Drafted

I went out early to see my mom this morning at the nursing home. She was all spiffed up and had a corsage that the nurses had given her. I gave her the card and gown that Jilda and I had gotten her and she was in a pretty good mood.

When I left, I stopped by the Sipsey Community Center where they were getting ready to feed the hundreds of volunteers who'd descended on the community.  The idea was to pop in to see if they needed anything that I could fetch for them and then head home.

The lady in charge looked a little stressed. Since this was Mother's Day, they were a little short on help. Before I could say Crisco, they had me in the kitchen frying up corn fritters and fish sticks.

Until today, the only things I've cooked was cornbread, chili, and waffles. 

When I looked at the lady doubtfully, she blazed me with a look that said -- Hey Bubba, a trained monkey cranked up on Xanax could fry fish sticks and corn fritters. So my on-the-job training period was rather short, and soon I get in the groove.

After a few minutes I was shouting -- ORDER UP!!!, as if I'd worked at a Waffle House for years.

I know that both Jilda and I have written a great deal about this disaster.  For days afterward I think we both had post traumatic stress, even though we weren't directly in the path. When people see this type destruction it's disturbing on a primal level. Seeing it on TV is one thing, but driving through these areas each day, and experiencing it first hand brings it home.
I shot a video on Friday after the tornado (on Wednesday) of a lady who'd lost a great deal. I asked her a few days later if I could share it and she said OK.  It's a about four minutes long.