August 28 Kathy Goes Home

Yesterday morning we checked on Theodosia and the kittens. She said she fed them "all night". When they started to cry in early morning, she just put them all on the bed with her - and there they were. They see much better now and cry as soon as they hear voices. Theodosia had to cancel some of the day's lessons so she could clean the house, do mounds of laundry and care for kittens. The ash had sifted onto all balconies and been tracked onto the stairs. Kathy and I cleaned the upstairs balconies, speaking in whispers not to wake the kittens. The ash is very fine. We swept up as much as we could, then hosed down what the water would flush and then mopped up the rest. We carted loads of laundry to the roof to hang on lines. The wind had changed so the bank of smoke was to the south and east of us. We did the noon kitten feeding for Theodosia, The kittens now want to suck long after they are full; they just want the comfort of attachment. One kitten attached itself to loose skin on my arm and by the time we were done feeding and cleaning them, he had given me a "kitty hickey". My strength is coming back slowly. I was good for the short haul down to check email, then I needed a nap. Kathy spent the afternoon organizing and trying to stuff all of her purchases and belongings into her three suitcases. She packed and repacked.

The alarm went off early this morning. The kittens were fed, we hauled suitcases to the car and finally left at 9:20. Since we do not have internet at the house Kathy could not print off her boarding pass and had to get it at the airport. We made a detour by Maria's so she could give Kathy a goodbye gift. We got to the airport at 10:20, two hours before Kathy's flight, a little better than last time when we almost did not get on the plane. And there is more security this time. I helped Kathy drag her three HEAVY bags in and found the long Continental Airlines line. Theodosia parked the car; we were only allowed to watch from a distance until Kathy checked her bags and got her boarding pass, but then we had to say goodbye as she had only 30 minutes left to go through security and get to her gate. Seeing her off was the beginning of "re-entry" for me; I will fly back to Seattle with my charges in six days.

Fires still burn in Greece, but most of those on Peloponnese are out - or there is nothing else to burn. Cooler temperatures and lower winds help. TV has returned to normal viewing except for interviews with victims. I was impressed to see on TV a long line of trucks hauling prefabricated houses to the sites of the burned over areas. Loads of water were delivered; even the bakery truck left of a sack of fresh loaves on the curbside in a village. Phone banks are in place and emergency aid is available. Of course no one is happy. One Sunday morning paper had the whole front page completely black, with three words of text printed in red at the bottom, saying in Greek "There are no words".