Hurricane Irma’s Anniversary is Past, Isaac on the Way…

We returned to Sint Maarten on May 1, with promises that our house would be ready for us. Instead, two months after staying in a rental condo because the only thing completed was a new roof (2nd in under a year!), we moved into a single room in our house with our 2 pets, a cat and a dog. We now have two bedrooms and baths, and a nearly completed kitchen. I have no idea when the dining and living rooms will be complete, but I am ready to toss everything that’s left of those two rooms (well, what survived of the dining room, anyway) and just purchase furnishings from scratch. I’m tired of sitting on armless chairs for which we can’t find room, as construction stuff takes up so much space. Today, after firing our first electrician a month ago, the replacement was forced to cut all the wiring just to access them–the previous guy not only drastically skimped on wiring (no wiggle room if anything went wrong) and placed 3/4 of the house on a single circuit. The last time I experienced anything like that was in my first house in the early 1970s that still contained the original rural wiring from the 1930s!

Some good news was that our second cat–he ran off after Irma and refused to come back–was reunited with us during the second week of August. He had been on his own for over ten months, was barely held together by skin and fur, and still took 3 days to lure home. Now he never leaves. After a check-up at the vet, we were all amazed that he was reasonably healthy. Of course, now he is always hungry! At least he looks like a real cat again instead of a Tim Burton character!

Today I tangled for the first time in a while. And it shows.

The shading is off, the simplest patterns wouldn’t emerge, not even using “first tile” tangles.

I don’t know whether I was more disappointed in the process or the result, as neither seemed to work out for me today. Yet, just a month ago I finished a project started several months back in the UK, to where we were transported after our evacuation after Irma’s devastation of our island of St. Martin a year ago. Here is the 9″x9″ sketchbook tangle.

Quite a difference, right?

Maybe today’s tangle went wrong because of the anticipation of Hurricane Isaac that’s following Irma’s path. I’m hoping Isaac stays relatively weak, as the repairs on our house after Irma haven’t been completed, and we have absolutely no hurricane shutters. Our contractor will be measuring for plywood tomorrow to give us some protection. That will be a great relief after Irma tore our old shutters apart.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another catastrophe skipping into our home, it seems. We are not the only ones with an incomplete home, but that doesn’t make us feel much better. I love this Island, but I just want to feel safe from hurricanes like Irma.

Until next time–hopefully my tangling will improve again!–I wish you happy tangling!

Anyone attending ZenAgain in Providence, RI, in November, shoot me a comment. I will be anxious to meet you. If you are part of the Zentangle Mosaic community, thank you for all the moral and supplies support during this interesting season of my life. Isn’t life supposed to settle down once you’re past 65?

Again, Happy Tangling!

Hugs to all,

Ellie (DrEllieCZT)