What a difference a year makes

Today is he anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. I am sure that many people in the northeast are reminiscing the events of the day.

Reminiscing? Really?

Who are we kidding? Most of us are are probably reliving the horror of that day. At the height of the storm, I hovered in my stairwell as tree limb (the one that ripped out my neighbor's power line), after tree (the one that fell in my backyard), after tree (the one that crushed my car and tore down my power line) crashed to the ground. The blast of my chimney exploding apart. The wind. I don't ever want to hear wind like that again.

My daughter evacuated her basement apartment and was staying at the apartment of a friend who lived on the third floor. She watched the water pour into the first floor of that building. She wondered if she would have an apartment to go back to.

But the storm ended. The next day came. The damage was done.

The police were in my driveway at 8am on Tuesday. They filled out a report and advised me that the first thing I needed to do was to get the tree off of my car.

My sister came and rescued me. She was one of the few in the northeast that had electricity. I was able to start my insurance claims, find a tree company to come and cut the tree off my car and get a rental car all that same day. I started the process of moving things along.

This was my house the day after the storm.

This is my house today.

Over the last year I have made a few changes to hopefully be better prepared for the next storm.

I had 3 large trees cut down in front of my house. I could not get them down fast enough. Every time the wind blew a little too hard, I was convinced they would come crashing down. Traumatized? Just a little.

I had a wood burning stove installed so I would always have a source of heat when the power goes out. Paranoid? Absolutely!

I no longer stock pile food in my freezer. I am tired of putting in claims for lost food due to lack of electricity.

I no longer park under trees of any kind, even on the sunniest of days. 

I have not gotten a generator like most of the neighborhood because they scare me a bit.

Somehow though, throughout the entire ordeal I found myself grateful. Grateful that it was only my car that got damaged, grateful that I was only without power for 4 days, grateful that I was able to find people to help me.

And today? I am grateful that the sun is shining and with no storm in sight.

Until next time...

I am a magazine junkie...

Yes, I admit it. In a day and age where the internet rules and the kindle is king, I still prefer a good old-fashioned magazine.

Being a graphic designer, the big draw for me is the layout, the paper it is printed on, the masthead...and at this point the publishers make it hard to say no.

It all started about 25 years when I got a subscription to People Magazine at the "waiting room" rate. Doctors get special rates for magazines so they can keep the waiting room stocked up with reading material while you wait for them. And some how I got that offer.

From there things just snowballed. I currently have about 15 subscriptions, give or take. People, Women's Day, Food Network Magazine, HGTV, Everyday with Rachael Ray, Games, Better Homes & Gardens, New Jersey Monthly, Inc., Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Quiltmaker, McCall's Quilting, Good Housekeeping ...and those are only the paid magazines.

I also get numerous, unsolicited magazines just because of what I belong to and where I live...Costco Connection, USAA, Morris/Essex Monthly and Rockaway Today to name a few.

Past subscriptions have included Fast Company, TV Guide, Taste of Home, Entertainment Weekly, Reader's Digest, Family Circle, Time, and Country Living.

I'm addicted, ya think?

And I have tried to cancel but the publishers make it too easy. They always "want me back" so I get rock-bottom rates. Time for $10 bucks? Sold! Redbook for $5 bucks? How can I not? Right now my subscription to New Jersey Monthly expired in June. I just received the October issue. I guess they are waiting for me to send in the "last chance" offer to resubscribe.

I am trying to cut down. Really. At this point, the time factor is a big issue. While I do read all of them, I do tend to get a little behind. But today I have a rainy day in front of me. I think I will catch up on my reading.

Until next time...