Here’s a Hurricane Ike photo of the Galveston Strand from the Galveston Historical Foundation‘s website. Gives one pause, doesn’t it? What’s really amazing, and just another example of why I love my state …. Texans are tough and get right back on that horse. Every Christmas, the GHF puts on “Dickens on the Strand” … a great holiday event where people dress in Victorian costume, sing carols, shop, and experience a Victorian time traveling holiday. The GHF has announced that Dickens will go on — work is underway to get the Strand cleaned up and ready. Funds are needed to salvage the historic sites around the island that have been so devastated by the sea. We’ve not gone in several years because, ironically, the event had become so popular that the crowds made it less enjoyable than in earlier years. However, we may have to go “support” the restoration efforts by buying tickets this year.
| You Should Live in North Carolina |
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South Carolina http://www.blogthings.com/whatstateshouldyouliveinquiz/ Thanks, Kathy, for sharing this fun little quiz! |
Good Things Come in Threes
We got our electric and telephone back on September 30, and the internet was reconnected today (October 2). Eighteen days total without these very essential utilities, but as I said in a previous post, I think … we are so blessed and have very little to complain about when it’s all said and done.
Hope you all are doing well … in a few days, when life is a little more normal, I’ll try to write more. Have a great Friday!
You HAVE to Have a Sense of Humor …
Top Ten Reasons Hurricane Season is Like Christmas
10. Decorating the house (boarding up windows).
9. Dragging out boxes that haven’t been used since last season (camping gear, flashlights).
8. Last minute shopping in crowded stores.
7. Regular TV shows pre-empted for ‘specials’.
6. Family coming to stay with you.
5. Family and friends from out-of-state calling.
4. Buying food you don’t normally buy … and in large quantities.
3. Days off from work.
2. Candles.
And the number one reason:
1. Hurricane Season is like Christmas…At some point you know you’re going to have a tree in your house..!
Safe and Sound, Back Home
We are home … ended up evacuating to Marble Falls, Texas last Thursday. God is good … we spent four days in a 2 bedroom rental on Lake LBJ (that’s Lyndon Baines Johnson to you non-Texans) … nothing fancy, but it was clean, there was a kitchen and the sliding glass door entry looked directly on the lake where our kids (Jami and her best friends) spent the entire time swimming in the lake. That was a blessing because it kept their minds off worrying about what was happening back home or if there would even be a home to go back to.
The landlady even gave us a discount — charging us a $100 per night, rather than the $135 she normally charges. The place we stayed was “Honey Beech Lodge” … we are seriously considering returning there, but with a much less pressured itinerary, someday.
I’ve been checking out the photos and such on the Houston Chronicle website. We haven’t been able to really go and see anything … mainly because we don’t want to (a) get in the way of people trying to work, and (b) waste gasoline driving around. Here’s an interesting video of how Texans respond to a crisis … I am amazed at how people have rolled up their sleeves and dove in to get things up and running. Granted, we’ll be without power for a time because we have a downed utility pole in our yard and it is not affecting anyone else (thus we fall low on the priority list)… but I am amazed at how quickly the rest of our community got power back, as well as many surrounding areas. The video of Gaido’s throwing a shrimp boil for the first responders on the Seawall of Galveston made me smile. Here are people working their backsides off in an effort to get Galveston back on the road to normal, and the good people at Gaido’s restaurant helped out by doing what they do best: feed the crowd. And they didn’t just hand out a styrofoam plate with some grub on it. The first responders were able to sit down to a linen-clothed table, with flowers no less, and rest for a bit while they broke bread. It’s pretty cool to see that folks can maintain civility even in the midst of a crisis. Seems like so many use a catastrophe to go all “Lord of the Flies” on each other, rather than helping each other survive.
Our neighbor has power now and used his electrician skills to run a powerline over to our house. We are trying not to take excessive advantage of it, only using it to run a couple of box fans and a couple of lights in the evening, plus our refrigerator. And when all is said and done, we will be making a contribution toward his electric bill, of course. Our main concern at this time is the septic system. It is run by electricity and if the tank becomes too full, it could backflow into the house. So we are “camping” indoors with a camp toilet, and using caution in our water usage … quick showers and careful handwashing (no wasting of water while lathering), in hopes that the tank will not fill too quickly. Speaking of water, because our well is electric, too, our neighbor and my guy managed to utilize the hoses used for a washing machine to connect our neighbor’s well to one of the exterior faucets of our house. I’m not quite sure what they did or how it works, but somehow we do have water for showering and cooking.
I do not complain, though, because my family and friends are safe, my home is still intact, and God has blessed us with beautiful weather these last few days. Any of you who live in Texas or have visited this time of year know that it can be very warm and humid even in September … so the highs of 80 degrees and lows in the upper 50’s, low 60’s at night have been a true gift. I understand it will be getting warmer next week, but evenso, I do not expect it will be all that bad. As I have an opportunity, I will try to update you on how things are going here.
And to all of you who offered up prayers and even offered us shelter from the storm, you are the dearest of friends and I love you all. Thank you so much!
Mandatory Evac Ordered for Our Entire County
They just issued a mandatory evacuation order for our entire county. I have to try to find some place that I can shelter some of the cats while we are gone. If we are able to find a hotel that accepts animals, I do not think they will accept the number of animals that we have. I’ll be back in touch when I am able to do so.
Laura
Major Prayer Request – Hurricane Ike
At 5:30 a.m. my county issued a mandatory evacuation for our zip code … we are supposed to evacuate by 10:00 a.m. this morning. I have gathered up our personal papers, my business papers, and Jami’s homeschool materials on our dining table. I still have to put my photo albums and negatives in a couple of plastic boxes and throw some clothes in a bag. Load up the truck and Jeep with all this, then crate up all the animals for the trek to my sister’s house. While not the ideal situation, she lives further inland than we do and with all our critters (3 dogs, 6 indoor kitties, 2 outdoor kitties) there’s not a hotel in the state that will take us. I’m just praying that later in the day they do not issue a mandatory evacuation for her zip code. I don’t think they can “make” you leave, but basically if you ignore the “mandatory” evac order, you are on your own if something catastrophic happens. They will not send anyone to help you.
I have to go for now … much to do before we leave, but your prayers are appreciated.
Go Away, Ike …
This storm is making me a wee bit nervous. Okay, a lot nervous. We keep “escaping” a direct hit … Katrina, Rita, Gustav …. it’s only a matter of time before our number is up. We still have water, canned goods, that kind of thing. But to tell you the truth … we’re a measly 8 miles from the beach and the only thing between us and the beach is a saltwater marsh wild life refuge. Sigh. I’d probably stay here through a tropical storm, or possibly even a Cat 1 hurricane. But anything stronger than that, I’d feel mighty inclined to head a little further inland. I just don’t know that our 60 year old, frame house with cement siding is up to handling a major storm.
And I’d much rather err on the side of caution … evacuate and come home to find all is okay, rather than stay here and wish I’d done the sensible thing and evacuated when I had the chance.
Any of you remember this photo?
This is a house a few blocks down from ours after a particularly good rain storm about a year or so ago. Not even a “tropical storm” … granted, it’s so dry around here right now, the ground might soak it up a lot faster, but as much rain as tropical storms and hurricanes dump, I’m not sure it’s a good gamble. We didn’t have a flooded yard when this happened, but who knows what might happen with Ike?
I’ll be checking in with ya’ll later.
From Emmett Tyrell’s column today …
Read the entire article, but note this little bit that really tickled my funny bone (notable bits are in boldface):
This week, after but two days of watching the media’s coverage
of the looming Democratic convention, columnist Tony Blankley — a gentleman
to the utmost — coined the term “the mainstream moron media.” My guess is
that Blankley was perfectly serene when he typed out that line. Most
probably, he was wearing an immaculately starched English shirt. Possibly,
he was wearing a tie, and almost certainly, he had his pants on. But really after two days of the media’s homogenized mush,
enough is enough. “When I turned the TV on,” Blankley wrote at the outset of
the convention coverage, “the political cable shows were filled with liberal
pundits, liberal anchors, liberal guest historians, liberal weather gals and
guys, liberal news-you-can-use chicks and liberal political ‘strategists’
(i.e., out-of-work former Democratic National Committee gofers).”
Practically everything they droned on about was stupid.
of the looming Democratic convention, columnist Tony Blankley — a gentleman
to the utmost — coined the term “the mainstream moron media.” My guess is
that Blankley was perfectly serene when he typed out that line. Most
probably, he was wearing an immaculately starched English shirt. Possibly,
he was wearing a tie, and almost certainly, he had his pants on. But really after two days of the media’s homogenized mush,
enough is enough. “When I turned the TV on,” Blankley wrote at the outset of
the convention coverage, “the political cable shows were filled with liberal
pundits, liberal anchors, liberal guest historians, liberal weather gals and
guys, liberal news-you-can-use chicks and liberal political ‘strategists’
(i.e., out-of-work former Democratic National Committee gofers).”
Practically everything they droned on about was stupid.
Tyrell has such a lovely rhythm to his writing:
Hillary just lost a presidential bid
considered for months to have been “inevitable” (though I always had my
doubts, as you will recall), and she lost to a political neophyte, a
neighborhood organizer from Chicago. By the end of the first month of the
primaries, she had blown through $100 million. She was doomed by Feb. 5.
During her extended soap opera, she was personally indecisive (as was
predictable), presided over a chaotic and embittered staff (again,
predictable), and had no control of her reckless husband (stupendously
predictable), who, contrary to what the mainstream moron media say, almost
never has been an asset for any candidate he’s supported. In 2004, he
campaigned for 14 candidates, 12 of whom lost — but I repeat myself.
considered for months to have been “inevitable” (though I always had my
doubts, as you will recall), and she lost to a political neophyte, a
neighborhood organizer from Chicago. By the end of the first month of the
primaries, she had blown through $100 million. She was doomed by Feb. 5.
During her extended soap opera, she was personally indecisive (as was
predictable), presided over a chaotic and embittered staff (again,
predictable), and had no control of her reckless husband (stupendously
predictable), who, contrary to what the mainstream moron media say, almost
never has been an asset for any candidate he’s supported. In 2004, he
campaigned for 14 candidates, 12 of whom lost — but I repeat myself.
Stupendously predictable … I’m going to be looking for an excuse to use that phrase … for some strange reason, it just pleases my ear.
Thanks, Old Hat for the “Quote to Ponder” (even if it’s more a chuckle than a ponder)
I haven’t even finished reading about your adventure in the College Bookstore (or the Bookstore at the College), but I HAD to quote you … this was a great line and one that will make me chuckle for several days (being the caffeine addict that I am). Have a great one!
A Scribbler & A Shutterbug 