Hello everyone. We're fine after hurricane Rita. I would've checked in sooner but we evacuated to Alabama and didn't have any internet. We almost advanced our moving plans! We have returned and the house took no damage.
It was an interesting trip. Sorry I don't have much time to write. I'm afraid blogging has taken a back seat to the rest of my life until further notice. Until we get settled in Delaware it'll just be bits and pieces.
Driving along interstate 59 we saw hundreds of downed trees, from when Katrina passed through. The "love bugs" were doing their semi-annual spawning on the way back, and the car is smothered in bug guts. For those of you who are unfamiliar, these little bugs appear out of nowhere twice a year. They seem to live for two goals in their lives, which last only a few days: 1) breed, and 2) splatter themselves on fast-moving vehicles. In other words, they live to annoy.
Seriously, they have no natural predators - birds, lizards, frogs, and other predators don't eat them. They are attracted to carbon monoxide and dioxide (car exhaust), and heat and dark colors (asphalt). They float lazily in the air a few inches or a few feet from the ground, in pairs (Did I mention they breed a lot?) The air gets thick with them and they pitter-patter on the windshield like rain. Disgusting!
More on the trip later - mainly want to let readers know we're okay.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Thursday, September 22, 2005
here we go again ... Rita
Just a quick note - Rita will pass to the west of us, and there's a small chance she will be right on top of us. In either case, we will have severe weather and possible flooding. The east side of a hurricane is where the worst weather is.
It's time to batten down the hatches. We are getting some things together just in case we need to evacuate. I will write again - in a day or two or three - and let everyone know how we're faring.
It's time to batten down the hatches. We are getting some things together just in case we need to evacuate. I will write again - in a day or two or three - and let everyone know how we're faring.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
what-less?
Hi snaars fans! Doing a lot of work, getting ready for the Big Move. It's been a dry spell as far as blogging, but I have a few minutes to relate an amusing anecdote. Another conversation with Havilah:
H: I have another new classmate in school. His name is Duck-less.
me: What?
H: Duck-less.
me: His name is Duckless.
(slight pause)
H: Dickless?
me (trying not to laugh): You mean Douglas?
H: Oh no no, he said he doesn't like to be called that.
Hmmmm ... methinks my daughter is confused.
H: I have another new classmate in school. His name is Duck-less.
me: What?
H: Duck-less.
me: His name is Duckless.
(slight pause)
H: Dickless?
me (trying not to laugh): You mean Douglas?
H: Oh no no, he said he doesn't like to be called that.
Hmmmm ... methinks my daughter is confused.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Katrina causata
It's hard to describe how Lafayette has changed since Katrina. I don't think anyone can really understand the immensity of the exodus that has taken place out of the New Orleans area. Lafayette was a city of about a hundred thousand, maybe a hundred and twenty thousand. Now we are housing tens of thousands of homeless. There are regular evacuees too, most of whom are here to stay. How many people is that, in total? Thirty thousand? Forty? Fifty? More? The traffic we have now is insane.
Yesterday the company I work for made a delivery, and I went along to help because we needed extra manpower for the job, which was to install a fountain in the courtyard of an apartment complex. As we worked, I saw a mother with two young boys sitting in an open doorway, the apartment behind them empty. She looked lost. My boss gave them a hearty Cajun welcome and asked if they were in the process of moving in. She nodded, and he inquired where they were from. "New Orleans," she replied, with a catch in her voice. Only, it was obvious that they had nothing to "move in" but themselves.
I wondered what their lives have been like the last few days. Here they had nothing, but moving into a completely bare apartment was a step up. They were freshly bathed, and probably relieved to be clean. Before we left, her husband returned bearing three small shopping bags. My boss asked if he had a job, and he did, so they are better off than a lot of the other refugees (or, as the press has been calling them the last few days, "evacuees"). The boys were named Walker and John. They didn't seem to have a care in the world - they were having a good ol' time playing catch with a tennis ball. All in this family of four were exceptionally thin.
A couple of nights ago I was tucking Havilah into bed and she started telling me about school. (She refuses to talk about it most of the time. She's crafty - she knows I want to know, so she saves everything until bedtime so I'll stay up with her just a little longer. Of course, I let her get away with it every time!) Anyway, she informed me that she has a new classmate.
"Her name is Kazsawon," she said. (I'm guessing at the spelling. It sounded like 'Ka-zsa-one'. 'Zsa' like Zsa Zsa Gabor, and 'one' like the number.)
"That's a beautiful name," I said, and she nodded. "Do you like her?" She nodded emphatically.
"I think her real name is Kazsa, and the 'won' is because she's the only ONE with that name. Because I think that my teacher said she's never heard that name before and it's a lovely name she said, so I think that's really her name is Kazsa, for Kazsawon because she's the only ONE with that name," she explained. Isn't she cute when she's stalling? (I thought, "Huh. Maybe they should call her 'Havilah-one' at school") She really does enjoy herself at school. When she finally spills the beans, she's so enthusiastic.
Havilah's elementary school has taken on forty extra students since the disaster.
Don't worry, snaars fans, the slow posting is temporary. I'm working on several more. No promises, but check here again Sunday evening.
Yesterday the company I work for made a delivery, and I went along to help because we needed extra manpower for the job, which was to install a fountain in the courtyard of an apartment complex. As we worked, I saw a mother with two young boys sitting in an open doorway, the apartment behind them empty. She looked lost. My boss gave them a hearty Cajun welcome and asked if they were in the process of moving in. She nodded, and he inquired where they were from. "New Orleans," she replied, with a catch in her voice. Only, it was obvious that they had nothing to "move in" but themselves.
I wondered what their lives have been like the last few days. Here they had nothing, but moving into a completely bare apartment was a step up. They were freshly bathed, and probably relieved to be clean. Before we left, her husband returned bearing three small shopping bags. My boss asked if he had a job, and he did, so they are better off than a lot of the other refugees (or, as the press has been calling them the last few days, "evacuees"). The boys were named Walker and John. They didn't seem to have a care in the world - they were having a good ol' time playing catch with a tennis ball. All in this family of four were exceptionally thin.
A couple of nights ago I was tucking Havilah into bed and she started telling me about school. (She refuses to talk about it most of the time. She's crafty - she knows I want to know, so she saves everything until bedtime so I'll stay up with her just a little longer. Of course, I let her get away with it every time!) Anyway, she informed me that she has a new classmate.
"Her name is Kazsawon," she said. (I'm guessing at the spelling. It sounded like 'Ka-zsa-one'. 'Zsa' like Zsa Zsa Gabor, and 'one' like the number.)
"That's a beautiful name," I said, and she nodded. "Do you like her?" She nodded emphatically.
"I think her real name is Kazsa, and the 'won' is because she's the only ONE with that name. Because I think that my teacher said she's never heard that name before and it's a lovely name she said, so I think that's really her name is Kazsa, for Kazsawon because she's the only ONE with that name," she explained. Isn't she cute when she's stalling? (I thought, "Huh. Maybe they should call her 'Havilah-one' at school") She really does enjoy herself at school. When she finally spills the beans, she's so enthusiastic.
Havilah's elementary school has taken on forty extra students since the disaster.
Don't worry, snaars fans, the slow posting is temporary. I'm working on several more. No promises, but check here again Sunday evening.
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