Jerry is now back at the original nursing facility where we admitted him the day after Christmas. February into this first half of March has probably been some of the longest weeks I've had to go through in my life. You'll remember he had to be transferred to a different facility (further away) for twice-a-day antibiotic infusion because the original one could only do it once a day. But finally he is back where we prefer and doing better, although new problems cropped up, but those are being dealt with. Please pray the current course they are trying on him works. Also, continued prayers for that wound to finish healing ... it's soooooo close! We've been at it since late September 2023 this go-'round (it's a permanent dermatological autoimmune condition).
Today our county is in the highest of extreme fire danger due to low humidity (currently 12%) and very high winds (gusts have been around 60-68 mph). Yes, I take this seriously, we've had wildfires here during my life, so my go-backpack is at the ready. It's always ready during tornado season anyway, which is just getting started. But since my car is non-working, I'll have to depend on my son to come across town to pick me up and take us all to shelter. No, our apartment building does not have a basement - none in our town have basements and there are no other options. Being on the lowest floor is not the safest, as has been shown numerous times in the past. You must be below ground level. Tornadoes can scour the ground of everything, and that includes the lowest part of buildings.
Looking out my window, I can't see the buildings downtown (one mile away) as usual because of how much dirt is flying through the air. Even the water tower that is a little closer is mostly obscured. The buildings you see at the bottom are across the street from us.
All the rain we received in November 2023 and the snows just this past January did nothing to alleviate our drought. Our county and some of those around have been hard hit in recent years. It's 74° but I dare not open the window for fresh air! I already see traces of dirt seeping through the bottom of the misaligned window. I can smell it, too. Ugh. Yes, I have cloths along the bottom where it is, but it still makes its way inside. And the metal roof vent is continuously flapping and making that annoying clapping sound in the wind (my apartment is on the third and highest floor). The vent is right over the bathroom and is very noisy in the usual Kansas winds, but more so today.
And just as I typed all that, I saw two or three roof shingles fly to the ground.
Annnnnd, the notification just came across the weather app that there is a large wildfire south of Cheney Lake... which is close to where Jerry WAS earlier. So thankful he's not down there now. Praying that fire doesn't come this far, and that nothing starts up here.
Back on February 22, a building exploded due to a ruptured gas pipe. This was an auto parts store that's been around for decades. I would go into that store with my dad as a little girl when he would get things he needed for the car. As an adult, I've been in there getting parts for my own cars I've owned. But it burned to the ground that day.
I was home when it happened and heard the boom, then saw the smoke when I went to the window. Jerry was in the hospital at the time, but his room was on the east, so he said all he saw was the thick black smoke billowing by. This is only a drive over the short bridge in the next block east of the apartment building and then six blocks north from the other side. The area for several blocks around was evacuated for a few days. The gas company still has a few blocks closed off since they're still looking at (and replacing as needed) all gas pipes in that vicinity. Thank goodness the owner and the six firemen got out right before the explosion!
Well, that's all for now. Like that isn't enough, right?
Blessings,
Diana 🌻
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