The Casualties of the Flood...Cleaning out the Barn

A couple of weeks ago we finally faced the barn. Being that it is a 1900 sq ft mammoth of junk and treasures, we were definitely a little overwhelmed. The youth (boy scouts) from our church came out in the morning to help haul everything out and help pick up debris from around the yard and house. Then ~ it meant that Dave and I had to comb through the casualties and sort out what was salvageable and what was not. What a chore! But, we finally got through most of it and inventoried it for the insurance company. Unfortunately, the greater part of everything was not salvageable. How sad! Most of our holiday treasures (except for Halloween and one box of our Christmas ornaments) were lost. Ho Hum. The holidays will definitely not be the same!

We look like rednecks with our piles! And this is only one side of the barn, there was another pile on each of the remaining 3 sides! Dave's shop, all the gardening equipment (mowers, etc), camping gear, chicken stuff, all our holiday decorations (including our "lawn trash"), a good part of our food storage, plus paint and remodeling "stuff" were all affected....and sadly there was much more---old toys, books, memory boxes, and all kinds of things--both junk and treasures that were stored in there.

Bring back any memories, Susan?! This find was the hardest on me. Although the box that these old Barbies were in was inside a plastic tub bucket (with lid), they were completely soaked in sewerage water and muck. I told Dave just to put them in the discard pile and I would mourn their loss. But, the next day when I burst into tears at church, I knew I had to rescue them. I spent three hours cleaning them, their clothes, and their accessories in bleach, Lysol, febreeze and other chemicals. But, they are still badly and permanently stained---and they still stink! Their odor is nauseating. I put them out on the porch where they have been "airing out" for the past couple of weeks. They are a bit better, but will never be the same. There were others in another box of which I did the same. I just didn't have the heart to part with these remnants of my childhood. On a brighter note, my old hot wheels cars made it out safely--their box was on a high shelf in my closet. Live and learn.

I keep reminding myself that it is just "stuff", but it's still been hard to part with things that have wonderful memories associated with them. I was always so cautious with the things I loved, but I still couldn't protect them! Mother Nature won this round!