October 20, 2024
Clearing debris...
This week, volunteers came and cleaned up the broken branches and the downed tree. They stacked the wood next to the neighbor’s chicken coop after cutting it into lengths that would fit into his woodstove. They raked up the debris and blew the leaves off of the driveway. If not for the tiny bit of stump peeking up, you wouldn’t know a tree had been there.
The local grocery store is back in business. A few bare sections, but they had what I needed, so that was comforting. I got a camp shower - a pump with a hose and shower head that you put into a 5 gal bucket. It charges with a USB cord and you immerse it in water heated up on the stove and take a shower. It was wonderful!
Some parts of town are getting water - muddy and low pressure, but it’s there. I’m hoping we get it soon so I can stop lugging buckets to flush. I’ll still need bottled water for cooking/drinking/teeth brushing, etc - but that will use up a lot less than what I’m using now.
I’ve also been working on sorting and clearing things in my house. It felt like something I needed to do, to reclaim my space. Getting rid of that which no longer serves me is both a physical and a mental exercise. A different kind of clearing of debris…
In book news - the last episode of Curls & Chaos audio released on Friday, Oct 18th - so if you have been waiting for the whole thing to be uploaded, you can now go to Graffridge Publishing’s Substack and subscribe.
Starting next week, I’ll be releasing a chapter a week of audio on that ‘stack of And So It Begins.
I hope y’all got some good new reads with the Yolo with Kobo Plus promo. There are a couple of other promos coming up this month, so keep your eyes open.
Speaking of good new reads - grab this free one by Lolo Paige - it’s excellent!
In the Land of the Midnight Sun, fighting wildfires is a dangerous job. The brave women and men of Alaska’s Aurora Crew lay their lives on the line to protect lives, property and their beloved wildlands.
Ryan O’Connor’s hotshot fire crew pulls out all the stops to save a trapped family in a Southern California firestorm. But when his crew is unable to reach them in time, Ryan considers the loss a personal failure. He decides to apply and train with the Delta Force of wildland fire—the Alaska Smokejumpers. If Ryan can survive the ball-busting training, his life will be on a new trajectory…one that could lead him to the woman of his dreams. Tara Waters loves being a wildland firefighter and has worked hard to prove herself capable. But when a hunky Missoula smokejumper aims his parachute at Tara, her worlds collide when her father dooms the relationship to fail. The path she chooses will set a new course...toward a wildfire she's powerless to fight.
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I hope your area gets back to something closer to “normal” soon! I loved living on the coast, but don’t miss hurricane season. When I came here to the desert 14 years ago for a detail, I was living in an apartment. A record breaking cold spell broke water lines all over town. We were fortunate to have a pool at the complex, so there was the daily trek to the pool to fill up buckets so we could flush toilets. Nothing compared to what you are dealing with, we had power back in 2-3 days, and water after a week. Reading about your ordeal took me back to that lugging of water, but I was so happy to have a pool. I’m still sending good vibes to you, but also know you are beyond ready for the comforts most of us take for granted.
It’s nice to hear some things are getting better for your area. Progress is always good news. Fingers crossed things keep moving in the right direction. Clearing out your space decluttering and all of that can bring peace, it’s so freeing mentally and physically. Curls & Chaos was so good, I might go back through it again. I love Rizzo! Hope the rest of your weekend is peaceful!