I reflected on the significance of today's date.
August 29th 2005.
Katrina.
A day that will certainly live in infamy....... 🌀
She made landfall the morning of the 29th as a
category 3.
She had only just weakened to that.
The front right quadrant of the hurricane
smashed into Gulfport.
This is the area that sustains the strongest winds.
Our area got the tidal surges.
The levee systems that were supposed to protect
New Orleans and the surrounding areas were breached.
There were over fifty breaches in the levees!
After all, we live in a bowl below sea level.
But the flooding was the major cause of death and destruction,
on a scale that was unprecedented.
It took weeks to drain the bowl.
During all this, there were few who could be hailed as
heroes, but I need to mention a few.
My husband.
He stayed and saved our property, and some of the
neighboring properties from costly damage.
They had all evacuated
and only he and our dog stayed.
He was like Robinson Crusoe, stranded with no creature comforts.
It was inevitable that some damage occurred,
but his quick thinking saved us from
the worst Katrina could have delivered.
The Coast Guard.
They began preparations 3 days before landfall.
They did land, water and air rescues untiringly.
I know that it is their job, but they
did it to their own peril at times.
They are truly the brave unsung heroes during that time.
My wonderful nephew is part of that number and
I'm so very proud of him!
And
The Cajun Navy
These plucky people took on the rescues of neighbors
in their own boats, before
anyone else could rally rescue efforts.
All this because of the abysmal failure of
local, state and federal government to
respond to the catastrophic events.
I speak of this as a kind of detached onlooker.
I was.
I spent 22 days at the hospital.
We had almost no communication with family and friends
outside the hospital.
I didn't know if my family was safe or not.
It wasn't quite the grueling conditions that some hospital workers
experienced but, it was stressful nonetheless.
My mettle was well and truly tested.
Our small band of nurses and doctors
completed some herculean tasks.
We managed to care for many patients,
and eventually evacuate some, but
sadly lost a couple.
We saw certain people shine and certain people
completely fall apart.
We had our own meltdowns due to stress as well,
but
with the compassion of our friends,
pulled it together,
slapped on a cheerful face and carried on.
All in all, it was an experience that I
would never want to live through again......
but I'm glad that I did
with those people that would always have my back.
They are not only coworkers but life long friends.
There's a line in the movie Steel Magnolias that says,
"That which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger"
So true,
So true.
****************************************
📚
Everyone who knows me
knows that I'm an avid reader.
Seems that its my second nature to have a book near.
I read for pleasure
and to keep my mind sharp.
With that said....
Most of my books come from Barnes and Noble's
online Nook account,
but I love to go to the "brick and mortar" store too.
There are hundreds to choose from, but
most of my "reads" are from the free books category.
I download them and if I get bored,
I simply delete the book.
No pain,
No gain
and best of all,
no cost.
But, I still love the feel and smell of a book.
Especially an old book!
That's why I love bookstores!
I'd like to share some of my favorite ones.
📖
If you are ever walking in the Quarter,
enter this small bookstore.
The first thing you notice is the smell.
Old books!
I have only bought a book from here once,
but I become mesmerized at looking around.
I love this place!
Powell's Books,
an entire city block of books!
Its in Portland Oregon.
I credit my son with finding this awesome place.
I only spent a few hours perusing a fraction of their books,
but
I think I had an out of body experience!
This is truly the best bookseller in my limited opinion.
San Francisco has City Lights.
This bookstore is unique in that, it
kind of specializes in progressive politics.
Lets just say that it is a hippie icon as much as
the Height Ashbury area is.
It was founded in 1956 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti,
the Beat Poet and Peter Martin as an homage to
Charlie Chaplin's City Lights.
They published banned books!
They got arrested.
Seems ridiculous, but even today the
government and some groups try to dictate
what should or shouldn't be published and read.
Yay free speech prevailed!
Munro Books
On Government Street in downtown
Victoria BC
Victoria BC
Another bookstore that I credit my son for finding.
As you can tell, this place is posh.
Their books can be pricy but the ambience is great.
The store was an old bank and they reflect the grandeur of that.
The thing that struck me upon entering,
was that everyone spoke in whispers.
It was like a library.
What a great place to spend a couple of hours!
Then there's the Jefferson Parish library.
What an amazing place!
All free.
Tons of books and even a coffee shop.
Quiet little reading/study rooms too.
And, remember to hush.
The take home message here is....
"The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go."
Dr. Seuss
*********************************
Its thundering and my sweet girl is scared.
Any loud noises make her shake in fear.
She can't get up on the furniture anymore, so
when she came to me with that pleading look,
I boosted her up on the couch to lay next to me while I was reading
and she immediately calmed down.
She is our Golden Girl.
At almost 13, she's past her prime, but she is
the greatest dog I've ever had the privilege of knowing.
She's diabetic and has arthritic pain problems,
she's also almost blind,
but she sees with her heart.
And,
I can't think of anything more rewarding
than making the last years of a dogs'
life best they can be.
************************************
The chicken girls have been doing their chicken thing.
They comb the yard looking for edibles
as soon as they exit the coop.
🐛🐌🐞🐜
I cut up a watermelon the other day and put the cold rind
on the ground for them to nibble on.
A nice treat on a hot day.
They love it.
🍉
They'll eat it till all that's left is a small bit of the green skin.
An acquaintance that raises backyard chickens gives her flock
most of her table scraps, meat as well.
We don't do that, only compostable items.♻
But, the difference is, she eats her flock.
Nope!
Our girls are pets who happen to
give us their eggs.
I always apologize when I take an egg from under
one of them because
they think its their children.
🐣
Our broody hens have stopped brooding, thank goodness.
Their feathers are slowly growing back.
***********************
This is the problem I've been having...
I can sing the lyrics to oldies,
remember enough trivia to "win" Jeopardy from my couch,
assist the grandkids with homework
but.....
I can't remember why I just walked into the bedroom!
I guess my train of thought
keeps leaving the station
without me.
😊
***********
A haiku for today......
My chickens are fat
They love to eat anything
So they remain fat.
(don't judge, it fits the
5, 7, 5 syllable format)
And.....
Don't fart in an Apple Store,
There's no Windows
And.....
Poop jokes aren't my favorites but
they are a
solid number 2!
😄
