1. Coffee and frozen pizzas can be made on a BBQ grill.
2. No matter how many times you flick the switch, lights don't work without electricity.
3. My car gets 23.21675 miles per gallon, EXACTLY (you can ask the people in line who helped me push it).
4. Kids can survive 4 days or longer without a video game controller in their hand.
5. The Astros can’t beat the Cubs in Milwaukee especially when they don’t get any sleep.
6. He who has the biggest generator wins.
7. Walking around your home in the dark should be a new Olympic sport.
8. A new method of non-lethal torture- showers without hot water.
9. There are a lot more stars in the sky than most people thought.
10. TV is an addiction and the withdrawal symptoms are painful.
11. A 7 lb bag of ice will chill 6-12 oz Budweiser's to a drinkable temperature in 11 minutes, and still keep a 14 lb. Turkey frozen for 8 more hours.
12. There are a lot of dang trees around here.
13. Flood plain drawings on some mortgage documents were seriously wrong.
14. Aluminum siding, while aesthetically pleasing, is definitely not required.
15. Crickets can increase their volume to overcome the sound of 14 generators.
16. People will get into a line that has already formed without having any idea what the line is for.
17. When required, a Lincoln Continental will float - doesn't steer well but floats just the same.
18. Tele-marketers function no matter what the weather is doing.
19. Cell phones work when land lines are down, but only as long as the battery remains charged.
20. 27 of your neighbors are fed from a different transformer than you, and they are quick to point that out!
21. Hampers were not made to contain such a volume.
22. If my store sold only ice, chainsaws, gas and generators... I'd be rich.
23. Price of a can of soup rises 200 percent in a storm.
24. Your water front property can quickly become someone else's fishing hole.
25. Tree service companies are under appreciated.
26. I learned what happens when you make fun of another states' blackout.
27. MATH 101: 30 days in a month, minus 6 days without power equals 30 percent higher electric bill ?????
28. Drywall is a compound word, take away the 'dry' part and it's worthless.
29. I can walk a lot farther than I thought.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
County should count blessings in wake of Ike
By Bill Cornwell
The Facts
Published September 21, 2008
That whistling noise we heard early last Saturday morning was a bullet grazing past our community and hitting Galveston. But for 20 or 30 miles west, we would be where Galveston is today.
I still have a list of addresses, homes that were still occupied by residents who ignored mandatory evacuation notices.
I was lead officer on Lake Jackson’s Fire Engine 5.
Our assignment was to drive a sector of Lake Jackson hours ahead of Ike. The information we were obtaining was for rescue and body recovery post-hurricane.
Thankfully, the list wasn’t required.
Even though we sit in dark houses and look out over debris-strewn lawns, we are the lucky ones.
If you still have a home, family and friends, you have no complaints.
When The Facts’ managers and I broke from our meeting prior to the hurricane, I told them to look around and take stock — “What you see now may not be here when you come back. Life will change.”
A few miles away that prediction came true. Galveston, Bolivar and points east took the brunt of Hurricane Ike.
My dear friend, Dolph Tillotson, publisher of The Galveston County Daily News, is facing the nightmare I envisioned for most of our county: Loss of basic services — water, sewage and power — grocery and retail disruption, commercial and industrial uncertainty.
With the exception of our battered friends in Surfside Beach and Quintana, the rest of our communities remain intact.
We are the lucky ones.
It might not seem so now, but we are.
Here are some positive thoughts:
I think Surfside Beach will recover and reinvent itself.
Perhaps this situation will bring the infrastructure the city needs to move forward.
Many laughed when our county officials called for a mandatory evacuation Wednesday.
Thank you to those who endured the criticism and made that call.
Our municipal leaders did an exceptional job.
They have worked nonstop and are the reason your basic services continue to operate.
Don’t blame them for your electricity woes.
Our sheriff, police, Department of Public Safety, emergency medical personnel and fire departments were out there guarding property, clearing streets, marking downed power lines and putting out fires.
In many cases, they went well above the call of duty.
Many of our local businesses, especially those selling building materials and groceries, worked off of generators to open as soon as possible to meet our basic needs.
Several local restaurants opened back up quickly to the relief of those craving iced tea and a hot meal.
Because of the lack of power, our neighborhoods have become more social places.
As we sit out in our lawn chairs and stop to offer each other help, many of us are getting to know our neighbors for the first time.
I could go on, but the point is we should count our blessings.
Brazoria County, its municipalities and its residents have done a good job in a tough situation.
We are alive, the power will come back on and this experience will have made us wiser and more appreciative of what we have.
Bill Cornwell is editor and publisher of
The Facts.
Copyright © 2008 The Facts
The Facts
Published September 21, 2008
That whistling noise we heard early last Saturday morning was a bullet grazing past our community and hitting Galveston. But for 20 or 30 miles west, we would be where Galveston is today.
I still have a list of addresses, homes that were still occupied by residents who ignored mandatory evacuation notices.
I was lead officer on Lake Jackson’s Fire Engine 5.
Our assignment was to drive a sector of Lake Jackson hours ahead of Ike. The information we were obtaining was for rescue and body recovery post-hurricane.
Thankfully, the list wasn’t required.
Even though we sit in dark houses and look out over debris-strewn lawns, we are the lucky ones.
If you still have a home, family and friends, you have no complaints.
When The Facts’ managers and I broke from our meeting prior to the hurricane, I told them to look around and take stock — “What you see now may not be here when you come back. Life will change.”
A few miles away that prediction came true. Galveston, Bolivar and points east took the brunt of Hurricane Ike.
My dear friend, Dolph Tillotson, publisher of The Galveston County Daily News, is facing the nightmare I envisioned for most of our county: Loss of basic services — water, sewage and power — grocery and retail disruption, commercial and industrial uncertainty.
With the exception of our battered friends in Surfside Beach and Quintana, the rest of our communities remain intact.
We are the lucky ones.
It might not seem so now, but we are.
Here are some positive thoughts:
I think Surfside Beach will recover and reinvent itself.
Perhaps this situation will bring the infrastructure the city needs to move forward.
Many laughed when our county officials called for a mandatory evacuation Wednesday.
Thank you to those who endured the criticism and made that call.
Our municipal leaders did an exceptional job.
They have worked nonstop and are the reason your basic services continue to operate.
Don’t blame them for your electricity woes.
Our sheriff, police, Department of Public Safety, emergency medical personnel and fire departments were out there guarding property, clearing streets, marking downed power lines and putting out fires.
In many cases, they went well above the call of duty.
Many of our local businesses, especially those selling building materials and groceries, worked off of generators to open as soon as possible to meet our basic needs.
Several local restaurants opened back up quickly to the relief of those craving iced tea and a hot meal.
Because of the lack of power, our neighborhoods have become more social places.
As we sit out in our lawn chairs and stop to offer each other help, many of us are getting to know our neighbors for the first time.
I could go on, but the point is we should count our blessings.
Brazoria County, its municipalities and its residents have done a good job in a tough situation.
We are alive, the power will come back on and this experience will have made us wiser and more appreciative of what we have.
Bill Cornwell is editor and publisher of
The Facts.
Copyright © 2008 The Facts
Saturday, September 13, 2008
AFTER IKE
I was in the middle of writing another storm update on Friday around 7:00 p.m. when we lost power. It’s just been restored this evening, so I didn’t get to write any updates during the hurricane at all. We got lucky on this storm. There has been very little damage in town. Mostly there are lots of sticks and branches in all the yards. There are some downed trees around town, with 2 or 3 of them blocking the road. Businesses had minor damage, with signs blown around, or knocked over. I didn’t see any trees that had damaged roofs.
The wind picked up right around the time we lost power, just before dark on Friday. It increased in strength throughout the night, but never got really bad until around 2 or 3 in the morning on Saturday. I’m guessing the wind was around 70 to 80 mph with stronger gusts. We have a huge pecan tree in our front yard, and I fully expected it to drop a branch through the roof into my master bedroom. We only had 1 branch down in our back yard, and it was a small one. I saw no sign of debris flying around. There was very little rain.
The hardest thing we had to endure was sitting in a hot, dark house with nothing to do, and no way of seeing on TV what the storm was doing. I couldn’t wait for the sun to come up just so I could get up and get out of the house. There was a curfew in effect from dusk to dawn. Everything had wound down by the time the sun came up, so we were in the car by 7:00 a.m.
Next time, I’ll leave just so I won’t have to do without air conditioning or TV.
The wind picked up right around the time we lost power, just before dark on Friday. It increased in strength throughout the night, but never got really bad until around 2 or 3 in the morning on Saturday. I’m guessing the wind was around 70 to 80 mph with stronger gusts. We have a huge pecan tree in our front yard, and I fully expected it to drop a branch through the roof into my master bedroom. We only had 1 branch down in our back yard, and it was a small one. I saw no sign of debris flying around. There was very little rain.
The hardest thing we had to endure was sitting in a hot, dark house with nothing to do, and no way of seeing on TV what the storm was doing. I couldn’t wait for the sun to come up just so I could get up and get out of the house. There was a curfew in effect from dusk to dawn. Everything had wound down by the time the sun came up, so we were in the car by 7:00 a.m.
Next time, I’ll leave just so I won’t have to do without air conditioning or TV.
Friday, September 12, 2008
STILL WAITING
5:30 p.m. Friday, September 12, 2008
So far, not much has happened here today. The wind is blowing a little bit stronger, but intermittently. It has showered lightly a couple of times. Our city has issued a curfew from dusk to dawn, in anticipation of the idiots who would take advantage of an abandoned town in order to steal and loot. I’m not sure how many people stayed here rather than evacuate, but I’ve seen quite a few people out and about in town. The eye of IKE is still about 50 miles out from land, though the outer bands have already begun making landfall.
All day there has been footage on TV about the rising water in Surfside and Galveston. It began to rise quickly early this morning, and has continued throughout the day, still hours ahead of landfall. The enormous size of this storm means it is pushing a huge amount of water ahead of it onto land. Surfside is underwater. Bluewater highway is underwater. Galveston Island is slowly being flooded. This morning the waves were crashing into the seawall and spraying up into the air up to 50 feet. As the water bounced back off of the wall, it met the next wave coming in, and gave the appearance of the water boiling. Huge amounts of debris is washing up onto the seawall, made up of trash, seaweed, wood from the piers, pilings, stairways, etc. Piers have been destroyed. I feel sorry for the fools who chose to stay in their home on that island and ride the storm out. They will likely end up dead, or stranded in their attic or roof, with no means of rescue.
We weren’t able to get as much ice as I’d have liked. Only one store is open in town today, and has limited ice to 1 bag per person. So hopefully we won’t lose power for too long. When we do, there will be no means of preparing any cooked meals. We didn’t make too many preparations for this storm, except for batteries and flashlight and water. I wish we had a propane cook-stove, a small charcoal grill, maybe a propane lantern. For sure some plywood for the windows.
Right now we’re watching for our outdoor cat to come around so we can scoop him up and bring him inside for the night. He’s never been inside, and more than likely will act crazy, but I don’t want him outside in those strong winds and torrential rain. I don’t believe any animal should be left outside to weather a hurricane, and especially not left behind when the family evacuates. It’s just not right when they can do nothing to help themselves.
I’ll be sitting here waiting…
Patti
So far, not much has happened here today. The wind is blowing a little bit stronger, but intermittently. It has showered lightly a couple of times. Our city has issued a curfew from dusk to dawn, in anticipation of the idiots who would take advantage of an abandoned town in order to steal and loot. I’m not sure how many people stayed here rather than evacuate, but I’ve seen quite a few people out and about in town. The eye of IKE is still about 50 miles out from land, though the outer bands have already begun making landfall.
All day there has been footage on TV about the rising water in Surfside and Galveston. It began to rise quickly early this morning, and has continued throughout the day, still hours ahead of landfall. The enormous size of this storm means it is pushing a huge amount of water ahead of it onto land. Surfside is underwater. Bluewater highway is underwater. Galveston Island is slowly being flooded. This morning the waves were crashing into the seawall and spraying up into the air up to 50 feet. As the water bounced back off of the wall, it met the next wave coming in, and gave the appearance of the water boiling. Huge amounts of debris is washing up onto the seawall, made up of trash, seaweed, wood from the piers, pilings, stairways, etc. Piers have been destroyed. I feel sorry for the fools who chose to stay in their home on that island and ride the storm out. They will likely end up dead, or stranded in their attic or roof, with no means of rescue.
We weren’t able to get as much ice as I’d have liked. Only one store is open in town today, and has limited ice to 1 bag per person. So hopefully we won’t lose power for too long. When we do, there will be no means of preparing any cooked meals. We didn’t make too many preparations for this storm, except for batteries and flashlight and water. I wish we had a propane cook-stove, a small charcoal grill, maybe a propane lantern. For sure some plywood for the windows.
Right now we’re watching for our outdoor cat to come around so we can scoop him up and bring him inside for the night. He’s never been inside, and more than likely will act crazy, but I don’t want him outside in those strong winds and torrential rain. I don’t believe any animal should be left outside to weather a hurricane, and especially not left behind when the family evacuates. It’s just not right when they can do nothing to help themselves.
I’ll be sitting here waiting…
Patti
WATCHING AND WAITING
6:30 a.m. Friday, September 12, 2008
It seems that Hurricane IKE has weakened a little bit, and shifted a little to the east, which means we are no longer going to be on the “dirty” side. Therefore, we have decided to stay home and ride out the storm. We spent yesterday afternoon bringing all of the plants inside, storing the garbage cans in the shed, and securing everything that could become airborne. This afternoon we began packing some clothes, food, etc and gathering what we would need to take our pets with us. With 3 dogs and 3 cats, it seems a very big undertaking.
We actually did locate a place to go to in New Braunfels, but with the animals, it would still be difficult. I said all along that I would ride it out as long as it wasn’t any worse than a category 3. Right now, it is a category 2, however it is extremely large. It covers just about the whole of the Gulf of Mexico. That is going to cause the storm surge to be much larger than what would normally be expected for a category 2 or 3. We are far enough inland to not have to worry about the storm surge reaching us. Our concern will be that we are sandwiched between 2 rivers, which could potentially cause our town to be an island if both rivers rise too much. I am hoping for the best case scenario to happen.
So for now, we are at home on Friday morning, listening to the updates on TV, and waiting for the first bands of rain and wind to begin today. Supposedly it will begin around noon, and gradually worsen as the day progresses, with the eye crossing land around 1 or 2 in the morning Saturday, slightly to the east of where we live. I’ll update as long as I can until we lost power.
It seems that Hurricane IKE has weakened a little bit, and shifted a little to the east, which means we are no longer going to be on the “dirty” side. Therefore, we have decided to stay home and ride out the storm. We spent yesterday afternoon bringing all of the plants inside, storing the garbage cans in the shed, and securing everything that could become airborne. This afternoon we began packing some clothes, food, etc and gathering what we would need to take our pets with us. With 3 dogs and 3 cats, it seems a very big undertaking.
We actually did locate a place to go to in New Braunfels, but with the animals, it would still be difficult. I said all along that I would ride it out as long as it wasn’t any worse than a category 3. Right now, it is a category 2, however it is extremely large. It covers just about the whole of the Gulf of Mexico. That is going to cause the storm surge to be much larger than what would normally be expected for a category 2 or 3. We are far enough inland to not have to worry about the storm surge reaching us. Our concern will be that we are sandwiched between 2 rivers, which could potentially cause our town to be an island if both rivers rise too much. I am hoping for the best case scenario to happen.
So for now, we are at home on Friday morning, listening to the updates on TV, and waiting for the first bands of rain and wind to begin today. Supposedly it will begin around noon, and gradually worsen as the day progresses, with the eye crossing land around 1 or 2 in the morning Saturday, slightly to the east of where we live. I’ll update as long as I can until we lost power.
Hurricane IKE is coming!
Well, it looks like we're not going to manage to avoid IKE coming right at us. I was really hoping to sit right here and ride it out, but it seems that it might not be safe to do so. So now, I am looking for somewhere we can go to and take our animals with us. We're kind of broke right now, so we can't rent a motel room. Most wouldn't take the animals anyway, and I'm sure they are all booked up. So keep us in your prayers that we find somewhere to escape to, and that our house doesn't sustain any damage from the wind and stuff flying around.
Monday, September 1, 2008
When You Have To Let Go
This is a blog written by my friend Colleen:
A young and dear friend of mine lost a teenage friend of hers this past week and is learning how to deal with loss, grief and the sense of something just not being right. In an email to her I shared some of the following but I have modified it for others to understand and have left out the name of the precious friend she is still saying good bye to.
(Please take a moment to pray for those who've had to bury a child way before the normal sequence of life has been fulfilled, tragically, slowly, through war, accidents, disease, etc. ..Pray for those who are friends to them and do not yet understand the bitter feelings of loss and grief.)
When my son died, he, Ian was wearing a seatbelt. It did not save his life. They are designed to HELP save lives. They are not a guarantee. They have to be worn properly and fitted and most of us do not do this. Ian was laying down with the seat reclined...he slid right out of it!
One of the precious gifts that was given to me when Ian died, was the gift that gave me the ability to understand, to really open my heart and "hear", a way to talk, grieve, counsel and communicate with others who are grieving over a child who's sudden death has changed everything forever.
It's not fair and it's not in the right order and we have to learn to accept, and keep going.
(for example:)
When Ian had been gone for about 8 months and we were cleaning out his room of some of the things that were special, we came across a train set and we asked the giver of this set if he wanted it back. He said no, so we asked my father (a train collecter) if he would care to have it and after hanging up on me several times, I could not understand what the problem was. Months later, my father told me what was happening in his mind;
he said, "A grandfather should leave things to his grandchild, not a grandchild leaving things to his grandfather"
This broke my heart but it taught me something else about the timing and the sense of devastation at all levels of the family. There is a normal order of things and when a child passes, it is not normal and therefore much harder to accept.
Those are the two hardest parts...
Accepting and Keep Going
...accepting that you won't be setting a place on the dinner table, or buying the same number of tickets at the football game or seeing a graduation you looked forward to all your life or having a daughter in law, or grandbabies...
...accept....keep going....there are so many others that are counting on the parents strength, especially if there are other siblings to ____....
...accept...they will never again call you to pick them up from a friends house, or ask to borrow the keys, or .....
...accept...that every night when you walk past their bedroom, you will have to look inside just for comfort, you will smell their clothes, you will cry, you will hurt, you will grieve...
...accept....that you will go to visit them every chance you can at the cemetary for many months, years even.
...to keep going, simply means that you have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep going FORWARD...
...as painful as it seems, it will take you out of the depression and denial of a loved one we've had to bury...
...to keep going...means that you have to learn to live with the pain and cherish the memories, the love and the life that once was....
...to keep going...you have to believe you will see the person/child/friend/parent again in heaven...God has promised us that...
...To keep going....you have to let the person go and live the life that you still have in front of you to the very best of your ability...
...to keep going and accept what has happened is not easy but necessary...
...to keep going and to accept a loss of this magnitude will linger in your heart forever in the hole that was left behind....
We can and do and will survive.....I know this may not help any, but I would ask that you share it with any family so that they can/will have hope...
...hope that tomorrow they can actually breath, that they can eat and not feel guilty, that they can smile and know that their child is watching everything they do...
...to wake on a new day and know that all things are in the right place and time according to God's will. It's not fair but it is God's will and accepting that HE does not make bad things happen but he does allow them to happen is hard as well. (I have a very long story that goes with that sentence but I'll spare you.
Their child will long be remembered by all of his/her friends and all of his/her family and those memories will live forever in your hearts. That is an awesome legacy for someone whom we've had to let go of.
On that note, please tell the family this for me:
"My son died, but he is not lost! I know exactly where he is!" He lives with Christ at a new address but he is NOT LOST~
~ I DID NOT LOSE HIM, HE FOUND GOD~
I know losing a friend can be devastating but just to be prayerful for the time that will come for the family in about 4 weeks when everyone goes back to work, or back to "their" normal, this family will not have a "normal" for a year or so.
Wow, I didn't know I had that much to say but there is still more so I'm off of here before I write a book on grief!
©Colleen Cooper 9-01-08
Go here to see original post by Colleen.
Love you Colleen!!!
A young and dear friend of mine lost a teenage friend of hers this past week and is learning how to deal with loss, grief and the sense of something just not being right. In an email to her I shared some of the following but I have modified it for others to understand and have left out the name of the precious friend she is still saying good bye to.
(Please take a moment to pray for those who've had to bury a child way before the normal sequence of life has been fulfilled, tragically, slowly, through war, accidents, disease, etc. ..Pray for those who are friends to them and do not yet understand the bitter feelings of loss and grief.)
When my son died, he, Ian was wearing a seatbelt. It did not save his life. They are designed to HELP save lives. They are not a guarantee. They have to be worn properly and fitted and most of us do not do this. Ian was laying down with the seat reclined...he slid right out of it!
One of the precious gifts that was given to me when Ian died, was the gift that gave me the ability to understand, to really open my heart and "hear", a way to talk, grieve, counsel and communicate with others who are grieving over a child who's sudden death has changed everything forever.
It's not fair and it's not in the right order and we have to learn to accept, and keep going.
(for example:)
When Ian had been gone for about 8 months and we were cleaning out his room of some of the things that were special, we came across a train set and we asked the giver of this set if he wanted it back. He said no, so we asked my father (a train collecter) if he would care to have it and after hanging up on me several times, I could not understand what the problem was. Months later, my father told me what was happening in his mind;
he said, "A grandfather should leave things to his grandchild, not a grandchild leaving things to his grandfather"
This broke my heart but it taught me something else about the timing and the sense of devastation at all levels of the family. There is a normal order of things and when a child passes, it is not normal and therefore much harder to accept.
Those are the two hardest parts...
Accepting and Keep Going
...accepting that you won't be setting a place on the dinner table, or buying the same number of tickets at the football game or seeing a graduation you looked forward to all your life or having a daughter in law, or grandbabies...
...accept....keep going....there are so many others that are counting on the parents strength, especially if there are other siblings to ____....
...accept...they will never again call you to pick them up from a friends house, or ask to borrow the keys, or .....
...accept...that every night when you walk past their bedroom, you will have to look inside just for comfort, you will smell their clothes, you will cry, you will hurt, you will grieve...
...accept....that you will go to visit them every chance you can at the cemetary for many months, years even.
...to keep going, simply means that you have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep going FORWARD...
...as painful as it seems, it will take you out of the depression and denial of a loved one we've had to bury...
...to keep going...means that you have to learn to live with the pain and cherish the memories, the love and the life that once was....
...to keep going...you have to believe you will see the person/child/friend/parent again in heaven...God has promised us that...
...To keep going....you have to let the person go and live the life that you still have in front of you to the very best of your ability...
...to keep going and accept what has happened is not easy but necessary...
...to keep going and to accept a loss of this magnitude will linger in your heart forever in the hole that was left behind....
We can and do and will survive.....I know this may not help any, but I would ask that you share it with any family so that they can/will have hope...
...hope that tomorrow they can actually breath, that they can eat and not feel guilty, that they can smile and know that their child is watching everything they do...
...to wake on a new day and know that all things are in the right place and time according to God's will. It's not fair but it is God's will and accepting that HE does not make bad things happen but he does allow them to happen is hard as well. (I have a very long story that goes with that sentence but I'll spare you.
Their child will long be remembered by all of his/her friends and all of his/her family and those memories will live forever in your hearts. That is an awesome legacy for someone whom we've had to let go of.
On that note, please tell the family this for me:
"My son died, but he is not lost! I know exactly where he is!" He lives with Christ at a new address but he is NOT LOST~
~ I DID NOT LOSE HIM, HE FOUND GOD~
I know losing a friend can be devastating but just to be prayerful for the time that will come for the family in about 4 weeks when everyone goes back to work, or back to "their" normal, this family will not have a "normal" for a year or so.
Wow, I didn't know I had that much to say but there is still more so I'm off of here before I write a book on grief!
©Colleen Cooper 9-01-08
Go here to see original post by Colleen.
Love you Colleen!!!
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