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Well the reports are coming in from the coast, things there are not good at all. I have been able to get through to some of my friends in Mobile but none of the ones in Mississippi. The pictures I've seen of places I grew up show how bad it is there. They showed a church less then a mile from my best friends house, it had a boat inbedded in it. I've cried so much in the last few hours that my shirt is wet.

The pics from New Orleans are much worse. I have a few friends there that have lost everything. I fear that the ones that stayed may have lost more then just their homes. So many people there lost their lives. My heart is with everyone there.

I'm from the Mississippi Gulf Cost so as I write this my mind is at home. I've heard from 2 of my friends both out of power and very wet. My hope and thoughts are with the friends I have yet to hear from. My best friend has 8 kids and went north to her sisters house, I hope to hear from her soon.

I worry about friends almost everyday so right now My mind is going nuts. I have a friend that lives south of New Orleans, earlier she got the news her house is flooded. She is in Atlanta with her kids and all her pets. She called me crying but said she has all her pictures and family keepsakes,everything else can be replaced. Thank goodness for thinking ahead.

At times like this I think how good I have it. Spending alittle more time with my family and pets helps. It would be a better world if people could see what it is really like to have everything taken from you, maybe people would see how good they really have it.





Part 2

I just found out that our cell phones don't get any incoming calls. We still have our Mobile AL phone #'s and all the lines there are down. So I can't get in touch with any of my friends to make sure they are OK this is killing me, I'm worried sick.

My baby made it on to the football team. We still don't know what poition he will be playing, but he's so happy I don't think it will matter. I hope he can keep his grades up so he can stay on the team now that hes made it.

Yesterday after school my oldest son, Nick, comes up to me and says "Mom I need my check up so I can join the football team". I'm not sure that I want my son to be in a sport where the main goal is to hurt or be hurt. I try to let my kids be who they want to be and not who I want them to be but this is hard. When I was in school I was picked on by all the team-players and now my son wants to be one of them. I'll let him play as long as his grades stay up, maybe this will be what it takes to keep him working on his grades. I hope that he can be a football jock and not an ass. Just me venting.

Lastnight when my roomie and I got home, I felt off balance as soon as we walked in the door. I looked at our pet gerbils (Lelo and Stich) Stich had died. He had a very bad ear infection before we moved but we had gotten him to the vet and he was doing better, he was old and seemed to have passed in his sleep. My roomie took him out and gave him back to the earth (Bless him every death we've had it has been pouring down rain).

The worst part seems to be Lelo, she is very upset and nips if I try to pick her up. Gerbils mate for life and its not unheard of for one too die after their mate dies. You can't just go get another, they will fight and may even kill eachouther. I guess I'll just have to deal with a little furry pall running on my desk and nibbling on me for the next few weeks, till she gets over the whole thing.

I was just sitting here working on lace for my sisters up-coming wedding and it hit me, I'm a tom-boy. I've thought about the last few months of my life and the only outher female I've even spoken to was my roommates mom. I spend every weekend around my roomie and his co-workers, all large males, and my own two litltle men. I don't date or go out at all anymore, I have no female friends here, and still life is good. It is funny though I'm going home to Mississippi next weekend to visit and my best friend and her girls are the only females there I want to see, all my outher friends are guys too. Oh well when I think about it I only have a few good female friends 2 that have been my friends for over 23 years and 2 I've meet on here. I guess I just do better around guys.

This weekend seemed so to just fly by, we had so much fun. Saterday one of my roomies co-workers got here early and fired up the smoker, he and my oldest son made lunch and then dinner. We had almost to much food, all smoked to perfection. The dog-cat meeting didn't go to well, my oldest cat bloodied Hanibals noise then he started to act-up so we put the cats up in my room. We all sat around talking till the rain came.

Sunday My roomie, his friend, and I did some running, then home. Another friend had come over while we were gone and was playing board games with the boys and cooking in the smoker. The friends and I are all learning how to play "Magic The Gathering" from my boys and roomie. Thats turning out to be great fun.

It was a very fun weekend I hope to have many more like it.

This was being read on my radio when I took my boys to school today and it touched me so much I had to post it on here.



Living Life with 'Grace and Elegant Treeness'

By Ruth Kamps





Morning Edition, August 15, 2005 · Sitting on our small deck, knitting and resting old legs, I am entertained by my spiritual sister, an equally old pine tree. She is very tall, probably 40 feet or so, and is at least as old as I am. She leans a bit; so do I. In her care are many birds that I watch with pleasure. They love and fight and nest in the tree. At Christmas time, pairs of cardinals decorate her limbs.



She is still green, covering lots of old brown branches, like my gray hair covering the black. We both soak in the sun and the air and are trying our best to live lightly in our worlds. One day in the not-too-distant future she will fall and fertilize the earth, as I will do. It's a consoling thought. We have children and grandchildren that give us the continuation of life. A bit of the divine in the tree and me. Yes, that's close to what I believe.



My husband, John, and I moved to the country from a suburb and a traditional church nearly 40 years ago. Our property is on the Kettle Moraine of Wisconsin. It slopes sharply down to a stream that glows red with the setting sun. When my parents came to visit after our move, my father said I would not be happy here; I was a city girl. He was right in the beginning. I was too busy, too poor, and very lonely.



When my mother died, I was pregnant and needed her. I went to the church to be quiet and cry. The church was locked and the priest was standing outside. He knew me but did not unlock the church. I don't know why, but it was a nail in the coffin of my traditional beliefs. We had nine family-related deaths in one year. I learned to watch the red setting sun and was calmed, soothed and grateful, at least for a moment. I began to like digging in the dirt instead of cursing each weed. Cutting the evil buckthorn in the woods became a spiritual experience. I started to spend Sunday morning in the woods. Was I losing long-held beliefs or simply changing them?



I found an answer while traveling. I was asked if I were religious, while standing at the rail of a cruise ship with a fellow traveler on the Yangtze River. I said I was not but that I was spiritual. I was asked to explain. I talked about my sister tree. A cab driver in Rome said that one must live in a place a long time to appreciate its beauty. Is 40 years enough? Taking frequent trips to the brashness of Chicago to see children and grandchildren always energized me. It still does, but I miss the woods.



I have lost most of my traditional heaven-and-hell beliefs, finding them used conveniently by good people. There is a bit of the divine in the trees and the creatures who reside there. A little wren attacks a large red-bellied woodpecker who is pecking too close to his nest. I am filled with admiration. The transition is complete.



There are those who want to give my life more importance than the tree, but I don't believe them. They think there is a special place for me somewhere for eternity, but I don't believe them. I believe my tree and all other living things believe and feel in their particular living ways. I want to work on being as good a human as I am able, just as my tree does her job with grace and elegant treeness.

This week was a very long full week. Most of Monday and Tuesday were spent doing last minute school shopping. My boys spent wensday getting bookbags in order and going through all their clothes, my oldest had to help the younget get the "right style" this year. Thursday was the first day of school, I made it to 9:30 before I got so lonely I had to leave to house. I spent the rest of thursday and most of friday at an animal shelter helping with the dogs.

Today my roommate had to work but the boys are home (happy dance). I have about 10 people coming over this afternoon for a cookout, all my roommate's coworkers. Hannibal, my roomies parent's dog will be meeting my cats for the first time today, hope he isn't going to try to eat one. It's going to be a long day but should be lots of fun. I hope to get a down day tomarrow but am thinking that the day will be spent cleaning up.

My sons woke up today in a very odd mood. I was on here chatting and heard laughing from the my babys room (hes 10). When I stuck my head in to see what was going on I saw the two of them sitting covered in cats. I asked why all the cats were on them and they said "we put catnip bubbles on our hands". I asked why, " so we could play with the cats Duh ". I walked out laughing.

Awhile latter my oldest (14) walked in, sat on my lap, and kissed me. "Love you Mom" . I bit his cheek and asked what he wanted. "nothing I just love you" then he got up and made me pizza rolls. I love days like this, it makes the whole world seem a better place.

I'm in a much better mood now then the last few days. My mood seems to have been blood suger related. If I eat to much sweet food or starchy food and not enough protiens my suger bottoms out. I get very touchy and grumpy.

I've decided I want a dog, not a puppy but a dog. My boys are going back to school and my roomie is always at work so I'm very lonely , my cats are no help. I think I need something to keep me busy, a dog would be great. My roomie still says no, but I hope to change his mind in the next few weeks.

It's 6am and already off to a bad start.

Yesterday I had to go to the DR for tests to see if they could find out anything new about my headaches. They did a CAT scan then sent me for an MRI. I also had blood work done and a few outher tests. I hate tests. Then I went home got my brat boys so we could go see my Roomies mom, I like her shes neat. He met us there and we had dinner. Well after we got home we got in a fight, I'm not sure why but I was in a bad mood and he was the only outher person here.

So at 4:30 this morning I was still in a bad-now sad mood. Sleep didn't like me lastnight and my mind was working overtime. Now I'm to the point of feeling sorry for myself. I miss my friends and feel so alone here. Ya I know I'm starting to sound like a crybaby, but it's hard to make friends when you move all the time.

I'm sure today will get better , my smile might even find me latter, I hope.

Yesterday was a very bad day. When I woke up I had one hell of a headache and my roommate was sick as could be. At 5am I had to run to the store for Meds. We both went back to bed around 8 when we didn't start feeling any better.

At around 11am my kitten was yelling so I woke up, she was limping and crying. I got my roommate up and we called around till we found a Vet that could get us in. My little Monster, the youngest of our cats was in so much pain she just cried her little heart out. The vet said she was brused bad and gave her a shot. She slept the rest of the day.

When we got home I was so upset I was sick to my stomach and still had my headache. The rest of the day I spent in a bad mood. Some days I just wish I could sleep all day.