August 23, 2006

ECONOMY, ARK. – The time has come to update the information about my series of disasters concerning the infrastructure of my dwelling out here on the east end of Pea Ridge overlooking the Gumlog Basin.

Some will recall that the events began with water heater and heat-pump failures. Then came the septic tank failure, requiring new field lines. Finally, came the thunderstorm that zapped my satellite dishes, TV set and all my audio and video devices.

I have now replaced the satellite dishes (TV and internet) and most of the audio and video devices, with help from my homeowner’s insurance. (I still need a replacement in-line audio tape player-recorder, which is getting hard to find.)

I resume these reports because this morning (Sunday) our driveway was filled with a crane, a bucket truck and about 10 men with chainsaws and other tools and one woman with a camera.

They were here to remove the two giant pine trees that were hit by lightning and killed during the storm in late April. They were hard to get at because they were behind the house (and very close to the house), and access from behind is blocked by a deck and trees.

(The insurance, by the way, pays only $500 of the thousands it is taking to remove these trees.)

By tonight, the equipment was gone, the trees were down, along with some other trees that had to be removed to get at the big pines. The workers will come back later and take away the trunks and limbs.

A storm came through toward the end of the process as a reminder of what killed the trees after more than 100 years (38 since we built here). I was once told I didn’t need lightning rods because the tall trees would attract any lighting.

That appeared to work for us, but a house that recently burned after a lighting strike in Russellville had tall trees beside it. We were saved from fire by the fact that it was pouring rain when our lightning struck.

The house looks very different without the two towering pine trees on the north side. In fact, it is no longer the same place at all.

For the first time in 33 years, I don’t have to go back to school this month. Tech started without either Ginnie or me at the meetings or in the classrooms. It has been more than 20 years for Ginnie

We’ll see how well it survives.

So far, there don’t seem to be any major breakdowns. It may help that I am continuing to teach one class. It is all online. Students in Community Journalism submit their assignments by e-mail or through the Blackboard web system. The syllabus, assignments and grades are also on Blackboard for them to see and download. Some students are in other cities and even in other states. They answer questions about a book and my online notes and report each week on some aspect of a small daily or weekly newspaper.

I have a mailbox and an office at Tech that I share with other adjunct instructors but no office hours. If any students report on The Chronicle or The Times, I will leave copies for them at Tech each week. I go to Russellville each Friday to get courthouse news.

But I will not be in a classroom or meetings.