We'll be safe!

We are very fortunate that we have a special place to evacuate to. It is 20 minutes from our home, which gives us the opportunity to make the decision to leave at the very last minute. It is a bomb proof building, we've evacuated there many, many times. We lived there for 3 weeks after Katrina, sleeping on the floor, but got to come back to our house to work every day. So rest assured, that's where we will be, along with MIL. She is a nervous wreck, this will be her first time to evacuate. Thought I'd show you a map where we are. You can see how close we are to New Orleans. We are north of I-10, but see the Bay of St Louis? We sit at the top of the Bay. That's why we are vulnerable, all that water. We will likely be in the Northeast quadrant of Gustav, which is the worst possible to be in. So watch for the final land strike, you'll have a clue of how we fared. We won't know for a day or two, when it's safe to return home.
Thanks for all your prayers!

On the eve of our 3rd anniversary....

I'm sharing these images, thoughts , and memories with you. We were blessed, we still had a structure despite 4 feet of water. Thanks for being my ROCK to lean on! We had to hike a 1/2 mile to get to home, so many trees down

Water came in fast and left fast, tipping over furniture.

Took a long time to clear trees away just to open garage. Inside garage was OLD BLUE and a new Corvette. They flooded, we were not worried about the vet, but OLD BLUE was a family member. She was a 1985 528e bmw, our son came home from hospital when he was born (1987) in OLD BLUE. Fast forward, daughter got her license to drive, OLD BLUE, being the safe, reliable tank that she was, was daughter's car to drive till she left for college. Then son, driving at 15 1/2, inherited OLD BLUE. He drove her from his sophomore in high school thru graduation, went off to college with a new car. We retired OLD BLUE to the garage, she served us all so well. Our plan was to have her completely restored. She was a classic and in 2005, she reached antique car status . She was the saddest thing that we lost, the most difficult thing to say goodbye to, and the only thing that we regret to this day. Sorry OLD BLUE, we miss you!

Just an exhausted hubby and I, dragging all wet items out, ripping up carpet.

Trash heaps.

We had 25 trees that fell over and eventually had to be cleared away.

Every morning when we came back to the house to work, our trash piles had been picked through. We had 7 wing chairs stolen/salvaged/borrowed. Hubby says I can't say stolen cuz they were out in the yard. We could have saved these chairs and eventually had them reupholstered. But when you are going through the motions of a disaster, you don't always make the best decisions.

My beloved Chinese pink & green rug, trying to dry it out. Eventually we tossed it trash heap, later pulled it back out when we saw hope of getting it cleaned. It is not the same. But it is still a cherished friend, scarred but still giving us pleasure.

Heroes from Missouri....they were the first outsiders we encountered. They arrived about 10 days after Katrina hit. They were cutting up fallen trees to make roads passable. Below was a huge 200+ year old tree that the root ball came right up out of ground. How lucky that it fell towards the street and not on our house.

I think I kissed them all, sweaty nasty mess that I was.

All our files with important papers, drying in the sun.

Yea, I've been pink & green for many years...even my house was pink & green to the embarrassment of my kids when they were growing up.

There are a few sensations that will always be ingrained in my mind. The stench of death that was everywhere, it permeated into our nostrils, heads, and psychic. The only noise we heard, day after day, as we worked so long and laboriously, was the overhead helicopters and gunshots.

I recall, in one of my shameless moments of desperation, waving and yelling at those helicopters to do something to help us. Instead they tortured us with the hint of civilization but no help, no relief. The gun shots came from locals, like us, shooting half-dead animals, to put them out of their misery, killing alligators, and taking up our own defense from the looters that quickly descended upon us. Not pleasant memories.

Hubby on the roof, trying to BLUE ROOF IT, to keep potential rain out. Why? We still had pictures, LAMPS, dishes, furniture, etc that we were trying to keep.

Wished I had taken more pictures. There were days that felt so heavy with exhaustion, despair, and disbelief that I couldn't bring myself to pick up the camera. Next we had to smash away at the wet sheet rock, haul it out, and bag it. What a horrible task that was, have you ever hauled wet sheet rock? Trust me, you don't want to. Still hubby and I, all by ourselves. All other neighbors and friends were doing the same. Except for the poor people that were slabbed and had nothing.

It has been quite an experience, these past 3 years. We still count our blessings and have such an immense respect for Mother Nature. We did not have flood insurance so our losses were a heavy financial blow. We have flood insurance now, as should everyone, no matter where you live. Our home is 20 miles from the Gulf waters.

And LIFE goes on....

So back to my Gustav preparing. It's going to hit someone and I'm praying for all of my neighbors on the entire Gulf Coast.

Thank you for all your kind thoughts and prayers...

Stay safe, ya'll know we will!

My Evacuation Undies....

This is my UNDIE EVACUATION BOX....

So I have been sanding & painting furiously since I posted last. Finished daughter's bath & bedroom except for the trim paint. Was so happy we escaped Fay....just a rain event and not flooding like my poor neighboring southern states had. So sorry for all of you. TELL ME YOUR STORIES, I'M SO SYMPATHETIC!

Planning to drive to daughter & son-in-law's on Friday for a lovely Labor day weekend. As I'm preparing to do trim paint I'm listening to news. News is not good....

Gustav.

The GFDL (GEOPHYSICAL FLUID DYNAMICS LABORATORY) has been the most accurate model. It predicted Fay most correctly.

And the GFDL has Gustav coming right at us/ New Orleans/Mouth of Mississippi River just like Katrina.

GUSTAV could be pretty BAD ASS!

So, I'm putting away all painting stuff, picking up the mess, calmly trying to remember what I need to do next. We have not been threatened like this since Katrina.

Mother-in-law was summering in Rhode Island with her hubby when Katrina hit. Hubby died shortly after, so MIL stays here year round now. We've got to think about her.

Ya'll remember when I first staring blogging....I was struggling to come out of PTSD due to Katrina. I was told to journal, write, or chronicle my thoughts. I chose BLOGGING. Well, it worked, along with planning daughter's wedding. When I read my oldest posts, I find a different person, not the me I am now.

So laugh with me or at me....

Below is one of my first posts...I was devastated cuz I had no underwear and had to dig through boxes of donated underwear...new or used...I had no clue. No means to wash clothes for many weeks. I had flooded clothes that we hung out to dry that were wearable. In my closet the clothes were hanging high enough that they did not succumb to the fate of my undies. My undies, being in low chests of drawers that flooded with sewer water, yea, did you know that if your home floods above the toilets...you have all your sewer waste flooding your home too! Lovely!!!!! So undies got tossed in trash heaps.

Self Confessed Lamp Tramp: Undies Matter

So, early November after Katrina, when I was trying to repair 3 homes simultaneously, husband finally realized I needed to get out of Katrinaville. I accompanied him to Canoga Park, CA. I shopped at the Nordstrom's Rack there.

I bought more underwear than I could possible wear in 4 life times. I put at least a 2 week's worth in a special box. These untouched undies have been sitting-in-waiting to be worn.

This box is the most important item to be packed, along with the important papers box, medical supplies, food supplies, etc

Yes, my Undie Evacuation Box is out, ready to pack in car!

One more room repainted

This room has been one of those everything rooms: desktop, elliptical, TV, sofa...the sofa hubby or I stretch out on to watch TV in the night when we can't sleep. Close the door and the TV doesn't wake up the lucky sleeping spouse. Banished the elliptical to the garage, couldn't dust around it. Plus we can sweat that much more riding it in garage! Ha....garage is likely 100 degrees.The room color is not true...way too dark....something funny with my flash and I'm too lazy to fix the picture. Had to keep desktop and all the mesy cords.

Below is better color of walls. Enjoying the light coming in.

My file cabinet....threw some Parakeet Green on it...

Valances were Pre-Katrina and high enough that they didn't flood. But sofa & rug are new and they really don't look right with treatments. Not putting them back up.

They are silk dupioni, definitely a mistreatment with straight pins still in it. I think I want something different. Don't want the room to be too dark. Actually enjoying not having any treatments up. Don't worry, I'll change my mind one day and do something different.

Door to keep the late night TV noise out. Screaming Meme....will you come and put that beautiful black paint and gold swirls on my armoire like you did for someone else? I'm so jealous!

I want to slip this sofa. I'm growing tired of it after 2 1/2 years. Told you I'm so fickle.
Plus seeing things in pictures makes me see things that I don't normally see....way too much red going on.

White Linen Slipcover Dreaming

Here's what I'm dreaming of.... courtesy of Country Living....But here's what I'm doing....

I'm sanding....still! Hope to began painting today, after I clean up all the sheet rock dust. There are lots of indents in this bath...needed almost a whole tub of sheet rock Spackle.

While I'm sanding and painting with some achy arms and neck ...

I'm dreaming of White Linen Slipcovers for a few chairs.

Cote de Texas, a beautiful blog and one of my favs, has some great ideas. Here are her breakfast chairs, slipped in white linen.

This link, oops, you'll have to search "white linen slipcovers". Mmmm, monogrammed

covers. I 'm in love. Some shell pearl buttons, and tiny pleats.
How dreamy is that?

These are the 3 chairs that are waiting for me. If I ever finish painting.

They are so crying out to me!

Cheating mistreatments

In this bedroom (son's old room), I took 2 twin sheets, Ralph Lauren's Charleston for a quick mistreatment. No cutting involved for the sheets....just needed to cut the lining material. I did cheat with a little sewing....used black dupoini silk to line. That extra material gave the stationary balloon-style treatment a nice pouffy look.

Sewed on the little white rings in the middle of the back. Pulled a string through rings and tied tight for for butterfly wing look.

Hot glued on some beads...

My best mistreatment trick....straight pins....these helped to hold the sides up. they can be easily adjusted to control length of balloon treatment.

So there they hung for a couple of years. Since I've been painting every room this summer, I'm switching and recycling window treatments. Took apart one of the balloon treatments, let it hang for a quick shower treatment. Problem is, what do I do with matching balloon puffy thing?

Son's old room now has the gold silk dupioni curtains from dining room. Many more mistreatment's needed here at this house. Making myself finish all the painting before I start more window treatments.
Check out the redone bath here: http://fabulousfluffstuff.blogspot.com/2008/08/im-still-here.html#links

HOW SWEET IS THIS.....

Do you remember back in May, when I accidentally overdosed my pond with MicrobeLift? Grey Beard and Sharkey died. George and Cinderella almost died but somehow pulled through. Well, they forgave me for that horrible, black day. They love me and hubby more than ever. They trust us so much, they eat right from our hands. Especially when we feed them Krill.....freeze dried shrimp.
Cinderella is so greedy, that's why she is in most of the pics. What a funny sensation when they engulf your fingers with their big mouths.

Come on George...get it quick before Cinderella comes back...

See Cinderalla's barbels below? Want to know what barbels are? Ask me.....!!!! Hubby is actually holding her face up so I could get a picture. You can see her barbels on his hand if you click and enlarge picture.. Koi are very difficult to photo....they just won't sit still and pose like good children should!!!! Now that is a loving fish....to let Daddy hold her face.

Below is the post from May:

Self Confessed Lamp Tramp: Read at your own risk...not my usual post