What a wild weather week! Last week I told you about the tornado that blew through. Saturday night/Sunday morning the storms started in again and a tornado embedded in straight line winds came through. I heard the wind and then the power went off and back on. As I was trying to get Bill's tank ready the lights went out for good and then Emily called to make sure we were up. I think I told you that the emergency sirens didn't sound during the last storm and they were supposed to be fixed but again they didn't sound. I did get an alert from the newspaper by text, but the weather alert from the storm center didn't come until 30 minutes after the warning. I got us into the pantry and then got a text from Ryan to make sure we were OK and he had the weather on and said that the tornado threat had moved across the river. So, back to bed we went.

At daylight, in between storms, I started the generator and got us back up and running. The power came back on around 10:30 so we were only without for about 8 hours. Some were out until Tuesday and one of the local schools cancelled. Most of the towns around us were affected, along with the old air base which is a housing complex for retirees and lower income families. Some folks were mad because businesses that were running on generator and were open couldn't do some transactions because their computer systems wouldn't work. We were also quite popular that day. Joe and Barb came over for coffee in the morning, another friend came over later in the afternoon to charge her phone and another needed to shower before having surgery the next day. But we were glad that we were in the position to help out, and had some good visits with friends.

We finally were able to bring Miss Kitty home Thursday. She has settled back in, although she's not pooping in her litter box again. She's going in the same place on the floor so I don't know what I'm going to do about it. At least she pees in it.

The weather has been crazy again, tornadoes aside, hot then cold then hot then cold. It's also been windy. We had to turn the heat back on but I turned it off this morning. It's a beautiful morning, in the 60s with a light wind and pretty blue skiess. I'm doing laundry and if I had a clothesline I think I would hang some out, but since I don't it's a moot point.

Bill has been coughing more again lately, but only in the night and right after he gets up. I think he didn't use his inhalers his inhalers yesterday and he was very winded all day, breathing very hard on very little exertion. I also think that's it's a natural progression of the COPD/emphysema.

I had one day this week when every part of my body hurt. It was another of the damp cold days and I hope it was just from that. But from my toes to my head with everything in between aching, I was miserable until the Aleve kicked in. I also have a strained Achilles in my left ankle and it was quite sore for a few days, which made my entire leg hurt since I sit and walk differently. I have a compression brace and it didn't help any.

So, there's our week in a nutshell. I know a lot of my friends and family in Illinois and Indiana are dealing with a lot of water, along with parts of Arkansas and Missouri. There was one levee breach that caused a lot of flooding and road closures. We are supposed to be far enough from the Mississippi (9 miles behind the levee) so we should be OK when the flood waters get this far downstream.

If you're dealing with water and storm cleanup, stay safe. If you aren't but know somebody who is, or who is dealing with something else, help if you can, even if it's picking up lunch for them. It will be appreciated! 

See you next week!