One week later....

Good afternoon to all,
hope your week went well,
and you're getting ready for a good weekend.

So, here it is one week after Hurricane Rita gave my area a near miss, things are pretty much back to normal. Last week, around this time, this part of the Texas Coast was collectively holding it's breath, unsure of what to expect, or waiting things out in a gasoline line or highway somewhere. Long lines waited for people who tried to use gas stations or visit grocery stores, people were driving hurriedly, even on the wrong side of the road, until the strange quiet came when most had left, things were kinda crazy. Now, people are back, the long lines are gone, and almost all of the clean-up is completed in my area, just a few fallen trees, broken branches, a few roof shingles went flying, and a ton of leaves and smaller stuff piled up along fence lines, curbs, and doorways.

During the storm, I couldn't help but feel as if I almost had a sort of "ark" goin' on over here, as I had the 4 kittens a stray cat left me with, and even a dog who knocked on my door, sharing my home with me during the storm. *LOL* It's a funny story about the dog, as it takes place during a time when the winds were just starting to gust. I could hear the house creaking a bit, the wind making a slight "woooo" sound, branches scraping along the outside walls, and occassionally a scratching sound at my door. "Must be somethin' just whooshin' on by", I said to myself, ignoring it, until there it was again, a scratching or scraping noise right on my door. I looked out the front window, it was raining very hard, so I couldn't see anything. Opening the door, suddenly, there it was... "the scratcher!", who turned out to be a dog, looking very scared. I closed the door to the room where the cats were sleeping, and let him in. The dog appeared to be a brown and white cocker spaniel or must have had some cocker spaniel in him as there is no mistaking those ears, he looked very happy to be out of the rain and wind, jumping around, standing up on his hind legs, and licking me. I cleaned him up in the bath tub, dried him off, and gave him a place to weather the storm in my garage, with an inflateable mattress, a blanket, food (we sat around in there for a while, watching the small television on my work bench, eating ravioli), a big shop fan, and water. He was a nice dog who slept through most of the storm, I guess he had been through alot, and finally felt safe. He was sure happy when he (turns out his name was Rocky) was finally reunited with his family, some neighbors a few doors down. They had evacuated and couldn't take pets, just in case they had to use a public shelter, he had gotten out of a pet door they forgot to lock, the wind had blown open a gate to their backyard. It was nice to be able to help that smart ol' dog, and to see the smiles of the family when they picked him up and carried him home. I feel he also helped me out a little, as his being here during the storm gave me something else to think about besides the creaks and groans this old house. By the way he ran over here the other day, when he saw me washing my car, I think he appreciated it too. (Either that or he just wanted more ravioli) *LOL*

Anyhow, that's my story, and it's sure good to be back!
To the people along the Texas - Louisiana border area who took a direct hit from the storm, my prayers go out for all of you, my hope is that you all are doing well out there. On my first day out driving, a few days after the storm, I made sure to contribute to a Hurricane Rita Relief Fund that some were collecting for in my city, if I could do more to help, I surely would.