UP, Up, and well .... meh.

It's time for me to return to the world of blogging, and see where it leads.  I'm really tired right now but wanted to remind myself that even the smallest step is a beginning. 

It was a few years ago when I took this image at a Hot Air Balloon Festival in Helen, GA.  It was my first time ever seeing these amazing and oh so colorful structures take form before my eyes.  What a treat.  Unfortunately, the weather was such that none were able to fly.

I see beauty.  I want to share the beauty I see.  I want to fly, but I don't have wings.  It is my prayer that this small beginning will be the first feather that will help me to step out of the weeds and take flight.

Sam Palladio & Clare Bowen "Fade Into You" Live at the Grand Ole Opry

Give me a Hand - Lord!

Well, it's been a long month already and  I am stopping to say Thank You to all the people who have been keeping me in their prayers.  Let me give you a Hand, and PRAISE the LORD for his Peace that passes all understanding.

If you're lucky enough to live in the mountains, you're lucky enough.

Due to technical difficulties, I am using this image as the inspiration to divulge my extraordinary experience of the Memorial Day observation.  It was touch n go that I would even be able to make the trek, but a dear entered the equation to make it possible.  I can't thank that dear enough!

So, if you know anything about me, you know this: I LOVE MOOSIES.  And I love a cabin in the woods.

Someone posted an image of Alpine Helen, GA on the fb - that is where I became inspired to want to travel to the Helen to the Atlantic Balloon Festival.  For days I searched the internet looking for affordable lodging.  I found the cutest cabin in the woods.  Alas, they wanted too many dollars for my pocket and that part of the plan fell flat.  However, it did not deter me, and my pal Z.  We awakened on Sunday, had coffee, loaded my car, and headed south to North Carolina.  Stop One: Asheville.  We managed to find a very good deal at the Clarion (YEAH!) and also "discounted" admission to the Biltmore Estate.  I'm not going to pretend that it wasn't an expensive visit, but we did manage to spend an entire day mozzying through shops, touring the mansion, the gardens, and waterfall.  My favorite part of the day was lunch at MOOSE CAFE nearby.  I'm just not the Princess in the attic type it seems.  Guess having a name that means "from the laurel or the glen" has something to do with that? idk.

I did manage to purchase a pair of fancy and quite colorful MOOSE pj pants.  ;)

I guess that's enough for today.  Hope those of you spying on me enjoyed my boring story.  lol. tho - not funny, true.

FRANKENSTORM: Appropriately Named ...Sandy

A meteorologist I am not. However, when I read a news article that nicknamed a Hurricane "FRANKENSTORM" it got my attention. I'm not going to reinvent the wheel so I've borrowed this from National Geographic:

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/11/02/a-timeline-of-hurricane-sandys-path-of-destruction/

(I hope that shows up when I push publish)

Throughout my life there are few storms that have caused catastrophic damage. The only one I can recall was a Nor'easter in 1962 ... another borrowed article:

http://www.delawareonline.com/Legacy/newsjournal/archivedSpecial/storm/17delawaresperfe.html

I was fairly young, about 4 1/2.  I do remember vaguely some things, not that I can retell them with any certainty.  The one thing that sticks in my mind the most is the Church we attended when we vacationed at my grandparents 'lot' was damaged, and I don't think we ever went to Church at the beach again afterward.

So, when the predictions were that SANDY potentially would make landfall in the Delaware Bay, we waited for the worst.

In the days leading up to her arrival, I heard first hand stories of the ruined "free" vacation of a family friend.  Outside my window, there was a calmness and beautiful sunsets:

As is usual, the stores in town were busy with people preparing for the possibility that we might be without electricity or water for several days to a week. I had no trouble finding a case of water (but that is only because I happened to go to the store when the stock was being replenished.  There were not any gallons, and the shelves were otherwise empty in that aisle).  I picked up bananas, cereal, milk, donuts, muffins, crackers, peanut butter, apples, grapes, nuts, a few small bags of popcorn and chips ... stuff that did not require much preparation.

The weekend was actually a bit windy, with some showers here and there.  The only real indication that pandemonium was about to strike was the weather forecasts, as seen on television.  Monday arrived and things weren't really altogether worrisome.  It was windy and a bit rainy.  I drove to town with two of our work vans to put gas in them in the event the camp had to be evacuated. I was getting messages asking if I was okay and if I was "hunkered down" ... nope:

It was getting a bit wet

There were sixteen National Guardsmen stationed at the Fire Department

About 2:30 I left work and went home.

I wasn't really all that concerned about the storm, in fact I figured they could probably use my help at some point.  However, I was in PAIN!  So, home I went.  Things didn't seem so bad when I arrived:

But within 30 minutes, the water had risen quite a bit and it wasn't even high tide yet.

So, with a little coaxing from my mother (and a little dash of my own worry) I took my friend Sue up on her offer to ride the storm out at her house. And as I drove to the end of my street, decided it was a good thing I made that choice:

Because the main road in and out of town was "washed out" ...

I wasn't much of a hurricane party animal because of my "broken wing" but the real angel in this story was my friend Sue who fixed me a comfortable place to rest, kept a heated thingamajobie she'd made with popcorn available for me to use to aid in diminishing my discomfort, and the following day she drove me to the Doctor.

Fortunately my appointment was in the afternoon because we had been told that the road to my town was not accessible. Water covered the road in a number of places, and many of the front yards looked like lakes.  One home in particular lost a whole tree. :( 


As for me, turns out I have a pulled muscle (with pain radiating all the way down my right arm but it mainly ACHES in the upper part of the arm).  To say I've been in agony hits the bullseye.I wasn't able to return to work and am still waiting on the Corporate office to and my Doctor's office to connect all the dots so I can get cleared to return.  Yesterday, I even had to agree to take Prednisone (which I don't generally do well with) because the other stuff wasn't working.  So here's PRAYING that this does the trick and all will be well again soon.

OH - Did I mention this all happened during Halloween week?  Well it did, and even with my arm tied up in a sling, I managed to smile and act silly enough to send my grandson this picture of his Nannie:

COWABUNGA!

And so the conclusion of my story is this: Sandy was the appropriate name for this "frankenstorm" because she wrecked havoc all along the eastern shoreboard; dropping houses in the ocean and crashing over dunes and storm walls and leaving quite a footprint of destruction in the way of water and SAND to clean up.

Many homes and lives were altered or destroyed, and it's at times like these when we all band together and do what we can to pitch in and help.  I am grateful to Sue for being an angel to help me, and once I am able bodied again, I hope that I can in some small way come to the aid of someone in need too.

:)


p.s. it is way too hot in this apt.  I opened the door, and guess what --- IT'S WINDY! uht oh.

OUR HOUSE

Animals have incredible instincts, and so it should have been no surprise to me that my feline friends chose to stay inside this past Sunday.  As most know, there was an impending storm.  The day was a wee bit blustery, but my "Top Cat," Mr. Gibbs loves to be outside and let the breeze blow against his furry self.  Not so on Sunday.  It turned into a battle of wills between him and me.  I have a favorite "spot" on the couch, and generally "Gibbies aka Gibbers" sits on the other end.  He even has a fleece blanket he likes to snuggle on. Not so on Sunday. 

I was trying to be productive, my main chore was laundry.  Generally, when I do laundry, Gibbs follows me. Not so on Sunday.  Each time I would return to sit in my "spot" the space was already taken.  I shooed the young man out a few times, and then finally conceded and simply sat on the next cushion over.  That worked for a while and then this happened:

Bless you Hank cat, you little stinker.

Gibbers was a single child for a year, and then through an unfortunate circumstance, Hank came for a visit and has been with us since.  Sometimes I find the boys preening each other, but mostly they try to vie for the position of KING.  I try to tell Hank he is heir to the throne.  He's a bit like another royal who likes to get attention (we won't mention who, but let's just say Hank won't be going to Vegas anytime soon).  Here's  picture of the boys playing:

xoxo

xoxo

Hi. My name is Wildfire.  I have one brown eye, and one blue eye.  See those yo's in the background, two of them are my cousins.  The rest of them have been my mates for the past few years.  Things are changing around here and I just wanted to stop by and say what's up?  I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, I think I'm moving to Pennsylvania.  There are special needs children that gain therapeutic value from hanging out with creatures like me.  I hope that I like my new home.  My cousins will be taking my place.  I suppose I should give them a few pointers about the teenagers that I've come to know during my time here.  Just like all of us, they have their own personalities.  Maybe I can't offer them much insight. I'm sure they'll figure it out over time.  It's going to be a learning experience for all of us.  My name really suits me, and while I look brown and white in this picture, the truth is I'm really black and white.  The sun has bleached my hair.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.  Maybe it's a sign.  Maybe I've softened some under the direction of Ms. Kris.  I'm sure going to miss this place.  Happy Trails.