difference between 2 days and 2 weeks

hi.

sigh.

from the local public library.

again.

soon.

i hope.

sigh.

 

chuckling in my cuff

sharing the chucks {thanks, brenda!}

How many women with PMS does it take to change a light bulb?

Woman's Answer:  One!  ONLY ONE!!!!  And do you know WHY?  Because no one else in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb!  They don't even know that the bulb is BURNED OUT!!  They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out.
And, once they figured it out, they wouldn't be able to find the light bulbs despite the fact that they've been in the SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS!  But if they did, by some miracle of God, actually find them, 2 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged to stand on to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!!!!!  AND UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE LIGHT BULBS CAME IN!!!  BECAUSE NO ONE EVER PICKS UP ANYTHING AROUND HERE OR CARRIES OUT THE GARBAGE!!!!  IT'S A WONDER WE HAVEN'T ALL SUFFOCATED FROM THE PILES OF GARBAGE THAT ARE A FOOT DEEP THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE!!  IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS PLACE!  AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHO CHANGES THE TOILET PAPER ROLL !! 

 

I'm sorry. What was the question?

 

 

and here it is thursday

hello from the local public library, again. sigh.

i called the computer-dude and there was no answer this morning. sigh.

then i met a friend in town for lunch and a chat.  grin.

then i drove to the computer-dude's place of business and they were closed this afternoon.  sigh.

this is getting to be a bit problematic.

so, uhm, "hello" from the library's public computer.

argen fargen.

sigh.

flippin fracken.

from the public library

dudes!  it's been so long, how've ya been; whatcha doin'; what's new; and all that other good stuffs {wink}.

Last week's Monday, MeMom came for a week's visit and it was such a good one, too!  I've not seen her since last November, so we yammered and chatted and got all caught up.  Stellar visit!  She drove back to her home yesterday's Monday, so that's it til next time.

On Tuesday (last week's Tuesday that'd be), we took my computer to have it fixed.  He took it apart while we were there and ewwwwwwwwww the filthy fuzz made me ashamed of my housekeeping skillz {i don't have them}.  He said that actually my computer was one of the cleanest he's ever seen.  So, ya know, take the proud moments where ya can get em!

So the guy said that it'd be ready Thursday.  So I called Thursday and he said that it'd be ready Monday.  So I called Monday and he said uhmm, Thursday...?  So I think I'll just go see him on Thursday.  What makes me a bit nervous is that as time goes by, folks tend to forget where all the tiny pieces go, ya know?

So, "hello" from the local public library {where I hafta wear pants, sigh, that is if i want to return evah agin}.  I hope to return to the journal by the end of the week.  If you've been posting and not getting any comments from me, ya will...my eMail's piled high with alerts.

Hope all's well with all youse guys {grin}.

don't never use no negatives, no?

some folks love my logic and others plead confusion, at any rate, i usually know what i mean to say as well as knowing of what i speak.  which ya know are two very different things.  i wish more folks would say what they mean, and mean what they say, more often.

is that such a difficult thing to ask?

OH! she'll be cominroundthemountain when she comes (when she comes)

MeMom is coming to visit me!  She'll be here Monday, late afternoon, early evening.  She's driving in from the other side of Arkansas, so it's about a solid 8 hour drive without potty breaks, leg stretches, gas refills, and the like.  I'm just so damn excited I'll wear myself out before she even gets here!  I have a few projects that I want to finish before she gets here (or ya know, barring that, before she leaves again).

So I may be scant over the weekend with entries and may not post at all while she is here next week (I don't know how long she will be staying).  I'm alright, just ya know, letting life intervene and take precedence over any self-held obligation to continue writing/thinking in this format.  Between getting ready for her visit, then her visit, and my computer glitches; I may be scantily here (that'd be a sight to see!).

Hope your mid-September is positive, too!

Love, exclusively mine...?

quick!  post the entry before ya lose power!

i noticed that a comment i left {raven, sorry} was posted twice, five minutes apart.  that'd be related to me, my computer flukes, and my dial-up.  oohps.

last night, i boiled a partial packet of angel hair pasta that i found deep in my cupboard of beans.  i mixed in some raw spinach (which slightly wilted from the heat of the pasta), some grape tomatoes, and then poured over it a mixture of sauteed mushrooms and a sliced jalapeno.  it was very good, and i had left-overs so i can enjoy it today too.

i've been reading "Necessary Losses" by Judith Viorst (mentioned that some entries back) which focuses on "the loves, illusions, dependencies, and impossible expectations that all of us have to give up in order to grow".  I can understand most of what I've read, even if some of the Freudian concepts are just a bit too much for me to get behind.  However, this poem by W.H.Auden cut me to the quick:

For the error bred in the bone
Of each woman and each man
Craves what it cannot have,
Not universal love
But to be loved alone.

french heir and lice

We all do this, I'm sure.  Attempt to say two words at one or say something that isn't exactly what ya meant, close but not so.  I've been doing that lots within the past month.  Usually it's pretty funny.

Like when I told the doctor that she looked very lice.  I was saying lovely and nice at the same time and it came out like she had pests.  Not the most wonderful thing to do when she's the psychiatrist.  With a pen in hand.  And your chart open to today's visit.

Earlier today, I was attempting to say that I needed to get some fresh air.  It came out like I'm horny for royalty.  I solemnly noted that I needed to get some french heir.

Spoonerisms and Freudian slips?  Perhaps.  I think in most cases I grab a word that is filed in the same general area in my brain.  Like when I ask for ketchup when I mean mustard.  Or say that I'm trying to find my lock when I mean that I'm trying to find my keys.

I'm rather well known for attempting to speak coherently when I'm still fuzzy-brained with sleep.  Like when I insist that I need my thing to catch the stuff while gesturing stridently.  That incident happened when I was about ten and has provided much amusement for my family over the years.  I fell asleep in front of the TV while a baseball game was on and was awoken rather abruptly so was not quite awake and wanted my glove (which I did not have in reality but did in my dream state).

Sometimes I know that I am having problem accessing the right words, and this makes me more frustrated because I know what I want to say...I just am not linking correctly and am not communicating clearly or effectively.  Other times, a jumbled word will tumble out of me and I'll catch it right away and can easily explain why I said mass instead of mug or glass.  But most of the time, I communicate rather well.

I thow.

no excuses

Last night, I did something I am so not proud of.  And of course, I'm sharing it when instead I could be sitting nice and pretty and keeping my mouth shut.  Well, last night, I should have kept my mouth shut.  sigh.

Instead, I left a score of messages (ok, that is a slight exaggeration, it wasn't twenty; it just feels like it) on my ex-guy's cell phone.  cringe.  I was hateful and hurtful.  I mean, I was completely full of hurt and full of hate and feeling righteous rage; which all overflowed and spewed forth in a very ugly display of all sorts of feelings.

Feelings are fine, but unfortunately, I let loose and acted on those rather toxic feelings.  I'm deeply ashamed and this morning, first thing, I did call and apologize.  I regret having been so low and ugly.

What I said, I meant, yes.  That is still no excuse for having said all that in the first place, especially in the manner which I did so.  My sincere apologies were/are expressed.  I realize tho that that does not excuse the actions I committed.

I'm very sorry for having been so ugly, hateful, hurtful, and low.  'Twasn't my finest hour(s).  I take full responsibility for my actions.

No excuses.

"excellent! let's make some lsd"

Ya just gotta know that any script with that line in it will probably be on the Fringe.

The much taunted new series debuts tonight.  In fact, its first episode is half finished, or half started (depends on your view).  She just entered suspension.

Breathless.

Dawning Darkly

Today dawned darkly.  Remaining overcast throughout the day, the skies sometimes drizzled and sometimes poured down with righteous rage.  I stayed in, rather than venture forth and risk the wrath.

I spent much of the day drinking tea and reading John Lescroart.  I've finished a few of his books but still have two more that I borrowed from our local public library.  I think I may have to renew them as I am not up to speed with my reading.

Last night, I picked up a crochet hook for the first time in over a month and began a new project that was not even on my queue.  It's to be a shawl for the lovely Miss Amazing (I really do call her that and have addressed eMail and regular snail mail since the very beginning in just this way!).  Since she doesn't read my journal (she knows I have one, and I've sent her entries and such, she just doesn't venture forth all that often), and since I know that you guys can keep a secret (shhhhhhhhhhhhh), and since I love giving gifts and get all excited about doing so...I'm spilling the proverbial beans!

  This is the simple shawl and I'm doing it in a soft blue for Miss Amazing.  She is very slight of frame and has dislocated her shoulder awhile back.  It never healed completely and when she gets cold, she tends to tense up, hunching her shoulders and ends up being sore for days.  Something light yet warm would help lots, so that's what I'm doing!

Since I now have a cam again, I'll take pix and post 'em as I go!

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a few thoughts to think on

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us."  {Joseph Campbell  }

All human sin seems so much worse in its consequences than in its intentions.
Reinhold Niebuhr

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr

thankyou, thankew, thakew

Today, I ran a few errands, including picking up my monthly allotment of medications.  When I got home, I looked at the print-outs which lists the retail prices as well as the cost to me.  And o.m.f.g, am I ever glad that my insurance covers most of the retail cost of my meds.  Cuz what I paid thirteen bucks for?

about nine hundred dollars worth of meds.

nine.hundred.dollars

truer words never spoken

Life is an adventure of huge proportions and not for the faint of heart.  {i'm not sure to whom to attribute this.}

just a reminder

”We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”  {albert einstein}

forgives sweet

I Am Not I
{Juan Ramon Jimenez}
I am not I.
I am walking beside me
whom I do not see,
whom at times I manage to visit
and at other times manage to forget.
The one who forgives sweet when I hate,
the one who takes a walk when I am indoors,
the one who remains silent when I talk,
and the one who will remain when I die.

what would you do if you weren't afraid?

If I wasn't scared, I'd be sacred.  It's more than a matter of moving one letter two spaces.  For over a month now, I've felt like I am on the cusp of ... something.  Even when I am not allowing myself to push forth, I'm pushing myself not to be pushing forth.  It's tiring, but I can't seem to stop asserting pressure on myself in one way or the other.

Altho this whole thing with Scott and his betrayal has been extremely painful; I can acknowledge and even appreciate that being freed from the constant need to reassure him, I am able to grow at my own speed instead of holding myself back for fear that I would leave him far behind.  In many ways, I feel like I have been able to unfurl my wings and stretch them; fluttering the fragility, strengthening my own self so that I can take flight.  Part of me does mourn the loss of his presence in my life, but most of me is turning more to a forward focus.

I do hate that this devastation happened, and quite possibly it was necessary that something of this magnitude transpired in order for me to let the safety that stymied my own growth go.  Some days, the pain immobilizes me; most days, I feel raw and new, becoming more and more weathered and cured.  This process is truly a matter of growing pains, some agony may yield sparkling shine.  That is my fervent hope, that this all is not for nothing.

say g'nite debbie
{g'nite}

x.suz.ted

I just dragged my exhausted butt in after spending over eight hours with thirteen children under the age of ten.  I could have sworn there were way more than thirteen kids (is that it?) and am sure that a few times I included other kids in the count from other families, especially when we were eating.  The food disappeared as tho a swarm of locusts had descended upon us.

They were good kids tho.

Now, I am ready for a nap.  Which I almost got a few winks in when the four babies (under the age of four) were zonked out, but then I jerked fully awake when my lil friend "whispered" (this is sorta sotto voce, with lots of spit added on the breathy H's and vowels) to me that she wanted to "pick me up, UP, UUUUUUUUP".  I love her, I do.  But dude, there is not enough lap on me to cradle her just right anymore.

It was fun.  But I'm glad to be home.  Alone.

Now for that nap...

sharing the snicks onct again

Our pastor asked if anyone in the congregation would like to express praise for answered prayers.  A lady in our congregation stood and walked to the podium.  'I have a praise,' she said.  'Two months ago, my husband, Jim, had a terrible bicycle wreck, and his scrotum was completely crushed.  The pain was excruciating, and the doctors didn't know if they could help him.'  You could hear an audible gasp from the men in the congregation as they imagined the pain that poor Jim experienced.  She continued, 'Jim was unable to hold me or the children, and every move caused him terrible pain.  We prayed as the doctors performed a delicate operation.  They were able to piece together the crushed remnants and wrap wire around his scrotum to hold it in.'  Again, the men in the congregation squirmed uncomfortably as they imagined the horrible surgery performed on Jim.  She continued, 'Now, Jim is out of the hospital and the doctors say, with time, his scrotum should recover completely.'  All the men sighed with relief.  Our pastor rose and tentatively asked if anyone else had anything to say.   A man rose and walked to the podium.  'I'm Jim,' he said, 'and I just want to tell my wife, the word is sternum.'

busy girl, bizzzzzzzzzzzzeeee

I've had some really good days of late.  And tomorrow promises to be just as good!  I'll be joining my friend and her children, along with some other homeschooling moms and their kids, at the local wildlife refuge and preservation.  We will be enjoying some presentations and such and then having a picnic and chit-chat and the fun just goes on and on and on and

moving my own damn cheese

The other day, when I was in the library, I skimmed thru Carl Jung's "The Undiscovered Self" {which focuses lots on shadow work, indeed Jung is the godfather of shadow aspects of self}.  Shelved right next to it is "Who Moved My Cheese?!?" by Spencer Johnson {I'm rather fond of Spencer Johnson's writings and if you have the chance to read any one of the One Minute series, I strongly urge you to do so.}.  I've heard of this Cheesy book/story often and have gotten the gist of it over the years, but have not actually read the original.  So I did, right then, right there.

I think I'm more than ready to leave the stale, moldy cheese behind and move on.

ooOH, that hadda hurt

My mother passed on a rather effective put down for the persistent pompous guy attempting to pick ya up:

"I already have one asshole in my pants, why would I want another?"

{thanks, mom!  i'll put it to good use!}

Tales from Tupelo

Today, a dear friend and I had a great visit with lots of laughs and some gasps and some, "no, really?"s, and just catching up on what's what with each other over coffee (decaf, I know, I know, but I want to be able to sleep tonight) and sweet potato fries.  I love getting together with her!  When we do speak on the telephone {I've spoken on the phone more this past month than all five previous years put together, we'll see how long that lasts}, she and I flow easily from one topic to the other for hours.

Today, I was sharing a few funnies with her about my recent ten day stay in the hospital.  In the interest of confidentiality, of course, I've not related very much at all about anything regarding that time period.  But I think that I'm fairly safe with sharing tales like this:

In the common room (sort of set up like a very austere waiting room at a much neglected clinic), we had some odd bugs that resembled a cross between ants and large flies.  There weren't many, but enough that we all noticed them.  Not to worry tho!

A young man was restlessly pacing the room, slapping his palm with a rolled up New Testament.  Every now and then, WHAP!, he'd smack a mystery bug and kill it dead better than Raid.  The funny part?

With each WHAP! of the New Testament, he'd joyously exclaim, "I bible blessed that bug!"

BoomBoom (BangBang)

Hello!  Meet my new webcam!  I went to town and ran errands, paid bills, and stopped by the library for awhile.  I decided to use some of the dollars I'd left after paying ahead on all my bills on the long awaited webcam (walmart eighteen bucks).  So I just took this pic just half hour ago.  *{hello}*

It's incredibly busy and crowded in town right now.  In part cuz we have lots of evacuees sheltered in the area.  In part cuz it always is busy on the third of the month, folks receive their checks then and get all busy cashing them and spending them.  Of course, my mail didn't run til 3p, so schools let out and folks were rushing around from work before they headed home.

So while I spent lots of extra time in the car, I listened to the radio, sang along and in some cases did some seated dances.  Big Head Todd and the Monsters "BoomBoom" (BangBang) was especially appropriate for my mood today!  Cuz they like the way I talk, they like they way I walk; when I talk the talk and walk the walk.

{winks.grins}

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cool, clear calmness

Be Still and know that I am God. –Psalm 46:10

Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear. –Lao Tzu

Ask, and it shall be given you; Seek, and ye shall find; Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. –Matthew 7:7

Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. –Carl Gustav Jung

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." –Buddhist saying

Over at Soulful Living, I found these quotes used appropriately in an article on the everyday miracle of self-discovery and fulfillment.  In conjunction with other materials on and thoughts in which I've been reflecting, the notion of self-led souls living meaningful purposeful lives and being able to attain that has been forming and taking shape for me.  Then, I realized something.

My life is already meaningful.

Even when I feel frantic.  Even when I feel at wit's end.  Even when I am laid low.  My life has purpose and always did, always will.

We cannot live without turbulence.  If so, we'd stagnate.  Knowing this, realizing and believing it; does not make life any easier, smoother, or less painful.

But maybe it does make it more acceptable.

one sweet lil nut

For quite some time, my friend Mary Jo Bramble {my nutella} posting From the Edge of Dementia, has referred to me as "lil nut".  Since various folks refer to me as "sweet girl", "sweetness", and other sweet diminutives; I've combined the lovely labels {sweet lil nut} in a few of the subject lines for severals posts of late.

Earlier, I was thinking that if I were a nut, I'd be a hazelnut/filbert (and yes, that is what the spread, nutella, is made of).  They're small, round, and certainly not perfect.  Their exterior is protective of the inner kernel, but not too tough to crack.  They're sweet and unpretentious.  Delightful, really.

And best of all?  Just the right size to pop in your pocket and take with you thru-out your day.  Whenever you need/want some reassurance, I'm right there, in your pocket...cheering you on.  Being supportive, accepting you, and providing encouragement.

Ya know, being a friend.

midweke {more fun to say than chimichanga}

Happy Hump Day!  Mid-week is oft anticipated as getting over the up hill battles for the week and relief is in sight in the form of the following weekend.  I woke this morning at about 5a and did some laundry and stuff that is best done before the day heats up.

Now, I think I may start John Lescroart's "The First Law".  Yesterday, I finished "The Mercy Rule"; taking longer than usual to read it.  But I was pleased to be able to do so, since a month ago, I wasn't able to read but a hundred or so pages in two weeks.  I just wasn't able to focus on anything for longer than a paragraph or a page.

I may even finish Bernie Siegal's book today.  There is another non-fiction title that I borrowed last Friday from our local public library.  It was recommended by a counselor who works at Tupelo's Behavioral Health Unit, so I feel that it deserves some consideration.  It's Judith Viorst's "Necessary Losses".  A bit dated, however the message is still pertinent.  I had skimmed through it and it does read a little more meatier than Siegal's, and is mired in the thoughts of the day (over twenty years ago).

Psychology is a changing field and while it doesn't negate the entire book, there are some concepts that she steadfastly insists are "true" which are now considered to be one of many perspectives.  Viorst is a bit heavy on the theory of the day (uhm, that day, which was new and exciting then; perhaps slightly less so now).  The overall premise remains applicable, even if the details are less than accurate at this point.  Ya gotta take the crunchy with the smooth and not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

How's that for triteness?

sweet lil nut shares the chucks

A psychiatrist was conducting a group therapy session with four young Mothers and their small children.  'You all have obsessions,' he observed. To the first mother, Mary, he said, 'You are obsessed with eating. You've even named your daughter Candy.'  He turned to the second Mom, Ann, 'Your obsession is with money.  Again, it manifests itself in your child's name, Penny.'  He turned to the third Mom, Joyce, 'Your obsession is alcohol. This too shows itself in your child's name, Brandy.'  At this point, the fourth mother, Kathy, quietly got up, took her little boy by the hand and whispered, 'Come on, Dick, we're leaving. Your brothers Peter and Willy are waiting for us.''

G'morning!

For the past month, generally I've been waking somewhere between 6am and 7:30a.  The odd part of that is that when I wake up, I am not experiencing the fogged fuzzy disconnected disoriented feeling.  Only a few times have I woken in the midst of a panic attack (oh, so not fun).  Mostly, I've been waking with clear mental acuity and fairly peaceful of mind.

I tend to take advantage of that by either journaling (hand-written), reading, thinking, or looking things up online.  Around 10a, I experience a sincere desire to nap for a short time.  In part this is because I am not accustomed to taking meds during the day and for the last two weeks, I've been taking one dose at 8a and another at 2p.  This med is one of my sleepy/night time meds and as a side-effect, it really lays me low.  I probably will get used to it and hopefully the strong urge to nap will abate.  However, it may take some time.  No rush, esp since I am in no need of not napping.  {wink}

This med is to help stabilize some of my panic and anxiety levels.  At night time, I take it with a combination of other meds to help me sleep and such.  If I take no meds, I am cranked and wired and it throws off my whole sleep pattern and before ya know it, I've triggered my own mania and end up scrubbing the faucets with a toothbrush and planning world peace {well, not world peace, so much as inner peace; start at home, dudes!} while recalculating my budget in various scenarios.

All this to say that I'm up, I'm dressed, and I'm feeling positive at the moment.  I hope you are too!  Have a good day and for those starting their weeks today, you're that much closer to Friday.

Grins, Debra

no ifs, ands, nor buts allowed here

By the way, IFS is referred to by the letters (eye, eff, ess) rather than the word as in "no ifs, ands, nor buts".

Well, my yard is completely mowed including the parking area and a few widths along the outside of the fenced-in area.  All the saplings and such that grow up along the exterior siding have been cut back or pulled out altogether.  My landlords have been very busy today!

The leak however didn't jump right out and smack my landlord in the head.  So, I'll just keep an eye on things and see if it does start to drizzle inside.  If so, we may be able to track things better.  Especially if we can see where the water puddles and drains, then we might get some clues of where to start.  At any rate, things look really good and that makes me feel better, too.

{grins}

IFS

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a self-led model of therapy that my current counselor has been using with me with great success.  Sometimes, our sessions are very productive and other times, I cannot focus on deeper issues but may need to voice some things or to only deal with a pressing problem of the moment.  Every interaction with my counselor has been positive for me, whether it is a hard session that leaves me drained for afternoon while I continue to sort thru things or was light with laughter.

The key element that I like best with this approach is that there are no "bad" parts that need to be eliminated.  Ya know how you might feel conflicted about something, thinking (and saying), "well, part of me wants to do this and then there is this other part that wants to do that"?  Well, instead of trying to stomp out an extreme part that you feel is less desirable, IFS encourages you to discover why that part is working so hard, so adamantly insistent.

Usually what happens with me is that the more I try to stifle a feeling or thought that I am having, the more persistent and larger and louder it gets in snagging my attention.  Sort of like a child who feels s/he is being ignored.  So, I've been learning to listen without any other interruptions by other "yeah,but"s and quashers.  In the past two years I have grown more comfortable with myself and am able to be more present and more able to accept and love myself.

When I listen to what I have to say, no matter what the view is, I can often discover what is at the core of that extreme view.  Then, I can reassure myself that maybe I don't need to work so hard to make sure that view is represented.  Cuz generally, I wish no harm on myself (or others).

Most times, I can moderate some extreme view instead of eliminating it.  That way, I feel that I am being healthier be treating my whole person in an authentic and loving fashion.  This process is not something that I can do all the time, and often need some assistance to sort things out.

My counselor is very good and she helps to guide me in this self-led process with compassion, caring, curiosity, acceptance, encouragement, and support.  I know this works for me, as I have seen the huge differences and the slight small shifts in the past two years.  I think that if you look back thru my journal's posts, that you too will see growth, self-knowledge, and maturity over time.

If you feel that your own therapy isn't getting the job done, you might want to consider this approach and see if it feels right for you.  Keep in mind that you do have the right and the ability to change counselors at any time if you feel that you aren't getting what you need.  I know there are all sorts of other considerations, like insurance and availability.  But if at all possible, I urge you to find a practitioner that suits you.  That goes for all services.  Respect yourself enough to get what you need.

I do.

Happy September!!

Today, I'm hoping that my landlord comes up and patches my roof so that it stops leaking cuz dude! we are gonna get hammered tomorrow!  Even if Gustav misses the gulf coast (and I don't see how that's possible), we're gonna get the rain and wind and wrath that surrounds a tropical storm/hurricane.  So, my roof should oughta be leak-free regardless.

The gulf coast covers a rather large area and forms a wide but deep pocket that tends to catch most everything that comes its way.  Even if storms miss New Orleans and the Mississippi gulf coast, there are other states that also share in similar blights.  As far inland as we are, in this area, precautions and preparations have been made by most folks, agencies, organizations, etc.

When I came home Thursday from being away for ten days, one of my area rugs was damp.  Fortunately, it was the one place in my living space that's yarn-free!  If my landlord doesn't venture up this way by noon, I'll give a call down.  This should have been taken care of Thursday so that the roof's patches had plenty of time to dry, but I can understand why it didn't get done then.

Hope everyone has a great holiday and kicks off September with jubilation (or at least safely).