day after Ida report...

Just thought I'd report what we've heard by text and phone before, during, and after Hurricane Ida from family and friends there. 

First of all, everyone is OK... power is out for everyone pretty much unless you have a generator. 

And the levees held! (so far anyway... not sure the danger is past, but officials seem confident) 

Lots of down trees and powerlines... debris everywhere. Some flooding in Lakeview (my old and stomping grounds - but our house went with Katrina) and other areas. 

I listened to New Orleans City Officials talk on WWL News.

They're asking people to stay in their homes until the streets can be cleared and service vehicles can get to where needed.

They're also asking people who evacuated to stay away for the time being as 911 services are down and hospitals are already full with Covid patients. 

Oxygen tank swaps could be done at Fire Stations.

Since 911 was down, go to Fire Stations or flag down police if needed.

Check on your neighbors.

And they gave some websites that might be needed. 

One was damage.la.gov - for any pics you might want to send to help the city see damaged areas.

Another was ready.nola.gov - for helping N.O. restore itself.

I tried to keep in touch with family during the storm by text. But after the power went out, I knew they had to conserve the battery on their phones. 

The news we were watching reported that the roof blew off Metairie Towers, a condo building where a dear friend of mine lives. This scared me as we had been texting earlier and I couldn't get any response for a few hours. Finally she texted me that she was OK.

Cousins in N.O. and Slidell are OK... power down, some flooding, but OK.  I will check to see if others check in on Facebook.

DH's family in Baton Rouge have lost power, but have a generator.

Haven't heard from family in Madisonville. Madisonville and Mandeville had flooding due to Hurricane Ida pushing Lake Pontchartrain north onto their shores.

Anyway, just sharing what I know at the moment...  and we continue to watch WWL New Orleans news to stay updated.

I imagine with the power out, people are going to get hot in their homes pretty quick. That's another worry. New Orleans is known for it's heat and humidity... 

Hope this isn't TMI... may not be of interest to all, but it's been a nerve wracking 24 hours here. 

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

*If you have more info and want to share, please do...*

Had to share this...

Just had to share this poster...  

It's Friday morning and I'm preparing to go to the Eye Doctor. I have noticed lately that I have 'floaters' in my left eye. They generally do not bother me, but lately I find they are interfering with my reading.

Now from what I gather, floaters are common, and are generally not a problem. But I have also read that they could be a precursor to problems. So I thought it best to check it out.

Will continue this after I return from my appointment.

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After taking a picture of my retina to be sure that it wasn't affected, I was told it looked like a floater... and that my brain would most likely get used to it and I wouldn't notice it as much after a while.

I hope so as it is a nuisance more than anything.... another inconvenience that I will add to growing older (although it's not necessarily an age thing as I was told people of all ages get them). The doctor also mentioned that they could be caused by dry eye - so using Systane drops might be something I should try - and I will.

Anyway, I was happy to hear that it wasn't the beginning of a detached retina or macular degeneration. 

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Now next on the agenda - Hurricane Ida. I have been in communication with family in New Orleans about Hurricane Ida - which has the possibility of being a Category 4 hurricane when it comes on shore (it never ends, does it?) sometime Sunday.

I know people in Louisiana can handle hurricanes.  We grew up with them. Schools let kids off, houses are boarded up, people have hurricane parties... and clean up after.  We weren't afraid of them. At least that was how it was for me growing up in New Orleans. 

But Katrina changed all that. With the pumps failing and burst levees, people drowned in their homes. Something that we thought would never happen, happened. Changed my whole mindset.

Now I worry about family and friends when the hurricanes come. Will they evacuate? No, they don't plan to... and we never did... and I understand that. But still, it's a worry.  There could be a lot of rain and N.O. can't handle too much rain. Streets flood easily. 

And it seems so unfair to have a hurricane during a pandemic. I know that sounds silly and unrealistic to say, but it's how I feel. Is it the news media making the world smaller that it seems like there's just one catastrophe after another (fires, floods, buildings collapsing, earthquakes, political upheavals, etc.). Isn't the pandemic itself enough to deal with? 

That's my thoughts for today... not necessarily uplifting, but I have high hopes that things will get better.  (Remember that song he had high hopes... oops! there goes another rubber tree plant!) 

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

Getting through the day...

OK, I don't know about you, but I find myself switching from one project to another during the day - occasionally stopping to wash dishes or sweep/mop floors (that is, when my back co-operates). 

But at the moment,  I'm sewing face masks again.  More people seem to want them, so I might as well have a few made and ready for use. While I'm at it and have so little to post about, I think I'll just add a few pics of what my 'craft' room (really my front living room) looks like. 

crazy pandemic quilt (folded in half)

making masks again

quilt projects on rocker

sewing area

pics on sewing machine

And that's just the sewing areas.  There's also this... to the right of my sewing machine.

where I dabble with sketching and watercolor

 

and over on the shelves, I have pottery still awaiting firing...

(obviously this is a very 'multi-purpose' room)

flat Cheeky Chickens supposedly dusting themselves

Cheeky Chickens/few others in various stages of firing

salt box on left still needs firing



Updates: 

My back is doing better. Walking without difficulty, but sitting down and getting up still a little tricky.

And the feral cats out back are getting more accustomed to the 2 cat trees on the back porch. We saw 2 of them playing on them recently and one that has decided it's his favorite place. Even one of the kittens was climbing around on one yesterday.  I'll try to get some pics...

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Outside of that, life goes on... our 'new normal' is becoming 'the norm'. We don't go out to eat at restaurants as was the plan for this summer - not since the Delta variant continues to show it's ugly face. But we do 'do take-out' (which we hadn't done previously due to our mistrust of how people behind the scenes handle the food). We do continue to wear our masks, wash our hands, etc. and worry about family and friends that are not vaccinated a bit more now with the hospitals filling up with more unvaccinated - and at younger ages.

I read someone's post on Facebook the other day about how the schools don't allow peanut butter on school grounds because it could cause serious problems for even one allergic child - yet people are in conflict over requiring masks for kids/adults in school - even though only a small percentage could get sick and die from contracting the virus. Where is the logic here? If even one child/adult could be saved by simply wearing a mask, why wouldn't they require it? (Again... it's just how I look at it. I realize some don't see it like this) 

Going to close now. Wishing all of you a nice Sunday and hopefully a good week ahead. I suggest we all pray for our world - and if you don't like the word pray, then think good thoughts for as I've said before, I do believe that thoughts and prayers are powerful - more powerful than people realize. 

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

a little bit of this and that...

 Oldest Granddaughter's college room:

Now do you remember your college room? Believe me, back in 1964, my dorm room at LSUBR did not look like this. Mine was actually already furnished with old worn out twin beds and possibly a desk that had seen better days. And we weren't allowed to bring any type of electrical appliances  (like microwaves or refrigerators) into our room. There was an ironing room down the hall that had a hot plate... but that was it.  And still... I loved it! 

We also had all sorts of restrictions. Had to be back in the dorm by 10:00 pm (and the dorm mother was waiting to check you in). No boys inside your room (they were allowed to come into the dorm sitting room). No off campus visiting allowed. No beer or alcoholic beverages allowed on campus. No slacks allowed for women (although since I was an Animal Science Major I had an exemption). And despite it all, I still loved it!

Nowadays I'm not sure there are any restrictions. But times change. And one of the reasons my granddaughter has such a fabulous room is that her mother has an Interior Design degree... and all she has to do is tell her mom what she is thinking about... and my daughter loves pulling it all together. That is a plus!

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New news here:

My spinal arthritis is acting up again... making walking painful. I really don't think I did anything to hurt it - seems like it just flares up on occasion and my back seizes (from lower back up to my neck). But it hasn't gotten any worse and as long as I can still walk, I'm grateful.

And we did start proofing the sequel to "Time After Time" this week. The new book is called "Life and Theft in Carrick Cove" (unless I change it before publishing).  

Youngest granddaughter is back in school... luckily they are mask mandated (Catholic School). But I still worry for the children. Our Texas Governor, Abbott, is now testing positive for Covid. And of course he still refuses to mask mandate the public schools (although Dallas county and several others are defying his order). So proud of them! Can't imagine how our own governor would not want to protect the children (as well as the teachers). I'm afraid Covid has become a political issue and not the health issue it really is. 

And an issue that lucked out this summer has been the Texas Grid. As worried as we were that the Grid would fail this summer due to this past winter's performance with Ercot, the abundance of rain lately seems to have saved August. Now we only have to see what this winter holds.

I'm not going to go into any discussion about Afghanistan. It's a beyond terrible situation and I really pray for those people. But I'm in no position to say what is right or wrong to do here. Seems like we tried for 20 years to help them take control of their country...  perhaps it's not to be. 

Going to close this with a question. I sew face masks and give them to friends and family. I also use a natural coffee filter inside them for added protection. But... with this new Delta variant, I decided to order some KN95 masks for when we walk in public places (such as the Mall).  And I will say that these fit really well... no gaps and the best thing about them for me is that they don't cause my glasses to fog up! 

This is what I ordered (and yes, they are 'made in China' - which put me off at first, but they are on the FDA approved list.) 

... also ordered some in black

Anyway, I was just wondering what kind of face masks do you wear (if you wear any)?

OK, it's Thursday - TGIF Eve... just made a batch of dark chocolate peanut butter brownies for the boys (not gluten-free so no, I can't have them - but that's OK, I have Dove Bars!).  And yes, I can still function in the kitchen with my back pain. I just move slowly and carefully. Take Care my friends,  and stay safe!

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

New Orleans Red Beans and Rice recipe... and mini cars at mall

 

Promised recipe for New Orleans Red Beans and Rice:

First: Soak kidney beans overnight in refrigerator.

(I use Camillia Red Beans)

Second:  Cook bacon, set aside, and saute bell pepper, and 2 types onion (green and yellow) in bacon grease

 Third:  Chop up bacon

 Fourth:  Chop up sausage

Fifth:  Add  sausage and chopped garlic to pot with sauteed bell pepper and onions

Sixth:  Add bacon and beans to large pot with water to cover and bring to a boil.  Stir well.  

Lastly: Add seasonings (pepper, worcestershire, basil, parsley, and bay leaf)  Once boiling, cover and put in low oven (250).

Cook until beans mash easily... (we heat up on Aga hob for a bit, then let sit in slow oven (250) for rest of day.)

Serve over rice!

Delicious!

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Now... we walked at the mall this week and they had cars on display.

Beautiful expensive cars; Bentley, Austin Martin, Ferrari, Mercedes, Tesla, Lamborghini,  Lincoln Navigator, etc. 

They are gorgeous to see... and had security guards watching. But none of them would interest us since not only are they out of our price range, but even if we could afford them,  I would be afraid to park them anywhere. (Actually the Lincoln Navigator was a bit tempting - and the price was only $100,000 whereas some of the others were over $200,000).

But the neatest thing was that they had copies of the cars done in mini's.... for kids. They looked perfectly drivable - for a 4 year old or younger... so cute... and probably very expensive too. Here are a few pics of the mini's.

So adorable!

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Really hot outside here. Spending our days inside pretty much. I go from blogging to quilting to cooking/baking, a little crocheting, etc. There are enough things of interest to keep me busy. I even occasionally write notes to friends/family... text and email have lessened the opportunity to write notes and letters... but I kind of miss the notes and letters. 

I listened to someone speak on Climate Change the other day. I have to say that it didn't sound good. We may be in for some strange weather and times (possibly stranger than we're going through now with the pandemic). Things seem to happen faster than anticipated. In my opinion (and my opinion only) we need to be prepared as I'm not sure life is going to return to what we used to consider normal.

I'm still doing my gluten-free as well as no coffee or tea for my IC. It seems to be working as I do feel better lately. I don't cheat on the GF anymore and although I really miss my coffee and tea - (can't have it because of the caffeine and acid), but am using chamomile and peppermint tea with a little honey and cream... not as good, but do-able. 

Thanks for visiting... love reading your comments. Hope you are surviving physically and mentally with everything that is going on. Life is still good. Different, but good. Take care of yourself and each other... as St. Theresa says, "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

Recent movies and series, comfy cat, a crazy quilt, and inspirational posters

Lately I've watched several movies and series. ATypical was one of my favorite series as was Anne with an E. The Grand (Hotel) and The Duchess of Duke Street, Detectorists, are also series I've enjoyed.

Justine, Blue Magic, Poms, To the Bone, and the Book of Henry are movies I recently watched. These were OK.  But if you want to know where they stream from, all I can say is that most of them were probably Netflix, but we also get Britbox, Acorn, and another British channel (Prime, Disney, and Hulu are available too - although I seldom use those - actually I've seen most of the Disney ones).

Anyway, like a good book, just thought I'd mention a few movies and series you might want to check out. At the moment we're watching Manifest on Netflix. It's a strange one. A plane leaves an airport for a short flight and arrives 5 1/2 years later. No one on board has aged... and it gets a lot weirder after that. It may well go the way of the Lost series... where I think the writers got lost themselves in the story and eventually just quit. We hung on through this season. Really wonder if they will continue it.

books and movies.... love the scenery in some of the British movies and series...

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Wish I had some wonderful pet or nature pics to share, but alas, I don't. Well, I do have one of a feral cat lying on the cat tree on the back patio. It's isn't a good clear shot, but you can get the gist. He's enjoying lounging there. 

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As most of you know, I tend to make our own facemasks. It's one of the few things I can sew... face masks and quilts. A friend recently asked me if I would make a few for her cousin in New Orleans, and since most of our family and friends have several masks already made by me, I hadn't made any lately. But sure, I could do that. So I made a few more and mailed them out. 

Also started on a hodge-podge quilt since I was back in the sewing mode... and am using up scraps of fabric left over from other projects. It's going to be a weird one... calling it my pandemic quilt.

Here's what I've done so far... (please don't laugh). It may not be beautiful, but it could keep someone warm one day. It's only 39x21 at the moment, but I have a lot more scraps... all sizes of bits and pieces... and eventually I'll add a solid border.

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Can't think of anything more to add.  If and when we ever get to visit our daughter again in the Hill Country, I will get some good nature and critter shots then. And they just remodeled their master bath, so I'm anxious to see that (and them) too. But with this Delta Variant raging, I don't imagine we'll be doing any visiting anywhere any time soon. 

 

I find it best to remember what I like to do... and also to try to be productive and/or creative as much as possible

or creative...

Hope you're having a good weekend. Take care of yourself and each other. Everyone has to do what they think in their heart is right... I truly believe this... and when I'm not sure, I find asking myself if what I'm doing (or not doing) is possibly helping the situation or making it worse.  

I listened to someone talk on Face the Nation this morning (a Crisis Specialist) and she was saying that we need to quit making this an "Us against the Other" situation. We need not to use humiliation. It never works. If it's a matter of trust... then find a doctor or medical/science person we really trust and listen to his/her opinion (on the virus, vaccines, or masks - not on political issues as these really aren't political issues). 

Anyway, this made sense to me.  Thanks for reading. DH is making red beans today (Hurray! My favorite all time dish). Will post the recipe next time if anyone is interested. 

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

at long last...

 

My reading list is back!

(And I've no idea of why or how...)

So... I will spend the next day or so catching up and leaving comments. So sorry to have burdened you all with my woes. I just figured someone out there may know how this happened and what to do about it. 

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Now I could complain about other things that have happened this week... like people sending out the wrong service people to do a job, then setting up another service call for the wrong job a second time, then no one showing up the third time, and finally a service call that started at 6 pm and lasted until 10:30 at night.  But I won't...

or why my blogger won't "left align" today. 

But I won't...

I'm just happy to have both the service call finally done

and my reading list working again.

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Saw this on Facebook this morning... and had to share!

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Hugs,

Rian

Frustrated...

Just want to let everyone out there know that since my reading list no longer works and Blogger doesn't seem to be able to respond or fix it... I may be moving on to another place to blog.  

So, if you no longer see my posts, you will know why.  I have to write, and I would like to be able to read other people's posts (especially those I consider my online friends) ... but if that is no longer an option, I fear I have no choice. If anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear it.

Outside of those comments, I'm going to post 2 pics here. One is my granddaughter getting her red belt in tai quan dao.

and the other is Moose, my daughter's Great Dane enjoying his new bed...

That's it....  pretty frustrated today. 

Hugs, (virtual)

Rian