Another week has passed. Three weeks since the Hurricane. The back yard clean up has really come along, thanks to J. Other than pool clean up daily (just before he leaves to come get me from work he takes the skimmer all around so it will be ready for me) the yard has been his first priority.
The giant logs are now all cut up into rounds, lined along the back fence. The other branches are stacked in several separate piles if they are big enough to be used in the fireplace. Anything smaller has been trucked out to the curb and added to the pile. The crushed metal shed has been torn down completely and cut up. Then it took half an hour to drag all the metal out to the curb, adjoining the wood pile. We are told "scrappers" will come during the darkness and take it all away. Someone is making money; good luck to them!
The next step will be either contriving some kind of a cover for the pool, or repairing the chain link fences on both sides. The long top poles of the fences are all bent and twisted; J says he can remove these and replace them, and then the rest of the fence can be re-set somehow. I'm so grateful he is willing to tackle any job. He is a wonder.
Even after all his labor this morning while I was at Pilates, and after our shared labor removing the metal to the curb, I was bushed by the heat and humidity--but J went then to help our neighbor with his chainsawing! He too is alone in his fix-up process. At one point the neighbor said pleadingly, "Can't we rest for a few minutes? You're like a damn Energizer bunny!! You just keep going and going!" They both had a good laugh, and did another half hour before retreating from the humidity.
My dad was once again completely generous, sending a check to help out. I just can't even think what to say or do to express our awe-filled gratitude. With that check we were able to get the Caddy fixed of one of the major issues; it has another issue which J will investigate tomorrow. I hate it when he says he can hear "something off" in the engine: I sure as hell don't hear it! And he is the one with the hearing problem! The rest of it went to help re-build our depleted savings.
Every time I think we are getting ahead just a bit, something happens. Last weekend J was using the metal rake to fling loads onto the giant pile, and somehow his glasses got caught in a fling---and they disappeared into the pile. Our neighbor helped us to dig, hopelessly looking for them, but they were gone...so the next day he went to a 2-for-$89 place. Of course it ended up costing more than that, but his insurance will cover it. This place did a new exam also, and he is just thrilled with the results.
He also contacted the Oregon house and car insurance which we still have in place during this transition phase of making FL our primary residence. He filed a claim to get the truck's cab repaired/replaced, and also to repair and paint a deep scrape/dent in the Caddy. Insurance will cover both of these, thankfully, due to the Hurricane.
My work continues to be a wonderful place; every week I feel more and more comfortable and grateful that I landed here. My co-workers are amazing. I'm very happy with this group; we laugh, and have our shared jokes, and share our family lives; we all know who has what age kids and/or grandkids, and the pertinent issues in each other's lives. I really am liking this kind of closeness.
That's why it was such a shock to come in Friday morning, ready for a typical difficult day--only to learn that the PA, who is normally the first one in every morning wasn't at his desk. Instead, he had gotten there around 7:15, and felt bad enough that he called 911. The security staff let the EMS in the building...and it turned out he'd had a heart attack. The man is in good shape for age 74, but with at least one stent in his heart. He was taken across the street to the ER in our local hospital, and was later admitted. His briefcase and laptop were open on his desk, and there were signs the EMS had done an EKG, papers scattered on the floor.
I don't know what will happen now of course. By the end of the day we only knew he'd been undergoing testing, and wasn't up for any visitors. We don't expect him back tomorrow, but I guess he could be, depending on what happened yesterday and today.
Scary to get that reminder that anything could happen at anytime to any one of us. It gives you a new appreciation for each day.
Tomorrow is Halloween. At work we finally decided --just on Wednesday --to all be M&Ms. SIGH. So each person wears a designated color t-shirt, and black leggings or yoga pants, and we were each given a white felt trademarked "M" to attach to our own t-shirts. Frankly it was the least expensive and easiest option: these costumes have to be "work appropriate" as well. Naturally there is a contest throughout the company for the best costumes. (My office won the Alzheimer's fund-raising contest last month for having raised the most money. Our prize is being planned: the whole office gets transportation to and lunch at one of the fancy restaurants on the beach--on a work day! )
So tomorrow I will wear a long-sleeved dark green t-shirt, and over it a bright green t-shirt, and my black yoga pants.That will be a nice change from my blue scrubs. After work my sister is coming over to join us for dinner, while we wait to see if we will be handing out candy. We have spent about $20 in candy, and have no idea if anyone will show up. But it's a small residential neighborhood, and while I haven't seen any little kids, you never know.
Last night we -- Sis and BIL, and me and J-- went to Brother and SIL's house for the first Sibling dinner at their new home. Their house is utterly adorable, spotlessly clean and pristine, beautifully decorated in a beach theme with soft blues and greys, and lots of shells, and it has such a peaceful uncluttered atmosphere. The dogs were invited too! They were thrilled to jump into the car and travel with us, and they behaved very well at the new environment.
We all sat outside in front of the little house and had wine and talked and laughed, enjoying the beach breeze. When it got dark, we moved inside; SIL had prepared a yummy spagetti dinner, a green salad, and bread. Dessert was a bundt cake or pumpkin cheesecake, and she had also prepared little Halloween treat bags. They are just awesome hosts. We had a wonderful time, as we always do when we are all together. I think we all feel pretty blessed.
Next weekend is the end of Daylight Savings Time, and then there is the Election. I'm not worried about the election results; it seems pretty obvious that the T-word has become a joke, even among his own party. We have voted back in Oregon, and are just counting down the days until it's finally over. Clinton was in my new hometown yesterday, for a measly 20 minutes, but there was no way for me to get to see her: 900 people were jammed into a site which normally holds 720, and those people had lined up to get in hours ahead of time. I would have liked to participate--but I only have a few precious hours every weekend and didn't want to spend any of those standing in line outside in the heat.
MissS is now completely moved out of the house in OR. It's all very bittersweet. Someone stole the beautiful doll house her dad built for her when she was a small child, thinking it had been abandoned in the carport. MissS is heartbroken. It's all such a difficult transition.
J's ankle is healing slowly, as long as he doesn't overdo--ha!-- and he really is trying to take it easy. He is also trying to remember to move without haste. I'm so grateful he is here, with me, and is such a source of strength and support. TYG.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Sunday
I woke with a migraine this morning. UGH. I took my first-level meds, and it's been almost 2 hours with no improvement. After I finish this I will move onto the second-level meds, and maybe that will help. I didn't go to Pilates this morning, and will plan on a very quiet day.
J is also planning on a quiet day: he is slowly learning that he simply must stay off his feet, or severely limit being up and working if his ankle is to heal at all. He also has somehow injured or irritated his left knee, the one with the over-10-year-old knee replacement. No matter what, he says he will never have another surgery to replace the replacement, so he must back off activity and let it heal. Hard for him to do.
He is working on the yard cleanup, of course. The adjuster came last week. We are to obtain 2-3 estimates on the pool enclosure and the shed, and then give this info to the adjuster. I don't know what that has to do with anything, but at some point he will give us a check. Since there is a deductible I don't quite understand how this works.
We can't afford the repair or replacement now anyway. One estimate was $9,000. The other was $16,000--he said it couldn't be repaired, and just needed to be torn down altogether and rebuilt. (A few of my co-workers have expressed utter shock at these amounts, and suggested we just wait a few months, as this is probably a heavily inflated amount...not to say "price-gouging" exactly but certainly more than would be reasonable. One co-worker gave me the name of her pool enclosure person, and so we will call them too.)
Another estimate was for $1500 to cut the over-hanging tree limb away from the house. Then J asked a neighbor - who also has a tree/landscaping business and is contracted with the city-- and his bid was $500. Quite a difference! So we thanked him, and then sent an email to Rick asking if he would split this cost; it's a reasonable suggestion since the tree is on his side of the fence. If he doesn't, we will still probably do this, as it's threatening our roof.
FEMA has approved us for a low-interest loan for repairs/replacement, but that really doesn't help us. We don't want another loan. At least not until we have paid off everything else.
J has really done tremendous amount of work, already. The pile outside on the curb is easily 8 feet tall, 5-6 feet deep, and much longer than the truck. If a truck parks on the other side of it, in the road, we can't see it. Almost everyone in our neighborhood has a pile that massive, as street clean-up hasn't begun yet. It's disheartening to see the staggering amount of debris that is waiting. It's a constant reminder of what has been lost.
I feel so depressed, much of the time. Or maybe it's sadness, grief. I cannot even bring myself to plan a garden as my sister suggested yesterday; I went with her to Lowe's to look at their nursery supplies, as she is starting her garden. I'm happy for her that she is so excited to be working on her garden, but my mind is a blank when I think about our own yard. I haven't been able to drag myself out of the shock.
I think I'm just going to have to live with this for awhile. It's only been two weeks. The destruction is overwhelming, and the obstacles seem insurmountable. Sometimes I'm glad to go to work just so I can get away from the constant reminder that the oasis and beauty is forever changed. I know someday the shock will fade, and I will be able to see that a different kind of beauty is here now, but it's too soon for that. I just have to slog through the daily sadness until it's worked through.
I think some of it, maybe a great deal of it, is knowing that we no longer have the house on Oak Creek. J is grieving far more than I am, of course, since he has owned it for over 30 years. It is so hard for him to let it go back to the bank! He called the bank and insurance people back there, and been quite open about needing to walk away from it, that we have moved and are no longer living there a majority of the year, and so the process began a couple of months ago.
And so this weekend MissS moved out of it also; she has been managing the gradual dismantling, along with J's friend Mal, who has been a godsend during this painful process. Removing all personal belongings, taking down the chicken coop, filling a dumpster with unwanted stuff; plus she is organizing their move to the new place she will share with her bf and the bf's brother. SO hard for all, on so many levels. Grief is a long process to work through, no matter how long you have been anticipating the change.
We will always, always miss it. While being very happy here, Oregon seems like another world now. Well, I guess it is another world. J has had several anxiety attacks over this process/passage, and seeing so much loss here too on top of it didn't help. He deals with it by physically working. I deal with it by some physical labor too, and by writing, and by reading, which has always been my favorite escape. I also color, and I probably drink a little too much wine. (Still, I'm not going to beat myself up for that last; it's not a lot more, just more than I "should be".)
We also talk a lot about how we are feeling, and we are very careful to be responsive and patient with each other. We let each other vent, or cry, or rage, as needed. Then we let it go. I cannot even imagine going through this without him. What a godsend he is.
The worst of the hot weather has finally ended. It's amazingly cool and dry. By "cool", I mean about 75 degrees, and very low humidity. The AC didn't kick on once yesterday! We were wearing jeans instead of shorts, and J was even wearing a sweater most of the day. Gorgeous blue skies, a lovely breeze, and last night at Sis' we had the fire pit going , and BIL roasted marshmallows for s'mores, eaten outside in the peaceful darkness. The sky was clear, and stars were twinkling, the hot tub was bubbling and comforting.
J has also cleaned up the pool-- I was able to get in and paddle around Tuesday night, and have been in almost every day since, after work. It's a great stress reliever. I learned the ocean water is the same temp as the pool, 78 degrees. Since the air temp is so close to the water temp, it feels quite...bracing... easing into it, but once in, it is just heavenly. It really helps my aching hips, and even my neck.
I've started a gratitude journal. Every night I write down at least two things I am grateful for, for that day or just in general. It's a reminder to me that even if all I can see is darkness, there are bright spots of happiness all around, if I just look for them.
J is also planning on a quiet day: he is slowly learning that he simply must stay off his feet, or severely limit being up and working if his ankle is to heal at all. He also has somehow injured or irritated his left knee, the one with the over-10-year-old knee replacement. No matter what, he says he will never have another surgery to replace the replacement, so he must back off activity and let it heal. Hard for him to do.
He is working on the yard cleanup, of course. The adjuster came last week. We are to obtain 2-3 estimates on the pool enclosure and the shed, and then give this info to the adjuster. I don't know what that has to do with anything, but at some point he will give us a check. Since there is a deductible I don't quite understand how this works.
We can't afford the repair or replacement now anyway. One estimate was $9,000. The other was $16,000--he said it couldn't be repaired, and just needed to be torn down altogether and rebuilt. (A few of my co-workers have expressed utter shock at these amounts, and suggested we just wait a few months, as this is probably a heavily inflated amount...not to say "price-gouging" exactly but certainly more than would be reasonable. One co-worker gave me the name of her pool enclosure person, and so we will call them too.)
Another estimate was for $1500 to cut the over-hanging tree limb away from the house. Then J asked a neighbor - who also has a tree/landscaping business and is contracted with the city-- and his bid was $500. Quite a difference! So we thanked him, and then sent an email to Rick asking if he would split this cost; it's a reasonable suggestion since the tree is on his side of the fence. If he doesn't, we will still probably do this, as it's threatening our roof.
FEMA has approved us for a low-interest loan for repairs/replacement, but that really doesn't help us. We don't want another loan. At least not until we have paid off everything else.
J has really done tremendous amount of work, already. The pile outside on the curb is easily 8 feet tall, 5-6 feet deep, and much longer than the truck. If a truck parks on the other side of it, in the road, we can't see it. Almost everyone in our neighborhood has a pile that massive, as street clean-up hasn't begun yet. It's disheartening to see the staggering amount of debris that is waiting. It's a constant reminder of what has been lost.
I feel so depressed, much of the time. Or maybe it's sadness, grief. I cannot even bring myself to plan a garden as my sister suggested yesterday; I went with her to Lowe's to look at their nursery supplies, as she is starting her garden. I'm happy for her that she is so excited to be working on her garden, but my mind is a blank when I think about our own yard. I haven't been able to drag myself out of the shock.
I think I'm just going to have to live with this for awhile. It's only been two weeks. The destruction is overwhelming, and the obstacles seem insurmountable. Sometimes I'm glad to go to work just so I can get away from the constant reminder that the oasis and beauty is forever changed. I know someday the shock will fade, and I will be able to see that a different kind of beauty is here now, but it's too soon for that. I just have to slog through the daily sadness until it's worked through.
I think some of it, maybe a great deal of it, is knowing that we no longer have the house on Oak Creek. J is grieving far more than I am, of course, since he has owned it for over 30 years. It is so hard for him to let it go back to the bank! He called the bank and insurance people back there, and been quite open about needing to walk away from it, that we have moved and are no longer living there a majority of the year, and so the process began a couple of months ago.
And so this weekend MissS moved out of it also; she has been managing the gradual dismantling, along with J's friend Mal, who has been a godsend during this painful process. Removing all personal belongings, taking down the chicken coop, filling a dumpster with unwanted stuff; plus she is organizing their move to the new place she will share with her bf and the bf's brother. SO hard for all, on so many levels. Grief is a long process to work through, no matter how long you have been anticipating the change.
We will always, always miss it. While being very happy here, Oregon seems like another world now. Well, I guess it is another world. J has had several anxiety attacks over this process/passage, and seeing so much loss here too on top of it didn't help. He deals with it by physically working. I deal with it by some physical labor too, and by writing, and by reading, which has always been my favorite escape. I also color, and I probably drink a little too much wine. (Still, I'm not going to beat myself up for that last; it's not a lot more, just more than I "should be".)
We also talk a lot about how we are feeling, and we are very careful to be responsive and patient with each other. We let each other vent, or cry, or rage, as needed. Then we let it go. I cannot even imagine going through this without him. What a godsend he is.
The worst of the hot weather has finally ended. It's amazingly cool and dry. By "cool", I mean about 75 degrees, and very low humidity. The AC didn't kick on once yesterday! We were wearing jeans instead of shorts, and J was even wearing a sweater most of the day. Gorgeous blue skies, a lovely breeze, and last night at Sis' we had the fire pit going , and BIL roasted marshmallows for s'mores, eaten outside in the peaceful darkness. The sky was clear, and stars were twinkling, the hot tub was bubbling and comforting.
J has also cleaned up the pool-- I was able to get in and paddle around Tuesday night, and have been in almost every day since, after work. It's a great stress reliever. I learned the ocean water is the same temp as the pool, 78 degrees. Since the air temp is so close to the water temp, it feels quite...bracing... easing into it, but once in, it is just heavenly. It really helps my aching hips, and even my neck.
I've started a gratitude journal. Every night I write down at least two things I am grateful for, for that day or just in general. It's a reminder to me that even if all I can see is darkness, there are bright spots of happiness all around, if I just look for them.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Sunday
Well, the worst has happened.The one reason I resisted moving to the SouthEast for so many years was the terrible fear of having to go through another hurricane. I kept being reassured this wouldn't happen, the odds were pretty high this particular county would never be hit, blah blah blah.
So we took our chances and moved here, to be with much loved family. Six months in, and sure enough, the hurricane hit. And it did damage--not to the house or roof, thankfully, or even to the cars. No, this destroyed our beautiful oasis of a back yard. The pool enclosure is twisted into shapes I'd never recognize. The giant old trees in all three neighboring yards are now in our yard, having smashed the chain link fences and the pool enclosure and filled the pool itself with branches, limbs, leaves, "debris" as they call it.
My company had been debating every single day while monitoring the weather forecasts whether to shut down on Friday, the day it was starting to look like it would hit us. On Tuesday BIL and J went to their house and boarded up all the windows; after I got off work I drove over there with the dogs and we all faced the oncoming reality of hurricane prep. At one point I was outside with the guys and handing them tools, and accidentally burned my leg while receiving a heavier-than-expected drill bit. Ouch. But there was too much going on and it was getting dark fast.
Wednesday morning the female doc decided even if we didn't have the official word from Corporate that we wouldn't be open on Friday, she needed to be proactive. She had me review her Friday schedule and determine which patients needed to be told to come the next day to get their written med rx's. Then I went through my doc's schedule for the same reason, and one of the front office people was charged with contacting these people and rescheduling them all.
Three hours later we were notified via email that we would be closed Thursday and Friday; this is an unheard-of event. So again, we contacted the patients who would absolutely need their med rx's and told them to come to the office right now as we would not be there for the rest of the week due to the hurricane. As you can predict, many of them could not do that, so I can only imagine what it was like for them to go through such a traumatic event and be dealing with major pain.
When we left that day we all wished each other good luck, and then went home to make our own preparations. All Wednesday and Thursday J was busy finishing boarding up our own windows. I was convinced we hadn't done enough; as I listened to the non-stop hurricane preparation coverage and their evacuation orders, and the shortages of water and ice and gas and propane and wood for boarding up windows, etc, I panicked. I went to Walmart and got more water and canned goods and pet foods and paper plates and napkins...there was no ice to be found, but we had no cooler so that was that. Walmart had no water, but the other store we use did, Publix.
We knew that Sis and her husband would be staying with us, because they were being evacuated off the island. They would be bringing their 3 kitties too. My sis was the first to arrive late afternoon with the cats in their carriers; she got them settled in the bedroom and sort of unpacked, we got the air bed ready, and then BIL arrived in his truck. We had three vehicles parked horizontally in front of the house blocking that side from the wind. The Caddy was parked in front of Louise's carport, as she had suggested we do for added protection. She was going to stay with her daughter further inland.
Then I took a last swim. Foolishly, I never thought there might be a problem with the enclosure. In fact, I had thought that even if we did lose the electricity, we could always jump in the pool and stay cool that way. But as I looked up at the tree canopy, listening to the birds, and watching the trees swaying, and feeling that heavenly breeze, I once again thanked the gods for this beautiful site.
It started to rain lightly so we went back inside, and frankly I don't even remember what we did for dinner. We were all pretty exhausted and emotional and watched the news again for the latest info. I think we were all in bed by 9, 9:30.
There was rain and wind and loud bangs off and on all night. At around 5:30 am there was a tremendous bang/crash. I decided to get up, and while in the shower, suddenly the electricity went off--pitch black. That meant the AC was off too. The rest of the day was just sitting in the living room, hearing noises outside, the loud bangs as something hit something. We would take turns going to the small opening in the boarded up windows, to see if we could see anything happening. The other option was opening the door at the back of the house --that one looks out onto the pool area. At some point we couldn't open the door further than about two feet because of the wind, but it became clear that major trees had fallen onto the enclosure, and we were not going to be swimming anytime soon.
It went on all day. We were able to text, oddly, but there was no TV of course, and no AC. It felt stuffy to me, but not terribly hot inside. Not yet. Around 5 it seemed to clear up, and we emerged from our houses and looked out onto a world forever changed.
Massive, massive tree damage, limbs down, trees fallen or broken or snapped. Transformer poles toppled. Telephone and cable wires all over the place. Fences smashed. The shed is mangled beyond imagining, and the items it held are crushed. My neighbor Rick has a giant tree leaning on his house. We can actually see into his yard now, whereas before the growth was so lush that we each had all the privacy we could hope for. Another giant tree of his has a split limb torn and hanging, and that end is overhanging our workroom and kitchen. Another of his giant trees has taken out our adjoining back yards including the fences toward the back area where it T's with the back wooden fence.
So. Much. Destruction.
And yet, our house has no damage, the roof is just fine, the four cars are fine (except for a big ol' dent on the cab of J's truck where a log dropped on it). No one was hurt. TYG.
The next day Saturday was the beginning of the cleanup effort. Up and down the road every resident spent the day chainsawing and dragging limbs and brush and debris out the curb in front of their houses. Some people had very little damage, others had a lot. No one had electricity. Some had generators. When our other neighbor Louise came back she let us run an extension cord to her generator and we promptly plugged it into the fridge.
My Brother and his wife had been in a motel not far from us and the airport, and late Saturday they too lost electricity; they came over and helped us with clean up, and stayed for a dinner on the grill. We all had lots to drink, tired, hot and sweaty, sitting outside on the front porch. Frustrated, helpless, grief-stricken, and in shock. My dad called, and it was so heartening to hear his voice, and to hear the love and concern he felt. My three adult kids all called and checked in, and all J's kids --except V-- called him too.
We still had no Internet, but I was able to download the Facebook app to my phone, and it was so nice and reassuring to see how much concern there was for us. Sunday morning Sis and BIL left to check on their house, as the bridges had just been opened. They were gone a few hours and so J and I were just drained, sitting inside, completely overwhelmed, not even sure where to start. No hot water, therefore can't do laundry. Sis and BIL came back for dinner with us, and I think Bro and SIL were there too. Then they all left for their homes again.
Everyone was so hot, so sticky, so tired and feeling dirty, and there was no sign of when things would return to what used to be normal. At one point we got word that electricity would be restored that evening. That didn't happen. Then we were told it would be Monday night. Then there was yet another automated phone message: there had been too much damage to the infrastructure, now we are looking at Tuesday night. Tuesday there were nine utility trucks on our road working...
In fact we didn't get our electricity until Wednesday afternoon. Sis and BIL got theirs back Sunday night, and so we went there Monday night (??) for dinner and to do desperately needed laundry, and to enjoy their AC. This has been so incredibly stressful in so many ways. My mind does flashbacks to Hugo, and yet this time has been quite different.
Monday through Thursday I worked at my job and J did work here: cleaning up, working especially hard every single day on the pool. We have learned that we probably won't be able to afford another enclosure: it turns out we didn't have the "special rider" to the insurance that covers pool enclosure replacements at the financial level we needed. No one told us. It didn't even occur to us to ask if there were different "levels" with owning a pool. I could get so angry at this, and yet it would do no good. I'm beyond depressed.
Well, the adjuster will be here Tuesday, and we'll know more then. But whatever assistance we do get, there is a 2% deductible. For us that would be $2500. Obviously we don't have it. So we are debating just using whatever the insurance gives us and paying off the credit cards, or as much of them as we can. Then we can start to save enough to tackle possibly repairing the enclosure, instead of replacing. Until then, the pool is going to be usable within a few days--even if there is no cover or protection. As J pointed out to me, there are plenty of people here who don't have enclosures. We might not be able to sit out there by the pool because of the mosquitoes, but at least we can get in, and that is a luxury.
Thursday I had to begin my home prep for the colonoscopy scheduled for Friday. After work Wednesday I picked up the dreaded 4-liter container, to which J added water and it sat chilling in the fridge. Supposedly it was more tolerable to drink if chilled. After work Thursday, I began drinking it. I'd been allowed breakfast, but then only liquids until midnight. So I felt hungry but not thirsty. I began drinking that stuff at 5. You were supposed to drink an 8oz glass every 10 minutes until it was all gone. That took me until almost 9pm, because it nauseated me to drink it, and I thought I might throw up. It was a disgusting concoction tasting like oily salt water. Poor J sat with me in the kitchen, commiserating with me as I drank. I had a bad headache on top of this, but wasn't allowed to take anything, so I was suffering big time!
Finally it was done--the worst 4 hours I can remember in a long time. We still had no Internet or TV, so it was pretty quiet, and poor J was doing his best to keep my spirits up. He was utterly exhausted too.
Friday morning I did paperwork, puttering, cleaning, shredding old unneeded financial statements, by this time feeling pretty thirsty. Nothing to eat or drink after midnight... My appt wasn't until 1:15 pm. When I arrived I was informed that my doc was "running a little late". In reality, she was two hours behind schedule... so another doc I'd never met before did my procedure, after I'd been there 2 hours. One good thing though: an RN I'd met and bonded with during our Orientation back in June was there, and she was awesome.
It's true what they say that the worst is the prep: as I lay there with the IV, the anesthesiologist said to me, "Any last questions? You're about to go under!" And I don't even remember answering him. A short time later I was hearing "E, you're in recovery, how are you feeling?" J was waiting for me, we drove home, and I was still feeling too bloated to enjoy dinner. But that was a good night anyway. Our neighbor Rick stopped by, and we got better acquainted. He hasn't heard from his insurance company at all, but has promised to ask if they will cover some of the damage his trees caused to our enclosure.
While Rick was here, the doorbell rang again, and it was the cable technician! He hooked up a temporary connection to the TV and Internet...and the rest of the evening was heaven for both of us.
Yesterday I was able to get to my AlAnon meeting for the first time in two weeks; there was no meeting last week because no one could get to the Island, so we all reconnected and hugged and shared hurricane stories and thoughts on gratitude. Then J and I did errands: returning items, doing groceries, also hitting the Goodwill for a cheap clock for J. I found a great new-to-me handbag.
We also got J two new cotton button-down short-sleeved shirts and a clean white T-shirt. These will be kept strictly for Going Out use. J is incredibly hard on clothes, and it's so hard for him to remember to change into work clothes or out of work clothes. Everything we brought with us, or bought him after arriving here in March is now covered with paint, or torn, or permanently stained. Until yesterday he had nothing clean and unstained to wear if we went shopping or to Sis' house for dinner. I think I need to hide these clothes away!!
I think I have written enough. We've both worked so hard, physically and emotionally. We are both subject to bouts of tears, or frustration over what we've lost, or fear over "what will happen if...". But we expected this, and are dealing with it day by day.
My daughter turned 27 the day of the Hurricane. I don't think I will be forgetting that anytime soon. She will be here in a little over 2 months for a visit over Christmas. This property is not going to be what I wanted to share--but it will be wonderful to see her anyway, and that's what's important.
TYG.
So we took our chances and moved here, to be with much loved family. Six months in, and sure enough, the hurricane hit. And it did damage--not to the house or roof, thankfully, or even to the cars. No, this destroyed our beautiful oasis of a back yard. The pool enclosure is twisted into shapes I'd never recognize. The giant old trees in all three neighboring yards are now in our yard, having smashed the chain link fences and the pool enclosure and filled the pool itself with branches, limbs, leaves, "debris" as they call it.
My company had been debating every single day while monitoring the weather forecasts whether to shut down on Friday, the day it was starting to look like it would hit us. On Tuesday BIL and J went to their house and boarded up all the windows; after I got off work I drove over there with the dogs and we all faced the oncoming reality of hurricane prep. At one point I was outside with the guys and handing them tools, and accidentally burned my leg while receiving a heavier-than-expected drill bit. Ouch. But there was too much going on and it was getting dark fast.
Wednesday morning the female doc decided even if we didn't have the official word from Corporate that we wouldn't be open on Friday, she needed to be proactive. She had me review her Friday schedule and determine which patients needed to be told to come the next day to get their written med rx's. Then I went through my doc's schedule for the same reason, and one of the front office people was charged with contacting these people and rescheduling them all.
Three hours later we were notified via email that we would be closed Thursday and Friday; this is an unheard-of event. So again, we contacted the patients who would absolutely need their med rx's and told them to come to the office right now as we would not be there for the rest of the week due to the hurricane. As you can predict, many of them could not do that, so I can only imagine what it was like for them to go through such a traumatic event and be dealing with major pain.
When we left that day we all wished each other good luck, and then went home to make our own preparations. All Wednesday and Thursday J was busy finishing boarding up our own windows. I was convinced we hadn't done enough; as I listened to the non-stop hurricane preparation coverage and their evacuation orders, and the shortages of water and ice and gas and propane and wood for boarding up windows, etc, I panicked. I went to Walmart and got more water and canned goods and pet foods and paper plates and napkins...there was no ice to be found, but we had no cooler so that was that. Walmart had no water, but the other store we use did, Publix.
We knew that Sis and her husband would be staying with us, because they were being evacuated off the island. They would be bringing their 3 kitties too. My sis was the first to arrive late afternoon with the cats in their carriers; she got them settled in the bedroom and sort of unpacked, we got the air bed ready, and then BIL arrived in his truck. We had three vehicles parked horizontally in front of the house blocking that side from the wind. The Caddy was parked in front of Louise's carport, as she had suggested we do for added protection. She was going to stay with her daughter further inland.
Then I took a last swim. Foolishly, I never thought there might be a problem with the enclosure. In fact, I had thought that even if we did lose the electricity, we could always jump in the pool and stay cool that way. But as I looked up at the tree canopy, listening to the birds, and watching the trees swaying, and feeling that heavenly breeze, I once again thanked the gods for this beautiful site.
It started to rain lightly so we went back inside, and frankly I don't even remember what we did for dinner. We were all pretty exhausted and emotional and watched the news again for the latest info. I think we were all in bed by 9, 9:30.
There was rain and wind and loud bangs off and on all night. At around 5:30 am there was a tremendous bang/crash. I decided to get up, and while in the shower, suddenly the electricity went off--pitch black. That meant the AC was off too. The rest of the day was just sitting in the living room, hearing noises outside, the loud bangs as something hit something. We would take turns going to the small opening in the boarded up windows, to see if we could see anything happening. The other option was opening the door at the back of the house --that one looks out onto the pool area. At some point we couldn't open the door further than about two feet because of the wind, but it became clear that major trees had fallen onto the enclosure, and we were not going to be swimming anytime soon.
It went on all day. We were able to text, oddly, but there was no TV of course, and no AC. It felt stuffy to me, but not terribly hot inside. Not yet. Around 5 it seemed to clear up, and we emerged from our houses and looked out onto a world forever changed.
Massive, massive tree damage, limbs down, trees fallen or broken or snapped. Transformer poles toppled. Telephone and cable wires all over the place. Fences smashed. The shed is mangled beyond imagining, and the items it held are crushed. My neighbor Rick has a giant tree leaning on his house. We can actually see into his yard now, whereas before the growth was so lush that we each had all the privacy we could hope for. Another giant tree of his has a split limb torn and hanging, and that end is overhanging our workroom and kitchen. Another of his giant trees has taken out our adjoining back yards including the fences toward the back area where it T's with the back wooden fence.
So. Much. Destruction.
And yet, our house has no damage, the roof is just fine, the four cars are fine (except for a big ol' dent on the cab of J's truck where a log dropped on it). No one was hurt. TYG.
The next day Saturday was the beginning of the cleanup effort. Up and down the road every resident spent the day chainsawing and dragging limbs and brush and debris out the curb in front of their houses. Some people had very little damage, others had a lot. No one had electricity. Some had generators. When our other neighbor Louise came back she let us run an extension cord to her generator and we promptly plugged it into the fridge.
My Brother and his wife had been in a motel not far from us and the airport, and late Saturday they too lost electricity; they came over and helped us with clean up, and stayed for a dinner on the grill. We all had lots to drink, tired, hot and sweaty, sitting outside on the front porch. Frustrated, helpless, grief-stricken, and in shock. My dad called, and it was so heartening to hear his voice, and to hear the love and concern he felt. My three adult kids all called and checked in, and all J's kids --except V-- called him too.
We still had no Internet, but I was able to download the Facebook app to my phone, and it was so nice and reassuring to see how much concern there was for us. Sunday morning Sis and BIL left to check on their house, as the bridges had just been opened. They were gone a few hours and so J and I were just drained, sitting inside, completely overwhelmed, not even sure where to start. No hot water, therefore can't do laundry. Sis and BIL came back for dinner with us, and I think Bro and SIL were there too. Then they all left for their homes again.
Everyone was so hot, so sticky, so tired and feeling dirty, and there was no sign of when things would return to what used to be normal. At one point we got word that electricity would be restored that evening. That didn't happen. Then we were told it would be Monday night. Then there was yet another automated phone message: there had been too much damage to the infrastructure, now we are looking at Tuesday night. Tuesday there were nine utility trucks on our road working...
In fact we didn't get our electricity until Wednesday afternoon. Sis and BIL got theirs back Sunday night, and so we went there Monday night (??) for dinner and to do desperately needed laundry, and to enjoy their AC. This has been so incredibly stressful in so many ways. My mind does flashbacks to Hugo, and yet this time has been quite different.
Monday through Thursday I worked at my job and J did work here: cleaning up, working especially hard every single day on the pool. We have learned that we probably won't be able to afford another enclosure: it turns out we didn't have the "special rider" to the insurance that covers pool enclosure replacements at the financial level we needed. No one told us. It didn't even occur to us to ask if there were different "levels" with owning a pool. I could get so angry at this, and yet it would do no good. I'm beyond depressed.
Well, the adjuster will be here Tuesday, and we'll know more then. But whatever assistance we do get, there is a 2% deductible. For us that would be $2500. Obviously we don't have it. So we are debating just using whatever the insurance gives us and paying off the credit cards, or as much of them as we can. Then we can start to save enough to tackle possibly repairing the enclosure, instead of replacing. Until then, the pool is going to be usable within a few days--even if there is no cover or protection. As J pointed out to me, there are plenty of people here who don't have enclosures. We might not be able to sit out there by the pool because of the mosquitoes, but at least we can get in, and that is a luxury.
Thursday I had to begin my home prep for the colonoscopy scheduled for Friday. After work Wednesday I picked up the dreaded 4-liter container, to which J added water and it sat chilling in the fridge. Supposedly it was more tolerable to drink if chilled. After work Thursday, I began drinking it. I'd been allowed breakfast, but then only liquids until midnight. So I felt hungry but not thirsty. I began drinking that stuff at 5. You were supposed to drink an 8oz glass every 10 minutes until it was all gone. That took me until almost 9pm, because it nauseated me to drink it, and I thought I might throw up. It was a disgusting concoction tasting like oily salt water. Poor J sat with me in the kitchen, commiserating with me as I drank. I had a bad headache on top of this, but wasn't allowed to take anything, so I was suffering big time!
Finally it was done--the worst 4 hours I can remember in a long time. We still had no Internet or TV, so it was pretty quiet, and poor J was doing his best to keep my spirits up. He was utterly exhausted too.
Friday morning I did paperwork, puttering, cleaning, shredding old unneeded financial statements, by this time feeling pretty thirsty. Nothing to eat or drink after midnight... My appt wasn't until 1:15 pm. When I arrived I was informed that my doc was "running a little late". In reality, she was two hours behind schedule... so another doc I'd never met before did my procedure, after I'd been there 2 hours. One good thing though: an RN I'd met and bonded with during our Orientation back in June was there, and she was awesome.
It's true what they say that the worst is the prep: as I lay there with the IV, the anesthesiologist said to me, "Any last questions? You're about to go under!" And I don't even remember answering him. A short time later I was hearing "E, you're in recovery, how are you feeling?" J was waiting for me, we drove home, and I was still feeling too bloated to enjoy dinner. But that was a good night anyway. Our neighbor Rick stopped by, and we got better acquainted. He hasn't heard from his insurance company at all, but has promised to ask if they will cover some of the damage his trees caused to our enclosure.
While Rick was here, the doorbell rang again, and it was the cable technician! He hooked up a temporary connection to the TV and Internet...and the rest of the evening was heaven for both of us.
Yesterday I was able to get to my AlAnon meeting for the first time in two weeks; there was no meeting last week because no one could get to the Island, so we all reconnected and hugged and shared hurricane stories and thoughts on gratitude. Then J and I did errands: returning items, doing groceries, also hitting the Goodwill for a cheap clock for J. I found a great new-to-me handbag.
We also got J two new cotton button-down short-sleeved shirts and a clean white T-shirt. These will be kept strictly for Going Out use. J is incredibly hard on clothes, and it's so hard for him to remember to change into work clothes or out of work clothes. Everything we brought with us, or bought him after arriving here in March is now covered with paint, or torn, or permanently stained. Until yesterday he had nothing clean and unstained to wear if we went shopping or to Sis' house for dinner. I think I need to hide these clothes away!!
I think I have written enough. We've both worked so hard, physically and emotionally. We are both subject to bouts of tears, or frustration over what we've lost, or fear over "what will happen if...". But we expected this, and are dealing with it day by day.
My daughter turned 27 the day of the Hurricane. I don't think I will be forgetting that anytime soon. She will be here in a little over 2 months for a visit over Christmas. This property is not going to be what I wanted to share--but it will be wonderful to see her anyway, and that's what's important.
TYG.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Sunday
Having a tough time today, emotionally. Not sure why. I woke up at 4 am from a dream in which Murphy had accidentally gotten into someone else's car and was taken away before I realized what had happened. I called and called for him, and knew I'd never see him again. I woke up crying.
Not a good way to start the day. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I read for awhile, then just said the heck with it and got up. Then we did the bills, since I got paid Friday. While I'm grateful I have a steady job, sometimes I feel I'm not earning enough; this is a recurring theme in my whole lifetime of working. There are too many bills!
We earn enough between us to manage just fine: not well-off, but certainly enough to have pretty much what we want as long as we don't go crazy. But the cc bills sometimes feel insurmountable. I know in my head we are fine, and are steadily paying them down, but some days it feels like they aren't going away fast enough. And I also know this is a perfectly normal feeling as one is paying down debt. I get impatient when I don't see results quickly enough.
J did take Mr Murphy to the vet last week, so we could get a prescription for the flea meds they need, and during the exam the vet discovered a heart murmur. Apparently grade 2, possibly grade 3. Nothing to be done right now, but this explains why he trudges along so slowly at times--he is just winded. Sometimes he will just stop where he is for a few minutes and then resume his walk. We thought he was being stubborn; turns out he is doing the best he can. He does cough occasionally too, but not endlessly. If the murmur worsens there are options: medication, or ominously, surgery. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
We were also strongly advised to start both dogs on heartworm preventative. Apparently here in the South it's much more common. It's almost unheard of in our previous state, so this is something new; in a few weeks we'll take both to the vet for heartworm testing and then they will both be started on a monthly preventative.
Always something.
J's new phone arrived finally, after 5 days. It was a seamless transition, almost automatically transferring the info from his previous phone to the new one. Fortunately the new case protecting it is much stronger too.
Another worry for me is the Caddy. This past week it started intermittently giving me two messages on its screen. One had to do with the anti-lock braking system, the other says something about the security system. J will have to take the car to the shop, and hope they can interpret the messages. This means not only more money, but that J has to take me to and from work every day, using the truck.
Which--and I realize this is one of those first-world problems-- also means I don't have a place to go at lunchtime. There is the one general "multipurpose room" which the whole building uses for various meetings, or lunch, or anytime the managers have something to share. Then that room is announced over the intercoms that it's "unavailable", and anyone needing lunch has to go somewhere else to sit. Trouble is there is nowhere else. I've sometimes sat in the hallway to eat, in plain view of everyone. Awkward. Which is why I sit in the car at lunchtime normally. But if the Caddy isn't there, I'm out of luck. Waah.
I hear myself, and I see what I'm writing, and I am admittedly whining...but this is what I feel like today. Tomorrow will be better.
Oh, and one more financial stress: J is now in the "donut hole" of Medicare, which means they won't cover his meds anymore until after January, unless we get to the maximum out-of- pocket amount. And one in particular of his meds is very expensive. Grrr.
Well, again, I know we will get through all this in time. In the meantime we live in a wonderful house, and have plenty of food, and I work very close to my job, and we are healthy. J continues to slowly heal from his ankle injury, but it's very slow going. He walks quite deliberately, wearing an Ace bandage around that ankle, and sometimes appears to shuffle, but it's because he has to place his foot very carefully to avoid stretching the Achilles tendon. Poor guy! He is pretty brave, and determined not to let this stop him from doing anything--although I wouldn't mind at all if he did rest a bit more often.
He has been working for two weeks on painting some black bookshelves white for Sis. Each one has taken so much time, and I think he has ended up putting 5 or 6 coats on, to make them look right. So yesterday those finally went to Sis' house, and she gave us her tall dark wood bookcases; these are now in the second bedroom, and will store all my old Family books and mementos, and my art supplies, and the board games. It's all coming together so wonderfully.
We've had a couple of ...exciting...thunderstorms recently too. Loud thunder booms, lots of lightning, sometimes with rain and sometimes not. One of my friends was the victim of a "microburst" which apparently is a small, intense, highly focused rain / wind/ thunder /lightning storm. He has major damage, and two other neighbors were also hit. Trees down, shrubbery broken, a shed was destroyed, windows cracked. I'd never heard of such a thing. Kind of a cross between a hurricane and a tornado, your very own personal destroyer. Jeez.
Life in Florida is so different, but I love it here, and I love being close to my sister and brother. I miss my children, though. It was a tough choice, but I have no doubts that we did the right thing.
We both feel pretty darn grateful every single day.
Not a good way to start the day. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I read for awhile, then just said the heck with it and got up. Then we did the bills, since I got paid Friday. While I'm grateful I have a steady job, sometimes I feel I'm not earning enough; this is a recurring theme in my whole lifetime of working. There are too many bills!
We earn enough between us to manage just fine: not well-off, but certainly enough to have pretty much what we want as long as we don't go crazy. But the cc bills sometimes feel insurmountable. I know in my head we are fine, and are steadily paying them down, but some days it feels like they aren't going away fast enough. And I also know this is a perfectly normal feeling as one is paying down debt. I get impatient when I don't see results quickly enough.
J did take Mr Murphy to the vet last week, so we could get a prescription for the flea meds they need, and during the exam the vet discovered a heart murmur. Apparently grade 2, possibly grade 3. Nothing to be done right now, but this explains why he trudges along so slowly at times--he is just winded. Sometimes he will just stop where he is for a few minutes and then resume his walk. We thought he was being stubborn; turns out he is doing the best he can. He does cough occasionally too, but not endlessly. If the murmur worsens there are options: medication, or ominously, surgery. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
We were also strongly advised to start both dogs on heartworm preventative. Apparently here in the South it's much more common. It's almost unheard of in our previous state, so this is something new; in a few weeks we'll take both to the vet for heartworm testing and then they will both be started on a monthly preventative.
Always something.
J's new phone arrived finally, after 5 days. It was a seamless transition, almost automatically transferring the info from his previous phone to the new one. Fortunately the new case protecting it is much stronger too.
Another worry for me is the Caddy. This past week it started intermittently giving me two messages on its screen. One had to do with the anti-lock braking system, the other says something about the security system. J will have to take the car to the shop, and hope they can interpret the messages. This means not only more money, but that J has to take me to and from work every day, using the truck.
Which--and I realize this is one of those first-world problems-- also means I don't have a place to go at lunchtime. There is the one general "multipurpose room" which the whole building uses for various meetings, or lunch, or anytime the managers have something to share. Then that room is announced over the intercoms that it's "unavailable", and anyone needing lunch has to go somewhere else to sit. Trouble is there is nowhere else. I've sometimes sat in the hallway to eat, in plain view of everyone. Awkward. Which is why I sit in the car at lunchtime normally. But if the Caddy isn't there, I'm out of luck. Waah.
I hear myself, and I see what I'm writing, and I am admittedly whining...but this is what I feel like today. Tomorrow will be better.
Oh, and one more financial stress: J is now in the "donut hole" of Medicare, which means they won't cover his meds anymore until after January, unless we get to the maximum out-of- pocket amount. And one in particular of his meds is very expensive. Grrr.
Well, again, I know we will get through all this in time. In the meantime we live in a wonderful house, and have plenty of food, and I work very close to my job, and we are healthy. J continues to slowly heal from his ankle injury, but it's very slow going. He walks quite deliberately, wearing an Ace bandage around that ankle, and sometimes appears to shuffle, but it's because he has to place his foot very carefully to avoid stretching the Achilles tendon. Poor guy! He is pretty brave, and determined not to let this stop him from doing anything--although I wouldn't mind at all if he did rest a bit more often.
He has been working for two weeks on painting some black bookshelves white for Sis. Each one has taken so much time, and I think he has ended up putting 5 or 6 coats on, to make them look right. So yesterday those finally went to Sis' house, and she gave us her tall dark wood bookcases; these are now in the second bedroom, and will store all my old Family books and mementos, and my art supplies, and the board games. It's all coming together so wonderfully.
We've had a couple of ...exciting...thunderstorms recently too. Loud thunder booms, lots of lightning, sometimes with rain and sometimes not. One of my friends was the victim of a "microburst" which apparently is a small, intense, highly focused rain / wind/ thunder /lightning storm. He has major damage, and two other neighbors were also hit. Trees down, shrubbery broken, a shed was destroyed, windows cracked. I'd never heard of such a thing. Kind of a cross between a hurricane and a tornado, your very own personal destroyer. Jeez.
Life in Florida is so different, but I love it here, and I love being close to my sister and brother. I miss my children, though. It was a tough choice, but I have no doubts that we did the right thing.
We both feel pretty darn grateful every single day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)