All systems go again

[Guest guest]

Dear Group,

I know some of you were aware that Jimmy and I left town when Gustav

approached and we were told to evacuate. We were without some utilities for 2

weeks and today, the last vestiges of going without has been once again made

available to us - the internet. Up until last night, even after we finally got

electricity, it was a cat and mouse game. When I opened my mail box, there

were 606 emails waiting to be opened. Thank all of you for your concern,

prayers and offers to take us in.

Rhonda was kind enough to invite Jimmy and I early on to her home in Houston

for Gustav. We returned home after 11 days when my son invited us to stay at

his house because they had electricity. We still have an 8 o'clock curfew and

trying to get around some streets is like an obstacle course.

In most places, they didn't even have sewerage, because everyone had left

their post and evacuated and there were no services available. My son said he

had to bathe in his swimming pool and haul water from the same pool to flush his

toilets. He was one of the few who could still flush because he has a septic

tank. Others were not so lucky. Another son stayed in his travel trailer in

his driveway, as they had a holding tank. We weren't even able to return home

because the city was surrounded by National Guard.

After a while they stopped the pumps because there was no place to pump the

water to, the gulf waters kept overlapping the levees. When water service was

returned, it had to be boiled if you didn't have bottled water to drink. While

away, we were completely cut off from home, there was no telephone service in

the homes or cell phones, just when we have come to depend so heavily on them.

It's a long, long story, but I am ever so grateful to Rhonda for taking us

in. She was a most gracious hostess, along with her daughter, Lili, a perky,

popular teen ager, who gave up her bed for us and I must say it was a most

comfortable bed. Thank you, too, Lili. Of course, I am also thankful that my

family and friends are safe and unharmed, except for some having extensive

damage.

Now Rhonda is without electricity because Houston was hard hit by Ike. She

has the option to come here and I hope she does come if things become too

austere for her family. During the storm, all motels here were closed, because

of the evacuation mandate, and now there are no vacancies, with all of the out

of state volunteers coming to get us up back and running. Every body of water

overflowed and for the first time in history, Main Street took on water. Our

home did not flood, but we were surrounded by water and it was fast encroaching

and no chance to leave at that point. Yesterday was a very low day in our lives

that we had survived so many storms and it looked like a record would be broken

and our house would take on water. Today, I called one of my best friends when

I heard her house had taken on water, but it was not as deep as reported. Still

devastation everywhere, this place looks like a war zone, debris piled roof top

high in many places, all allong the streets. My backyard neighbor's tree is in

my yard and part of my oak tree is in my side neighbor's yard, like a domino

effect. Bags and bags of leaves and branches sit out on the curb, along with

tall tree branches, obscuring most houses. Perhaps we should take note of the

little children's book " from little acorns do mighty oaks grow " . People plant

tiny trees that grow into enormous ones that fall on power lines and cause

obstructions with roots pushing up cement in the streets.

Being cut off from the internet was like having withdrawal symptoms. If you

think you are not addicted, then try by voluntarily turning your computer off

for 2 weeks. LOL Good to be back, y'all.

Blessings and thanksgiving,

Lottie