Giving to our national community.....

We are trying to raise money this weekend for St. Judes, yet I'm complaining....
Here's where I've been and why I'm not able to read about ya'll...

So, one of my vehicles had to go to dealership this week for service..."service engine light" came on. It had an evaporate emission canister vent stuck....whatever the heck that means. Under warranty, yes fix it. Then they told me 2 other items needed to be serviced, the air filter needed to be changed out and a fuel induction service needed to be done. Do I want to have this done while vehicle is in shop or bring it back after. Obviously I wanted it all done, if I'm without a vehicle and it is a huge hassle dropping it off, then getting someone to bring me back to dealership...DO IT! $250 later....

I'm driving home and I realize my XM radio won't work. Try as I might, I could not find XM. Got home, called XM radio to see if something happened to my XM subscription on that vehicle. Nope, all my accounts are fine, and by the way did you have service on vehicle lately? Well, yes. So I call service dept back, they say bring it back in the morning. So Friday morning, hubby & I head to dealer. These are long time friends, as we've bought vehicles them for 25 years. They look at radio and say "you need a new radio"!
WTH, the XM was fine when we dropped it off 2 days ago. Now they have to order that specific radio to fit the VIN #, thank goodness still under warranty. But come on now, what really happened? Now I've got to be without a vehicle for a day or two next week, never mind the logistics of dropping it off and picking it back up. GGRRR!!

Trying to get hubby to make my 16+ FT long window rod. OMG what a mistake....he argued with me at Lowes, every idea that I had, he said wouldn't work. Such as...."you can't paint on PVC or metal pipes". I said "Yes... they make all kinds of new paints that will adhere to those surfaces. " Disaster & a fight in the works! He bought 2 wood 10 FT dowels, spends 2 hours yesterday trying to mathematically figure out the center point on a 1 1/2 inch diameter dowel to put them together with no results. OMG , now I remember why I don't ask for his help. Still not done. He is playing in a golf tournament for St Judes Hospital this weekend. I said I'd help out with the tourny, taking up my weekend time, and we had to go to banquet last night and again tonight. So I'm not expecting my 16+ FT curtain rod to be installed this weekend. I've got the panels together, stitched, and ironed.

So, I'm just off "volunteer wife golf cart duty" and I'm complaining to all of you. Sorry! I've got to shower again and get ready to help with the meal for tonight. I really have NOTHING to complain about if I put my thoughts into perspective with the families associated with St Judes. Shame on me for being so shallow!

Sorry, I can't visit with ya'll. Thanks for listening, I miss reading about ya'll, I promise to catch up soon!
XOXO!!!

Here's to you, Marlin Miller

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The sculptures are a gift to the people of the Coast. So many Mississippians came to help Miller's hometown of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., when it was hit by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 that he wanted to repay the favor after Hurricane Katrina targeted South Mississippi. He planned to load up his family and chain saws and help Coast residents recover, but "we just never really had the opportunity."
Instead he is creating treasures on the beach.

"We still have to remove the bark on the trees," he said, and paint them with a protective sealant. The dolphin and herons are carved out of cypress trees, which will probably stay lighter than the oak trees but will also need to be sprayed every year for termites. "The cypress ones are going to have to be treated for sure," said Miller, and he thought he might offer to pay for that service.
The work became a family project, with Miller's son Preston and daughter Samantha each working with him for a day. They heard a thousand horns from appreciative drivers while they worked.
"I've sold hundreds of wood carvings in your area," he said, to people from the Biloxi area who often drive to his galleries in Destin and those who buy his sculptures at the Peter Anderson Festival and Spring Fest in Ocean Springs.

Carving

New Katrina sculptures, by Marlin Miller, Part 1, Dec. 8-9, 2007
Marlin Miller, an award-winning wood sculptor from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., visited Biloxi to create more works of art from the standing dead tree trunks along Beach Boulevard. During his initial two days of work, Miller sculpted four trees, creating a dolphin, egrets and a seahorse. The dolphin and egrets are on west beach, just east of Rodenberg Avenue, and the seahorse is a couple blocks west of the Biloxi Lighthouse. The works complement previous sculptures by an award-winning Mississippi-born wood sculptor. Click on individual images to enlarge.
To see a video interview with Marlin and see him at work, click here.


For background on Miller's project in Biloxi, click here.

THE MAN WHO WON'T WEAR PANTS

I'd like to share a Katrina story... a story about a little town, it's surrounding community, and the people struggling against a challenge that may not end for another decade....a story about the man who will not wear pants...




This is Eddie Favre, cousin to Brett Favre of Green Bay Packer fame, crusty yet sincere character, newlywed, Mayor of Bay St Louis, MS, and the infamous "man who refuses to wear pants". When President Bush first came to our area to survey the Katrina damage...Eddie had on the only thing he owned. Months later, President Bush spoke at St Stanislaus College Prep in January 2006, many people were aghast that the Mayor of Bay St Louis, Eddie Favre was in shorts again. President Bush even commented in his speech that day: " I arrive here at this important school and he's got short pants on. Eddie, I like a man who sticks to his guns." Eddie has attended numerous Senate Hearings, a White House Gala, and his own wedding 8 months ago....dressed in shorts.

You see, Eddie, like all most everyone else is his little town and the surrounding county, lost everything but the clothes on his back when Katrina hit. In Eddie's case, he had on flip flops, a t-shirt, and shorts. The town itself and all it's infrastructure was completely gone. And like so many of the heroes here, Eddie and the local police, firemen, and townspeople spent the next days and weeks searching, seeking out, and rescuing all of the trapped and stranded souls that could not help themselves. There was no Coast Guard here, no Fema, no Red Cross, no National Guard for at least 2 weeks. Volunteers would come eventually, along with all the other help but in the initial aftermath, it was just us. We were cut off from the world. We heard and saw the helicopters overheard constantly but they didn't land or drop anything. It was just us. Helping ourselves and each other.

So Eddie decided that he needed to send a message. When President Bush made his initial visit to Bay St Louis, many local and state officials offered to give Eddie pants and better clothes for the photo op. But Eddie refused. He felt that it would send the message that everything was OK and it was certainly not OK. It was far, far from normal. So Eddie vowed to his people, to all of us, that he would continue to wear shorts until things were back to normal. He became a symbol of the continuing desperate needs of a community, a symbol to all of us to stay courageous and dedicated to our goals and this beautiful area we love.

We have come a long way, but there is still such much to do. It is estimated that the entire Coast won't be whole again until another 15 years. We give our undying thanks to the thousands of volunteers that have come from all over our country and world. You have given us your time and money.

These volunteers are still here, still giving and still sacrificing their own jobs, families, and lives. We will never forget what you have done for us and are still doing.

And Eddie stills wears shorts.

You can read about Eddie and my beloved Gulf Coast here: http://www.smliving.net/

For my community

I had fun this morning buying toys! I bought a Pucci Pup for a young girl and a remote control truck and batteries for a little boy. What fun is a Christmas gift if you don't have the correct batteries. I also bought 3 $50 Walmart cards for older children or teens.

We still have many families living in FEMA trailors or worse...tents... while they wait for the Church based groups and other volunteers to help them rebuild. I hope my gifts will brighten their Christmas morning.