Storms coming

5/2/07 Wednesday
Sleep avoided me last night like a man who owes you money. My typing speed tells me this brain is not operating at optimum. I would place it at a four on the Bob scale. Already been wandering back and forth getting breakfast ready. Went to get my first cup of the coffee I just made and came back with a glass of milk. Lots of that.

There are serious thunderstorms on the way. The television weather said there were golf ball to baseball size hail reported over near Odessa. I think I’ll clear the garage enough to get Cherie’s car in. It has bare minimum insurance. The truck has more though I am clueless if it covers hail damage. Can hear thunder so need to get my clothes on and moving. Wednesday is cleanup day where I shave and take a full “Stand uppy” (that’s what we call them) bath. Be a good day if storms keep me indoors. Took my morning meds and ate. Gotta move.
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It’s almost here now. The weather is saying winds are up to 70 miles an hour. Lots of reports of up to softball size hail. It’s just starting to rain and blow outside. I pulled the cars as far into the garage as I can. Cherie’s car is the most important in my mind despite it is much older and worth much less than the truck. I put a piece of carpet on the exposed part of her rear window and closed the garage door as far down as it will go. Unfortunately this is as far as I can get the truck in. Figure the garage will ward off any hail that may fall. The worst of the storm looks like it will be just south of us. Gee, I think I’ll put off working in the garden for a while. One of the plans we had made when we thought there would be $20,000 cash from the inheritance was to build a car port to protect from just this kind of thing. Oh well, the best laid plans...
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Just came in to put the last of the coffee in my cup. Been setting out on the veranda with my coffee watching the storm and admiring the force of nature. Skittles surprisingly did not go in the garage but after meowing loudly in the hope I would let him in settled in the chair he often sleeps in. When I went out to watch the storm he hopped on my lap where I petted him as things got crazy. Little sucker was damp and now I smell like wet cat. There was a little bit of hail at the start of things, about marble size. I watched as birds sought shelter. One of the barn swallows found a place in this veranda and I saw a few make their way into the garage where there is a gape at the top from the partly closed doors. One poor bird is in the mulberry tree out front and I watched as a wind gust would knock it off it’s perch. It desperately flew against the wind to get back on. The wind was so strong it barely made it back despite furiously flapping it’s wings.

Lots of flooding reports as some places are getting two inches of rain in an hour. Water up to the windshields in some places. "Flash flood" is a term you hear lots here in West Texas and for you folks who read this from other parts of the country and even the world it is an accurate description. The streets out here are often designed to serve as drainage channels during these deluges. You have to be careful driving on them dry cause if you hit them at speed you will bottom out the car and even launch off the ground. With these deluges water comes fast and hard, turning roads into instant rivers and parking lots into lakes. It can sweep a car off the road in a heartbeat and be very dangerous.

Some of the pictures I am watching on TV are incredible. There's a school bus having a problem getting across. They are running a list of the closed roads like they run lists of closed schools up north with the snow storms. There was a semi on the interstate that was blown over. Just heard on the TV that there have been some 80 mile per hour winds. More reports of hail the size of softballs. How mind boggling that is. And not an unheard of thing out here. Hard to imagine. They are showing houses that are flooded and rescue crews are working to get people out of them.

This has just about passed over us from the radar picture they showed. Actually it has slowed down dramatically outside. Think it will be a good time to work on the other blog I wish to start.
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Everything has settled down weather wise. I went into town to get the mail and picked up a hot dog at Sonic for lunch. Cleared up a little during the storm, or at least I think I did. It’s hard to tell when I don’t have to interact with someone. Not real speedy at the moment and have a headache that is increasing. Hard to motivate. Went online to find out how many vehicles travel this part of I-20 on an average day but it will cost ten dollars to get that information from the Texas Department of Transportation. Forget that. If I don’t get better I’ll skip the church dinner. Hate to do it. Tired. Haven’t cleaned up or shaved. Real irritable. The sound of Carman kitty cleaning himself next to me is driving me crazy and I yelled at him and pushed him off the bed. Not good. When I’m running at this emotional level I’ll tell someone to “kiss my ass” at the slightest provocation. Don’t like it but it’s part of the emotional instability that comes with the brain injury. Another reason to not go out because others won’t understand. Maybe I should say that some choose to not understand simply by keeping a distance and not trying. Not a good time for me to write now. Hope this improves by dinner time. Really want to keep the doors open for Cherie’s sake.
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Cherie just called. God it’s good to hear her voice. Just changed my whole mood. Mom is doing well and was able to eat some more of the pureed food. If she keeps that they will be able to take the feeding tube out of her stomach. Cherie and her youngest sister may have found an option for mom and dad. Dad is a combat veteran from the Korean war and there is some grant money available. There are some other things she must deal with but she asked me not to speak of them on this blog. She did want me to thank all of you who have been praying. She is so very grateful. Thanks folks.

Went to the church dinner. I keep thinking it starts at 6:30 and thought I was getting there early at 6:15. They were already in line getting food. It was the same way when I went “early” before so I would be able to talk a bit with pastor Dave. Of course I didn’t quite remember the time so repeated the mistake.

I had already decided not to eat before I went. Just didn’t feel like it and wanted to spend time talking with others instead of eating. I did grab a piece of the German chocolate cake to not seem rude when the guy, who had shown me a piece of finished mesquite a while ago in the Sunday school class, said I should grab some food. I told him I wasn’t hungry which is pretty much the truth all the time. Him and his wife sat next to me. When I went in I didn’t see pastor Dave so sat at a table that was empty. Felt safer that way. Peggy made it a point to sit next to me and we talked, actually she talked and I did more listening. She asked if I remembered a girl back when I had attended First Baptist in 1978. This was after I got out of prison and was waiting till I was allowed to go to the bible college. I don’t remember her at all, not even a glimmer. Peggy had a lot to say and I was glad to hear it, just feel bad that I wasn’t able to absorb everything she said. Just came too fast for me to process it all.

I just remembered the name of the other guy. It is James and I remember because that is the same name of the guy at the Circle Six camp. One of the more open people I’ve met here. His wife is also and they both asked how mom was doing. I explained quite a lot of what she’s facing up there. They are understanding about this and said they will pray. Some other people asked about her also. Darrel said something as I passed by but I didn’t quite hear it so asked him to repeat it. He asked how I was doing I think. This opened a conversation, mostly with his wife, who also asked about Cherie. Can’t really remember much more of the conversation. I did tell Darrel that I would like to sit down and talk with him. Had wanted to set a time and place but never did.

I was getting a little dizzy where closing my eyes made my head spin so didn’t close them when everyone prayed. That and tired on top of thinking about everything Cherie had said when she called earlier so I was not on top of things. Doesn’t matter cause I seldom am anyway. Still tired so should sleep better than last night. Kevin did stop by and joked about how it didn’t look like I got much of the goat crap. I let him know that I would probably be getting more on a regular basis. That was fine with him. Television is crap as usual so will call it a night early. Tomorrow I have to buy something to spray this biological insecticide I bought at Aldredge. It’s a dust. The directions don’t say how to apply it just how much and for what so I’ll have to go ask them. Something chewed up some of the melons that were coming up. The rain and hail did some damage also. Beat it up pretty good. It’s all part of the game. I’ll learn and then learn again till it stays.

Night all.