As I write this, the people of my hometown are beginning the long road to rebuilding their lives after a catastrophic flood. I am from Estes Park, Colorado- “The Gateway To Rocky Mountain National Park”. The floods you may have heard about on television have devastated Estes, Glen Haven, Drake, and several other towns. Thankfully no one in Estes or the surrounding area has “officially” died (there are 2 missing, presumed dead but no confirmations yet and we all know there will be a death toll- they just have to be found first). Miraculously many have made it to safety with fairly minor injuries. I wish I could say the same for the houses and a large number of the businesses too but I can’t. So many homes and so many livelihoods have been simply washed away. So many people I know personally- that I went to school with, that I worked with, that I’ve been friends with for decades- have had everything they owned taken from them. This has not been a week for fun recipes and snark. This has been a week for staying by the computer waiting for new news, praying like mad, and taking my phone with me everywhere- even to the bathroom- as I wait for some word from my BFF. I finally heard from her Saturday and I wept. I wept for joy that she and her family are unharmed. And I wept because the dream they have worked for for so long hangs by a thread.
Summer is finally over and I am so very glad for it. The harvest moon is tonight and Autumn officially starts (by the calendar, anyway) this weekend. I plan to greet this new season with open arms and joy. And as soon as I possibly can I plan to head up to Estes and see what I can do to help- even if it’s something small. I encourage you to do the same- even if you’ve never even heard of Estes Park, Colorado. Even if all you do is pray for the town & it’s people, please do something. If you prefer to do something more tangible, I have included the link to the Estes Park Flood Recovery page on Facebook.
The Humble Food Snob 