1) A slow return to normalcy
Things are slowly returning to a new place of normalcy after the hurricanes. My mom and my brother were without power for multiple days, but it was finally restored on Monday (for my brother) and Tuesday (for my mom). Hooray! We were under a boil water advisory from Thursday-Monday since 30+ water mains broke during the storm. I was oh-so-happy when that advisory was lifted! We have gas at gas stations again (not every gas station, but enough that the situation doesn’t feel as alarming as it did over the weekend). Places are finally reopening after being without power for so many days, although there are still so many restaurants and businesses that can’t open due to flooding, which just hurts my heart so much. Our grocery store situation continues to be dire with lots of empty shells still. Deliveries stopped for a week (or maybe longer… I’m not sure), so it’ll take some time for the shelves to be replenished. It’s a slow but steady process, this return to normalcy, but we’re getting there.
2) CPAP in a hurricane
I’ve been off CPAP for three weeks now, and I’m not feeling good about it. First, I didn’t take my CPAP machine with me when I stayed with my mom after losing power after Helene. I figured I’d only be there maybe two nights and I’d be okay. Unfortunately, it was almost a full week before I was able to go back home. And then I was able to use CPAP for a few nights before we had to evacuate to Ocala for Milton. I brought my machine with me, but when we went to the grocery store on our first day, I forgot to buy distilled water, which I need for the humidifier. (I’ve used my CPAP machine without water in the humidifier a few times, always on accident, and it is not a pleasant sleeping experience!) I probably should have put more effort into finding distilled water in Ocala, but I had other things on my mind. When we got home from Ocala, that’s when I realized my HUGE mistake: Finding distilled water in any store was impossible. They were fresh out of almost all water, and especially distilled for some reason. I’m hoping to find some today – I think Target might finally have it back in stock.
It’s a weird thing, dealing with a major natural disaster right after getting a piece of medical equipment I’m supposed to use nightly. I wasn’t prepared for what I needed to do to make sure I can continue using my CPAP, and it was a very important lesson to learn. I should have lots and lots of distilled water bottles on hand at all times. Distilled water is being added to my hurricane kit, that’s for sure.
3) A reading slump
I’m in a weird reading mood these days. It’s been so weird that I’m not even abiding by my super-strict TBR list right now. That’s when you know things are serious. I am not a mood reader by choice; I love listing out the next 10ish books I’m going to read and sticking like glue to that list. But I’m allowing myself to be a mood reader right now. Mostly, I’m moving between romances, thrillers, and lighthearted fiction. I’m spending a lot of time in front of my bookshelves, looking at the books I own but have not read and letting my mood dictate what comes next.
But even with the books I am sitting down to read, I feel like I’m not giving them a fair shot. For example, yesterday, I abandoned Colton Gentry’s Third Act, which is a book that people are raving about and I was excited to read. But I was just so bored by it. I didn’t love The Husbands, which feels like an unpopular opinion, and I have a review coming up next week for a thriller from an author I usually love and whose book I just despised. And the book I’m reading now (The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose, which is the follow-up to The Maid) is feeling like a slog. Mehhhh.
I’m trying to read books that fit my mood, but even still, reading hasn’t been that pure fun escape that it normally is. I feel broken because reading is my favorite hobby, but I know it’s just the season of life and things will improve.
4) Updating the hurricane kit
There was a lot I learned about how to be better prepared for hurricane season from the past few weeks. I have a semblance of a hurricane kit, but not one that is as robust as I need it to be. I have flashlights and portable charges and disposable litter boxes for the times I have to evacuate with the cats. But these back-to-back hurricanes taught me that I need a lot more than that. For example:
- Battery-operated fans – When the power went out for a week, I was able to stay at my mom’s house but I was really worried about the cats. It was very hot that week and my apartment got as hot as 87 degrees. Whew. I want to purchase a few battery-operated fans that I could set up in my room so the cats would have a cool place to sleep.
- More portable chargers – I only have one portable charger that works really well (I have this one) but I would like to purchase a few more, probably some solar-powered chargers so I wouldn’t need to find charging stations to keep them juiced up.
- Lanterns – If I ever do need to stay in my apartment when the power is out, it would probably be a great idea to have a few lanterns on hand so I can see what I’m doing at night.
- Gas can – I should have an extra gas can on hand that I can fill up before a hurricane to give me extra peace of mind if fuel becomes extremely limited like it did with Milton.
The goal is that I will spend the 2025 hurricane offseason buying all of these supplies and not have to use any of them for years. Right?!
5) A new Gladys
Today is car shopping day. I’m trying to muster some enthusiasm for it because hey! At least I can put money down on this new vehicle thanks to the insurance payout. But mostly, I wish I didn’t have to deal with the headache that is buying a new car. I am leaning heavily towards getting another Kia Soul because I loved that car so, so much. But I want to do my due diligence so I’m going to test drive a few other cars: Toyota Rav-4, Toyota Corolla Cross, Mazda CX-5, and Hyundai Tucson. Those cars are higher in price than a Soul by a few thousand dollars, and I am 90% sure I’ll just wind up at the Kia dealership to buy another Soul, but we’ll see. One of these other cars might surprise me!
What was your last five-star read?
I’m pretty sure that the book that I’m reading now is five stars! In any case, I’m in love with the 30% that I’ve read so far. It’s The Wedding People. I usually can’t get in to “lighter” fare, so I was surprised that I’ve loved this book so much.
Hard times call for comfort reading! So read what you want to read and the TBR will be there when you’re ready.
I ended up with a hand me down Mazda – the way it happened is that I gave my beloved stick shift car to my oldest stepson when he started college, and then my niece moved to Chicago and realized that she was going to go broke paying for parking for her car, so she asked if anyone in the family wanted to buy it. My husband swooped in and claimed it so fast. For a car that I didn’t chose, I really like it. So if I was going to get a new car I’d certainly consider Mazda – but also you’ve had a good experience with Kia and the price is right so I’m sure your new car will be a Kia.
I really liked The Wedding People too!
I’ve heard so many good things about The Wedding People! That book actually just came up for me on Libby but I extended my hold since I’m in the middle of something else. Can’t wait to read it soon, though!
Hooray for Mazda! One of my friends is a diehard Mazda lover and the CX-5 is such a gorgeous car. It’s a little out of my price range now (considering I don’t have a car to trade in, womp) but maybe someday in the future!
I know that feeling- when you’re not enjoying your books but you’re pretty sure it’s you. (Side note- I have heard that The Mystery Guest is not as good as The Maid, so maybe that one isn’t you.)
Live and learn with the CPAP- I can see how you weren’t focused on distilled water with everything else to think about. Next time you’ll know, but right now it’s still new.
Battery powered fans are actually the first thing I check when I’m going through my hurricane supplies. If we lose power and have no AC and no fans, I think I might die. We were so focused on that this time, we didn’t realize we had no batteries for our lantern. Then I realized our running headlamps would work for light, so we were covered. Luckily we didn’t lose power (and we did buy new batteries after the storm so we have them for next time!)
Good luck with the car shopping! Just FYI, I have a Rav4 and I love it. But Kia Souls are cheaper and really good cars- that’s what we bought for my son and it’s been great. I can’t wait to see what you choose.
So smart to have battery-operated fans on hand! I’m glad I was able to stay with my mom when my power was out but oof, it was so rough for the cats and I don’t want them to have to deal with that again!
I test-drove a Rav-4 today and omg, I looooved it. But it’s a bit out of my price range right now since I don’t have a car to trade in, womp.
Hurricane prep really is live and learn better for next time, isn’t it? I very much hope we will both be spared needing these supplies for years, but having a good plan is worth the peace of mind. I get kind of panicky in emergencies, so having a list is crucial for me.
Good luck with the car shopping! You’re being very responsible with trying a few things. I’m on my second Kia Soul and very happy with it, too. They’re good cars. I actually wrote in to Car Talk when I was ready to replace my first one, asking if I should be considering something else, and he said that if I liked it, there was no reason not to get another one.
Yes – I think creating a list of supplies and the things I need to do to prep for a hurricane is super helpful! I also really want to move out of my Zone A flood zone. Ugh. Evacuating is the worst part! (Okay, no, the worst part would be losing my home, but you know what I mean!)
I didn’t know you were part of the Soul fam! I ended up buying a Kia Soul yesterday because I just love the way these cars drive AND they are just so much more affordable than anything else on the market.
I think car buying is really fun, and I love a new car– have a good time choosing the new Gladys 🙂
It can be exciting to test drive new cars! I just hate dealing with car salespeople and all of the financial stuff that comes with a new car. Wahhh.
Unlike Sarah, I really dislike car shopping. I hope your experience is more like hers. The last place we went, they couldn’t even tell us what our car payment would be without running a credit check, which was ridiculous. I said, ‘can’t you just take the number we give you and go with that? Then run an actual credit check when needed?’ Nope. Frustrating. Plus the guy who helpfully moved our car for us, so he could tell us what they would give us as a trade in, and then wouldn’t give us our keys back for something like 20 minutes. Gross.
That’s super frustrating! I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. At the car dealerships I went to yesterday, they were able to give me ballpark estimates for my car payment based on the credit score I gave them, so they CAN do that! I did have to deal with one very aggressive finance manager when we started talking about payments at the Toyota dealership. I was very uncomfortable with him and after he left, the salesperson I was dealing with came back with someone else who was SO kind and helpful. I think he could tell I was turned off by this man!
I am glad to hear things are slowly getting better though <3 And I hope you found some distilled water!!!
It's totally a season of life with reading. You're going through a lot! It makes sense that not many stories are appealing to you <3
I finally found distilled water over the weekend! Whew.
I’m a mood reader, never have a plan about what I’m going to read next, BUT I’m dragging my feet about reading anything and am like you lately: “I feel broken because reading is my favorite hobby.” I don’t know what’s up with me, a wordy girl, who is tired of words!
I look forward to seeing what you think of the Toyota RAV-4 and Cross. I have my eye on them but am not quite ready to deal with dealership sales people so I dawdle about test driving.
Sometimes the reading just isn’t happening! I get it. I’ve been feeling meh about it recently but I do feel like my passion for it is coming back, which is very relieving.
I am glad you are allowing yourself grace to swerve from your TBR list. It will be there when you are mentally ready to start reading with your normal system again.
According to my spreadsheet, the last five star books I read were each of the books in The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett IN JULY. I have been feeling like my reading life has been a bit meh, but I didn’t realize it was that bad. Sheesh. I need a 5-star ASAP.
Oh man, that’s such a long time between 5-star reads. I hope you’re able to find a book you love very soon!
I see from above comments that you bought a Kia Soul. I hope you were able to take it home that day so you have a car again! You have a lot going on right now as you get back to normal life so it makes sense to stick to what you know since you loved your Soul!!
My last 5 star read was The Wedding People. I feel like my reading has been a bit meh lately, too. But not for any good reason! Right now I am reading ‘the great divide’ which is about the building of the Panama Canal. I like it so far but can’t see it being a 5 star read.
I have The Wedding People on hold from the library, so I hope it comes in for me soon! I think that would be a great book for my current reading funk. Hopefully, at least!
Sometimes even books can’t keep you occupied when your mind is racing. It will get better I am sure.
I have to admit that I am a bit surprised that 87 degrees is an issue. I’ve had that kind of temperature in my apartments during heatwaves… And cats live outside in the heat, don’t they? I may be oblivious here since I am not a cat owner…
Anyways, I am glad things are starting to get back to normal. And setting up a hurricane kit is probably a really smart idea.
Uff. You’ve been through a lot the last few weeks… I had a lot going on and am just now catching up on blogs again, but I’ve been thinking of you and the most important things is that you were safe during the hurricanes. I am sorry you lost Gladys, but it could have been so much worse. I love that you’re thinking about how to do to even better prepare. These kinds of events really make you aware of how dependent we are on so many things. Hugs, my friend.