The Rhyner Rapids are officially open for the season in our backyard. The fire pit is completely invisible somewhere beneath the murky swirling river that flows downhill from the top of our driveway and directly deposits in the lake that’s formed smack in the shallow valley between our property and our neighbor’s. Our garage is a several inch pond of standing water again and the Ohio river is expected to reach flood level sometime this weekend. Welcome to Spring!
On my way to work yesterday morning I drove down Beechmont, as I do everyday, until I reached the Mt. Washington neighborhood where a thin cloud of black smoke was beginning to form in the atmosphere. I looked to my immediate right and saw an apartment building in flames consuming all 3 floors on the backside of the building. One ambulance and one firetruck were already on scene, but clearly the fire had just started as the water hoses weren’t even going yet and people were coming out of their businesses to help. A fire doubles every 4 seconds. Within the next three or so miles of my drive I pulled to the right for at least 15 additional emergency vehicles as they came blazing down the street, sirens roaring and lights flashing. It was insane. The fire got me thinking about the dire importance of renter’s insurance and emergency kits for the unexpected disasters you never hope to have. We have adequate renter’s insurance, but after unpacking and surveying all our belongings over the past few months, I’d feel much more comfortable with an additional $25K of coverage. It would only cost a few dollars more per month, which seems like a tight squeeze right now, but I know we’d be thankful to have it if we should find ourselves in an emergency situation where mostly everything will need to be replaced.
Something we don’t have is an emergency kit – in the house or in the car. I’ve thought about it several times recently – when the weather is severe, when the tornado sirens are blaring at 5:20 a.m., during snow storms when we’re on the road, and when fires break out. And it really is something we should have in the house and in both vehicles – especially if you live with someone with serious medical concerns. What would you put in yours? I’m thinking we’d start with the basics: LED flashlights with extra batteries, a headlamp, blankets, waterproof ponchos, hand and foot warmers, a battery-operated weather radio, a multi-purpose tool like a Leatherman, rope, a lighter, a first-aide kit, pure disinfectant alcohol, bottle of hand sanitizer, water bottles, non-perishable foods, an extra pack of AAA batteries for Ted’s insulin pump, two infusion sets, a vile of insulin, syringes, a backup blood sugar meter with test strips, emergency sugar (candy, orange juice, etc.), a manual can opener, heavy work gloves, toilet paper, trash bags, whistles, a permanent marker & square of cardboard, flash powder, and sunscreen and bug spray. I’m sure this is just the tip of the emergency kit iceberg, but I do think every family should have a kit like this at home and on the road. One of these days we’ll actually get around to throwing something together.
Onto a cheerier topic! Prince William & Kate (excuse me, Catherine) Middleton’s Royal Wedding Website was posted late this week! Yes, I was jubilant with excitement as one could be and immediately jumped on the bandwagon of the 2 million plus hits the website received in its first few hours of going live. Hit it up at www.officialroyalwedding2011.org to clue yourself in on all the lavish goodies like the hideously-patterned commemorative royal wedding china (it totally reminds me of a nursing home), the ceremony at Westminster Abbey and reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by the Queen (you know, just like any other normal wedding), how to properly address a formal letter to the Queen (it’s a hoot!), and the names and ages of the miniature Master’s, Lady’s, The Honorary’s, and Miss’s who will be gracing the wedding celebration with their presence as members of the wedding party – all before they’ve completed the second grade. Missing are the juicy details of the bride’s dress (duh), the decorative theme, the menu, and pretty much all the other good stuff you actually cared to know about. Though with Kate’s grace and style I bet it’s all going to be fabulous! I think she’s a pretty classy lady. I guess that’s to be expected and we’ll just have to wait until the I-Do day on April 29th for all the big reveals – for which there will be live video coverage streaming on the website and I do fully intend to watch it.
If you’re looking for something entertaining to watch this weekend, consider tuning into this Sunday evening’s episode of Undercover Boss in which the Mayor of Cincinnati goes undercover as an employee of the city of Cincy to collect garbage, scrape dead animals off the road, write traffic tickets, and more. He’s a pretty distinguishable fellow in the looks, personality, and popularity department not just in Cincy, but among all U.S. Mayors, so they had quite the challenge in disguising him to be an average Joe. I’m looking forward to watching to learn more about the inner workings of the City of Cincy government, to see landmarks, streets, areas of town and buildings I may recognize, and also because it’s really a neat show. Check it out this Sunday night!
Ted and I are will be enjoying our day off together – swimming to our errand destinations, slow cooking some babyback ribs for dinner tonight with lime and salt roasted corn and watermelon, and knocking off a few chores. Have a great weekend!
