We're having rain today from subtropical storm Alberto. It has rained constantly all day long. We are under flood watch, but there's no flooding near me.
I just got home from a community meal here at my building. One of the residents, "Miss Bertha" (who I've never seen, nor met) has a son who owns and operates a BBQ restaurant and/or food truck called Dem Boyz BBQN. He brought everything needed for everyone to have a nice meal! He told me he does this every year on Memorial Day and on Labor Day. I believe him, because he seemed to know all the residents who have been here for years, and he knew that a few of us are new! He's a big gregarious guy who seems to love what he does.
And of course, we're in the South, so his Mama prayed for our meal before we started.
He brought BBQ, which in NC is pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs, sausage and a few hamburgers along with macaroni and cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, rice and beans, and potato salad. And, of course the Southern official dessert: banana pudding! His Mama made sure the banana pudding came! 😊
He told me he loves doing this more than we love having him come. There was so much left and he insisted we take home a plate for later or tomorrow. I've only had NC BBQ a couple of times, but this was by far the best I've had. Will look forward to Labor Day!
Monday, May 28, 2018
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Last Night of Citizens' Academy
Tonight was the last night of classes for the Jacksonville Public Safety Citizens' Academy.
The topic tonight was focused on the emergency services of
Our firefighters do "first responder" duties and stay with the patient until the Onslow County EMT unit arrives with paramedics. It's very interesting though because so many of the "first responders" are also paramedics. The system changed a few years ago from firefighters being the paramedics to Onslow County providing the paramedic duties. Many of the firefighters keep up their certifications to be paramedics.
I didn't realize that paramedics no longer are in contact with a Doctor or hospital during an event. That's old TV drama stuff. Paramedics are on their own, although they may call the hospital to give them a "heads up" on who they are bringing in.
The battalion chief who spoke to us tonight has been with Jacksonville for 28 years and is getting ready to retire in 2019, although he plans on being an instructor at a high school or college. He's tiring of 100 hour weeks he says.
Two of the paramedics who talked to us tonight explained how they "live" their work and are dedicated to their jobs. I don't know if I can explain this well or not, but I'll try. (Kind of a "You had to be there" thing). The battalion chief said he is always assessing people and situations even when not on the job, because he has to do that on the job. I think it's like, always wanting to be prepared. Just in case. Police Officers are probably the same way.
They have monthly continuing education classes which is necessary to keep up on medications and drugs and their uses and side effects, etc.
There were a lot of questions asked and discussion on their dedication and do they ever have PTSD. They acknowledged that, yes, they do get/have PTSD but they are all encouraged to seek help. It's not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength, to ask for help. There's a psychiatrist on duty, and they have chaplains. Battalion Chief said he is able to cope with traumatic situations on the job due to his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the third officer of either department who told us they trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and not afraid to say so. I'm so impressed with all these men who conducted these classes.
Near the end of the night, Director Yaniero, who is in charge of the entire Public Safety Department came and spoke to us, thanked us for participating and for being a source of public relations for them.
They called each of us up, gave us our certificates and gifts, and shook our hands
Then we went outside to the front of the building to have a photo taken of the group with the officers involved. The director talked to us about volunteers and what kind of jobs are available to volunteers and asked if we wanted to take an application home with us. Several people said yes, so he went to get some in the office, but they were out of them. So, the Director of the entire department went and made copies for us. I admire that. He didn't send a secretary, he did it. Can I just say, these men are all humble servants and I feel honored to have been able to attend these classes and get to know what kind of men they are.
( Heard tonight we now have two motorcycle police officers. Have to watch out for them! ha ha)
Found out recently that Onslow County also has a Citizens' Academy. Maybe I'll do that one next!
The topic tonight was focused on the emergency services of
*First Responders
*Advanced First Responders
*and Paramedics
Our firefighters do "first responder" duties and stay with the patient until the Onslow County EMT unit arrives with paramedics. It's very interesting though because so many of the "first responders" are also paramedics. The system changed a few years ago from firefighters being the paramedics to Onslow County providing the paramedic duties. Many of the firefighters keep up their certifications to be paramedics.
I didn't realize that paramedics no longer are in contact with a Doctor or hospital during an event. That's old TV drama stuff. Paramedics are on their own, although they may call the hospital to give them a "heads up" on who they are bringing in.
Two of the paramedics who talked to us tonight explained how they "live" their work and are dedicated to their jobs. I don't know if I can explain this well or not, but I'll try. (Kind of a "You had to be there" thing). The battalion chief said he is always assessing people and situations even when not on the job, because he has to do that on the job. I think it's like, always wanting to be prepared. Just in case. Police Officers are probably the same way.
They have monthly continuing education classes which is necessary to keep up on medications and drugs and their uses and side effects, etc.
There were a lot of questions asked and discussion on their dedication and do they ever have PTSD. They acknowledged that, yes, they do get/have PTSD but they are all encouraged to seek help. It's not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength, to ask for help. There's a psychiatrist on duty, and they have chaplains. Battalion Chief said he is able to cope with traumatic situations on the job due to his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the third officer of either department who told us they trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and not afraid to say so. I'm so impressed with all these men who conducted these classes.
Near the end of the night, Director Yaniero, who is in charge of the entire Public Safety Department came and spoke to us, thanked us for participating and for being a source of public relations for them.
They called each of us up, gave us our certificates and gifts, and shook our hands
Then we went outside to the front of the building to have a photo taken of the group with the officers involved. The director talked to us about volunteers and what kind of jobs are available to volunteers and asked if we wanted to take an application home with us. Several people said yes, so he went to get some in the office, but they were out of them. So, the Director of the entire department went and made copies for us. I admire that. He didn't send a secretary, he did it. Can I just say, these men are all humble servants and I feel honored to have been able to attend these classes and get to know what kind of men they are.
( Heard tonight we now have two motorcycle police officers. Have to watch out for them! ha ha)
Found out recently that Onslow County also has a Citizens' Academy. Maybe I'll do that one next!
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
May week of 2-9
I wasn't able to attend the citizens' academy for two weeks, but I will write again after tomorrow night's class.
I had a friend from California visit since May 2 through this morning (Judy, you know who you are!) It was nice having a California friend come spend the week. We had fun visiting a few local sites, shopping in thrift stores and eating out!
We also made a couple of road trips, thanks to Judy willing to rent a car (I don't trust mine away from Jacksonville). We had a nice SUV and had LONG road trips. One to Greensboro to an event with Diamond and Silk (political duo from FOX and Youtube videos) That was interesting. Picture a Trump rally with a few hundred Southern Belles in their 50s and 60s and a few husbands!
We also made a trip to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte. The library is very interesting and in a beautiful setting, making use of the woodsy-ness of North Carolina for the setting. It's definitely an evangelistic place, as is fitting for Billy Graham.
A fun week seeing an old friend and seeing more of North Carolina!
I had a friend from California visit since May 2 through this morning (Judy, you know who you are!) It was nice having a California friend come spend the week. We had fun visiting a few local sites, shopping in thrift stores and eating out!
We also made a couple of road trips, thanks to Judy willing to rent a car (I don't trust mine away from Jacksonville). We had a nice SUV and had LONG road trips. One to Greensboro to an event with Diamond and Silk (political duo from FOX and Youtube videos) That was interesting. Picture a Trump rally with a few hundred Southern Belles in their 50s and 60s and a few husbands!
We also made a trip to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte. The library is very interesting and in a beautiful setting, making use of the woodsy-ness of North Carolina for the setting. It's definitely an evangelistic place, as is fitting for Billy Graham.
A fun week seeing an old friend and seeing more of North Carolina!
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Part Two: Jacksonville Public Safety Citizen's Academy
A couple of random thoughts from the 12th:
**Police and Firemen hate speed bumps (especially Firemen who say speed bumps wreck the suspension on fire trucks)
**Officer D. S. says Jacksonville will never have red light cameras. They cause more accidents than they're worth! Yay!
**The police officers appreciate the cameras on their cars. They don't want to have body cameras. They realize they can be helpful in some situations, but they don't want the responsibility of knowing when to turn a body camera on, and when not to. Do you turn the body camera on when you arrive to a scene? Will you remember to turn it off if not necessary? (Imagine someone getting CPR and are half naked because of it. And, if they forget to turn the camera off if they use the bathroom, well.... All that "data" has to be stored for at least 30 days, and storage becomes very expensive. He said the City of Charlotte paid out millions of dollars on storage of camera data)
April 19th
Tonight was the Fire Department's night to share with us. There was just four of us again, but a different four than last week. Tonight was three men. and Me.
The Assistant Fire Marshall showed us a Power Point that showed us the hierarchy of leadership within the Fire Department. I didn't understand this before, but the Police Chief is the Director of the entire Public Safety Department of the city, with the Fire Chief and others below that.
He told us that the city of Jacksonville, and Camp Lejeune have a mutual agreement when it comes to fires (also with the police, but I forgot to write that before) Camp Lejeune fire personnel will act when needed outside Camp Lejeune, and vice versa.
He talked about Fire Prevention, fire statistics for Jacksonville, when and where the most fires happen and why. (Cooking is the most common cause of fires!) He gave us a little lesson on finding the cause of a fire. He showed us photos he had of fires he has investigated and explained what they look for to determine where a fire started and the cause.
My apartment has fire sprinklers, so I asked him if they had to be tested or examined periodically. He assured me that they are required to be inspected once a year and that the Fire Department will check to see that it's been done. One of the men in our group is a former Marine and told us he was at the Pentagon on 9/11 and brought up how fire sprinklers don't do anything in certain types of fires, for instance an explosion or impact like on 9/11. The sprinklers failed due to the impact, but the water from them just spread the jet fuel around and created more damage.
There was a lot more information shared but I can't possibly write it all out! We ended the night with a demonstration on using a fire extinguisher.
The department has a new toy, and the Assistant Fire Marshall was anxious to show it to us. They have an actual 5lb fire extinguisher fitted with a laser, (much like the police department has for training) and a screen that can show different levels of fires. When the laser on the extinguisher is aimed at the screen, it will put out the fire that shows on the screen. He asked the four of us if we wanted to try it out. All three men said no. He looked right at me and said, "Come on! You got to try it!" So, shy me went up front and held the fire extinguisher. He "started a fire" on the screen, and I had to pull the pin, grab the hose on the extinguisher and walk toward the "fire" using the laser to put out the fire. I have never had to use a fire extinguisher, but now I kind of know what it feels like! This fire department "toy" even makes the sound of an extinguisher!
Next Thursday is Elaina's birthday, so I will miss that week. That will be another Police Department week. I hope to go back on May third, which will be another Fire Department week. Then there's only one more after that.
I may have said it before but if your city has a program like this, I highly recommend going!
**Police and Firemen hate speed bumps (especially Firemen who say speed bumps wreck the suspension on fire trucks)
**Officer D. S. says Jacksonville will never have red light cameras. They cause more accidents than they're worth! Yay!
**The police officers appreciate the cameras on their cars. They don't want to have body cameras. They realize they can be helpful in some situations, but they don't want the responsibility of knowing when to turn a body camera on, and when not to. Do you turn the body camera on when you arrive to a scene? Will you remember to turn it off if not necessary? (Imagine someone getting CPR and are half naked because of it. And, if they forget to turn the camera off if they use the bathroom, well.... All that "data" has to be stored for at least 30 days, and storage becomes very expensive. He said the City of Charlotte paid out millions of dollars on storage of camera data)
April 19th
Tonight was the Fire Department's night to share with us. There was just four of us again, but a different four than last week. Tonight was three men. and Me.
The Assistant Fire Marshall showed us a Power Point that showed us the hierarchy of leadership within the Fire Department. I didn't understand this before, but the Police Chief is the Director of the entire Public Safety Department of the city, with the Fire Chief and others below that.
He told us that the city of Jacksonville, and Camp Lejeune have a mutual agreement when it comes to fires (also with the police, but I forgot to write that before) Camp Lejeune fire personnel will act when needed outside Camp Lejeune, and vice versa.
He talked about Fire Prevention, fire statistics for Jacksonville, when and where the most fires happen and why. (Cooking is the most common cause of fires!) He gave us a little lesson on finding the cause of a fire. He showed us photos he had of fires he has investigated and explained what they look for to determine where a fire started and the cause.
My apartment has fire sprinklers, so I asked him if they had to be tested or examined periodically. He assured me that they are required to be inspected once a year and that the Fire Department will check to see that it's been done. One of the men in our group is a former Marine and told us he was at the Pentagon on 9/11 and brought up how fire sprinklers don't do anything in certain types of fires, for instance an explosion or impact like on 9/11. The sprinklers failed due to the impact, but the water from them just spread the jet fuel around and created more damage.
There was a lot more information shared but I can't possibly write it all out! We ended the night with a demonstration on using a fire extinguisher.
The department has a new toy, and the Assistant Fire Marshall was anxious to show it to us. They have an actual 5lb fire extinguisher fitted with a laser, (much like the police department has for training) and a screen that can show different levels of fires. When the laser on the extinguisher is aimed at the screen, it will put out the fire that shows on the screen. He asked the four of us if we wanted to try it out. All three men said no. He looked right at me and said, "Come on! You got to try it!" So, shy me went up front and held the fire extinguisher. He "started a fire" on the screen, and I had to pull the pin, grab the hose on the extinguisher and walk toward the "fire" using the laser to put out the fire. I have never had to use a fire extinguisher, but now I kind of know what it feels like! This fire department "toy" even makes the sound of an extinguisher!
Next Thursday is Elaina's birthday, so I will miss that week. That will be another Police Department week. I hope to go back on May third, which will be another Fire Department week. Then there's only one more after that.
I may have said it before but if your city has a program like this, I highly recommend going!
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Jacksonville Public Safety Citizens Academy
I was accepted to participate in the Jacksonville Public Safety Citizens Academy and tonight was my first night. This class lasts for 6 weeks, from 5:30 until 7 pm each Thursday. I will probably write a little about each night as a reminder to myself of what I'm learning. The Jacksonville Public Safety building houses both the police department and the fire department offices, along with traffic and communications.
April 5th
There's only 8 of us here for the class. We were introduced to the program by the chief of police, a police sergeant, and the assistant Fire Chief. We were taken to the traffic department first where we saw all the traffic cameras on the major intersections around the city and how they control traffic problems that come up. This was an entire huge wall of live video. Amazing to see your city from this perspective. We were reminded that these cameras are not used for law enforcement purposes, but only to help traffic flow.
We heard from the communications director about the 911 system and the new technology coming in the next year or so. Some phone carriers are using text 911, but many are not using it yet. Eventually skype to 911 will be available. In the near future land lines will be obsolete as systems improve.
Fire Station One is connected to the public safety building, so we were shown around the living quarters and kitchen area for the firefighters. It was fascinating to hear that they have a device on the front of each truck that can start the light cycle changing before they get to a light, so that they can have green as they get closer to the intersection. Not foolproof of course, but definitely helpful. Fire departments have to be certified and have to comply with certain response times to be certified, and this system helps them stay in compliance.
April 12th
Only 4 of us tonight. Tonight we were taken to a training "studio" where a computer program called "Prism" is used as a training simulator. They have laser equipment (9mm gun fitted with laser) to give them the opportunity to face real life scenarios and practice what their actions should be. The trainer runs the scenario on the full screen and the trainee reacts to the individual scenes as he/she is trained using the laser equipment. The program has approximately 4000 different scenarios that can be used. Tonight we saw
1. Active shooter in a hallway, with bodies on the ground. The officer has to act according to what he is seeing and within a few seconds. In this case the officer kills the shooter who is aiming at him with a rifle.
2. Officer is checking business doors to check for security and finds someone in the building who doesn't belong there. The man moves forward toward the officer with a knife in his hand and the officer has to react to protect himself by stopping the offender.
3. A couple arguing at a picnic table in the park. The woman is swinging a baseball bat around. When she is told to put the bat down, she turns around and is hugely pregnant. He kind of left us hanging on that one, saying no one wants to shoot a pregnant woman. Talking down a situation is an art and they need the "gift of gab."
4. An officer doing a welfare check on a woman in her home. The officer has no idea who is in the house or if there is a danger. The woman pulls out a knife to kill herself and the officer has to talk her down and still check the house for other danger.
In each situation, the trainer is able to tell the trainee how long it takes them to react (within split seconds) and exactly where their bullet hit to take down the bad guy. The Sergeant who is with us each night takes the time to answer all of our questions. In each case where the officer's or other lives are in danger, they shoot to kill. I asked that question: Is it always shoot to kill? The Sergeant's answer was, If I need to stop the danger to myself and others, I will do what I know will stop them. Shooting an arm or a leg or shooting the weapon out of their hand is no guarantee that they will be stopped. There's your answer.
Here's a link to a Youtube video of a similar product:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCY93NBKpHU
The sergeant told us that police like law abiding citizens that have concealed carry permits (which we do in this state). He explained how this can be a way of protecting yourself and family (self-defense) but also explained how it should not be used. I asked for clarification on that because at first they were describing using your gun and causing a problem. So, why have concealed carry? For example, if you're in Walmart and there's an active shooter, you do what you need to do to get you and your family to safety. If you have to defend yourself in that process, so be it. BUT, after getting your family to safety, Don't go back in with your gun drawn. Then you become part of the problem, when law enforcement gets there and don't know who is who.
http://www.ncdoj.gov/getdoc/19be6294-bfbf-4875-bbef-ac2ebb6f47b2/2-6-3-6-3-Concealed-Weapon-Reciprocity.aspx
It was a very enlightening night. I had a respect and admiration for police officers before this, but it has grown immensely.
Well, that's just the first two weeks. Other nights will concentrate on the Fire Department as well. As I'm still a new North Carolinian, I have questions about Volunteer Fire Departments!
April 5th
There's only 8 of us here for the class. We were introduced to the program by the chief of police, a police sergeant, and the assistant Fire Chief. We were taken to the traffic department first where we saw all the traffic cameras on the major intersections around the city and how they control traffic problems that come up. This was an entire huge wall of live video. Amazing to see your city from this perspective. We were reminded that these cameras are not used for law enforcement purposes, but only to help traffic flow.
We heard from the communications director about the 911 system and the new technology coming in the next year or so. Some phone carriers are using text 911, but many are not using it yet. Eventually skype to 911 will be available. In the near future land lines will be obsolete as systems improve.
Fire Station One is connected to the public safety building, so we were shown around the living quarters and kitchen area for the firefighters. It was fascinating to hear that they have a device on the front of each truck that can start the light cycle changing before they get to a light, so that they can have green as they get closer to the intersection. Not foolproof of course, but definitely helpful. Fire departments have to be certified and have to comply with certain response times to be certified, and this system helps them stay in compliance.
April 12th
Only 4 of us tonight. Tonight we were taken to a training "studio" where a computer program called "Prism" is used as a training simulator. They have laser equipment (9mm gun fitted with laser) to give them the opportunity to face real life scenarios and practice what their actions should be. The trainer runs the scenario on the full screen and the trainee reacts to the individual scenes as he/she is trained using the laser equipment. The program has approximately 4000 different scenarios that can be used. Tonight we saw
1. Active shooter in a hallway, with bodies on the ground. The officer has to act according to what he is seeing and within a few seconds. In this case the officer kills the shooter who is aiming at him with a rifle.
2. Officer is checking business doors to check for security and finds someone in the building who doesn't belong there. The man moves forward toward the officer with a knife in his hand and the officer has to react to protect himself by stopping the offender.
3. A couple arguing at a picnic table in the park. The woman is swinging a baseball bat around. When she is told to put the bat down, she turns around and is hugely pregnant. He kind of left us hanging on that one, saying no one wants to shoot a pregnant woman. Talking down a situation is an art and they need the "gift of gab."
4. An officer doing a welfare check on a woman in her home. The officer has no idea who is in the house or if there is a danger. The woman pulls out a knife to kill herself and the officer has to talk her down and still check the house for other danger.
In each situation, the trainer is able to tell the trainee how long it takes them to react (within split seconds) and exactly where their bullet hit to take down the bad guy. The Sergeant who is with us each night takes the time to answer all of our questions. In each case where the officer's or other lives are in danger, they shoot to kill. I asked that question: Is it always shoot to kill? The Sergeant's answer was, If I need to stop the danger to myself and others, I will do what I know will stop them. Shooting an arm or a leg or shooting the weapon out of their hand is no guarantee that they will be stopped. There's your answer.
Here's a link to a Youtube video of a similar product:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCY93NBKpHU
The sergeant told us that police like law abiding citizens that have concealed carry permits (which we do in this state). He explained how this can be a way of protecting yourself and family (self-defense) but also explained how it should not be used. I asked for clarification on that because at first they were describing using your gun and causing a problem. So, why have concealed carry? For example, if you're in Walmart and there's an active shooter, you do what you need to do to get you and your family to safety. If you have to defend yourself in that process, so be it. BUT, after getting your family to safety, Don't go back in with your gun drawn. Then you become part of the problem, when law enforcement gets there and don't know who is who.
http://www.ncdoj.gov/getdoc/19be6294-bfbf-4875-bbef-ac2ebb6f47b2/2-6-3-6-3-Concealed-Weapon-Reciprocity.aspx
It was a very enlightening night. I had a respect and admiration for police officers before this, but it has grown immensely.
Well, that's just the first two weeks. Other nights will concentrate on the Fire Department as well. As I'm still a new North Carolinian, I have questions about Volunteer Fire Departments!
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Relief and Appointment and Retirement
Yesterday I went to an event at New River Air Station that Elaina invited me to. I've been to the squadron hanger before, and met some of "her" Marines but this time was different. This event was called Relief and Appointment and Retirement.
Chairs were set up at one end of the hanger for family members, guests and the Marines of the squadron. A CH53 helicoptor was parked in the middle of the open hanger door, looking like a giant metal grasshopper.
Elaina's SgtMaj for the past 18 months retired after 25 years in the Marine Corps. and was relinquishing his duty to his replacement. The Marine Corps makes a big deal out of this kind of thing. There was an impressive display of Marine Corps traditions, (They have a tradition for everything) the Second Marine Aircraft band played and speeches by current CO, and former CO of the retiring SgtMaj acknowledging his 25 years of selfless service and dedication to the country and the Marine Corps. Happy to say this retiring, dedicated Marine began his speech by thanking his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, saying none of "this would be possible without Him." He thanked the Marines, and his family for their sacrifice.
The band played the National Anthem, Marine Corps Hymn and Anchors Away.
The hour long ceremony was quite impressive and I feel honored to have been able to be there. Brings out extra patriotism at an event like this. As they say in the Marine Corps, "Fair Winds and Following Seas..." SgtMaj.
Chairs were set up at one end of the hanger for family members, guests and the Marines of the squadron. A CH53 helicoptor was parked in the middle of the open hanger door, looking like a giant metal grasshopper.
Elaina's SgtMaj for the past 18 months retired after 25 years in the Marine Corps. and was relinquishing his duty to his replacement. The Marine Corps makes a big deal out of this kind of thing. There was an impressive display of Marine Corps traditions, (They have a tradition for everything) the Second Marine Aircraft band played and speeches by current CO, and former CO of the retiring SgtMaj acknowledging his 25 years of selfless service and dedication to the country and the Marine Corps. Happy to say this retiring, dedicated Marine began his speech by thanking his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, saying none of "this would be possible without Him." He thanked the Marines, and his family for their sacrifice.
The incoming SgtMaj gave a short speech as well and just as impressive. She is going to be a force to reckon with, I'm sure. Tiny but mighty, I think.
The hour long ceremony was quite impressive and I feel honored to have been able to be there. Brings out extra patriotism at an event like this. As they say in the Marine Corps, "Fair Winds and Following Seas..." SgtMaj.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
The Year We Really had SNOW!
As most of you know by now, we had a real snow storm this year! Last year we had a dusting of snow, but this year we had 3-4 inches in my part of the area. Other towns around us had as much as 7 inches this year.
Eastern North Carolina was basically "closed" over this time, mainly because we just aren't prepared for this kind of snow coverage. The temperatures stayed below freezing for days on end, so the snow had no where to go and just became ice on the roadways. Snow plows were able to work on the main roads, but, Eastern North Carolina is made up of lots and lots of side roads and country roads that didn't get plowed. The Onslow County Sheriffs and Jacksonville Police were kept very busy with accidents all over the area due to icy conditions. Businesses were closed, schools were closed. The Marine bases were closed except for those who were necessary. Even after the snow started melting in morning sun, the temps went back below freezing during the day.
The local news stations ran photos and videos of people enjoying the snow by sledding and building snowmen/women. In some cases kayaks were used for sledding since sleds were hard to come by around here. Where there's a will, there's a way! Kids were having a ball, and parents moaning about another day of no school!
Here's a few photos I took around my apartment building and my balcony. I was seriously starting to feel cabin fever!
Eastern North Carolina was basically "closed" over this time, mainly because we just aren't prepared for this kind of snow coverage. The temperatures stayed below freezing for days on end, so the snow had no where to go and just became ice on the roadways. Snow plows were able to work on the main roads, but, Eastern North Carolina is made up of lots and lots of side roads and country roads that didn't get plowed. The Onslow County Sheriffs and Jacksonville Police were kept very busy with accidents all over the area due to icy conditions. Businesses were closed, schools were closed. The Marine bases were closed except for those who were necessary. Even after the snow started melting in morning sun, the temps went back below freezing during the day.
The local news stations ran photos and videos of people enjoying the snow by sledding and building snowmen/women. In some cases kayaks were used for sledding since sleds were hard to come by around here. Where there's a will, there's a way! Kids were having a ball, and parents moaning about another day of no school!
Here's a few photos I took around my apartment building and my balcony. I was seriously starting to feel cabin fever!
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| On my balcony. I don't have any plants out there yet. I guess it's a good thing. |
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| Two stray black cats wandered all over for days. Can't believe they are still alive. |
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| Front of the apartment building |
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| Looking out from front door of lobby to driveway |
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| Empty field and street across from my buildiing |
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| My little Honda freezing day 3 or 4. I went out to start it and it started right up. |
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| Apt. Building "backyard" gazebo and garden area |
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| The pretty sky and loblolly pines, my first day out to walk.
It's been an interesting winter for this former So. California girl. I hope you all have a safe and happy rest of winter.
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Monday, December 18, 2017
Longbourne Apartments
My new apartment home is in a building for seniors, 55 and older.
The Longbourne Apartments are part of East Carolina Community
Development, a Non-profit association. There are only 44 units in this building. We have a community garden (weeds at this
time of year), with a barbecue, community room, exercise equipment and I
noticed today there is a shuffleboard court. To get into the building, you have to enter a code, which helps me feel very safe here.
Everyone I have met, has told me the same thing, “We’re like
family here, and we look out for each other.” They have made me feel welcome.
I’m finding out just how much like a family, it is. The manager is very nice and her own mother had been living
here and recently moved to another senior apartment in a nearby town.
Late last week we were all asked to meet in the community room
because Terri, (manager) wanted everyone to know her mom has just been hospitalized with leukemia. Everyone was very sad to hear the news. They all miss her and are sorry that
she moved. There were many tears all
around the room with everyone helping Terri get through her announcement. Prognosis is not good by the way.
I know I’ve written this before, but there are a lot of
Christians here in this area and prayer and comments about “The Lord” are
common anywhere you go. (Elaina: Mom, this is the South!) This morning in
the meeting, prayer broke out loud and
clear for Terri’s mom, thanks to the black ladies in the group of
residents. If you’ve never sat through a prayer meeting, or church time with gospel-loving black people, it’s an experience you should have at least once. Everyone else was praying too, and
encouraging Terri through her tears.
Being the new person, I’m still
getting to know people but I have been made to feel very welcome. I met my next door neighbor this morning; a man named Ulysses. He told me to come over sometime for a glass of wine! (I know my sisters and my kids will want to get lot of teasing mileage out of that! Don't do it!)
I’m probably better off health-wise than 75
percent of the residents. Hope that fact continues!
Little did I know, when I applied here that this would be
the kind of home for me that it is. I
asked the Lord to provide me a home where I can be content for as long as I
need to. I think I’ve found it!
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
December 13,2017
I haven’t written a blog post
in a long time. I was getting ready to
move into my apartment. Packing up my
bedroom for the third time in two years was hard! Most of my household stuff was already packed
and in the garage since my move from California. I had been through some of my boxes in the
garage and taken a bunch of stuff to a thrift store, but there was still a LOT
of stuff. My household had been in
storage since about 2006, but I had also accumulated MORE stuff during my years
living at my mom’s house.
November 13, 2017, I paid
rent and got my key to my apartment, which I had never even seen before. I had seen a similar one, but not THIS
one. Elaina and I packed both of our cars
and took what we could to the apartment.
The management has a nice big flatbed dolly that we used to load
up. The best part? There’s an elevator to the second floor,
where my apartment is. The flatbed
dolly, just fits in there with two people!
On November 18, I had three
Marines, (two male and one female) and the families of two of them load up a
U-Haul and their pickup trucks with all my stuff and take it to the
apartment. They were done in two and
half hours! These Marines and families
are friends of my daughter, or actually in her squadron. The deal was that I would pay them each $50
for their help, but all three turned it down!
They love their Family Readiness Officer (Elaina) and just wanted to
help.
You should have seen this
tiny apartment with 50 boxes of household items sitting in the middle of the
room with furniture all around the edges.
It took me over a week, but I went through each box one at a time and
pulled out more stuff to give to a ministry
called Philippians Place and put things away in the apartment. I think I am
pretty well settled and feeling very content.
This apartment community is a great place and I am in awe of what
God is doing with me, and my new home. I will have a second post soon explaining why this is such a neat place for me to live.
Monday, October 2, 2017
You Know You Live in a Military Town When....
We live in Jacksonville, home of Camp Lejeune, New River Air Station, and Camp Johnson.
We live in a subdivision called Sterling Farms. The homeowners and renters of Sterling Farms have a private Facebook group that we are members of. (All the street names of Sterling Farms have to do with gems, or precious metals, like Emerald Ridge, Silver Hills, Turquoise, Opal, Moonstone, etc. )
Now, believe me, not everything that happens on the Facebook page is positive, because people are people. However, last week a homeowner posted a request that she was a little afraid to ask, but did anyway. She and her Marine husband have a baby boy. Dad will be going away from home soon and was feeling bad that he won't be here for his son's first Halloween Trick or Treating.
She asked if anyone would be willing to let him and their son come "Trick or Treating" early, so he could experience it with his son. So many people agreed to have them come to their house, that the wife gave out white balloons to put on our mailboxes to show that we were participating and they could find us. We were excited to participate in this sweet idea for a new Marine dad.
It was planned to happen between 5-7 p.m. on Saturday and when they hadn't come by at 7, we were disappointed, thinking they weren't coming, but our doorbell rang closer to 7:30 and there they were: Mom, Dad, and little 9 month old baby boy in his pumpkin costume! Elaina tossed candy in their bag and we chatted a few minutes before they headed for home. So glad we didn't miss them!
Sweet little family so grateful for a neighborhood that agreed to let them come out. They told me they gave up on pushing the stroller around because so many people wanted to participate, that they had to get in their car and drive to the streets where people had agreed to participate.
Such a small thing, but these new parents have a memory to add to their baby's baby book! We would do it again or anything similar if asked.
It doesn't take much to do something nice for someone else, whether you know them or not!
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