Special thanks and an update from waterlogged Atlanta

Note: I have no clue why this post is publishing in teeny weeny type and I can't seem to get it fixed, girls -- so sorry! :-(

I've been meeting today with roofers and am taking a break to dash off a completely non-clothing post, starting with a quick but HUGE thanks for the way-too flattering comments responding to my haircut & color post yesterday. I am blushing!! Remember, girls, that I got to pick which photos you saw -- I could have shown you PLENTY in which it's obvious real fast that I'm the middle-aged mom of college-aged guys! You have all made me feel wonderful about my cut and my color (not to mention money I've apparently spent well on Obagi skincare products and an iMac with built-in camera.)

On a serious note, let me say that I especially appreciate the little lift you've given me, because holy moly are we dealing with flooding here in Atlanta. If any of you have seen pictures from Atlanta on the national news in the past day or two, you know that we really are becoming Atlantis. The photo I've attached shows an aerial view of our main downtown interstate highway during rush hour -- an entire section just floated away. Roads and bridges are washed out, neighborhoods stranded, schools literally up to their rooflines in water, the giant roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia almost submerged. Here are two links to short clips from ABC's "Good Morning America" today that'll give you a good sampler: Atlanta flooding and roller coaster.

Six people have lost their lives and countless others have watched their homes and belongings washed away by muddy, cold flood water. Being a city on a river (the Chattahoochee) with a zillion creeks, we're used to routine flash flooding anytime we have heavy rain, particularly in the past five drought-stricken years during which our concrete-packed earth hasn't been able to absorb the occasional and unfamiliar rainfall. But this -- this is not something we expect at all. We're five hours from the nearest coast, and this is devastating, hurricane-level damage. And incredibly, there is more rain on the way. I cannot help but be reminded and humbled by the memory of what New Orleans suffered with Katrina, and yet what we're experiencing is just a fraction of that level of pure awfulness. N'awlanders, what tough and brave folks you are! 

DH and I have such comparatively minor damage. We had the roof leak issue I wrote about last week, and yesterday morning we discovered that so much water had blown hard and sideways at our front door for hours that the whole door assembly had become waterlogged. It's now started splintering, so it'll need to be replaced. And then yesterday afternoon I decided I'd take poor Eddie into the garage for a little play time -- he's small enough so that I thought I could encourage him to race around in there and stretch his legs a bit. Imagine my shock when I found our garage flooded two inches deep from ground water pouring in under the walls. The earth under the foundation just wouldn't hold another drop.

So I spent hours hauling stuff from the garage into our house, including at least a dozen boxes of china, crystal, brass and tchotchkes that I'd brought home after my sister and I sadly dismantled and sold our parents' home following our mom's passing three years ago. Today's project is to try to find at least temporary homes in my house for some of this stuff; it had been stored in the garage because I really DON'T have space for any of it, and yet it's all worth saving for Journey Boy and his adorable brother's "someday" homes. I lost only one box of books, a few wooden items and a couple bags of potting soil (way gross, cleaning THAT up).

It's a headache, but as I said, we're well aware that for us this is essentially inconvenience, not life-altering stuff. A roof and a door can easily be replaced, and a garage can be re-sheetrocked and aired out. So many of our friends and neighbors have it far, far worse. Truly, I have NOTHING to complain about. Folks, please join me in saying a prayer or sending up your most positive thoughts today, for those who have lost their lives, their families, and my sad, stressed, wet, overwhelmed city. And send us some sunshine. Oh, and please cross your fingers for DH and me that we'll have some of this damage covered by our insurance. 

I am off to put on some non-J. Crew junk clothes and see what I can do to make sense out of my miniature war zone around here. Later on I'll have a cup of tea and crewse the blogs to see what you lovelies have been up to today -- my little treat. :-) I'm glad you're "out there", cyberfriends!