Playing Catch Up!

So much has happened since I last posted. I just needed some time to gather my thoughts so I wouldn't forget anything.

Mentioned in my last post was the potential government shut down. Well, the government came through, did their jobs at the last minute, and, for now, everyone is getting paid. Of course, this same situation could be a problem later this year.

The tsunami and earthquakes in Japan still pose lots of problems, but we don't hear much about it anymore. I think they have contained the radiation and mostly have the plant under control. There are many repairs and lots of clean up still to be done.

Our deck looks fabulous. Yesterday we installed the last full board in the main deck. We still need to cut and install two partial boards against the house, add the T mold, and trim. Then, we need to start on the hot tub deck. It is the never ending deck project.

Below are the reasons why I haven't posted in a while.

On April 27th, 2011, tornadoes ripped through central and northern Alabama. They came from Mississippi, across Alabama, and went into Georgia and Tennessee. There were so many storms, tornadoes, and possible tornadoes the weathermen were having a hard time keeping up with them. They would have to talk about a certain area while showing radars in others. It was crazy. Tornadoes were everywhere and just kept dropping from the sky. Afterwards, driving through the areas, it was easy to see some of the tornado paths. Massive trees were gone! Not down....gone. Some subdivisions here were completely wiped out. Some people returned home only to find a slab with rubble strewn about. We saw wide strips of metal wrapped around trees. We saw pictures of mattresses in trees. Large heavy gun cases were in trees. Bark was stripped from trees. Trucks appeared in yards and no one knew who the owners were. People with 5,000 square foot homes could only fill a pick up truck with the personal items they found. The clean up here will take months. Repairs will take longer. Many families have to start completely over. Sadly, some people didn't have home owner's insurance.

As bad as it was here, it was even worse in Tuscaloosa. A tornado that was over a mile wide ripped through the town. It destroyed some of the streets we take to Bryant-Denny stadium. Completely destroyed. As in gone. As in....we have been down 15th Street hundreds of times and cannot find one landmark when we look at the destruction of that street. So many people were killed and severely hurt. This massive tornado was very close to the campus, but there was no direct hit. It will probably take years to rebuild this area.

These tornadoes completely wiped out a few small towns in west Alabama. They are gone. Many people were killed and still missing. These small towns had many citizens without insurance, small businesses, and many lower income families. There was a Wrangler jean factory in Hackelburg, a town I had never heard of before April 27, 2011. My brother found a size 5 pair of jeans in his field. They were covered in mud and the size jeans his daughter wears. Strange!

We didn't have any damage from the tornadoes. However, we found lots of debris (papers, wall paper, shingles pieces, vinyl, wood, etc.) in the yard for a few days. We didn't have power from Wednesday afternoon until late Saturday afternoon. Our cable came on late Saturday night. Internet took a lot longer and was spotty for a while. We only bought gas for Tide Guy's little car and our generator and we only bought a loaf of bread, some lunch meat, and cheese. We ate from our freezer so we didn't buy food we really didn't need taking it from someone who may have needed it.

Since we bought a generator, we had our freezer and fridge in the garage hooked to it. We also were able to hook up our Renai hot water heater and have hot showers. Our neighbors came over for showers. We have friends who were without power for longer than us and they also drove over for showers. We smoked ribs on our Big*Green*Egg for friends without power. It gave them time to relax. They didn't have to eat off paper plates or wash dinner dishes in cold water. They didn't have all the hassles of NOT having power and trying to prepare something to eat.

Gas prices soared to about $3.89 a gallon for a while. The prices spiked the days after the storms as everyone needed gas for their cars and generators. Right now, prices are about $3.58 or so. I saw a prediction there the price should drop 55 cents by summer's end. Fingers crossed.

On Friday, April 29, 2011, Prince William married Kate Middleton at 4 am our time. I never planned to wake early enough to see it as many people did. I thought I would catch highlights on the news afterward. However, since the power was off I saw very little when we were finally able to watch TV.

On Sunday, May 1, 2011, a group of six Navy Seals stormed into OB*Laden's compound in Pakistan and killed him. In the process, they took several computers, tapes, papers, and various other pieces of intelligence. They dropped his body in the ocean for a burial at sea. This keeps his followers from having a burial place to honor and visit his grave.

This past weekend my brother was in the hospital for 4 days with diverticulitis. Once he came home I stayed two nights with him and his daughter.

We have also gone to see Burn the Floor, Trans Siberian Orchestra, and the Beach Boys. A trip to DC is close and a vacation trip Kauai is soon. We are also traveling south to visit our tailgate friends this summer. We also have tickets to Toby Keith and Keith Urban. We have reservations to the beach for a long weekend. Sounds like a fabulous summer!

Told you a lot has happened since my last post.

OK. Now, I've got to get on with the day!

Tide Gal