Yes, Sid went to school today, the first time since Gustav reared his ugly head; no, he isn't going tomorrow--schools are closed because IKE is now rearing his ugly head.  Although the storm is not supposed to strike near us, we will still be feeling the winds around here.  As you can see from the map above, we will be just out of the cone of warnings.  (We are located right near the area where the "foot" of the "boot" of Louisiana begins, just to the right and slightly below the name of our state.) 

It appears that TX will get the brunt of this one, but several areas along the Louisiana coast have been evacuated--AGAIN!  Once more, we have to keep all of these folks in our prayers, and we include in our prayers a request that we have minimal contact with Ike!  One such hurricane in a season is plenty enough for us, believe me!

A fellow high school classmate of mine went to her daughter's home in St. Louis to ride out Gustav.  Along for the ride (and for safety, too, I'm sure) was her 100-year-old Mom.  Boy!  What a trip that must have been for her!  Everyone returned home safely, though, and that's all that really counts at this point.  Our 50th class reunion brought several of us back into regular contact, and I am really enjoying "talking" with these old friends again.

Noting the change in the storm's direction, I spoke with our daughters today just to see how things were going out there.  They indicated that the winds had really picked up; in fact, Jess was on her way back from work because the power went out--AGAIN--and she commented on how strong the winds were and how they were affecting her driving.  Of course, I could only tell them all the keep an eye on things and to be careful, as I would tell all of our children in the hurricane's path.

Sid went to the gas station to fill our cans with gas, just in case we need to use our generator again.  It's sad to say that some people will raise their prices just as people are in need, and unfortunately, that has happened at a couple of places here in town.  And then, you have places like the hospital (and others whose names I don't know) who provided FREE meals to those in need.  The Baptist church in town has been providing food for the utility workers and, I believe, the National Guard.  They asked for donations during our Mass on Saturday, and we immediately brought items that were mentioned, as did many other people in town.  We are so appreciative of the work these people have done during this time.  They were--and are--terrific!

Since Mom's procedure was postponed (it was supposed to be today), I am now looking forward to my trip to Lockport next week.  Hopefully, all this hurricane stuff will be over by then and Mom's procedure can be handled as scheduled.  This is not a life/death situation, but I know Mom will feel better once those blockages are cleared and the circulation in her legs returns to a place closer to normal.  Her legs will never be "normal" again, but at least this way she can have some decrease in the pain she suffers almost constantly.

No big news tonight--oh, yeah--I guess the hurricane changing directions, even though slightly, could be considered big news to a lot of folks here in Louisiana.  But, you know what I mean!

Have a great evening; keep an eye on the storm wherever you are, and keep us and those Texans in your prayers.

"God answers all our prayers.  Sometimes the answer is YES; sometimes the answer is NO; sometimes the answer is, you've got to be kidding!"

                                                                    --Jimmy Carter

NOTE:  Maybe this is one of those "you've got to be kidding" times, when God says to Himself:  'Don't those people know that I am in charge, that I will take care of them, that I love them always?  Don't they know that I am there for them at all times, even during hurricanes?'  God knows what we need, when we need it.  He provides for us always.  This is one of those times when the hurricane is the "rope" in our lives; if you feel you have reached the end of that rope, simply tie a knot and hang on--HE will make sure the knot holds or that HE is there to catch us when we fall.  So, tie that knot securely and hold on for dear life!