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Dear Sikik: A Letter From Louisiana To Her Friend in Alaska... by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Friday, September 17, 2004
Rated "G" by the Author.
Louisiana writes her friend in Alaska after Sikik has emailed her. She has been busy cleaning up some minor damage from the after effects of what was once Hurricane Ivan; the Sanduskys suffered some minor flooding in their basment after their sump pump conked out, and she had to clean up the mess.
Friday, the 17th of September, 2004, 1:20 p.m., C.S.T., Post Hurricane Ivan~
Dear Sikik:
Thank you for the lovely letter you wrote; it is good to hear from you again! But right now my mood isn't the best: we are without power (we do have our generator going until the regular power is restored; so we are thankful for THAT!), and I have been busy mopping and cleaning up our basement. Seems that the remnants of what was once Hurricane Ivan decided to come through; we had over six inches of rain, and if that wasn't enough, our sump pump conked out, and I sent my hubby out to get a new one! As soon as that is hooked up, we should have a good working pump! Until then, we have some of the kids emptying the water when the pump gets full so we don't get another flood; and so far, they have been very good at keeping the water down to lower levels until it starts to rise again; and then they do it all over again. Our basement flooded (NOTHING major, but there WAS water on the floor, at least two inches of it! BRRR! Cold on the bare feet! Talk about a rude wake-up call!), and I just threw out what was damaged by the flood waters, and am now busy washing wet clothes and towels. It's been really fun these past 12/24 hours...NOT!!
The kids are home: school was cancelled because of the flooding; and parts of Nashville were hit harder than our area; and we had some really wicked thunderboomers roll through last night. We did not get much sleep at all, and Johnny was in his glory: he LOVES this weather for some reason or another! Ronee' wasn't in her glory: she was in too much pain for one thing. She was flaring big time, and her arthritis was really making its presence known! She's been in bed all day, just sleeping her head off! Oh, well..it's good for her! She's also been battling an upset tummy and a headache; so maybe it's just best to let her sleep and stay in bed! The wind kicked up, too; we had gusts up to 45-50 m.p.h., at times, and our power flickered on and off before it died; but then our generator kicked in right after the power went off, and we've been on generator power ever since. So while most everyone on our street and block are in the dark (literally!), we have lights and electricity, but only because of our generator. We need it, since some of our kids ARE on supplimental oxygen, plus several are tube-fed! NOT good for them if the power dies!
Most businesses were closed or closed early because of the weather, but they should start to come back to life by Monday or into later next week; and as for the power, that may take a little longer for some folk because there is debris and damage over parts of our city, and depending on the amount of damage or debris, some folks may be without power for up to another week and a half. (Good thing we live kind of close to the electric company, hunh? LOL) The kids are bored out of their skulls (except Ronee' Van Winkle; she is in bed, sleeping her life away! LOL), but Johnny has really enjoyed the stormy weather. We also had tornadoes near our area (but none came here, thank goodness, but some of the surrounding communties had some tornadoes and tornado damage), and it has really been exciting! Kind of reminds me of when we went through Andrew when we were in Louisiana; but on a much smaller scale, of course. Still, the weather was rather frightful at times, and some of the streets are underwater, and the police and emergency managment teams are telling us to stay in until the flooding threat passes, and they only recommend travel if it is necessary. Well, Bill is out in the rain; and I would say that needing a new sump pump is cause for going to the store since the one we have now done quit working on us! YIKES!!
Last night, we had company; Sari Gustaffssenn showed up on our doorstep, just soaked to the bone. She was in a panic because she couldn't find her fiance', Nikolas Constantinos, who was visiting his younger sister, Athena, at the hospital, and she is still here. She still hasn't heard from Nikolas, but I have tried to reassure her that he is probably okay, and the reason he couldn't contact us was due to the weather and the phones/power being off. She is still rather upset, though. Seems that she got in to Nashville last night, just as the storm was reaching its worst point, and she got drenched trying to find a cab after looking for Nikolas. She looked like a little drowned rat; I felt so sorry for her! Now she is coming down with a cold, and she is achy and worried about Nikolas. She is just flat out exhausted from her long trip from Finland and then going around Nashville, looking for Nikolas! She is now crashed out on the couch, sleeping fitfully; any little noise is enough to rouse her, and she thinks it is Nikolas. Poor thing is beside herself! I told her that Nikolas is probably busy trying to get in touch with her, too!
In addition to Sari Gustaffssenn from Finland, we also have my friend, Phoebe Pearson, and two of her daughters, Hanh Ly and Linn Chan, from Fort Worth, Texas, and it looks as though they may stay a little longer too, until all this weather is overwith and done! So we have a housefull!
Our adoption picnic went well; thanks for asking! At least 30 families came, and we all had the best time! It rained off and on all day, but toward evening, the rain quit, and skies partially cleared; and we all pigged out on picnic goodies! We are looking forward to next year already; we met many new families (including one from Alaska, the Kings; I have been writing to Anna Arnette, the mother, for about a few weeks now, and we have seemed to built up a relationship!), and we saw many old families that we met at adoption seminars or events (the Evanses, the Porters, The Terwiligers, etc.). It is so wonderful to know that many families are being touched by the Miracle of adoption; we have certainly been blessed by it! (BOY, have we EVER! LOL)
I am so happy to hear that your mama is doing better, Sikik! That is terrific news! Please tell her that we are praying for her (and for you!), and give her our love! Tell her that we hope she is home soon! Continue to keep us updated on your mother, okay? Thanks!
Well, the laundry is about done; so I must tend to it. We had a bunch of it, thanks to our flooded basement! Plus I hear Bill calling; thank GOD he is home, safe! I will write more later; hopefully the weather will be a LOT better the next time you hear from me!
Until next time, Sikik, take care, and God bless you!
~With much love, your (slightly damp) Tennessee friend, Louisiana Mayrah. :)
P.S.: Hurricanes. ICK! WHO needs 'em? They are nothing but a HUGE pain in the REARRRR!! >:(
Wonderful story, again as always
Karen! I am sooo glad I do not
live on the East Coast! I would say it is
time for people in Florida to MOVE!
2 more hurricanes are on the way!
Love ya!
Becca
another excellent, poignant letter from the heart--i love all your stories, but this series is quickly becoming my favorite
(((HUGS))) and love, karla.
we know aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllll about flooded basements, don't we? remember that morning when you stepped in shin deep c-cold water? hee hee mom and dad sure remember, you woke them up with your scream LOL
Yankee Doodle Daddy is a historical Appalachian Family Saga. The story follows a mother's reckoning as she struggles to survive and keep her four daughters alive.
Friday, the 17th of September, 2004, 1:20 p.m., C.S.T., Post Hurricane Ivan~
