To all of my friends in the path of Sandy

Dear Surviving thank you. Hopefully it will be more hype than substance but the winds are beginning now. I did my 3 mile WW walk early to be on the safe side:-) Hopefully all those in the path will be safe through this one.

I have been thinking the same thing today

I hope you all stay safe and survive the storm you have coming. Good luck to you all. I will listen to the news and i hope everything is going to be good news for you. Good Luck. I will say a prayer for you. The storm might not be too bad I hope.

Hope to see you all back here safe and sound in the aftermath, which will no doubt include power outages . hope you will be back on the air again very soon.

Louise

Dear all Sisters & families,
Thinking of you all & sending love, safety, & warm (((hugs))) to all in the storm area...
Best wishes,
Aussie Soul Sis

Best wishes to every one suffering in the world hope Allah remove the difficulty and makes things easy for every one including me Ameen...!

I hope things have settled down,
i wonder whats happening nothing much in the news

Hello how r u how?

We too are safe here on the east coast. Electricity is back (how I appreciate it)....but all in my town seem to be fine. I hope all others are as well. Love to all of you beautiful ladies. Dear surviving...how are you continuing with your glorious postings with no internet?

Ms Nightingale, it's special Surviving 60 magic.

We need to keep New York and New Jersey in our prayers. New Jersey has lost 110 homes in a terrible fire that broke out in the height of the storm. Parts of New Jersey looks like a war zone. A miracle no lives were lost in that New Jersey fire. New York's subway, amtrak, airports and tunnels are all under water. There will be some improvement in transportation by Friday but weeks maybe months before things are back to normal. It was posted that 55 lives were lost on the East Coast in the storm. I'm in Vermont and we were spared. Connecticut and Main and Massachusetts were also hit but not as bad as New York and New Jersey.

thanks to all for the thoughts and prayers
we are finally back in our home, with power, hot water and heat. blessedly, we had flooding only in the garage and crawlspace (enough to destroy a refrigerator and freezer, boiler, water heater, thousands of dollars worth of tools dh needs for work and some housewares, paper goods, outdoor toys, bikes, etc). our living space is fine now that we are back on the grid with a new boiler.
many of our friends and neighbors are not so lucky, many have lost their first floor and all that encompasses (for those in one level ranches, that is everything). many (most) have lost their cars, many are still out of work as so many businesses have not yet recovered. 12,000 households in the rockaways (3 miles from me) are still without power or heat. we were without power for two weeks, long enough to lose ones sanity. to walk around my neighborhood is heartbreaking. you can see peoples entire lives piled up in heaps on the lawns and streets; bedding, housewares, toys, clothing, furniture, etc. this nasty water was not only sea water but also contaminated by a local water treatment facility. the stench is not to be believed. sulfur and metallic. the soil still stinks. my silver tarnishes hours after I polish it. I worry about what we are breathing in, touching, eating, bathing in. but what can you do but bury the fears and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
I am so thankful for all of the love and support in my community and beyond. National Guardsmen, FEMA, Army personnel, lineman from all over the country (and Canada!) helping to rebuild power substations. Friends and friends-of-friends who took us in, provided warm food, laundry service and WiFi. After you see all the devastation, you can see the Tide truck, MASH like medical tents, giant centers filled with warm clothing, toys, toiletries. organizations everywhere provided warm meals and warming centers for people to just hang out and stay warm. local organizations orchestrated events for the kids, free babysitting, errand service (remember many lost their vehicles and for the rest of us, gas was scarce). the list goes on and on.
so in the face of natural disaster, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of the human spirit.
we are still a bit traumatized by the sight of the river rushing down our street (chest high), I think I will never forget that as long as I live. I never knew how quickly water can rise or with so great a force, so far away. I am about a mile from the nearest body of water...and its only the bay not even the ocean. I have a new respect for nature and gratitude towards G-d for gracing us with this day. I am humbled by forces around me, which I largely ignore most of the time, thinking I am in control.
most of all I am so very thankful for the gifts of love and life.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Best wishes to you. I am happy to hear that you are okay and back home. I am sorry for your losses and the devastation to so many. Best wishes to you as you go forward now.

Hello Dear Granolamom,
Many (((hugs))) & best wishes to you and your community.
Aussie Soul Sister

Hello Dear Granolamom,
Many (((hugs))) & best wishes to you and your community.
Aussie Soul Sister

That is such good news, Granolamom, to hear that you are all getting back to normal. We do take normality for granted, don't we?

Good to have you back safe and sound Granolamom, just keep track (I’m sure you are) of any possible aftermath (psychological reaction) amongst the kids. Some will want to talk, others not. It’s a hard thing to juggle. Just individual time once in a while might be all that is needed. Just a little balm applied.

yes, fab, its hard to know what the kids are thinking. my big girl is more concerned right now about some of her friends whose homes are unihabitable. her school was on the beach too, so they have been borrowing space in a local synagogue. its been rough without bussing and classrooms etc but hopefully they will be returning to school next week, providing the National Guard gives the ok (the town they are in has been a bit, um, shall we say...lawless??? since the storm).
my boys are big talkers, they tell everyone how it was, and how they helped build fires in the fireplace to stay warm, how they helped pump out the muck, how they helped the neighbors lug out their trashed belongings. I think its good to get them involved in solutions. the 5 yo gets worried around bedtime, loads of questions ....what would we do if.......???? and my 3 yo keeps asking when Sandy is coming again and why there was a flood and is the water going to come back. she still asks if we have power yet and if there is hot water or did Mike (the plumber) take it home with him. three year olds are not known for their ability to make sense of these things I guess. but overall they seem ok now. the hardest thing was moving around so much, no home base, not having their routines in place.
will keep an eye on it... interestingly, I think my dh is having the hardest time of it. he did an awesome job of keeping us safe, but I think the responsibility of providing for us in face of this weighed so heavily upon him. he is really exhausted. for all the women's lib, I am happy to allow my man to take care of me.

Granolamom, it is great that your little son is able to ask you these questions and get your sort-of calm answers. How lucky he is to have both of you as parents.

And I am sure that your DH is finding it very fulfilling, if challenging, looking after all of you. Perhaps in time you will be able to discuss it with him and express your gratitude and pride in him (if you haven't already) when your joint world is more orderly.

I can remember vividly as an 11 year-old, when our whole school was relocated to a nearby Technical School with very old, dilapidated, transportable classrooms, right down the back of their campus, so that the old lead paint could be removed from all the timber work, which was then repainted. We looked on it as a great adventure being in different surroundings, but we hadn't recently experienced a major storm and destructive flooding, so it is not the same. I am sure your kids will look back fondly, when they feel safe again, on helping to light fires and other unusual things they have been doing. You never know. You might have a budding outdoor adventurer in the family!

Louise