About Ike

He came in like a lion and went out like, well, a smaller lion, I guess, but thank God, Ike has come and gone and all is well. I feel as though I'm learning to blog all over again since I was without power for 2 weeks and without cable and internet until 3 days ago. I've spent a lot of time over the last couple of days reading and catching up on all my regulars, so anxious to move on and read more that I haven't stopped long enough to comment! It's true, you don't really, really miss it until it's gone. A few pictures from Ike's short visit:

...one of the medical transport planes which transferred the patients out of the area. It took lots of medical staff and lots of time to perform this huge task smoothly. .
Much of the Texas coast is now destroyed. My brother's primary residence (built in 2005) was on Crystal Beach and, unless you know a specific landmark, you can hardly find his neighborhood amongst the rubble. It may be many months before there is power, phone service, potable water or gasoline available in the beach area. The roads are washed out and most of the homes are merely 'heaps' in the sand. This pictures was taken about 18 hours before the storm made landfall in Texas. The water was already ferocious.
Scene from Bridge City, Texas, home of my late grandmother...
...then the caravans rolled in, 14,000 electricians from every state you can think of. What a welcoming sight it was!
A huge 'THANK YOU' to this crew from Pennsylvania Cable!
It was a huge effort, performed by thousands who arrived from near and far, but on this beautiful Sunday morning one would be find it difficult to believe what this area looked like 3 short weeks ago.

The scripture that gave me strength in the midst of this raging storm: 'For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.' Proverbs 23:18

'Hunkering Down'

I mopped and dusted and scrubbed the bathrooms (and Andi) and changed the bedding. I double checked that all the dishes, as well as the laundry, are clean and put away. The plants are all moved in to assure that the pots will not fly through the wind like torpedo's and cause damage to persons or property. The generator is charged and there are 20 gallons of gas nearby which, hopefully, I will not need. I've got 5 bags of ice in the garage freezer and I grilled some shrimp, chicken and boudain to have on hand for upcoming days. The sun is not out today and there is a perpetual cool and, strangely enough, very pleasant breeze which serves to remind me of who's traveling this way. Ike. I'm all stocked up and ready for the visitor.

Oddly, these unwelcome visits always seem to come in the night, much like a thief, robbing you of not only your personal possessions, but also robbing you of your security and peace of mind. But I'm ready. Ready and waiting. Waiting and trusting and believing and thanking God that I know a name that is much, much bigger than this massive monster, the size of Texas, which is expected to make landfall about 80 miles away. Unless He speaks "peace" to the water, we're certain to be affected. Again, I'm glad to know THAT name. Jesus...Jesus...Jesus. Bigger than Ike, bigger than anybody, bigger than anything. I'm blessed to know all I have to do is whisper that marvelous name and He will be quick to protect me and supply my needs...no matter what the weather channel says.

The cell phone towers were never impaired during Hurricane Rita and I'm hoping they will withstand Ike also. If and when the power fails, I will at that time lose my computer service as well as my land line, as it is part of the package through Time Warner Cable. So there is a chance that I will---to a degree---be cut off from most of the world for a little while. The last hurricane left me with no utilities for 12 days then came back on October 5th, my 50th birthday. What a wonderful gift that was! I do still have an unused land line oulet downstairs and hopefully that will remain intact. I hope. Going through this again in just three short years has given me much to think about and I feel sure that I will soon make a big decision regarding where I want to live. And it won't be Texas. That's a guarantee.

The Word says there is strength in agreement when calling upon the name of the Lord and I really need all the unity I can scrape up right now. Until we talk again, hopefully soon ;) have a blessed weekend.