Flooded

After I stopped the rocephin and had my port de-accessed last Tuesday, I felt calm, relieved and was very much looking forward to some time to recuperate emotionally and physically from the trials of the past year. We all were. Mom, Dad, me, and probably even Asher who has had to work very, very hard this year to protect and care for me! :)


On Thursday afternoon Mom arrived home from work to discover that our basement had flooded. This has happened before but this was particularly bad. The basement is Mom's living space--her bedroom, her office, and her comfy chair. It is also home to 35 years of STUFF--some of it worth keeping and a lot of it just crap that has piled up over the years. I'm a sentimental packrat. This does not help things! We've also shoved a lot of stuff into the basement over the years since I got sick hoping to 'get to it soon', but constantly being derailed by my health problems. 


Above is a photo of what friends and family carried up from the basement, most of which will go out to the trash tomorrow. 


We have many thanks to give to those who came to our 'rescue'. To all of you who gave us your time, energy, muscle power, advice, food, fans, emotional support and everything else, we are incredibly grateful. 


Right now Mom is hanging out in my den on the pull-out sofa while trying to get the basement back into some semblance of order. The continuous wet weather has not been conducive to getting the basement habitable again. It is still drying and smells musty, but we did have it cleaned and sprayed with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial 'stuff' (which stinks!). We are also trying to find the source of the flooding so that we can have the landscaping or structural issues resolved before another flood occurs. 


This has been very stressful and has certainly derailed both myself and my mom. We are both stressed for different reasons and in different ways. I have been struggling a great deal with feeling helpless and guilty for not being able to help. I don't do well with commotion and chaos, or a lot of noise and disruptions, which are par for the course in this sort of situation. The stress of the situation has been making me sick. I also hate seeing my mom so overwhelmed.


So, I've been a bit MIA lately and this is why!


Again, thank you to everyone who has chipped in to help us in a myriad of ways--with physical help, food, resources to use, etc. Our next step is some much needed, but not welcomed, home repair!


Blessings,


Emily

Photo:  Lots of stuff from the basement. Oh my!