Waiting in More Ways than One...2

Sandy
It's Monday the 29th of October and I'm worried about family and friends in New York and New Jersey, and hope they all fair well during Sandy. So far, everyone is safe and all accounted for.

When I was a teenager I had a summer job in Lynbrook, NY at an insurance company. I took three buses to get to and from the office. We had a hurricane and they let us out early. On the bus closest to home the water came so high that the bus stalled. The bus driver yelled, "Everyone off and follow me to Grand Avenue." I was chest high in water as I got off the bus, and it got a little deeper before we reached the street where we could swim to safety. We just called it a flood. It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized, "Hey, that was a storm surge!"

Mary
Little Mary has her Make a Wish Trip coming up. I hope that the storm doesn't interfere with it. Seems sometimes like that poor little family takes 2 steps forward and 1 backward--never complaining. Crossing my fingers for them.

Busy Day
Today was a busy day for me. I haven't heard from the doctor's office, yet. so I figured I'd use the day to get my papers in order. I went to the bank and got what I needed from the safety deposit box, called my lawyer and he said it was okay to give the hospital a copy of my Living Directive; the original I should keep. I have my insurance policies and the power of attorneys in a folder on the table. I tried to organize everything in case my daughter needs the financial or medical power of attorney. I filled the truck up, went to the bank, had copies made of some documents, and decided to stop for a sandwich for lunch.

Strange Encounter
As I left the sandwich shop, a woman came running up to me and said that her son had been killed in an accident this morning. I panicked. She said she needed to pick up her younger children and take a bus to Canton (there is no bus to Canton). I told her I would make room in the truck and drive her but she didn't want that, she wanted money. I didn't have any cash on me. I told her that we needed to call the police--they would know what to do and how to help her. Well, that set her off--she didn't want that. She collected $25 from several women, inside the restaurant, but said she needed more. The owner threw her out and asked me if I was with her. I said, no but she said her son had been killed. He rolled his eyes at me and said, "I don't think so." By this time I was pretty well convinced that she really was a scam artist. It so happened that a patrol car was pulling into the parking lot (I suspect someone called the police on her as she probably had pulled this with several people before reaching the sandwich shop.)

I flagged down the officer and told him that she told me her son was killed earlier in the day. He took her gently, by the arm, and said to me, "We'll take it from here, M'am. Thank you." I heard him tell her that he would help her, but he had to put her in back of the car. I have a feeling she wound up at police headquarters. I got to thinking (it all happened so quickly), "Who would say their child was dead in order to get money." As I thought about it, I didn't see any tears or hysteria...it just took me by such surprise that I was only thinking of helping her. Takes all kinds.

Jack
I made several batches of sweet potatoes for Jack. They should last two weeks. I'll make some more, tomorrow. They are not just a treat for Jack (though he thinks they are). Dogs with the condition/disease he had cannot digest fat, and some succumb to malnutrition if they are on low fat food. I try to keep up with the research on the web. He's on a nutrient rich prescription food, but after reading about sweet potatoes I decided that he could get a good deal of his nutrition with the potatoes.  The vets are amazed at his excellent condition. So I'm determined that his regiment will not be interrupted.

Back to watching about Sandy. Please keep everyone in its path in your thoughts--especially little Mary.