back to the old house

i went to arcadia tuesday with deb and mom. it was devastating to see the damage from charley. the familiar afternoon downpour made the town look even more bleak, with hard and fast raindrops blowing side-ways against the glass as we sat inside with our lunch. our old house is in shambles, but i dont think thats it all to do with the hurricane. we made a few circles around it, with deb taking pictures from the passenger side. images from my childhood superimposed themselves over the current state of the house, but it wasnt enough to delete the overwhelming sense of disrepair. the garage door is hanging literally on one hinge and the grass is high in both front and back yards. there is a big oak down, too. sadly, i think that it was the only one of those oaks that lined airport road that was easy to climb.

there are new post-office boxes in the middle of all the streets, on the one road that runs perpendicular to the fruit streets. maybe they replaced them that way because of damage? the treeline is so drastically changed throughout the entire town, that i could hardly recognize some of the main streets.

the weather has cooled here considerably, enough so i can sleep with my windows open to enjoy the breezes. it hasnt been restful sleep, though, and the last few days i have found myself awake before dawn, sleepily looking up from my bed out my window at the early morning sky. there were a few bright stars strung among the grey and blue of the horizon, and vaguely i recognized orion and his belt, even though my mind was still fuddled with dreams. the sight lasted for but a moment before i turn and close my eyes again, but its as if i had gazed upon it for hours. the trees are swaying and a bird calls with a song i do not know. the morning insects start to wake, even while the traffic begins to hum in the distance. the sun is near, but i still sleep.

maybe thats why i cant get to work on time these days.