Happy Fourth of July!

A beautiful sunny day, what more could we ask for? Happy Fourth of July!

Later today, family will be coming over.  We're BBQ-ing a homegrown Turkey, making potato salad, baked beans, cole slaw, fruit salad, pasta salad, preseco with cranberry and peach mocktails "Bellini"
and general good cheer!


Gardens

We have been slogging our way in the gardens.  Hoeing has been a challenging exercise, but we're getting it done.

A large pumpkin plant has suddenly emerged in the yard, near a spot where we fed our turkeys last year, and they ate a lot of squash, zucchini, pumpkin.  In  the North garden, a lot of goddess given squash family plants have sprung up, and  instead of planting them in East garden, I have made an 'Isle of Green,' arranging these squash, cucumber, zucchini varieties in a heart shape around the large pumpkin plant. It looks quite pretty, and so far, everything has adjusted to the move.

Writing

 June went too quickly, and here it is the beginning of July. I have been diligent in keeping my morning hours. Writing for a couple of solid hours every day, mostly 100 word stories, in hopes of finishing the collection this summer.  I have been  fortune to have many of these micro stories picked up for publication in Otoliths, 100 word story, Jellyfish Review, Dime Show Review, Eunoia Review, Scarlet Leaf Review, Synaeresis Arts +Poetry, and others.

This past weekend, I finish a 3230 word story called "She Was a Good Listener." 

I have been enjoying myself, occupying these different landscapes and social interactions and characters' mindsets. Why they do what they do seems to be my motivation.  My fiction  is beady-eyed, I think.  It takes a hard look at characters behaving badly; yet, there is room to have empathy for them and their lives and how they think day to day to come up with a solution.








 

Summer Solstice: Our Faces Lifted to the Sun

Photo K. Iuppa

Yesterday, we celebrated the lingering daylight, the perfume of all things summer. This is the beginning of  work and recreation-- all of which happens outside.  Outside. The sun shines today.

Today we begin to learn all things about bees. We've cleared an area among the trees where the hive will  sit protected from the wind and rain and sun. It will be their safe harbor. The hive arrives tonight.

A few facts about keeping bees.
Never wear black around the hive, the bees will think you are a bear, and you know what bears like is honey, and the bees know this, and they put up a fuss with you, impersonating bear. Bees forage two miles from hive every day.  Bees are attracted to carbon dioxide in one's exhale, which leads them straight to one's mouth. Note to self:  be sure to breathe through nose.

Yesterday, I weeded the kitchen garden.  Many goddess-given cherry tomato plants, green onions, lettuces (a variety of deliciousness-- we had fresh lettuce last night for dinner), beets, kale. The Garlic is thriving.  It's gigantic. It's spicy, too. It's really good.

Then, I poked around the North garden, checking on my recent planting and everything is doing well.
I have my fingers-crossed that we will have the right amount of sun, rain, heat to give our gardens the necessary double dose tonic. We are 3-4 weeks behind. If we have a growing season that goes through October, we will be all set.

Thursday, June 15, 2017 Mary, How does your garden grow?

Red Rooster Farm:

This week, we were able to till the North and East gardens, and yesterday I began planting the North garden.  Thus far, yesterday and today, I have put in 90 tomato plants: Amish paste, Romas, Robeson, Carolina Gold, Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifters, Brandywine, Celebrity, Celebration, Early Girl, Sweet 100's & Honey Bunch; eggplant, purple and striped, sweet peppers (green to red) Red Beauties and Galileo, mixed hot peppers, mixed bell peppers, cherry bombs; carrots, Blue Lake beans, Gourmet green beans . . .more waiting to be planted.  Just as I finished putting in the tray of carrots, it began to rain.  Made it to the house before the skies opened up:DOWNPOUR!

Now the sun is shining. . . .

Getting Back to Poetry Readings:

Went to the Genesee Reading Series on Tuesday evening at Writers & Books and thoroughly enjoyed listening to Poets Bart White and Paulette Swartzfager.  They decided to share the reading, sitting side by side, each reading a poem that would let the other select a poem in response or not.  it was fabulous.  Both of them, Southerners, who are gifted storytellers.  What's not to love?  The evening's reading was on wing.  Loved every minute of it.

On Writing:

I seem to be writing every morning, mostly 100 word stories; yet, there have been a few poems too.
I think I'm settling into a summer work routine.  I really need to  work on my novella.  I haven't really returned to that, but I will.  Perhaps as soon as the gardens are planted.

I have been reading The Great Gatsby in preparation for the Brockport Seymour Library Book Discussion on June 28th.  I think I'm in good shape for this. It's funny, I am seeing so much in this reading, more than ever before.  I wonder if it's happening to the other readers too.

*

I have several poetry books that I am writing reviews for.  Still trying to finish looking at a manuscript I was given literally months ago.  I'm nearly done.


Can you believe we're nearly through June?  How is it possible?

Soon, summer! Enjoy!

It's Saturday . . .Much to do . . .

Reading:

On June 1st, I went to Seymour Library in Brockport, and  picked out a new novel: Running by Cara Hoffman.

The Book Discussion on June 28th, 11-12, will feature The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.   I found my copy, and have begun reading. I seem to read this novel every two years. I have wanted to be in a book club for a long time now.  Maybe summertime is the perfect time to join a group.

Writing:
  
Since the end of the Spring 2017 semester, I have been trying to switch gears to a work schedule that is strictly my own. Some days, I'm inspired; other days, I'm distracted.
However, I have been writing.  Mostly 100 word stories ( my latest addiction) and several CNF essays, of varying length, and a fistful of poems.  Mid-May, I returned to my novella, and was surprised by how fluent it is.  I asked my son Nick to read a bit, and he grew very quiet, quieter than usual.  I said, "What do you think?" and he said, "Your writing makes me want to steal some of these lines. I can "see" what's happening."  I was thrilled by his immediate reaction. I actually "see" this novella as a film. So, this summer is the summer I get it ready to be sent off to publishers.  I'm making plans.


Planting:

For the past week, I have been lifting, bending, raking, pulling, reaching, digging . . .
My body is just "thrilled" by all of this movement.  Yes, I found  500 new-to-me
muscles. Flower gardens are in good shape, save one garden that is a total mess, and may have to be taken apart completely. We'll see. We're three weeks behind on the vegetable gardens.  Hoping to get things going in the North garden this weekend. Again, we'll see. More rain in the forecast.

 



 
 
 

Too Long Since My Last Post . . .Here's the Update

Photo: K. Iuppa

It's the last day of May. Our gardens  still haven't been turned over yet.  Our seedlings are jumping out of their containers.The weather has been very wet (many rain & wind storms) and dreary. Lake Ontario is at a new high and threatening  all the homes along its shoreline. We're hoping for a few days of sun and light wind to dry out our soggy earth.  Over the Memorial Day weekend, I did get a start on the many chores of our little farm. So much to do, so many hours in a day, so many other things I'm plotting to do this summer.  This is either a good sign or bad sign.  Peter and I are getting ready to learn the art of beekeeping.  This week we will get  our first hive. There is so much to learn.  So, with good luck and wild flowers, we will have honey by September. I do hope the bees like Red Rooster Farm.

Next, in the South garden, we discovered rows of garlic, and it's growing, growing, growing. The heads are going to be robust and flavorful (hot, actually).  Oh, this is such good news. Onions too are happy in this current weather.

THINK SUN!


Recent past:  The Spring 2017 semester galloped to the finish line.  I received The New York State Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching.   The award ceremony was at The College at Brockport on May 18th, 2017. It was a special moment in my career as a teacher.

Photo: Nick Tonery


I'm finishing up residencies and reports, and taking time to reflect on all that has happened this year. Small Worlds Floating continues to receive positive reviews.  I am in the process of booking readings and workshops; looking forward to traveling a bit and meeting new poets and writers  and readers in the process.


I'm hoping to post more  frequently about the farm, beekeeping, and the writing life.

Stay tuned!

Nearly the End of July, Really?

I'm taking stock. This early morning air s light.  It's going to be close to 90 degrees today.  I need to continue working in the gardens. Yes, weeding.   I have four rows done in North garden.

On Monday, I harvested beans: Blue lake, Tenderettes, Romas and purple.  Made a delicious cold salad for dinner.  Have to put by the box of Tenderettes, which are gorgeous beans.

I also collected burpless cucumbers, yellow squash and zucchini-- all of which we have plenty of.  The supersized yellow squash and zucchini have been picked and cut up for our always hungry chickens and turkeys. They love, love, love it.

I plan on working another 4 hours weeding, then a swim. I have  been swimming 17 times.  I'm hoping to break 30 by end of summer.  It's great therapy for my muscles, especially after all those hours bent over in the repetition of weeding. Hoping to take a ride out West in search of apricots.  The blueberries we found on Saturday were so delicious, so sweet, and are all gone. So a few more pints of those, too.

Started a few watercolors this week.  I'm so rusty. Long ago, I met a woman at Writers & Books who was first an artist and second a writer, who advised me to pick a subject and draw that subject for 100 days consecutively.  She said to plan on 15 minutes, per drawing.  Much like morning pages, this practice loosens up the soil, so to speak, acting as a bridge between dreams and awareness.  I have been drawing flowers.
First drawing went the way of too much enthusiasm.  For a still life, it didn't look airy but cartoonish. It really puzzled me.  Next  drawings were far more successful. Zinnias.  I do love them.So I may do a series of painting.  I imagine they would become a catalog of summer.

Summer, I don't want it to end. I'm finally settling in to its rhythms. I am grateful for the solitude.  I've been made keenly aware of time.  Nothing is accomplished quickly. Well, maybe doing the dishes, or making the bed, but everything else takes time. Hurry has been making me anxious.  I keep asking myself, what happens if you don't hurry?  And the answer is something will be bumped into tomorrow, because I'll run out of time or energy, or both.  So be it.

It's nearly 8 a.m. and It's time to start this day's work.

May 30, 2015: Red Rooster Chronicle

The Planting Season is in full swing. Yesterday, I planted the East garden: Burp-less cucumbers, pickles, acorn squash, buttercup and butternut squash, Pumpkins: Sugar babies (for pies), Cinderella, Casper, Bumpkins-- all veggies that sprawl on vines.  They have plenty of room.

In the North garden, we're nearly done. Still have a variety of Tomatoes, beets, peppers, celery, anise, carrots, eggplant to plant.  This garden is 3/4 done.  

South garden has a ton of garlic, many varieties, onions, many varieties, potatoes, many varieties, and peas.  this garden is planted.

The orchard is loaded with fruit.  The bees were very busy!

We need rain.  Hopefully, today we will get what the forecast has promise. 

~

During the week, I met up with some of my favorite local poets for our monthly "Word Happening."  We gather in a cafe for breakfast.
Someone is the appointed the leader and presents a worksheet with four prompts.  During the session, we write two; then take the other two home. I was so glad to be there.  The prompts were and still are a gold mine.

I wrote two poems from one prompt. I have some other ideas for poems percolating and hope to work on them today. Several of the poets in this group are also visual artists and we talked a bit about a collaging technique I learned in April. My cohorts seemed interested in trying these techniques out, so I think I will try to organize a day where we can do this.

~

I'm still getting organized around what to do this summer. I've been daydreaming a bit. I think about writing when I'm working in the gardens.  Ideas float once I've established my rhythm and a new routine takes hold.

 


 

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday ~ May 17,2015

So here we are, standing on the brink of another season.  Time to make plans for other things.  This is the season of plots (garden, writing, relationships)~ O how it thickens as we turn a corner to summer when we get the chance to be out and about. 

I think I'm ready . . . 

Went to the Lilac Festival yesterday and met up with some good friends to watch the crowds and listen to music. We had a bite to eat at NAPA. I carried an umbrella to ward off rain, and it worked.


Today, I hope to go to a Red Wings game.  

I'm thrilled to announce that all of grading is done.  Woot-woot.  Although I just found out that I have a bit more assessment to do before the end of May. Always something.


Here's a recent release: Lyric essay "Deliverance" on Eunoia Review:eunoiareviewwordpress.com

Last Day of Lent

My last post was in February . . .What happened? A lot happened.  Winter continued to fuss & fuss & fuss and an on-going grading marathon, which continues today.

I am doing the 30X30 Poetry Challenge in celebration of National Poetry Month, and so far I have been successful. Some days, I wrote more than one poem.


Here are the poem titles (thus far):

"Promise of Spring"4/1/2015
"Strange Looks" (prose poem)4/2/2015
"Wheel of Fortune" (tarot card, not TV show)4/2/2015
"Sundial" 4/1/2015
"Wishful Thinking" 4/3/2015
"What You Left Behind" 4/3/2015
"Last Day of Lent"4/4/2015
"Standing on Top of a Skyscraper about to Scream" 4/2/2015
 "Impatience" 4/1/2015

 This challenge is always difficult because April is the month in the semester that gallops to the finish line.
So far, so good.


Recent  publishing news:
The Clementine Poetry Journal Prose Poem
http://clementinepoetryjournal.com/

In Flight Literary Magazine Prose poem and haibun

http://inflightlitmag.com/issues/issue3/

Black Poppy Review Flash fiction

http://blackpoppyreview.blogspot.com/


My third full length collection: Small Worlds Floating was accepted by Cherry Grove Collections and will be released August, 2016.

The past two days we have had warm weather.  It's made us giddy.We're planning our gardens now.  Making our list to purchase new chicks, ducklings, turkeys. I'm so looking forward to the new season of growth.

I hope Summer 2015 will match the weather of Summer 2012.  Sun turn up the heat!

Labor Day Weekend (Isn't every day labor day?)

Photo by K. Iuppa
Harvest Time on Red Rooster Farm

I have been harvesting yellow squash, zucchini, potatoes (white and red.  The reds are red inside and out, and are delish!) Swiss chard, blue lake beans, onions (white and red) last of the cucumbers, beets, white eggplants, purple peppers and cherry/grape tomatoes, which are just starting to come now.  I've been picking tomatoes for several days now.  Soon will be roasting them.  I have enough now.  Carolina gold and beef steaks are beginning to turn.  It's going to be intense when all the tomatoes turn.Usually, I have 100 quarts put by by now. So this year I will work around the clock.  I must admit everything has been outstanding. We have been very fortunate.

~

Have begun another writing challenge. Another set of lyric essays and flash fiction. I'm hoping to have 6 of each done by October 2nd.  We'll see if I am as successful as this summer challenge.

1. Lyric essay:  "Milkweed"  done 8/31/2014.

I have some ideas brewing. Still writing poems, but I'm considering them differently since the summer writing challenge.

Good news. I have been asked to write reviews for two journals.  One in USA and the other in UK. If any readers of this blog have a new poetry book/chapbook, please send it my way! 

I'm hoping I will be able to write a couple of these every month.

~

Glad to have been able to complete some novel editing per writer request. It's a bit difficult at the start of the semester.

So far, so good with classes and teaching and meetings.  Even though I was dragging my big toe a bit, I knew that  once I started working on syllabi, I would perk up. 

~

From the batch of lyric essays written this summer, ranging from 250 words to 2500 words, I have had seven out of the twelve accepted, and two of them haven't been released into the world yet.  I feel so fortunate and encouraged by this.


~

This upcoming week my niece Lucy will be in town for a visit!  She will get to enjoy the tomatoes.  My sister Andrea and her grown children Matt and Kiira only got a nimble.  But, they did have a lot of other veggies and fruits from our gardens.

~

Hoping to get some relaxation time in this weekend .  We'll see.   Always a lot to do.

Positive Things

Three  Positive Things:

Tuesday, August 12th, 2014

I have been trying to pick veggies every day, so things don't get too large, especially Zucchini, which seems to grow in front of our eyes! On Tuesday, I spent the late morning to afternoons baking and cooking.  With  one One Size Fits All I made three full size recipes. 1. Zucchini Tea Loaves, Zucchini parm, with orange and red peppers and onions and basil; and my mom's recipe of cubed zucchini, with tomatoes onions, garlic, basil and egg and  cheese (really soul food!).

Finished a poem I was working on.  It's taking me several days to complete a poem.


Went to the Genesee Reading Series and heard Jules Nyquist and Claudia Stanek.  Great reading. Fun seeing everyone.  Bought Jules' book  and John Roche's anthology Mo'Joe poems.  Looking forward to spending time reading both.


Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Wrote letters! AND MAILED THEM.  Bought beautiful stamps at the post office: Farmers Market and Songbirds.  Gorgeous!

Picked a pint of red raspberries ( this is winding down now); cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini,(all young)
basil, Blue Lake green beans (going to make green bean salad).

Bought new desk calendars for my school office!  Drove around doing errands in Brockport, with marginal success.  Bought a book at Lift Bridge.  Spent a lot of time in there, looking and looking and looking.



Tonight 8/14/2014, is the Just Poets  monthly reading at Barnes & Noble in Pittsford at 7 p.m.

Last year, we held a summer poem challenge and the 13 poets who submitted their poems will be reading their poems tonight.  A year's full circle.

A lot of these poems have been published in journals, including the annual Just Poets anthology Le Mot Juste, 2014.


Looking forward to hearing these poems tonight. If you're in the neighborhood, please stop by.




 

Suddenly, July and Summer in full swing

Lake Ontario, Fourth of July Weekend
Photo by Meghan Rose Tonery

We had the perfect holiday.  Weather, family gathering, good spirits all around. 


Content:  I think that's how I'm feeling lately.  Summer allows me to sleep soundly, but before I fall asleep I see the vexing weed of my garden.  The one I have been removing carefully from the raised bed of carrots.  I have 400 carrots, all named Jack, growing in orderly rows.  It took me three days to clear all the weeds, which is actually a cattle feed.  Its rye zone  has lasted over 100 years.It's such tedious work.  I had to switch up the weeding to other rows that were easier to clear and lay down hay to keep future weeds at bay.  The gardens look amazing this year.  I think we finally have it down.

I think this year will be the year of the tomato, like the harvest of 2012 , when I put up over 100 jars of  That'sa Good Sauce. I shared with family and friends, of course.

Right now, I have spied tiny blue lake string beans, a yellow squash that's the size of a cigarette and three yellow grape tomatoes nearing perfection!  But soon more will come.  Blossoms in abundance.  Weather is so much better this year. Although, others would say this isn't so.  There have been some fierce rainstorms that have caused a lot of damage.  We had the rain and wind, but escaped the ruin.  That was last year for us.

In my writing life, I accomplished my 12 lyric CNF essays by July.  July 3rd to be exact.  I posted my progress on Facebook.  I'm grateful to friends who gave me thumbs up.  I think going public with the challenge kept me honest. Often, I attempt the  monthly poetry challenges.  The 30X30 is difficult.  I have some friends who draft more than one a day to stockpile.  I think my personal best is 25.

I have written one poem since I finished the essays, and have revised it extensively (snip, snip, snip!).

I feel a bit wobbly now, trying to accomplish some domestic tasks and allow my self to dip into my box of dreams.  I realize that I write from my life experience, but the one who is writing isn't exactly the struggling me-- the one who worries day to day about survival.  My writer I writes with a knowledge beyond me. I realize that this may throw readers who are invested in finding the Truth/truth in poems, stories, essays. 

Some of us read to experience another life.  Some of us write to make sense of a life that doesn't quite make sense.  Some of us want love's solution.  Some of us drank too much Love Potion Number 9. Some of us just want to be tickled, or touched, or held.  I'm somewhere in that sum.

I have a GREAT idea for a play.  I have had this idea for quite a few years.  Now I think I can get it down on the page.  My challenge is to have it written and ready for a salon reading by the last weeks of August.  We'll see if I can pull this together. 

On Writing

On Writing:

By the end of the Spring semester, I made a contract with myself.  To write 12 lyrical creative nonfiction essays by July, of varying lengths and random topics.  I’m up to seven (7), with two accepted for publication. 

I feel like I’ve tapped the right vein. I’m enjoying the freedom to push a lyrical line to breaking point.  No wonder Whitman favored this conversational line with its iambic pacing.  It has its allure for both writer and reader.  After all, it is my ambition to capture my reader’s attention, however briefly, but hopefully long enough to read my work to its end.

Then, life interrupted the rhythm that was setting up here.  Our routine turned upside down. Peter landed in the hospital for 5 days with a skin infection that developed out of blue on his right leg.  IV antibiotics, bag after bag, until his release.  Now it’s a week past.  We’ve lost count of days in the hospital, and coming home has been equally difficult because we’re slowly talking about the seriousness of it all.  I confess I’m not prepared for such consequences, but they are always there, like gauzy shadows, trailing after us.  If we were to consider consequences every day, I doubt we would get out of bed.  I guess we really should celebrate our amazing bodies.  How they muster courage to fight the unseen battle. We actually face death every day.  I get that now. I'm grateful to have Peter back as his cynical self.   Hence, I know he’s better.

When we came home, I wrote an essay called “Vigil” to purge the hospital from my thoughts, trying to make sense of all of it.

So since last Thursday, June 5^th, I believe, we have been trying to fill in the gap, much like the wound that is healing on his leg.  I have been attending his wound care. The surgeon gave me a thumb’s up for my care earlier this week.  A relief to hear this approval. 

Now that we’re on the mend, we’ve returned to the demands of the farm.  Two days ago, I planted two rows of potatoes, and three rows of bean plants (Blue Lakes (green), brown and white(dry beans).  The garlic rows look fantastic.  I think it’s been 5years since we’ve had a crop like this.  The weather has been so rough on our efforts.  

Our tractors have been acting up, in all sorts of colicky ways.  Tractors are worse than insolent children.  You can’t bribe them at all.  Peter sorted out their mysterious ails, much to his relief.

We now can cut the grass that has been growing, growing , growing.

Yesterday, we had several hard rainstorms rumble through, starting around 4:30 p.m. and coming on in surges every two hours.  It was muggy yesterday.  After the rain, the air lightened up as evening came on. The tree frogs were singing harmonies, call and response. 

So here I am this morning, thinking about writing  . . .

Memorial Day Weekend, 2014

Lakeside Photo by K. Iuppa
Outcropping of Violets, 2014

It's been over a month since I last posted on my blog.  So much has happened, including Spring.  The days are
getting longer.  The air is certainly sweeter.  A lot of busyness here on the farm. . . .

I'm in a new routine now that the Spring semester is officially over.  I have been writing every early morning.  Thus far, I have written the following creative nonfiction lyric essays (250-1200 words):
1. "Surrender"
2. "Open Suitcase"
3. "Blind Date: 1970"
4. "Worn Shoes"
5. "Season of Ceremony"

Most of the essays are designed in terse paragraphs moving through time and space; so each paragraph is discrete and can stand on its own.  However, each paragraph gains meaning as the essay moves forward in its trajectory.  Trajectory can be a linear progression or it can be like life's adage: for every one step forward, there are two steps back. The first and last paragraphs have an element of call and response.  The question posed in the first is answered in the last.

That said, I'm now facing a real dilemma  in one of these essays.  It is unlike the others.  It's written in eleven sections, which are numbered 1-11.  The narrative is a linear progression of the memory and it's fact driven as I remember it. Each section reads like a diary entry. So it's a weave of fact and reflection.  I think it's viable as a creative nonfiction form.  I have certainly taught enough examples of this diary form, but there is something puzzling me about this essay's depth and breadth, because it is so true to its facts, which means the descriptive language is there, but I'm not certain that the figurative language is elevating it's over-arching meaning. I've put it on the back burner for a bit.  I think my process on this essay was to get the memory straight, without confusing or diluting it.   Now the test is to see if the figurative makes it rise beyond understanding its news.  If I can accomplish that, I'll be so pleased. I guess I will have to wait and see.  Sometimes, you have to get away from your writing to see what's missing. 

 * * *

Yesterday's essay, "Season of Ceremony"  has made me melancholy.   The memories in it are the fiber of my being.  The people I talk about are my sponsors, the ones whose hard work were and always have been my model.  The essay is head, heart, spirit.   The essay's ending pays homage to Walt Whitman's lilacs blooming.  Writing it, I think I articulated what I'm facing right now.  This is going to be the summer where we (Peter and I) trim the fat, both literally and figuratively.  Good thing we started six weeks ago.


* * *

Cleaning Up.  When I'm not writing, I'm doing farm work.  Thus far, I have cleared out three decorative gardens.  We're getting the vegetable gardens ready for planting.  This season has been delayed by the cooler weather.  Since were so close to Ontario, I think we're at least two weeks behind those who are south and east of us.  It's so amazing to see the difference in the landscapes, which we saw earlier this week, when I gave a reading in Montour Falls.  Unfortunately, about 4-5 days earlier, we had a lot of rain, and this area, specifically Penn Yan, suffered a lot of damage. Poets, who live at higher levels ( the hills)  in the area, said that a wall of water made its way down the main street, and so much was lost.  I know this kind of loss.  Back in  the early 70's, Hurricane Agnes (rained for 40 days/nights literally) pounded this area and we  went to Corning to help with the relief.  I had never seen such ruin, and the clean up took its time.  I often think of how the help of strangers and  neighbors makes this loss not so lonesome.  It's true we can rebuild and often what we rebuild  is the model of  the smartest little pig. Not quick. Not cheap. But lasting.