Map My Escape

Watching all the devastation in Mexico, Texas and now Florida, I began rethinking the escape plan I’d come up with, back in July of last year, when the area was ablaze with fires.

I’d decided that, should there be an evacuation situation – and there had been one two years before I moved in when a fire on little mountain resulted in evacuation of this senior complex and the multi-family complex next door, that I’d load the car only with that which was important and that which personally mattered most to me:

1.        Cell phone and charger

2.       Fanny pack, with driver’s license, credit cards

3.       Important papers, such as social security/medicare card, title to car

4.       Creative Memory photo albums

5.       Laptop

That list is still valid, except I wouldn’t worry too much about the laptop because the Sony Vaio I had at the time died, has been replaced with a HP Envy, and I’m not as attached to the HP as I was to the Vaio, and would welcome the HPs demise, so I could try again with a different brand.

Not that there’s anything technically wrong with it. I just don’t care much for it.

At any rate, just in case I wouldn’t have time to save my fourteen Creative Memory Albums, seeing all the water damage from the floods and hurricanes, I began looking online into waterproof/fireproof safes that I could use as furniture and keep the albums safe from whatever comes our way.

Even if it’s an earthquake, I felt the albums would be safe and secure in a safe under piles of rubble.

Not seeing anything online that could be used multi-functionally as furniture, and anything that wasn’t either too small or too large, I began thinking --- What’s the quickest way to get those heavy albums down to the car and have decided one of those grocery carts I see the seniors using would work.

I could set it at the bottom of the stairs, run up/down the stairs loading the albums, then push the cart to the car and unload.

Next part of the plan, and not addressed last time, was where to go.

If there weren't so many creeps and criminals in the world, just looking for victims, I could live in the car. That not being a safe bet, a hotel in Long Beach would be okay, but Long Beach is too close to water and, if California is destined to fall into the sea, as some alarmist have prophesized, that’s not where I want to be.

I’m thinking further inland -- a hotel in Palm Springs or Nevada until I get the all clear. But I don't know. More planning to be done.

Made contact with the Writer of Christian Literature this morning – the resident who recently relocated back to Florida.

She’s safe and in an area that’s only getting “heavy rain”.

When I mentioned she’d picked the worst possible time to move back to Florida, she said, “I miscalculated. I thought the hurricane season had passed”.

WHAT!?

She left all this sunshine to move back to an area she knew had a hurricane season?

I can’t imagine. I’d rather take my chances with fires and earthquakes.

Oh, and by the way, today is Day 14 of no A/C.

While I Was Sleeping

Lying on the couch yesterday, unapologetically sleeping my life away, I became aware of more voices outside than usual and an unusual number of sirens coming down the street, sounding to stop in front of the complex or very close by.

Too lazy to get off the couch, go to the patio window or outside to check out the commotion, I attributed the voices to the resident I refer to as Nosey Neighbor -- coming out on her patio to see what the sirens were all about, chatting up whomever happened to be walking through the quad.

“Nosey” because she jumps up, comes out onto her patio, pretends to be tending her plants and eavesdrops whenever she sees any of us outside talking, queries me whenever she sees me bringing anything in/taking something out. For instance, when the hauler walked through the quad and headed for my unit to remove the cardio glider, there she appeared, watching his every move. I think she even said something to him; for sure, she later asked me what he was doing and, “Did you pay him to take that?” Then, when I was bringing in the new microwave, there she appeared again, commenting “Bringing in new stuff?”

I humor her, answer any and all queries, because I figure, with her vigilance, if anything ever happens to me, she’d be the one to notice and make a call.

At any rate, insofar as hearing an inordinate number of sirens on my lazy day, I chalked it up to this being a senior complex.

Having experienced the death of my immediate neighbor, and so many others I’ve come to know and others heard about, in the 4 and 3/4 years I’ve lived here, I’ve become so accustomed to the almost daily Fire and Rescue being here that I’ve become somewhat desensitized.

Color me surprised when I finally came to life about 6 o’clock in the evening, logged onto facebook, saw the above photo posted with a blurb about the area being "ablaze" and realized it’s the little mountain behind the complex, on fire for a second time in a two-week period.

THAT explains the all day sirens, sounding to stop in front or close by.

The June 14 fire on little mountain was high up and involved no structures, yet the smell of smoke filled the entire area -- inside the market even.

This time, the fire was lower -- in the residential area and though it took out homes, I smelled nothing.

About two years before I moved into the complex, a fire on little mountain resulted in evacuation of the complex AND the adult building next door.

It occurs to me that, inasmuch as Nurse Ratched cut off all the spigots so residents could not attach hoses and water their plants, that we’d be sitting ducks – unable to break out the hoses and attempt to save ourselves in a fire situation. So, heading to bed last night, I began planning in-my-head what to throw in the car and take with me as I headed out to a safe zone.

1.       Cell phone and charger.

2.      Purse, with driver’s license, credit cards.

3.      Important papers, such as social security card, title to car.

4.      Creative Memory photo albums

5.      Laptop

I have about 13 albums, in order of oldest ... to newer ... to newest.

The albums are heavy so, depending on how much time and energy I have, I’d work from oldest to newest in getting them down to the car, just in case I had to let newer, newest and laptop go.

Fireworks are illegal in this area, yet I've been hearing fireworks every night for weeks. That's probably how yesterday's fire started.

Desperate for coffee, because I didn't even get off the couch yesterday for coffee, I'm headed to Starbucks, driving past the site of yesterday's fire, saying a prayer for those affected.

Shake Rattle Roll

This morning, I found myself researching earthquake kits on the website of that community of survivalist I came across over the summer.

What prompted me to do so was the earthquake we had last night.

It was the strongest I’ve felt in decades and sent seniors fleeing from their units in the cold, in the dark.

I’m not sure that was the correct action to take. I recall hearing “outside” puts you in the path of breaking glass, falling bricks, and that one should get in a door jam, under a table or an enclosed area, such as the bathroom.

It wasn’t funny, isn’t funny, but I can’t stop laughing at people’s reactions.

One neighbor said she was already in bed, just about to fall asleep and, when the shaking rattling rolling and thunderous sound as though a truck hit the building happened, she sat straight up and yelled, “Oh sh*t!”.

The Seer grabbed her purse, her keys and ran out the building. Her son’s flight had been cancelled due to weather, so he was still here last night and, when the quake hit, he was right behind her running out of the building yelling, “Mom, where are you going?”

She didn’t know. She was just running.

I myself was sitting in front of the laptop at a heavy solid wood table. Feeling as though I was going to be tossed onto the floor, I leaned forward and held onto the table for dear life.

Once it was over, I didn’t even bother to get up when I heard my depressed next door neighbor open her door and head downstairs to discuss what just happened with other residents I could hear outside talking.

I glanced around, didn’t see anything broken or on the edge of falling, except one can fell from the cabinet, went back to what I was doing.

THEN, a few minutes later comes the aftershock, which was as strong as the usual earthquakes we get. And then there was another quick quake this morning. So thinking I’d better start paying attention to predictions that “the big one is coming”, as though the one we'd just had wasn't big enough, my mind turned to an earthquake kit.

The kits at the survivalist store are sold out, but didn’t interest me anyway – a lot of freeze dried food. All I can think of that would work for me is peanut butter, energy bars, nuts, dried fruit, water.

I’m just in the thinking-about-it-stage right now but, if we have another quake this week, I’ll be taking it as a sign to get a kit together … NOW.

Checking in with the folks in the Community Room, to see if we’re doing anything for New Year’s Eve (we’re not), I found earthquake damage to the Community Room ceiling.

The crack runs all the way across, from one end of the ceiling to the other.

Community Preparedness

Spent the weekend brown knuckling it as I fought the munchies.

I think it was the fried chicken on Friday that set off the craving for even more fried foods, but I managed to work through it and got back on track for clean eating.

I even set the alarm for 5:00 on both Saturday and Sunday, to beat the heat and walk the fried chicken, potato salad and cupcake off, racking up 4.94 walking miles.

A neighbor clued me in to a park not too far from the complex that I never knew existed. It’s hidden right smack dab in the middle of a housing community but, when I checked it out, the park itself -- quite beautiful with swings and stuff I’d like to try, was completely deserted. It didn’t feel right, being on the path with homes surrounding but no people, so I passed and did my walking around my own neighborhood.

It was probably just too early in the morning to walk the park alone, so I might check it for when families are sure to be out.

Bingo Guy did not make an appearance on Monday. No surprise there, as I’d expected everything the Activities Director had organized and arranged for us was disavowed by management when she quit.

The thought crossed my mind over the weekend, it might be time to consider moving to a more socially inclined senior complex. However, when I was out and about on Monday, I realized having activities on the complex wasn’t THAT important to me – maybe to the residents who are unable to get out and about, but for right now, this place is perfect for me. Everything I need is nearby or a short drive away -- two Starbucks, a Thai Restaurant for when I just gotta have it, Walmart, Costco, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, Victoria Gardens, Citrus Mall; Plus, it’s close proximity to the location of the 5Ks which interest me -- the Claremont Zombie Run, San Dimas’ Halloween Spooktacular, and Cheetah Runners Bike Trail 5Ks; not to mention my little unit is in a good location on the complex and I have great neighbors. So, I’m good despite the lack of on-site activities.

Looking for a special flour blend online, I learned there was a walk-in location a short drive away, which sold the special blend. Driving to the location on Monday, I found myself in an alternate universe. It was a place that catered to survivalists and, if you thought Costco sold products in massive amounts, you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen “Storable Foods for Times of Uncertainty” in 10 pound cans, grains in 50 pound bags, freeze dried, dehydrated, survival kits and emergency supplies.

It was terribly interesting to see every day normal looking people -- young, old, families, purchasing tons and tons of food products @ $50 for this $79 for that. Even more interesting, no one shopping there was Black, which novelty may be why I was approached and got myself invited to a September 12^th Community Preparedness Fair.

I’m really curious as to WHAT the community is preparing FOR but, unfortunately (or fortunately) I’ve signed up for the Cheetah Runners Appreciation 5K that day.

I know I said I was exhausted from trying to keep up with the young guns and, thus, was over 5Ks a while back. But looks like I’ve still got a little left in me, and it appears I’m cutting down instead of cutting out, because I’ve signed up, so far, for three 5Ks this year.