Distraction can really help in trying times ~ my funny observations

This is our 3rd day of evacuation and emotions have been like a roller coaster for us, but today we got some really good news so we are feeling a lot better.  The hubby suffers from ADHD so he has re-textured our daughters kitchen and fixed every little thing around her house.  I've been using the internet to distract my thoughts.  It was sort of going well until I read a few of my favorite bloggers talking about how their gardens are progressing and how they are canning and freezing their harvests.  This made me think about my own garden that was just getting started, and now due to the evacuation it is not going to get any water for a full week.  I hope it somehow survives.  I did water it on Sunday, but it doesn't look like we will be allowed back home until at least Saturday.

Distraction, I need distraction...Okay, let me share a few things that made me smile in the last few days.

"We each have our own reality to deal with." Our dogs are use to traveling with us everywhere.  When we were evacuated they probably didn't even notice something was going on, we just opened the truck door and said, "Let's go girls!" and they jumped in.  While evacuated we are staying with our daughter in Payson, where we have had monsoon rains every day.  With monsoons come thunder.  Our miniature Schnauzer is afraid of thunder.  So every afternoon when it starts she gets all freaked out and wants to stick to me like glue.  She sits next to me and puts her paw on me somewhere, just to stay literally connected with me until the thunder passes.  So here we are uprooted from our home and she doesn't have a clue, the only thing that stresses her is the thunder.  Okay, maybe that isn't really funny because thunder is scary to her, but it struck me (pardon the pun) as funny because she is oblivious to the reality of our situation.

Big Red -with her dirty beak looking like she just won a grapenuts cereal eating contest! (I had to wet their food so it was like their fermented food they get at home.  They were upset when I gave them dry food to eat.  More on that story soon.)

"Chickens don't lay eggs in times of stress...or do they?"   With all the recent trauma the chickens have been under and the fact that I forgot to bring any oyster or egg shells for Big Red (my only laying hen right now) and she didn't have her coop or nest box, I figured that she wouldn't be laying any eggs right now.  She laid an egg about 30 minutes before the evacuation notice was issued, so I thought it would be her last until we got back home and things settled down.  But last night, while my daughter was letting her little dog out in the back yard to potty, Big Red walked to the middle of the kennel, squatted down and laid an egg!  My daughter has never seen a chicken lay an egg before.  I haven't had chickens since she was a toddler (she is 28 yo).  We were away from the house so she called me to tell me that my chicken just laid an egg!  She was afraid to go in the kennel to get it because she thought the hen would peck her, ha ha.  My granddaughter volunteered to collect the egg.  She went in, picked it up and thanked Big Red for the egg then went inside and put it in an egg carton in the fridge (just like we do at my house).  My daughter was so impressed with her 6 yo daughter for handling this situation (so she didn't have to, ha ha.).

"How well would you pack in an emergency?"  With about 30 minutes to pack everything you, your family, and your pets might need for an overnight (or 7 overnights) away from home, you are bound to forget some stuff.  I forgot many things.  None that I couldn't survive without, but very important things none the less.  Because it was Sunday, it was laundry day at my house, so most of our clothes were sorted out in piles on the laundry room floor.  I grabbed an overnight bag and through in clean stuff from our bedroom.  Since I knew this could easily turn in to '7 overnights', I grabbed a trash bag and scooped up our dirty laundry.  Thank goodness I did that because somehow I managed to forget to pack any clean pants for my husband or socks for me.  So after our first night away I went to take a shower and realized I didn't have clean socks, so my 4 yo grandson gave me a pair of his socks to wear while I did laundry.  Thank goodness for heelless tube socks...his little size made perfect bobby socks for me, Ha ha!  He got a kick out of bragging that his Nanny was wearing his socks!

"Wishing you a long evacuation" Today as my grandkids were leaving to go to their dads house for the 4th of July holiday (not to return until Monday), we had the news on and heard that the evacuation may be lifted as early as Saturday.  My granddaughter asked what that meant.  I said, "If they lift the evacuation on Saturday then we can go home on that day."  She said, "I hope they don't lift your evacuation...I wont be home til Monday and I want to see you more."  Aw, that was the sweetest 'non-well wish' I have ever had.


Writing (blogging) is so therapeutic.  It has really helped me during this tough time.  Thank you to all of my virtual friends for listening.

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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Did this post stir something inside of you? If so, Please leave me a comment, I would love to know what you're thinking!!!