Hurricane Ike

Day 15………..

I’VE GOT THE POWER!
WOOO HOO!

I received power late yesterday. What a blessing.

This has been a less’n and bless’n event
You know what I mean, when God really wants you to get something, and then when you do you are blessed.

I have learned so much through this “storm” but I have also learned a lot about myself, my kids and the people who love me.
I will never take that for granted.

I have never been so happy to do a load of laundry in my life.
I walked through my neighborhood last night and all was quiet. No sounds of generators puttering, no smells of exhaust.

All of the house windows were well lit and you could literally smell Bounce dryer sheets in the air, from all of the laundry being done. ( I am not kidding you could really smell it)

I FIXED MY HAIR THIS MORNING
WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO
I LOOK SO CUTE!

Thank you all for listening to me the past two weeks, and for being so supportive.

This is my final entry. The saga has ended.

Until the next big thing…

Day 14

AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok for a moment (about 2 weeks ago) I had devised a plan that when and IF we ever get power again I was going to meticulously tape down all the light switches and tell the kids “I don’t know why the neighbors have power and we don’t” All of this in an effort to save on electricity seeing how I was constantly going through the house turning off lights and reminding them to turn off their TV’s if they were not watching them.
I have now changed my mind.
I think now I am going to go through the house and turn on every light switch. And then I am going to stand in the street in front of my house and look at it… in its radiant beauty.

I think now I am in a state of mourning. I miss my electricity.
MY HAIR MISSES MY ELECTRICITY.

We are fast approaching another weekend, which means another trip to the LAUNDRY MAT!!!!!

I have such respect for my mother. I remember as a child going to the laundry mat and thinking it was so much fun. My sister use to put me the laundry basket that had wheels and roll me around. It seemed like a fun place. All the while my mother sweating over folding tables in an un-air conditioned building full of industrial dryers, and at the same time trying to make sure my sister didn’t put me in a dryer and turn it on.
(I had to convince Paige and Hatton that this was a bad idea too. No matter how adventurous it may sound.)
I guess as a child you don’t notice the abandoned underwear and hair balls on the floor.
Well as an adult you sure do.
And then you have to guard your clean folded laundry from the unsupervised 4 year old that insists on grabbing your undergarments from your basket and running all over the building with them while swinging them over his head and yelling some toddler battle cry.
Yep, that will be my fun filled Saturday, if I don’t get power beforehand. O please, God, please…

Of course I should probably mosey over to the college first and take the major exam that I have studied for by candle and flashlight all week. Otherwise I may be in no mental condition to take it after the laundry mat.

By the way, I grilled Hot dogs last night. The kids were so glad that I finally made something that resembled human food and not something that I would put in the Dogs bowl.
Though I could not find hot dog buns anywhere so we ate them on bread, which was fine. I couldn’t find mustard either. Apparently everyone else in Spring, Texas was having hot dogs too.

I did see about 20 center point electric trucks that appeared to be headed in my housing vicinity this morning as I commuted to work. I wanted so bad to honk and wave and tell them my address. But honking in Houston is a big NO NO. I found that out the hard way. Those of you who know me know that story. The others, well, I will have to tell it to you some time…

“Day 13…

The kids went back to school. I know the High School has power, the middle school may be running off of generators. I wont know until I see Hatton this afternoon.

I think we are growing accustom to the sound of generators running. I wonder once we get power if we will be able to sleep without them, or the lovely smell of exhaust.

I have a major exam this week, History nonetheless, I have been studying  and reading by flashlight, in addition I have to write a book review in History as well.  Interestingly enough it is called THE DAY THE COWBOYS QUIT, ( by Elmer Kelton). I can tell you why they quit cause they didn’t have electricity and had to sleep outside with no AC and eat off a chuckwagon. I know first hand this is why they quit. And I don’t blame them.

Every morning I get up and flip a light switch, just for kicks. I know Hatton will be glad to get power because sometimes he sleeps in the floor next to my bed, when Paige is sleeping with me, its too hot for us all to sleep in the bed, anyway I know I have stepped on his hand, leg or head at least a dozen times. Poor guy.

I am a master of the Grill now, but for some reason the kids keep wanting to eat out. Hmmmmm maybe I am not quiet a grill master.

I have taken my frustrations due to lack of civilized living, out on the shed that was damaged from the storm. Hatton and I almost have it completely disassembled.

I have gone throughout the house and prayed over every light fixture and the AC.

‘LET THERE BE LIGHT IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST”  I say…

The kids think I have lost my mind. But they laugh.

My country roots have most definitely paid off. However I worry I am getting way to caught up in this type of lifestyle. I watched a little squirrel playing yesterday evening and suddenly felt the need to stalk it, kill it, skin it, cook it and make a hat out of its fur.

The worst thing of all is that I have not had a pedicure in over two weeks. I desperately need one.

I did finally clip my toenails (yea try to do that by candle light) as it was becoming way to dangerous for the kids to sleep with me. For fear I would cut a main artery in their leg if I happened to brush my feet against them.

I enjoy and miss the luxuries of electricity, especially air conditioners and my hair dryer.

I did try once to use my hair dryer but burn up the power strip that it was connected to. So I won’t do that again.

Perhaps I should go audition for SURVIVOR.

The food they eat cant look much worse than some of the stuff I have cooked.

The people can’t be much different than some of my neighbors.

I live in Houston for Goodness sake,  how much worse can a jungle be  ..”

“Day 10. Still no power.

I haven’t slept a consecutive 3 hours in going on two weeks.  I tried to fight off mosquitos the night before last by lighting a citronella candle and placing it on my dresser.

Yeah, don’t ever do that.

They tend to smoke.

I woke up covered in a black soot, my sheets were gray and I look to my left and there lay a sandy blonde black face boy.

It’s a good thing we had running water because Hatton and I both looked like we just crawled out of a coal mine.

It was actually quiet comical.

I washed my clothes finally at a laundry mat. I used extra soap .

We went to a movie during the heat of the day this weekend just so we could be in AC.

I overdosed on Diet Coke, popcorn and sour patch kids. I couldn’t help it. I must have reached a breaking point.

I get ready for work by candle light.. so my clothes don’t match my make up is too dark and my hair is well something..

I am so blessed though, and so thankful I am thankful for the everyday things I take for granted.

I am thankful for the last 6 nights being 70 degrees or lower.

I am thankful that I have got to spend extra time with my kids even if it is laying on my bed with 4 fans blowing on us. Still sweating, but laughing at silly things.

I am thankful that I now can change the oil on a generator and start it. And I am thankful Hatton can too.

I am thankful I can operate a chainsaw.

I am thankful for diet coke and cheezits.

I am thankful that the birds have come back and I can hear them singing in the trees, that are still standing. (and I don’t even like birds). heheeh

I am thankful for the trash men and women.

I am thankful for the electric men and women and pray for them because I know they must be exhausted.

I am thankful for the lady behind the counter at the convenience store that gave Hatton a Coke icee for free, just to see him smile.

I am thankful for Thomas Edison.

And I have a whole new respect for Laurie Ingalls Wilder…”

“We still have no power. They expect it to be back on by Monday the 22nd. That is when the kids are to go back to school as well.

I tried to get out on my cell phone last night and couldn’t. I never got a chance to tell you, I don’t think, the details of the storm.

I left work on Thursday, and as you know I bought several cases of water and some soups, crackers, chips, peanut butter and bread. (Hindsight says I should have bought more than one loaf of bread).

Anyway I went home, froze two cases of water then on Friday I put all of my lawn furniture in the garage, along with my lawn mower and grill out of my shed.  I washed all of the laundry, vacuumed and filled both tubs with water (for flushing the toilet in case we lost water pressure etc.).

Then I washed, dried and curled my hair. If I was going to be rescued, I was going to look cute.

We lost power at midnight on Friday, I had the kids in the living room, I had candles lit, and Paige went to sleep. At about 1:30 am I thought to myself as I looked outside, “Aw this is no different than a north Texas thunderstorm” I laid down with Hatton and tried to get him to sleep, at about 2 or 2:30 am, we both shot straight up, I don’t think either one of us were asleep but just laying there quiet and still listening.  There is no thunder or lightening in a hurricane, the wind was so loud and there is a rumbling sound.

THIS WAS NO THUNDERSTORM

I jumped up and ran to the kitchen window trying to see outside.  I had a spot light I turned it on and saw that our shed and been picked up and then shoved back down off of its foundation into the ground in the back yard. I prayed it would stay there.

I could not see anything just blackness and the spot light as it reflected off of the sheets of rain. The wind was so fierce that the tops of trees were bent over to their trunks. For a moment I thought they must be young ones to be that flexible. I can barely touch my toes without cracking and popping .

From window to door I paced, and prayed. Hatton lay in the floor with Chili (our big red dog), who is going blind and he was nervous. Paige slept. The roof popped and creaked. This went on until 6 a.m. before the sustained dropped and the gusts lessened.  I prayed for daylight. I climbed into the attic and poked my head above the ceiling, or the attic floor, I glanced quickly around with a flashlight looking for holes or leaks, I appeared intact.

As daylight densely lit the sky, I looked out Paige’s bedroom window only to see the tops of my two big pine trees, the noise that had jolted me and Hatton was that of the trees crashing down, narrowly missing our house and clipping my neighbors.

The rain was still falling, I twisted my hair into a bun so as not to ruin the curls I had made the night before and ran next door to check on them.  They were fine, however the roof was caving in, not because of the tree, but because it had been blown off.  I found most of their roof in my back yard.

God was so good to me and I believe with all my heart he heard my pleads that night and protected me and my children and my big red half blind dog.

From every window and door I paced that night and prayed the strength of God over my windows, doors and roof.

Some of my neighbors suffered extensive damage to their homes, some of their vehicles were crushed by trees. I may have lost what food was in my refrigerator, I may have lost power and water but I never lost faith

Remember my old favorite song “God says your gonna make it. God says your gonna make it.”

Teams of chain-saw operators from across the country are in [EDIT] East Texas preparing to help clean up South Texas.

A representative from the National Forest Service in Decatur confirmed Monday that teams from across the country are already staging in [EDIT] East Texas. The teams will try to help restore access to areas damaged by fallen trees and fallen power poles.

A team of 20 chain-saw operators from Arizona is already in [EDIT] East Texas, for instance, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

Read the full story here

Ike evacuees Carissa Leverkuhn and her son Josiah from Vider, Texas, near Beaumont, sitting out on the porch of the home they are staying at in Paradise. The Leverkuhns, along with other extended family memebers, left Vider Thursday morning under a mandatory evacuation.

(Left to right) Carissa Leverkuhn, Melissa Brucia Hannah Brucia, Josiah Leverkuhn, Shanda Connor and Jaceoyn Leverkuhn.

(Right) John Leverkuhn gets ready to head back to Vider to see how bad the damage is.

“We had a quite an uneventful night. The evacuee count remains the same. During the night the Sheriff’s office responded to a missing person report her is the information on them. Fetzer Nancy Widmaier, W/F,  62 years old, 5′4″, 132 lb. Gray Hair, Blue eyes; Last seen wearing dark colored sweats, dark hat. Subject does not drive but walks. Checks of local hospitals and facilities were negative.”

Paul Cunningham, 6:00 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 14

“We’re done, evacs are happily on there way home. I’m otw home to a NAP”

Chris Cromer, 1:10 p.m.

“Were were just notified all the other shelters are shutting down. We are the only shelter with familys and they are clear to go home.”

Chris Cromer, 11:10 a.m.