People Who Called....

I am loved.

I was so touched by the people who called to offer their homes and to check on us while we were stuck in traffic.

Aunt Evadene wins the prize for the most calls. She snagged her apartment guest house for us and offered to pay half of the $60 a day charge because she felt bad for not having a guest bedroom. She began calling on Tuesday and continued calling through Thursday. Her daughter, Pam, began calling on Friday when we started to not answer E's calls. I'd rather E then P anyday.

Rick and Julie made a few calls and offered their vacant front (recently remodeled) bedroom. Richard and Duncan called once.

Amy called a few times. She was very kind and assured us the dogs would be fine. She said she has a pin that Keith could easily put together and also a garage. She called again to say we can come as early as we feel we need to.

Nathan and Jacob run a close second to E. At one point while stuck on I10-East, having just found out that the hurricane was heading East, Jacob called. He started laughing at us and said, "Mom, something is wrong with this picture." I started to cry and handed the phone to Barry.
Nathan was in the process of preparing to house friends and relatives (Roxanne and Trey came for awhile). One of his calls came when I was feeling my worst, nauseated with a pounding headache. I felt his and Jacob's concern (even though J was laughing) at our predicament.

Even Floyd called twice. First to say, "It's a Category 5, get your butts out of there;" and second to offer his place as refuge.

Little Ronnie (Raun) called a few times. He was feeling a little stress about what he should do with Kyle. They ended up staying put in Houston and did just fine.

Alice called and said to come on up to Arkansas and make a visit out of it. A lot of people actually ended up in Arkansas (not because she called :). She made a few more calls while we were stuck in traffic and said she was praying for us.

Barry's friend Tony Gale called and offered us a spot in his brand new mansion near West, Texas. His second home is full of New Orleans family and friends displaced from Katrina.

Barry's son, Todd, offered his place near Austin, but we heard I-10 West was closed and the traffic heading that way was too much.

Barry's Louisiana family called, too. His sister, Bobbie Jo, offered her place. She didn't know at the time that her two daughters would end up there after their electricity failed.

It was Barry's brother, Put, and his wife Liz who were our choice of family members to stay with. We pretty much told them we were coming to them. We feel comfortable there partly because our dogs are truly not a bother, but mainly because Liz cooks that wonderful Louisiana food. Yup, it was selfish motivation. They happened to be dog-sitting their daughter's dog and they have one of their own. It was comical. I took the dogs walking alot. Liz cooked and we all gained weight. Even Sammy got bloated. And I thoroughly enjoyed the high winds we received from Hurricane Rita.

September 2005 Exodus

I was one of millions stuck on the road during the mass exodus of southeast Texas. It was a learning experience. I learned how dependent we are on each other for food, water, gas, bathroom facilites, and healthcare. More than 30 people from Galveston County died while sitting in traffic. I came close to being one of the casualties. After walking the dogs in the 100 degree heat, I overheated. My head pounded with every heart beat and my stomach was nauseated. I used mind control to prevent myself from throwing up and having diarirra, cha cha cha. I studied the bushes next to us to see if I could sufficently hide behind them if need be.

We did not plan for a 20 hour trip, so all we had to eat was a bag of cookies, four bananas and water to drink. We had beer but I knew better than to drink it because I'd have to pee more than usual.

Sammy, the pug dog, almost died of heat exhaustion. He was panting excessively and began to choke. We put a 2 liter frozen bottle of water under his belly and turned on the a/c. He fell asleep soon and slept for a long time. He did not respond to touch and we were afraid he might have died, but he was just exhausted and recovering. The other dog, Rue, rode in the back of the truck. We walked her every three hours and gave her water. She did o.k., but she was in a panic at one point, jumping on me and licking my legs. It was sad.

Barry was rubbing his chest and making a painful face. I thought to myself, "please don't have a heart attack NOW!"

More later....

Waves and Korn

Monday was a beautiful day in Galveston. I took Seawall Blvd to get to work due to traffic congestion along my regular routes, and the beauty of the six foot waves took my breath away. I can't remember Galveston waves ever being so perfect. The north wind took out the normal chop of storm waves leaving perfect swells that became perfect waves. Old white dudes with big bellies and big boards were enjoying the once in a blue moon waves. I called L.R. and told him. He was surfing before 11:00 a.m. I called B.Ron. He never made it; he had a flat tire. I called Barry to meet me for lunch on the seawall. He picked me up at 11:30. We drove through Wendy's and parked on the seawall right in front of L.R.'s truck. We watched him surf through our binoculars. I got the urge to skip work.

Far from my mind was the devastation that was happening at that every moment elsewhere. The very cause of the beautiful waves was killing people up the coast. Now it's all over the news media. It's the first thing I hear and see in the mornings, read at noon, and see at night. Tonight people looking for their lost relatives, people wanting to barbeque for the refugees, and people with big trucks full of stuff to donate were being turned away from the Astrodome in tears. Only the people being brought in by buses were allowed nearby. Maybe that is why I cannot sleep right now. My mind won't stop thinking about all those displaced people and their sorrow and hardship.

My mind is also racing with Korn music. I've been driving to and fro work in my new Toyota Matrix (with a CD player) listening to Korn's Greatist Hits REAL loud. I laugh and wonder how many other middle-aged females listen to Korn. Old people are angry, too! Now I can't get their music out of my head. I will not be listening to them tomorrow.