Pulled in about 1:45 p.m.  The trip back home took 4 hours, as opposed to 5 1/2 hours going up to Jackson.

It was raining when I left and traffic was fairly heavy trying to get out of town.  It continued raining on me for about an hour, and then changed to just being high overcast.

There was a lot of traffic coming south, but I was able to drive the speed limit for the most part.  The closer I got to Picayune, the heavier the traffic.  All roads from everywhere coming toward the Mississippi gulf coast and New Orleans are jam packed, but I was able to get off the interstate before running into any of it, for which I was glad.

Tom came home from work before 3:30 p.m. feeling really bad with a hacking cough and achiness.  He sprained his back Sunday boarding up windows at the newspaper and since has been coughing his head off, which has also made his ribs hurt.  He’s lying on the sofa being pitiful at the moment, but that’s okay.  I’m waiting on him hand and foot, which was what he wanted most before I got home.

 He told me while ago that he told everyone at work this morning he couldn’t wait for me to get home so I could take care of him and, believe me, he’s taking full advantage of it.  That’s what wives are for, I suppose.  To take care of ailing husbands and to feel guilty for being off having a good time while they were gone!

And, I have to admit – besides all of the hassle throwing stuff together to evacuate and the stressful long trips to and fro, while I was there, I had a great time.  Layne was a gracious host, the two cats were fun, we ate out some good places a couple of nights (while poor Tom was back here sick on his cot in his office, which for the record, I did not know the first night and next day) and I basically lazed around.  

Now, however, I’m back to reality and there is a whole lot to be done around here to try to get everything back in order.  Or not, for a while, depending on what the series of storms coming across the Atlantic decide to do.  I just hope and pray we don’t have to go through all of this again within a few days or next couple of weeks.  Having to evacuate wasn’t that fun.

Well . . . I need to go.  The master is calling.  He needs some good company and a cover for his legs.

Duty calls.

Y’all take care.  Cheers & Blessings to you all today!

Dee

Now, the day after, not too much damage or destruction remains in the states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

Picayune fared very well yesterday.  Picayune schools are back in session today.  We have power back at the house today, already.  According to Tom this morning, it didn’t appear to have been off very long.

However, there are still some remaining problems for us and it doesn’t look like (right now at nearly noon) I can safely go home from Jackson until in the morning.  There are bands of severe storms with possible tornadoes coming north toward Jackson and between Jackson and Hattiesburg, which is the way I have to go home.  They look broad enough that it may take the rest of the day for them to clear out.  

Even if the weather should clear up by mid-afternoon, I would not try to leave because the traffic southward will most likely be really heavy, making my trip home a long one like Sunday.  I cannot see very well to drive by early dusk and definitely not at night, so I could not risk it.

Another problem is that Tom got very sick Sunday night with congestion, fever and chills and spent most of the day yesterday in bed on his cot in his office.  He’s feeling a bit better this morning, thankfully, so hope he will be much better by tomorrow.  I don’t want to catch it from him, for sure.

I also found out yesterday from Mark and Lynn (my son and daughter-in-law in Picayune) that 5 year old Zoe was very sick with 101 degree fever.  So . . . they are all really glad I left Picayune, because as it turned out, wherever I would have stayed, there was sickness. 

Layne (along with his two cute cats, Tess and Oscar) has been a very gracious host.  I have the entire one side of his house to my own, including full access to his computer in here in the office.  I slept in yesterday morning and today, which I couldn’t have done if I’d been at the newspaper or with Mark and Lynn, so that’s been nice.

Layne got up early this morning and went to work (he’s the executive director for the Mississippi Press Association and a very dear friend), so it’s just me and the cats all day, lazing around and watching the wind and rain.  I’ll probably even get to read blogs this afternoon for the first time in several days!  So, you fellow bloggers look for me to be commenting around this afternoon.

I’ll keep you posted on what we’re doing and how things are going.  If nothing changes this afternoon, I hope my next post will be sometime tomorrow after I get home.  I can’t wait!

Thank you all so much for your continuing prayers, comments and support.  It’s been very uplifting to us and a great blessing.

Cheers & Blessings to you all today!

Dee

It’s about noon Monday and things don’t really look too bad along the Mississippi gulf coast or in New Orleans, either, considering.  Considering that Saturday Gustav looked to be a Category 5 hurricane much larger and more powerful than Katrina and more of a direct hit on New Orleans.

My trip to Jackson yesterday took me five and a half hours coming up from Picayune.  It’s normally a 2 1/2 hour journey, but the worst part was the first 70 miles up away from the coast.  After that, it was a smooth trip.  I was able to drive 65 most of the way.

I’m telling ya, I have no idea where everyone went, but they sure didn’t come this way!  Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal said yesterday evening that 1.9 million people evacuated from Louisiana outward, which is by far the largest number of who’ve ever left the state at one time.  But, while traffic was heavy and steady, it wasn’t bumper to bumper the way I went.  We’ve gone through evacuations a couple of times before that were much worse than this one!

 I arrived here at our friend’s house about 4 p.m. The weather here was sunny and bright (and very hot and humid) yesterday, but is very overcast today.  I talked with Tom about an hour ago and he said it is raining in Picayune and the wind is blowing about 50 mph, with strong gusts up to 65 mph.  He ended up spending last night at the newspaper and is still holed up there today.  But, they still have power so far, which is good.  He said that it had gone off and back on a few times, but so far so good.

Apparently, we still have power out at the house from reports Tom had gotten in, so that’s great.

I’ve got to run eat lunch, so I’ll check in here with you later.  Thanks for all the comments on yesterday’s post!  Y’all’s prayers are working!! 

Cheers & Blessings to you all today!

Dee

At the moment, it is in the lower gulf, but actually doesn’t look that bad.  The left (west) side of it is shearing off due to dry air sweeping down from the north.  The eye is raggedy looking, as well, even though it is Category 3 with steady winds of 120 mph.  Pray that God causes it to continue to deteriorate.

I will post next as soon as I can.  I do not know when I will next have computer access.  Tom will be here at the house until in the morning and then at the office through the storm.  He has to go in about noon, though, to board up all their windows.

Mark and his family will either be in their home or if the hurricane turns east, will go stay in the First Baptist Church in town.

Wish me Godspeed as I travel the extremely busy highways to Jackson.  

Cheers & Blessings to you all today!

Dee

Just about all that is on our local (New Orleans) television stations now is weather information, evacuation information for all of the coastal parishes in Louisiana and New Orleans and information about evacuation routes through Louisiana and Mississippi going outward from New Orleans.

Tom and I have been making preparations to try to be ready for whatever happens.  Right now, we’re in a state of uncertainty about what all we will be doing.  Gustav is looking right now as if it is going to become a big, strong hurricane on the level strength-wise as Katrina.  God forbid.

It has slowed down, so we are going to have to wait until sometime late Saturday or early Sunday until we decide for sure if I am going to evacuate north to Jackson.  Right now, they are projecting that it will come ashore a little bit west and south below New Orleans and track up through central Louisiana.  If that stays the case, I will most likely stay in Picayune, either with Tom at his office at the newspaper or with my son Mark and his family.

No matter where Gustav comes, I will not stay here at the house.  Tom will have to be at the newspaper and we don’t want me to be stuck out here in the country alone with no electricity and trees down between here and town (and Interstate 59).  So, I will either go stay in town or go up to Jackson.  I pray Gustav goes further west so I can stay in Picayune.  Katrina is too much on my mine.

Which reminds me – today is the third anniversary of Katrina.

For those of you who may think all must be well down here now after three years, here is a sobering thought.  The city of New Orleans held services this morning remembering Katrina and those who were lost.  Including, just today, the burial of 80 bodies of people who were still in the morgue, never identified or claimed. 

On top of everything else, there is yet another big tropical storm in the south Atlantic (Tropical Storm Hanna – click here to track it) that they think may track westward, turning into a hurricane and crossing the Florida Keys into the gulf next week.

I will keep you posted up until the time we leave the house and after that as I can.  If worse comes to worse, as it did in Katrina, I will probably evacuate from Jackson after the hurricane (and before the next) and drive on out to Texas to either Dallas (where my daughter and step-daughter both live) and/or on to Abilene to my mom’s.  But, those plans would be a last resort because it’s 500 miles to Dallas and 750 miles to Abilene from here, and I’m not too much on driving long distances, much less alone.

Please pray for everyone in the path of these hurricanes and pray they won’t be bad. 

Cheers & Blessings to you all today!

Dee

Everyone down here, including me and Tom, are rapidly making preparations for the worst.  That is all we can do to be safe.  

This afternoon, I will be stocking up on essentials for a bad hurricane and getting cash.  If the hurricane hits anywhere near here, electricity could be out for days and/or weeks.  More likely, weeks out here at the house because we live in a rural area.  After Katrina, one of our neighbors did not have electricity for over three weeks.

I cannot stay under those circumstances because of my many health problems, number one being that I’m diabetic and need to keep insulin refrigerated.  We have planned right now for me to drive up to Jackson early Sunday morning to stay with a good friend until the hurricane passes and we can see how things are then.

All of this may change in the next three days – we’ll see – but right now those are the plans.

To all those of you who followed us closely through and after Katrina, please pray again for us and for all those around us who lost so much in Katrina and who are facing losing everything again.  If this hurricane hits dead on the mouth of the Mississippi and moves up into New Orleans with a direct hit, it will mean total chaos and devastation to not only those in the low lying parishes, but probably also those in New Orleans, as well.

If we are on the east side of the hurricane, that will mean extremely powerful south winds blowing water inland from the gulf and lots of rain, as Florida just experienced last week with Fay.

Wherever the hurricane hits, and it has already caused death and destruction in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, God help us all.

I will keep you posted.

Dee