Wow! I'm not sure what to say.

In my mind it would meant so much more if they had stayed home and made a large donation in the name of Raven's neighbor to one of the relief organizations. The more I think about this, the more appalled I become!

I hope that they can get a new motorhome soon. That would be much better than staying with someone no matter how much you like them.

I am sorry to hear that Raven is going through this. On the other hand this lady is 95 and this disaster has impacted her too to some extent. Her family is probably worried about her and making plans in advance isn't easy when it's possible roads are closed and so on. This may very well be the last birthday they get to celebrate together as a family. I think it was very kind of the lady to take in Mr and Mrs Raven and Mia and hope they can return there after she spends some time with her family.

I'm so sorry to hear about the unexpected turn of events and further upset to you Raven.

I agree with Irma, the family may want to spend as many birthdays with their mom or grandmom as possible. 95 or maybe 96 is a ripe age.

They could have understandable concerns about her housing someone that they don't know. I hope that they meet the Raven family and feel more relaxed if that is a concern for them. Remember the horror stories after Katrina displaced so many people?

I can understand the family wanting to celebrate this lady's birthday and to spend time with her, but their timing is terrible. To descend on her unannounced in the middle of one of the worst disasters this country has ever seen is thoughtless at best and bordering on being downright rude.

They should have asked if it was OK to come and/or put the celebration off for a month until the recovery had started and the neighbor had a chance to prepare for company. I also get that there are probably circumstances we may not know and that we don't know how the neighbor feels, but based on the information we do have, I think the family has way overstepped here.

PKponder, you raise a good point about the family having concerns about strangers (to them) staying in their relative's home, yet they must be comfortable with her living on her own. What they could have done that would have been less intrusive is to send one or two family members to check things out.

This is just me but I'd be mightily annoyed to have to host a bunch of drop-in guests when life was normal, to have it thrust upon me while trying to cope with a flood would leave me thinking unkind thoughts about these people.

Thinking about you (((Raven, Mr. Raven and Mia)))

Raven that is good news about the place you are staying. I don't really have any advice (except you make me see how little my "problems" really are).

Hugs & Prayers Raven & family

I'm so glad your asthma is better and that she is set up to help your mobility. Something good!

I am relieved you were able to land in a better place for now and you are feeling a tiny bit better with respect to your health, Raven.

Well, I certainly am relieved that you found an even nicer place to stay. You don't need this kind of stress with all you 're going thru. Some people do not think. Imagine a bunch of people descending on this 95-year-old's house for a birthday party. It would have been very wise to postpone it for a few months till hotels were available. I am so sorry about all your losses. You and Marilyn have been in my thoughts all week. I hope the funds Moni set up for both of you help some. Nothing can relieve the stress though. My thoughts are always with you. Take care of yourself as well as Mr Raven and Mia.

So thankful you have a better place to stay for now and are feeling some better. Praying that Mr. Raven stays healthy through all of this.

You must be feeling so unsettled, Raven. I'm very sorry and hope you have your own living quarters soon.

I'm happy for this news, things are improving for you - one step at a time! I will keep praying that you can be settled just as soon as possible.

It is such a relief to hear from you, Raven! Things work in strange ways. While we were all grateful that you were rescued and taken to the Birthday Lady, I do think the current situation might be a plus......and Lord knows, you need a few 'pluses' along the way!

Agree with sc_irish, above. Things work in strange ways. It sounds as if the new place will be much better for you healthwise, Raven. And see if you can get your husband to stay away from the house and all that bad influence on him. He and you need to just stay together at this point in time. There is nothing either of you can do about the house. So glad to hear that both of you are doing better now. And may God continue to watch over you both.

Sending you good thoughts. Some things can be salvaged... possibly ceramics and glassware. May not be the things you most have your heart in, but some of those may have momento attachment. Even if you don't have your own phone, some phones will back up photos taken from them in the past, to their cloud without your asking. This is all small stuff, but it may help a little. My fingers are crossed for you that you can come out of this situation as strong as possible. Your unseen friends here are among your friends.

Prayers!

And here I sit with two empty bedrooms. Wish I was close by. I have read every word of your posts and Marilyn's. Nothing has brought home the truth of this awful situation as your stories. I am thinking of you.

Still praying for you and yours. It sounds as though the new place is much better for you, and having a wheelchair and accessible bath is wonderful. Maybe getting kicked out of the other place was a blessing in disguise. Hopefully, you will be able to get a new motorhome soon and try to get back to some semblance of normalcy.

I don't know if I should subject y'all to this but here's a few pictures of our disaster.

Some of you will recognize some of the things in these, like the art over the bed and my new kitchen and island. Both fridges were laying on the floor on their back.

It's amazing how much stuff traveled. Things from the sun room were in the very back bathroom they had to go through 3 rooms around a corner and down a long hallway into the bathroom.

I wish I could so something to make it all better. Like right this minute. Stay strong and know that when one door closes another one opens.

I'm glad you've found a better place to stay. Those photos are shocking - what a mess!

I'm so glad you have a new place to stay! It sounds much nicer, the wheelchair and room to use it! YAY!

Those photos are telling. Lots of work to do. I hope you get rested up.

Those photos really bring it all home, Raven.

What about the RV? Is it salvageable?

Oh my God Raven. I don't know where I have been that I'm seeing this about you for the first time. I cant express how very sorry I am that this has happened to you and your family again.

I'm glad you have a better placed to stay for now. You have my prayers that you get through this horrible time as quickly and painlessly as possible.

I'm so sorry.

Raven, you are in our thoughts!

You poured your heart into redoing the home last time, and it was so nice. Sickening to see what happened.

Oh, raven, your pretty kitchen and island! The overturned dining chairs make me want to cry for you. I'm so sorry you have to go through this again.

I'm so sorry. I hope you can salvage some of your stuff.

Prayers. And Prayers. And Prayers. I've added you to my prayer list. You will be there every day until you are resettled in your new home. I pray that you find peace, and strength and hope.

Raven I'm glad your breathing is easier where you are now. We all care about you and wish everything will be much better soon.

Wow, those pictures are disturbing. Some serious "where to start?" But I'm confused. I always pictured a flooded house to be covered in mud. It seems like everything is relatively clean. I know that there is all sorts of crap in the water, but even the windows don't look particularly dirty. Is it because this was so much clean water falling, rather than say, snow melt runoff?

Raven, I am reading all you have posted and my heart aches for you. To go through all this again is so unfair. I know it must be difficult to look ahead. My thoughts and prayers go out to you for everything to fall in place quickly and relieve the stress that is consuming you now.

I know you've said you will move. Do you have to go through with trying to rebuild this house again? Or since it has flooded twice, will they allow you to walk away?

I don't know enough about the 95 YO birthday girl and her family to judge them one way or another. There are probably good reasons for things to have happened as they did. I am, however, extremely grateful to the birthday girl for taking y'all in like she did! That would be hard on anyone of any age, I would think! I've included her in my prayers, thanking the Good Lord for her! And I sincerely hope she has a wonderful birthday with her family.

And, Raven, I am also so very glad you have found a place that is better suited to your needs. I am thanking the Lord for this person, too!

I've been keeping up with your story (and Marilyn's), as it unfolds. So tragic! Words fail me. Those beautiful Fleur de Lis dining chairs! And so many other things! But that's just it. They are things, just things! Y'all are alive! That is what is most important!

I have friends and kinfolk all up and down the coast, from Corpus Christi to north of Houston, and inland to Victoria. The few I have heard from are okay (alive), others I have no idea yet how they've fared. But I am concentrating what little I have to give to them. The towns are small, so they aren't getting the media coverage that Houston and now Beaumont are getting. But the people have been hit just as hard, many have lost everything, totally devastated. So all I have to offer you is prayer, and I will continue to pray for you and your family.

Rusty

I thank God you found a suitable place to stay for a while and happy you have a temporary chair. Baby steps. You well know that it all works out in the end but the journey is arduous. When it's all resolved you'll be in a place where there is no flooding and, who know, you may be happier than you've ever been. That's my wish for you. Where are the sprites now, are they safe? Is your cold getting better?

Yaya- rhizo has the sprites next door. As far as I know, there has been no severe weather where they live.

My thought is that for some reason I was supposed to lighten my load. I needed to be free of all that stuff. We had discussed at one time that it might be fun to just get rid of everything and just travel. That would be much easier to do now. So that might be an option. If they buy out the house we just walk away. They have already done a few. So we are hopeful. That's what we pray for. A good price buy out.

We are very happy here and enjoying it here. Hopefully we can stay here till we can get something together.

I got a much better cell phone and will bring the other one back. I am trying to add all of my contacts back.

I will be praying that you get a good buy out price, can get another RV and be free to travel. That would make life so much easier on both of you. And the offer still stands to have you come to our house in GA.

Sometimes you just have to find the possibilities that have been opened up to you. My dad's restaurant was under 5 feet of water from the Addicks reservoir and he and my sister have both lost their livelihood. He's worked there 6 days a week for 30 years, so we're trying to convince him that it's time to make a change. And we're hoping that my sister will use this as an opportunity to go back to school.

Lots of tough times ahead for a lot of people. I'm glad you've found a temporary home that suits you and your needs. Best of luck with everything

Yayagal, the sprites are with Rhizo in another state, not Ravens neighbors. I'm sure if they had been threatened by Harvey, they'd be getting top billing here ;0) and we'd be fighting over who had first dibs in caring for them.

I'm sorry about your family's losses townlakecakes. I think you have the right attitude. This is a time of new opportunity. I hope your dad and sister find something that work for them.

Raven thinking of you and hoping for more positive opportunities. Especially that you get a great price for a buyout on your home. And when you do get that new RV, definitely come visit in FL.

Come check out North Alabama also.

Raven, my heart aches for what you are going through. I hope you get a good buy out deal but I know you hate that your beautiful home ended up like this. So very sorry.

Raven, I'm so sorry you're going through this for a second time. Heartbreaking. It sounds like you haven't let it break your spirit, though. Wishing you all the best.

townlakecakes - so very sorry to hear about your father and sister.

Raven - so incredibly sorry you are going through this.