Thank you for finding That Old House amidst the chaos of the Internet. We are delighted that you are here.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Bad Sandy, Good Dog, One Pic


Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Post Tropical Cyclone Sandy
roared through New Jersey yesterday.

She was not a nice guest.
At That Old House, Sandy tore hunks of roofing off and hurled them onto the sunroom roof, where they skidded to the ground,
and let me tell you, when a roof is made of translucent
poly-something-or-other, having hunks of roof
banging and skidding over it is very very noisy.

And scary.

Noisiest surprise -- a long length of gutter tore off the attic roof, 
hit the sunroom, and is still dangling half-on, half-off the house.

Lovely.
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But many places fared far, far worse, as you know if you haven't
been hiding under a rock.  New York City is reeling.
My husband has been staying at a midtown hotel since Sunday night.
He worked 13 hours on Monday, same today,
and will maybe get home late tomorrow night.

(Update: H says it is doubtful he will get home on Wednesday.  Bummer.)

*********************************
We don't know how our beach house in New York fared,
'way out on eastern Long Island's North Fork.
Southold cops closed the road leading to it --
 impassable because of floodwaters.
That's not a really good sign.

But as my Mom used to say, "If it doesn't bleed, don't worry about it."
And she was right.  Whatever happened to our beach house,
or to That Old House, is fixable.

*****************************
We are all safe and sound,
including our newest family member.
Photo courtesy of Cavalier Rescue.  He has been moving too fast for me to get a good shot!

He is a 3-year old tricolor Cavalier King Charles Spaniel,
and we adopted him Sunday afternoon from Cavalier Rescue.

He's a little bit of a boy, only 13 pounds, but he makes up for his
lack of size with loads of energy and curiosity.

And no manners.
This is not his fault.

He was given to Rescue by owners who could not
care for him, and he had about as much training (meaning none)
as a 6-month old puppy.  Only he's 3.

But we've trained lots of dogs in our time, with all sorts of issues,
and this guy needs us.  Like we need him.

He's adorably affectionate, and his favorite place to be
is curled up in someone's lap.  The closer the better.

I promise more pictures of him, and pictures of our house,
in tomorrow's blog post.  I am racing the power grid;
our electricity comes and goes; luckily for us,
it's been on for a few hours, 
that's liable to change at any moment.

Meanwhile -- please help us name our new boy!
We are changing his original name, as it might carry
"bad vibe" memories from his last home.

Anne and I have narrowed our choices to four:
1. Dylan
2. Pip
3. Hugo
4. Dickens
What's your vote?
*****************************
My heartfelt sympathy to the storm veterans who have lost their homes, and in some cases family or friends, to the terrible Sandy.  To any people from Canada to North Carolina, west to Michigan, who are soldiering on in primitive conditions -- we are praying for your welfare.  Many thanks -- more than can be expressed -- to the emergency and utility workers who perform miracles in these situations, and risk their own well being to do so.
You are amazing.
-- Cass


35 comments:

  1. This is such a good news/bad news post ... so glad to hear that you are fine and that damage for you is so relatively minor. I've been waiting to hear.

    Now, on to the good news. I am SO happy for you!!! You already know that I truly believe that our pets find US, and it sounds like this little guy has been waiting for you and belongs with you. What a sweet face! Since you asked, I like Dickens ... as in 'little' Dickens, though I suspect it's on the list because of the 'Charles' connection. (I'm so happy for you, I'm squealing on the inside.)

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  2. I had that same thought about "Dickens".....Pip's cute too, since he's so bitty

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  3. Glad you checked in - I was wondering how you and your home made it thru the storm.
    My heart goes out to those that have lost so much. Hoping your beach house is ok also.
    Your new family member is so cute!!

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  4. So glad to hear you are all fine there. I keep checking in to see if anymore of the folks along the worst areas have posted. So happy to hear from you. Well, "Hello Gorgeous". All I can see is fun times ahead with the new family member. "Hugo" is a favorite with me. Hugs, Deb

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  5. So glad that you are all safe! Your new boy is a beauty> I vote for"Dickens" It fits him, I think.
    Here in Texas we watch the news & hope & pray that all is well. We know it is so scary and distressing
    and will take a long time to get things in some order to go on. So many homes lost and animals too, I fear. Very sad.
    Sending hugs & concern & prayers your way.
    Maki's Little Red House.blogspot.com
    maxinemcdole@gmail.com

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  6. So glad to hear you and your family is Ok Cass..I have been praying for all of you..Love the new pup..I would name him Dickens..as in " You Little Dickens " really sweet looking and how fun you'll have having some fur love again..Take care my dear friend..Hugs and smiles Gloria

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  7. I am glad that you have weathered the storm Cass. And your mother is so right! Your new puppy is adorable. I think he should be named either Pip or Dickens. He just looks so English to me and those are good English names. :) I'm sure he'll bring you lots of joy and you'll have him well trained in no time. Blessings to you. Thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost so much. Pamela

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  8. Glad mostly everything is Ok. Absolutely adorable new furball. I'm rather fond on Dickens myself as I see a few others are.

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  9. I vote for Dickens. What a great name for him... A fun name too.

    Sorry about your damage. It got all gusty and blustery here but no damage and no loss of power. Let's hope the damage at your beach house is not too terribly bad. *gulp*

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  10. That wind was something else, wasn't it? So glad you are ok. Sorry about the damage to your home. We are watching the NBC special about Hurricane Sandy right now.
    I love your new pup....I think I love Dylan but of course you know him best. Maybe he is a little Dickens.
    Can't wait to hear what you choose.

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  11. HUGO!!! He just looks like a Hugo to me :) Glad you made it through OK - The winds whipping through my trees at 2 a.m. were horrible...but we made out fairly well. Just waiting for the waters to recede now...

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  12. Thanks for posting, Cass. I've been wondering, worrying, praying and checking every so often to see how y'all are doing. We are praying here in TX.
    I agree with so many others - I LOVE Dickens!

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  13. So glad you are safe and did not suffer too much damage at that old house. I hope your beach house survived as well.

    As for your new addition, my opinion:

    * Dylan - No, too close to Dion
    * Hugo -- No, Hugo belongs to a BIG dog (or a hurricane)
    * Dickens -- No, too predictable (how many times do you think you can stand to hear "Oh,I bet he's just a little Dickens"??)
    * PIP -- Oh yes, he's a Pip all right! Just perfect for a small-ish fella. Gotta be!!

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  14. Stopped in to check on you - sorry about the damage, but it could have been so much worse. I can't help think about the your old house in Lincoln Park and remember the floods. Hopefully you'll hear soon about the beach house. 'Stuff' can be replaced - at least you're all safe.
    As for the new pup - many congratulations !! I look at him and am reminded of Lily. I wish you many happy, healthy years with him, and look forward to hearing all the stories. I suspect Dion will be in contact with him soon to fill him in on liver, Frank who comes bearing big birds but no gifts, and all the other tidbits Dion has to pass on. I also hope he develops Dion's gift for writing. I look forward to hearing from him. Hope Howard makes it home soon. BTW, I like Pip or Dickens. :-)

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  15. I am so glad you are safe but sorry the man is stuck in NYC. I hope your beach house survived-even if it is not in the best of shape. A roof can be fixed and so can gutters -you have the right spirit about the whole thing. I dunno about the name- Pip is cute but he might "outgrow" it. Dylan makes me think of the poet...Hugo reminds me of the hurricane...so I guess it is Dickens for me!;>) xo Diana

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  16. Too bad about poor Howard - not a nice place to be marooned this week!
    What great news about the new member of your family - I vote for HUGO!!....although I think Sandy might have been appropriate!

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  17. Glad that you are safe and sound. Hope Howard gets home soon.
    Blessing and prayers to tyou and you community!

    I vote for Dickens.

    M :)

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  18. My thoughts are for your and your family to stay safe and have as few a problems as possible from this disaster. The news shows the full extent of the storm. Your puppy is cute as can be and at three can be lots of fun. The dog was sent to the perfect family. My prayers are for you and your family to recover from the storm quickly and hope you will have good news about your beach home.

    Sincerely, Pam

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  19. Hope Howard makes it home safely. So much devastation, it is hard to comprehend. Your pup is definitely a Dickens!

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  20. Glad to know that you and yours are fine (even if there are some repairs needed for TOH -- but it's all fixable) I'm sorry Howard won't be home for a while . . . .

    And I vote for Dylan -- to me, he looks like a Dylan!

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  21. Been thinking about you, so glad to see you are fine!!! Hoping the beach house was spared major damage. But am so happy a new member of the family has moved in...I like Pip, but can see Dickens also. Hoping Howard gets home real soon!!! donna :)

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  22. I am so relieved for and about you, and that you had Anne and that lovely new boy with you, Also that Howard, while "temporarily stuck in N.Y." is safe and also had folks around him when Sandy visited you all.

    I'm thinking your new wee lad looks like a Pip or a Dickens. Pip was my first choice however Dickens is growing on me. But what do I know - I named my darling rescue cat Zebby because of the tabby zebra-style stripes on his hind leggies!

    The "most bestest thing" is that a lovely little doglet now has a wonderful new home with humans that will so love and care for him. He is such a sweet looking grown-up doglet.

    Sending care and huggles, Michelle down-under in Wellington, New Zealand (and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz from Zebby Cat a-snoozling on the sofa)

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  23. Glad to hear that you're safe. Hope your beach house made it through the storm. And my gosh, Dylan is cute. Yes, I already picked the name for you!

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  24. Was thinking about you guys yesterday...glad you're OK. I like "Dylan", but I'm thinking I'd pick whichever name rolls off your tongue most easily!

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  25. So glad to hear that you made it through the storm relatively unharmed. Here's the weird thing about this new internet world -- I have been thinking about you and your family, even though I don't know you. I'm happy to hear that you and yours are safe.

    Congrats on the new doggie. He's adorable. Can't wait to hear more about him. I like all the possible names. I'll bet he will tell you which one is best, in due time.

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  26. Oops, forgot to mention that the previous comment is from me Lois in SWPA

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  27. Praying that your beach house has survived. Our daughter who lives in Rye just north of NYC had a huge oak tree hit across her house from back door to front... they are ok but the house is a mess.

    that sure is a pretty puppy.

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  28. He is a little Dickens! Adorable!

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  29. SO good to see you're ok, Cass. Things can be replaced or repaired. People and pets matter. There's just no way to put the devastation from this disaster into words.
    So....your new pup! How cute is he? There's a lot of dignity in that face and in spite of it, I'd have to go with Pip. Every time we named a cat or dog I always called the name out the back door. Last year we adopted our daughter's dog and I just couldn't see myself calling "Cupcake". She answers to Dolly and loves it.

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  30. Glad to hear that you're safe and ok - My vote is Dickens.....so different, and you can say" what the Dickens!" when he's naughty! Good luck with the training xxx

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  31. Oh Cass, I'm so very relieved to find that you are all ok and survived another massive storm. I well remember the one that flooded your basement one year and destroyed all your Christmas decorations. I look forward to hearing that the Long Island house isn't as bad off as it sounds. You're always in my prayers!!! Much love to you all.

    The new furbaby is just adorable!!! I vote for the name Dickens! Give him a few years and he most definitely will be a little dickens!!!

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  32. Congrats on the adoption!! We don't always choose the dog we want...we choose the dog we need...and he needs you guys!

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  33. Hi Cass, So glad you came out of that storm alright. Congrats on the new addition to your family! He is PRECIOUS! About naming him, if you named him one of the D names would you want to call him Dion all the time and if so would that make you sad? If so I suggest you name him Pip. Have fun! Gina

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  34. So thankful that you and your family are safe. My heart goes out to those who have lost so much and whose lives have been put on hold as a result. Seeing the pictures and stories on the news breaks one's heart at seeing and knowing that coming back will take a long time. The damage is unfathomable! I pray that they will be able to focus on what they do have to be thankful for as it helps with the healing and recovery.
    Your new little guy is too adorable!! I like the name Dickens cuz...he is as cute as the dickens! ;)

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  35. Dylan gets my vote. Congrats on your new baby. Love to you all. (((hugs)))Pat

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