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Hope this finds everyone doing great on this beautiful weekend. The clear cloudless blue skies are a welcome change from the weather we had the 15th and again the 27th of this month. The Death toll this morning in Alabama is up to 246. All the missing people haven't been accounted for yet which isn't encouraging to say the least. I see things that remind me why I love living here even when at times, the laid back and oh so slow pace we are all too well known for drives me nuts! People are helping people, strangers are reaching out to one another like we used to in those simpler times before we all got so suspicious of each other and the motives. It's a wonderful and heartwarming thing to see. It's so sad that it takes a tragedy of this magnitude to get people to reach out to one another but at least there is bonding going on. I hope it continues after all the debris is cleaned up, the missing are accounted for and the dead are buried. We need to remember that behind our computer screens and attached to the many screen names there are real people that want to be friends and belong but somehow have lost the way. I was thrilled to learn that major corporations like Kraft Foods has boots on the ground handing out food and other supplies to those in need. They haven't reached all the storm ravaged areas but they will. It's time that the companies that gladly take our money return something to us especially in these tough times. There will be some families that never recover from this catastrophic disaster and those that pull on their bootstraps and get on with rebuilding. Our local weather man Rich Thomas from WSFA was in some of the areas that were hardest hit yesterday and it was obvious that he was just heartbroken and shaken up by the damage. My hat's off to the WSFA weather team for the great job they did. There's no doubt that many more people would have been lost if it wasn't for the job they do trying to help us stay safe. You can see some of the pictures, video and read some of the heart wrenching stories at WSFA.com
Out of this disaster there will be new jobs and people will get back to work rebuilding. Any act of nature wields a double edged sword to the living because of those that have been lost and picking up the pieces. There will be those lowlife scumbags that try to take advantage of people that just want to life to be as normal as it was on the morning of the 27th. I'll write more later about what people should look in a contractor for those who are rebuilding because of this and other tragic events as well as planned building projects.
For now I ask that you all keep all the folks that have survived in your thoughts and prayers. Please don't forget to give to the Red Cross and remember you can designate how your donation is spent by putting a note in the For line at the bottom of your check. You can donate on line at the Red Cross website or over the telephone by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or by mail: American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. If you can't give money or items give blood. Did you know one pint of blood can save 3 people, now that's something to think about.
Keep those people in your prayers and thoughts and stay safe!
Happy Trails NW
Well they say be careful what you wish for because you might not want what you get, but in my case I was tickled White... well pink, you get the picture. Anyway last Thursday good old Rich from WSFA said get out your snow boots cause we're gonna get it, should start around 4:00 am. Well I stayed up cause I wanted to see the first snow. As as 5:30 am eased by and there wasn't a snow flake in sight I gave up and went to bed for a few hours. I got uparound 8:30am still no snow, but then about 10:00 am while Olive and I were walking around it started. BIG beautiful flakes everywhere! Olive's like what the heck is that, it's not rain, she didn't like it so we came in the house. It was snowing about 1inch per hour at first then it slowed down. Melting at first cause it was way too warm but then it got cold and we ended up with about 5 inches of good old wet snow just the right kind for making a snow man which Olive and I did. Oh ya Olive decided it wasn't so bad after I made her a snow ball she could bite in to. The cat's weren't so happy about it and refused to go out side. So far a couple of things I wished for this year have happened so I consider myself lucky and blessed. We had snow and I started my new job today. I wouldn't mind a little more snow since most of it's gone except in one really shady spot by the deck. Hope everyone was safe and warm during our strange snow storm. Have a great week, wishes do come true and you're as old as you feel. Oh yea check out my Alabama Snowman below.
Happy Trails NW
I’m sure by now that everyone has heard the horrible and shocking story about Michael McLendon who killed his mom, grandparents, aunt, uncle and strangers for no apparent reason. I’ve delivered to these small sleepy farming communities many times, never dreaming that among them a killer waited. Not even children were spared as he killed the wife and daughter of a deputy and then went on to wound the deputy’s youngest daughter. A merciless act of revenge motivated killing that encompassed three small cities in the southern most parts of Alabama early this week. I hesitated to write about this tragedy for several reasons. Mainly because each blog or news report even mere words causes the families who suffered these horrible losses more pain and renews the sense of loss that they are feeling and will continue to feel for years to come. Lastly it helps to immortalize someone that needs never to be spoken of again in the public venue. Because we all know so little about what eventually caused a allegedly hard working quiet polite young man to pitilessly kill people that caused him no harm.
We can only try to put the facts together as bits and pieces slowly come out about Michael McLendon’s short life. The main question will always remain. WHY did he decide on that day to act as judge jury and executioner? Was it to express his real or imagined grievances against family, friends and former employers when a ‘hit list” was found among his possessions? Regardless of what all the investigators learn from the evidence, statements from people that were directly or indirectly in contact with this young man, the facts will never be known.
He chose the cruelest way to make the victims suffer by taking his own life. After he wantonly murdered 10 people, wounded four others and was cornered by law enforcement he killed himself as a last act of defiance. That act alone denies anyone a chance to ask the questions that will keep the victims families from achieving closure on this living nightmare. My heart goes out to the victiums and residents of these close knit towns and I pray that in some way they achieve some type peace. No words or acts can take away their pain anger and confusion, only God can bring that to them.
I woke up and checked the weather about 4:30 this morning, drat it was raining. Once again the weather man had screwed up with the forecasts. He'd promised snow for Sunday. Disappointed I went back to bed about 5:00AM. Finally at 6:30 I decided I was getting up. As I walked down the hall it seemed that it was kind of bright looking so I figured the sun was coming out. The light didn't look quite right so I opened the blinds and looked out the window in the living room. I started yelling 'Honey Honey it's snowing!' Russ comes running down the hall saying "No way." He looked out the window and a big smile spread over his face. Then he said Snobby cat is at the door she wanted in which is rare for her since she has a heated bed and everything outside. I let her in and she had this look on her face like what the heck is going on! I ran to the bedroom, got my long Janes on (my name for long underwear) and my clothes on Got the camera went outside. Now all of this excitement over snow might seem a little silly to most but remember we don't get it much so it's an event here. I love it when it snows here. I love snow, I just don't want to live where it snows every winter. I made that decision a long time ago because I didn't want to fight the snow when I was trucking and then have to fight it at home too. It's beautiful and I love looking at it. I've already made snow balls, took Olive out, in it, she's not liking it too much. It was funny to watch her this morning cause she couldn't make up her mind where she could go potty. She had this confused bewildered look on her face as she ran all over looking for a place to go that wasn't snow covered which was difficult. When she came inside she held her big paws up for me to dry them off it was so cute. I don't think it's going to stick for long but since the temperatures have dropped it might we're right at freezing so who knows maybe we'll still have it tomorrow. Every one please remember Alabama has NO plows salt trucks or equipment for dealing with snow and ice. Sand is the main thing they use here so BE CAREFUL.
Don't forget that most Alabamians have little to no experience with winter weather. The news said there are accidents everywhere and the snow extends almost to Troy which is about 60 miles south of Montgomery. Be safe out there.
I'm off to find a big piece of cardboard so I can slide down the hill. I just hope I stop before the pond cause it's full.
Happy Trails NW.
I came up I-65 north from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1:place>Montgomery</st1:place></st1:City> and got off at exit 179, at first everything looked perfectly normal. Manicured lawns around the businesses, flowers signs were perfectly straight and neat. The Bass Pro Shop looked fine, as did the rest of the stores, gas stations, hotels etc for the first 1.50 miles.
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>I passed Lowe's on my right, I started to see bits of debris and trash littering the sides of the road, which isn't normal for our town as we use prisoners on chain gangs to keep the roadsides clean. The city has a full time landscaping department that keeps the grass, flowers and different plants looking like they came from a nursery that day. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Then I went down the gentle rolling grade that goes past the movie theater and the damage started showing, getting progressively worse the closer I got to Wal-Marts and Kmart. Windows were blown out, signs were down, and then I saw the roof off Russell's Do it Center, The front facade was gone from the Office Depot, it looked like a giant fist had smashed it ripping off the entire front. I looked at Wal-Mart and saw the front of it destroyed, air conditioning units scatted in the parking lot along side cars that looked as if some giant playful child had gotten angry and tossed them down, leaving them flipped upside down, and scattered all over the parking lot. Peoples clothing hung tattered from the sign that once belonged to Wal-Marts. Power lines lying like huge snakes waiting to strike, some tangled so much that they looked like balls of steel. Huge steel Light poles bent into pretzel shapes. A 2x4 stuck out of a brick wall at one of the banks as if it belonged there as the brick masons had laid the brick around it. Wooden telephone poles snapped off like toothpicks with the yard sale signs still stapled to them reminding us of what things were like the day before the Tornado changed everything.
Rumpled steel siding and roofing littered the sides of the road some stacked up higher than I could see over. Small storage buildings in swimming pools, floating like weird boats. There were blue, green and black tarps over homes and business's roofs, plywood replaced windows that shop keepers normally have their wares proudly displayed in. Bobcats pushed the debris of people’s lives and memories to the side of the road like so much garbage for the City crews to pick up.
The Kmart shopping center was as if a herd of beast had trampled though it, not avoiding anything that was in their way. The $5.00 car wash and Sonic looked like a bomb had gone off and blew them to pieces. One of the banks windows were gone, shattered into oblivion as if someone had used them for target practice all up and down the entire 10 stories. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>
I saw shocked unbelieving looks on the people around me in other cars as we waited for a truck to back into the alley beside the Ford Dealer. New cars and trucks splattered with leaves, grass, and pieces of metal. Doors caved in as if they survived a side collision with something big.
It looked like a giant beehive, people working everywhere, the sun bouncing off their hard hats as they strung new electrical, cable and phone lines. Clean up crew knocking down buildings and houses that were so damaged, they were too dangerous to leave standing.
Alabama Power, Telephone, and City crews were out in force, working around the clock and managed to get all the power on by <st1:time Hour="18" Minute="0">6:00 pm</st1:time> last night. Then I saw the track of the tornado. It started about 5 miles from my house on country road 4, ruining the recreation and sports center, jumping over <st1:Street><st1:address>U.S Highway</st1:address></st1:Street> 31 and U.S. 82 and landing in a neighborhood that was behind the bowling alley and Big Lots. It made its way on a diagonal line and hit the places that were the most populated on a Sunday afternoon in a small town just before Sunday evening church services. The Mayor was visibly shaken during the press interview, his Mom's house was wiped out, she was at Church. The Mayor made it clear to everyone that there would not be any looting or vandals. Everyone has to produce a license to work in any area so the swindlers and scam artist don’t rip off of the people who have already lost so much. The <st1:time Hour="19" Minute="0">7:00 pm to 7:00 am</st1:time> curfew continues. The State county and local police are a strong force, with wary eyes watching everyone and everything.
The police are stationed at the entrances to each neighborhood, requiring your ID to prove that you had a right to be there. The damage reminded me of <st1:City><st1:place>New Orleans</st1:place></st1:City>, 9th ward just on a smaller scale. People tread carefully through the remains of what was home looking for those irreplaceable pictures and whatnots, tears streaking dirty faces, the pain they feel a visible weight that is almost too much to bear. A child’s teddy bear stuck in the remains of a snapped off oak tree, the ribbon around his neck fluttering in the now gentle winds. An unharmed high chair sits on a field of grass next to the church.
The hopelessness of the ninth ward isn’t present here. There is a different demeanor if you look at the man cleaning up the roofing and tree limbs out of his yard, the woman looking through what once was her kitchen. You can see a steely resolve in the way the man moved. I could almost hear him saying, "We will be back.”
