My goodness, Mother Nature. You certainly know how to throw us all a good punch! Can you just hold off on any more mammoth storms until we're all finished up with our visits to UMMC? You've shown us all that you are definitely a force to be reckoned with!!  Hopefully all of those able to read this posting were able to "weather the storm" relatively unscathed. We watched the track of the storm over the weekend and determined that we needed to get Mom and Dad settled in their hotel room on Sunday versus Monday. Yeah, probably one of the better decisions made. As I tooled around between home and school on Monday, I was very glad that I wasn't trying to navigate in and around flooded Baltimore streets yesterday. The folks at the Tremont couldn't have been more pleasant and accommodating taking Mom and Dad a day early. These people have been extraordinarily helpful and friendly. I can't say enough.

Monday's treatment wasn't without its challenges, though. No shuttles were running from the hotel, so Mom and Dad had to get a cab to get Dad to treatment. They made it there and back safely. Woo-hoo and kudos to them! Now that's commitment.... all toward the annihilation and deterioration of the 4cm "hurricane" on Dad's pancreas trying to wreak its own havoc. No force of nature is going to keep   us from taking the steps needed to rid my Dad of this wretched disease. Sorry, Sandy!

Dad sounds good and seems to be getting stronger the further out he gets from that infection. He finished up the antibiotic on Thursday, and since then his taste for foods is slowly coming back. He seems to be eating well. Dr. Regine gave him the green light to eat just about whatever he wants, short of ingesting packets of sugar everyday. They're going to hook him up with a dietician this week or next. I have not confirmed, but I don't think Dad was able to get a treatment today; only emergency vehicles were permitted on the roads in Baltimore. This is not a big deal. They'll just add one on to the end in December if that's the case.

The worst of the storm for them in Baltimore, and probably most everyone reading this, was last night into early today. I was glad to have the blindness of the night (and....admittedly the effects of quite a bit of Pinot Grigio) to bring on just a little bit of sleep.  The Weather Channel spoke of the Eastern Panhandle counties at least 3-4 times in terms of downed trees and flooding and power outages. Mom and Dad live in the woods on the Potomac River and have a boat and dock; yet, there was no one in the house to keep watch in the event leaks started, trees fell, boats floated away, etc. and I was fairly sure the feline children were of no help other than to express their absolute indignation that they were left to their own devices under such horrific conditions.

The light of day showed that God was watching over their house last night and brought forth the "angels with chainsaws."  Again, that Honeywood Family came through....The cat-sitting neighbor called Mom from the house just as the power was coming back on to indicate that the interior of the house appeared to be fine. No water crept in as far as she could tell. The felines were fine, although had much to say (of protest, I'm sure). That is amazing news to me. In the days before shop vacs, I remember helping to mop up inches of water from the basement with old rags and buckets for hours every time there'd be a hard rain like that. Thank you, Lord!  Mom was also told that there was "A" tree down in the back and the branches were in and around the heat pump unit. Wellllll.....yes, that is technically true, but that's not the ONLY downed tree. One of my Honeywood Moms texted me 3 pictures of "the rest of the story." Good-ness! There is more than one tree,  and each had the potential to create great damage to the house, but each tree fell in such a way that it missed the house. One of the trees, which must be 100 years old, was completely uprooted. When I think of what could have been.......Thank you, Lord!

Shortly after receiving those pictures, my Honeywood Mom called me to reassure me that all was really okay and I didn't need to come up. In the background, I could hear the voices of what was soon to become those angels with chainsaws.....the Honeywood Dads. They were going to get what they could away from the heat pump. At least I think Dad's set for fire wood for the winter:)

The support system that is there is second to none.  To you folks in Honeywood, I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done so far. The cards, the food, the "around the house" chores that cannot be kept up with right now, as Mom and Dad "live" in Baltimore each week. You all are ROCK STARS!!!

Hope everyone enjoys the fun of Halloween. I've got a little Batman to take around for a few treats tomorrow night. Will be in touch soon after.