Well, it’s been an adventure!

Hurricane Florence came, and went and took my lovely little townhouse with it. 36 of us were evicted from my apartment complex alone due to storm damage and an epic amount of flooding. It has been awful, but I know I am far better off than a lot of people – before you get worried I am safe and dry although the same can’t be said of anything that was on my first floor.

This is not actually a video. Just a screenshot of what’s left of my beautiful video studio.

It has been a time of ups and downs. I was devastated by the loss not only of the studio but the brand new living room furniture I saved up for and purchased. I will be paying for the couch for seven more months but it was unable to be saved due to the damp – I cannot convey to you how putrid the flood water was, and how toxic everything it touched became.

But the ups were amazing – new friends and some people I didn’t even know came to help me get out of the house in one insanely long day. We salvaged everything on the second floor (some yarn, the two bedroom sets, my spinning wheel thank God) and got it tightly packed into a storage unit. We packed up the dishes and glassware on the first floor to wash and store. I cannot say enough good things about the kindness of people who came to help me – it was a daunting task and while I generally like living alone, facing this alone would have been terrible. But I didn’t have to! Faith in humanity restored.

One terrific thing that happened was that several people – again, people I barely knew! – got together and tried hard to find me a place to stay for a little while. Hundreds of families in town have been made homeless and there are no apartments to be had in town, let alone affordable ones. So this is my spot for the next three months – a beautiful view!

It is furnished but I should be able to just squeak in a video set up so I can go back to work asap. I can stay here through the New Year. 47 stairs between the parking lot and the front door – I am going to have thighs of steel soon!

Another blessing was a visit from Sabrina, owner of Anzula Luxury Fibers.

I know the lighting is weird but I look bald in the other one so just no 🙂

LOOK AT ALL THE LUSCIOUSNESS!

Sabrina gave me some yarn to take home and pet. And some awesome hugs!

I am not looking to rebuild the stash until I see where I am going to land, but we do have plans for some of it!

Many people have asked what I need, which is generous and much appreciated. But especially at the moment, I don’t need things because I have no place to put things, and most of the things I might need are here or on their way or I won’t need them until I know where I will live in a few months. I think *GoFundMe in my case is awkward – I am not at this time homeless nor starving. I do need to raise some cash though, to save up for what I will need when I find a new place (deposits, a couch), and to replace the sudden expense I had with evacuation and moving (FEMA has done a walk through but I was not a homeowner so not sure how much they can help; my private insurance doesn’t cover flooding although they’re scraping together some reimbursement for the evacuation).

So behold my chosen colors for the Floodwaters patterns, one knit and one crochet, to come out as soon as I can get my crap together! Want to help? You will be able to buy a pattern!

In the meantime, Anzula is doing a pattern fundraiser for me and for Peggy from The Salty Sheep in Swansboro, NC, who suffered extensive damage to both her home and her yarn shop. Check out the Camille scarf by clicking on the photo below –

For those of you who have asked for an address, for letters it’s PO Box 3303 Wilmington, NC 28406; and for packages it’s C/O Blue Water Realty 1000 S Lake Park Blvd Carolina Beach, NC 28428. I will be able to use these for a while no matter where I land in January so that helps too!

So that’s my saga. I am back to work and trying to calm down a little. That roaring ocean helps.

Thanks to all who stopped by here or other social media accounts to send love. You all mean the world to me.

*Good friends know what you need whether you acknowledge it or not – thanks to Lindsey Stephens for setting up a GoFundMe for my benefit – https://www.gofundme.com/mary-beth-temple-florence-fund