Hi Guys,

This is Michele’s friend, Mel.  As most of you know, she is currently dealing with no power and very spotty cell service due to Hurricane Isaac.  She wrote the following post, but couldn’t get it to publish, so she handed over the keys to the ODNT Palace.  I guess this is like me coming in to feed Milo and Herve … and having some cheese from the fridge.

Oh! Just one more thing before I hit the road.  If you haven’t seen her latest two posts, they are  must reads. The first is ‘A Letter from Katrina to Isaac‘ and  the second is ‘The Toilet Story (“inspired” by Hurricane Katrina).’ You all are in our thoughts,  friend!

Now, without further ado, I give you Michele’s post …

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This post is going to be messy as it’s being fully generated from my phone.

Generated. God, what I wouldn’t do for a generator. How big are they anyway? Maybe I should ask Dave to stuff one in my Christmas stocking.

We lost power last night at quarter ’til nine so it’s been over eighteen hours ago now. That means everything in the refrigerator is officially toast. As far as the freezer goes, they say a FULL one will last 48 hours. But who the hell has a full freezer going into a hurricane?!!? We’ve been trying to empty that mother for days. And a HALF-full freezer only lasts 24 hours. So, I’ll guess we’ll be eating peanut butter, potato chips and canned beans for the next few days. Anyone have any recipes they want to share?

When we lost power last night, I had a little moment of clarity. Also known as a minor panic attack. Dave sadly had to leave town for work yesterday. It was one of the hardest decisions he’s ever had to make. And trust me when I say he and I made it together.

To complicate matters further, just as he was about to make his final decision, we realized that one of the pieces of outdoor furniture he brought in to secure the house had a wasp nest in it. And now there were wasps flying through the house so he (with his severe wasp allergy) was running around trying to kill them all and take out the nest before my girl (and her crippling fear of wasps) caught on. I honestly think that he was so angry about the whole situation that he killed all the wasps with his bare hands and feet.

And then that was it. It was the final straw. He wasn’t leaving. He wasn’t getting on a plane. This whole scenario was completely insane. He just couldn’t bring himself to leave us as a Cat 2 hurricane was looming. Until he realized he’d be costing so many other families the income generated from this project. So he went. Very reluctantly. And I assured him we would be fine.

Which we have been so far. Except for the fact that last night’s power outage turned me (and NOT my kids) into a squirrely five-year-old who immediately called my neighbor, also home alone with her two kids. And she invited us to spend the night.

The kids and I have never packed faster. We threw a change of clothes, toothbrushes, pillows, a cot, a few stuffed animals, flashlights, fruit and Pringles (where’s my endorsement money?) into a bag and dashed to her home in the middle of the wind and rain in darkness to hunker down for the night. Our houses are literally ten feet apart but the sprint over was still pretty frightening.

And we’re still here. Everyone took a little something to help with sleep last night and now we’re all just up staring out the windows … waiting and listening for what will happen next.

I still can’t believe it’s hitting again on August 29. And I just can’t wait for it to be over.

Stay in touch with me on Twitter @OldDogNewTits. Thanks, guys. Your support means a lot.