Power's out but our backup generator is working (hurray! So worth it!) and the phone lines aren't down yet so I even have Internet. The awesome neighbors helped me move every damn thing in the backyard yesterday, I have backup water and plenty to eat, the sump pump is working, and now all I have to do is watch the wind and rain outside (so far, on the bad end of a normal summer storm, but our yard already looks like a swamp and it's only going to get worse), do periodic leak checks, and stay comfy. Chad's theoretically still on his way back from his trip tonight (we'll believe it when we see it, but he has backup plans), and SteelyKid was already visiting her grandparents a couple hours west. So all is well here and I hope you all are well too, wherever you are.

PS: does anyone have suggestions for trees that are shady but not as shady as maples? We can't get anything ground-cover-ish to grow in a large chunk of our backyard because a couple of maples cast really dense shade for most of the day. I have been resisting getting rid of them because I love shade, but I think it's really time we had drainage rather than packed mud for a backyard. Would it be possible to replace them with something that is only partly shady, that would still let grass grow while keeping the yard from completely baking? We're in zone 5 if the Internet can be believed, btw.