A Unique Family Reunion (well, sort of)

Finally got to see our 3 kitties today - Blackjack, Malibu and Tabasco. My daughter was so excited, she kept yelling "kitties!" all the way back home. She must have missed them terribly--we all did.

In other news, we survived Hurricane Rita just fine. The tarp did blow off hte roof once, and my husband had to go out in the storm to re-attach it. The insurance adjuster came today - he said he's giving us extra allowance for roofing shingles "because you really got that tarp on there good." Meaning my hubby got a little over-zealous with the screwdriver and made SURE that tarp wouldn't come off. We did get a little more water damage from teh tarp blowing off, but possessionsa re all still intact.

We've certainly got our work cut out for us now. In order to put the hoouse up for sale, thjere's a lot we need to do, adn the new owners will get most of our insurance money as an "allowance" for what reparis we didn't finish.

It's so weird here - the military presence is strong, and every couple of miles, you can find a station where supplies are handed out. Water, tarps (to cover your roof, keep the rain out) and MRE ("meals-ready to eat" a.k.a. military rations) are distributed. Couldn't find anyone giving out diapers, but fortunately a couple of drug stores are open for business. You'd be surprised at the quality of an MRE. Nutritious and balanced meals, in a self-contained pouch, complete with heating apparatus. All you need is water (doesn't even have to be potable water!) and you have a hot meal.

For example, I'm about to have pork ribs, clam chowder, crackers with cheese spread, dried cranberries, a lemon-lime electrolyte drink (OK, you need potable water for that, but not to heat the meal) and a raspberry cookie. OK, I probably won't eat all that at one sitting, but you get the idea of what's included in one of these MREs. If you're like me, and you've never been in the military, the whole idea is kinda cool. Like camping, in your own house. EAch MRE also includes a hot drink mix (cocoa, cider or coffee), camoflage brown spoon, napkin, wet wipe, salt, pepper and a mint or piece of gum.

On top of all that, they don't taste half bad, either. Certainly not soemthing you'd order out, but under the circumstances, I'd say we're eating pretty good. Also, it seems like there are about 30 different kinds of meals, so you're not eating hte same thing all the time. Although if you were in the military, or on assignment, I do think you'd tire of the selection.

Either way, it beats the hell out of what's in my pantry--cans of tuna and goldfish crackers.

Speaking of tuna, we treated our kitties to a nice can of tuna, which they certainly deserve. Teh lady who was taking care of them was very nice (did I mention they were in a foster home? All 3 of them lived in someone's bathroom for the past few weeks) and we gave her a little cash as a thank-you. She was very nice, and very appreciative--but of course we were the ones who were thankful!

The kitties definitely seem glad to be home. Malibu keeps meowing like she's trying to tell us all about her adventures. I expected teh cold shoulderfrom Tabasco (alpha cat) but she is adapting well. Blackjack is siting next to the litter box, a little on edge (but that's pretty normal for him).

Such a strange situation to be in. Yet look how adaptable we can be -- and by we, I mean adults, children and kitties.

My question for you today is:

How adaptable are you to change? Have you ever considered that your ability to adapt is inversely proportionate to your stress level?