I lived through the flood and I have internet

If you haven't heard, we had a 1,000 year flood in Nashville. In my area, we got almost 14 inches of rain in about 36 hours, which more than doubled the previous record rainfall for the same time period since they began keeping records sometime in the 1800's. Unbelievable. I won't recount all the tales and stories, but the devastation is pretty horrific. So many people have lost everything and have no flood insurance. In this area, you only get flood insurance if your home/business is in the 100 year flood plain.

My family was extremely lucky in all of this. No damage to our home or the homes of our mothers. The only casualty was my car. As I was crossing the front entrance to our subdivision on the first day of the rains (when we had no idea how bad it was/would be) my engine intake sucked water into the engine. The car stalled, and when we attempted to restart later, a rod bent. The engine block has to be replaced (MAJOR $$$). Insurance company is now deciding whether to repair my car (2006 Toyota Avalon) or total it. They've waffled so much on it this week, I really don't have a feel for what they'll do. Meanwhile, I have a rental car, so I'm good. We lost internet service Sunday - Thursday. I felt so cut off from the world! On the other hand, I was incredibly productive, which, I suppose, speaks to how much time I spend/waste on the computer. Anyway, I'm back and slowly catching up with all the things I do on the 'net.

I have a fair amount of survivor's guilt for getting off so easy when so many are suffering. DH and I have made financial contributions and helped where we can. Neither of us is able to physically able to help a great deal other than carting supplies around. We both have pretty extreme reactions to mold. If I'm sick, I'm no good to anyone. So, though I know why I can't do more, I still feel guilty about it.

On to some happier thoughts (I'm not insensitive. I just can't dwell on bad stuff for too long or I become very depressed). My weight loss is going well. The doc said I was her only patient on Thursday who had actually lost weight during our disaster. I've officially lost more than 15 pounds! I am pretty much in to my skinny clothes, which is a good feeling. I'm not yet up for new clothes shopping as I am really concerned about keeping it off. I have another week and a half of the pure liquid diet and then will begin the transition to real food. The thought of real food scares me to death. But it looks like I am on track to be down 20 pounds by the time I transition, which was my goal.

I do have stitching stuff to share. Hanging Gardens is coming along very well, and I got a stash order in the mail today that I'd been waiting on for about a month. No pics today. Maybe tomorrow when I have more time. Sorry. Oh, and I finish-finished my Chatelaine Smalls Exchange project!!! Of course, I can't show pictures until the actual exchange takes place in June. I used a new-to-me finishing technique I found on the internet. It worked pretty well. There are a few things I would do differently next time. But overall, I'm pleased with how it turned out. It would be something I'd be happy to receive, so I hope it's future recipient will feel the same.