In Summary: We Were So, So Lucky

We were so, so lucky.

Mom, Maggie, and I are fine.

We were so, so lucky.

The condo is fine. We had to throw out virtually everything in the fridge and freezer (Coke cans fine, mayo not so much). Had to figure out how to remove the ice-maker bin thing from the freezer so that the blob of melted and refrozen ice could be cleaned out. Honestly, a sad waste of food but not that big a deal. And while we still don't have air conditioning, the weather has been cool (by our standards) and pleasant, not hot and sticky, so it's a good time to be without it.

We were so, so lucky.

The garage got six inches of water, so that was a bit of a mess and some things had to be thrown out. We did have a lot of things in rubbermaid totes or on pallets and shelves, but not everything (it's very easy to just "throw that in the garage" to deal with later--plus, bottom shelves shouldn't really count as shelves in this kind of event). We've been talking about tidying up in there for a while; well, now we have to. And although all the food in the chest freezer had to be thrown out, somehow the freezer itself is still working! How? Again: six inches of water, per the muck line on this bin. 

It's a mystery.

We were so, so lucky.

The building overall was not badly damaged. The pool was completely under water, so the pool pump died and needs to be replaced, and the pool itself has to be pumped out as it's full of muck. Very fixable. Some screens ripped, there was water in the common area, and the lime tree (that was planted after Irma killed the old one five years ago) may not recover.

We were so, so lucky.

We have a great property management company. They had people here Sunday power-washing the drive. They will get the pool pump replaced. They're on top of it, all of it.

We were so, so lucky.

We have such good neighbors. One came down from Maryland on Friday and spent days fixing and cleaning, reporting on power (back on Friday evening) and the elevator (Saturday midday). He helped me get some of the bigger trash out of the garage (I overdid it yesterday, even with help, and my hands are still in bad shape today, stupid arthritis.) He did everything, cheerfully, turning away thanks. Then someone else's son-in-law comes down tomorrow and is eagerly offering any help we might need.

We were so, so lucky.

I think the last time I was this tired, mentally and physically, was when I moved. And maybe the stress this time was worse? A million decisions, large and small, and worries and plans and replans, all in the space of a week: this situation did not play to my strengths. I hurt in places I didn't know I had, and my brain is mush. But I'm here. And we were so, so lucky.