with the confident expectation that the mod would suddenly claim a rl disaster and disappear

I have a theory about that, based on how my body responds to a)stress and b)deadlines. When stress causes deadlines, or deadlines cause stress (either way in my life at least), my body goes into a very bad mode indeed, with nausea and headaches topping the list of what happens to me.

I think that, despite her best efforts on the comm's behalf, this happens to her. (This excepts the one year when she had to live several days without power ... I know where she lives, and read the Canadian news that week and, sure enough, the province where she lives was caught in a multi-day power outage. In the middle of winter ... that one must have been murder.)

ANYhow (goodness, I do go on) I really do feel for her. I know she asked for volunteer help and is effusively thankful for the folks who answer the call, but perhaps more of us need to help out (and by "more of us" I am looking squarely at myself.)

But having a few extra days to stuff stockings? Yes, it does feel good!