Butte Falls bulletin., February 01, 2008, Page 2, Image 2

J a n u a r y S to r m 2 0 0 8
....... In te r v ie w w ith C h e r R y d b e r g .. .,
W r itte n b y K a r e n D a v is
C h e r s a t lis te n in g t o th e s o u n d s o f th e h ig h w in d s a n d s to r m f o r o v e r 1 h o u r a fte r h e r h u s b a n d P a u l
h a d le ft a n d g o n e o f f t o w o r k .
It w a s d u r in g th e s n a p p in g a n d p o p p in g o f tr e e s d u r in g th e g u s ts o f h ig h
w in d s th a t s h e d e c id e d to g e t u p , g e t d r e s s e d a n d p u t o n h e r s h o e s .
S h e r e a liz e d th e s e w e r e d iffe r e n t
w in d s th a n w e ’ d h a d b e fo r e . S h e th e n w e n t a n d w o k e u p th e ir s o n A le x ( R e e d ) , w h o w a s s le e p in g . A le x
g o t u p a n d th e y w e n t in to th e liv in g r o o m a n d b e g a n t o p r a y to g e th e r .
B y th is tim e th e e le c tr ic ity h a d
g o n e o ff a n d th e s o u n d s o f th e tr e e s s n a p p in g o ff n e a r - b y w a s a r e a lity .
F o r y e a r s P a u l h a d s u g g e s te d c u ttin g th e la r g e tr e e lo c a te d o u ts id e th e ir h o m e , b u t C h e r w o u ld n e v e r
a llo w it.
B u t c o m e e v e r y w in d s to r m th e y ’ d b r in g u p th e th o u g h t, th e n fo r g e t a b o u t it.
W ith a c r a s h a n d b a n g , d o w n c a m e th a t tr e e .
N O T th is tim e .
A w e s tr u c k ....la te r C h e r w o u ld m e a s u r e th e tr e e a n d it
w o u ld h a v e a d ia m e te r o f 3 4 ” a n d b e m o r e th a n 1 0 0 ’ fo o t lo n g .
In th e d a r k n e s s , w ith o n ly a s m a ll fla s h lig h t, A le x w e n t in to th e F ir e m a n ’ s m o d e .
w ith th e B u tte F a lls V o lu n te e r F ir e D e p t)
in to th e d a r k n e s s ,
A s h e a n d h is m o th e r to o k th e tin y fla s h lig h t a n d p e e re d o u t
w h a t th e y s a w w a s th e tr e e o u ts id e th e ir h o m e h a d fa lle n .
w a s w h e r e it h a d la n d e d .
( H e is a v o lu n te e r
W h a t th e y d id n o t k n o w
A s th e y lo o k e d o u t th e y b e g a n t o r e a liz e th e p a th th e tr e e h a d ta k e n .
fa lle n o n P a u l ’ s m o th e r ’ s h o u s e , w h ic h is lo c a te d b e h in d th e ir h o m e .
It h a d
W ith o u t th in k in g o f h is o w n s a fe ty ,
A le x h u r r ie d o u t th e d o o r t o fin d a w a y in to h is g r a n d m o th e r ’ s h o u s e .
B e c a u s e th e y o n ly h a d a s m a ll
fla s h lig h t it w a s n e a r ly im p o s s ib le to s e e a n y th in g d u r in g th o s e e a r ly m o r n in g h o u r s .
A s A le x fo u n d a
w a y t o e n te r in to h is g r a n d m o th e r ’ s h o u s e , h e c a lle d o u t, “ G r a n d m a , G r a n d m a ...a r e y o u d e a d ? ”
A le x fo u n d h is g r a n d m o th e r P e g g y a n d h e r o ld d o g , a liv e a n d w e ll.
w h ic h s h e q u ic k ly s e t o ff.
P e g g y h a s a L ife A le r t s y s te m ,
S h e to ld th e m th a t a tr e e h a d ju s t fe ll th r o u g h h e r h o m e a n d s h e n e e d e d h e lp .
W h a t A le x a n d C h e r fo u n d th a t d a y w a s th e 3 4 ’ x 1 0 0 ’ tr e e h a d la n d e d ju s t 8 ’ fe e t fr o m P e g g y .
Cher
e x p la in e d h o w w e ir d it w a s to th in k th a t in th e y e a r 2 0 0 8 , ju s t 8 ’ a w a y , G O D h a d s p a r e d h e r 8 0 y e a r o ld
m o th e r - in - la w .
( K a r e n w r o te ) , th e tr u th is , G O D h a d s p a r e d a v e r y w o n d e r fu l fa m ily th a t m o r n in g .
I am
v e r y g o o d fr ie n d s w ith th e R y d b e r g fa m ily a n d th e y d o n ’ t g e t a n y b e tte r w h e n it c o m e t o fr ie n d s . T h e tr e e
h a d la n d e d o n P e g g y ’ s h o u s e , to ta lly r u in in g th e b a th r o o m a n d b e d r o o m . It a ls o d e s tr o y e d P a u l ’ s s h o p .
E v e n a s th e s to r m r a g e d o n th a t m o r n in g , A le x k n e w h e h a d o n e m o r e m is s io n to d o .
y e llo w fir e m a n ’ s c o a t/h a t h e s e t o u t t o c h e c k o n th e ir n e ig h b o r P a tty L a w r e n c e .
liv e s w ith h e r d o g H a p p y .
P a tty is d is a b le d a n d
N o w , I w a n t t o m e n tio n th a t H a p p y is v e r y p r o te c tiv e o f P a tty , s o it ’ s e x tr a
s p e c ia l to m e , ( K a r e n ) a s A le x k n e w a b o u t th e d o g a n d th e s to r m a n d y e t h e tr u d g e d o n .
HERO.
D r e s s e d in h is
H e is a T R U E
It ju s t s o h a p p e n s th a t P a tty is m y c o u s in a n d w h e n I h e a r d th is s to r y , k n o w in g A le x a s I d o , I
w a n te d e v e r y o n e t o k n o w w h a t a w o n d e r fu l, k in d a n d c a r in g y o u n g m a n h e is .
P aul and C her have
r a is e d th r e e w o n d e r fu l y o u n g m e n , w h ic h th e y s h o u ld b e v e r y p r o u d o f.
L a te r th a t d a y a fte r A le x h a d r e tu r n e d a n d h e to ld h is m o m t h a t P a tty w a s o k , C h e r w a s a t h e r w its
end.
T h e p o w e r w a s o ff, n u m e r o u s tr e e s litte r e d th e ir la n d , a tr e e h a d fa lle n a n d n e a r ly k ille d h e r
m o th e r- in - la w , a n d s u d d e n ly s h e w a s th in k in g a b o u t P a u l a n d h is s a fe ty . T h a n k fu lly , la te r th a t d a y P a u l
w a s s a fe a n d r e tu r n e d h o m e . T h e ir tw o o ld e r s o n s c a m e h o m e t o h e lp o u t.
F iv e d a y s la te r ...T h e p o w e r w a s s till o u t.
A ll a lo n e , f o r a b o u t a n h o u r , C h e r p r a y e d a n d r e a d th e
B ib le f o r e n c o u r a g e m e n t. S h e d e c id e d t o ta k e a w a lk o u t th e ir d r iv e w a y a n d a s s h e w a lk e d a n d p r a y e d ,
s h e w a s d e e p in th o u g h t w h e n s h e b e c a m e a w a r e o f v e h ic le s a p p r o a c h in g h e r .
A s s h e lo o k u p s h e
n o tic e d it w a s th e P a c ific P o w e r c r e w s . A s th e y c a m e n e a r t o h e r th e y s to p p e d a n d a s k e d if s h e w a s o k .
N o , s h e a n s w e r e d , a n d s h e b e g a n t o te ll th e m o f th e ir e v e n ts . S h e s a id o n e o f th e m e n s a id t o h e r , “ T h e
L o r d is w a tc h in g o u t f o r y o u a n d I ’m g o in g t o h e lp t o g e t y o u r p o w e r b a c k o n . ” T h e n th e fir s t P P & L tr u c k
d r o v e o ff a n d a s e c o n d o n e c a m e u p .
p r o te c te d y o u . ”
A m a n le a n e d o u t th e w in d o w a n d s a id , “ G O D w a s h e r e a n d h e
C h e r s a id th a t th e s e w o n d e r fu l m e n h a d b e e n a a n s w e r t o h e r p r a y e r s th a t d a y .
s e n t t o h e r b y G O D , th e r e w h e n s h e n e e d e d th e m m o s t.
T r u ly
S h e s a id a c a lm n e s s c a m e to h e r t h a t d a y , a
fe e lin g s h e w ill c h e r is h fo r e v e r .
C ? -‘
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