What am I Doing Here?

When Mother Nature talks, listen!

Now comes the post Hurricane Ike blog.
I have never felt some of the raw emotions during the 11 days and 10 hours that I have when I lost my electricity and almost lost my mind. It was so frustrating to only have a hand crank and later battery operated radio. But it kept me sane. I almost did not have enough money for food. I had to endure heat during the day and almost sleeplessness during the night.
And to top it all off the two neighbors who I saw from my kitchen window during the whole experience, NEVER LOST THEIR ELECTRICITY!!!!
But on the flip side, I experienced some acts of kindness that made me feel so speechless. People helped me clean my yard, sent me some food and water and later gave me some ice any time that I needed it! What wonderful friends.
But 11 days and 10 hours. I decided to put up a halloween glowing skeleton with a sign "No Electricity" on the 12th day. It hung from a tree. I needed to get someone to look at my tires because I decided to go back to work. My one cat who probably could not have a comfortable and non-medical threatening time was boarded at the vet's office. Two kittens were sent to the same office to be neutered and spayed. They were lucky. The other four cats toughed it out with class. I was so proud of them. As well as the two dogs who stayed outside except when the storm was roaring through and they headed for inside the garage and behaved wonderfully!
Did this 11 days make an impression on me? It sure did! But to put it all in perspective, when I went back to work in FBISD, and talked to someone who survived an even bigger hurricane Katrina, 11 days without electricity was nothing compared to the several WEEKS he and his mother had to go it without electricity. He made his point and I agreed, he did have it worse.
And one more thing. I am writing this on a Saturday. There are still maybe 20% or more of the Centerpoint's customers without electiricity. It is estimated that most of them MIGHT have power by tomorrow. That would make it day 15. I am so sorry to hear it for them.
I could go on and on especially about the food issue, the downed trees and the poor animals who were left behind. The only thing I can say is, "Hurricanes are monsters! Mother Nature may be trying to tell us something and maybe we should listen!"