Off the Deep End

That Dern Parrot
Sheepish Designs

Oh goodness, where to start? We're all fine after duking it out with Irene. On Saturday, we brought e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g from outside into the house because we are good little do-bees. The patio table wouldn't fit down the basement stairs, so we made a space for it next to the dining room table, you know, right by the giant planters. I had put together a box of rations--tuna, mandarin oranges, sardines, peanut butter, crackers, goldfish, and granola and energy bars. Notice I did not buy milk and eggs. That's because if you lose power, you are going to need to eat things that 1) don't need refrigeration and 2) don't need to be cooked. I piled that on the 12 gallons of water. We were ready.

While watching New England vs Detroit, we got our first tornado warning. We popped into the basement with Stella (her first trip down there) for 15 minutes. We noticed some of the regular flooding we get with wet weather. About an hour later, the tornado possibilities were closer--not just in our county, but 5 miles away--so we spent half an hour in the basement. Stella wasn't so freaked out by the French drain this time, but we were more freaked out by the new places that had sprung leaks. {Sigh.} So we brought the luggage that was in the line of flooding up to the dining room. It looked like a jumble sale.

Long story short, we're fine, the important stuff in the basement remains dry, and our dining room is back to normal. My parents, who live a mile from the beach in Maine, rode out the storm at Foxwoods in Connecticut. My cousins in Vermont and Massachusetts have not come out as well as we have. The Bostonians have been without power for over a day and are complaining about it on Facebook. (Suck it up; you've lived through worse winter storms!) And, well, you've seen what's happening in Vermont. Fortunately, they are fine, but my cousin is a reporter. He has recorded some of the historic covered bridges falling into the rivers they spanned. It's such a shame. I have a soft spot for covered bridges.

The worst hit, however, was my BIL from London. His family vacation* was scheduled to end on Sunday when he flew out of JFK. Of course, no one was flying out of JFK on Sunday. In fact, 12,000 flights were canceled nationwide, so you can imagine the logistical nightmare of rescheduling everyone. They were finally rebooked after about four hours on hold; they'll fly home Saturday out of BWI. Fortunately, he bought natural disaster insurance after seeing the wrath of Eyjafjallajökull. (Who does that?) 

Disembodied arm, "Off the Deep End"
Raise the Roof

Anyway, on Sunday, I was a bit tired of being indoors, and I thought I should have something new and fun to stitch. So I pulled out "Off the Deep End." Which I've just now realized was a rather strange choice. Or apropos. You decide.

*Don't worry, they're staying in a hotel.