Howdy!!

      

Can I just say once again it is good to be back, and of course thank you for all the warm wishes!  Today was a good day.  Getting up to the normal sounds of my alarm blaring, the lights coming on when I hit the switch, the computer booting up, the sounds of the electric coffee pot, and the hum of the fridge were absolutely wonderful!  Ok, so I didn't like the sound of the alarm as it meant I had to go to work, but having it go off when it was supposed to was good.  Work wasn't even half bad.  Ok, fessing up again.  I left a bit early.  I had to do some things that weren't done over the weekend and I was running out of clean clothes.  Going commando at work is not my style, so whites most definitely had to be done!

 

There are still a good 100,000 folks without power, but they are working on it.  So many crews from out of state have come to assist.  If you know any of these folks please give them a hug for me!!  Their help is so appreciated words can't even describe.  I've seen trucks from Ohio, PA, MA, and even Montreal Canada.   It's so odd looking around now.  The temperatures have been in the mid 50's to the low 60's since Friday so all the snow is gone and has been.  Again, it was not the snow, though it came earlier then ever, it was the effect of having all that wet snow on the trees and them falling over that led to this disaster. 

 

I've heard different estimates on how much debris has to be removed.  One report was 300 million tons of branches, limbs, and trees.  How much is that?  How does one even compute that?  Then I heard 10,000 football fields might be able to handle it.  WTF!? 10,000?  I can't even get an image of that!!!  The image I do have is all the crap laying on the side of streets.  Then there is the cost.  OMG!!!  Some homeowners are being told they have to pay for things that were disconnected from the house, as well as bringing things up to codebased on the towns rules, costing as much as $3000 or more.  It's so sad too, we boast about the community and how neighbors always come to the aide of each other.  Offering a helping hand, an extension cord to the generator, food, whatever.  Today however we saw an ugly side.  The politicians fighting!  It's become a turf war between the city, the county, and the towns.  It's a freaking joke!  Disgusting actually!! 

 

Oh, and FEMA.  Now, what a waste that whole thing is.  We've all heard the horror stories from New Orleans, but being part of the process now I am sick to my stomach.  The bureaucratic red tape and forms that have to be filled out is nonsense.  The representative that was here had no clue where he was, if the city was in the county, or what actually would be covered.  News reporters were able to get some answers simply by looking in the book, yet this guy hemmed and hawed and never even answered.  How much do you suppose he gets paid yearly?  In my eyes, way to f'in much!!  I know the idea of FEMA is good, but it's been 7 days and folks still have no answers, no forms to fill out, and have to wait.  Wait?  For what?  Are they freakin blind?? So believe it when you hear folks in the hurricane region had to wait for months.  How can that be?  And some aren't even grants, but rather low interest loans.  Sorry, but this country goes out of it's way to help areas all over and yet they can't help the citizens that pay taxes, that live here?  WTF!!!   :::heavy sigh:: Enough on the rant...... for now. 

 

I played with a photo today.  Just curious what you all think.  I am showing the original, then I edited it taking out the wires and signs, then I did one with snow falling.  I can see some imperfections, but all in all thought it was ok.  Thoughts?  It's pretty obvious which is which.. LOL  

 

I'm off to bed, hope everyone is doing well.

hugs

~d