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| Sandy preparing for a potty break in her hurricane raincoat |
I would like to address my concerns over the lousy weather here on the east coast. I feel I have been mislead into thinking that the only concern here is the high humidity in the summer-hah!
An earthquake and a hurricane in one week? These unprecedented events have me pining for the ungodly heat of Arizona. But, on a more positive note, the days are becoming more temperate and the evenings and mornings are cool-(think Mesa in October).
The earthquake caught me completely unaware that such a thing was even possible. I heard a loud commotion that I thought was coming from the upstairs apt. At first I thought new neighbors were moving in and had dropped a piece of heavy furniture. Ever since our heavy-footed upstairs neighbor "Horton" moved away, we have enjoyed the peace and quiet we so desperately crave in apartment living.
The mirror on the bedroom dresser began to shake furiously and I stared in amazement with my mouth hanging open, I am sure. At first, I thought it was something far more sinister than Mother Nature and the eerie quiet afterward really unnerved me. Since it was in the middle of the afternoon, most of my neighbors were at work. I opened the door to the hallway to see if anyone was running out of the building-negative. I just stood there for a few minutes trying to compose myself, when my neighbor Cynthia knocked on the door and informed me that we had just experienced an earthquake-what!?
As you may have heard, the cell phones were jammed with overload calls and I was unable to reach Tom at work except by texting. I had just gotten a new phone a day or two earlier and was still in the learning curve of using a phone with new gadgets. Tom got home a couple of hours later and I was glad for the company. The thought of aftershocks was really scary to me- I have not felt any of them subsequently.
Of course that was the talk of the town for the next several days. We easterners were made sport of by folks in California who thought we all over-reacted- well I never! The biggest problem that was brought to light, was that most everyone ran out of their buildings in the downtown area which is very dangerous during an earthquake. Note to self- if this happens again, get under a piece of heavy furniture and fold up as you would in a bear attack. ( I suppose that will be the next event here in DC- bears running amok and the citizens running for their lives instead of rolling in a ball and playing dead). The buildings, monuments and museums were closed so as to assess damage and safety concerns. The evening commute home on the Metro was not fun and I was happy to be at home instead of waiting in the dark and clammy metro stations.
Glad that it was over and feeling at peace again- the news began to broadcast the coming of the mother of all hurricanes to hit this part of the country-IRENE!
OMG! The news was unrelenting in their coverage and pleaded with everyone to stock up on essentials to last up to a week. I began to get more and more uneasy and so I went to the Giant grocery store Friday morning to get non-perishable staples. The store was crowded even at 11:00 am and they were already out of D batteries- oh Lordy!
I have been trying to eat more healthy foods the last few weeks as the winter weight gain has surely visited my home. In my search for food that did not need to be refrigerated, I found myself grabbing all types of processed foods that I normally avoid. My must haves: Chocolate flavored peanut butter, pretzels, Ritz crackers, popcorn, one bag of apples, jello so full of preservatives that it didn't even require refrigeration, tuna and cracker snack packs and diet Pepsi in case we couldn't make coffee.
Coincidentally, there was an article in the Washington Post today about the stockpiles of junk foods that people now have in their pantry. Pretty funny stuff. After the hub-bub died down, I packed a "snack" bag for Tom to take to work-ha out of the house devil food!
I was a nervous wreck on Saturday and I wasn't the only one. Poor Sandy had a Dr. appointment and I regret not cancelling it now. She had to have blood drawn for a refill on her arthritis medication and have the usual poking and probing. She nipped two groomers at her next appointment and she was sent home....Poor old thing. We reckon she is about 13 years old by now and she is a bundle of nerves in stormy weather.
We bought her a Thundershirt which provides deep pressure to calm her down when we have a storm or God forbid the wind blow a little too gustily. The Thundershirt has really helped her in these times and has even helped with her separation anxiety- I highly recommend them for your nervous Nellies'.
http://www.thundershirt.com/?gclid=CJvxvMv596oCFcw42godtlA7BQ
Sunday morning was sunny and warm and we felt fortunate to have all our comforts intact. I felt badly for the tourists who had spent their hard earned travel money and time to see the sights here in DC. Everything closed down and the dedication of the new Martin Luther King memorial was cancelled as well. It was to be the prime event of the weekend.
Now we have spent a whole summer here and I will take the "dry heat" of Arizona over the hair frizzling humidity here in the Northeast anytime. Fall is just around the corner and I am looking forward to the change of seasons and the delicious Virginia apples. I have loved being here and experiencing the most unusual and adventure- filled year of my life.
I will be trying to catch up on my blogs- a lot went on this summer and I have had little motivation to get writing, but now I am on a roll- so watch out!
