Carol Dickinson
2019-01-04 03:12:37 UTC
Hope everybody had a good holiday season. I've been absent
due to all the stresses of the last month.
I think I remember posting after the earthquake that we were
"safe". Still enduring shakes on a regular basis. The last 5.0
was only around midnight on New Years eve.
Its been very slow getting past "cleanup". Still parts of the
house that haven't been picked up. And the water well is still
not safe. Using bottle water is not intolerable but very difficult.
I haven't had a bath or shower since November. Although I have
used the "dirty" water for sponge bathing. I finally gave up
trying to wash my hear with bottled water when I discovered the
beauty shop next to the grocery store would do it with safe city
water for $6.
The new dog seems to have survived slurping toilet water, so
he no longer gets a gallon of bottled water a day. Just using
the well water which can't be any worse at least.
Family has had a bad holiday season. My sister became a grandmother
for the first time on Dec 14, but the after effects have been
very difficult. Mom had a ceasarian and I don't know why but
cannot even hold the baby because of "muscle" issue. So my
sister has been with the family since then 24 hours. Because
Dad can't handle Mom and baby simultaneously. And the baby, an
IVF baby is very sleepy still and does not nurse well so it takes
3 hours or so to get him full and then 1/2 hour later they
have to start again. I don't know why. But nobody is getting
any sleep. My brother in law is in charge of their sons animals
because he went on vacation for the holidays and my sister
was supposed to be at his house in Wasilla to care for them.
He has lots of money but putting the animals in a shelter
was not an option. So the animals are in the garage at
my sisters house because brother in law is allergic. And
he is also in charge of all meals at their daughters place.
I wasn't clued in on all this even when I let them know about
all our adventures. The fire dept paramedics came to our house
3 times on Dec 24. Third time they carted my spouse off to
the hospital for what turned out to be yet another leg infection
so he was there until Friday. Meanwhile my niece ended up in
the hospital on Christmas day from complication so my sister
had the baby by herself. So even with her husband coming over
(fortunately they only live a few blocks apart) they were
overwhelmed for a couple days.
Then on the 26th I'm sitting in my den watching a movie and
I though I heard a sound out front so I went down the hall
to see and there are flashlights flickering in my living
room. And I couldn't get to a phone without whoever it was
seeing me. Panic. Going back to look out another window
I saw police cars, yes plural, out on the road, so I opened
the door to the shadowy figure I could see through the
window with my new dog at my side. Totally untried in
terms of protecting me or identifying danger. He's 12
and we are his 3rd home.
Turns out it was police. My husband had not told me he
was expecting a home health nurse visit, and it wasn't the
right day so I didn't put a note on the door, since I
don't have contact information. The nurse is a relatively
new one we don't like, and he makes a mess every time he
comes that takes me about 2 hours to clean up. But anyway
he saw 2 cars in the driveway and nobody answered when he
knocked on the door. Hubby hasn't fixed to doorbell, and
he took his cellphone with him to the hospital but didn't
answer it when the guy called, so he got worried and
called the police for a safety check. I am very pleased
that had I actually been in trouble someone was sent
to check. But then the police came in, wanted all sorts
of information and my ID and stuff, since I said no I
did not know the person who called them. BECAUSE he
gave his last name Francisco, and the ninny had never
introduced himself to me, and my spouse who is getting
very furtive in his old age about medical stuff hasn't
even shared the name of the provider or contact information.
Anyway that just added to the holiday week disruption.
The police went all through the house as if I might be
lying about who I am and that I live here.
And we are still having quakes. They were moving north
for the last month, but they are back at the south end
of the cluster now, just 5 or so miles from us, as the
subduction continues to weaken the stability of the
original big one. Lat 5.0 was New Years eve, so the
well was all jiggled up and filled with silt again.
So lots of things to keep up disrupted. I did bring
the minion over to help with some cleanup on Thursday.
It started snowing, the roads were worse than usual,
but the snow was so slushy it built ice on the
windshield so fast that every 2 miles I had to stop
the car and scrape ice that had built up even with
the wipers on high. So I sent him home in a taxi.
$40 extra for that help. Sigh.
Have to go out again on Monday to the lawyer, and
now have to stop and get PFD forms which they don't
mail anymore because the online system was shut
down after less than 9 hours due to identification
information being made public on the forms.
I want to hide under my bed.
Carol
due to all the stresses of the last month.
I think I remember posting after the earthquake that we were
"safe". Still enduring shakes on a regular basis. The last 5.0
was only around midnight on New Years eve.
Its been very slow getting past "cleanup". Still parts of the
house that haven't been picked up. And the water well is still
not safe. Using bottle water is not intolerable but very difficult.
I haven't had a bath or shower since November. Although I have
used the "dirty" water for sponge bathing. I finally gave up
trying to wash my hear with bottled water when I discovered the
beauty shop next to the grocery store would do it with safe city
water for $6.
The new dog seems to have survived slurping toilet water, so
he no longer gets a gallon of bottled water a day. Just using
the well water which can't be any worse at least.
Family has had a bad holiday season. My sister became a grandmother
for the first time on Dec 14, but the after effects have been
very difficult. Mom had a ceasarian and I don't know why but
cannot even hold the baby because of "muscle" issue. So my
sister has been with the family since then 24 hours. Because
Dad can't handle Mom and baby simultaneously. And the baby, an
IVF baby is very sleepy still and does not nurse well so it takes
3 hours or so to get him full and then 1/2 hour later they
have to start again. I don't know why. But nobody is getting
any sleep. My brother in law is in charge of their sons animals
because he went on vacation for the holidays and my sister
was supposed to be at his house in Wasilla to care for them.
He has lots of money but putting the animals in a shelter
was not an option. So the animals are in the garage at
my sisters house because brother in law is allergic. And
he is also in charge of all meals at their daughters place.
I wasn't clued in on all this even when I let them know about
all our adventures. The fire dept paramedics came to our house
3 times on Dec 24. Third time they carted my spouse off to
the hospital for what turned out to be yet another leg infection
so he was there until Friday. Meanwhile my niece ended up in
the hospital on Christmas day from complication so my sister
had the baby by herself. So even with her husband coming over
(fortunately they only live a few blocks apart) they were
overwhelmed for a couple days.
Then on the 26th I'm sitting in my den watching a movie and
I though I heard a sound out front so I went down the hall
to see and there are flashlights flickering in my living
room. And I couldn't get to a phone without whoever it was
seeing me. Panic. Going back to look out another window
I saw police cars, yes plural, out on the road, so I opened
the door to the shadowy figure I could see through the
window with my new dog at my side. Totally untried in
terms of protecting me or identifying danger. He's 12
and we are his 3rd home.
Turns out it was police. My husband had not told me he
was expecting a home health nurse visit, and it wasn't the
right day so I didn't put a note on the door, since I
don't have contact information. The nurse is a relatively
new one we don't like, and he makes a mess every time he
comes that takes me about 2 hours to clean up. But anyway
he saw 2 cars in the driveway and nobody answered when he
knocked on the door. Hubby hasn't fixed to doorbell, and
he took his cellphone with him to the hospital but didn't
answer it when the guy called, so he got worried and
called the police for a safety check. I am very pleased
that had I actually been in trouble someone was sent
to check. But then the police came in, wanted all sorts
of information and my ID and stuff, since I said no I
did not know the person who called them. BECAUSE he
gave his last name Francisco, and the ninny had never
introduced himself to me, and my spouse who is getting
very furtive in his old age about medical stuff hasn't
even shared the name of the provider or contact information.
Anyway that just added to the holiday week disruption.
The police went all through the house as if I might be
lying about who I am and that I live here.
And we are still having quakes. They were moving north
for the last month, but they are back at the south end
of the cluster now, just 5 or so miles from us, as the
subduction continues to weaken the stability of the
original big one. Lat 5.0 was New Years eve, so the
well was all jiggled up and filled with silt again.
So lots of things to keep up disrupted. I did bring
the minion over to help with some cleanup on Thursday.
It started snowing, the roads were worse than usual,
but the snow was so slushy it built ice on the
windshield so fast that every 2 miles I had to stop
the car and scrape ice that had built up even with
the wipers on high. So I sent him home in a taxi.
$40 extra for that help. Sigh.
Have to go out again on Monday to the lawyer, and
now have to stop and get PFD forms which they don't
mail anymore because the online system was shut
down after less than 9 hours due to identification
information being made public on the forms.
I want to hide under my bed.
Carol