Sometimes Dreams Come True

I know that it has been well over a year since I last posted on the blog--a whole lot of family issues and work that needed taking care of.  However, despite a crazy erev Pesach schedule, I wanted to get this news out there.

All the years I was blogging I made mention that hubby and I were going to be retiring to Las Vegas.  Well, we should all recognize that change (other than the Ribboneh Shel Olam) is the only constant in our lives--and change has come into my life.  We're going to be leaving New York come the end of June, but not to Las Vegas--we've purchased a home in Boca Raton, Florida.  Yup, heading south instead of west.  I guess we finally realized that moving to where a lot of our friends are now going to be living, as well as some family, has merit.  And a 2-hour flight from Boca to NY when we pop up to visit the kids and my mom is a lot more doable than a 5-1/2 hour flight from Vegas.  At least Florida like Vegas has no state tax, so there are financial benefits as well.

Let me wish you all a chag kasher v'sameach.  And let me also remind you that eventually dreams come true, even if not quite what you may have envisioned when you started the dreaming.

No, not closing down

An apology for not posting this earlier, but life has been rather hectic in the K household since Hurricane Sandy unfurled.  Nothing that is severely life threatening happening, but so much going on that there simply are not enough hours in the day to get to everything I'd like to get to.  And no, it isn't all "bad" news that we are dealing with, as B"H we have an engagement in the family today--a simcha to sweeten what has been rather sour of late.

I hope that all of you are well and coping with life, and that you, too, have some simcha to make things "taste" better.  Hope to be back on a regular basis soon, but making no promises.  Life has a way of dealing you the hand it wants, not necessarily the hand you are going to be a big winner with.

A Day to Remember

In the years to come there will be all sorts of reasons to remember the events of yesterday and today.  Personally, I would rather not have the memory of snow covering my yard on November 7.  It's only the first week of November and we've already had a hurricane and a nor'easter.  And please keep in mind that this is officially not winter yet--it's fall.  Our area still has a mega gas shortage and thousands still without power.  Now with the nor'easter in play, the areas that were flooded last week are heading for flooding again.  Normal seems to only be a word in the dictionary, because it sure does not apply to daily living right now.

I'm sure that somewhere in this mess there is a lesson we are supposed to be learning, but frankly, other than hope for the best and expect the worse, I can't fathom what that lesson is supposed to be.  I'll leave further contemplation for later--just staring out the windows at the weather has given me the chills and I need a warm drink.

I hope that all of you have warm and liveable shelter and that you are weathering our current conditions in safety.  Oh well, a lot of J bloggers were hoping for something to blog about other than yeshiva tuition and the state of shidduch making, and here it is.

But the Memory Lingers On

Hurricane Sandy left a load of devastation as she passed over our area.  No, things are not back to normal, and not likely to be for some time, especially given that a nor'easter is also expected this week.  We've been on and off hosting people from some of the hardest hit areas since the storm hit, as we kept our power on.  One family has a flooded house and repairs to the house are going to mean months of not being able to live in it. 

Public transportation is still spotty, gas for cars is still only available in limited places and in limited quantities, fresh milk and produce is not available all over nor in large quantities. Some schools are opened and some are still closed.  People with simchas this week are truly wondering just who is going to be able to show up, and what kind of food the caterers are going to be able to prepare.

One thing, however, showed up in discussions time after time--our dependency on electronic communication devices.  Regular phones and cell phone towers made getting in touch with family and friends an impossibility, and some areas still don't have all phones working.  Computers were obviously out in many areas as power went down.  And then there was this--many people no longer keep a hardcopy phone book with everyone's regular and cellphone numbers in it.  The reasoning is that it is far simpler to have all that info right there on your cellphone.  The storm showed us otherwise.

So yes, a black and white printed list of everyone's contact information is something you might consider making now, if you have your power back.

And given the storm that is supposed to hit us this week, it might also be a good idea to have a plan in place if family members find they can't get home--where will they go, how will they get there, what is the contact information for the people where they might go.

Emergency planning needs to take place before an emergency arises, not during it.  Taking a few moments now can save huge amounts of trouble later.

On Fridges and Freezers

Just another bit of info on storm damage and what to do.  If power goes out, refrigerators and freezers, full of food, will have no way to remain at proper temperatures for extended periods of times.  Go to the following site to get some info on keeping food safe during a power outage and on what can be kept and what should be thrown out.


http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FACTSheets/keeping_food_Safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp

The article also mentioned something I hadn't thought of.  Many of us have picnic coolers that we use for outdoor adventures.  They're a good tool to use when the power is out in the house.

Here's hoping we'll have to use none of this info, but just in case, better prepared than sorry.

When Old Technology is Needed

Prepping for the storm, what came up with many people was the fear that they would be without phones if the storm knocked out their electric power or disabled the city's cell phone towers.  Many people have replaced those "old" phones with new electric plug-in models or use their cell phones instead of having a house number.  No, we too have those electric models.  However, we also kept one of the old Princess phones, which remains plugged into a phone jack.

The benefit of that old phone is that it is not affected by an electrical outage.  Only if your phone lines go down will you not have phone service, and there are many areas of the city, such as ours, where phone lines are now underground precisely so heavy winds and rain can't rip them down.

A bit late to go shopping now for such an "old" phone, but it's something you might think of acquiring after the storm is over.  Electrical outages in the NYC area don't require a major hurricane to occur--I can't remember a summer yet where we have not had areas of the city or the whole city without power for a while.  Besides, think of the joy and fun of introducing your kids to some old technology that can nonetheless save the day when new technology is laid low.  No, they (and you) won't be able to text on those phones or play games on those phones, but you'll be able to be in contact with others or summon help in an emergency--and isn't that really the point of a phone?

Preparing for Sandy

Just when I was wondering if there would be anything to post about, given that the choices were becoming quite limited to old news--yeshiva tuition, the nutty shidduch system etc.--along comes a possible devasting storm that will hit us in the NE from Sunday to Tuesday.  While there are some who are shrugging their shoulders and taking a wait and see attitude, that way could lie disaster.

Now is the time to do some thinking about how you will handle the storm and any complications it could bring.  If you have to evacuate, how will you do so and where might you be able to go?  If you are stuck at home, do you have the necessary storm equipment, such as flashlights for when the power goes out, food to eat that does not require cooking, in case stoves are unavailable, extras of any medications you must take and you may not be able to get to a drugstore, extra blankets in case the heating goes out etc..

Now is also the time to be a good neighbor and think of those on your block or in your area who may be alone during the storm, such as the elderly.  There's safety in numbers is not just words on a page--bringing such a person to stay in your home during the storm could well be a matter of sakonos nefoshos.

Do you have any loose items in your backyard or on your porch or balconey?  Time to get those things to an enclosed shelter so that they don't become airborne missles when the strong wind gusts arrive.

Are your street-side sewer drains covered with leaves and debris?  Do yourself a favor and get out there and remove the leaves.  Heavy rains need somewhere to go, and clogged drains don't help.

There's lots of helpful information about how to prepare for a weather a storm of this type available online, but it's only helpful if you actually access it and use it.

Let's hope that we all get through this storm in safety, but some of that safety is going to depend on what you do now.

A gutten Shabbos to all.