Severe Storm DESTROYS My Cheap Facelift

Click photo to enlarge and see damage; compare to photo in prior post

Four days after I posted the lovely pics of my "cheap facelift", a severe storm all but destroyed my flowers. The morning glories (above, right) are shredded. Compare to the previous photo - they were quite full and lush, and they had just begun to flower. The petunias in all the pots are also shredded, particularly the pot to the far left.

I was so disheartened... I told hubby that it depressed me and made me feel like "why should I even put forth all this work to plant my flowers if a Kansas hailstorm is just going to ruin it all"? He just laughed and told me I would not make a good wheat farmer. I guess I get his point. I cannot begin to fathom a wheat farmer's depression when a storm wipes out his crop for the season -- guess it would give him a good reason to drink. LOL

I've trimmed up the flowers as best I can, so I'll just wait and see if they bounce back over the coming weeks. I hope so!

In other news, I started a new job July 8th - so if you've noticed I've been absent this past week, that's the reason why. I only had the benefit of 5 days training, then I was let loose on my own. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it might be - actually, I rather enjoy it. I'm secretary in the Rehab department of a local community hospital. The hardest part has been learning the ins and outs of insurance pre-certifications and referrals for HMOs, but my common sense and logic has now taken over any of the minimal training I received, so I'm doing pretty good. I'm enjoying my interactions with the patients and the physical therapists alike.

At this point in time, the job is only temporary for 8 weeks; the lady I've replaced had foot surgery this past Wednesday. There is, however, reason for me to believe it could possibly become a permanent position for me. I have my fingers crossed and I am hoping!

Last night, in celebration of my first full work week, I bought a 6-pack of beer and enjoyed a cold brewski after vacuuming part of the house. (I vacuum frequently with 2 long-haired girls in the house!) What I didn't realize is that one beer would hit me right between the eyes and I'd be snoozing before 8:00!!! Am I a lightweight or what?! I think a large reason was that I lost sleep the prior 2 nights - one night due to the storm (power was out all night) and the second night I just didn't sleep well for some odd reason. And whether it was obvious to me or not, I'm sure I experienced some amount of stress with my first full week at the new job, so that probably served to make me tired too.

Now I am well rested today. And ready to tackle some storm damage clean-up! I've already started a few piles of branches....