It's Good, Post-Bug-Out Experience

I didn't mean to leave you hanging since my last update. Thank you all for all the good wishes! It's been a sort of weird period here, with a palpable drop-off in energy both physically and mentally since hurricane Milton blew through last week and upset all my plans (I know, I know: you plan, god laughs). 

Friday night I was in bed before 8:30--I was so far past exhausted that I couldn't even see it in the rear view mirror--and I was not awake very much in the night before getting up around 11 hours later. It hasn't been as bad since then, but I have felt rather foggy since then. More so than usual, I mean!

Although my trip up north didn't end up working (sad trombone), I still took my vacation this week, which has been very pleasant. Yesterday I went to the yarn store to meet some of my friends for knitting, and then went to lunch! I wish I could join them for that every week. Retirement is going to be so excellent, when I can afford to do it.

I feel like there are wisps of thoughts in my head about evacuating that I would like to be in one place for future reference (hopefully far, far in the future), though I haven't organized my thoughts on it. Let me see what comes to mind:

• Bringing my own pillow to the hotel was an excellent idea. Hotel beds are always far too firm for me, but having my own pillow made it much easier. I also have a smaller pillow that goes under my neck, and a small blanket to put over my head, as well as the eye mask, and they all helped me sleep better than usual in a hotel.
• Similarly, bringing a few throw blankets, although the initial idea was that they would comfort the cat, made me feel more comfortable too.
• I brought a jar of my cold-brew coffee, and my favorite creamer flavor, with me, and having that little touch of normalcy in the mornings was very comforting. I am not someone who NEEDS coffee in the morning, but I like it, and was glad to have it. 10/10, would do again.
• I also brought a few small bags of ice, which stayed pretty well frozen even in the mini-fridge, and it was handy to have without having to track down the ice maker in the hotel.
• Snacks. So many snacks. Snacks are good if, like me, you eat your feelings in times of stress.
• I should note that I hardly did any knitting. It was like my brain didn't want to focus on it. I read a little, but concentration was just in short supply.
• I don't know if this is true of every Hampton Inn, but they had a really good breakfast, including hot food every day. Cheese omelet and sausage one day, scrambled eggs and bacon another, oatmeal, waffles, cold cereal, bagels and toast and little muffins, fruit and yogurt and juice...highly recommend.
• I bring paper towels and cleaning spray mostly in case there are cat accidents, but the paper towels got used anyway. I also bring a whole box of real Kleenex, as anyone with allergies does not want to spend days using hotel tissues. I brought some ziploc bags and chip clips that we didn't end up needing, but I would still bring them next time.
• What is up with hotels not having towel racks in the bathroom? Is it a holdover from the days when you got all new towels every day? There were two hooks, so kind of useless for letting towels actually dry, and two small racks for hanging up a hand towel, except one of them was in front of the toilet paper dispenser...why? 
• They also need to have more grab bars in the shower. Next time I think I should try to get an accessible room, so that it would be easier for Mom.

All right, that's all the random I can come up with right now. Here, have a cute Maggie photo:

She paused in her bath to listen for something.