

Weathering the Storm Previous Posts John Griswold's book Fall at Mary's Summer Greetings Weathering the Storm Spring 2009 By: Carla Hays You can't escape it - the cacophony of chain saws, leaf blowers, generators, and backhoes. The spirit of Southern Illinoisans sings loudly above the din. We have lined up for gas, gone in search of extra generators, and waited hungrily at Kroger for fresh, hot rotisserie chicken. Through it all, no one has been rude or impatient, and the camaraderie that comes from shared hardships has been apparent throughout the ordeal of the "Inland Hurricane of 2009". At Mary's Bed and Breakfast, we were fortunate to have Jim Edmonds and his family as our guests last week. They came to town for a wedding, but never dreamed what lay in store for them! Friday afternoon, as we stepped outside to assess our damage, Jim was right there, eager to assist. Turns out, he wields a leaf blower as skillfully as he swings a bat, or fields those balls that unwittingly head for center field. Our son Nick was in heaven as he played with Jim's little boy, Landon, and got acquainted with the former Cardinal. We send our thanks out to Jim for his much-appreciated help. Jim's wife, Zeigler native Allison (Raski), and their new baby daughter Sutton, and her Dad, John Raski, Jr., were a joy to have too, and Allison promised to send pictures she took of Nick proudly posing with Jim. Mary's Celebrations: Miraculously, on Friday, the 8th of May, we were able to pull off the rehearsal dinner for John Raski III and Susan Gordon. Guests ate in total darkness, but with the light from a few candles and flashlights, Marti and Mike were able to serve not only those 25 people, but 30 more, including several SIU graduates and their families, and Monica Young's group from SIH. We have learned that Susan and John's wedding went (almost) as planned Saturday afternoon, with a ceremony at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. A candle-lit reception followed at the Williamson County Pavilion. Susan, the daughter of Bert and JoAnne Gordon, of Herrin; and John, the son of Arma Raski, Herrin, and John Raski Jr., Zeigler, will settle into their new home here in Herrin as soon as they return from their honeymoon. As I write this, we are still without power here at Mary's Restaurant, but our dedicated staff have all juggled their own real-life disasters with the one here at 509 S. Park. We have pulled together to cook, clean, and wash dishes by hand. Happily, there were no injuries and no severely damaged homes. David has single-handedly made certain that our food stays safe, by keeping generators going night and day. We are well here, and hope that you and your families have weathered the storm. Here in Southern Illinois, we can say, "Together, we can get through anything!". God bless you all, and we look forward to seeing you soon, and swapping "storm stories"! Carla and David Hays 11 May 2009 Update: We got our power on Monday night, the 11th of May. It was about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday was spent cleaning, meeting with the Health Department, and prepping to open Tuesday evening. We are back at 100%, and we even got power at our house Wednesday afternoon! We wish everyone the best, and hope life is getting back to normal for all our friends and their families. 13 May 2009

Weathering the Storm

By: Carla Hays

You can't escape it - the cacophony of chain saws, leaf blowers, generators, and backhoes. The spirit of Southern Illinoisans sings loudly above the din. We have lined up for gas, gone in search of extra generators, and waited hungrily at Kroger for fresh, hot rotisserie chicken. Through it all, no one has been rude or impatient, and the camaraderie that comes from shared hardships has been apparent throughout the ordeal of the "Inland Hurricane of 2009".

At Mary's Bed and Breakfast, we were fortunate to have Jim Edmonds and his family as our guests last week. They came to town for a wedding, but never dreamed what lay in store for them! Friday afternoon, as we stepped outside to assess our damage, Jim was right there, eager to assist. Turns out, he wields a leaf blower as skillfully as he swings a bat, or fields those balls that unwittingly head for center field. Our son Nick was in heaven as he played with Jim's little boy, Landon, and got acquainted with the former Cardinal. We send our thanks out to Jim for his much-appreciated help. Jim's wife, Zeigler native Allison (Raski), and their new baby daughter Sutton, and her Dad, John Raski, Jr., were a joy to have too, and Allison promised to send pictures she took of Nick proudly posing with Jim.

Mary's Celebrations:

Miraculously, on Friday, the 8th of May, we were able to pull off the rehearsal dinner for John Raski III and Susan Gordon. Guests ate in total darkness, but with the light from a few candles and flashlights, Marti and Mike were able to serve not only those 25 people, but 30 more, including several SIU graduates and their families, and Monica Young's group from SIH. We have learned that Susan and John's wedding went (almost) as planned Saturday afternoon, with a ceremony at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. A candle-lit reception followed at the Williamson County Pavilion. Susan, the daughter of Bert and JoAnne Gordon, of Herrin; and John, the son of Arma Raski, Herrin, and John Raski Jr., Zeigler, will settle into their new home here in Herrin as soon as they return from their honeymoon.

As I write this, we are still without power here at Mary's Restaurant, but our dedicated staff have all juggled their own real-life disasters with the one here at 509 S. Park. We have pulled together to cook, clean, and wash dishes by hand. Happily, there were no injuries and no severely damaged homes. David has single-handedly made certain that our food stays safe, by keeping generators going night and day. We are well here, and hope that you and your families have weathered the storm. Here in Southern Illinois, we can say, "Together, we can get through anything!". God bless you all, and we look forward to seeing you soon, and swapping "storm stories"!

Carla and David Hays

11 May 2009

Update: We got our power on Monday night, the 11th of May. It was about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday was spent cleaning, meeting with the Health Department, and prepping to open Tuesday evening. We are back at 100%, and we even got power at our house Wednesday afternoon! We wish everyone the best, and hope life is getting back to normal for all our friends and their families. 13 May 2009

Weathering the Storm

Previous Posts