We survived Charley unscathed, fortunately. Unfortunately, many people didn't. My heart goes out to the folks down in the Sanibel & Captiva Islands area, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, and all the folks on the east side of our county. Many lost their homes or had major damage, many are still without power and water, and some lost their lives.

It's crazy the chaos Charley caused. The east side of our county basically has no gas - it's either sold out or the pumps have no power, no ice, and little food. Our side is fine, although the grocery shelves are thin, and some gas stations are empty now. Friends are staying home simply because they don't have enough gas to get anywhere.

A friend was visiting her family in Ormond Beach this past week. She was going to drive out and see us Saturday, but they were busy cleaning up the aftermath. She was able to pick up a rental car yesterday, but it didn't have much gas (none of the cars there did), she couldn't find a gas station close by, and had to return the car for fear she was going to run out.

Hubby's been very busy pulling night shifts until things settle down. He was sent out in the wee hours of Saturday to assess damage and said it was horrible. Trees and power lines down everywhere, a broken gas main shooting flames, and roads washed out. Now he and the other detectives are on nighttime traffic details trying to keep people from running each other over at intersections without power. At least he's gotten a little break from his caseload, but I'm sure things will be piled high waiting for him.

Mom and her roommate stayed with us during the hurricane since we all were worried about the safety of her mobile home. They went back home Saturday morning to no electricity and apparently no phone. I asked if they wanted to come back to our house, but they refused. I finally was able to call her this morning and she dropped the bomb that she's asked roommate to move out. She claims roommates moods are unbearable. Mind you, roommate is 85, has heart problems, and her elderly sister just underwent surgery for breast cancer, and the outlook isn't too hot. Of course she's not happy happy. Mom is going to call me tonight, but I'm already stressed. Mom may not like living with the roommate, but I see her spiralling back down into depression if she's alone. She'll end up isolating herself again...actually she basically is isolated - roommate, her neighber, hubby, and me are the only people she regularly interacts with. She has no friends nearby. I told her to make sure it's what she really wants. I can't cope with being her lifeline everytime she crashes. And I have a baby on the way. Once the peanut arrives, my life will take a big shift away from being Mom's mommy.