How can we be bored at this time of much work to do?  I guess I should have said that Randi and I are bored, but certainly not Sid.  We can't do a lot of the work that has to be done, although I did climb on the tractor yesterday to mow a sizable chunk of the front orchard.  Today, Sid finished the front orchard TWICE; yep, after cutting it on high the first time, he went back and mowed it again on a lower setting.  We have enough grass in there to make a nice meal of hay for quite a few cows, believe me!

In addition to mowing, he did manage to pick up more small branches--and a few larger ones--that fell from trees along the boundary between us and our neighbor.  He had to do that before he could finish mowing, and he wanted to get that done before the rains came--and they are expected soon.

Although I am sad to see that Hurricane Ike is heading toward Texas, (a little to the south of the central coast line of TX according to our latest map around 4pm), I have to admit that I am glad we MAY not get this one, too.  We still haven't had power restored to many areas in town, and now, word was passed down that the water is not good for drinking right now.  The National Guard was passing out drinking water at a local fire station, so Randi and I took a ride out there.

They were telling folks to fill out forms to get additional Red Cross aid, but I didn't do that.  Sid and I just feel that we were so blessed that it would be wrong to get aid that we didn't truly need.  There are so many people around us in much greater need, so all we wanted was water--and we received that, and we're grateful to have it, too.

I think just about everyone on our side of the street heading toward the levee has had power restored; however, we still don't have cable, so our news w/re Hurricane Ike comes from the radio (which hasn't had much) and from our computer links to the National Hurricane Center and other such sources.  Sid rigged up an "antenna" that he attached to our small tv in the guest room, made, believe it or not, with the ring from a Mason jar. Of course, we can't get any cable stations, but we do get the local news and a couple of other programs.  It kept us occupied for a while last night.  It actually felt good to be able to watch a little bit of tv, but NOT having it shows us that we actually can live without it.  In all honesty, though, I look forward to having it restored as well.

Tomorrow, I head back to Lockport to bring Mom for her next procedure, scheduled for Thursday.  I checked with the hospital AND with the doctor's office to make sure things were still on "go" for the procedure--and they are.  Naturally, we don't know the exact time she has to be there; nor will we know the actual time she will have the procedure.  I sure hope it's better than last time--what a mess that was!

Bec has finally had power restored to her trailer, too, but as you might imagine, all her cold foods and frozen foods were lost.  In addition, and I don't want you to imagine this, there was a horrific odor in the house, an odor that has diminished but is still noticeable.  That makes it hard to purchase new foods, 'cuz she doesn't want that odor to be absorbed by the new foods.  Hopefully, that will clear up soon.

Ben should be at his basic training camp by now.  I haven't heard from Sandie today, but the last message was that he had arrived in OK and was going to Ft. Sill.  Again, we wish Ben luck in this new phase of his life.

Although I will bring my laptop with me, I may not have time (or I may not be able) to get on the 'net, so if I can't, I'll play "catch up" when I return.  Until then, have a great week!

"Self-sufficiency...has three meanings.  The first is that one should not depend upon others for one's daily bread.  The second is that one should have developed the power to acquire knowledge for oneself.  The third is that a man should be able to rule himself, to control his senses and his thoughts."                                               --Vinoba Bhave

NOTE:  I agree with these definitions; however, during the past few days, I have learned that we sometimes MUST depend upon other's for our daily bread; I've learned that the power to acquire knowledge for oneself also requires that we are willing to teach others what they need in order to survive; and, yes, a man should be able to rule himself, control his senses and his thoughts, but there are often times in which a man cannot do these things because of a dramatic change in his circumstances--as has been the case all along the Louisiana coast these past few days.  Self-sufficiency must allow for change if change is needed--and surely, a dependence on others FOR A TIME does NOT make one less self-sufficient over the long haul.