All's Well!

First off, thanks to all of you for your emails, kind thoughts, and prayers during the hellacous tornadic weather that we in Atlanta experienced over the weekend.

My family and I were all very lucky and escaped unscathed. I feel like we dodged a huge bullet, and I am most thankful. C and I were preparing to move into our new (to us) condo in Midtown and were ending our day with a celebratory toddy in our as yet-to-be-furnished digs. We had purchased two leather chairs earlier in the evening and were just beginning to enjoy the city night lights when the thunder and lightening began. Without the aid of radio, tv or internet, we were peacefully sitting facing northeast, so never saw the action that was going on no more than a mile or two to the southeast of us. Our daughter and son-in-law (who live about 10 miles south of our condo) were out on their second story porch watching the storm as it approached their home from the west. They did see the flashes of electrical transformer lights and explosions, and also heard the "freight train" sound just before they sought shelter indoors. Thankfully the tornado also eluded them! It wasn't until later that evening that C and I returned to our "old" condo and turned on the TV and then realized that there had been a tornado in downtown Atlanta, and so many were without homes and power. We are all so thankful that so many lives were spared. It could have been so much worse!

Our movers arrived bright and early Saturday morning and C, Barker and I were moved out of our old digs and into our new condo by noon time. Unfortunately we had no cable and no internet, so I was unable to email or blog until this afternoon when we got back to "home/home".

I think both C and I are smitten with our new Midtown digs.....the condo couldn't suit us better, and the view is just phenomenal! I am enjoying everything about it: our neighbors, the management, the layout of our condo, etc. I cooked every meal after we moved in, as the kitchen is so handy and accomodating......not to mention the fact that I have really missed cooking, with our home kitchen being renovated!

On Sunday afternoon we were supposed to go to a play at the Balzer Theater, but it was cancelled due to the tornado, which ripped right through that part of town. (Thankfully the theater did not sustain any damage, but the area was littered with debris.) So C and I had a leisurely morning of reading the paper, organizing our master closet, hanging pictures, and other odds and ends. After lunch, we went shopping for fresh produce at the Dekalb Farmers' Market, purchasing some lovely sea scallops, brussels sprouts, an artichoke, some smoked cheese, and a bushel of Texas Rio Star grapefruit. (After listening to Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" I almost feel guilty about this trip!) Our dinner last night was a fabulous feast!

I got up early this morning, not wanting to miss the sunrise. How is it that our bodies seem to snap to the wishes of our brains? At some point yesterday I had thought that it would be nice to get up early and watch the sunrise, and voila!!! It was still very dark when Barker and I first toddled out into the livingroom, but I could see a slight rosey tinge at the horizon. I snapped a few pics, but they were all blurry (need to get a tripod!). Here are a few of the better shots between about 7:15 and 7:45:

the "mound" just to the left of center is Stone Mountain

We came home late this morning to find our new kitchen in "move in" condition, with all appliances in working order! WooHoo! So I began unpacking boxes (again!) and trying to find good homes for all of the kitchen tools I have been collecting over the past 37+ years of marital bliss. I am more than ecstatic about how everything seems to work! Months, and actually years, of planning have all paid off!

Thanks again for all of your kind thoughts over the past hellacous weather weekend! It means more than you will ever know!

PEACE