Back To Normal, Sort Of

Whatever normal is, that is. Mike has gone back to work, Shael back to school. Well, actually, not really. She made it as far as my Mom's house this morning. Mike took her there to catch the bus so I wouldn't have to get out to take her to school. Wyandotte is literally the only school in the area having school. Miami being the closest other school in session. Seneca~closed. Fairland~closed. Grove~closed. Turkey Ford~closed. Westview~closed. All very close to Wyandotte. We were up at 5:15 watching the school closings and each time it would get to the W's Shael would be holding her breath, but each time it went "Welch~closed. Webb City~closed (teachers and staff will report at 8:00) Westview~closed. Wheaton~closed. Afton~closed." When Afton would pop up, Shael would do that eerily Stacie-like "Rrrrrr" sound in her throat and flop back on the love seat.

Then, at 7:00, my Mom calls me and asks me if it's okay if Shael stays home today because she was too leary of sending her off on the school bus because the roads were still pretty bad in her neck of the woods. I told her I didn't care so she kept Shael home with her. Mike called me around 7:15 wanting to know if Wyandotte ever canceled and I told him what the deal was. He laughed and agreed with my Mom because when he took Shael that morning he was sliding around quite a bit. He also said he had to go to Wyandotte this afternoon so he would just pick her up on his way home. I don't have to step outside all day if I don't want to.

The roads in Delaware county are fair, the highway, that is, the side roads are still solid sheets of ice. The roads in Ottawa county are all still terrible, even the highways. Sad and embarrassing.

But, today, I can get my house back in order after having Mike home for five days in a row. Not to mention the main mess maker in this home, Shael.

Saturday we finally got out and went up to the garage and looked around. It's awful. Worse than I could have imagined. I forgot my digital camera, but Mike had a disposable one in the Suburban, so I snapped lots of pictures with it. Hopefully they'll turn out and I can get them on here soon. I also snapped a picture of a dock that was weighted down by the ice and snow and sunk. The damage at the garage is extensive. The vehicles that got damaged weren't anything fancy, but still somebody's car. One was an old Chevy pickup that got it's windshield smashed, it was on the edge so, not too much damage on it that we could see. It's just sickening, though. To look at it, to think about it, everything about it makes me heart sick. They are completely out of business now, and this close to Christmas! How terrible!

I saw on the news this morning about the Tracker boat factory in Miami had the same problem. Those poor people who are going to be out of work for a while until they can rebuild the place.

After touring the damage and Mike helping Daddy start some clearing off, we left and went to Grove. We went to Lowe's and got some stuff for behind the wood stove. Mike is going to hang porcelain tile on the wall behind the stove and on the floor around it. It will be a while before that project gets done, but he's got the stuff for it, by golly. He feels better having the concrete wall board leaning up against the sheetrock wall for now.

And of course, what would a trip into town be without the customary stop at Wal-Mart? I was down to my very last cotton ball and I absolutely had to buy some more. I can't sleep without cotton in my ears. Mike also wanted to get the stuff to make chili. That was one good thing about him being home, he did all the supper cooking. Amazing, isn't it? I think it was strictly to combat boredom on his part. I'm sure he wanted to make sure I had something to do when he finally did go back to work, because he never cleaned up one single mess he made. Didn't wash one single dish he dirtied, and when he cooks, he dirties up a lot of dishes. Have you ever watched cooking shows where they put all the ingredients in little bowls first so they'll all be conveniently placed around the dish you are going to be cooking in so you don't have to pull out the whole canister on TV? That's how Mike cooks. "Woops, that bowl isn't big enough, get me that other bowl. Where do you keep your smaller sauce pans? This one's too big." And so on and so forth.

I'd better go tackle that sink full of dirty dishes. And that counter top full of the same. Laundry needs to be switched out, too. Since that Romeo and his lazy band of Montegues and Capulets never did show their hides around here, guess it's all up to me. Happy cleaning to me. Joy.