ATF: The Final Fray

Today's the last day we go in to rescue and salvage. I can smell it already, and the anxiety is stabbing at me. I am trying to help myself by "seeing" the new house as I move through the wrecked one. Deeeep breaths.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day
Originally uploaded by DivaLea.

We're done cleaning out the house. Thanks for the encouragement to carry on until I was done, I pulled out some much stuff I would have missed so much. My nose is flayed from smoke and filth, my hands and arms are gray, my forehead is creased from owrry.

Today was surprisingly easy compared to others, maybe because I knew it was over. The weather was beautiful, I had iced tea and a full belly. We got Girl from school early to help finish.
When King and Girl went to get more drinks, I wandered into the backyard. There's so much life outside the house. I "teeming" would be the word. Without lawn mowing and people tromping through it, the yard has gone wild. There were inchworms and butterflies and ants, the groundcover's tall and green. I saw a huge Swallowtail, Fritillaries, Sulphurs, and some spotted ones I don't recognize.
While I was talking to aracana_j on the mobile, and I swear this is true, a freshly-emerged Fritillary landed on my blue-gloved thumb. Its wings were still not completely uncurled, and it was tasting my glove with its proboscis. I could see they tiny hairs in its head, even. It flew away before I could get a picture.

What it means that a new butterfly rested on my hand is not lost on me. Even I can hear that things are better when it's shouted at me in butterflies.

The last photos before demolition are here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/divalea/293527234/in/photostream/

Thanks so much to everyone who's seen me and the kids and King this far.