Flooding and Beautiful Fall Weather

I just listened to Gov. McCrory's press conference for today.  He has been very good about reporting what's happening in NC since Hurricane Matthew.  The Neuse and Tar rivers and maybe more, are still not at their highest level.  They will continue to rise until Saturday, a week after the hurricane.  The flooding of the rivers is because of the immense rain fall that happened across the state.

There are 3800 people in shelters either because they already lost their home, or they had to evacuate and are still waiting to hear if their home will be spared.  Very sad.  Again, so grateful that we are fine here.

On another note, shelling at the beaches is great after a storm or in this case a hurricane.  Elaina and I went to Fort Macon State Park  and picked up a few shells. 

Well, not just a few.  I have more than I know what to do with right now.  The beach was just covered in shells, small, medium and large.  Also many, many horseshoe crabs washed up on the beach.

Horseshoe crab

 When I say there's lots of shells, I can't even begin to explain just how many.  I can't walk barefoot (I have tender feet!) on the beach down by the water.  It's too "crunchy."   When the waves come up and cover a huge pocket of shells, they makes a crackling sound unlike anything I've heard before. 

Anyway, we had a good time picking up shells.  So sorry for the people of Eastern North Carolina who are still experiencing the effects of Hurricane Matthew.

The Day After the Storm

We ventured out in town today, finally being able to get out of the house.  We saw many trees down, traffic lights not working, and stores that are usually open on Sunday, that were closed.  I have never seen Walmart closed before until today!  I don't know what the problem is, but maybe it's electrical.  If your computer system is down, makes it kind of hard to do business these days.

There's still  emergency situations going on because the rivers are still rising.  The pictures are amazing.  People who evacuated their beachfront homes and went to higher ground, found their hotel rooms under water and not able to get home.  Rescues were being done for people who thought they were getting away from danger. Just a crazy situation.  People in towns with rivers like the Tar River and others, are having to evacuate even today.

Here's a couple of pictures of the New River near the USO.  The water level is really high, but not overflowing, at least not yet.  The USO is open tonight for their movie night for single Marines.  They get about 30 Marines in for snacks and a movie.  Gives them something to do on a Sunday evening (especially if there's no electrical power in the barracks).

 

I'm still feeling very grateful and thankful that we have been just fine here during this hurricane. Sorry for all the people who have flooding still happening in towns all over North Carolina.

Hurricane Matthew Oct. 8, 2016

5:30 a.m.   woke up to the sound of rain on my windows which means the wind is blowing

11:00 a.m.  the wind is blowing quite hard and is whistling around the house.  The rain is coming in sideways, and every whichway. The siding on the house is very noisey. Elaina said some people in Jacksonville have already lost power.  Uh oh.  She had me fill the bathtub with water in case we need it for toilets, etc.

11:25  Tornado warning given and flash flooding warning for our area.  Matthew isn't even here yet.  Watching weather channel and getting weather alerts on my phone.  We get "emergency broadcast" reports on tv.  Tornado is moving away from us now.

Later in day:  more wind, more rain.  flooding in areas of town and some power outages.  Ours went out for a little while, but came back on.  So thankful.  There's no flooding in our yards, or the street.  Rain is definitely a problem because we were already soggy from previous rains.

9:15 p.m.  Wind has picked up quite a bit.  Expecting possibility of losing power again as Matthew is due here around 10-11 p.m. Came upstairs for the night, so I don't have to climb the stairs in the dark if it happens.  Matthew is a category 1 right now.  The wind is really whistling tonight.  I think now it is sustained wind, rather than just gusts. A very different sound.

9:00 a.m. Sunday  So grateful that all is well right here. We didn't even lose power. Many, many problems all around us though, in Jacksonville, Swansboro, Topsail, New Bern, etc.  Rivers expected to continue to overflow, roads washed out, power lines down.  Fayetteville has severe flooding.  We still have gusty winds here and we will stay secure at home.  Winds can gust up to 50 miles per hour.  Elaina has many friends in the area that are sharing damage to their homes and power outages.  Even saw  on line of areas of our old neighborhood that had flooding and power outages. Again, so grateful that we fared so well.  (We have one gate that looks a little worse for wear)

I'm going to do some sewing today and continue getting ready for company in 3 weeks!

Hurricane Prep

Well, today is October 7, 2016 and we are getting ready for my first hurricane.  Matthew that is.

We have heard so many different reports about the effect it will have on us right here in Jacksonville, it's been hard to know for sure what we should do. (For me anyway)  Today's report was a little more ominous.

My wise and experienced daughter has been through hurricanes before, and it's her opinion that we should stay right where we are. We don't have to be anywhere for the next few days anyway (all weekend church services have been cancelled).  It can also be a problem if you leave the area; it's happened before that people have trouble getting back home because of closed roads, etc.  So, we are staying put.  She has to be at work on Tuesday!

I'm glad that we are in this house for this though, because the old house on Brookside had 12-15 tall trees in the backyard.  Each thunderstorm we had there was a little scary.  Here, the big trees are outside the fence of the yard.

We have been stocking up on groceries, water and gas in our cars though because there could be problems getting to those things for days, and if we lose power, we need to have food we can eat without cooking and plenty of supplies like toilet paper!  We just got home from Walmart and it's obvious everyone else is doing the same thing.

I'm sure I will be writing again probably after Sunday to report on my first hurricane experience!

A New "Adventure?"

I think I'm finally over my allergy/asthma attack that I had earlier this month.  I still cough a little, but I don't sound scary to be around anymore!  ha ha.

Since Elaina and I started going to First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, I decided to join a small group, or as many churches call them a "Life Group."

Picture taken in Winter, no green grass!

I missed the first meeting of my life group because of my scary coughing, but I was able to attend last Tuesday.  We meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays in a home.  I consider this a new adventure because I haven't been part of a group like this since my days at Orange Evangelical Free Church.  This is a new place to live, a new church, and now a new group of people to share with.

This group is an all-women's group and the ages are from approximately 45-75 +.  The name of the group is PEARLS, and each letter stands for something else, but I don't have it memorized, sorry.  The few ladies I have talked with are very sweet, godly women and we have a few things in common.  As in all "Life Groups" things that are talked about in the group are private and not to be talked about outside the group. (Obviously I won't be sharing anything like that here!)

I can tell you we're going through a Bible study book called Seamless, by Angie Smith.  It's not a dry, read, fill in the blank, kind of study.  Angie is very knowledgeable and adds humorous and contemporary aspects to the notes.  There's also a short video 
each week by Angie.

Angie Smith

I'm looking forward to meeting with the other ladies each week and see what kind of adventures come about!

In other news, we have had very humid, cloudy, rainy days for the start of Fall.  Last night we had a super thunderstorm.  Late morning was bright and sunny, but we are expecting another storm today.  I'm hoping the Fall weather starts to feel like Fall soon, which means the humidity will go away.  Hooray!  (Right now it's 82 degrees with 74% humidity!)Aaanndd, it's raining......

Fall Allergies (and as always), Miscellaneous

I haven't written in a while.  Partly because I didn't have much to say, and partly because I have had a miserable allergy attack.

Hurricane Hermine that became Tropical Storm Hermine didn't affect us much.  We just had a few hours of heavy wind and rain one evening.  Didn't even bother our sleep that night.  There's another storm brewing I hear, but we don't expect much from it either.  That's what they say right now.

I have always had Fall allergies to some extent, but not like I've had here this month.  Episodes of sneezing and blowing turned into a cough and allergic asthma.  That started last Thursday the 8th and I'm still wheezing and coughing like crazy.  I don't have any medical insurance here, or I would have been to urgent care before this.  I'm doing what I know to do to get better, so it will end sometime.  (Never had asthma before!)

I had three Etsy orders in August, and three so far this month, which is great for me.  I have to get some more items listed soon. Hoping the sales continue.  Had to go out today, to get the third one shipped.

Here's a couple of things I find interesting in Eastern North Carolina:

 

• Cities/Counties "love" divided highways.  I've talked about that before, but I'm telling you, it's like it's a "must have" here. So often you have to drive a little further past where you want to go because you have to wait for a turn lane so you can make a U-turn and go back to where you want to be.  The saving grace is that parking lots often connect to different shopping centers, etc. so you can save a little time going through lots to get to a light instead of going right when you want to go left.  Sorry if that isn't clear; don't know how else to describe it!  Elaina said in Havelock they added road dividers in places where there once wasn't any, for "traffic control."  Okay, I guess.

• Here are two things you probably don't see in Walmart in California:

 Children's mini recliner in woodland camouflage

(is that so your kids can go hunting with you and have a nap when they need it?)

Deer and Turkey feed.  I think these are 50 lb bags. I had to do some research on this. I guess people like to help out the wildlife on their land during fall and winter, although I also read wildlife experts don't recommend it as it can cause health problems for the animals.  Some states don't allow it at all.  I guess NC allows it. We don't have harsh winters here, so they probably just like having the deer and turkeys hang around.  At first I thought, "Oh, you feed the deer, so you can then go out and hunt them?"  Maybe that is the case for some.

Around here a very common site is pickup trucks pulling a trailer, with a riding lawn mower in it.  Yards here are very often quite large so many home owners own riding mowers, or they pay to have their yard mowed by someone else (like us). This site is as common here as seeing Prius's in California.  Ha ha.

I'm trying to get a few things done for our annual retreat this year. My sisters and one brother-in-law are coming here in early November. Really looking forward to having them see why I love it so much here.  We will be going to antique stores and flea markets and do some sight-seeing in the process.  

Had my first real chat with the neighbor next door today.  Her name is Fay.  Sweet, friendly southern lady.  We were discussing the poor condition of the house on our left.  It's bank owned and seemingly abandoned.  Hopefully someone starts taking care of it soon.  The HOA hasn't done anything for it.

That's it for me today.  Thanks for reading!

August 29th,2016 My Mom

 Today is the anniversary of my mother passing away and going to heaven.  It sometimes seems like it was ages ago, and sometimes it seems like just a short time ago, but it has been one year.  I'm just going to share a few things that I remember to honor her today. She was a good mom, a good woman and a good friend to those who knew her.

I was blessed to be able to be with her for much of the last 10 years, and more specifically the last three. It was 2012 when I left my job in Yorba Linda.  I had initially planned on finding another job, but it became clear that I was needed at home with her.  My being home gave my sister Sue a break from being at the house every day and she gave me a break for a few hours every week. 

It was difficult at times, helping her do things that she couldn't do for herself and being wakened in the middle of the night because she needed something.  Because Mom was in a wheelchair due to her osteoarthritis, if we went anywhere, I had to load the wheelchair into the trunk, get Mom in the car, then reverse the process and get her into the wheelchair at Walmart, or Dollar Tree, or some other place she enjoyed going to.  She had a power chair to use at home, but we didn't have any way of transporting it, so we had to use an old fashioned kind when we left the house. Sometimes we would load her lap with so many items in the store that we would start laughing as she tried to keep everything from falling off.

This was her first ever ride in the new wheelchair

We did have fun on some of those trips out. Because we were often out at lunch time, I would suggest we go to Wendy's near Dollar Tree, for a hamburger.  That was not something she would have done for herself normally, but it became almost a habit to stop and get the children's meal that comes with a "frosty."  She thought that was pretty neat and really enjoyed it. Her other favorite thing to do was stop at Costco for one of their frozen yogurts.  She would ask for hers to be "swirled" meaning chocolate and vanilla mixed in the cup.  If there wasn't enough chocolate in hers, she would be sure and point it out to me!  I'm glad I didn't have to go back and tell them we wanted a new one, with more chocolate this time!  It was those simple pleasures that I think about often because they really did give her some pleasure and something to look forward to now and then.

After the trips out for shopping, of course the whole process was repeated when we got home.  By then it was time for her nap and me to have a break for a while.  Until it was time for her to get up!

Another favorite thing to do with Mom was make s'mores! She and I would roast a marshmallow on the gas stove and make a s'more once in a while in the afternoon.  Hey, if your 90 year old mother wants a s'more in the middle of the afternoon, you make s'mores!

Mom enjoyed gardening and doing jigsaw puzzles.  We worked on jigsaw puzzles on a daily basis. Her most favorite thing to do I think, was baking! She loved to bake bread and cinnamon rolls. Of course Sue and I did a lot of the work, but she would tell us what ingredients to bring her at the table, and then she would do the mixing.  She was a good cook too.

My Mom wasn't much of a dog lover, but she loved Elaina's dog Abby.  Abby was a rescue dog and was very scared of a lot of things, like Mom's power wheelchair.  (It had wheels! And it moved! Oh so scary!) I'm so glad I have this video of Mom petting Abby, even though Abby was scared to death at the time, she allowed it to happen.

If the video doesn't work, I'm sorry.  I don't know why. If it works for you, great.

Mom got a kick out of watching Abby run around the backyard, because she didn't just run, she raced like a greyhound and she chased after apples that had fallen from one of Mom's apple trees.  It was so great to hear Mom laugh and giggle at Abby's antics, even though she was in pain most of the time.  Abby keeps Elaina and I laughing all the time and I think of how Mom would be laughing at Abby today if she were here.

Mom's 90th birthday in 2014 with most of the grandchildren and great grandchildren

The reason I am here in North Carolina is because Mom had a reverse mortgage which we borrowed on in order to provide for her to stay in her own home.  Of course, that meant my life would be changing almost immediately when she passed away.  I needed a home and Elaina graciously said I could come here.  It's still a temporary situation for me, and I love it here in North Carolina, but I do miss my Mom.  Just looking forward to the day I see both my parents again.

Love and miss you Mom (and Daddy!)

End of August...Misc. Thoughts

• I went to Stovers Auction House sale on Thursday in Burgaw and found a few great things to list on Etsy.  It was a fun day being around other people who appreciate antiques.  It seems to me that people who appreciate antiques and vintage items, are just nice people. 

• When I have listened to the news on TV, I have thought in the back of my mind, that it sounds different than in California.  It hit me the other day, why it sounds different.  I know, you're thinking, well, duh.  But here's why. There is so much "country" between towns and cities here in Eastern North Carolina, that when an accident happens, or there's a crime committed, the reporters usually say that it happened in _____county. For instance, "An accident on highway 17 in Onslow County..."  Or "Big rig turned over on highway 24 in Carteret County."   They seldom actually say a city name because the accident probably wasn't anywhere near the town!  In California, events are usually named in the city they actually happened in.  In So-Cal, one city runs right into the next city, and often you don't even know you've crossed into the next city.  There are probably areas in Riverside County, CA more spread out, but the norm is city after city without space in between! Anyway, that's just a thought about living in the "country."

• Went to church last night (First Baptist of Jacksonville, or as they call themselves FBJAX). Was reminded that they bought 400 Law Enforcement Bible/devotionals for Jacksonville P.D. and Onslow County sheriffs.  I love that they did that. Several officers are part of the church.

• Had my first Bojangles dinner last night.  It came in a box 

and was chicken fingers, fries and a biscuit.  Yes, it was yummy. I saved the biscuit to eat this morning with some honey!

• There's a possibility of thunder showers tonight and for the next two days due to a tropical depression near the Florida Keys.  We're still in hurricane season, so who knows what will come next...

I hear Elaina in the kitchen preparing to barbecue some hamburgers, so I better go see if I can help.

August 23,2016 Royal Story Time

Today was the "Royal Story Time" at the USO.  The room was packed with little princesses and some would-be princes and their moms.  We hung up Disney princess posters and ephemera around the room and Disney princess place mats on the tables.  Everything was pink and pretty.

I helped set up the dessert table with cookies, brownies, and cupcakes.  Most of these come from people who volunteer to bring desserts for these events.

I worked at the craft table where the little ones were making  princess wands out of a popsicle stick or a tongue depressor. There were stickers galore and glue sticks and of course glitter. Lots and lots of glitter.  

The volunteer coordinator had on a Prince Charming costume and the assistant director had on a yellow ball gown much like "Belle" and read Beauty and the Beast to the kids.

Lunch was submarine sandwiches cut into small sizes from a local grocery store here called Lowes.  Of course they always have pb&j sandwiches for the smallest kids, chips, lemonade and tea.

Clean up means folding chairs, putting away tables, wiping down high chairs and sweeping the floor.  I did a little of some of these things and came home exhausted.

Whenever the USO does these events, they pass out surveys on the tables so that people can give their opinions of how the event went.  
Today, I asked them if they compile the surveys into one document for ease of reviewing and storing.  (My former co-workers will understand this.)  They have not done that in the past and mentioned that they have trouble storing everything.  So.....I asked if they wanted me to compile the surveys for them into one document.  They heartily agreed that it would be a good idea.  

So, this afternoon after I got home, I took 26 surveys from the last "No Dough Dinner" and compiled all the information into one 3 page document.  It's an easy thing to do, but could be time-consuming for the staff.  I hope they like what I did and will have me do more.  The No Dough Dinners and the story times all have surveys and maybe other events that I'm not familiar with.  By the way, a "No Dough Dinner" is done once a month at the USO or also now at the Cherry Point Base when it's not quite pay day, but you're "out of dough."  Local restaurants provide the food for those events too.  They probably average around 150-200 people for those.

Anyway, it was a tiring but fun day.  I got to do some office type of work that I enjoy and help Marine families enjoy a nice lunch.

Just found out that the auction house in Burgaw is having another sale on Thursday, so I'm excited about going to that again.  Let's hope I find some great bargains for re-sale there.

More Miscellaneous

I haven't written in a while.  I guess nothing exciting or interesting has been happening!  The weather has been so hot and humid that it's hard to feel like doing anything outside.  It feels like you just entered a sauna when you step outside.  We had a BIG thunderstorm two nights ago, the second one in two days.

I have spent a lot of time trying to promote my Etsy business.  Most successful Etsy sellers promote their business using Pinterest, and Instagram and a host of other social media sites.  So far neither of these has brought me any business, although I have had two orders this month.  One thing I have learned is that handmade Etsy businesses sell much more than vintage shops like mine.  I've seen people, (mostly young women) making a couple of thousand dollars a month with their handmade items.  That is a dream for me.  Don't know still what I'm supposed to be doing to earn a living.  I've applied for a few jobs, but nothing has come of them.  I can sew, but I'm still a novice and can't compete with some of these Etsy sellers who have been sewing for years.  I guess time will tell!

The USO had a rummage sale yesterday and I bought a desk chair (on wheels!) to use at my sewing machine.  It will make sewing a whole lot easier.  I also bought the book, Two Years Before the Mast.  I started reading it and couldn't put it down, but I'm not sure how long it will hold my interest.  It was written in the 1840s, by Richard Henry Dana and the first copyright date is 1909.  It's his account of being a seaman when he was a young man.  Since his sea journey took him to the coast of California, I'm assuming Dana Point is named for him.  Dana went on to be a student at Harvard and later a district attorney for the state of Massachusetts. Interesting guy.

Elaina and I visited a church last night that we think we will be involved in.  It's a huge church with a Saturday service and 3 on Sunday, plus a satellite location with 2 Sunday services. Apparently there's about 3,000 in the congregation. The church building is 120 years old and looks like an old fashioned style church building.  It's a church with contemporary worship, which we love, and a young-ish pastor.  They gave me a water bottle with their church name and logo on it as a first time visitor.


After church we stopped for dinner at Chuy's, a Tex-Mex restaurant that is quite popular here in Jacksonville. Good Mexican food used to be harder to find here in Eastern North Carolina, but it has improved a bunch according to Elaina, who has lived here for years.  Being half Mexican, she should know. We also like a restaurant called Mi Cabana.  The food is different than what I'm used to in California, but it's acceptable!

On Tuesday I'm working at another USO story time.  This one has a "princess" theme.  Should be fun!