This is why I rushed to finish this blanket for my niece Harleigh. I could tell how much she loved it when it was still just a pile of blocks. To get a thank you like this is worth every ounce of work I put into it. I never expected it but to open my email and find this jewel in there made me cry.
Not much crocheting or stitching getting done around here these days. I do have power today but spent most of the morning running errands and searching for some boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins for dinner tonight. I'm so craving a homecooked meal even if I have to be the head chef. We are having Chicken & Rice seasoned with Goya Sazon con Azafran. My neighbor made this the other night and it tasted so good I have to make a pot for my family tonight. I'll make a simple lettuce and tomato salad to go with it. If I make another trip to the store I may just bake a cake but don't hold your breath.
Simple Pleasures
Today while running errands I was able to get some sweet iced tea. I usually go the unsweetened route but hey, it was tea, not water, not a coke, but tea so I indulged in a large Sweet Tea from Krystal. We're still under a boil water restriction in my county so I haven't made tea. UH big duh to me, I have 7 gallons of water alone in the fridge I think I can spare a little for iced tea. Sometimes I wonder about this old brain of mine. How dumb am I? Speaking of the aforementioned fridge we got power late yesterday. GO GULF POWER! YOU GUYS ROCK! We kept having huge power surges last night but so far none today.
I think I may just go work on some Granny Squares. I have one half of block #1 finished for a new Girl Power Granny. Maybe I can get a good start on a new afghan for myself. With all the hurricane damage, I've given up collecting any yarn other than Red Heart for this afghan right now. I thought I might go for the Caron Simply Soft brights but I think I'll just save those for another time. I have everything I need here for this particular afghan, and hey, I like Red Heart. I could do mail order but would rather start something now instead of waiting.
I checked on the LYS-The Yarn Garden, and just from what I could see driving by it looked like it didn't have any damage and that they had moved all their inventory out of the store. I hope they are able to open up soon since trips to Pensacola are going to be difficult at least for a few weeks. I need to start sticking back a few dollars here and there and when Pensacola is accessible again indulge in a Hobby Lobby shopping spree. I mean I do need to help out the economy over there in Escambia County right? I might just have to go spend some money at Micheals too.
Shocking Pictures
Yesterday I managed to pick up a local paper for the first time since Ivan hit. The pictures coming out of Pensacola of the bridges and damage to homes is catastrophic. I knew it was bad but what I imagined in my mind couldn't compare to the pictures.
There was a time when I thought making the decision to evacuate would be an easy one. When we finally decided we needed to leave I didn't want to. I knew it was probably the right thing to do but what it boiled down to is that we feel safe in our homes. No matter what is raging outside, inside we feel we are safe. Also this whole idea of being able to control events pops into your head. If I stay and the roof springs a leak I can fix it then(yea, right, sure, climb up on that roof in 150 mile an hour winds), if the house starts to flood I'm there to stop it(nope you can't). All these ideas go through your mind. If you leave you are letting the hurricane control you, take over your life and your home. I realize these thoughts may seem silly but they are what kept going through my mind. If only I stayed I could protect my home and my family would be safe here since it's our home not Ivan's. I now know why against their better judgement people insist on staying in trailers. Even though common sense tells you to leave, you feel safe there because it's home.
One of the saddest stories I've heard since Ivan hit was the one where a man chained himself to his mobile home. I kept wondering what he was thinking? The trailer ended up rolling over on him and pinning him beneath it. I never heard if he survived or died. I think about him often and wonder what was going through his mind when he made this decision.
I used to think that people who didn't evacuate were fools, and maybe on some level they are, but it's about leaving your home. Leaving a place that makes you feel safe and going to some unknown place around strangers. Will I evacuate again, yes. I know that my life, the kids' lives and DH are all more important than the roof over our heads. When we left, I had to keep home in my heart. I had to remind myself that my family was my home and our house was a place where we felt happy and safe, but we can be happy and safe as long as we are together and alive.
I never once dreamed that making the decision to evacuate would be such an emotional one. I thought it would be a black & white decision. It wasn't. I agonized over it for two days.
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