's confusing. I am outside of Rosman next to The Wilds Christian camp. Roughly between 64 and 178. Interestingly, some geolocation sites list my address as Sunset, South Carolina. So we must be kissing cousins! I'm going to email you an email from a woman whose community and course I belong to, Earth Tenders Academy. She's holding a call Wednesday to help heal the land and land spirits here. I think you might resonate with it.
Thank you for this update. How wonderful that you are finding tech free ways to spend the time and deepen into forgotten pleasures and ways of being. How difficult to be dealing with the circumstances and how reassuring that help finds you and others regardless of the level of need. Thinking of you and sending all my best. and a big hug...........
So good to read that you’re managing okay, that you can get to town for necessities and that help has been arriving. Hopefully by the time you read this you will have power and wifi again. It is amazing how the most fragile of creatures, like the monarch butterflies and hummingbirds can live through such upheaval and destruction of their habitats. A version of the rainbow after the storm, but even more wondrous.
Btw, have you heard from Adam Potts and his team? They lost power right away, according to Tracey, but since then I haven’t received anymore updates.
Yes! I read an update from Adam back on Friday about how he and his family have been coping in Asheville. He sounded fine. I'll forward it to you in a minute.
So much of this past resonated with me too. We dusky fit power back yesterday in day 10. Our well was not hooked up to electric so that was exhausting. But we too have enjoyed our hummingbirds for just a few days. I think yesterday may have been the last. One strange thing is that we have not seen our friendly cardinals at our feeder since the storm.
I used to love all of beautiful trees, and now I just stare at all the fallen ones with huge root balls in unbelief. So I will wait for the leaves to turn all the golden colors & find the beauty in the ones that are left.
Oh, Sherrie, I've thought of you and Dan so much, after seeing the photos of how many trees you lost. And I think damage to your house, too? So so sorry! But I'm glad you have power back. And yes, the huge root balls of fallen trees is a heartbreaking sight. I hope your cardinals will show back up!
I’m in Franklin, NC and we are among the lucky ones. We had trees down and power out for a week but we have a generator and never lost our water. We just got cell and wifi back so things are starting to feel normal. I resonated with every word of this post. I saw black throated blue warblers feasting on caterpillars in my trees today as they fuel themselves for their journey south. The hummingbirds left a couple of days ago but I will leave my feeder up for a while longer. All of life feels tender and precious now, more than it ever has.
Wishing you gentle healing from the trauma we have all gone through, even those of us who are lucky.
Such lovely thoughts, Beth! And I'm glad to hear from a neighbor of sorts. You definitely live on the better side of Asheville in this one. I have friends in Murphy who also fared well. I love that your warblers were fueling for their journey today; so wonderful. Wishing you gentle healing, too.
And I failed to mention that I worked as a horticultural therapist before I retired, so I am definitely a kindred spirit!
Oh, very cool! We need to compare notes sometime, Beth! Let's be in touch once life returns to "normal."
I would love that!
Thanks for this reflective post, Jeanne.
I write in total comfort in our house in Quebec, mourning about the devastation in our mountains. But we both know nature can heal quickly. The loss of trees in Asheville and in our historic neighborhood and the surrounding mountains; well, I'm steeling myself to see the damage when we return in early November, to vote, and hopefully stay if we have power and water by then. Power, I think, water could be weeks.
The human toll and rebuilding. It will take a long time.
I was reminding myself this evening that when we bought our house in Asheville, the River Arts District was a relatively modest place of galleries in old warehouses. When we first started visiting Asheville back when we moved to Clemson, downtown Asheville was still fairly low-key, with relatively few restaurants and Malaprops. But an attractive place. We kept coming.
The mountains and its cities and towns will come back as will more remote place like where you live.
But the time frame will be longer than a lot of us wish, I think.
Hi Lisa, I've been so glad all along that you and Tim were safely in Quebec during this. I hope all will be well when you head south. We have friends who live in AVL (near Beaver Lake, if you know where that is) and they have gotten their water back already!
Our power came back on today (Oct. 12) and running water (albeit non-potable) is incrementally moving towards Asheville.
We're planning to return at the end of October, giving our tenant additional time to move her things to her new house. She's been fortunate to continue traveling.
We are fortunate indeed, as I just keep giving $$. It's all I can do.
Thank you for your voice for nature! It's definitely a healing place.
I'm very familiar with Beaver Lake, a wonderful place; amazing that your friends have water. Woodfin's water system is back, so perhaps they're attached to it rather than Asheville's system. Lucky!
Kansas is assembling crews from across the State (firefighters, EMTs, other first responders…) to leave here this week to help as needed after Hurricane Milton passes through.
That is good to hear, Mark. Thank you, Kansas! Milton is looking bad, really bad. Our daughters and grandkids live in Tampa Bay. Big worries ...
Thank you for your update, Jeanne. Good to hear you are able to find small blessings like in the field notes you mentioned like the Eastern Phoebe singing and others.
That Phoebe is one crazy chick, Neil! I'm stunned by how she can just sing and sing and SING. 😄
Ah, I am so glad to hear that things are moving in a positive direction there. And that you find joy in the birds who survived the storm, the monarch butterflies at the mist flower, and other gifts--despite the loss of your beloved rock. Embracing change is hard, especially catastrophic change like that from Hurricane Helene. We are resilient, forests are resilient, streams are resilient--we know that intellectually, but feeling it in our hearts is more difficult. May the love and care coming to you from all around lift you in the most difficult times, and buoy your recovery.
Thank you so much for your ongoing support, Susan!
So happy to hear you are well. Thank you for this writing about the devastation and the beauty of nature. Always a source of wonder. 💚
Thank you, Jenny! Good to hear from you.
I’m so glad you are okay. Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s so helpful to hear firsthand. Thank you too for blowing kisses to the linemen. One of my best friend’s 19-year-old son is in those crews right now. They sleep in a tent city, haven’t seen their families, and drive two hours each morning to where they are needed. ❤️
Yes, I've heard stories that their conditions aren't good. So sad. They are such a vital part of helping communities recover and get back to normal. Thanks to your friend's son! I also had a chance yesterday to thank in person the guys who were working on lines along our road. I said, "I know you're working your asses off and we appreciate you so much." One guy smiled and said, "It's part of the game."
Aww, love that! I can say also that despite being away from family and living in a tent city, my friend’s son is appreciative of his pay grade right now. The company compensates them well for these overtime situations !
That is GOOD to hear!
❤️
So beautifully written. Sending wishes of hope, strength, and peace.
Thank you so much, Susannah!
Beautiful job, Jeanne.
Sending love from Black Mountain NC.
We meet as a community every other day to share supplies and report in from our mini teams organizing water, gas, food, internet access, FEMA applications, and mental health support for those in need.
I’ll write when I finish my community stint and re-open Black Mountain Pilates.
I will restack this. So many of your sentences are stunning. Kudos.💧💦🩵🌱🌿💚
Katharine, is that where you are? Black Mtn? Oh goodness ... I know y'all were SO hard hit. With you in spirit, sister, and hoping for easier days. If there's anything I can do from down here a couple hours south of you, please let me know. I think/hope we're going to be back to normal (powered up) in a few days and I have some time if you need a supply run. Seriously, give me a holler.
PS. We have Haywood Electric.
Glad to hear that you weren't too badly harmed by the storm. I've been thinking about you because I wasn't sure of the impact just south of us where you are. I don't have a generator and this has been quite an education. Thank you for the picture of your Earth altar. I've been meaning to create one for quite some time. This feels like the time to do it. Stay safe and connected.
Good to hear from you, Marsha. I just read your most recent post, haven't commented yet. I was trying to find where we had a message exchange, so I could remember exactly where you live. I know you're close. I know the trucks are working their way up 178 toward Rocky Bottom as we speak. (Do you have Blue Ridge Electric?) I'm glad you're hanging in there, too, and hope all will be back to (new) normal soon.
My community is called Round Mountain but because we have a Brevard mailing address it's confusing. I am outside of Rosman next to The Wilds Christian camp. Roughly between 64 and 178. Interestingly, some geolocation sites list my address as Sunset, South Carolina. So we must be kissing cousins! I'm going to email you an email from a woman whose community and course I belong to, Earth Tenders Academy. She's holding a call Wednesday to help heal the land and land spirits here. I think you might resonate with it.
Thank you!
Thank you for this update. How wonderful that you are finding tech free ways to spend the time and deepen into forgotten pleasures and ways of being. How difficult to be dealing with the circumstances and how reassuring that help finds you and others regardless of the level of need. Thinking of you and sending all my best. and a big hug...........
Thank you so much, Susi ... as always. Love beaming back to you!
So good to read that you’re managing okay, that you can get to town for necessities and that help has been arriving. Hopefully by the time you read this you will have power and wifi again. It is amazing how the most fragile of creatures, like the monarch butterflies and hummingbirds can live through such upheaval and destruction of their habitats. A version of the rainbow after the storm, but even more wondrous.
Btw, have you heard from Adam Potts and his team? They lost power right away, according to Tracey, but since then I haven’t received anymore updates.
Yes! I read an update from Adam back on Friday about how he and his family have been coping in Asheville. He sounded fine. I'll forward it to you in a minute.
Good luck. Fingers crossed that you will be reflecting on this in the past tense soon.
Thank you Debbie ... and thanks again for your kind offer of respite at your place. We haven't needed it--yet. But I appreciate your friendship!
So much of this past resonated with me too. We dusky fit power back yesterday in day 10. Our well was not hooked up to electric so that was exhausting. But we too have enjoyed our hummingbirds for just a few days. I think yesterday may have been the last. One strange thing is that we have not seen our friendly cardinals at our feeder since the storm.
I used to love all of beautiful trees, and now I just stare at all the fallen ones with huge root balls in unbelief. So I will wait for the leaves to turn all the golden colors & find the beauty in the ones that are left.
Oh, Sherrie, I've thought of you and Dan so much, after seeing the photos of how many trees you lost. And I think damage to your house, too? So so sorry! But I'm glad you have power back. And yes, the huge root balls of fallen trees is a heartbreaking sight. I hope your cardinals will show back up!