Christmas 2010
After it was time to move back to normal life I felt old, something about not having your father to consult and rely upon. Of course being gray haired and out of shape did help convey that notion of oldness. It seems there is an epidemic of overweightness in America, so I should slim down I have never been in step with trends in our society. Nancy continues her travels for Mosaic, I went with her to Delaware in May. We included a stay in Ocean City, an overbuilt beach. We also stopped in Philadelphia and I got to see the National Constitution Center on the mall with Independence Hall. Erik was hired as a teacher at West Central High School, Biggsville, IL. He is teaching English in a school on academic warning for the third year. The first year teachers have become a great social and support group for each other. Another gift.
Leo Ramer had arranged for the Ecumenical Singers to perform at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum on June 5th. I got to sing patriotic songs in Springfield on the same day as Elmwood’s Strawberry Festival. It was a great experience. We got home about 5PM and Erik left for Galesburg. Alex and I decided something was going on when we lost power at 7:30 PM. We heard a whoosh went to front door to look out and saw the funnel. It was the first twister I had ever seen. We went to the basement although it was already past our house. So began the new episode of life following the tornado. I spent hours and hours updating information on the website, as well as getting my own stuff out of my office. Fortunately even though the wall on the second floor was knocked off the down stairs and rest on the building stayed intact.. I moved my stuff home and Elmnet moved to a new office.
Elmnet Office After Storm
We finished the closing contract on selling Elmnet in July. I continued to put out information to the community on the web site as I tried to cope with my own affairs, My goal was to get Elmwood to use this as an opportunity not see it as a crisis. I met with some success, mostly skepticism, but I persist. My immediate next project on elmwoodil.org is to get photos on the current conditions to come up as you put your mouse on the tornado damaged photo. I will write another outline for recovery and economic renewal although the city fathers would wish I would not. If you want to see the photos come to www.elmwoodil.org a site I consider a gift of love some might dispute that
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