We Are Ready

The latest Radar Pictures.

Well, its about 6:00 pm on Sunday evening and we are ready for Gustav. All the windows are boarded, the plants have been made as secure as possible and we are sitting tight and waiting.

Predictions about Gustav's path take it right through the center of Lafayette with 100 mph winds. Thank goodness we cut the pine trees on the property line after Hurricane Lily. We are in for a breezy evening tomorrow.

Here are some pictures of our area before the storm. The funny thing is the birds are no longer around. Its sooooo quiet when you walk outside. During Hurricane Lily, there was a Hummingbird that kept flying to the one feeder I didn't take down. Here we have 100+ winds and there is this poor bird flying back and forth.

The above are from our house. The rest are from around the neighborhood. Somebody still has a sense of humor. These guys aren't taking any chances. There are crosses painted on their windows. So I came home and painted one on one of my windows also. Can't ever be too safe.

Hurricane Preparations

Here we go again!! On the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we are again preparing for a major storm to hit our coast. It looks like New Orleans will be spared this time around but in south central Louisiana where I live, we are expecting a direct hit. My home is almost secured. We have to board the windows and secure outdoor items today and finish packing my pictures. Yesterday we spend the day helping my elderly mother get her home ready. My uncle, who lives closer to the coast, is going to stay with her. My family has bags packed and is sitting on edge just watching to see how strong this storm gets before we decide to leave. If we do, we will go stay with my Dad in Shreveport. I have a brother in Central Louisiana who will meet us to take my Mother to his house and we will continue on to Shreveport. But I will only leave it this storm looks like its going come into Vermilion Bay at a Cat 4.

My plants are secured. Placed between the fence and the greenhouse. Smaller plant will be placed in the greenhouse today. I will try to take pictures of the choas and post later this afternoon, if it looks like we are staying. Kiss and Tell

Contraflow of all traffic in South Louisiana started at 4:oo a.m. You can only travel East and North throughout South Louisiana at this point in time.

Bienvenu.

More later!!

Neck Coolers Directions

Neck Coolers What you use in the middle are the soil crystals you buy at Wal-Mart in the garden section. Just be sure you don't put any down your drains. They swell about 5 times their size and will stop up a drain. Neck Coolers 1. Cut 100% cotton fabric 36" by 4 1/2" 2. Fold in half face sides together and stitch lengthwise. 3. Turn right side out, you should now have a 36" tube open on both ends. 4. Stitch one end closed. I sew at an angle so it has a point. Go up towards the other end about ten inches and sew another line, straight this time. Your goal is to have 3 compartments in your tube - 2 ties and a center one for the crystals 5. Pour about 1 - 2 tablespoons of dry crystals into the middle section. Go up 16 more inches from the last stitch and stitch another line. This will seal the crystals in the tube. 6. Stitch the other end closed, again at an angle for a point. You should now have two 10" ties with a middle section of 16" filled with the crystals 7. Soak the Neck Cooler in water for a couple of hours. 8. Wring out the excess water and tie around your neck. You can either let your neck cooler dry out between uses or keep in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator. I have two made, on really hot days when they dry out quickly, I just swap them out. That way I always have a cool one. Here is the msds sheet for the crystals, this site also has directions for other neck coolers, cool vests and cool hats. http://watersorb.com/msds/pifl3005K4msds.htm Enjoy. Donna