I survived hurricane Wilma and I'm baaaack!

[AirmensMom]

I posted this Saturday on GD:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2194173&mesg_id=2194173

To update that, we have all our utilities back, including internet. I'm switching from cable to DSL this afternoon, so we'll see how that goes.

We finally bought a generator on Sunday, but it was impossible to find gas cans. Once we borrowed one and got it filled up, we only ran it for about 6 hours before the power came back on. There are still plenty of people without power. We woke up yesterday morning and heard generators in the next neighborhood, but they appear to have power now. Boca is looking pretty ugly with all the piles of debris, trees down, fences and screen enclosures down, roof tiles torn up, etc. It's raining today, so we'll find out pretty quickly if our roof damage is cosmetic (as we suspect) or more.

I still have to upload my pictures ... I'll save that for another day.

I've missed DU! Thanks to everyone who sent thoughts, prayers, healing light, lit candles, and otherwise expressed support. It makes a BIG difference. I hope all the other DUers in Wilma's path are OK. If there's someone you're worried about, please realize that power and phone are still not completely restored. It's very frustrating ... you want to tell everyone that you're OK, but you can't get to DU. I hope we hear from everyone eventually.

:grouphug: :hi: :pals:

[KitchenWitch]

1. Welcome back AirmensMom

I have been thinking about you!

:hug:

[AirmensMom]

5. Hey, KW!

Thanks. I knew you were there! You have no idea how much of a difference it makes -- I felt very warm and protected by my DU friends.

:hug:

[merh]

2. Step into the light!

:hi: So good to see you. :hug: :loveya:

[AirmensMom]

6. Hey, merh!

Hi to you, too! :hi: I'm so glad to be back!

:hug: :loveya:

[RockaFowler]

3. Welcome Back

I have been looking for your posts since the storm. I'm glad you got power finally. Boca was hit really bad. We got power in Lake Worth on Friday. That is amazing since half of the city is still without power.

I think after this storm we will need a support group for Hurricane survivors. This has been a tough year for storms . . .

[KitchenWitch]

4. That is a good idea

You should propose it in GD and if enough people sign on, Skinner will set it up for you. You will need a mission statement though.

[merh]

7. What a great idea!

Count me as a member of that group. :hi:

[AirmensMom]

8. Thanks, RockaFowler.

You're right -- Boca got hit bad. Our little culdesac is in GREAT shape compared to everything else I've seen. Even the circle directly behind us looks like a completely different (worse) world.

Did you get damage? I hope not! Some people are in it for the long haul with their power. One group is scheduled for Nov. 15 and another for Nov. 22.

I love the idea of a support group. Even without much damage, there's something about it that's hard. We haven't even taken our shutters down yet.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

9. Welcome back!

[AirmensMom]

10. Thanks, CG!

It's good to be back ... great seeing you!

:hi: :bounce:

[Shell Beau]

11. Glad to see you back!

:hug: Hurricanes suck!!!

[AirmensMom]

12. Shell Beau!

I've missed you! :hug:

Naw, hurricanes don't suck ... mostly, they blow. :rofl: (Might as well laugh as cry, as an old friend used to tell me.)

Edit ... typo

[Shell Beau]

13. Nice to know that your humor didn't get blown away with

everything else. It is so good to have you back!! :hug:

[AirmensMom]

15. Well, it did for a few days.

Believe it or not, I felt pretty low yesterday, and we had power by then! But it was my husband's first day back at work and I tried to do too much by myself. I also made the mistake of trying to call FEMA ... he can take care of that from now on.

At one point last week, we pulled the BBQ out on the driveway, cooked up all the food that was thawed out, and invited the neighbors over. We went through about $100 worth of wine, but it was a lot more fun than having everyone hibernate in their own dark houses.

Thanks for the hugs. It helps a lot! :hug:

[Shell Beau]

21. I know the feeling. When Katrina hit, my friend and I

got all of our food out of the fridge and our husbands grilled it up. We even had a grilled breakfast. It was rough, but it will get better. Eventually. :pals:

[AirmensMom]

24. We found out that you can cook hot pockets in a pan.

They're actually better that way than in a microwave.

And we made shish kabobs out of red onion wedges, red and orange bell pepper pieces, and shrimp ... little olive oil brushed on them. They were awesome! The whole time I was stringing them together, I was thinking, "these are going to go in the garbage" ... but they were really great! My neighbor is going to make them again with real, bought, fresh food. :)

I don't think I knew you were in Katrina. I hope you didn't get damage. There must be a bunch of us in hurricane country! :pals:

[Shell Beau]

27. When Katrina hit my town it was a Cat. 1.

All of the folks from the coastal areas came here. Our population doubled. We were w/o electricity for 3 1/2 days. Others in my town were out for a couple of weeks. There was a lot of damage around me, but I really lucked up and didn't have any. There were so many hurricanes this season, that almost everyone was effected one way or another!!

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

14. So glad to see you back!! And glad you and yours are safe!

:hi: :hug:

[AirmensMom]

17. Hey Cyndee!

Yep, I'm back and posting. It was a long week ... and still longer for many people.

:hi: :hug:

[MrScorpio]

16. Welcome Back!!!!!

We missed ya!

:hug:

[AirmensMom]

19. Hi, MrScorpio!

I missed you, too! I haven't been here very long, but I learned pretty fast that life is better with DU.

Did I mention that I love your sigline mug?

:hug:

[El Fuego]

18. Welcome back! Just got back myself!

We just got our power back Saturday night. I'm in the south end of West Palm, and we had a lot of downed trees but no real structural damage.

The experience was harrowing considering we didn't expect the storm to amount to much. The nice cold air afterwards was such a blessing, wasn't it? If it's not hot you don't miss the power as much.

:hi:

[AirmensMom]

20. Welcome back yourself, El Fuego!

I had an uneasy feeling about this storm from the beginning ... as any of the DUers who stayed up all night with me will tell you. The second half was scary, and it came RIGHT after the news said to expect tropical storm/cat 1 winds. We were really surprised to hear things hitting the house!

Yes, the cold air was great. We had the windows opened all the time. I always thought we'd be able to go for a swim if we had to do too long w/out power, but I wasn't prepared for the pool to be so dirty. The stars on Monday night were awesome! I saw more stars in the sky than I ever had in my life. :)

So you did OK? Any damage at all?

:hi:

[El Fuego]

25. Things are OK, except for the trees

Weren't the stars incredible? It seems like it's been years since I've seen stars like that. I'd forgotten what the night sky could look like. I even saw two falling stars, wow.

We had small generator to run the refrigerator. I had food in the freezer, and we totally feasted using the gas gril. The first few days, when it was nice and cold, and we were eating steak anlobster under the stars by candlelight, it didn't seem too bad. I kept thinking, well this is kind of fun, as long as the power outage doesn't last too long! The camping out novelty wears off in about three days, as I'm sure you know.

The storm was scary. We didn't even cover the windows because the storm was supposed to be a cat 1 at most, so I was really worried that the windows would get smashed. I felt like the house was shaking, and occasionally we'd hear a "pop" when a tree went down. Going through the eye was an interesting experience, I always wondered what that would be like.

Thank God we have power now!!! I was soooo happy when it came back on.

[AirmensMom]

26. The trees down here are a mess, too.

Yes, the stars were incredible! My husband saw some falling stars, but I was always looking in the wrong direction. We slept outside in the screen enclosure on Monday night.

I was mostly frustrated because I felt such a lack of community. We don't have a very friendly neighborhood, so I really hoped people would come out of their shell with our BBQ. They were great that night, but then it sort of went away. It seemed like such a shame that we weren't out in the culdesac every day just socializing. It's not like we could do anything else, after all. Some families left town altogether for the week.

We used to camp on weekends in northern PA ... long weekends were just enough. A week is too long. We're probably more comfortable with it than most people, but it was still hard.

I've heard that a lot of people didn't cover their windows. Did you read the part of my post where the neighbor's solar panel came into our window? The hurricane panel stopped it. I might not be here otherwise. One of the news guys said, before Katrina, that if you're wondering of you should put up shutters, think of this: Whatever hassle you go through putting them up is NOTHING like hassling with the insurance company. I've hassled with insurance companies and I knew he was right. They've been up for Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Even so, there was a sort of sensation that the house was breathing -- I can't really describe it. Also, we found out that our neighbors got water in the house b/c the windows bowed. We didn't get a drop. I only wish we'd gotten some of the see-thru ones or the aluminum ones with tiny holes that let you see through them. We felt safe, but we wondered what was happening outside.

I'm glad you're OK and you have power -- especially today! It's pouring rain and the mold grows so fast without the A/C.

[Texasgal]

22. Glad to have you back!!!

I know it has to be hard with NO DU for that long! I think I'd die!!!

So glad to hear the update!!!

[AirmensMom]

23. Thanks, Texasgal!

Yeah, I could do with the no hot water, no power, no real coffee, no lights, no TV ... but the NO DU was the killer. I think I'm officially addicted. :)

It's great to see you again. :hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

28. Welcome back, my dear AirmensMom!

Your story is amazing, and I am so glad to hear you came through the storm this well.....

You were missed, my dear.......


:yourock: :loveya: :hug:

[AirmensMom]

29. Thank you, Peggy!

I missed you, too.

I'm very grateful to have come out of it so well. It's pouring rain today and my husband just called to tell me that several of his coworkers have roof leaks and no tarps. I wish we could help.

:hug: :loveya:

[newyawker99]

30. Welcome back AirmensMom!

:hi: :hug:

[AirmensMom]

31. Hey, newyawker99!

It's great to be back! It was better yesterday with my HSI cable working, but at least I can go slow-mo with dial-up today. :)

Hope you're having a great day.

:hi: :hug: