On being a storm refugee and sleeping with dolls

What I learned from our recent storms:

• Expect
the unexpected. Yuma is the only place I’ve lived where if your electricity goes out, so does your water.

• After a water outage, you can flush your toilets once before they lose the capacity to refill themselves. Use those flushes wisely.

• Become familiar with the process of manually opening your garage. That dangling red cord isn’t there just for decoration.

• Don’t try to be macho by waiting out the power outage at home. You’ll be miserable and feel and smell like a sweaty pig. Treat yourself to a short stay at a nice, air-conditioned hotel.

• Don’t keep lots of fish in the fridge. You’ll regret it after 2 days without power.

• Storm refugees, like beggars, can’t be choosers. Accept shelter from your friends, even if it is in their "doll room." So what if you have to sleep in a small space crammed with almost 200 dolls of varying sizes and gender leering at you all night? It could be worse: Your friend could collect creepy clowns.