TexasBug

6 Months Ago Today

2009-03-13T12:05:00.002-05:00

Today is the 6th month anniversary of Hurricane Ike.

Still haven't seen a dime from insurance.
Still live in a 35' motorhome in our neighbor's driveway.
Still have to do laundry in my neighbor's garage.
Still have the carcass of our home on our lot in it's exact same state.
Still thinking we'll have to file a lawsuit to get any insurance money.
Still think insurance companies are criminal.
Still haven't replaced even a fraction of our personal property lost.
Still don't have heat or ac at work.
Still sharing offices/officing in the hallways at work.

Still have a job.
Still have a wonderful family and great friends.

FEMA trailer park goes in at recreation field

2009-03-03T08:49:00.002-06:00

This trailer park is right across the street from one of Jackson's baseball team practice fields. I'll attach some photos to this article this evening when we return from practice. The site used to be the practice field for the island's youth football team. They've even poured asphalt roads and everything!

By Leigh Jones
The Daily News
Published February 22, 2009

GALVESTON — Crews working for the Federal Emergency Management Agency have about three weeks to finish installing 55 mobile homes at the island’s first temporary trailer park.

Despite delays caused by recent rains and the ensuing mud, the park should open on time, agency spokesman Dan Martinez said.

The park, at 83rd Street and Stewart Road, will be home to about 200 people, depending on how many are in each family that moves into a mobile home, he said.

But hundreds more are still looking for somewhere to live.

The agency’s mobile home waiting list includes 180 families, and while officials think that number is likely to go down, some people will still not have a place to stay when the park at Schreiber Field is full, Martinez said.

The rest may be able to move to several smaller, scattered sites. The agency has not picked those sites.

Unless the agency extends the hotel voucher program again, about 1,200 families staying in hotels will have to find somewhere else to stay March 13.

The agency originally planned to install about 150 mobile homes on two island sites, but officials decided last month that only Schreiber Field would be necessary.

The former soccer field belongs to the school district, although it was used mostly as a community league practice site.

The federal government is not paying the district for the land, compensating it instead with the improvements made to the site.

To raise the field to meet federal regulations for mobile home sites, crews trucked in fill and have been working to pack it down to avoid drainage problems. Crews are running compaction tests to measure the stability of the soil, agency Spokesman Bill Lehman said.

Before each trailer can be set in place, the pad site must pass three of the tests, he said. About 20 trailers have been installed, with construction crews now working to build stairs and decking outside the doors.

The 9-acre site also will be surrounded with a privacy fence before families are allowed to move in.

Unless the city extends the deadline, the agency must remove the trailers by April 2010.

Before & After

2009-03-01T15:03:00.004-06:00

This is something I've been wanting to do since Sept 13th. A Before & After photo comparison.

Let's start with my garden, since that's what's on my mind this time of year:

Big J, The Princess & our friend's daughter help me plant the initial goods

With the addition of the sign given to me by Bart's Dad, the garden is beautiful!!

I love the look of the blue birdbath in the midst of all those flowers

This shot is my favorite....MAN i loved that garden!

And here it is today, March 1, 2009

This is a cute shot of Big J, but what I want you to notice is our neighbor's beautiful front yard.

Here's that same shot today...no more mailbox or palm tree, etc

Our backyard, looking up from the dock, the summer of 2006 when we moved in

Same shot today. Be sure and notice the downstairs of the house and the lack of stairs outside!

This was part of our downstairs playroom when we first moved in...

Same view today

Edge of the office area and door to the upstairs then...

and today

Piano with Beethoven & credenza with printer then

and now

The downstairs bathroom then

same view today

View of the office area from a different angle

Same angle today...and for those of you who've had the tour, you may notice the kayak is gone...we found the owner!

The downstairs close that had Big L's clothes, the freezer & the extra fridge..

Hard to recognize today

Our beautifully landscaped street before...

Not exactly beautiful now

I hope you found this little comparison as interesting as I did. Especially now, almost 6 months out, I get used to how things are now and I can hardly even remember how they were before. Makes me remember why I fell in love with our wonderful little piece of heaven in the first place.

2009-02-25T16:13:00.004-06:00

So it's been about 5 1/2 months now since Hurricane Ike. While the island IS making amazing progress towards recovery, I'm constantly reminded of just what a sloooow process that is. As for us personally.....nothing. We are now waiting on insurance to respond to our demand. As I posted previously, they *finally* sent an adjuster out to look at the house, and we've been promised his numbers every day since. Now their latest tactic is to question whether or not our house was eligible to be insured on the ground floor. For those of you who don't have to worry about that stuff, what that means is simply whether or not the house was built before 1973 when the new codes limited building on the ground floor. Because ours was build in the late '60's, it was "Grandfathered" meaning it could be insured on the ground floor. The only way to prove that fact, however, is to go down to the County Courthouse and have them pull the property tax records. They simply go backwards until they find the first year that didn't list an improvement on the property. Then they certify it as the year your house was built. Well, wouldn't you know, that's just not good enough for this insurance company. They want something else proving that it was THIS house that was on the lot in 1973. As you can imagine, no such records exist. As far as I'm concerned, it's just another delay tactic in a long line of acts that border on criminal. Do I get 6 months to pay my premiums? I think not. In the meantime, we're submitting the paperwork fo our mortgage financing and permitting will be in place the minute we are free to demo the carcass. It's hard to believe it will ever actually happen.

So here's a look at how some people are coping (or not) with Ike and their homes:

you see lots of this...For Sale by Owner/As Is. Notice it's still boarded up from the storm. It appears that nothing has been done to it since, and due to its location on Broadway, it most definitely took on water.

These folks opted for demolition. Don't know if they took the buyout, which would mean the lot can never be built on again, or if they have enough insurance to rebuild on the same lot.

I love this....the Raising Up. This costs around $30k For a small house like this is not covered by insurance. I wonder if FEMA contributed?

This place looks totally abandoned....much like ours! I assume they, too, are waiting to hear from insurance so they can decide what to do. I wonder where they live right now?

And here are a couple of infamous FEMA trailers. I didn't do a good job of capturing how they really look....just stuck in your front yard, with your old house in the background. FEMA installs them with the steps & porch, and the connection to utilities, which consists of a very visible sewer pipe running across your yard and connecting to the cleanout. Definitely not meant to be pleasing to the eye...just a down-to-basic place to lay your head. These people have been living in hotels for 5 months while waiting on the trailers, which first appeared a couple of weeks ago.

After being in Houston last weekend, I've finally faced reality. Spring has sprung here on the Gulf Coast and any trees that still look like this (which is 95% of the trees on the island, excluding palms) have a very unsure future. Live Oaks are supposed to be covered in bright green leaves this time of year, already providing shade. Our friends in NOLA say it takes 3 years before you know for sure their fate...they *may* come back, but not until then. I just wonder how many of them will be here once June 1st rolls around. Hurricane season makes people very nervous about possibly dead trees. And I can't imagine the whole island looking like winter for 3 years!!

STORM-TATTERED SAILS

2009-02-10T13:29:00.000-06:00

Galveston's Elissa vessel undergoing repairs after Ike
By HARVEY RICE Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Feb. 7, 2009, 5:34PM

San Diego sailmaker Jim Brink has worked on outfitting vessels for such movies as Master and Commander and Pirates of the Caribbean.

REFITTING ELISSA
The fore lower topsail on the 1877 sailing ship Elissa was shredded by Hurricane Ike. Jim Brink, one of the few traditional sailmakers in the country, is crafting a new sail for the official tall ship of Texas.

• Sail area : 630 square feet

• Top width: 47 feet

• Bottom width: 52 feet

• Height: 14 feet

Source: Sailmaker Jim Brink
The iron-hulled vessel, the pride of the Galveston Historical Foundation and the official tall ship of Texas, came through with relatively minor damage considering the forces it encountered, but the fierce winds shredded one of its most important sails.

Only about a half-dozen traditional sailmakers exist in the country with the skill to make a replacement for the Elissa’s fore lower topsail, and Jim Brink is one of them.

Brink, 54, will use the experience gained over 30 years of sailmaking to craft a new 630-square-foot fore lower topsail, also known as a storm sail and the last of the Elissa’s 19 sails to be furled in a storm.

Brink began the task a week ago by spreading panels of sailcloth over a pattern taped to the floor of the ballroom at the 1859 Ashton Villa, one of the historic homes maintained by the foundation.

The 33 sections cut from the patterns will be sewn together at the Texas Seaport Museum at Pier 21 in Galveston Harbor, where the Elissa is moored.

The entire process of making the sail takes about three weeks, Brink said.

He is doing the job at a cut-rate price of about $5,000, which was raised from donations by the Elissa’s volunteer crew.

“I’ve worked for other ships, but this has always been my favorite,” said Brink, who rates the Elissa as the best-maintained traditional sailing ship in the country.

From lark to profession
Brink stumbled into his line of work in 1974 when he was a 19-year-old freshman at Kalamazoo College in Michigan.

On a lark, he took an off-campus course that involved working on the Romance, a brigantine built in the 1930s based in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Capt. Arthur Kimberly put Brink to work on his first sail, an unfinished square sail begun by someone else.

“He said, ‘You better finish this, or it will never get done,’” Brink recalled. It took a month, but he finished it.

He had been on the Romance for 18 months when the captain offered him a berth as sailmaker on an around-the-world cruise.

“I was young, looking for adventure,” he said. Brink accepted and in doing so stepped into a profession that preserves a skill that has all but died out in the U.S.

He spent three years on the Romance, then worked on a Danish merchant training sloop before working in Great Britain for a spell.

Tradition alive in Europe
Few traditional sailmakers remain in the U.S., he said, but Europe continues to foster the skill. Unlike the U.S., the Europeans still bestow the title of master sailmaker, he said.

Modern sailmaking lofts use computer-designed sails cut with lasers.

Brink, now based in San Diego, worked for the sail loft in Maine that crafted the first set of sails for the restored Elissa about 20 years ago and has worked on her sails ever since.

The sail work needs to be completed in time for the Elissa to make its first scheduled outing for a day trip into the Gulf with a volunteer crew on March 20.

Big plans for museum
Although the damage to the Elissa was relatively light, the storm severely damaged the workshop needed to keep it in repair and wrecked the pier so badly that it must be replaced, foundation executive director Dwayne Jones said.

The museum was filled with 4 feet of water, damaging the exhibits.

Jones said the foundation wants to build a better museum as it repairs the damage.

Repairs and enhancements will cost from $2.5 million to $3 million, he estimated.

The foundation still is waiting to hear from its insurance companies and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which may or may not lend financial assistance, Jones said.

The museum won’t reopen for at least a year, he said, but when it does, it will feature a redesign by student architects at the University of Houston who donated their time.

A donor, whom Jones declined to name, has commissioned a work of public art by the Mary Miss Studio in New York to commemorate the immigrants who entered the U.S. through the port of Galveston.

The artwork, which is still being designed, will be based at the Seaport Museum but could have pieces in other parts of the island, he said.

harvey.rice@chron.com

Debris from Hurricane Ike fills Galveston Bay

2009-02-10T13:28:00.000-06:00

Texas has a record $39 million to spend on the cleanup that could start this week
By MATTHEW TRESAUGUE
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Feb. 8, 2009, 10:14PM

Underwater Ike debris Follow rebuilding efforts as Galveston recovers from Ike Hurricane Ike littered Galveston Bay with easy chairs, mattresses, refrigerators, motorcycles and sunken shrimp boats. They’re easy to miss from above, but the scope of the cleanup ahead is coming into focus.

The Texas General Land Office, which is responsible for protecting the coast, has pinpointed nearly 600 large pieces of underwater debris after surveying about one-fifth of the bay.

The sonar scans will continue through February, but the cleanup could begin as soon as this week, with the goal of finishing before the next hurricane season begins, on June 1.

Texas has set aside $39 million for the cleanup, the largest of its kind in the state’s history. Officials said they expect reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“On the plus side, the bay will be cleaner than before,” said Jim Suydam, spokesman for the General Land Office.

For years, hundreds of abandoned barges, shrimp boats and recreational vessels have cluttered the bayous, bays and shores of the Gulf of Mexico.

Ike’s surge deposited even more debris into the shallow waters of Galveston Bay, one of the nation’s largest and most productive estuaries.

The debris is a hazard to navigation and a potential problem for the environment. For example, the storm-tossed debris has helped destroy half of the bay’s oyster reefs, officials say.

Areas hit hardest
Surveys show that most of the debris is along the Texas City Dike and in the East Bay behind the Bolivar Peninsula, which took the brunt of the September storm.

“We’re finding a little bit of everything,” said Dan Rackard, marine operations manager for CrowderGulf, the Alabama company surveying the bay for the Texas land office.

The company is using a side-scan sonar to map the garbage in the water.

It’s methodical work, requiring specially equipped boats to trawl the bay in straight lines, as if mowing a 660-square-mile lawn.

Although the surveys will take a few more weeks to complete, there is enough information to start the cleanup, Suydam said.

Legislative action
Until recently, the Texas land office, which is responsible for draining sunken and abandoned vessels of their hazardous contents, had no authority to remove them from waterways.

The Legislature in 2005 passed a law enabling the state to help clean up the maritime trash and making it a misdemeanor to dump a boat in Texas waters. But the land office had only a couple hundred thousand dollars to start, enough to make a small dent in the problem.

The state loaned the land office the money for the Ike-related cleanup, expecting to be reimbursed by the federal government.

The intent is to clean the bay before hurricane season. Louisiana hadn’t cleaned up the marine debris from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 before Gustav added to the mess last year.

“Everyone is fighting June 1,” Rackard said. “We would like to get it all cleaned up before then, because we’ve had problems in Louisiana. We’re cleaning up Katrina, and now we’re cleaning up Gustav, too.”

Colliding with debris
Boaters and fishermen also want the underwater debris cleared before higher temperatures draw more people to the bay.

Bob Stokes, president of the Galveston Bay Foundation, an environmental advocacy group, said he has received reports of boats colliding with unseen debris from Ike. “I don’t think the bay is pockmarked,” he said, “but I think it’s enough to be a problem.”

matthew.tresaugue@chron.com

The Day I Thought Would Never Come

2009-02-04T20:52:00.002-06:00

I still can't believe how long it took, but yes it finally happened. The adjusters for our agent's E&O policy *finally* came to look at our house today! Just 112 days after the storm, no biggie. Now we get to wait and see how bad they try to whittle down or Professional Estimator's estimate. Yee ha.

I know I've been very lax about posting and updating after all my big promises. But like I said earlier, if I'm not posting it's because I've lost my sense of humor and am really struggling. December and January were rough. Really rough.

Conditions at work have not improved. We still have no heat or A/C, are still crammed into the 2nd floor of our building, with cords taped all over the floor and sharing offices. My "office", which I share, is really a reception area outside the director's office, so it's basically Grand Central Station all day long. Not conducive for accounting. I have no place to lock up confidential documents like payroll and my normal system is all amok. If you know accountants you know they cannot function outside their own system. It's chaos and I'm helpless to change it. Thanks to Big L for keeping me focused on the big picture...that I'm helping keep an organization afloat that is crucial to the rebirth of the island. Without that I'd probably have quit months ago and just stay curled in the fetal position at the back of the RV!!

School has also been a huge stresser. Before Ike we absolutely loved our school and I had a great working relationship with our fab Principal. Since the storm, however, another elementary school (Burnet) has been combined with ours. Their whole faculty, including their Principal are now at our school. Their front staff is mixed with our front staff. All "specials" like Music and Art have 2 teachers now. Our cheer team got absorbed by their drill team, etc. And everyone knows that they are now competing for the same jobs because Burnet is closed indefinitely. We've already been told that next school year will look like this one as far as which schools are open and where students are located. That means that the Parker/Burnet faculty are in competition for one set of teaching positions and there will only be one Principal that makes the cut. This is very scary news, considering I've had my only issues with faculty members in the last couple of months, and they both happen to be Burnet faculty.

I'm going to resist the temptation to post those stories. I'd love to get some feedback on them, but now I have some friends that work at the school that read this blog so I'd better refrain.

So...until we hear the final verdict as to who is staying on at Parker and who is not, we are keeping our options for the next school year wide open. Looks like I have some visits to some other schools in my future....the kind you have to pay for. *sigh* I surely hope it doesn't come to that. I'm such a huge proponent of public education that it would be a very sad day for us for sure. But, nothing has been decided yet and there is still hope. What would we do without hope??

With that, I'm also going to start taking more photos of the island, like I did in the beginning, so you can see the progress. For those of you who don't live on the coast...have you ever seen a real live FEMA trailer? Do you know what they look like in the yard of a house? It's interesting and totally different that what I expected. Now that people are finally getting them, I'll post some pics for ya tomorrow or so.

Another blow for the Island....sigh

2009-01-20T08:39:00.001-06:00

Shriners suspends repair of hospital, e-mail says

By Laura Elder
The Daily News
Published January 20, 2009

GALVESTON — Repairs of hurricane damage at Shriners Hospital for Children in Galveston have been halted, leaving in question the future of a world-renowned pediatric burn center and more than 300 jobs.

Although officials with the local hospital’s parent organization, Shriners Hospitals for Children, denied Monday they had announced mass layoffs and a possible permanent closure, employees and an e-mail obtained by The Daily News said otherwise.

In an e-mail to some University of Texas Medical Branch employees who might be affected by closure of Shriners, Dr. David N. Herndon, director of research for the Galveston hospital, said the Shriners board of trustees decided to suspend repair of the hospital damaged by Hurricane Ike and to stop operations except for maintenance work on March 31.

Herndon wrote he would this week meet with all interested parties about Shriners’ future.

The hospital faced difficulties after being damaged by Hurricane Ike on Sept. 13, but no layoffs had been announced to staff members, corporate spokeswoman Marlena Lagina-Kleine said Monday.

“The Shriners Hospital for Children suffered significant damage during Hurricane Ike that has yet to be fully remedied,” Lagina-Kleine said. “We are still investigating and assessing the damage of the hospital. Patients will continue to be treated at Shriners hospitals in other locations as appropriate.”

The island hospital has been closed since the storm.

Shriners officials have said as recently as November that the island hospital, ranked among the best pediatric burn treatment centers in the world, would reopen as soon as possible.

But four Galveston employees — some tearful — told The Daily News they were informed Monday the hospital likely would close for good and they would continue to receive pay until March 31. Those employees declined to give their names.

Officials told employees there was only a slight possibility the hospital could reopen, they said.

Should Shriners close its island hospital, which before the storm employed 325 people, it would be another blow to health care workers in the county and end a 50-year relationship between Galveston and the philanthropic group known for members who wear red fez hats.

Although the University of Texas Medical Branch does not operate the Shriners hospital, it works in concert with the facility at 815 Market St. Shriners hospital contracts with the medical branch for doctors and other medical services.

Shriners operates 22 hospitals specializing in pediatric care.

About 5,000 children from across the nation were treated each year at the Market Street hospital, which opened in 1996 and boasts an intensive care unit with 15 beds, a reconstruction and plastic surgery unit with 15 beds, three operating rooms, a multi-bed recovery room, clinics and a large outpatient population.

But Shriners’ island relationship goes back to November 1963, when the Tampa, Fla.-based philanthropic organization opened a seven-bed ward in the John Sealy Hospital to treat children with severe burns.

At the same time, Shriners began building the 30-bed pediatric burn hospital, which opened in 1966. The organization has treated about 18,000 children in Galveston since its inception.

Shriners Hospital for Children’s operating budget of about $34 million comes from an endowment.

Earlier this month, Shriners made news when it received a $120,000 donation from Devon Energy to repair storm damage.

Officials said the hospital would reopen when renovations and repairs were complete.

In November, administrators were working to get out a message that the island hospital would return and that rumors of its demise were wrong.

“The message we want to put out is that we were hurt badly, but we are not going away,” John Swartwout Jr., administrator for the hospital, told The Daily News.

At the time, its board of trustees had extended hazard pay to hospital employees until Jan. 1.

Employees have been out of work or displaced since the hurricane sent a surge of more than 2 feet into the hospital’s first floor. The hospital sustained major damage.

Hurricane Ike’s hit to health care on the island has been staggering. Storm surge flooded 750,000 square-feet in buildings on the medical branch campus, which is yards from Galveston Bay.

With hurricane expenses and lost revenues of about $710 million, the medical branch, home to research facilities, the state’s oldest medical school and John Sealy Hospital, in November began laying off 3,000 people.

After making storm repairs, John Sealy Hospital opened 200 beds to the general public in a sharply downsized facility.

John Sealy Hospital’s emergency room, however, still is operating on a treat-and-transfer or treat-and-release basis.

Mainland editor T.J. Aulds contributed to this report.

Galveston Officials Paint Bleak Picture to Lawmakers After Ike

2009-01-08T09:36:00.000-06:00

Galveston officials paint bleak picture to lawmakers after Ike

12:20 AM CST on Thursday, January 8, 2009

Associated Press

GALVESTON, Texas -- Galveston officials pleaded with state lawmakers on Wednesday to help them rescue their island city from the dire financial straits it finds itself in nearly four months after Hurricane Ike caused devastating damage.

Galveston officials paint bleak picture after Ike
January 7, 2009 View larger E-mail Clip More Video Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas and City Manager Steve LeBlanc painted a bleak economic picture of their city for members of a legislative committee meeting on the island.

They told lawmakers that despite a hiring freeze and a 3 percent pay cut for all employees, layoffs are imminent and that property tax revenues will be down by up to 40 percent.

About 75 percent of the homes in Galveston, about 50 miles southeast of Houston, sustained some damage from Ike’s 110-mph winds, rain and 12-foot storm surge when the storm came ashore near the city on Sept. 13.

“We’re getting to the point of being desperate for help,” LeBlanc said. “If there is no help from the state, we might have to cut back on city services severely.”

Galveston, which has an annual budget of about $80 million, also needs help to pay for the $178 million in damage Ike caused to buildings, roads and other infrastructure, LeBlanc said.

Thomas and LeBlanc asked lawmakers for financial help, including letting the city temporarily keep most or all of the sales tax revenue it usually gives to the state and apply for long-term, low cost emergency loans.

“By rebating the sales tax for a set time for areas devastated by Ike you would be enabling us in the Gulf Coast to rebuild our homes and mitigate against future disasters,” Thomas told members of the House Select Committee on Hurricane Ike. Audience members applauded.

LeBlanc said the city applied for help from the Disaster Contingency Fund, created by the Legislature in 2007 to provide money and other help for local governments after a natural disaster.

But the city was turned down because lawmakers never appropriated money for the fund.

LeBlanc also implored the committee to help the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston—the area’s largest employer and a major provider of indigent care in Southeast Texas—recover from the damage it suffered during Ike.

UTMB officials originally estimated the state’s oldest medical school sustained about $710 million in damages from Ike.

On Wednesday, UTMB leaders told lawmakers damages are now estimated to be more than $1 billion. Only about $100 million of that was covered by insurance.

The massive damage at UTMB prompted the UT System Board of Regents to lay off 3,000 employees and reduce the number of beds at the medical facility’s public hospital from 550 to 200.

The downsizing has prompted some, including Thomas, to question whether UTMB and the UT regents are committed to restoring the facility.

Both UTMB President Dr. David Callender and UT System Regents Chairman H. Scott Caven Jr. told the committee they remain focused on restoring the facility.

“We want to bring UTMB back to the level of excellence it had before Ike,” Callender said.

Callender said UTMB plans to ask the Legislature during its session this year for an emergency appropriation of about $335 million to help pay for business losses as well as damaged equipment and buildings.

Callender said UTMB could eventually be a 500-bed facility but not all of these beds might be located on the island’s hospital.

Wednesday’s hearing was the final one for the committee, which plans later this month to submit its report about how local governments as well as the state responded to Ike.

Christmas Whirlwind

2008-12-29T16:52:00.002-06:00

So the last time I posted, it was just to cut and paste and article about me and GHF in the Austin American-Statesman just after Dickens on the Strand. Since then, things have been going at a feverish pace. First of all, Dickens weekend was 2 weeks before our trip to Cali, with other friends & family Christmas parties on the weekend in between. With shopping, work, packing, PTO, etc. those 2 weeks went by in a total blur of activity. Then FINALLY we were on vacation. And so the fun began...

First off, thanks to Santa coming to Sacramento we had 8 checked bags for 6 people, plus a carry-on per person. Trying to manage all that plus my Dad in a wheelchair made the airport an adventure, but we were able to board without too much ado. When we arrived in Oakland, the weather was beautiful. I took the shuttle to get our reserved van while Big L man-handled the luggage, the kids and Dad. That's where I encountered problem numero uno. The van that National had reserved for me was NOT a full-sized van capable of handling 6 people and 11 bags, but was instead a mini-van. In fact, they didn't even HAVE full sized vans. Considering I'd have a very specific conversation about our needs with the reservationist, I was NOT happy. Not to mention my phone was dead and I actually had to call Big L COLLECT from a PAY PHONE. When's the last time you used a payphone? Do you know what happens when you call another cell phone collect? Me either. Turns out you wait on the other end while that person inputs a credit card number, billing address, zip code, phone number and DNA on the other end. Then you get to talk. Once I'd informed Big L as to the situation, I procedeeded to go to every rental car company withing walking distance begging for a van. Finally, at the Budget counter, I found one company that rented full-sized vans in the entire airport. He had one left. He was supposed to get his manager's permission before renting it. He called the manager and got no answer. My tears worked, and he rented me the van without the manager's approval, although considering the bill I doubt the manager was anything less than ecstatic!

So, finally we set off on our drive to Sacramento, which was a glorious drive. We could see San Francisco, the Golden Gate and the Oakland Bay Bridge all from our windows. When we finally checked into our hotel, we finally felt like we were on vacation. Two bedrooms, one with a king and one with 2 queens, 2 bathrooms and a Christmas tree that my sister had put up for us earlier that day. WOOHOO!!

It took me a few days to really relax, though, and not feel like i was carrying an elephant on my shoulers. We played 42, we ate (thanks to Big L's cooking!), we shopped, we went to church and we wrapped. My sister and I compared stocking stuffers down to the last piece of gum to make sure Santa was equitable to both the Texan kids and the West Coasters. We made sure to only use special Santa paper and tags, never before seen by anyone under the age of 16. And best of all....we went to the snowpark in the foothills on the way to Tahoe! All of us had an absolute BLAST sledding down the hill. At one point, the kids and Big L made snow forts in the woods and had a giant snowball fight...it was awesome.

Then we hunkered down for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which were wonderful.

On the 26th, which was my nephew's 9th birthday, we out for Sushi and Japanes food which really hit the spot after our Prime Rib dinner the night before. And all too soon, it was time to pack up the clothes and loot and head home.

At the Oakland airport, we got off the rental shuttle in the middle of a boulevard type road. We had to cross the street to get to the terminal. It took 2 carts to get all our luggage, plus each of us pulling/carrying a carry on bag. In the midst of this chaos, mom accidentally misjudged the edge of a wheelchair ramp and my Dad, who was riding on the seat of his walker while she pushed, ended up falling straight backward on his head in the street, pulling my mom over with him. Everyone ran to help, and by some miracle we got him up and back sitting on his walker seat where he stayed until we could go in and get a wheelchair. He had a strawberry on the back of his head and his right elbow was bruised....same elbow that caused his hospitalization just a few months ago. Needless to say, I was pretty rattled by that incident.

The flight home was nice...the kids and I all with our new iPods in our ears. Once we landed, though, chaos insued again. This time in the form of a broken walker, compliments of Southwest Airlines. We got down to baggage claim with Dad in a wheelchair, and Mom and Big L gathered all our bags off the belt while I filed a claim in the baggage office. Luckily they had a loaner walker right there for him to use to get home. Big L retrieved the truck and we loaded up to go home. Due to the walker issue, we were much later than planned getting home, and most importantly picking up our dogs!! Our pet loving friends had graciously hosted the little fur angels for the holidays and we were anxious to get our hands on them.

The next day, we must've been wiped out becuase the first time the kids woke up and, as a result, I woke up, it was 1pm!!! Now that's only 11am Cali time, but STILL. Finally, we started to unload the bags that Big L had stored in Bart's garage overnight, and we realized what had happened. We had a bag that belonged to someone else. And we were short a bag. One that held nothing but kids' Christmas gifts. The Wii and all components, plus a lot of other nonsense. At this point I looked at Big L and said "vacation's over!"

We loaded the bag that some poor person somewhere was probably frantic over, and we headed back to the airport. So much for all the laundry and cleaning we were going to get done! By some miracle, SWA still had our bag, and we were able to make the switch. They did, however, give me a bit of a lecture on checking names on bags before leaving. I relayed the message to Big L who said "that's easy when you're not handling 11 bags, 2 monkeys and 2 80 year olds, one of whom is in a wheelchair!!"

hmmm....good point.

And so, with that, we are back to our "normal" lives...hahaha! I *think* today is the day that our attorney files a demand letter with our insurance agent's E&O policy. I sure hope so becuase it gives them 30 days to look at the evidence (aka the carcass of our house) before we can finally bulldoze it. 30 days and counting!

Nearly three months after Hurricane Ike, Galveston's Dickens on the Strand street festival goes on

2008-12-08T13:39:00.009-06:00

Nearly three months after Hurricane Ike, Galveston's Dickens on the Strand street festival goes on
Island residents, struggling to regain their lives, welcome visitors
By Helen Anders

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Sunday, December 07, 2008

GALVESTON — The ghost of Jacob Marley sported a wan smile as he shambled down the Strand on Saturday amid a few thousand visitors to the island's annual Dickens on the Strand street festival.

"It's sad in a way," said the ghost — actually playwright Timothy Evers of Houston, dressed, like many others, in a Charles Dickens-themed costume for the festival. He nodded toward the crowd, much thinner than the event's usual assemblage. "But it's good seeing this many people here, because this place has been just a ghost town."

"There are more people on the Strand today than in the last 89 days combined," said a broadly grinning Tom Schwenk, president of the Galveston Historical Foundation , which organizes the event. "I looked around this morning and said, 'We won.' "

It is, indeed, a dickens of a Christmas for Galveston, with costumed locals smiling gamely for visitors but not quite able to banish from their faces the strain of their struggle to regain their lives in the wake of Hurricane Ike.

Nearly three months after the storm, about a third of the city's residents still can't live in their homes. Three-fourths of the island's structures were damaged. Only the maternity ward is open at Galveston's one hospital, the University of Texas Medical Branch. Trauma patients have to be airlifted to Houston.

And in the Strand, where up to 12 feet of water coursed through stores on Sept. 13, only a handful of street-level businesses have reopened. Hardly any of the stores were insured.

"We didn't think we needed it," said Kristen Birkelbach, owner of Funky Monkey on the Strand, whose store was badly damaged and remains closed. "The Strand never floods."

On Saturday, she and her father, Roy Birkelbach, ran a vendor booth on the street, selling sock monkeys and decorative items.

The Strand did flood during Hurricane Ike, because the storm pushed water in from Galveston Bay. Birkelbach isn't sure she can reopen her store.

"I lost a lot," she said. "I'm just really struggling. But we'll see. I've already sold two picture frames today. It's really encouraging."

The two-day Dickens on the Strand, usually the island's biggest street festival of the year, going on into the night amid strings of lanterns, is seen by many Galvestonians as emblematic of their efforts to recover.

"The Strand really is the heartbeat of the community," said historical foundation executive director Dwayne Jones, who admits there's a lot of despair on the island right now.

This year's festival is scaled back. It closed at 6 p.m. Saturday and will again today because so few downtown buildings have electricity (power is restored, but many electrical systems were damaged by salt water), and the festival lanterns were damaged in the storm.

The city can't even make any money from parking; all the meters were destroyed by the flood.

The historical society, which reaps ticket money from the event, is hoping that by today's close, the festival will have attracted half of last year's 32,000 visitors.

"I hope they get more people. Right now, it's looking kind of sad," said Mecie Hardin, who drove down from Houston to attend the festival. "I think just that they put it on is a huge accomplishment."

The first Dickens on the Strand was staged 35 years ago to raise money to establish the downtown business district. This year, the intent is to bring that district back.

Nancy Kitchel, the historical foundation's comptroller, wore a Victorian costume she'd just purchased, because the one she'd worn in past years was destroyed when waves crashed through the first floor of her family's two-story home on Laguna de Oro, a few blocks from the bay.

After strolling through the festival with her family, Kitchel tallied receipts Saturday by the beam of a battery-operated lantern inside a Strand building without electricity.

The festival, she said, "is festive and happy, and the island needs it" — not just for the economy, but for morale.

That Kitchel was smiling was a testimony to that. Her family's Christmas tree is in the 35-foot motor home the family is living in. It's parked near their house, which they evacuated before the storm, never dreaming that it would be ripped apart.

"I put a few things on my bed, thinking we might get a few feet of water," she said. Instead, when she, her husband, Larry, and their two children returned, they found the bedroom walls in shreds. The bed was gone. So was her piano and a dresser, though its intact mirror rested in the backyard.

In the next room, Larry's office, was a kayak. It's still there. They have no idea whose it is.

But they had insurance, and they plan to rebuild in the same place, where they've lived for two years.

"Moving here (from Friends-

wood) was a dream come true," Kitchel said. "We love the island."

Kitchel's colleague Molly Dannenmaier, the historical society's marketing director, feels the same way. Her home, built in 1897 in the historic part of Galveston, survived the famous 1900 hurricane, and it survived this one.

"Structurally, it's absolutely fine," she says. But more than 2 feet of water flooded the first floor, which she'd just remodeled to accommodate her disabled mother. They're living in a rental property she and her family own that wasn't damaged.

Dannenmaier hasn't had time to get started on rehabilitating her house because she's been so busy working on the Dickens festival, but she said that's probably a good thing.

"If I weren't working," she said, "I can't imagine my state of mind."

Dickens on the Strand, she said, is a show of Galveston's spirit.

Galvestonians Josh and Donna Tall said that's exactly why they were attending the festival. "It's a sense of community," Donna Tall said. "That's the way Galveston's going to come back."

handers@statesman.com, 912-2590

The official town crier in Sidney by the Sea, British Columbia, Kenny Podmore was well-suited – once he donned his Victorian-era garb – to lead the parade at Dickens on the Strand on Friday. Photo by Jay Janner - Austin American Statesman

Nancy Kitchel, comptroller of the Galveston Historical Foundation, thought her home on Laguna de Oro would only see a few feet of water when Hurricane Ike struck. She and her family are planning to rebuild on the same spot. Photo by Jay Janner

Nancy Kitchel – with daughter Emma, 8, son Jackson, 7, and husband Larry – lost a costume to Ike but bought a replacement to participate in this year's Dickens on the Strand. 'The island needs it,' she said of the festival, whose organizers hope to draw half as many attendees as last year. Photo by Jay Janner

Nearly three-quarters of Galveston's buildings – like the historic Hendley Building on the Strand – were damaged by Ike, and salt water damaged many electrical systems on the island. Festival lanterns were soaked, and the city's parking meters were wiped out. Photo by Jay Janner

As copied from the Austin American-Statesman

Being Sick in an RV

2008-12-02T10:31:00.001-06:00

is just no fun. I'll leave it at that....and hopefully be back to blogging soon. UGH!

Being Thankful

2008-11-26T20:14:00.002-06:00

Of all the Thanksgivings I've celebrated, this one seems the most poignant. So...I'm going to list some things I'm thankful for, in no particular order, just as they pop in my head. And I'm not going to list the obvious things like God, my husband, family and friends! There, got those out of the way, now here it is:

my doggies (thank you God for making them!!)
a paying job
kids that still believe in the Magic of Christmas
wireless internet
my red fluffy robe (thanks Becky!)
online shopping
light in the laundry area (thanks Bart!)
the ability to buy plane tix/hotel room for a week in Cali for Christmas
Evanescence (a new release would be nice people)
Twilight (times like these you really appreciate a good escape)
my iPod (which I found when I cleaned out my car!)
the KBM's (I know, I said no friends on the list, but these girls...well....)
Aggie Football (yes, even this year)
beer (see above)
35 feet of warm, cozy home
Keurig coffee makers
digital photos
coconut cream pie
nail salons
satellite radio
KBM reunion trips (I *need* one in 2009!)
my blackberry (see references to KBMs)
cleaning wipes (sprays are so last decade)

It's possible that I'll edit this post and add to the list, but you have to cut it off somewhere. Happy Thanksgiving and you might try making your own list!

They're Coming to Take Me Away....Haha!

2008-11-20T18:16:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow is the 10 week anniversary of our good buddy Ike, so I decided it's time to blog it up again! I've been absent for a bit because 1. my sister was in town from California over the weekend and 2.my *new* lappy had to be shipped to Dell to replace the CDRom drive and 3. nothing new to report :-(

Yes, we are still here, in the RV, waiting. We DID have some activity this week, though. The windstorm adjuster came out with a roofer to get an estimate on our roof (he first came 4 wks ago and we've heard nothing since). Who knows when we'll hear the results of the roofer's exam. Then, our Public Adjuster had his Estimater come out and inspect the house from top to bottom. He's supposed to have his estimate to us the week after T-giving. At that time, WE will be the holdup if we don't have our inventory of lost items ready, so I'm busy working on that.

The best part of everything is.....CHRISTMAS! The kids and I are in the Spirit and already listening to Cmas music, etc. I'm getting daily deliveries at work, thanks to online shopping, which is super fun as well. I've taken over a closet in Bart's house for my "official stash". And all of this will yield some great entertainment here on the old blog, because with the beginning of Christmas comes......THE ELVES!!

What are the elves? Funny you should ask....you'll love this. You see, Santa has this fabulous Foster Elf program, where he will actually allow his elves to spend the Holiday Season with you! Yep, the *real* elves from the North Pole! They arrive at our house sometime the weekend after T-giving (we get 2, one for each child) and they stay until Christmas Eve, when they sit by the fireplace and wait for Santa to pick them up and take them home! But that's not all...oh no. They may LOOK like little dolls, but at night, when no one is watching, they come.to.life. You heard me! The little freak shows get up in the night and commit all sorts of mischievous acts, and the kids get up every day to see what the elves have done. Every day. For 24 days. No, I'm not kidding.

One time, they actually stole my car to go on a Candy Cane run. (the little suckers are sugar freaks). When the kids woke up for school, the alarm was going off in my car. We looked out the window and my car was backed into the flower bed, with the headlights on, the wipers on full blast, and Christmas music blaring as loud as possible. One elf was on the steering wheel and the other was on the gas pedal. My purse was even dumped out in the house where they had searched for my keys!!

So....we are all very very excited about the annual arrival of the elves. And on that note, I'll leave you with some parting shots of elf antics past:

Parents of the Year!

2008-11-09T10:58:00.003-06:00

Yes, Big L and T-bug are nominating ourselves as POTY! Remember Jackalope's Birthday? Well you know, as parents, we have that disease that motivates us to choose The Birthday Gift that will trump all birthday gifts past adn will cause our little angels to be overcome with joy. And as usual, we succeeded once again this year:

The Gift of all gifts!!!

The thrill of the First Ride!!

And we were all living the dream, I tell ya! Big L and I are looking at each other like "Man, how DO we do it?", etc.

And then the next day, Halloween, happens. After school, just before costumes and T or T'ing, Jackalope wants to squeeze in a ride....of course! And there I am, watering my little container garden when I hear a mysterious POP and then silence where there used to be a little electric motor hum. I say "That doesn't sound good" and I look around the palm tree trunk and see a sobbing 7 year old running towards me with blood running down from his forehead and in the distance, a little go-cart rammed into a curb. I run to him, pick him up cradle style in my arms and he says between sobs "Will..*sob*...I...*sob*...get to....*sob*...ride it....*sob*...again?!?!"

I race to the RV and wash his face under the water to reveal a small, but laid open cut above his right eye that will obviously need stitches. And so, we trek to West Isle Urgent Care where the dr's assistant says "What are you gonna give him next year....a hand grenade?" and Jackalope declares stitches an awesome addition to his vampire costume!

We make it home in time to get costumed all up (at least 3 of us, anyway, all vampires!) and go T or T-ing after all the drama. So here's Jackalope in all his costumed glory on Halloween, one day after his birthday...

Fake Blood + Real Blood = AWESOME!!

State of the Island....8 weeks Post Ike

2008-11-08T09:18:00.005-06:00

Any time I try to write about how I'm feeling about Ike, or to update those off-island about what's going on here, I simply get overwhelmed. The words just jumble up in my head and I can't get out what I want to communicate. Today, my friend Lauren summed it up so eloquently, I'm just gonna let you read it straight from her.

What she said!

A Historical Day

2008-11-05T09:02:00.002-06:00

No matter who you voted for, as an American you have to admit this is a huge day in American history. The fact that a race of people who were once slaves in this very country now have a President of the same country less than 150 years later is extraordinary. I can completely empathize with what an emotional event this must be for them. Admittedly, I do not agree with his positions, and therefore did not vote for him, but I don't regret having the first black man in this office. I'll also feel ecstatic when we have the first woman...assuming it's the right first woman for the job.

The next 2 years will be quite interesting. I don't think there's been a Congress and Whitehouse both controlled by Democrats since Clinton was in office. That time it only lasted 2 years and then Newt Gingrich had his coup to re-take the Congress, which turned out to be a bust as well. At any rate, there will be no question who is reponsible for the policies coming out of Washington over the next 2 years. The economy has hit rock bottom, so of course it will rebound during this President's term, and would have no matter who was elected.

Overall, I think the high-powered Democrats will force a more centrist government than Obama had planned because of their desire to maintain control and not experience the coup of 1994 all over again. Only time will tell, but one thing is certain....it will be an interesting ride!

Election Day!

2008-11-04T17:06:00.002-06:00

I voted early, but today is the day I'm glued to the tv. I've had so much fun with the kids, too, because this year they want to know *all* about it....how it works, what their positions are, etc. So fun!!

So I'm anxious to see how it turns out, of course. I'll tell ya this...if my taxes go up, I'm likely to become a stay-home-mom. Right now, after taxes, childcare in the summer, work clothes, etc. I only bring home 30% of my salary. If the number goes down so that I'm bringing home less than $10K, I will declare it officially not worth the stress! Hmmmm....maybe I should've voted differently....I like sleeping in....

Road Trip!!

2008-10-29T20:44:00.006-05:00

Details to come later, but here's the teaser:

2 senior citizens, 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs for 2 weeks in an RV! 2 CRAZY!!

It's the Griswold family Christmas, and it's all going to be happening here live starting December 19th.

For those of you who haven't followed my blog for years (come one, there's gotta be some poor soul), we've been this crazy before and the Cast of Characters hasn't changed except for the addition of 2 dogs!

Stay tuned!!

What I Lost, What I Miss

2008-10-29T16:01:00.003-05:00

For the most part, we were very fortunate in that most of our keepsakes and heirlooms were in storage and were safe during the storm. What we lost was mostly material things that can be replaced (if and when we *ever* get any insurance money!!). But, even still, there are a few things...some replaceable, some not...that I really miss:

1. My Gap Body robe & slippers. I am sooo cold natured, and i literally *lived* in that robe from about this time of year until the spring. Even Jackalope misses it, as he's cold natured and also a cuddle bug and could not resist snuggling with me when I had it on. It was incredibly soft and cozy!! And my feet are cold in the mornings now, dang it!

2. My iPod. Anyone who knows me knows that my mood can be completely altered by music. I miss having it to clean by, to walk the dogs, for work, etc. There are several times a day that I think about it and wish I had it. Of course it's replaceable, but as long as we're paying for everything out of pocket it's just not a necessary item right now.

That's it for the replaceable items. Now for the irreplaceable:

1. Cuddles. My pink teddy bear that I've had since my 5th birthday. He went to college with me and has sat on a shelf where I could see him since he became too fragile to sleep with. He was on the top shelf of my closet, wrapped in the handmade blanket I came home from the hospital in as a newborn, both lost despite all my neighbor's efforts in looking thru debris!

2. Pictures from high school and college. This box was mistakenly brought to our house, unbeknownst to me, when we moved here, although it was clearly marked "Storage". We knew we were remodeling soon (turned out to be 2 years later!) and that kind of stuff was never supposed to be here. I only know it was here and destroyed because pieces of it are all over the place. I've found only 2 photos from my college photo album....both of me dunking my ring at the Dixie Chicken! WHOOP! But my high school memory book and yearbooks, college memories and photos from both are all gone. I found one college diary in my neighbor's yard across the street. Good thing i found it first!! Otherwise, i could *never* be president!!

The FEMA visit

2008-10-28T12:44:00.002-05:00

So I'm sitting in the RV about to go to work and eating Spaghettio's (no, not just because I'm poor...it's a sick comfort food for me!) The FEMA guy was very helpful in steering me in the right directions, and basically giving me a checklist of tasks.

First of all, proving my house is "unliveable" will only get me temporary housing money, which I first need to exhuast from my windstorm insurance. Then i need a letter from windstorm saying I've exhausted my coverage, and letters from me saying why it wasn't enough. Separate letters for each type of expenses like gas, utilities, food, etc.

Then there's the issue of repairing/rebuilding the house. I have to have letters of denial from all 3 insurances, even homeowners although there's no question they aren't liable here. I told him our flood story and how we now have no flood but can't get them to send us a letter stating that fact. He referred me to a sign in sheet for the Texas Insurance Commission. They will "call me back tomorrow" and get on my insurance company to make them send me a letter. We also have to apply for an SBA Disaster Loan. When i have letters from all 3 insurances and a letter from SBA, THEN i can apply to FEMA to meet any expenses those 4 didn't cover.

He also gave me all kinds of advice on how the FEMA system works, how to fill out the paperwork for the best results, etc.

6 Weeks in, and we're just getting started.

Pleading my Case

2008-10-28T08:52:00.003-05:00

These are the photos I'm about to present to FEMA to argue the "liveability" of my house:

Showing the destroyed utilities

Our bedroom

Window on the left was our bathroom

general carnage

Jackalope's Birthday Week!

2008-10-27T19:05:00.005-05:00

The Jackalope will turn 7 this Thursday, October 30th! And because he's lucky enough to have a mom who believes in week-long birthday celebrations (yay me!) we're partying it up. Starting with his party yesterday at the ONLY place open for parties on the island....Moody Gardens Aquarium. It was *such* a blast. The party room has a big wall that is part of the coral reef aquarium, so you can watch all the fish/turtles/sharks while the party is going on. The party hostess was incredible and kept the kids busy the entire time with all kinds of cool games, etc.....and then the Big Moment. We all get to go "backstage" of the penguin exhibit, and this little Rockhopper Penguin named Hendrix comes out with his trainer. The kids got to see him do stuff, ask questions, and generally become Hendrix fans and treat him like the Rock Star he is! Jackalope had a blast and declared it a complete success, despite the fact that only 2 of his friends could come, so counting his sister there were only 4 kids. His Gran, Grandaddy & Granny all came as well.

Then on Thursday, his "real" birthday, he'll get his present from us and also from his sister. She picked out a cool game for him. We, on the other hand, have obviously lost our minds. He wanted a replacement battery operated 4-wheeler like he lost in the storm. Well, he's about the maximum age for those things so we looked for an alternative. So...on Thursday, our 7 year old Tasmanian Devil will be the proud owner of a Razor Electric Go-Cart!! Yes, we bought him a new helmet to go with it....AAAHHHHHH!

Hendrix!!

Our Insanity!

Some Signs of Life

2008-10-27T18:49:00.005-05:00

I don't want to be overly positive.....that would ruin my reputation! But, after hiring our PA (Public Adjuster) we have had *some* signs of life in the insurance area. First, he met with our wind adjuster on Friday. By the time they were finished, the wind adjuster agreed to cover the roof, the floors & ceiling upstairs and a couple of other things. Yay! We have yet to see a dime, but the potential is there.

Next, my neighbor Bart's FEMA guy says there was some kind of major error in the sytem that deemed our house "liveable". He gave me advice as to what to take when I go stand in the FEMA line tomorrow to "appeal" that decision. I have serious doubts as to whether it will make any difference, but what can you do. We're 6 weeks into this deal and still paying everything out of pocket!

On the other hand, though, the flood insurance front is not so hot. Basically, our agent, which we were just switching to in July, has admitted he erred when sending us our first payment notice, and it turns out we paid it late without our knowledge. As a result, they say we have no flood insurance. Nice, huh? So now, we have filed a claim with our agent's E&O (errors & omissions) policy. Sort of like malpractice insurance for accountants & doctors. We have no idea what to expect on that front. Luckily Big L's best friend is a lawyer....

So, that's the state of family today, 44 days after the storm, and 37 days on the RV....

When is shopping NOT fun?

2008-10-23T21:47:00.003-05:00

No, it's not a trick question. The answer is....when you're paying for it and it SHOULD be paid for by insurance!!

Now that it's getting colder, my new wardrobe of t-shirts & jeans is not cutting it. I *had* to go shopping today after work to get a few outfits to wear to work. Now I'm not going all-out work clothes, mind you. I'm still wearing jeans, just got some shoes (all I had were 2 pairs of flip flops that I evacuated with) and I got some jackets & long-sleeved tops that I can wear to work. The idea of buying a whole new wardrobe should be fun, you would think. If only....

Dear City of Galveston...

2008-10-22T19:32:00.005-05:00

...thank you so much for taking time to drop by our home/RV today! When I got home from work/picking the kids up from school, I was excited to see your flyer on my door, hoping it meant you had finally had a chance to inspect our house and let us know if we are to rebuild or repair it. But I was NOT expecting what I found instead. I didn't realize you guys had enough extra time to go around putting flyers on RV's solely for the purpose of letting those folks know that you've now made up a bunch of new rules regarding RV's. I was surprised to find out that:

1. I have to PAY YOU for a permit to have an RV
2. I have to PAY YOU for a permit to hook utilities up to it
3. I can only park in my own driveway, not my neighbor's
4. I can't cross the easement, so the RV we purchased is too long for our driveway, even though I live on a dead-end street.
5. Whether my house is finshed or not, I have to remove the RV from the city by June 1, 2009 (start of next hurricane season). After all, it would be horrible for a hurricane to appear in the Gulf and for my family to be able to pack up our entire home and drive it off the island, huh??

Surely you can imagine my surprise to discover that not only have you made up a bunch of new rules which make life MORE difficult for your citizens, but you've also wasted precious time handing out these ridiculous rules instead of doing what's important like inspecting my house so I can work on it!! I suppose I should've just moved into a FEMA hotel room (which, by the way, time runs out on this weekend) and waited for YOU to tell me how to live before I made decisions on my own about putting a roof over my kids head. I should've somehow known you would have some rules that would limit me to a tiny trailer in my own driveway rather than a 35 foot motorhome in my neighbor's giant driveway. I suppose you think it would be better for me to live in your lovely tent city (that you are, by the way, closing tomorrow) than to provide my own shelter in an effort not to live off of others. What was I thinking?!?!?! So, City of Galveston, thanks SO MUCH for all your help during this difficult time. I'll see you soon, as I'm heading to City Hall with my two kids, two dogs and a few sleeping bags. Slumber Party!

Sincerely,
another loyal citizen, barely hanging on

6 Days? Wow!

2008-10-21T20:46:00.003-05:00

I can't believe 6 days have passed since I last posted. Time is starting to fly! Probably because we're settling into a routine both at home and work.

Yesterday, Big L and I took a step forward in our rebuilding efforts. We hired a "private adjuster". Basically, they represent you to your insurance companies and try to get the most they can by proving your case. They do this by bringing in people to give estimates, appraisers, structural engineers, etc. You pay them with 10% of your insurance proceeds. Not a bad deal, considering the amount of time all of that nonsense takes! They meet all the people at your house for you, do all the paperwork for you, etc. They only thing I *still* have to is my inventory. So I asked the guy....how in the world do I begin to list the contents of my closet? i was hoping he'd say they had some formula for estimating it. No such luck. Instead, he gave me a list of items commonly found in each room of a house that you can use to jog your memory. I still have to list each and every item in detail.

OK, i want you to practice this with me. Close your eyes and think of your closet. Now start listing things in your head, including an amount: 10 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of sneakers (New Balance), 6ish pairs of flip flops?, how many hoodies again??, oh wait, there's that red fluffy robe and matching slippers...oh, and that dress I wore to my niece's wedding, and let's see....winter stuff that I haven't looked at since last February....how many jackets? Sweatshirts? Oh, that reminds me...Aggie gear! Now how many pairs of socks? What kind? underwear? Thermal underwear? swimsuits? Lingerie from a shower before I got married that I never wore? Oh wait! The gloves I DID wear in my wedding!! You get the idea. Then think of the contents of your nightstand, under your bed, shelves up high, what was sitting on your dresser, contents of the medicine cabinet in the bathroom....etc.

So...I haven't started yet.

And since I've been depriving you of photos, I'll just post a bit of a hodge podge here for ya:

My little container garden by the RV!

Here's our party area in Bart's driveway...complete with Big L!

Big J in pj's and camo rubber boots riding his debris covered bike on our trashed out street!!

You Know Your Dog Needs a Bath When...

2008-10-15T22:06:00.001-05:00

....you're sitting outside with your neighbor and he points out the swarm of flies surrounding and landing on said pooch. Nice.

Roadtrip for Backpacks

2008-10-15T21:40:00.003-05:00

I've got myself in a pickle that I have a *bad* habit of doing. I don't have enough gas in my car to get the kids to school in the morning. And I never get up early enough to stop on the way! I was planning on begging Big L to go fill it tonight, but now it's so late...*sigh*....why do I do it?

Anyway, there's a very good reason I'm so low on gas. First off, yesterday we had to drive to the mainland, all the way up to Baybrook to the nearest bookstore. The Princess has a TAKS assignment (may the all those who invented and/or approved the TAKS test burn in....oh, nevermind) and it required reading several books at home. And no, the books weren't provided. They're supposed to use books they already have at home. WTH?? We actually did have some books make it, but that's about the 2nd thing I packed up and shipped to storage in Rubbermaid containers...just after the kids clothing. And there's no WAY I'm gonna try and find anything in storage right now. Ain't happening. So....next thing ya know I've burned about a gazillion dollars in gas and spent a Ben Franklin at Barnes & Noble, because I can't get The Princess 4 books without getting The Jackalope 4 books. Now, mind you, books are one thing I do not mind spending money on. However, if either of them had teachers that sent home Scholastic book orders I could've gotten these books for like $1 each. Oh well!

Then, today after school, we took yet ANOTHER trip to the mainland and back. This time, though, it was for an even better reason. The principal at Westwood Elementary in Friendswood, where the kids went to school for a couple of weeks, called me at work to say they had 20+ backpacks filled with school supplies that they'd like to donate to our school in honor of our kids who had attended there. Fantastic!! And soooo nice of them! So naturally I volunteered to go pick them up. Talked to my principal on the way back and he agreed that the kids could just take the supplies in the backbacks home to use for homework, etc. Our school has plenty of supplies, but I've noticed lots of kids carrying folders home. I'm so excited to take them to Parker tomorrow!! There's an "official" donation/distribution center for items for kids at one of the other campuses, but this will be just for our kids and that makes it personal and fun.

On another positive note, tonight I finished planting all the plants that Bart had chosen for his driveway side planting areas. They look fabulous!! If you know me at all, you know I *love* to get my hands dirty in a flower garden. It's the best therapy in the world, I tell ya! Now when we sit out on the driveway in chairs, me with my Michelob Ultra and he with his Diet Coke (Big L is working late these days, so he's absent) we have something pleasant to look at. My containers all planted up and his flower beds. I've even seen 1 Monarch butterfly in my largest container! I kinda figured they'd pass us right over during their migration this year, since there are no blooming plants for food right now. Last year at this time the kids and I drove down to the beach after school one day during the Harvest Moon Regatta and watched the sailboats go by with our windows down and Monarchs flying all around in droves. I will never forget that day, as it was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. The kids and I still talk about it to this day. We had chosen to go watch the Regatta because the ELISSA was sailing in it as well. The sight of that beautiful ship in the distance, the beach and waves, and the Monarch butterflies....aaahhhh.

Tonight after I put the kids to bed, I headed to Bart's garage to change out the laundry. (MAN am I thankful for our laundry setup!) As I walked in by flashlight I could hear Bart playing his electric keyboard upstairs. Bart is quite the musician and plays all kinds of instruments from piano to tuba by ear. I stopped with the laundry basket on my hip and just enjoyed the music. It was especially wonderful considering my surroundings at that moment. And I thought "beautiful flowers, beautiful music, great friends, and my family......what else could I possibly want?"

Top 10 Things for Kids to Do in an RV

2008-10-14T16:16:00.005-05:00

This list was compiled with much input from The Princess and The Jackalope, collectiveley known as "The Monkeys":

10. Jump on Mama's bed and make the whole RV shake
9. Clean the entire bathroom with only 1 Windex wipe
8. Honk the horn loudly when the parents are outside trying to roll up the awning
7. Make a river that flows from the shower to the bunk beds
6. Wait until we have a visitor, and then open the pocket door while Mom's changing clothes
5. Have friends over on the same day, then play hide and seek with 4 kids in 1 RV
4. Open the fridge immediately after travelling and watch the contents fall all over the floor
3. Lose the only 2 remotes in a 35 foot long space
2. Read your monster joke book out load, following each with your loudest fake laugh until your mom yells "STOP IT!"

And the number one thing for kids to do in an RV.....

1. Hang like a bat from the crown molding above the couch!!

One Month Mark

2008-10-13T17:50:00.002-05:00

So it was one month ago today that Ike came ashore. Feels like a year. Here's what we know now that we didn't know a month ago today:

1. FEMA has denied any housing assistance because "based on FEMA's inspection, the damage to your home does not prevent you from living in the dwelling". WTH?
2. We have YET to get a claim number or adjuster for our flood insurance.
3. We have a cell number for our wind adjuster but haven't seen or heard from him.
4. All we've gotten is a check for $2,500 from TWIA, and that's only because I stood in line for 2 hours at Gulf Greyhound Park to get the evacuation cost refund.
5. Our out of pocket expenses, not counting what we put down on our motorhome, is over $6,000 so far. That does not take housing into account.
6. We are back in Galveston and the kids are back at school.
7. We have laundry facilities set up on Bart's garage.
8. We have a new mailbox so we can receive mail, but it hasn't happened yet.
9. We've only been able to access our house by vehicle for one week.
10. My kids now look forward to the Red Cross truck coming down our street so they can get snacks like pudding and cookies.
11. I wanna go to sleep and wake up when it's over. And by over, I mean I have a house to live in, clothes in my closet, my city is clean, trees are green, and businesses have re-opened.
12. yes, I know people have it much worse than me, and they have my complete and utter sympathy.

Accountant=Counselor?

2008-10-09T20:10:00.004-05:00

As I've already mentioned...it's getting hairy at work. So, to describe where/how I now find myself, I've come up with the following little equation (of course, I'm an accountant, what'd you expect??)

Accountant = Payroll Person
Payroll Person = Human Resource Person
Human Resource Person = Counselor for all types of employee grievances/disturbances

Add the confidentiality element of accountants, plus the impartiality and you get Confidante Numero Uno. Like it or not. The ironic thing is, I didn't choose accounting because I like to work with people! I chose it because I can work ALONE! LOL So, as I was told today by one such employee, since I'm the default HR person and I have to keep things confidential....I'm their whipping boy when it comes to venting. And vent they do!! About each other, and who is spreading rumors around town about whom, and who is being intolerent and judgemental vs. who is being a crybaby and a whiner. Geez Louise!! This is NOT my area of expertise, lemme tell ya. If it doesn't have a formula with an exact answer, I'm out! But it's definitely been a learning experience, and I AM happy that they see me as impartial and trustworthy and generally uninvolved in the office gossip. I just wish I had something to offer other than practical, logical stuff like "try to focus on your job and let things roll off your back".

The truth is that these people are all suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and they all need professional counseling! And I include myself in that, too! The fact that so many of my coworkers are unhappy and disgruntled makes going to work exceptionally stressful. I can't fix it, and I feel helpless. But, if I have a gift, it is the gift of empathy. This is the stuff that wakes me up at 3am and won't let me go back to sleep. My heart hurts for all of these folks and what they're going thru. And I *want* to have some helpful words for them so bad i can't stand it! All I can do is encourage them, and try to help them stay as positive as possible, and CARE about them. Ultimately, that's what they all want. For someone to CARE about what they've been thru and what they are facing. That's so hard to come by here, because everyone is in the same boat. It's hard to find sympathy or a shoulder to cry/lean on because everyone else needs the same thing. Their anger and frustration really stems from not feeling valued or cared for. "I'm going thru the worst thing I've ever experience and nobody I know gives a sh#t". I know exactly how they feel.....because sometimes I feel the same way.

Gosh! I didn't start this post out planning on it being a downer! Once I left work and picked up the kiddos, which is my favorite part of th day, we got to work again. It didn't end until Big L was home from work and Bart, and all of us including the doggies were outside working. Well, the doggies weren't working unless you count rolling in The Stank as work! Now we've ALL had showers and are settling down to some good old pizza and beer....Yippee!!

Washin' Wednesday

2008-10-08T20:32:00.003-05:00

Wow. That's all I can say....wow. Life is so freakin' weird it's surreal.

So, when I don't post for a few days, it means one of two things (or both, as in this case!)
1. I'm just too darn busy to find even 5 minutes for computer time or
2. I've lost my sense of humor and any posts would just seem like whining.

Miraculously I'm in better humor today, so the blogging can commence. Well, as you know, we re-located to the island but it didn't happen until Monday afternoon due to the boats *still* blocking our street. We didn't have time to do anything but get it parked, leveled, go eat and get ready for bed on a school night. Now granted, when we decided to go eat, we went all out. We headed for Gaido's with Bart, where I had fresh Red Snapper dredged in parmesan & flour and pan fried, then topped with fresh lump crabmeat. MAN I love this island!! We had a great time, then came home and crashed. The next morning, while eating his ceral, The Jackalope said "Man, I love living in this place!"

Tuesday morning was so wonderful. it was our first day back at Parker Elementary here in Galveston. While we were getting ready, we were watching the morning news and they were interviewing our principal, etc. When we arrived, it was so emotional. Everyone was soooo happy to be there! There were hugs and tears galore! The kids saw friends and teachers they had missed, and so did I!

When I picked the kids up from school, we went straight to Target & Home Depot where we got them rubber boots, gloves for all of us, a heavy duty rake, street broom, giant trash can and some flowers & potting soil for the pots we recovered in the backyard. My Jack Daniels half-barrell survived and was *begging* to have some life breathed into it!!

We came home and got.to.work. It was crazy! We planted 3 containers, hosed of the street, picked up screws & nails from the street & driveway, raked leaves, raked & swept glass that I swear multiplies while we work, and utterly exhausted ourselved. We hardly made a dent, but it made all 3 of us feel better to do something to improve our landfill of a neighborhood! When Bart got home from work, he helped us too. Two of the most annoying issues for me...wait, make it 3....are:

1. The oodles of crushed/broken glass everywhere
2. The non-stop mud that I'm always fighting to keep out of the RV
3. The STANK

Although I swear today it wasn't as bad, and I really think washing the street helped The Stank. (The Stank is an entity of it's own, therefore deserving of proper noun treatment). I'll be pouring Lysol on the blacktop before it's over...I can feel it coming on! As I tell the kids, "We're camping in a landfill, kiddos".

The dogs are utterly hilarious thru it all. Buster is truly a junk-yard dog and seems to be thrilled with his new environment. He has had a total of 4 baths in 2 days becuase of his fondness for rolling in anything smelling of The Stank. For a dog that like to sniff around....this is Disney World. Suzie-Q, on the other hand, is far less than thrilled. The first morning, when we went outside for their morning regular, she reluctantly went to the lawn of our house, lifted one hind foot off the ground and turned and looked at me like "Ewwww!" Then she quickly ran back to the steps of the RV and stared at me until I let her back in. Still, today, she will only go onto the grass if I go first, and then she will not go more than 12 inches away from, tinkle, and run back to the RV steps. Hilarious! Both of them!

So that brings me to today and what was waiting and looming over me all day until I picked the kids up.....Laundry Mountain. Never mind that every single thing we owned was clean when we left Friendswood. The dirty clothes fairy came and dumped 10 tons of laundry in the RV, and forgot to leave me a connected washer & dryer! Yes, there's a perfectly functional set (as far as we know!) in the house, but it has no water or power. The plan is to relocate them to Bart's garage this weekend. Howevery, if we intend to shower between now and then, Laundry Mountain must be conquered. And so today my kids experienced yet another thing they've never before witnessed....a washateria. No, it was not a laundry mat, it was a washateria. They helped me sort the laundry into 7 washers (why do those things only hold 3 freakin' items??), pour in the detergent and insert the quarters. The Jackalope managed to immediately jam a machine by putting in two quarters at once and we had to get a refund from the owner. Perfect. Then they sat and read the new books I had just bought them at Wally World while I watched the timers tick away. After cramming the piles into 4 dryers, we were out in just a wee short hour! I forgot how irritating it is to fold your panties in front of 15 total strangers. Especially when they're asking to borrow soap, or quarters, or dryer sheets. And all of this cost me $15!!! Holy Freakin' Crap! Not to mention I'm now BFF's with the Pakistani owner, who ended up leaving me in charge of the place while he went to get a beer next door. Told me to have anyone who needed help to call his cell phone. He also asked me to drive by his house in G-Town and let him know how it fared because he hasn't been able to muscle it up and go check on it yet. He happens to live in the same neighborhood as me, just further towards the point. Out of morbid curiosity, we drove by it on the way home, and it ain't pretty. Described by him as the 3rd house down from the barge, house number 2 is now spread all over his driveway. His is still standing and is probably salvageable, but his 3 jet skis that he says were in the garage would be toast and the whole thing sustained quite a lot of damage. Wonder if I'll go back this weekend and let him know? If I do, it better be just to give him the news, because otherwise it'll mean Big L hasn't gotten my laundry facilities up and running and that would not be "in his best interest" if ya know what I mean!

And just in case you haven't been to one in a while either...let me remind you how fortunate you are:

Note the cool shadows of The Princess, Jackalope, and me taking a pic! LOL!

Home Sweet Home

2008-10-03T18:45:00.004-05:00

So the time has finally come. After 2 weeks in my Brother-In-Law's driveway, we are headed back to G-town this weekend! The power is back up on our street, so we're all set for hooking up. We are so pumped!! Not that it hasn't been super nice here, but there's just no place like your own place. I may even get to have a beer on my own dock before the weekend is over....heaven! So before we relocate, let me show you how we've been set up for the past 2 weeks.

Our Rig!

And on top of re-locating to our own neighborhood, the kids will be starting back at their own school on Tuesday! They said goodbye to their new friends and teachers today. Knowing the Galveston rumor mill like I do, I'm sure at least one of you has heard something awful about the state of the schools in Galveston and how horrible it will be for the returning students. So, to clear the air and try and get actual facts out there to dispel all the rumors, here's some info I gleaned from a personal meeting with our Principal yesterday, and then emailed to our PTO email list:

I just finished meeting with Mr. Bouldin at Parker. I also met the
Burnett principal while I was there, as they will be joining us at
Parker. First of all, I toured the school and went to the library and
multiple classrooms. There is no evidence of damage anywhere,
although i'm sure there was some minor water somewhere. Everything
looks just as it was left on Wednesday. The library was untouched as
were all of the classrooms i went in. They are all being
professionally cleaned anyway. All of our copiers and computers are
fine and working as well. The Parker gym sustained major damage, but
it is detached from the regular building. We do not have a time
estimate as to when it will be functional again. Here's the rest of
what I found out while "interviewing" Mr. Bouldin:

1. Several school districts including HISD have loaned or donated
buses and ALL normal routes will be running next week!
2. Truckloads of supplies have been donated by other districts across
the state, so no one will need to purchase supplies (although all the
Parker student's supplies are right where they left them anyway)
3. The building has been treated and "fogged" for any potential mold
growth and the air quality is about 90% in the building. It smells
very fresh and clean!
4. If the city water is not drinkable by Tuesday, bottled water will
be provided to students and staff every day.
5. All students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch for the
first 2 weeks.
6. No uniforms for the first two weeks, and then it will be re-
evaluated.
7. All Parker teachers have said they are returning
8. All GISD staff will keep their jobs thru the end of the school
year.
9. Parents will be provided forms for free counseling for themselves
or their children on the first day back.
10. There is a Pep Rally at Spoor Field tomorrow at 10am
11. All bldgs at Parker are open this weekend for staff if they want
to work in their rooms.
12. YMCA will be providing daycare for GISD employees at the San
Jacinto building.
13. Moody and 1st Step daycares are both open and accepting students.
14. Palisade Palms on East Beach is offering short term leases on
housing...The Dawn condos are offering month-to-month leases.
15. Several soccer teams are regrouping and beginning practice next
week

And this, i thought, was some of the best news. On the first day,
former Parker students will go to their previous classrooms as usual.
Burnett students will meet their regular teachers in the cafeteria.
Their teachers will then escort them to their new class room where
they will join a group of Parker students & teacher and will be "team
taught" by both teachers. The student/teacher ratio should be
exceptional! All of the Parker teachers that Mr. Bouldin had spoken
with were anxious to get their hands on their students and show them
the love. They are excited about returning and seeing the students
and getting back to a "normal" routine.

On a personal note, I feel that if we care about the survival of our
island and our community we need to get back as soon as possible.
Businesses are re-opening every day and they need customers to
survive. Many have help-wanted signs in the windows, including Kroger
and Gaido's. If these businesses can't get enough customers to stay,
then they won't be there 6 months down the road. if we want our
community to rebuild and to survive this crisis, then we need to rally
and return as soon as it is feasible for each of our families and our
personal circumstances.

Thanks everyone! Hang in there and I hope to see you all again
soon....

FRIDAY!!

2008-10-03T17:39:00.003-05:00

So, I didn't post anything yesterday....well I had a great excuse! Last night I hooked up with my former Bunco group here in Friendswood that I played with back when we lived here! Only now, they don't play Bunco, they play LCR....I *love* to play LCR! So not only did I get to hang with some great friends, but I also had some girl time and MAN did I need it.

Yesterday, the bottom fell out at work. For various reasons, and because tensions are very high, there ended up being a screaming incident complete with f-bombs directed at my boss, the Executive Director. Not by me, mind you, but still. I don't like to see any of our employees that upset and it has caused a real division among the troops, so to speak. Everyone is just so emotional, and dealing with stressful situations at both home and work. People who've had little damage seem to be impatient and short with those who made out less fortunately and are not quite up to their normal productivity. On the other hand, those dealing with heavy issues at home are not seeming to be interested in the good of the organization. I have a feeling it's going to be tense like this for a long time. As if working in 90 degree heat with no A/C didn't make the working conditions bad enough! In fact, here's what the downstairs of our building looks like right now...

1861 Custom House - 1st Floor

So last night at bunco, while filling the girls in on our situation and Galveston, I realized that during those days/weeks without power, the communities closest to Galveston missed out on a LOT of news. They really had no idea the conditions. For example, none of them knew that there was a tent city of people who returned to the island from various shelters only to find themselves homeless! So for the girls...here it is:

Tent City at Alamo school.

Granted, it has A/C, but inside is just a ward of cots. GISD has agreed to house some of them (they expect 2,100 by Monday) inside Alamo Elementary.....can someone say Superdome all over again?

So the other day, after work, I couldn't resist going by our house again. I don't know why I do it really, but I always pick up a few things to salvage. I was blown away to find one fish in our aquarium still alive! Now after making it for over 2 weeks with no filter and just his "vacation" wafer, I couldn't just leave him there to die. I thought about trying to get him in one of the local school aquariums, thinking the kids would enjoy an evacuee fish from Galveston, but ultimately we just wanted to keep him. So...I'm off to PetCo in a minute to get a little desk-top type aquarium that we can keep in the RV. I'm sure he'll appreciate it considering this is how he's been living for the past 3 days...

His name is now Ike of course!

As always, here are some parting shots from G-town today:

Heards Lane, East of 61st....this area was hit hard by flooding

Behind 61st Street Cemetery

The shops along Postoffice between 22rd and 21st

Sky Bar! My favorite Sushi place!

More from the War Zone

2008-10-01T20:14:00.011-05:00

Well first the good news...I'm in a MUCH better mood and feeling MUCH better today, thanks to my steroid shot yesterday! WOOHOO! That's my kinda crack, baby!

My day started at McDonald's where I now have a new routine of buying a bag of ice for my ice chest every day.

Then I made my way to the make-shift Post Office at the outlet mall in La Marque. Even thought spotty mail service was beginning on the island, we couldn't be sure that we didn't have a stockpile at the PO. I waited in line for 2.5 hours. And I'll bet you can guess what I found out....the GHF mail was on the truck being delivered. AAARRRGH!! But, I did get my personal mail which consisted of a lot of junk mail and my Better Homes & Garden magazine. Yay me.

I met a really cool guy in line who is from Sea Isle on the West End of the island. He owns two Boston Whalers, and after hearing the fate of ours (badly bruised and landed in the Payco Marina yard) he gave me the name and number of a Whaler specialist in Seabrook. I immediately texted the info to Big L and he was thrilled.

One lady in line stated it very well....here, we are all equal. People from every age, race and economic status are in the same boat, waiting and waiting and waiting. Some of the older folks would make use of the very few benches along the way. We were talking about how nice it would be for some group to hand out water bottles or something. Then, on my way out at 12pm, I saw something very inspirational. A local church had set up tables and was handing out hot hamburgers for lunch for those stuck in line! This church gets high marks from me for sensing such a need and meeting it:

The Vineyard Clear Lake/

So I missed our staff meeting this morning, not realizing I wouldn't get to work until 12:30! I spent most of the day making a list of urgent bills so we can see how much money we need to scrape this week from donors. Fun fun! But, feeling better physically helps me deal with it soooo much better!

The big dilemma for Big L and i is now how to get the motorhome placed in Galveston over the weekend so the kids can start school at GISD on Tuesday when it opens. Unfortunately, there are still 2 boats in our street blocking us from driving to Bart's big parking lot/driveway at the end of our street. We're going to go check out the possibilites this weekend, and also try to salvage some of our wooden furniture from the second floor.

As usual, I'll leave you with some parting shots of Galveston today:

Hanging out the Laundry on Sealy

Winnie - notice all the brown, dead trees and foliage

Introducing "The Jackalope"

2008-09-30T20:25:00.003-05:00

Before this blog can continue much further, you're going to have to get to know a key source of humor and much-retold stories in our family, our 6 year old son fondly known as "The Jackalope". To put it simply...he's hilarious.

Last night I was preparing a crock pot dish to put in the fridge for the next day's cooking. The last ingredient was sliced onion, which my children know very well does NOT go over well with me! So I'm about to get started when The Jackalope says "Hey Mama, I saw this chef guy one time and he said to use sunglasses when you're cutting up and onion so it won't hurt your eyes". I take a second to digest the fact that my 6 year old just gave me kitchen advice....but hey, kinda makes sense! I tell him that and agree to try it, much to the kids' entertainment. It works!! I tell him that and he says "yeah, he also said how to peel a tomato. You put it in boiling water for 10 seconds, then put it in ice cold water for 10 seconds and the peel just comes right off!".

At this point, I turn and look at him. "Where did you get this stuff?" I ask. "I can't remember his last name....some famous chef guy on TV". I try to get a mental picture of my son watching anything but Sponge Bob on TV...i can't. "You mean you were watching the FOOD NETWORK?!?" I ask. The Princess and I exchange bizarre looks. "Yep" he says. If there's one constant, it's that he's always good for a surprise and/or laugh!

I had to go to the doctor today to try and get my allergies/asthma under control. Dr. Boone knows all about my family and asked how my son was doing. It told him my story from last night and he just belly-laughed. He also gave me a steroid shot, steroid pills, z-pack, new inhaler and new allergy meds!! He's a bit worried about the state of my asthma and the potential for pneumonia while working on the island, can ya tell?! I hope it all works...I've really struggling with working in the no A/C, no fresh air conditions. I come home just absolutely worn to a nub. We shall see, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I was actually glad to have the doctor's appointment today, because I can hardly stand to work a full day at the office. Today was payday, and gratefully we had enough to make payroll. But I'm not sure how much longer that will be the case, since we are entirely dependent on admissions and event rentals for our revenue. I try not to thing too far in the future, though....too much is uncertain and our work is too important for the Foundation not to continue on.

One thing that has struck me the last 2 days of coming and going to work is the vegetation on the island. Every bit from giant Oak trees to blades of grass is dead and brown. Salt water poisoning. As someone who loves to grow and enjoy beautiful plants, this really really saddens me. It's a very depressing atmosphere and I can't imagine how it will change the landscape of the island. No more naturaly shade anywhere? How long will it take for new trees to be grown to a decent height? The only survivors appear to be palm trees and oleanders, so perhaps that should be a lesson to us islanders in the future. With all the other priorities, how long will it be before our island home is visually pleasing again? I can't even think about it.

As I will try to do daily, here are some parting shots of Galveston today:

The Strand business district

The Railroad Museum under Remediation

Mechanic Street...if I remember right

Mobile Banking is all we have

Central Middle School under Remediation

Back to Work on the Island

2008-09-29T21:30:00.002-05:00

So today was the first day that everyone was required to be back to work at GHF. We had an 8:30 meeting on the top floor of the Custom House, becuase the bottom floor took on 6 feet of water and is under remediation/restoration. That means the first floor has had all the sheetrock, etc removed and is down to the bare bones and these machines are pumping cold dry air in thru large tubes into areas sealed off with plastic. I'm sure there's much more to it than that, but that's how it looks from my end. The worst part is that our HVAC system was in a "boiler room" downstairs, so we have no AC in the building. Yikes! Luckily, we are all wearing shorts & GHF shirts.

The GHF crew with remediation going on in the background

More of the GHF crew...

So one of the interesting stories I've had to skip over is that of the safe in my office at GHF. I had to hire a safe company to break into it after it was inundated with salt water....and it held a lot of cash. Cash that was wet, moldy, slimy and nasty! I ended up "laundering" it in a big plastic tub filled with Lysol water, and drying it in the dryer!! (more photos I'll post at some point) Having done that and sorted and counted about half of it, I needed to make a deposit at the bank on my way back home today. Our banking branch is one of the many that is now operating out of a trailer marked "mobile banking". When I told them where my now fresh-smelling, clean cash came from, the tellers immediately broke out the gloves and masks and set to counting in by hand on a plastic sheet, so as not to contaminate one of the counting machines. Geez! And to think I'd just been treating it like plain old cash ever since it came out of the dryer!

After my stint at the trailer-bank, I wanted to check on the mom of one of Emma's friends. I've been trying to call her since the 'cane, but her cell phone has been disconnected, so I just decided to drive by. For those of you familiar with the island, this is the neighborhood across from Marshall's and Ross. And it apparently had water up to the rooftops. All the houses were either gutted or in the process and the piles of debris left for the tractors was unimaginable. Some roads were not passable, but I finally made my way to the house where they lived with their Grandfather. He was sitting outside on the porch, and although I'd never met him, I decided to go ask about Alexis and her mom. It was immediately obvious, that although very friendly, he didn't speak a word of English. With my broken Spanish I managed to find out that Alexis and her mom were safe in Houston, and that he had food (MRE's) and water. His front door was open and I could see that his house was nothing but a shell...stripped down to the studs and flooring. And yet he smiled and nodded when I asked if he was OK, and pointed to his ice chest and stack of MRE boxes. My heart broke for him. I'm sure that house is all he has in the world, and I know for a fact that he housed several of his adult children there, and at least 4 grandchildren. I wonder how and where he'll get furniture, a kitchen, a bathroom, plumbing and electrical wiring. I wish I knew a charity group to call or someone who could help this sweet man. I asked him how high the water got and he pointed out the water line...even with the roof line. I told him that we too have 9 feet of water and he nodded. Then he gave me his daughter's number in English, which he really struggled over. I wanted to say "don't try so hard...I know the numbers in Spanish!" but I couldn't. At any rate, all I could do was leave her a message and hope she calls me back so I can check on her and her children. There are so many like this family in Galveston and I wish I could help each one....I'll leave you with a couple of shots from my drive around town today:

Ike Part 3 - Catching Up

2008-09-29T20:54:00.002-05:00

Well, I've realized that I'm going to have plenty blog about every day for the foreseeable future...so I'd better get caught up to the present day, even though it means skipping over a lot of interesting stories between the Wednesday after the storm thru today. Who knows, maybe I'll eventually have some boring days in my life (hope, hope!) and then I can go back and add in some of the things I'm going to have to skip for the time being.

So...long story short...here goes: The day after our first trip to Galveston, I drove to Austin for my first day of work for GHF since the 'cane. Our director had set up temporary offices at the office of Preservation Texas, which was very nice. He, the Board Pres and I worked thru things like how to make payroll with no income, what kind of insurance we have, and how to get some cash fast! While I was there, Big L was RV shopping. When I finished up in Austin, I met up with Big L, Bart and the kids at an RV dealer in Bourne, where we discovered "the one".

The next days were filled with shopping (clothes, kids stuff, stuff for the RV) and finalizing the deal on the RV. The things that did it for us were that it had bunk beds for the kids, and double slides which made the living room seem very roomy for an RV. We figured on the "livability" scale those things were tops. We got lucky and got an in-motion satellite system thrown in becuase they couldn't get the regular old sat. system to work right. Yay us!

Finally, the day came to return to Galveston County and settle in Friendswood for the time being. I drove Big L's truck with the doggies, he drove the RV with the kiddos, and we left my Tahoe there in NB. Bart was driving his sister's volvo, as he had left his truck on the island and we had discovered on our trip that it was totalled.

We got all hooked up at Big L's brother's house and enjoyed the day off on Monday. Tuesday morning, bright and early, i went to register the kiddos for school in F'wood. I was *thrilled* to run into a fellow PTO President from the school next to ours on the island!! Our boys are on the same soccer team and are now both in 1st grade at the same school. It's the little things like that that mean sooo much when you're completely displaced from everything familiar. I suppose it helps that we've lived in F'wood before, but not really. It's not our home and it never feels like it...at least not yet.

So last week went by with school and me trying to work online from the RV as much as possible. Finally on Friday, i had lunch with my director and we took care of some more business. Then I went and stood in a 45 minute line to get my mail at the make-shift Galveston Post Office, which is now in an old gym at the outlet mall.

Over the weekend, I began to feel bad with a chest cough and allergies. To be expected from all my trips to the island for work, but still. I was very unmotivated and exhausted from my crazy-busy week. I managed to get the necessary chores done, etc. but didn't feel exactly prepared for the inevitable Monday morning.

So....now you're all caught up! Welcome to our journey, and I'm sorry to say that i hope it eventually becomes just too boring to read :-)

Ike Part 2 - Adventures in New Braunfels

2008-09-28T18:22:00.007-05:00

We are so very blessed to have some great friends in NB who also have a family vacation house that they welcome us to each time we have to evacuate. The last time we stayed here was in 2005 during the Rita evac. And holy of holies...Shan has it equipped with wifi! She also had a link to a website that was simulcasting all 4 local Houston news stations at once, so i was in heaven. And the have 2 kids that have grown up with ours, so they all played and had fun with their two weren't in school. Speaking of school, ours had now completely forgotten that such an evil had ever existed!

By this time, Big L and I had made a couple of decisions. Mainly, that we would be purchasing an RV to live in while we rebuild our house. We knew we'd want to return to the island and get the kids back in their own schools as soon as possible, and we knew that due to flooding, housing would be short. So, on Monday, we started out looking at motorhomes at the many RV dealers in NB.

Meanwhile, back in Friendswood, things were deteriorating rapidly for Bart and his crew. Percy was getting more and more agitated and was jabbering non-stop with things like "where are we? how's the weather? Aw, Hayull!" and was also becoming more disoriented and combative. Bart's crew had had quite the BBQ while emptying out our friends' thawing freezer, and had made it fine physically up to this point, although they'd now been without power for a couple of days. It was becoming apparent that Percy needed medical attention.

I actually spent my first day in NB trying to secure a room at a nursing facility in NB for Percy so that Bart could come and stay with us. Bart's friends had since taken off to places with power, and after surveying the very minimal damage at his Dad's place, Bart's dad could not be pried out of his own home with a crowbar, power or not! So that just left Bart and Percy and Bart's cat, Miss Kitty. I finally met with a nursing home administrator and found out that Bart would have to take Percy to an emergency room first. So, Bart set out for NB with Percy, leaving Miss Kitty in a very pet-friendly house with lots of food and water. He didn't make it past Katy without having to stop a Memorial Hermann because of Percy's condition. Percy was admitted and Bart continued on towards our house in NB where he arrived at 1:30am or so on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday, September 16th - One of Big L's clients is a premier restauranteur on the island, and he contacted Big L on Monday and offered us access to the island if we'd meet him at 7am on Tuesday morning. We of course jumped at the chance to see our house and assess the extent of the damage! Bart wanted to join us, even though we had to leave at 3:30am and he'd just arrived from the ER in Katy 2 hrs earlier.

We arrived just a wee bit late, but so was our contact so it all worked out. Turns out we were all distracted at 3:30am and took a wrong turn, leading us to Galveston via Austin. At any rate, we get in the miles long line and proceed to the first checkpoint, where we are rejected, much to the shock and surprise of our contact. We re-assemble and wait for another person with a "pass" to show up. We get in line and wait to try again. It's then that we hear on the radio that a "look and leave" policy will go into effect at 12pm. We arrive at the checkpoint at 11:59am and are allowed in with a big "LL" written in white shoe polish on our car.

There are not enough words in the English language to describe what we saw. Debris was everywhere, in many places causing the freeway to go down to one or two lanes. As we crossed the causeway onto the island, the first view is that of Payco Marina on the right. We live right behind it. Payco was a wasteland. Not a single structure of the offices, workshops, boat houses, etc. was left. And not one boat. Boat carcasses littered the highway along with heaps of other debris.

When we approached our neighborhood it looked like a war zone. At Clary's restaurant, the roof had caved in and there was a boat where the dining room used to be. When we turned on Blume to approach our house, the sight was the same on every lot. The bottoms of the houses were completed gutted at tattered and stripped down to the studs in many cases. When we turned to go down our street, we were immediately stopped by the piles of debris and boats all over the road. We could see two totalled trucks and large sections of piers from the marina laying up on the street, but we could not even see our house. There are only 7 houses on our dead-end street and you couldn't see past house #3.

Looking Down our Street

We parked and starting walking slowly up the street in amazement. We passed two neighbors who were out cleaning up...they had ridden out the storm and were still there, living with no sewer, no water and no power. In fact, it turns out that Bart, us and the family on the other side of us were the only ones that left on our street! We found Bart's boat on the street on top of a pile of debris in front of house #3.

Bart and his boat

When we got to our houses we were shocked again. Everything from our downstairs was destroyed or gone. Our Master Bedroom had been downstairs, as we were planning on doing a major remodel and it was a temporary location for our bedroom. All my clothes and shoes were gone without a trace. Large pieces of furniture, like a desk, credenza, dresser, king sized poster bed and piano were all gone without a trace. All that remained were the remnants of walls, doors and window collapsed in a pile. The hot tub that had been on our back porch was now where our bedroom used to be.

Looking in our Front Door

Looking in our Master Bedroom

Looking up the stairs at the water level

We used trash bags to take out as much clothes from the 2nd floor as we possibly could and used some plastic bins we brought to box up more stuff for a second trip. We tried to gather essential items we wanted to salvage in one place in the upstairs for future trips. To get things out, we had to to go down our interior stairs, across piles of debris and out of the house, and then hike down the street to the truck, going around the debris field in the street. It was impossible to try and take anything that couldn't be carried by one person at a time.

We had to be out by 6pm, when we headed back to NB, the three of us. It had been an emotional and exhausting day to say the least, and we didn't get "home" until after 10pm.

to be continued with "Return to Work Wednesday"

Hurricane Ike Part 1

2008-09-28T15:13:00.003-05:00

Wow. 2 years since I've blogged here! Where does the time go?? Actually, I know where it went....first MySpace, then Facebook...you get the idea.

But, nothing like a devastating hurricane to resurrect the old blogger in me! Big L and I moved to Galveston 2 years ago in July, and so we found ourselves in the angry eye of Hurricane Ike 2 weeks ago. Here's our story to date, and I'll continue blogging thru what promises to be a CRAZY and WILD ride over the next year at least!

Wednesday, September 9, 2008 - We are both at work, and watching the storm via http://www.wunderground.com/ anxiously. No one at my office is actually "working" as we're all anticipating a press conference from our Mayor at 10:30am and the following word from our Executive Director as to how we will proceed. (I am the financial Controller for Galveston Historical Foundation. Big L continues to have a tax practice in Houston with his partner and they too are trying to decipher what to do next. )

The Mayor delays and then speaks as to how the storm still appears to be focused on the Matagorda to maybe Freeport area, requests a voluntary evacuation of the West End and that's that. At work, we begin to prepare "just in case" by putting all our computers on our desks, wrapped in plastic and securing all loose papers and files in case of blown out windows.

During the late afternoon, there is another press conference by the Mayor. This time she is ordering a mandatory evacuation of the West End and a voluntary one of the whole island. The storm has shifted a bit more towards Freeport now, and not so much towards Matagorda. If you don't know the Texas Coast, that is more towards Galveston than before. Big L and I make the decision to leave, but by the time we both reach home it is about 8pm. When I had picked up the kids from school at 3:15, we were still having school until 11:30am on Thursday. They had to come to work and help me with hurricane prep, which for me meant hurriedly trying to run checks thru the deposit scanner on my desk so we'd have as much money in the bank as possible in case of a storm. When we all reach home that evening, we are all moving like crazy people, trying to do laundry and pack it, along with valuables like photo albums and pictures. To keep the kids busy, I dumped out a tub of Fall decorations from the garage and let them each pack the same number of toys and stuffed animals in it. (anyone who has 2 kids knows how important the "same number" part of that sentence is!) When they finished that, I assigned them the task of moving all the books from the downstairs bookcase to the coffee table upstairs. I honestly didn't think that was necessary, but it kept them out of my hair and I was too stressed to have them whining and fighting! I successfully packed all our pictures and photo albums in another plastic tub and packed 4 suitcases for a long weekend. I then began packing up our laptops and other electronics...wifi card, portable scanner, camera, memory card reader, and all the cords that accompany such items. We finally paused to feed the kids and get them to bed, and continued to pack and get ready until Midnight. The whole time I was working indoors, Big L was working outdoors. He was helping our next door neighbor "Bart", and together they were securing all the outdoor items. Being that we live on the water, there are boats and patio furniture and grills and kayaks and all sorts of items. Big L tied many such things to our fence to keep them from floating away in a high tide. Many were piled in our garage to keep them from becoming projectiles in the wind. During all of this, the only constant was the news. We had the local news on for non-stop updates and dire warnings. By the time we went to bed that night, Ike had shifted East yet again and was now giving Galveston the evil eye! Larry and I exhaustedly fell into bed hoping that the eastward trend would continue through the night and that we would wake to find Ike headed towards the TX/LA border instead of us.

Thursday, September 10, 2008 - Big L and I both woke early to check the weather. Not only had there been no change in Ike's path during the night, but now the storm surge was predicted to be unbelievably high on our island and hometown. Big L began packing all my plastic tubs and suitcases in the back of his truck. I woke the kids to get them dressed and fed. At 9:30 there was yet another press conference from our Mayor. This time, things had changed. There was now a mandatory evacuation for the whole island. Big L and I looked at each other with alarm. You see, we had evacuation from Hurricane Rita 2 years ago when we still lived in Friendswood, and that experience haunts us to this day. (you can read about it in my archives at http://texasbug.blogspot.com/2005/09/home-sweet-home.html) The fear of Rita-esque evacuation traffic jolted both of us into mega gear. We both agreed that we needed to be on the road and off the island in 30 minutes or less. No more time to consider moving precious items upstairs. We had done all we could and were now completely out of time. We decided not to try and go to our normal safe haven in New Braunfels for fear of the traffic, and instead to go to Big L's sisters house in Sugarland to ride out the storm. According to plan, we were on the road within a half an hour of the mandatory evacuation order. I had both kids and both dogs with me, and Big L was following by himself in his truck. And to our surprise, traffic was not heavy at all and we reached Sugarland in the normal amount of time....A journey that had taken 6 hours during the Rita evacuation had just taken us 1 hour!

We arrive, along with Big L's parents, and all settle in with 10 people and 3 dogs for the storm to show up. Of course it's not coming until Friday night, so we have a LOT of time on our hands! Big L helps his brother-in-law board up the house and secure items in the yard. For the rest of Thursday, we spend most of that time glued to the news, when we're not running around to grocery and drug stores stocking up on last minute items we keep realizing we forgot!

We call to check on our neighbor Bart, only to find out he's chosen to stay on the island with friends! I completely freak out and keep inundating him with text messages about how he needs to get the heck off the freaking island. Finally, I pull all the stops and text him the quote from Homeland Security that said anyone staying on the island was facing certain death. He tells me I'm playing dirty but that I have his attention. Miraculously, a joint friend of ours from Friendswood calls him and offers his now vacant house to Bart and his crew to ride out the storm. They take him up on his offer and relocate to Friendswood! Bart has his 83 year old father, a 90+ year old man he looks after, a dog and 3 cats in our friends house. Although much safer and out of harms way, his nightmare is just beginning. The 90+ year old, Percy, begins to show signs of dementia and the sudden removal from his house has not helped. Bart is in for a very long night....

Friday, September 11, 2008 - This day brings on a whole new set of challenges. Our daughter is displaying a bad cough and has "that look" in her eyes. She'd missed a couple of days of school earlier in the week, but had appeared to be getting better, until today. We make the decision to call her pediatrician at home, as we know she chose to ride out the storm in Friendswood. After hearing E's story and her current condition, she advises us to take her to urgent care. We find one open (a miracle, as Sugarland is all but rolling up the streets to prepare for Ike) and get her in. They perform and chest x-ray and our fears are realized....The Princess has pneumonia. They administer an IV antibiotic, give us samples of a prescription decongestant to last a few days, and advise us that the Target pharmacy is still open for filling her antibiotic prescription. They also had to administer Tylenol with codeine during the IV ordeal because The Princess does not do pain, especially from a needle. After several hours, it is now 2:30pm and we are heading to Target to fill her RX and get home before it gets stormy. Naturally, Target has closed before we arrive. We begin running all over town looking for any open pharmacy, with no luck. I'm getting absolutely frantic, and am telling Big L that we will have to pack up and head west until we find a town open that can fill a prescription that day!! Big L's sister is returning from the FFA barn where she'd been caring for their animals, and she stops in a little Mom & Pop pharmacy where they are just about to lock up and convinces them to stay open for us! We race over and get her prescription filled and are still in the parking lot when they lock up for the day. PHEW!

Back at home, we prepare what will be our last meal with power and proceed to "hunker down" for the storm. I wake up lots of times in the night as the wind picks up and I can hear things hitting the boarded up windows. At 1:30am, my phone rings. It's Bart. he is getting phone calls from a neighbor whose husband and adult son chose to ride out the storm at their home on our street in Galveston! They've had to SWIM to Bart's house because it's the tallest and has roof access, and they are saying that the island must be devastated and people must be drowning everywhere because the water is insanely high and raging all around, and that ours and Bart's houses are going to be totally destroyed. Big L and I cannot sleep for worry about the people who chose to stay on the island, including these 2.

Saturday, September 12, 2008 - We are glued to the TV and to our phones as we finally hear thru text messages that the 2 got off the island safely once the water receded to knee high. The news coming out of our neighborhood and the whole island is very bad. We are shocked at the destruction that must wait there for us. Because there's no power, we decide we cannot keep The Princess there with pneumonia, as she needs to be using her nebulizer for breathing treatments. We pack up quickly and set off for New Braunfels where friends have an empty house waiting for us.

To be continued with "Adventures in New Braunfels"....

He is Risen!!

2006-04-15T22:39:00.000-05:00

Doubt it? Wanna see some evidence? Perhaps you should start here:

http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html

or you might want to take a look at this:

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2964/resurrection-evidence.html

And then....does it really even matter?

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2964/resurrection-evidence.html

The Bird Flu Panic

2006-03-26T12:29:00.000-06:00

I'm very interested to know where other people stand on this issue. Big L and I are still discussing it. First - a little background on our reaction to other similar situations.

Y2K - I wasn't blogging yet, but I did have several people ask me as a "level-headed person, rational person" (what were they thinking??) what my plans were at the time. Others were buying expensive generators, sending their wives and children to live in RV's away from cities, stockpiling food and water. We did none of these.

9/11 - We never changed our habits and continued flying as we normally would've. Also, we have not responded to the advice to stockpile duct tape, plastic, water and food in our home...even though we live minutes from some of the largest oil refineries in the country.

Hurricane Rita - we watched the predictions of a monster storm, analyzed the charts of where our house would be in such a situation, packed our bags and left. And we also planned ahead for the traffic and mayhem of the evacuation of millions from this huge metropolis, so we took plenty of snacks, water, toilet paper, buckets for the kids to use, and we left in the evening so our kids would sleep for most of the journey. Just in case, we also took our gas burner, a large soup pot, and enough ingredients to make a pot of soup for an entire traffic jam, which fortunately we never had to use.

Now this brings us to the Bird Flu Pandemic Panic. What should we do, if anyting? Well, first we need some information. Will the Bird Flu ever even reach the US? Experts say yes, and by the fall of 2006, based on the current locations of infected birds and normal migration patterns.

But the big question remains, will it mutate to a form that can pass from human to human? And if it does, how easily and quickly will it spread? Well, if you believe the expert Robert G. Webster, who is credited with first recognizing the link between bird flu and human flu, the answer is that we face about 50/50 odds of it mutating into a human to human situation.

The part of "The Flu Hunter"'s article that most disturbed me, however, was this:

If the virus does mutate, it does not necessarily mean it will be as deadly
to people as it is to birds. But experts such as Webster say they must
prepare for the worst. "I personally believe it will happen and make
personal preparations," said Webster, who has stored a three-month supply of
food and water at his home in case of an outbreak.

"Society just can't accept the idea that 50 percent of the population could die. And I think we have to face that possibility," Webster said. "I'm sorry if I'm making people a little frightened, but I feel it's my role."

Most scientists won't put it that bluntly, but many acknowledge that
Webster could be right about the flu becoming transmissible among humans, even
though they believe the 50 percent figure could be too high.

Researcher Dr. Anne Moscona at New York Weill
Cornell Medical Center said that a human form may not mutate this year or next —
or ever — but it would be foolish to ignore the dire consequences if it
did. "If bird flu becomes not bird flu but mutates into a form that can be
transmitted between humans, we could then have a spread like wildfire across the
globe," Moscona said.

It just so happened that when I read this article I was in the process of supervising my children's bath. I looked over at my 4 and 6 year old innocently playing in the tub and thought of their asthma and Webster's bleak 50% of the population.....and I knew this time I would have to take some precautions.

So, Big L and I have devised a plan. We figure if it "really happens" and the bird flu mutates into a human to human disease, it will be quick. We will pull our children out of school and homeschool them until it passes. We have set 3 months as our target for preparedness. So each week, when Big L goes to the grocery store, he purchases 2 large containers of water and some extra non-perishables which we are storing in our garage apartment closet. We are buying things like pasta, powdered milk, canned soup, peanut butter, crackers and breakfast bars. We figure that way we can contain ourselves at home (both of us have the ability to work from home) and wait it out.

Illegal Immigration and Fedral Control of Church Work

2006-03-26T11:28:00.000-06:00

Boy, that's an all-consuming title, isn't it? I'm trying to wade through all the mumbo jumbo out there to put together some thoughts of my own on this.

My first reaction....I'm always angered when people protest in the US by waving flags from another county. Hey, if you're so proud of it....LIVE THERE instead of the HERE!

But then I did some research, and I'm disturbed by at least a couple of items in the House's legistlation. First of all, they want to make illegal immigration to the US a felony. Why? Well, for one thing, convicted felons cannot be admitted later as LEGAL immigrants, so one time over here illegally and you're out forever.

More importantly to me, the law actually requires churches to verify the legal status of people before offering them any help or assistance. Now wait just a minute! The church has always been a place of totally a-political immunity. I don't care how or why a person comes to the US, if they show up needy on the door of my church, we're helping them with food or clothing or whatever else we see fit! I cannot abide ANY legislation that seeks to control the actions of the church, who they can help, how they help, etc. What's next, we can only help people in need if we don't mention anything about God?? This is an absolute overstep on the part of the House, and one that I will protest vehemently.

All of this makes me ask "Why can't we ust enforce the laws we already have?" Are new laws really necessary? I totally agree with GWB on this one.

I mean, let's face it, the only reason the GOP can even pretend to support this is under the fear that terrorists will infiltrate the US through our borders with Mexico. If it's truly terrorists we're after here, then why can't we allow those verified as "non-terrorists" to have work passes here for a period of years?

I realize that keeping terrorists out is a HUGE priority, but has anyone stopped to think of the impact this could have on our standard of living and our economy? Do you live in a brick house? Those would become a luxury only the very wealthy could afford. Do you employ a periodic housekeeper? Forget it when they become unionized citizens unless, again, you're extremely wealthy.

I happen to know a family that would've been adversely impacted by these proposed laws. We've been friends with them for over 10 years now, and at first they were here illegally. They have since become legal....something that never could've happened under the new laws. They are some of the most honest, hard-working, wonderful people we know. They simply wanted a better life for their children. Don't we all? I hate to see terrorists once again force us to change the way we live, which is exactly what will happen if this law is passed as it stands.

I'm not the only one back...

2006-03-25T22:58:00.001-06:00

The Dixie Chicks are too. And apparently they can hold a grudge like nobody's business! Their new CD will break out with a single called "Not Ready to Make Nice" which references their hatred of Bush and the whole controversy that caused them to go missing for 5 years. What they seem to *still* not get, is that nobody gives a rat's rear-end what they think about politics. That wasn't the problem. No matter what side of the fence you're on though, you should be angered when someone representing America bashes the current president on foreign soil, to non-Americans, when America is in diplomatic negotiations with that country! I was just about ready to let my kids listen to the Chicks again (I still have a bad taste in my mouth), but this first single has totally changed my mind. I suppose this is going to be their mantra for the rest of their career.....may it be as short lived as possible:

Not Ready to Make Nice
Words and music by Emily Robison,
Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Dan Wilson

Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I’m not sure I could
They say time heals everything
But I’m still waiting

I’m through with doubt
There’s nothing left for me to figure out
I’ve paid a price
And I’ll keep paying

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and
round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if
I could‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I
should

I know you said
Can’t you just get over it
It turned my whole world around
And I kind of like it

I made my bed and I sleep like a baby
With no regrets and I don’t mind sayin’
It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach
her
Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect
stranger
And how in the world can the words that I
said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Sayin’ that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and
round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I
should

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and
round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I
should

Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I’m not sure I could
They say time heals everything
But I’m still waiting

Hey chicks....now that you mention it, I'm still mad as hell too! Thanks for reminding me!

WHERE have I BEEN???

2006-03-25T22:58:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been nutty around here. For the most part, I've been absent from the blog because of some medical issues. Nothing too serious. Mainly, the kidney stones that cropped up a year ago starting causing some problems again, and long story short I had to have lithotripsy on both kidneys to get rid of all the stones.

But the great news is, I'm all better and I'M BACK!

Happy Hanukah vs. Merry Christmas

2005-12-09T12:20:00.000-06:00

Just wondering....if you're not Jewish, would you be offended by seeing a blue & white sign that said "Happy Hanukah" at your local shopping place? Me either. This week I was at Target when I saw an endcap completely decked out in blue, white & silver with displays of all kinds of Hanukah goods from Menorahs to Dreidels to Hanukah gift wrap. At the top of the display and on each shelf was a banner that read "Happy Hanukah". My first thought was "how cool...I didn't know they sold Menorahs at Target!". But then, as I thought about it, I became extremely offended.

Not because I'm offended by the reference to Hanukah, but rather by the lack of reference to my holiday, Christmas. I mean, Hanukah stuff takes up exactly one endcap in the store....not exactly making or breaking the bottom line for Target. Christmas stuff, however, takes up aisles and aisles of the store totally dedicated to the holiday. Target and all other similar retailers completely depend on Christmas sales to make or break their bottom line for the year, however you will not see "Merry Christmas" anywhere in their store, or in their ads. Why not?? If you want my money, want me to buy Christmas trees (Lowe's calls them Holiday Trees...name another holiday where people put a pine tree in their living room!!), Christmas cards, Christmas decorations and Christmas gifts, then wish me a Merry Christmas for Pete's sake!! Don't take my money and then act like my holiday is so evil and offensive you can't even refer to it! I mean, who is being inclusive here and who is being exclusive? I'm thrilled to see a Hanukah display and I'd be just as thrilled to see displays for every religious holiday with all the related goods and trimmings. Just don't exclude mine and make me feel like my religion is somehow too offensive to be mentioned by name.

Incidentally, I hear that Target and Sears are re-thinking their "no Christmas" policy due to a sales problem and will actually refer to Christmas in their upcoming ads. Nothing lack crappy holiday sales to bring out the inclusiveness in corporate America!!

In the Christmas Spirit!!

2005-11-30T21:31:00.000-06:00

And yes, I said Christmas....not Holiday Spirit, or Season's Spirit....CHRISTMAS spirit! I'm really enjoying it more this year than I have in the past few, for whatever reason.

One reason is that I'm really enjoying a particular gift I'm giving this year. My Mom and Dad live in a small condo, and she wanted her *one* flower bed redone. This is right up my alley! I just had to recruit a couple of siblings to pitch in on the cost, and I get to plan it, sketch it out, and get my hands dirty! It's been so fun...first seeing what types of flowers she enjoys (roses & lilies), then choosing the varieties so she has lots of colors and something blooming from early spring to late fall. Then sketching it out to see how it will look and where everything will be planted. We've already removed all the old plants, installed a new border, added garden soil, planted the 2 anchor plants - antique roses, and added the soaker hose and of course the garden flag. All we have left is to receive and plant the lilies, cover with mulch, and arrange some lava rocks for downspout coverage. So fun!! The "giving" of the gift is lasting the whole month long, so it's really a blast.

My children are at the prime ages this year, too. Big J woke up this morning and sleepily asked "is Santa coming tonight?" Hilarious! They are SO into everything. Decorating the tree, making ornaments, reading Christmas books....you name it, they're enthused about it! Sure does make everything more exciting. I've even downloaded Christmas ringtones for my phone that they helped me choose!

Happy December 1st, and remember to enjoy the next 24 days because it will all be over way too soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2005-11-24T00:08:00.000-06:00

As you celebrate with friends and family, please take time to thank God for your blessings and pray for those who are missing loved ones at the table this year.

Cpt. Jason Snelgrove....we're gonna miss you! Hurry home safely and I promise to fix all your favorites next year! We're really gonna miss ya on Friday. We might be the only Aggies there! BTHOTU!!!

Big L and I are hosting the big hooha this year, and we're expecting around 18 tomorrow. After going over the menu, we're going to have enough food for twice that.....although what am I saying? It's MY family.....we'll eat it all!

Yes, the look of the blog has changed yet again. Mainly because something went haywire with the blogfrocks template I was using, and I'm tired of always having to fix it. So....I guess I'm just gonna stick with the basic old blogger stuff. Incidentally, this is the same template I was using when I launched Texasbug over a year ago.

Have a wonderful holiday!!

Missing Friendswood Girl!

2005-11-15T17:06:00.000-06:00

Friendswood, Texas
CHASTITY MONIQUE PETTWAY JACKSON
Missing Since: November 11, 2005 at 05:00
Age: 16
Missing From: home on Bougainvilla Lane
Sex: female
Height: 5ft. 6in.
Weight: 130 Lbs.
Eye Color: black
Hair Color: black
Race: black
Birth Date: December 29, 1988

Distinguishing Marks: Acne on face
Clothing Description: May be wearing a red jacket with "Cotton Bowl" on front and back.
Jewelry: Silver hoop earrings
Chastity, We love you. Please come home. We want to know your safe.--Your Family

Please call the Friendswood Police Department at 281-996-3300 if you have any information about CHASTITY MONIQUE PETTWAY JACKSON- Case number: 051849
Or, call the Laura Recovery Center at 281-482-LRCF(5723) or (toll free) 866-898-5723; FAX: 281-482-5727
Download Flyers
Recovery Effort E-mail: recovery@lrcf.org
PLEASE POST

One Year Ago Today

2005-11-13T00:03:00.000-06:00

One year ago today, was a day that, although I didn't know it at the time, would be a day I'll remember forever. November 13, 2004 is the day that Captain Sean Patrick Sims was killed in action in Iraq. It happened on a Saturday morning, and I didn't find out about it until the following Monday.

These are the times when I wish I were a writer instead of an accountant. I would love to capture my memories in a way that make you, the reader, feel even a fraction of the emotion that I feel. Sean and I met in college and dated for a while in what was a pretty serious relationship. After we broke up, we did not stay in touch, but I'd just run into his best friend and his wife at an Aggie football game, so I was contemplating contacting him to catch up. I knew he and his wife Heidi had recently given birth to a son, and I was interested to hear from him as a father. But, that was not to be the case. Instead, in a very weird turn of events, I've now struck up a friendship with his wife, Heidi, whom I've never met in person. When I tell people this, they always give me a strange look and say "you're friends with his wife? That's strange". But really, it's not when you think about it. In her words, we are the two people who probably knew him the best, and we're able to talk about Sean in a way that neither of us can with anyone else, because they didn't know him like we did. Crazier things have happened I guess!

Anyway, Heidi's post today tells the story of how she found out the news that Saturday evening. So...I'll tell mine as well.

On Monday, November 15, I had a business lunch with a very nice girl about my age who works for a payroll service. She and I were discussing client of mine that I had in mind for her service, and she was telling me how she could improve their payroll issues. I really enjoyed it because I like Hilary, plus I always like getting dressed in casual business clothes and going into the city. It reminds me of my former life, only I still get to go home, change into pajamas, and play with my kiddos! Anyway, as we finished I walked her to her car to get some printed materials to give to my clients. We even made plans to get together for some Christmas shopping in the next week or two.

I opened the door to my Expedition and started to climb in. Just as I'd tossed my purse to the other seat, my cell phone started ringing. With my door still opened, I saw that it was my niece Rachel calling from Oklahoma, which was odd in the middle of the day, so I answered quickly. (Rachel's husband Jason is in the Army and they were stationed at Ft. Sill at the time). "Hey Rach!....What's up?" I hear controlled tears in her voice as she says "Something bad. I have some bad news". I think she went on to say she wasn't sure if it was a good time to call me, and that she didn't know how to tell me this, etc. , but my concern for her caused me to interrupt with "it's fine...what is it??". I'm already thinking....something with Jason...a fight...I'll fly up there and make them make up....I'll help her fix it, whatever. She may be my niece, but my maternal instincts extend to her as well, and as a result I want her life to be perfect. So, my first reaction is that somehow it's not and I *must* fix it. She responds "They're saying.......They're saying Sean is dead". My response: "Sean Sims? No, no, no." Then it hits me. "Oh my God. (deep inhalation) Oh my God! (deeper inhalation) Oh my God!!! NO!!! Are you SURE??? How do you know?" She responds "Abby (her younger sister) saw a friend's post about it on texags.com, she wasn't sure it was the right Sean so she called me first, and I checked. It's him, I'm so sorry." This is the point where I begin to cry and sob hysterically. My car door is still open, and I'm at a trendy restaurant in Rice Village, and none of that ever crossed my mind. I cried and cried and cried until I finally registered Rachel's voice asking me if I was going to be OK and how would I get home. OK, reality. I realize I have to get it under control. I assure her I'll be OK, that I won't drive until I've calmed down, and that I'll call her as soon as I get home. Then I hung up and called my husband. The first words out of my mouth must have been assurances that nothing was wrong with me or the kids. He very lovingly let me cry and get it all out until I was calm enough to drive home, which must've been 20 or 30 minutes later, at least. The whole parking lot scene lasted around 45 minutes.

Luckily, I'd arranged for my kids to be cared for until much later, so I got home to an empty house. I sat down on the couch and immediately started searching the internet (and crying). First I went to texags.com to see this post that so blatantly just layed it out there for anyone to discover. There I discovered one of Sean's buddies from L-2, Mark, who had also found out via the texags post, and was demanding details and confirmation. I was so grateful for that, because that's what I wanted to do too. I posted to see if he remembered me, and he did, and we then started conversing regularly via email as the days unfolded. After I'd read that post, I started searching. Every scrap of info, which was much more that I expected to find, on the internet. Then i remembered that I'd just seen his best friend Dave and his wife Michelle at a football game, and I had their phone number! What a strange thing that I'd run into them the week or so before and I hadn't seen them in 10 or more years until then! I called Michelle and left her a message that I knew and to please call me back, which she did. Turns out, she'd wanted to call me, but in her words she was too scared to actually be the one to tell me. I was so grateful to have her to talk to, because she was the only person I knew who'd actually known Sean when I did, other than my niece, and we had many shared memories to go over. My niece Rachel had been 13 at the time I dated Sean, and would come spend the weekends with me at Texas A&M, hang out with Sean and his buddies with me, and go to the football games. She'd even known Dave & Michelle. That whole experience influenced her to go to Texas A&M, and knowing Sean influenced her to date and eventually marry a Corps boy of her own...Jason. So I was very grateful that it was she who gave me the news. But for the grace of God I would've just happened upon it at texags.com, which would've been much more horrible for me, I think.

<....to be continued....>

Some Very Special Veterans

2005-11-11T17:01:00.001-06:00

On this Veteran's Day, I'd like to take a moment to say Thank You to some very special Veterans in my life:

First of all, my Dad

Fireman 1st Class, H.S. Shuman, who served in the Navy on Okinawa in World War II at the age of 17.

Next, my father-in-law

Wayne Kitchel, Army officer serving in Korea

Next, someone very dear to my heart who gave his life for our country on November 13, 2004 (more posts to follow this week)

Captain Sean Sims, US Army served in Iraq and Bosnia. Be sure to check out his wife's blog at Learning to Live

Next, someone whom I've gotten to "know" after receiving a memorial bracelet with his name on it

Master Sgt. Kelly Hornbeck from Fort Worth, TX who gave his life for our country on January 18, 2004 in Iraq

Last, but most definitely not least, my niece's husband who is currently serving a second term in Iraq. Unfortunately, all my photos of Captain Jason Snelgrove, US Army in Iraq, are on the computer that crashed so instead I'll give you a link to his awesome blog, There and Back Again

Have a wonderful Veteran's Day, and say a prayer today for the families of those who gave their lives for your freedom!!

I'm in Limbo....

2005-11-11T17:01:00.000-06:00

for a while. My laptop bit the dust! Luckily, I did have a desktop that i could start using, but I'm not going to be my usual blogging self until my new lappy gets here. For one thing, the computer didn't have Mozilla/Firefox on it, so I'm having to try and remember all my user names and passwords! I was so spoiled with it before...

Hopefully by Wednesday my new toy will arrive! Woohoo!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

2005-10-31T08:21:00.000-06:00

Your Monster Profile

Creepy Lunatic

You Feast On: M&Ms

You Lurk Around In: The Hearts of Men

You Especially Like to Torment: Blondes

What's Your Monster Name?

Why I'm Voting "No" on Texas' Prop 2

2005-10-30T22:13:00.000-06:00

First let me start off by saying, yes...I am still a Christian! In fact, that has a lot to do with why I'm voting no on Prop 2 (designating marriage as one man, one woman). I do not have a problem with a law that would simply do what I just stated....confirm that "marriage" is between one man and one woman. However, Prop 2 goes way beyond just that. It does not allow for any kind of legal standing for other people, and I would like to see this. I see no reason why the law cannot allow for 2 adults of the same sex to designate each other as next of kin for hospitalizations, inherited property, etc. This type of thing is not allowed for by prop 2.

Not only that, but I'm sick to death of Christians acting like homosexuality is the greatest sin on the planet and warrants all of our resources, time and effort to stop it. What about adultery? It's sin, but not illegal. Same goes for sex before marriage. Is anyone fighting to put unwed mothers in jail? I don't think so. Even better....why not pass a law that says its illegal to remarry after divorce? After all, that's what the Bible says, right? The problem is that too many Christians break that rule, so they'll never fight to make it a law. That's exactly my point here. The fact of the matter is that most people simply cannot imagine themselves being homosexual, so they think it's the worst thing ever. Anything they can imagine themselves being tempted to do....not so bad, and definitely shouldn't be illegal.

Additionally, I do not believe that the Bible should be the standard for the law of the land. Just because we might possibly have the majority right now does not mean that we should legislate our faith. Heaven forbid the majority ever fall to the Muslims and we find our grandchildren living under Sharia law! It's just not right.

Lastly, I do not believe it's what Jesus would have done. Jesus was all about social justice, and that's what this law is about (or against, in this case). Jesus spent all of his time with those who were outside of the law, and outside of the religious, moral lifestyle of the day. He did not spend His time trying to change their behavior, He spent it trying to change their hearts. If we as Christians are so concerned about homosexual behavior, our time would be much more well spent developing friendships with gays and introducing them to the One who can change their lives. As it stands, I'm sure they only see Christians as antagonists who want to make their lives miserable and who seemingly hate them. I could not blame them for making those assumptions, based on the way "we" love to bash them.

As a human being, I cannot help but care about those who live in a lifestyle that is so shunned and despised by Christians....those called to love all. I sympathize with the fact that they are simply asking for a few laws to make their lives far less legally complicated. The passing of this law has nothing to do with whether or not having homosexual relations is a sin or not. This vote should not be a statement of one's morality or personal choices of lifestyle, as those have no place in the legal system. It is simply a matter of social justice. Until a law is presented that will provide social justice for everyone, it won't be getting my vote.

I need to add a special note of thanks to my brother, Ken, whose phrasing I occasionally borrowed in this post!

2005-10-25T21:48:00.000-05:00

The Swanky Conservative has such a great post on Texas' Prop 2 and why you should vote "NO!" on it, that I don't even need to add anything!

Just go read it yourself, and enjoy!

America Loses an Icon

2005-10-24T21:56:00.000-05:00

Rosa Parks passed away today at the age of 92. She sums up her amazing life story with this quote:

"I'd like for [readers] to know that I had a very spiritual background and that I believe in church and my faith and that has helped to give me the strength and courage to live as I did."

Mrs. Parks also wrote a book on her life titled Quiet Strength.

America will miss you, Mrs. Parks.

Anne Rice Shrugs off the Occult for Christ

2005-10-23T16:07:00.000-05:00

Anne Rice has not only discovered a new faith in Christ and embraced Christianity, she has also written a novel based on the life of Jesus as a 7 year old aware of his Godly connection. What a transformation! Fans of Lestat and her Vampire Chronicles series will be upset, I'm sure, as she's given up writing anything that doesn't "please The Lord".

Her new novel, Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt reflects immense historical research and time spent studying the faith as well. Should be a great read! It's out November 1st, and I've already pre-ordered mine!

The Record-Breaking Continues...

2005-10-22T22:11:00.000-05:00

It's official. For the first time since the naming of storms began, the World Meteorological Society (a UN organization)has never run out of names on the pre-determined list. Until now.

Tropical Storm Alpha has formed near Hispanola, in what has now become the most active hurricane season in history.

I'll admit, It's weird. But before everyone starts freaking out....just keep in mind it ain't global warming, so don't even start with that goofy stuff!

Houston, We Have a Series!

2005-10-19T22:31:00.000-05:00

History is made as the Houston Astros earn a spot in the World Series for the first time ever. GO 'STROS!!!!

Astros Win Game 6

Revisiting Katrina

2005-10-17T15:38:00.000-05:00

Well, we kinda figured that after the big Hurricane Rita evacuation, that most of the Katrina evacuees would not return to this area.

Not so! We just welcomed a displaced family into our garage apartment over the weekend. They are a young couple from Slidell, LA with a 6 year old daughter. They have a very "Louisiana" french last name, and they definitely have the LA accent! Very sweet couple and we're so glad they're here.

I'll keep you posted as to the ins and outs of sharing our space, but for now (day 1) it's going fine.

Texas Aggie Football Weekend

2005-10-15T23:03:00.000-05:00

WHOOP! Well, at least this weekend was a little better than last for Aggie Football fans. The Princess and I actually skipped the game due to us still recouperating from being sick and all....but Big L took Big J and they had a blast! They even got to meet a hometown hero in person....#19, Jaxson Appel! WHOOP!

Big J (the youngest guy) along with his cousin Cole and a friend climb on the PMC canon before March In.

Jaxson and Big J!

#19 Jaxson Appel, #1 Reggie McNeal, Big J, Uncle Jon, random kid, Cole, Garrett

Jaxson was super nice to take time out with these boys and show them around the locker room at Texas A&M. It doesn't hurt that they BTHOOSU, either!!

Colorado Weekend

2005-10-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

Big L's parents gave us a weekend trip to the Texas A&M vs. Colorado football game in Boulder last weekend. Obviously, the game was both humiliating and disappointing. The weekend, however, was a blast! We met the absolute nicest, most fun couple ever. He is a retired vet and she is just a ball of spunk and energy. We not only hung out with them at the hotel bar, we also shared flights on the way up and back. They were the highlight of the weekend! Well, that and the breakfast buffet....

Big L and me at the bar before Midnight Yell.

Our new Aggie friends

This is what happens when you ask drunk chicks in bars to take your picture!

Heidi's Blog

2005-10-13T09:55:00.000-05:00

OK, I'm posting this because I'm getting more than 5 hits a day on this site from those of you are searching for Heidi Sims'blog (wife of Cpt. Sean P. Sims).

It's definitely a must-read, and I'm more than happy to direct everyone over there to follow her journal as she learns to live as a widow and single mother.

I was planning on posting a link to her blog anyway, but the demand I'm seeing has prompted me to get on with it,and it seems appropriate since today is the 11th month anniversary of Sean's death in Iraq.

Enjoy: Learning to Live

The Truth about Bush's Approval Rating

2005-10-12T19:51:00.000-05:00

I grabbed this little bit of analysis from a Powerline article I was reading today:

But are Bush's numbers really that bad? His current Real Clear Politics average stands at 41.7% approval. That is at or about the low point in nearly five years in office. How does it compare to other presidents' lowest poll ratings? Actually, it's not bad. Here are the low approval ratings for the last seven presidents:

*Johnson: 35%
*Nixon: 24%
*Ford: 37%
*Carter: 28%
*Reagan: 35%
*Bush I: 29%
*Clinton: 37%

Kinda puts it all in perspective, doesn't it?

First Female Airman Casualty

2005-10-12T17:40:00.000-05:00

Please take a moment to read Slaglerock's post regarding the passing of Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson and leave a note of condolence.

We thank her for her sacrifice and service to our country, and our prayers are with her family. God Bless you!

Sometimes it's GOOD to be a Packrat!

2005-10-10T23:29:00.000-05:00

Here's an excerpt from an email I received today from a guy I met in High School, when we worked together at Walmart:

It's been a long 14 years, man has time flown by. I was thrilled when I made contact with you, wasn't sure that I would be able to. I know that the question of why after all these years am I looking you up? Well the biggest reason is to tell you Thank You. During my 9 months spent in the gulf war, I was actively writing to you and to over 40 different people whom I have never met from all over the U.S.. After the war was over and I returned back to the states I had put the war letters in a box and sealed them up. Over the years I have always kept you and the other folks on my mind, wondering what everyone was doing, where are they now, do they have families, etc? Some of those people were 10 yrs old at the time and now are grown adults.

After 9/11 happened and when the U.S. went again back to Iraq, memories and feelings from when I was in the war had come back. I kept thinking about everything that happened while I was there. So a couple months ago I took out the box of war letters, which had been sealed closed for the past 14 years, and began to re-read the letters. I read about 250 letters from you and everybody else. Yes I have every letter you sent me. When I finished reading the letters I realized just how much you and the rest of America truly were behind us being in the war. But more personal to me was the fact that so many people like you Nancy were supporting me. You kept me in your heart, thoughts, and prayers while I was there. You helped to keep me motivated and keep focused on doing my job so that I could come home safely. It's a feeling that I can't explain, I guess you must have to be in battle to understand. Now that I have grown older over the years I have learned to appreciate things more. What everyone and you did for me really did mean something to me during the war and you did make a difference out there. Nancy I will always hold a place in my heart and memories for you and the others who cared and supported me while I was at war, until my dying breath. And for all that you did, from the bottom my heart I THANK YOU!! You meant a lot to me. Sorry it took 14 years to tell you. I should of told you when the war was over.

So what does this have to do with being a packrat? Well, it just so happens that somewhere in my attic is a rubbermaid container with most, if not all, of the letters that Pat wrote to me from the war, and some pictures he sent. Now that he has a wife, daughter, and step-daughter, I'm sure he'll want to share those memories and thoughts with them. I suggested he could use them to put together a journal of his war experience.

I know they are there because just last year I was digging through them to find and send a picture of a soldier to another wonderful family.

Why did I keep all these things for so long? Maybe God had a plan....

When it Rains....

2005-10-10T21:40:00.000-05:00

I know it sounds petty compared to the earthquakes, etc., but here's what's going on in my little 'ole world:

1. After flying all the way to Boulder to support my team, the Aggies lost (and I mean LOST) to Colorado in a very disappointing and humiliating game. Big L and I have been in a blue funk ever since. Not to mention tu won and the techtards won, so that makes it that much worse.

2. My 3 year old son has a stomach flu and tossed his cookies (for the upteenth time since 9pm last night) in the car while waiting to pick up The Princess from Kindergarten.

3. After arriving at the pedi with The Boy, his towel, and his bucket I discover The Princess is running fever....she has strep throat.

4. The pedi fully expects them to "switch" illnesses in a couple of days.

5. Big L and I will probably be puking with a mammoth sore throat later this week.

As a result....posts may be scarce! Hope to be back soon!

New MilBlog

2005-10-03T21:36:00.000-05:00

OK, yes, I'm a little partial since he's my niece's husband (so....my nephew-in-law??) but you really need to check out and bookmark There and Back Again. The blog chronicles his second one-year tour of duty in Iraq, this time a Captain in the U.S. Army.

Y'all go read this....

2005-10-03T21:31:00.000-05:00

Tisha Sharp has a fabulous post that you should all go read. And tell her I sent you!

Back to the Routine...

2005-09-28T22:06:00.000-05:00

Well, school here re-opens tomorrow. My mom, Big J's babysitter, got back home today, so it looks like I'm back to the old tax-return grindstone tomorrow as well. We are fortunate, in that the IRS has issued an additional extension until Feb. 28th for all the individual returns that would've been due October 15th. This takes some of the heat of "busy season" off, but we still need to get them done by the end of the year because the firm counts on that for budgeting purposes.

At any rate, tomorrow marks our official re-entry into the land of the living. I've taken full advantage of the unplanned days off by doing things around the house I've been meaning to get to for some time. I even unpacked a box on Big L's side of the bed that had been there since we moved in! I've gone through drawers, cabinets and closets....even re-arranging my pantry. I didn't get everything done I had planned. I still haven't gotten out my fall decorations. Maybe tomorrow after work...

Linens & Things

2005-09-28T14:14:00.000-05:00

On Monday, I received an email from a friend telling me about some great towels on sale at Linens & Things for 2.99 each. Not to mention, she had a coupon code for another 10 percent off. Well....since the newest towels I have are 9 years old, I decided to stock up. I even had them delivered to my local store, so I could save on shipping costs. I received an email confirming my order, and one that advised me that my order was ready for pickup. Woohoo!

Just as I was planning to go pick them up....I get an email saying my "return" was processed. Wait! I don't want to return them, I WANT them! So, I call the store and they say to call coporate headquarters, which I do. Apparently the "sale price" was a mistake, so the computer processed an automatic return of my purchase. I say I want them to honor their advertised price and give me the sale price on the towels. After a polite, but longer than necessary conversation, I ask to speak to a manager. I am left on hold for 10 minutes before I get to talk to "Tony". Tony says, "I'm sorry m'aam, but the pricing you saw was an error and our computer automatically caught the error and issued a refund to you". I say "Yes, but I want you to honor your advertised price". He says "All I can do is offer you a refund of your shipping charges". Shipping charges?? For an order that was cancelled?? Gee, thanks. Not to mention, there were NO shipping charges because I was going to pick them up at the store. I mention this to Tony. He says "I'm sorry, but I can't honor the price because it's less than we actually paid". I say "I can't imagine that 10,000 people ordered these towels on that day....it's not going to kill the store to honor the price for one customer, not to mention it is poor business practice to do otherwise." Tony responds "I'm sorry but that's all I can do for you". I say "You didn't do anything!" *silence on Tony's part* so I say "So what you're saying is you can't do one single thing for me to make up for the fact that you processed a sale and then refunded it without my knowledge or consent for a mistake that your computer made". He says "that's right....I can't do anything".

What ever happened to "The Customer is Always Right?". Sheesh! Was it gonna kill 'em to sell me the towels at their advertised price? It's not like I was buying 500 of them for resale! It really irks me how the lack of customer service or even concern about the customer's satisfication is becoming the norm. Not to mention....I wanted those towels!!!

So, I'm doing what I told Tony I would do....letting everyone know about the customer satisfaction "policy" at Linens & Things. Buyers beware.....

Tax Relief Granted for Hurricane Rita

2005-09-27T00:51:00.000-05:00

Tax Relief Granted for Hurricane Rita: "Tax Relief Granted for Hurricane Rita

IR-2005-110, Sept. 26, 2005

WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service today announced relief for taxpayers affected by Hurricane Rita. The President issued major disaster declarations covering Texas and Louisiana effective Sept. 23, 2005.

Taxpayers affected by the hurricane may be eligible for relief. Deadlines for affected taxpayers to file returns, pay taxes and perform other time-sensitive acts have been postponed to Feb. 28, 2006, the same extended date that Congress granted to taxpayers affected by Hurricane Katrina.

In the hardest-hit areas - those counties designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as "individual assistance areas" - the tax relief will be automatic, and taxpayers won't need to do anything to get the extensions and other relief available.

In Texas, nine counties are in this category for individual assistance: Chambers, Galveston, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange and Tyler. In Louisiana, five parishes are in this category: Beauregard, Cameron, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis and Vermilion.

In areas of Texas and Louisiana where FEMA has determined damage is more isolated - designated as "public assistance areas" - or for other taxpayers outside the hardest-hit areas whose books, records or tax professionals are located in the affected areas, people will need to identify themselves to the IRS as hurricane victims.

Taxpayers who need to identify themselves as hurricane victims should write "Hurricane Rita" in red ink at the top of their tax forms or any other documents filed with the IRS. Taxpayers who need to alert the IRS or have other Rita-related questions can also call the special IRS disaster hotline at 1-866-562-5227.

Read the rest here.

Our Theme Song

2005-09-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

My friend Jill and I were *finally* getting dressed to go out to dinner with our families last night....for the first time in a week. This may seem very "petty" (no pun intended) but for us, it was a sign that life was returning to normal. We both agreed that this song had been playing in our heads for days, so we put in the CD and sang along:

Our Theme Song

Cindy Sheehan Makes Light of Hurricane Rita

2005-09-26T23:52:00.000-05:00

In This post at Phil's Observations, we get the following quote as reported by Fox News tonight:

Cindy Sheehan grumbled this weekend that cable news networks were paying more attention to Hurricane Rita than to her anti-war rally in Washington, posting a message on the liberal Web site writing, "i am watching cnn and it is 100 percent rita...even though it is a little wind and a little rain...it is bad, but there are other things going on in the country today...and in the world!!!!"

That was too much even for some Daily Kos readers. One responded, "shame on you, you're jealous of media coverage of other's suffering," while another wrote, "The right-wing media has painted you as a self-centered, self-absorbed woman and you're living up to that image." Sheehan later posted an apology.

You HAG!! I really can't put into words how this makes me feel. I'll give you a hint....it's mostly obscenities.

Evacuation Photos

2005-09-26T23:24:00.000-05:00

I only got a few photos on the way out before it got dark. Our entire return trip was after dark, so I didn't even try. Here they are:

Here's Home Sweet Home after we boarded up some of the bottom windows....all we had time for:

Big L made good use of our old fence gate on the front door:

10 minutes from our home, here's where we found ourselves:

A little humor for the road:

Just in case you were thinking of stopping for a coke and top-off:

And this one sums it up with the noticeable lack of people heading south:

Home Sweet Home

2005-09-26T11:19:00.000-05:00

We are so thankful that we have one!!

Here's our story:

Tuesday evening, the reports showed Rita getting bigger and heading straight for us. L and I already have the policy of evacuating for anything greater than 100 mph, so it was a no-brainer that we would leave. I haven't evacuated since I was 12, for Hurricane Alicia. When I returned from that storm with my family, there was evidence of tornadoes in our yard, and we had some minor roof damage. We also lost our major appliances. I started 7th grade living in a pop-up camper and eating off of a camp stove. I was not looking forward to repeating that this time!

The hard part was knowing what to pack. Yes, we knew all the basics.....I backed up my photos and other files from the desktop, packed our insurance papers, birth certs, etc. I dumped out some rubbermaid containers of gift wrap and ribbons under my bed and re-loaded them with pictures from the walls. No art work....all family photos. L kept saying if we got a direct hit we would lose our roof. But then, we live on a creek so flooding was possible as well. Where do we put the sentimental items that we can't take with us? Like the hand-woven laundry basket that my great-grandmother brought on the boat from Germany in the late 1880's. I put it on the first floor on top of the washing machine. These were hard decisions! I couldn't care less about our furniture, tv, etc. But the sentimental items.....that's different. I DID load some plastic containers with my scrapbooks and other photos to take with us. We decided we would not crowd the roads by taking my car. Plus the gas mileage on mine is atrocious. L's diesel truck holds 40 gallons which is like 600 miles worth, so that's the way to go for us.

Anyway, finally we set off about 5pm on Wednesday. We got about 10 miles before we hit the major traffic. We averaged about 5 mph, when we were moving. We had prepared....we had plenty of water, drinks and snacks. Our tank was full. We saw lots of things that I'll never forget. The smart vehicles had several extra plastic gas tanks strapped to the top of their vehicles. We passed on woman standing in her yard with a baby on her hip just staring at the 3 lanes of non-moving traffic. There was a car with it's hood up in her driveway. I saw a truck pull over and pop it's hood. A 40ish man went to look under the hood and what appeared to be his dad sat in the passenger seat....with an oxygen tube in his nose. At 4:30 in the morning I saw a car pulled over with a very old man, bent from osteoporosis, standing at the back stretching his legs. You could barely see his wife's white head sitting behind the wheel, waiting for him. It was discouraging to have been on the road for 9 hours and still be close enough to the coast to be watching people boarding up their windows as you drove by.

Starting about 1am things got a bit dicey. We were stuck on a 2-lane highway (trying to avoid the "parking lot" of I-10 that we’d heard about), and we actually had the truck in park for over 30 minutes about 4 different times during the wee hours of the morning. People would get out, mill around, go to the bathroom on the shoulder, get snacks & drinks, etc. Then some started to get really frustrated and would just take off into the oncoming traffic lane, passing everyone else who was waiting in line. Twice, from my vantage point,I saw a car have to go in the ditch to avoid a head-on collision. I actually called the Office of Emergency Management, who had a Ft. Bend County Sheriff's officer call me back. He said he'd had several complaints from our area, that they were sending troops out there to direct traffic, etc. He finished the call by saying "stay safe and watch your back". Comforting! We never saw any troops, however. Finally we decided to u-turn, go back 12 miles, and take a road over to I-10 to take our lumps there. Good decision. Although it took almost an hour to get ON I-to once we got there...at least the cars were moving again. 5mph beats sitting in park any day!

We arrived at our room at Lake McQueeny at 7am, extremely exhausted. Our kiddos, mercifully, had slept for most of the trip. The problem was that transferring them to their bed woke them up. We had high hopes of at least turning on cartoons and dozing while they watched tv, but the tv only got 1 channel and it had the news, and then The Price is Right. So, we unloaded the toys we'd brought and got some very interrupted sleep for about 3 hrs. Then, the kiddos were hungry and ready for McDonald's.

We have some friends in New Braunfels who very graciously rescued us from our 1-room shelter at Lake McQueeny. We moved to their newly remodeled home that they were planning on moving in to on Saturday! On Friday, L took all the kids, including their 2 girls, down to the Comal River to play and swim while I helped Shannon pack for her move. We stayed up watching Rita do her thing on Friday night, and then we realized we'd most likely escaped major damage.

Once our neighbor reported that our power was restored, we decided to leave Saturday night at 8pm. We didn't want to get in the way of any emergency/supply/FEMA trucks, so we avoided I-10. We went south to Hwy 59 and took that East to Houston. It was eerie to drive into the 4th largest city in America and see nothing open. Not even a 24 hour Walmart!

You know that feeling you have when you drive up in your driveway after being gone a while? Multiply that times 100 and that's how we felt as we pulled up saw that we still have a home. We escaped the "dirty side" of the storm, we were spared. The relief was enormous, although we realize others weren't so fortunate.

It's been 20+ years since the last one...let's hope we get that long before we have to do this again.

Can't Sleep

2005-09-21T03:47:00.000-05:00

I fell asleep on the couch around 11pm. L joined me and we woke up now,
uncomfortable and went up to bed. Now that I woke up to move, I can't go
back to sleep. I just read the latest update (new data comes in at 2am) and
it is worse. Check it out at this weatherblog:

Steve Gregory

I was talking on the phone with a friend, whose house we considered staying
at, and she was asking how the packing was going. I told her, it's hard to
do anything! The worse the predictions get, the harder it is. I mean, what
do you leave behind when you don't expect to have anything upon return?
Larry's convinced that if we get a cat 4 we will lose our roof for sure.
However, we can't really put everything on the first floor because we
*could* flood too. I mean, obviously I'm packing bins with pictures &
scrapbooks, backing up pics fromt he computer to CD, taking important
papers, etc. It's just weird. She summed it up by saying "Wow....it's summing up your life in 30 minutes". Yep.

We LOVE falling asleep on the couch and as L snuggled up in there with
me I said "this may be the last time we ever do this on this couch". He
goes "yep...I'm gonna miss this couch". And then I think "this is
CRAZY!"....is it really going to be that bad? Who knows. But it sure seems
so this time.

Even my aunt from WV called us to make sure we were getting out and to see
what my mom's plans were. I hope we'll look back on this next week and
laugh at our panic.....but somehow I don't think so.

Please say a prayer for those of us who seem to be in the direct path of what will apparently be a monster storm. I'll keep in touch as I can...

Finally!

2005-09-19T22:58:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I think I finally have it how I want it. Thanks so much to Elisabeth at Blogfrocks for her help in fixing *my* problems. Now if only I can get my Haloscan comments back....but I least I got the Blogger comments up and running again.

Not sure how much I'll be posting this week, though. I'll probably be evacuting by the end of this week! TS Rita is shining her evil eye on the Houston/Galveston area. We'll see...

Under Construction!!

2005-09-19T17:41:00.000-05:00

Please be patient.....I'm working on a new look here, and it'll be up and running soon (I HOPE!!!!)

Blog Frustration!!

2005-09-15T10:15:00.000-05:00

I don't know what happened while I took the summer off, but I can't get anything to work right anymore. Blogger wouldn't let me change my photo....the view is all screwed up in Mozilla/Firefox and I can't figure it out, etc.

Should I relocate? If so, to where? I'd really like to just re-create the whole look of this thing, but it's almost like the language was changed while I was gone. I can't get it to do anything I want anymore, and it's so frustrating!

Suggestions anyone?

Still waiting....Lots of Useful Info

2005-09-06T18:21:00.000-05:00

We're still waiting to hear from our church as to who we will be hosting. I've already been emailing friends & family to be ready to help them out with gift cards, groceries, etc. They say it should be within the next 2 days.....meanwhile here's some really useful info:

-

Hurricane Katrina Assistance

State Government Insurance Help Lines

Texas Department of Insurance Consumer Help Line
800-252-3439

Louisiana Department of Insurance Consumer Help Line
800-259-5300
225-342-5900 (outside Louisiana)
http://www.ldi.la.gov/HurricaneKatrina.htm

Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation
800-931-9548

Mississippi Department of Insurance Consumer Help Line
800- 562-2957
601-359-2453 (outside Mississippi)
http://www.doi.state.ms.us/

Alabama Department of Insurance Consumer Help Line
800-433-3966
334-241-4141 (outside Alabama)
http://www.aldoi.gov/currentnewsitem.aspx?ID=594

Immediate Disaster Assistance from the American Red Cross

If you have immediate emergency needs for food, clothing, shelter, or medical care contact one of the local offices of the American Red Cross. You can visit a local office or call their toll-free number at 1-866-438-4636.

Federal Government Help Line

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

You may qualify for assistance from the federal government. You can apply by calling 800-621-FEMA (800-621-3362). The information you will need includes:

The street address of your damaged property
Your current mailing address and a telephone number where you can be reached in the event you have been forced to relocate
Your Social Security Number
Your household´s approximate gross income at the time of the flood or, if you are reporting business damages, the gross income of the business
Information on the type of insurance coverage you have, particularly flood insurance

National Flood Insurance Program

If you purchased a flood policy from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), please call this toll-free number to file a claim

800-427-4661

Where to go for Assistance with Insurance Questions

Location of Disaster Recovery Centers - Will be announced shortly.

List of Carriers by State

Louisiana

Property & Casualty Companies

Life, Accident & Health Companies

Alabama

Property & Casualty Companies

Life, Accident & Health Companies

For Information on jobs, check out this site

AMERICAN RED CROSS ANNOUNCES FAMILY LINKS REGISTRY

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The American Red Cross has created and launched the Family Links Registry, which will aid individuals who are seeking loved ones and family members in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Family Links Registry can be accessed by visiting www.redcross.org or by calling:

1-877-LOVED-1S (1-877-568-3317) to register.

Evacuees wishing to inform loved ones of their location can register their name by clicking on "Family Links Registry" on www.redcross.org or by calling 1 877-LOVED-1S. Concerned friends and family can register the names of their loved ones and view the list of those already posted. Due to the extent of the damage and the number of people displaced, concerned friends and family members are encouraged to visit the site daily to consult the list, as it will be updated continuously.

Personal Impact of Katrina

2005-09-05T22:23:00.000-05:00

Nothing to complain about at all.....our personal impact comes in the form of giving up our office in order to house a family in our garage apartment. We are doing this through the coordinating efforts of our home church, Clear Creek Community Church. I just spoke with a man tonight who informed me that a family should be matched up with us within the next 3 days.

Apparently the matching of stipulations by both parties takes longer to work out than you would think. The only stipulation on our part is the ability to go up and down stairs, since it's an upstairs apartment. Also, it is limited in space, so only a family up to about 4 or 5 would be comfortable.

Big L and I are really excited to have the opportunity to help in this way. We had never equipped the apartment with a stove until this weekend, because we've never used the space for long-term living before.

We're also a little nervous, being that we're going to be living in close proximity to this family, and we have 2 small children of our own to consider. We're just praying that the whole thing will work out well.

I'll definitely be posting our exerience on this blog, so if you're curious to see what happens when you let perfect strangers live almost in your house.....stay tuned. It'll be exciting I'm sure!

Info for Katrina Evacuees in Texas

2005-08-31T20:37:00.000-05:00

HURRICANE KATRINA NEWS ADVISORY:

FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST

TEXAS TELEPHONE NUMBERS FOR HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUEES:

THESE NUMBERS WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION ON PUBLIC SHELTERS AND ASSISTANCE FOR OUT-OF-STATE RESIDENTS WHO EVACUATED FOR HURRICANE KATRINA. INFORMATION FOR PERSONS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS SEEKING PUBLIC SHELTER, INCLUDING THE ELDERLY, THE ILL AND THE DISABLED, ALSO IS AVAILABLE.

IF YOU HAVE TRAVELED TO TEXAS AND YOU CURRENTLY NEED ASSISTANCE,

CALL 2-1-1 OR THE AMERICAN RED CROSS FOR THE LOCATION OF THE NEAREST SHELTER.

IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING A LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION, CALL 9-1-1.

IF YOU ARE USING A CELL PHONE OR CANNOT CONTACT 2-1-1, CALL THIS TOLL

FREE NUMBER: 1-888-312-4567.

ADDITIONAL NUMBERS FOR ASSISTANCE:

FEMA 1-800-621-3362 OR 1-800-621-FEMA

AMERICAN RED CROSS 1-866-GET-INFO

THESE NUMBERS ARE SPECIFICALLY FOR OUT-OF-STATE EVACUEES.

Update on Red Cross Ops

2005-08-31T10:29:00.000-05:00

American Red Cross launches largest mobilization ever

09:53 PM CDT on Monday, August 29, 2005

From 11 News Staff Reports

In the largest mobilization of resources for a single natural disaster ever by the American Red Cross, a coordination center will be set up at American Red Cross national headquarters to coordinate the delivery of mass care services with governmental and non-governmental partners.

Mass Care

In Louisiana, the American Red Cross currently has 74 shelters/evacuation centers open, housing 18,628 people. In total, the Red Cross has 202 shelters housing 29,873 people. Locations for 25 kitchens have been identified and are on stand-by and will be activated when the storm safely passes. A total of 885 Red Cross have been assigned and are responding to Hurricane Katrina. The American Red Cross is recruiting 1,900 Disaster Services Human Resources volunteers in the next three days to assist in the relief operations.

There are currently 166 Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) deployed to support the disaster relief efforts. Each ERV is capable of distributing 5,000 meals per day or can be used for giving out clean-up, comfort and salvage supplies. There are currently 2,500 clean-up kits and 5,000 comfort kits awaiting delivery. Contents of a comfort kit include shampoo, conditioner, soap, razor, shaving cream, toothbrush, toothpaste and lotion. A cleanup kit includes: broom; mop; squeegee head; pail; scrub brush; sponge; disinfectant; detergent/degreaser; bleach; gloves; and trash bags.

Disaster Welfare Inquiries

People outside the disaster area trying to locate a family member in an area affected, should contact their local Red Cross chapter for help. Chapters may be located at www.redcross.org.

Emergency Financial Assistance

The Red Cross will provide direct financial assistance to disaster victims in the form of Client Assistance Cards for basic needs such as food, clothes and temporary housing. This will be done through call centers set up by the American Red Cross. Please call 1-866-GET-INFO for more information.

Mental Health Services

The Red Cross provides mental heath services to disaster victims by providing immediate crisis counseling by licensed mental health professionals. In the event a victim needs longer-term care, the Red Cross will refer them to other community-based professionals.

Further Information

In addition, updated information may also be obtained on the following Red Cross websites: www.redcross.org or www.disasterrelief.org. The information hotline has been activated and may be reached at 1-866-GET INFO.

Donation Information

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. The public can help the victims of Hurricane Katrina and thousands of other disasters across the country by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). State of Texas Hurricane Relief Fund - To donate call 713-284-8877

Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to the local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.com

Hurricane Katrina Blogs

2005-08-30T16:50:00.000-05:00

As I discover blogs from those directly involved in or affected by Hurricane Katrina, I'll link to them here:

Doggone-Friggin

Latest from LA Emergency Management....

2005-08-30T16:13:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest information from the Louisiana State Police Headquarters (LSP) and the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness (LOEP):

REGARDING ROAD CLOSURES POINTS:

· US 90 is closed E/B at the Terrebonne Parrish Line which is near Houma.

· IH 10 is closed at the IH 10/IH 12 interchange in Baton Rouge for all E/B - S/B Traffic on IH 10 and IH 12.

· IH 55 is closed at IH 10 for all IH 10 E/B and IH 55 S/B at Hammond

· LA 61 is closed for S/B traffic at LaPlace at the IH 10 Interchange.

There is a suggested detour at IH 10 E/B @ IH 49 at Lafayette for all IH 10 E/B through traffic. The recommended detour route for all IH 10 E/B and W/B traffic along the Gulf Coast is IH 20 across northern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

OTHER IMPORTANT KATRINA INFORMATION:

· The official guidance for Louisiana Evacuee's remains the same. The State of Louisiana is not letting them return to any affected area. They are requested that they remain in place and await further instructions, and understand that this may be days.

· No individuals without written authorization on their person from the State of Louisiana, LSP, LOEP are being allowed south or east of the above checkpoints. There are no exceptions.

· There are no numbers for citizens to call at this point, and Louisiana State Police is requesting that individuals DO NOT call, as it is just making a shaky communications system prone to further failures.

At this point the best source of information are the 24 hour news channels.

· The State of Texas Governor’s Division of Emergency Management will be coordinating all assistance to the State of Louisiana. At this time, Louisiana is determining what their needs are and will be prioritizing these needs. The Friendswood Fire Marshal’s Office and Office of Emergency Management is monitoring the situation.

NOLA.com: Weather News from New Orleans

2005-08-29T19:07:00.000-05:00

I've been hunting all day & this is the best info on damage to NOLA I could find:

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Race against time to rescue trapped residents
Lower Ninth, East N.O., Treme, Lakeview hardest hit

LATEST ON KATRINA:

4:15 p.m - An unknown number of residents were trapped Monday afternoon in trees, attics and roofs in New Orleans' hardest-hit areas, and officials are positive that the devastating flooding from Hurricane Katrina is claiming lives.

Police/Emergency scanner traffic was busy Monday afternoon with reports of trapped residents, some calling and pleading for help as heavy storm conditions still limited efforts to rescue them. There were reports of buildings collapsing with people still inside. And officers reported some people slipping into the water.

Authorities were racing the clock at mid-afternoon, with hundreds of people trapped and buildings collapsing under floodwaters that reached to rooftops.
The hardest-hit areas of the city appear to be the Lower 9th Ward, eastern New Orleans, Treme and Lakeview near a levee breech.

Hurricane Katrina plowed into this below-sea-level city Monday morning, ripping holes in the roof of the Superdome, blasting out high-rise windows, knocking out power citywide, and leaving residents of flooded neighborhoods in their attics and on rooftops awaiting rescue.

The poor and frail, sheltered at the Superdome, remain in a sound structure, officials say, despite extensive roof damage.

In downtown New Orleans, buildings collapsed, windows blew out of high-rises--including 5 floors of Charity hospital--and hotel guests huddled in dark hallways.

Even at Entergy's command center next to the Superdome lost power. Entergy President Dan Packer calls Katrina "the worst [disaster] we've had in our company's history.''

Terry Ebbert, director of homeland security for the city of New Orleans, said Monday afternoon he is positive there are casualties resulting from Hurricane Katrina, based on the number of calls to emergency workers from people trapped in trees and attics.

In some of those cases, authorities lost communications with those pleading for help.

"Everybody who had a way or wanted to get out of the way of this storm was able to,'' Ebbert said. "For some that didn't, it was their last night on this earth.''

Police are currently fanning out across the city in squad cars, trucks and boats to assess the damage and rescue people where possible.

Ebbert said the city has 100 boats currently stationed at Jackson Barracks on the Orleans-St. Bernard parish line.

Authorities are trying to get a good look at the situation before dark.

Ebbert said it could be two months before electricity is restored to all of the city.
He said Entergy will send 4,500 workers to the region, who will be housed in quarters barges on the Mississippi River.

Though damage is extensive, Ebbert said if the storm had passed just 10 miles west of its track, the city would have been inundated with 25 feet of water.

In Orleans Parish, a breached levee at the Industrial Canal caused flooding of 6 to 8 feet in the Lower Ninth Ward; no major floods have been reported in Uptown. Flooding is reported to have topped 10 feet in St. Bernard Parish, and similar conditions have been reported in parts of Jefferson and St. Charles Parishes. Jefferson Parish officials urged residents to boil water before drinking.

High winds have damaged parts of Uptown New Orleans, including the Napolean Avenue area, the location of Memorial Medical Center. In St. Bernard Parish, the roof has blown off the Civic Auditorium.

The storm, which bore down on the Gulf Coast as a Category 5 hurricane, was recently downgraded to a Category 2. FEMA Director Mike Brown has arrived in the capital city of Baton Rouge and will hold a press briefing with Governor Blanco at 3:30 p.m.

Senator Mary Landrieu issued a statment praising local officials for their handling of this disaster.

Katrina has shut down oil production in the Gulf, and is blamed for the rise in oil prices to $70 a barrel. President Bush weighed a decision on whether to release some oil from the nation's petroleum reserves to help refiners hurt by Hurricane Katrina, administration officials said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Major Devastation Expected

2005-08-28T19:09:00.000-05:00

Please join me in praying during the night for the residents of New Olreans and surrounding areas. I understand that some cannot afford or do not have the means to evacuate.....but as a coastal dweller, you don't jack around with a category 5....especially not for a hurricane party on Bourbon Street. Here's the offical National Weather Service's expecations for the damage. Reading it gave me goose bumps.

Urgent Weather Message from NWS New Orleans WWUS74 KLIX 281550NPWLIXURGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA 1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005 DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED HURRICANE KATRINAA MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969. MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. ATLEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME WALL AND ROOF FAILURE. HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT. AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATEADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS... AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK. POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING... BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEWCROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BEKILLED.AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEARHURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE.. .ARECERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET...DO NOT VENTUREOUTSIDE!LAZ038-040-050-056>070-282100-ASSUMPTION-LIVINGSTON-LOWER JEFFERSON-LOWER LAFOURCHE-LOWER PLAQUEMINES-LOWER ST. BERNARD-LOWER TERREBONNE-ORLEANS-ST. CHARLES-ST. JAMES-ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST-ST. TAMMANY-TANGIPAHOA-UPPER JEFFERSON-UPPER LAFOURCHE-UPPER PLAQUEMINES-UPPER ST. BERNARD-UPPER TERREBONNE-1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

Road Trip 2005 - We're Home!!

2005-05-07T00:36:00.000-05:00

I know, I know.....I've skipped about 8 days here. Just wanted to let you know it went great, we just ran out of internet access (!@*) and I've been busy washing about 15 loads of laundry.

I will post the details of the second half of the trip this weekend, so stay tuned....it was exciting!

Road Trip 2005 - Day 6

2005-04-25T07:13:00.000-05:00

Wow, it is COLD! The temperature dropped to the low to mid 50's and we all packed for 60's at the coldest. We managed to suffer thru it, though, an go see all the war memorials, plus Lincoln. We started off with a bang at the WWII Memorial, because we didn't know how much PawPaw would be able to handle. Big L pushed him all day in his wheelchair, and PawPaw gladly let Big J snuggle up there in his lap to keep them both warm! I'm going to post Big L's version of it today, and let him be the guest blogger:

first day in to dc. we took the metro bus a short trip out of our park
to the greenbelt subway station. the subway was very fast and really
cool. Houston needs some sort of mass transit.

by the way- low last night in the lower forties. low tonight upper 30s.
we had to run the rv heater last night and tonight. again, to my
amazement flawless operation.

first stop was the ww II memorial. "We came not to conquer but for
freedom and to end tyranny" . downright awesome. you just need to come
see it. its an incredible tribute with granite, water pools and
fountains. has great quotes from famous ww II era leaders engraved in
various places. was really cool to see paw paw tear up along with
granny. granny was more of an out right cry. we took a miillion
pictures you can check out for yourself. paw paw was wearing his WWII
veteran cap. a . a number of people young and old would just come up
and say thank you. a young marine came by and shook paw paws hand and
said "its men like you that made me stay in". while walking down the
sidewalk beside the lincoln memorial (i was pushing paw paw in the
wheel chair) i see a young late high school or early college age girl
with a small group of other girls swerve toward us and say "thank you
for your service, sir". also, a grandmother came up to paw paw and said
"my grandson wants to get your autograph". the boy about 10 came up and
paw paw signed a wwII memorial postcard: to my buddy michael, HS
Shuman, fireman 1st class, US Navy. Several other vets were there and
paw paw traded pacific stories about okinawa. i listened to an old
marine major who survived a bad fight in anzo italy. he said we lost
more guys in that anzo battle than we did storming normandy.

the other highlight was the korean war memorial. the statues of the
soldiers walking in battle conditions is awesome. it has a huge black
granite wall with images of soldiers etched in its side. also engraved
in the wall is a large "freedom is not free". we took several pictures
of me and the kids and some with just the kids in front of the soldier
statues. we told them both about their grandady fighting in the war.
they tried to soak it in and i hope something sticks so they can
remember how fortunate they are and how both of their grandads served
america's call of freedom.

The lincoln memorial, vietnam memorial, and women of the vietnam
warmemorial were also incredible. TB's bugging me about hogging her
computer so that'll have to wrap for today. L

Road Trip 2005 - Days 4 & 5

2005-04-23T20:13:00.000-05:00

These 2 days are getting lumped together because they were relatively uneventful.....and I'm tired.

Day 4 - We got up early so as to depart from Chattanooga at 8am, which we did. The only problem was that PawPaw wanted to stop at a Lowe's to get some stuff for the RV. We got directions from the campground and headed out. An hour and a half later, we pulled out of the Lowe's parking lot.....without having found what we came for, despite 3 trips in for returns/exchanges. Now we're running behind on a very long day of driving. At one point, we look around for Big J and discover him sitting on the night table in the back, looking out the window, and waving to all the truckers....they loved him!

Luckily, Big L makes great time and we get to our beautiful campground in Staunton Virginia in time to pull in a get set up before dark. (We also discover that they only offer dial up internet service, which Big L and I decided wasn't worth the trouble.) This was the plan because the kids are getting what we've now identified as the fateful disease "RV-itis". We hoped to get to our new site in plenty of time to run and play at the playground, fish the lake with Daddy and explore. Too bad it poured down rain from the moment we arrived until after we were asleep!

Day 4 - Well this was the easiest day of travel so far....only 3 hours! Shortly before making the necessary exits to find our campground, I call ahead to assure our reservations, etc. I am informed that their wireless high-speed internet connection is not complete and won't be for another 2 weeks. I cancel our reservations! I exhaust all the campground brochures we have on hand to no avail, so it is time to call in the internet troops. Big L and I begin calling internet-savvy friends who can help us find a new campground in our area. KoOk comes through and finds us a gem which we quickly relocate to and settle in. It is fabulous!

1:00pm - The ankle-biters and I head out for "my event" of the trip. I have been a part of an email group since the days of onelist (remember that??) that revolved around women who were pregnant and due in March of 2000. The March Moms is what we call our group. These ladies and I have bonded and formed a friendship that is now approaching 6 years! Today I got to have lunch with (if you can call Mickey D's lunch!) and meet "in real life" 3 of those wonderful ladies. It was great! Our kids played on the playground and we got to see each other and actually here each other's voice instead of the usual.....reading daily emails to/from one another. Of course our time went by too fast, but it was super fun.

3:30pm - I return to the campsite to find clean towels (compliments of Granny), an outstretched and secure awning (compliments of PawPaw and Big L) and 3 tired campers! We decide to take an evening drive and go to dinner. This, I now realize, is going to be the sticking point of the trip. Up until now, we've eaten aboard our mother-ship almost exclusively. We have planned, however, to start eating out the next 3 days because we plan to be away from motorhome during meals. Let me just say it this way....PawPaw don't like "fancy" food. And by fancy, I mean anything seasoned with something other than salt & pepper. Also, anything that doesn't include a very large portion of beef. We chose Italian because Big L knows me well and he knew I was long overdue for a pasta fix. Not to mention the T-Bug spawn love their "noodles & cheese". PawPaw couldn't even read the menu so he didn't try. He split a pizza with Big L and was fine. Big L and I love to eat at restaurants, try new foods, and especially sample the local specialties when we travel. PawPaw and Granny like easily identifiable, country-style food only. I'll keep you posted on how it unfolds.

Right now, Big L and I are scheduling our activities for tomorrow a bit differently because it looks like PawPaw is going to wear out before our time here is up. He's already rubbed a big blister on his foot and we haven't even gotten started. Thank goodness we brought the wheelchair! Tune in tomorrow for news of our first day of sightseeing......have you guessed where we are yet??

Road Trip 2005 - Day 3

2005-04-21T22:27:00.000-05:00

Wow, is it only Day 3?

7:30am - Rise & shine for T-bug....I'm off to the office to buy our tickets for the big 3 - Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, Rock City & Ruby Falls.

7:35am - Granny notices a water leak under the sink....all of our towels are wet. Good thing I packed bins of extra towels in the basement! PawPaw is sure he fixed it by tightening the connections. "Must've come loose from all that bouncin' around on the road yesterday". Hmmmm.

10:00am - We're finally driving off on our day's adventure. I must say, I highly recommend all of these attractions. They don't have the man-made feel of amusement parks, etc., they are highly focused on nature, and not stuff you see everyday! Having said that, Ruby Falls did it's best to make the tour as hoaky as possible, complete with pumped in music, timed lighting, etc. (although it turned out to be my favorite site!) Not to mention, the tour guide went so fast if you stopped to take a picture (I maxed out my storage card today) you got left in the dust. Big J kept saying "the pack is leaving us!". When we did get to the waterfall at the end of the caverns, however, it was amazing. 145 drop into this 5 foot deep pool. Big J's reaction....."When can we come back & fish in there, Daddy?"

lunch - We take a break and drive into town, not knowing what we'll find. Luckily the road we're on leads us right to Downtown Chattanooga, where we stop at Sticky Fingers. Being the proud Texan I am, I immediately informed our waiter that since I was from Texas (home of superior barbeque) their ribs would have to be mighty impressive. Well, they were!! I had the sampler rib platter which included ribs in your choice of 4 preparations (they offer 6). I chose Memphis Wet (BBQ sauce), Carolina Sweet (honey BBQ), Whiskey and Dry. I love them all but the dry. I have to say the Memphis Wet was my favorite and they were some of the best ribs I've ever had. If you're in Tennessee, you've gotta check them out! We were all fat & happy so we returned to Lookout Mountain for the rest of the day.

We finished up the day at Point Park, home of the Battle Above the Clouds from the Civil War, when the Union soldiers defeated the Confederates and took over their stronghold on the mountain. It was quite an impressive battle ground park, and we all enjoyed it. Big J just liked the cannons. After all the battle talk, he informed us that he wanted to go "do a battle...right now!" Do they have a Jr. membership in the NRA I wonder? Anyway, PawPaw wanted to sit and look out over the Tennessee River, so we left him there while we roamed around. No big surprise, when we returned he had made a new friend and was talking his ears off. I'm glad he enjoyed the battleground because both Rock City and Ruby Falls were not wheelchair accessible and he just couldn't handle the walking required. He napped in the minivan, of course.

We returned to the RV to find the water leak had continued all day. Big L and PawPaw determined that the pressure from the campground hose was causing the leak, so we unhooked and now we're fine. We just have to keep the motorhome's tank full so we have water. Can somebody say Marriott??

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we hit the road again. Hopefully the next site will have wifi as good as this one.....and I'll update you again then. I'm going to add to these posts with some pictures, but it's already midnight and we're getting up at the crack of dawn so I've gotta hit the hay.

Road Trip 2005 Live-Blog Event - Day Two

2005-04-20T22:24:00.000-05:00

8:00am - The troops are finally rousing. Thankfully (and surprisingly!) we all slept fairly well in our mobile accomodations. We had noticed a Cracker Barrell last night and decided to go out for breakfast this morning. In hind sight, we probably shouldn't go out for breakfast on the same day we let the kiddos sleep in.

10:20am - We are finally leaving Slidell, LA and heading onward.

11:22am - We cross into Mississippi. Take a short stop for a photo op, and we're on down the road, and making great time. The scenery is taking a turn for the better. Beautiful red clover lined the highway. Also, they apparently planted Magnolia trees all along the interstate. Although they weren't blooming, they were very pretty also.

1:30pm (give or take) - We cross into Alabama. Short break at the Welcome Center, a little lunch, and we're on the road again. The scenery in Alabama is truly beautful. Rolling hills, lots of shades of green trees, and more red clover. The further north we go, the more beautiful it gets. This is by far our favorite state so far!

Some time after dark - We cross into Georgia, then Tennesse, then Georgia again. For some reason, when Big L tries to turns on the headlights, the fuse for the cruise control goes out?! Granny & PawPaw are getting very edgy and generally flipped out. I guess it's past their bedtime! I ride shotgun and direct Big L into our campsite for the night. Big improvement!! This one has excellent wi-fi connection right in the comforts of our motor home, we're close to the bath house and playground, and it's very pretty here. Finally!! We've also altered our route home so as to avoid I-10 through southern Louisiana. Let's just say their highway maintenance leaves a LOT to be desired and once was enough!

I'm so impressed with how well the kiddos, especially The Princess, are doing after 2 whole days in the motor home. They were sure hoping to get out and run on the playground tonight, but it was too dark, and after the time change it was 10pm! Tomorrow, however, is a kid-fest. The RV is staying put and we're off to see some sights. Woohoo, that means I'll at least have wi-fi tomorrow night!

Road Trip 2005 Live-Blog Event - Day One

2005-04-19T07:10:00.001-05:00

In case you're just now joining this adventure, be sure and check out The Cast of Characters

7:12am
And we're off!! Well, not exactly yet, but today that is. Right now I'm the only person awake in my household. Why? Too excited to sleep, of course! I know I've passed this trait on to The Princess because last night, about 45 minutes after she had gone to bed, I went upstairs to pack some last-minute item. I heard rustling, looked around, and there she was - propped up on one elbow and grinning from ear to ear. "I can't sleep, Mommy! I'm too excited!" I love that!

Last night Big L was choosing the CD's he wants to bring along, as he's been put in charge of the music selections up front in the "cockpit". He had a hard time narrowing down his choices........he had to pick only his favorites from his 30-some odd Willie Nelson CD's

Now I do need to fill you in on how this live-blog event is going to work. I will only be able to post in the evenings when we "dock" at a wi-fi enabled campsite. I will not be revealing the ultimate destination of this trip.....that's for you to figure out by tracking our progress! I will, however, reveal each stop along the way once we've moved on. (and no cheating by those who know us "in real life".....KoOk)

OK, time to go wake up the family and get this show on the road!!

9:50am – We’re on the road!

10:05am – Big L notices some slack in the minivan on the trailer that we are towing. As we pull over to adjust the straps, I notice the distinct aroma of brake smoke. “Hmmm, PawPaw, that smells like when you leave the emergency brake on”. PawPaw responds “Naw, that’s just ‘cause I got on the brakes a little to hard when we stopped.” Big L returns from adjusting the minivan straps and announces that the emergency brake was engaged on the van and smoke is pouring out from under the hood. Nice! PawPaw, of course, still denies that what we smelled/saw was anything other than him “getting’ on the brakes a little too hard”. Big L obviously didn’t buy it because I saw him double checking the location of the fire extinguisher! As it turns out, those loose straps saved our rears. PawPaw has now been gently instructed by Big L on the differences between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive when it comes to emergency brakes. Oh, well. All is well and we pull out again……to the sound of the metal steps (that were supposed to be up) scraping the curb.

11:45am – the ankle biters are snuggled in Granny’s bed watching A Bug’s Life on the portable DVD player. We have a laptop in the front with GPS monitoring keeping up with our elevation, location, and distance to riding shotgun and talking about tI am on the couch writing this up for later posting to the blog. Technology rules.

6:05pm - We pull in to the campsite at Slidell, LA and realize it wasn't quite all they had advertised. First of all, their "playground" consisted of one old metal slide, one swing, and an old set of monkey bars. Secondly, and far more disappointing, their "internet connection" consisted of a phone jack in the office, which closed at 6:30pm. Nice. So far, we're just passing throught and we're ready to move on out of Louisiana. The kiddos are exhausted so we decide to let them sleep in as long as they will tomorrow morning.....

Happy Tax Day!!!!

2005-04-14T20:56:00.000-05:00

WOOHOO!! I'm all done with this tax season....party on!

Countdown to Road Trip 2005 - 7 Days Out

2005-04-12T21:31:00.000-05:00

To give you more of a mental picture of exactly what type of vehicle will be housing the Cast of Characters on this trip, here's a summary:

Our RV does NOT resemble this:

Our RV DOES resemble this:

Day of Silence at Local Schools

2005-04-12T21:22:00.000-05:00

Have you heard or read about the planned Day of Silence for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender students at school? You would think this would be an activity/event found on college campuses, but you'd be wrong. Participating schools include a multitude of public high schools, junior highs and even elementary schools.

The Day of Silence was organized by pro-homosexual activists seeking to affirm Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender youths who are "oppressed by silence every day"

To see if your local schools are participating, you can check here. I was quite surprised to find my local high school on the list!

A big hat tip to my friend Valerie for this story!

It's the Official One-Week Countdown....

2005-04-11T22:19:00.000-05:00

Until Texasbug's Road Trip 2005 Live-Blog Event! That's right, we're off on a cross-country RV trip beginning Tuesday, April 19th and I will be blogging about our journey each day....thanks to the wonderful invention of wi-fi at the campsites!

The cast of characters are set for a hilarious adventure! Here's the lineup:

PawPaw - 78 year old WWII Vet who never meets a stranger and tries to order chicken-fried steak no matter where he is (T-Bug's Dad).
Granny - 76 year old who has the energy level and spunk of someone 15 years younger (T-Bug's Mom).
Texasbug & Big L - two 30-something CPA's fresh off of tax season and looking for a change of scenery and some relaxation.
The Princess - 5 year old spawn of T-Bug & Big L who is currently packing color-coordinated flip-flops for each outfit!
Big J - 3 year old spawn of T-Bug & Big L who has already given PawPaw a heart attack by turning on the generator by himself in the RV!

If that's not enough to supply a comedian for years to come, I don't know what is. Add that to the fact that we will be travelling for 2 straight weeks in an RV that is not exactly a spring chicken and you start to get the idea. Big L and I are already referring to ourselves as the "white-trash hillbilly's from Texas", which is, I'm sure, what everyone who sees us coming is going to think!

Are you ready?? It's only ONE WEEK until the Road Trip 2005 Live-Blog Event!!

Texans Against Broadband?

2005-04-05T21:21:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, our "beloved" state legistlators are trying to enact legislation that would ban municipal wireless broadband networks. Why? To protect the big telecom companies who want to charge you for their service, of course! Hat tip to Above the Crowd for his excellent article on the subject (via Hill Country Views).

In case you're new to this topic, there's an awesome question and answer with Jim Baller at broadbandreports.com. For a brief description of what's at stake, I copied this excerpt:

Specifically, I learned that, at the turn of the last century, when electricity was the great new technology of the age, the private sector focused first on electrifying the major population centers and literally left most of America in the dark. Recognizing that electrification was critical to their economic development and survival, thousands of communities that were not large enough or profitable enough to attract private power companies created their own electric utilities. Municipal electric utilities also emerged in several large cities, in which residents believed that competition was necessary to lower prices, raise the quality of service, or both. Most of these communities found that they could provide for their own needs better and at far lower cost than the private sector could or was willing to do. Eventually, hundreds of these communities sold their systems to private power companies, having fulfilled their purpose of avoiding being left behind in obtaining the benefits of electrification. Most communities, however, retained their systems. Today, approximately 2000 public power systems continue to exist and thrive, providing their communities significantly better service at substantially lower prices than investor-owned utilities provide.

Now, the history of the electric power industry is repeating itself in the communications area. Indeed, for many of the communities that were left behind by the private electric companies, its "deja vu all over again." This time, however, there's an important difference -- communities with their own electric utilities are now in an excellent position to provide for their own current and future communications needs. Because municipal electric utilities, government facilities and schools are significant users of advanced telecommunications services, these communities have built-in "anchor tenants" that can ensure a sizable revenue stream and lower project risks. They have decades of experience in providing high technology products; dealing with residential, industrial and commercial customers of all kinds; and furnishing technical support and customer service. They have access to essential rights of way, poles, ducts and conduits. They also have a century old ethic of universal service.

TexasBug

6 Months Ago Today

FEMA trailer park goes in at recreation field

Before & After

STORM-TATTERED SAILS

Debris from Hurricane Ike fills Galveston Bay

The Day I Thought Would Never Come

Another blow for the Island....*sigh*

Galveston Officials Paint Bleak Picture to Lawmakers After Ike

Christmas Whirlwind

Nearly three months after Hurricane Ike, Galveston's Dickens on the Strand street festival goes on

Being Sick in an RV

Being Thankful

They're Coming to Take Me Away....Haha!

Parents of the Year!

State of the Island....8 weeks Post Ike

A Historical Day

Election Day!

Road Trip!!

What I Lost, What I Miss

The FEMA visit

Pleading my Case

Jackalope's Birthday Week!

Some Signs of Life

When is shopping NOT fun?

Dear City of Galveston...

6 Days? Wow!

You Know Your Dog Needs a Bath When...

Roadtrip for Backpacks

Top 10 Things for Kids to Do in an RV

One Month Mark

Accountant=Counselor?

Washin' Wednesday

Home Sweet Home

FRIDAY!!

More from the War Zone

Introducing "The Jackalope"

Back to Work on the Island

Ike Part 3 - Catching Up

Ike Part 2 - Adventures in New Braunfels

Hurricane Ike Part 1

He is Risen!!

The Bird Flu Panic

Illegal Immigration and Fedral Control of Church Work

I'm not the only one back...

WHERE have I BEEN???

Happy Hanukah vs. Merry Christmas

In the Christmas Spirit!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Missing Friendswood Girl!

One Year Ago Today

Some Very Special Veterans

I'm in Limbo....

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Why I'm Voting "No" on Texas' Prop 2

America Loses an Icon

Anne Rice Shrugs off the Occult for Christ

The Record-Breaking Continues...

Houston, We Have a Series!

Revisiting Katrina

Texas Aggie Football Weekend

Colorado Weekend

Heidi's Blog

The Truth about Bush's Approval Rating

First Female Airman Casualty

Sometimes it's GOOD to be a Packrat!

When it Rains....

New MilBlog

Y'all go read this....

Back to the Routine...

Linens & Things

Tax Relief Granted for Hurricane Rita

Our Theme Song

Cindy Sheehan Makes Light of Hurricane Rita

Evacuation Photos

Home Sweet Home

Can't Sleep

Finally!

Under Construction!!

Blog Frustration!!

Another blow for the Island....sigh