So the storm passed and every one was happy....Kate Chopin

From Tuesday, May 24, 2011, Virginia Beach, VA

We had a quiet day. Jan had gone home. She had a doctor’s appointment and would be gone all afternoon, but was planning on coming back for dinner.

We had a vet appointment set for Jason for 2:20pm. He’s been sneezing for over a week now and we wanted to make sure it wasn’t something that could get worse. The vet examined Jason. His temp was normal, his vitals all sounded and felt fine. His eyes were a little watery. I told the doctor that Jason and his sister had the Herpes virus in which their eyes would swell and tear. They had been on medication, i.e. eye drops and Lysine gel, which helps the immune system. Jason’s eyes have been clear and no outbreaks for well over a year and Kaci’s cleared up soon after. The doctor thought that maybe since we were traveling, Jason was a little stressed out and that was what was causing the sneezing and watery eyes. She didn’t think antibiotics would be of use for this and she gave us Lysine Gel.

We brought Jason home and he seemed to feel better already! The vet visit was just a pre-caution anyway.

Charlie and his mom went shopping. I stayed home. My cold was causing me to be miserable with the cough, sore throat and headache. I was on the computer doing some things.

I noticed that it was getting darker outside and I thought it was going to rain. Then I noticed that the wind had really started blowing. The big trees around the house were swaying back and forth. Finally, I went to look out the window. The wind was really blowing. I noticed that Jeff’s car was parked out front, so he was home from work.

I went downstairs. Jeff was walking from the kitchen. I said “What’s going on with this weather?” He said that he’d been looking out the back door from the laundry room. The awning above the door was about to blow off. He went back out to try to make sure it didn’t rip off. I went out to close the RV door. It was very windy. Debris was blowing and it was starting to rain.

I came back in the house. Jeff was still outside with the metal awning. He was going to get something to tie it down. The screws had just popped out.

I went to the front door. Charlie and Mom had driven up in the driveway. They were still in the car. It was raining hard and the wind was really blowing. Limbs were being blown down the street and across the front yard. A pine tree limb fell just at the back of the car. They thought I was coming out (which I wasn’t!) and told me to stay inside, which I did.

By now the wind was really ferocious. The rain turned to hail. It was beating down so hard against the house. Sheila was running around, not knowing what to do. I called her to me, but she was so nervous. Jonesie was also scared. I was scared. I went to the bathroom door and stood. Jonesie came over. I picked him up and crouched down on the floor in the doorway of the bathroom. I tried to keep Sheila by me, but she went into the bathroom and sat behind me. I held Jonesie tight. He struggled at first, but then he realized that I was as scared as he was and he got still. I thought of going upstairs to our room. I knew the twins were under the bed (which I should have been too!) and I really didn’t want to be near a window. All of this was so frightening, the beating of the hail on the house, the wind, the sounds of limbs breaking. The huge Maple tree across the street lost a large limb. It just split right off and fell into the yard.

Jeff came in and said “It’s going to be fine. It’s just a storm, not a tornado.” He’s fascinated with these storms.

I still remained in my place on the floor. Charlie and his mom were finally able to get into the house. Charlie came and sat with us. He patted Jonesie on the head and praised him for “taking such good care of Mom”. I think Jonesie was glad I had loosened my death grip on him. He could finally breathe!

The hail was subsiding. The storm was passing. It was all in a matter of a few minutes, but it seemed like forever.

Finally, when things had settled down, Mom said “I’d better check on Jan”. She called, but there was no answer. She got up to walk over to Jan’s. She came back quickly and said “A tree has fallen on Jan’s house!”

Charlie and Jeff went with her over to Jan’s. I went outside. It was sprinkling. I looked over at Jan’s house and sure enough, the whole top of a pine tree was on top of the house.

They were gone for awhile. I was hoping that Jan was okay. Finally, Jeff came back and said that Jan’s house had quite a bit of damage done. Jan was not home at the time, but came home just as Mom, Charlie and Jeff arrived. Jan had been at her doctor appointment and various errands. It was the errands that kept her from getting home earlier. She might have been in the house when the tree fell. It fell in her family room near the chair she uses and in the main bathroom. Either place would have been a dangerous place to be.

They brought Jan home with them. She was actually pretty calm. The electricity had gone out while they were gone.

Then Charlie’s brother, Tim, and his wife, Dorothy, came over. They live in Portsmouth and the storm had gone through there, just as Dorothy was coming home from work. Tim had been in the shower and missed all of the excitement outside. Their electricity was also off.

Tim’s son, Mathew, came over. He had just gotten off work. He and his iPhone saved the day. Charlie had called Jan’s insurance company and put in a claim. Then he had to get someone over to get the tree off and put tarp on the roof to prevent further rain damage. Mathew went on his iPhone and found a company to call. Charlie called them and they were there within an hour. He was the first call and they had seven other customers waiting. In just a few hours the tree was taken from the roof, anti-mold spray was applied, a fan was set up, plugged into a generator. Jan’s refrigerator was also plugged in. The quick service was amazing.

The RV came in handy too. We had brought some BBQ pork from New Bern. I heated that up along with Mom’s left over potatoes, beans, etc. As I brought a bottle of wine in, I told Charlie that I should have had it during the storm. He said "If you'd had it, you would have drunk the whole bottle!" I said "Yeah, with a straw!" But, Jeff also had put a bottle of wine on the table, so I know I wasn't the only one who needed to calm down. We all had a nice dinner, despite the weather. Not long after we ate, our electricity came back on.

So, it was an exciting day. Of course, Jan’s day was not very good. She had fallen down in the morning and had a tree damage her house in the afternoon.

Jeff picked “Thunder” up at 6:30pm from the vet’s. Poor “Thunder” went through 4-1/2 hours of oral surgery. He came home with a cone head and a big pain patch. He’s going to stay with Mom in her room. He has to wear the collar for two weeks. He had several teeth which were broken just under the gum. I saw the pictures taken. His gums were in really bad shape. He will only be able to eat soft food. Last night he ate just a little and drank just a little water. He was still coming off of the anesthesia. I went in and sat with him in the rocker. He was purring, but I think it was a combination of being in pain and not understanding what happened to him.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 2:51pm

My cold is getting the best of me. I woke up this morning and really felt miserable. My head hurt, my cough is worse and I’m really tired. I could do without this!

I went downstairs and had breakfast and then went back to bed. It felt nice to sleep and rest, but when I get up, the cold and cough is still there. I hope it starts letting go soon. There are a few more things we want to do while here in Virginia Beach.

I have a cousin, Joan, who lives in nearby Norfolk. I plan on calling her and seeing her this time. We didn’t see her two years ago when we were here. I also have a friend, Glenda, who lives in Portsmouth. I wanted to visit her and her husband as well. Charlie and I also wanted to go to our favorite restaurant one night at the beach. I told him “When I feel better”, which I hope is before we leave here!

I went in to see “Thunder” a little while ago. He ate just a little and we gave him some water from a syringe. When his mouth starts feeling better, he’ll eat more. I’m glad we’ll be here for a few more days and can watch his progress. Mom has some of the sweetest cats.

And our cats have really settled. There is no more snooping. They are at home here.

More later…….