I'm ready to cry just thinking about it; I cannot imagine what my sister is feeling. And not to mention people in the region who are losing everything they own, including their houses. It's unfathomable.

Oh, Maria. I'm so sorry. It's so hard. I hope and pray that the community can band together and get through this. It's all you can hope for when nature devastates everything in its wake. Ugh.

Oh Maria, I am so sorry for you and your family.

Ditto the car, Kathy, but I am glad you are okay,

Kathy I do love my ford focus and a 2008 should be on that range.

Also, Kathy be sure that you are okay. Don't assume that you always have headaches and can ignore the bruises only to realize several days later that you were big-time concussed. *cough* For instance.

Your safety and health is the most important thing.

I feel kind of like a dick. MRJ just emailed me.

I think I'm kind of not-in-my-right-mind, lately, when it comes to reasonable expectations of other humans. Was I ever in my right mind, though?

Kathy, it's a 2 door coupe right? Blue Book is worthless--you'd be more accurate by pulling a number out of your ass. Edmunds true value pricing (trade in, private party, dealer retail) is much more on point. Wholesale is coming in around $9-10K, so I wouldn't accept any less than $11,500 from the insurance company. I'd try to get $12,000+ out of them.

You're going to have a tough time finding a used car to match your criteria. The used car market is very strong right now because there's no supply, especially for good condition, fuel efficient, low mileage cars. I'd expect to pay about 2 grand more to replace your car with the same 2008 model that has 35,000 miles.

Maria,

Just wow. Good thoughts are heading your way. Those are water proof. Maybe they can shield the restaurant. Good gravy.

It has been raining like a mojo in the midwest too.

Fucking Lee. Not ours. The rainy one.

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to make it to the conference I'd been planning on going to this weekend. Way too many flooded places between here and there. Disappointing, but not the end of the world -- there were some people who were going to be there who I really wanted to talk to and get some idea for research and let them know that I'm interested in the research they're doing, but I can email them, I guess. I'd also planned on stopping at Farm Sanctuary on the way back, but now I'm thinking I can go there the weekend before Thanksgiving, when they have a party for the turkeys.

Goddamn rain just started again.