Hi, guys. The water has subsided—for now.

The Minnesota, Minnehaha, and Mississippi rivers are all over their banks. The Minnehaha snakes its way all over the Twin Cities. The flooding in adjacent areas is unreal. Our ground was already so saturated, that the water has no place to go.

If you live downstream from MN (Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, etc.), invest in plastic containers, wet vacs, sump pumps, or whatever else you might need. Like a bug out bag! All of this water will be headed your way.

My MG knocked me out two days in a row. That's yet another caution about MG. When in the middle of a crisis, you tend to charge ahead and do what needs to be done, all the while forgetting that MG doesn't take kindly to that. It crashed me quickly, and put me to sleep. If you've never experienced a "MG body shutdown," it's a bit scary.

Maggie, Thanks. Family members can understand and be empathetic, but it's you guys who truly get it. Since this is your first summer, stay the heck out of any hot weather. And I mean have NONE of it. Keep a handheld fan (I like the 3-speed Travelon one) and water with you. Some people have cooling packs or a cooling vest.

Limpy, I so totally agree. Can you really accept a disease that is so unpredictable and turns you into a pile of mush without your permission? It's a daily struggle to be "ok" with that. And it feels good to do physical labor. I really miss that, too. Not that I could ever do it for long, but to not be able to hardly at all is frustrating!

Juanitad, Yeah, it's hard for family to back off until we say "HELP!" We still want to have some sense of accomplishment, even if we look really pathetic while doing anything. And our normal keeps fluctuating. There are times when I don't know if I can do something until I try to. Like today, when I put in a load of laundry because clothes got wet, too, and it has to be done soon or mold sets in. And then MG put me to sleep and I had to finish it later. But we need to feel useful, even if it's a smaller version of everyone else's version.

Gotananswer (sorry, I've been wanting to say that for a while!), Thanks east coast pal. That made me feel good. Many people have huge families, lots of friends, etc. to help them. I normally do, but this situation made me realize how "alone" I am. A lot of my friends have MG or other health issues. Until you've experienced a situation where you're essentially alone, it's a hard feeling to describe. And I'm not even a controlling person who is compelled to do something no matter what (no offense to anyone who is!).

I can let go of "stuff" because it doesn't matter. It's the feeling of being threatened when there's nothing you can do about it. I have coping skills, as you do, but you know how you feel when MG is fried. It's as though you're drunk or on an anesthetic and can't move or think.

Stephanie, Your words made me cry. I often don't think that what I say does any damn good. I hope that it does, but you never know. I don't think there's anything worse for me than not being useful in some way. So, thank you.

I'm so glad that you have dogs! I'm not in a place yet where I can even consider having another one. My last dog had health issues and it was very hard to cope with.

I think most people work very hard. Probably too hard. We need that balance between do and don't do.

Kathie, Speaking of salad spinners, the handle broke off of mine a week ago. That's no small thing! How else can we dry out lettuce? Even pulling on that handle and string is hard. How dare they break?!

And you can't compare the degree of any snafu that might happen in life. Instead of "It could be worse," I like to say that it could be better, and does anyone want to help?!!

I'm so grateful that I did have people to help. The friend who helped us recently lost his wife, and he is simply the kindest, most generous guy. It's that "usefulness" that helps everyone get through tough times.

Due to how I'm usually brass tacks here, you might not know what a silly person I am. I find humor in almost everything; even flooding. But when the body gets worn down, it's so hard to even think. Do you have those days when words come out as if you've never made it past the first grade, have marbles in your mouth, and can't imagine what a sentence structure is (and my dad was an English teacher!)? Sucks.

Sue, I think a flood is similar a death in that everyone is there for you initially, right after the event happens, but it's the aftermath that's more difficult. All of the overwhelming cleaning, throwing, etc. that needs to be done is what I'm left with. My mom and sister will still help, of course. But there are things that a person has to do on their own.

We had a flood in 1987 where a river of water made it's way into the house through the garage and covered the basement in four feet of water. And mud and junk. But back then, we were in a drought. The water subsided fairly quickly, even though the cleanup was more intense. Now we are soaked to the gils, and any small amount of rain can bring water in again.

I truly appreciate all of your support. I can handle even the baddest of bullies or any other emotionally stressful challenge, but when it comes to the physical ones, I simply can't. I'm not too fond of the nonstop wet vac, dehumidifier, and fan noises either!

Anyway, thank you again for being there. It's been a rough spring, with shingles, two people we know dying, flooding, and lots of other unnecessary stuff. I'm grateful that everyone here is so supportive and kind. It's truly a blessing.


Annie