Oh what a night....

So the heat went out and I am here with only one good leg, a living room full of snakes, 3 chihuahuas and two elderly parents.

We made some phone calls, everyone was in tizzy-no one would go to hotel (I wouldn't leave the snakes and Mom wouldn't leave me), no heaters were available.

So,I reverted to my college days, turned on the oven and left the door open, made beds for Mom and Dad in the living room (showing them how to layer thermal and then cotton blankets). I did have a moment of being really annoyed that I had just rid myself of excess blankets and sleeping bags....SEE sometimes that stuff does come in handy.

But sorting through it all, no one was really even uncomfortable and we all slept through the night. I was pleased with myself for resolving crisis so that everyone was safe and warm.

Sometimes we need these little challenges to free us from our complacent selves and remind us that the heat isn't always available-sometimes you just have to figure out how to stay alive, or in our case, comfortable.

Mom was "tucking me in" by helping me it the leg raising pillow contraption and I said, "you know what, I spent many a cold night in a little Scotty like the one outside without any heat at all". And I'm sure, growing up in the depression, she and Dad slept on the chilly side too.

It's kind of scary how easily we become dependent on our modern conveniences and how lost we are without them.

The other thing I notice was having this thought, "How can I deal with this with only one leg?"... and I had to laugh at myself. What on earth does my bum leg have to do with heating the house? That though just illustrates how we throw every even together into ONE BIG MESS, I believe out of habit. Man is an animal that has been very successful looking for connections and relationships and cause and effect, but it's easy to take that too far. Well, at least it is for me.

I've been visiting a lot vintage trailer sights and women's travel groups. The cowgirl trailers are a hoot and I'm thinking of something really special. I did some artwork of a chihuahua howling at the moon and I'm thinking of expanding on that for my paint job.

While in the hospital I watched episodes of American Chopper for inspiration.

Now, with my leg up in the air, is the perfect time for daydreams.....