Leon goes shopping

Leon left this morning for Illinois in hopes of returning with a fifth wheel camper. He sold his toy hauler several months ago and has been watching for the right one to come along. He found what he wants but he could not find anyone to compete with the price he found on the outskirts of Chicago. So if he must drive 11 hours it should be an adventure! I only wish I could be along but projects at home prevent that.
The traffic was heavy going to Little Rock during morning work hour so he stopped at Denny's for breakfast. It didn't seem to matter that he had just eaten cereal and a banana an hour earlier, but we don't have a Denny's in Hot Springs! Since he is going up I55 to Sikeston, Missouri a stop at the Home of the Throwed Rolls aka Lambert's seems like a must for lunch. He then has been forewarned to stop for gas at the BP just a few miles up 57 and that the Cairo, Illinois area is a speed trap. Several have recommended that he spend the night in Effingham, IL. Stay tuned......Leon arrived at House of Camping and the Rockwood was all he hoped it would be. We think this will look great behind Leon's truck. He will leave with it today .. Thursday.

As luck would have it they had to switch the tv in the Rockwood so Leon spent the night in the parking lot and will head home on Friday. And this is where he slept.

Well, Leon made it 120 miles down the road before the 12 volt system went out. He returned to House of Camping only to find out that his truck was the problem, not the Rockwood. They had to rewire the truck and then he luckily realized that the universal joints were about to go out on his truck. Saturday morning he spent at Firestone getting that fixed. He then started on a safe trip home and arrived early Sunday afternoon. Woody is ready to be loaded for his first adventure.

Treat yourself

Make it do! Wear it out! My grandfather died when my mother was a teenager and her mother raised five young children by herself. They were taught to be frugal as times were difficult. Their idea of toys were china chips. And fruit was something they got at Christmas in their stockings. So perhaps this is where I got the idea that I must be frugal; no, make that cheap!
My ironing board cover was looking rather dismal and the foam underneath might as well not have been there. But it worked and it wasn't worn out. Only when a friend spilled Austrian grapeseed oil or some such did I reward myself. For only five dollars at the local Walmart I now have a new ironing board cover. I have never minded ironing and often reflect on how I would visit with our maid, Johnnie Q, while she ironed and showed me how to properly iron a shirt. So when is the last time you treated yourself to a new ironing board cover? Mine is a soft, moss green.

David's Dilemna

Many decided not to leave Galveston with a level two hurricane approaching. They recalled the disastrous exodus for Rita where many had been stranded on the highways for hours and days in what must have been a nightmare, many even losing their lives.
Even as early as Saturday morning the water was 3 inches deep in David's yard which is located on the back side of Galveston Island near Offut Bay. To stay there was not an option. So with a bag of clean clothes and a bag of medicines he chose to take cover under the 61st street bridge which has a 16' clearance. His Castle Heights military boots from the 1950's didn't fair so well as the leather fell apart when it got wet. Luckily he had an extra pair of shoes. If one is going into combat be prepared..right? One wave came and washed his bag of clothes away and as he reached to save it the bag of medicines were swept away. His glasses were so wet he couldn't see but they stayed on while the nose piece broke off against his face. Of course one would not weather a storm in his good glasses, so he wore an old pair and had all his good ones in his medicine bag. When the storm was finally over on Sunday morning he heard that the Red Cross was at Ball High School so he trekked through the streets of Galveston for twenty blocks falling once in a hole he could not see. All the while his shoes were rubbing blisters on his feet. At one point a refrigerator drifted by and he opened it and found a couple of sodas to quench his thirst. He arrived wet and tired only to learn the Red Cross was not there and he would not be able to procure medicines as thought. When he tried to leave he was told he would be arrested so he was "kidnapped" and put on a bus to San Antonio. This photo shows what is left of his mobile home park.

In San Antonio the evacuees were registered and he was sent to Kelly Air Force Base. In his first call he mistakenly told us it was Andersen Air Force Base which we learned was in Guam and that led to some confusion on our part. Since he had given his money to someone that was trying to leave Galveston on Saturday he arrived not only wet and tired but penniless.
He was fed well at Kelly AFB and the phones available for their use "resembled a Jerry Lewis telethon. It was like a high school reunion running into people from Galveston that he hadn't seen in years." I wired him some money and Monday he was able to get to Walmart and buy some dry clothes and shoes. After another day of kids running wild everywhere and lines of people, he caught the 5am Greyhoud for Hot Springs. While he rode in comfort we got busy and got the rental ready for him. Thank goodness it was empty. Every man in his 60s needs his own space especially when that is something to which he is accustomed.
As the bus crossed the bridge leaving Galveston he could see that both vehicles and his modest abode were all gone. The ground was again white revealing the oyster shells that had been brought in long ago to create the land. But one wonders what happens to the many he left in San Antonio that have no family, no place to go, and nothing to which they can return.

yIKEs!!

And then along came Ike. The storm that came through Hot Springs on Saturday night did not bring so much rain but the winds took their toll. Again there were trees down all over town and they took the power lines down with them.

At least the Entergy crews did not head to Galveston but stayed to take care of problems at home. Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day. It is good that the temps were in the 70s as 40,000 people in the county have no electricity. We cleaned the freezer to accomodate Kay and John and enjoyed their supper visit. We feel so fortunate to again have electricity. What a way for these folks to get rid of a gas guzzler!

Then what a delight to have our friend Joy spend the night after her 2 am flight in from Austria. We got to hear a little about her trip over pancakes before she headed to work.

If you feel as fortunate as we do then you might want to help those that are less fortunate. The Red Cross is my choice.

The day that Ziggy died!

I met him shortly after I retired in 1997. Things evolved slowly but the more time we spent together the closer we became. As I learned more and more about his internal workings we developed quite a close relationship. I knew just what buttons I could push to turn him on. He let me down every once in awhile but then I always forgave his troublesome ways. We traveled together often and some years spent perhaps 5 months out of the year together. People talked about us and pointed at us but we did not care. I would sing at the top of my lungs while he purred like a kitten. There were hills and valleys, backroads and main roads, large cities and small and we stuck together through thick and thin. Other than when he would have his breakdowns life was always happy when we were traveling together. I would talk to him when there was noone else around. We also had nice friends like Snow White and old Blue that understood us.


In 2002 I met Hernando and Ziggy soon moved to Texas. Sure Hernando and I had new friends like Mildred and Chiquita Rosita and had a lot of good times together. But Ziggy was not happy in Texas. Although I was pleased with Hernando it just wasn't the same. After six years Ziggy purred no longer and did not get out much if at all. I knew some day I would go to Galveston and bring him back home. But I waited too long! Late on Saturday night Ike came along and gave him a real beating. He probably dumped him in Offut Bay never to be found again! He deserved better.









Ziggy and Maryvw and Snow White

Old Blue and Bev

Snow White, Mildred, Hernando, and Chaquita

Ziggy 1987-2008

Fresh from the farm

Thank goodness someone is still having success with gardens. Each week we go to the Farmer's Market in town and stock up on fruits and veggies. Yesterday we shelled purple hull peas and then had some fresh corn on the cob, cornbread, sliced tomatoes, and cantaloupe. It is a good time of the year to be vegetarian. The rest of the week includes fried okra, green beans and new potatoes, butternut couscous, etc. And we have zuchini, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, eggplant, and red peppers for the grill. It just doesn't get much better than this where food is concerned. The peaches this week were delicious. We should have gotten more and will go back tomorrow in the hopes someone will have them.

Gustav's Gusto

Hurricane Gustav blew through Arkansas with plenty of gusto left after coming ashore west of New Orleans. We were lucky that we were not among the many thousands that lost power. It didn't help that the Entergy crews had left the day before to go restore power in Louisiana. The ground was so saturated that the stately Oaks just lay down! The gusting winds didn't help.

The national park on Whittington Avenue was not so fortunate as many trees fell in that area, which was typical of streets all about town. I wonder if anyone was sitting on the bench in the park when this giant toppled.

Our yard is full of twigs and leaves but at least the trees stayed upright at the dead end. With so many trees blocking the roads and streets and 28,000 homes and businesses without power the area schools were forced to close. I have seen a lot of snow days but I can't recall our schools ever closing for a hurricane!

Preventive measures with sandbags kept the water out of most of the buildings in town. It rained and rained and rained!