Flood 2016 Journal 4

Flood 2016 Journal 4

We stayed in motels for almost a month... We stayed at 2 motels in Port Allen. I don't like to be unkind but I really can't recommend either one... We went to our home to try to over see and help get all the soggy furniture, books, carpet, etc. out of the house. The traffic was pretty bad every day. We debated whether it would be better to return to our home so we could work a while rest awhile 24/7 without all the waste of time getting to and from... Our age/health work rest is more our speed... sigh...

Finally we decided that in spite of the rough conditions we wanted to go back to our house. We came home on what would have been my daughter's 40th birthday... It is where I last saw Cara alive and I continue to imagine she is here with me... I am not crazy... I like most who have lost a loved one am trying to be grateful more that my loved one lived than I am sad that she died... As a result I talk to her often if only inside my head. So we came home on her birthday in honor and celebration of Cara's life.

I jokingly tell people we're doing what people pay good money to do... i.e. camping out... Hey... we got it easy... roof over our head, a window a/c unit to cool our room and an air mattress... its dusty... we sweep and wipe and still the dust from the sheetrock is everywhere... yucky...

The first several weeks after everyone started cleaning out their houses the trash was piled so high on both sides of the road and the piles were into the road so that many areas were one lane rather than the normal two lanes... I had asked my grandson to move the stuff on our side of the ditch to the road side of the ditch but he assured me he had talked to the garbage men and they were picking it up as long as the claw could reach it.

They didn't pick up that left on our side nor did anyone pick up the refrigerator and dishwasher from the roadside. We had to pay a guy to haul off the refrigerator and dishwasher. The newer refrigerators get picked up by people who are hoping I am told to fix them and sell them. Ours was older and didn't get picked up and lots of people in the area have refrigerators and other appliances sitting by the side of the road.

I called 311 and they told me they were picking them up but when they didn't pick them up Wednesday as I was told they would we got someone to take them off. Richard is moving the stuff to the road side of the ditch a wheelbarrow or two each day. Hopefully before too long it too will get picked up by the trash trucks. There are people who haven't had even one pass by the trash trucks so I am sure it will take awhile.

My grandson thankfully brought me the refrigerator I had given him in May... He got a better one so could return mine. It was a small older refrigerator I had bought for Martha to use when she was staying with us. Its fine for just the Richard and I.

I was kind of embarrassed yesterday... I don't know why... I had gone to the foot doctor... of course I worry pretty much all the time about having to have more surgeries on my foot... but yesterday it was better... the tears leaked out and I couldn't hide them... the nurse asked if I was okay and could she do anything for me.. I couldn't answer... she kindly handed me a Kleenex... I cried, recovered and moved on... Its just like that sometimes...

Life goes on... We continue to whittle away at the million and one things needing to be done... we've only got 999,999 things left to do... *S*