Gustav leaves and the Love bugs arrive

We left Alabama headed back to Texas on Tuesday morning. We drove Interstate 20 and the back roads to avoid the heavy traffic of Interstate 10. However, we drove through the thunderstorms, flash flood warnings, and tornado warnings.

Eli hadn't been himself the week before we left for Alabama, but I just thought it was from the heat. However, the stress of packing up suddenly and the long ride took it's toll on him. We arrived in Alabama at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, and by 11:30 a.m. we were in the animal clinic with Eli. He wasn't able to control his breathing and he was having diarrhea. After several tests, Dr. Kimbrell told us that Eli's liver enzymes were elevated, he was dehydrated, and under extreme stress. So, Eli spent the day at the clinic receiving IV fluids, but we were able to pick him up that night so that we wouldn't be away from him for too long. I'm not even gonna write about the stress this situation caused me, and Jim too. Thankfully, Jim was able to talk to me and calm me down and made me realize that "leaving" Eli was the best thing for Eli at the time. Did I mention that my mother came to the clinic too? She was also trying to convince me that I was still a "good Mother" by leaving him there for a few hours. But, I said I wasn't gonna write about that.......

Our visit with everyone was great, short, but great. There never seems to be enough time to spend with everyone.

Now, on to the Love bugs:

"Love Bugs are small flies that are in the process of mating when they swarm over the roads. So usually there are two individuals: the large one is the female and the small one is the male. The female usually gets her way and she drags the male around with her."

........AND, I hate them.

At this time of the year, the air in SE Texas is filled with them. They are a nuisance! Not because they bite or sting, but because they splatter on windshields, windows, doors, walls, etc. If you are outside, you can not open your mouth to even have a conversation without a dozen or more trying to check you for cavities. They swarm on Eli when he goes out to do his business. It is like a scene from the movie, "The Birds".

The local newspapers have done articles describing how they can clot on the front of a car radiator or the compressor of a refrigerator truck, and cause overheating. And in addition to doing a number on car paint, they're murder on a freshly painted house.

It might not be so bad if there were only a dozen or so, but it looks as if there are thousands together at one time. They try to get inside our house (and they succeed). Around every door and window they find a way in and then die..........hundreds of them. I can't even see out the windows and French doors going out to the patio because these bugs are all over them. I can vacuum two or three times a day and still not get them all up!

I've been told that they will remain in the area for another three to four weeks. I won't miss them when they are gone.

Going home, a hurricane and a "Supermom"

I'm not sure where to start this blog, it has so many parts that I want to share. Bear with me, and it will be worth it in the in.

Jim and I made plans last weekend that we would go home to Alabama over the Labor Day long weekend. Our original plans were to leave Friday morning and come back on Monday. However, a little thing called GUSTAV decided to change those plans for us.

We live in Southeast Texas, and approximately 45 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Since Gustav hasn't established where he wants to make landfall yet, we have to be prepared. (This is the area that Hurricane Rita, as a category 3, destroyed in 2005. Since living here we have been through Tropical Storm Erin and Hurricane Humberton in 2007, but with no damages to us.)

All the local newscast have been giving instructions on how to be prepared....just in case we are told to evacuate. I have prepared our "Hurricane Survival Kit", the flashlights, bottled water, canned food, etc. and have it in the closet if it is needed.
While Jim has been at Temple-Inland all day preparing their mill for the hurricane, I have been at home trying to decide what to take with us, and what has to be left behind. (Yes, we are still going to Alabama! If this area is told to evacuate, we will already be gone. The problem may be trying to get back home if things get worse, but we are going to Alabama tonight)
First, I emptied out the freezer/refrigerator and gave everything to our neighbors. I mean, it can't cost that much to restock mustard, milk and eggs, etc. I had rather leave with nothing in them than come back days from now, and find that everything had spoiled because there was no power. However, Jim was a little upset that I gave away a new jar of Wayne's famous homemade sweet pickles that we had just opened!

Next, I started deciding about the "important" things that I wanted to take. Some of the choices were simple:

• Black and white photos of my great-grandparents, grandparents, mother and daddy in their younger years, and pictures of me and Anita growing up.


• All of Krisha's baby pictures, her Certificate of Dedication from church, the bracelet she wore in the hospital when she was born and the outfit she wore home......all of that stuff!


• All of the pictures and memorabilia that Jim has of April and Jed's.


• Our birth certificates, marriage license, titles to vehicles, insurance, all that legal stuff.


• Eli's baby scrapbook and some of his pictures.

I knew that I couldn't take everything, because we are traveling in a Maxima, with all our regular luggage, so I knew I had to start saying no to some things. One thing that was hard to say no to (and I still may pack them if there is room after everything is loaded in the car) is cards that Krisha and other people have given to me over the years, it is a BIG box full. Most of them were bought cards, the typical Hallmark standards for Mother's Day, Christmas, Birthdays, etc. But, one in particular I knew that I was taking with me, even if I had to hold it all the way to Alabama!

This is the Mother's Day card that Krisha made for me in 1990, when she was eight years old. Isn't it the most precious thing ever! It is more like a booklet, here is one of the pages she wrote on the inside:

To: MY MOTHER

My mother loves me best when I care for her. My mother looks prettiest when she wears all of her dresses and other things. I like being with my mother most when she sweet. If I could give my mother something special just from me it would be a new watch and some good smelling stuff. My favorite thing about my mother is shes nice, swett, and loving.

Love, Krisha

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So, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be deciding what to take with us, and what I could bear to leave behind, knowing it might not be here when I return.