You'd think that with all this waiting for the phone to ring while I relax in a nice motel room, I'd be sitting here knitting, but I'm in survival mode and haven't had any desire to take up a project. Besides, my knitting bag is back at the house because of all the stuff I have packed out of there, it was low on my list of things to bring.

Today I finally went to the grocery store and bought some TV dinners and made-up salads. It's kind of fun to try these convenience foods because if I was living at home, I never would.

The dinner I heated up this noon was some kind of spicy chicken with rice, and I thought it was going to have capers in it, but it was more Puerto Rican style with plantains as a garnish. They weren't too bad, reminded me of sweet potatoes in texture, but not as flavorful. I don't think I'll buy that one again, but if I accidentally brought it home, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

The salad I had was mixed spring greens with feta cheese, diced apple, sunflower seeds, and some kind of dressing. It tasted better than it looked, but overpriced for what was there.

I called the FEMA hotline today to check the status of my claim. Yesterday's inspector surrendered my case so it's available for a less geographically-challenged inspector to take up. These FEMA inspectors are independent contractors and pay all their own expenses in the field. They don't take weekends off because they get paid by the number of inspections, so want to get as many done as they can. This is good for me, because maybe they will call sooner than later. I think they are busier up here with all the townspeople right here and accessible. The first one I had, the claimants could not access their homes yet due to roads being out, so the inspectors had plenty of time to get things lined up, then they'll have to wait for access.

Here's a quick travel tip: