Home Again

I’ve been a bit frazzled and all over the map with my thoughts. They would not be nailed down long enough to get them on paper. Even my journals are suffering serious blanks.

The only journal that is not suffering is my gratitude journal. I am so grateful that no one here in the park was hurt by falling tree limbs. My home was unharmed as well. My sister is home as of Saturday evening with her new lungs and will be staying with me occasionally as needs arise for Doctors appointments, etc. She is doing well and out-walking me. Doctors will keep checking her the next year at least.

Happy Sis home with her family

We were able to come home to electricity and heat after five days and didn’t lose very much in the fridge or freezer. My daughter did have to go back to the downtown office to work one last day as internet had not been restored until the next day.

The only real damage I saw to a neighbors shed. That was no small tree

Our park maintenance crew has been working hard to get debris cleaned up. There are a LOT of tree branches and logs lining our streets waiting for mulching. Over 1,100 are earmarked to be taken down due to damage. Many already have so no one would get hurt. We drove around the whole area with mouths gaping. I’ve seen tornado damage; this was more widespread though not as destructive.

Marked to be mulch

I’ve filled my green waste can three times now, have rearranged the den again for a bed for my sister and squeezed everything back into my tiny sewing room. Very little sewing has transpired.

Newer pine needs tying back

They are all leaning now waiting to be tied back

I’ve cut back the butterfly bushes to the nub as I may have to replace the board on the planter. It’s broken through. There are so many little things clamoring for attention now that I start out with a well-planned morning and watch the plan disintegrate with each sip of coffee. No, I’m not giving up my coffee

Butterfly bush cut to the nub. Hoping for the best

I also noticed recent cracks in my kitchen ceiling so I’ve called the park office for a recommendation for someone to come look and determine if it’s a re-leveling issue or a roofing issue. I have one section of gutter that I’ve tried twice to have repaired and it is still leaking huge amounts of water in the copious rain we’ve had. It can all be fixed, I just need to throw lots of money at it since I’m a single woman of a certain age with limited skills. And here I thought I could do anything.

Daffodils First sign of spring.

Years ago when my recently widowed mother bought her manufactured home and put it on our next-door lot, my husband was there taking care of all the details. When my son is here on his yearly visits, he will get many things taken care of for me. The rest of the time, my daughter and I are on our own to figure things out and there is always something that needs attention. I think an apartment sounds good in times like this but second thoughts always show me an apartment’s down side as well. I guess the thing for which I’m most grateful, is the idea that somehow, I’ll figure it all out and hang onto my wonderful cluttered home a bit longer since it’s still here.

How do you manage when things seem overwhelming?

“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.“~Peter Marshall

From my heart to yours,

Marlene herself

Camping in a Hotel

This week resembled nothing that was written in my day planner. The entire country seems to be having one of those weeks. Someone said today they thought 2020 was over but this feels like a replay. I myself am feeling a lot fragmented and disjointed. This post may feel much the same.

No longer happy little tree

Here in my part of rain country, snow was minimal after the gigantic build up by the news. What was not minimal was the constant cracking of branches and trees loaded with ice coming to the ground! It was downright frightening when I heard all my butterfly bushes pull over the planter box they were in and hit the ground. We lost power at 3:00 a.m. and when the temp hit 58 inside, my daughter started packing to leave. She’s says she’s a delicate flower and cold hurts.

They covered my window nicely before

Will have to trim the butterfly bush way down and hope

We had to go into Portland to get a vacant hotel room till the power comes back on. Apparently, everyone else had the same idea. I whined like a 3-year-old once again at leaving my home. I did the same whine during the evacuation from the fire and smoke.

Could be in a horror movie

Trees here are covered in ice with many laying across the roads. We had no internet or phone service of any kind at my house so we couldn’t even start looking for a place until we got close to somewhere with power. Turns out the mall and all the restaurants were closed too so no lunch while we made calls. The only place that had a room for us was a downtown luxury hotel.  My daughter needed power to work so she made the call.

Icy tree leaning over my shed and neighbors house

It was a gorgeous hotel and had covered parking for the tiny fee of $10 a night for parking. That’s cheap in Portland. A little tricky to get there through the snow and icy roads but my beast with four-wheel drive went easily through. My fingerprints will remain in the door handles forever daughter drove with great skill. I brought a cold beer and had it with a Motrin after we got to our room.

Young pines stuck

 

We soon discovered this luxury hotel offered no in room refrigerator or microwave. It also offered no coffee, breakfast options, or nearby open restaurants. You do NOT camp out in a luxury hotel. We coped until the second morning when their power went out and we were on the 10^th floor. I panicked. When my c-pap shuts down suddenly, I feel like I’m suffocating.

Widower all alone. I’m sure the park will get to this one soon.

My daughter and I were packed up by 1:00 a.m. when she finally located another room close to the airport that had everything we needed. It is perfect for isolated camping. I had hot coffee this morning and we heated up frozen breakfast bowls. No parking fees and much less expensive.

Cleanup beginning up the street

They are talking 10 days to get the power on. I’m hoping they are just tired of all the calls and want us all to leave them to do their work.

Once the sun came out 2 days later

We are fortunate to be able to pay for the motel, probably for the next year. Many are braving their cold, powerless homes. We have food from our home with us while the rest will probably not survive. We are coping well.

“If you can’t laugh when things go bad–laugh and put on a little carnival–then you’re either dead or wishing you were.”
― Stephen King, Under the Dome

Have you found ways to handle the natural disasters in your life?

 

From my heart to yours,

Marlene Herself