Company's Coming!

Emotions are so strange when company comes to visit.  You're excited to see them and can't wait for them to get here.  Then there's that, oh crud, the house is a mess feeling.  I hate that part of it.  Tonight I managed to power wash the house.  I hate that so much, and I skipped it altogether last year.  I paid for that decision tonight though, the yellow siding of The Shack was almost the same color as my green shutters in some places.  Never fear, after a couple of hours scrubbing away, the house looks great.  Or as good as it can at the moment.  I'm having the wooden soffits replaced with vinyl and new guttering as well this summer.  So, the old wood has some bad places in it and a couple of pieces have been taken down in anticipation that I would have replaced them with new wood.  I even have the new wood cut and painted and ready to put in place, but I don't want to mess with it again, so I'm going with vinyl.  Once that is done, the outside of the house will be completely maintenance free.  Yay!

Yet another house has been listed for sale on my block.  Out of nine homes on my block, only one hasn't been on the market since I moved in 5 years ago this summer.  I'm starting to take it personally!

I hope that everyone is having a relaxing summer.  I'm teaching summer school, and looking forward to that being over on July 1.

I'll post pics of the house next door that's for sale soon.  Would you be my neighbor?

Quote of the Day

As I finish up my sixth year representing my church at Annual Conference, I am reminded of a wonderful quote that I want to share today.

“Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”

- John Wesley

Have a great Monday!

That's Not What We Want To See...

I was reading a nice article tonight about the efforts of a radio station in Joplin that I've been listening to for updates as they have been doing 24/7 broadcasting about relief and recovery efforts when the little yellow / black "Breaking News" box popped up.

"Breaking News: Spotters confirm a tornado on the ground moving toward Joplin, Missouri, where a twister on Sunday killed 124 people."

That's definitely not a good thing.  Thankfully the worst part of the storm missed Joplin (as of this 10:30 PM writing).  The sirens sounded again in Joplin due to wind speeds in excess of 75 miles per hour, raising concerns that existing debris could be blown around.

I think we're all ready for Mother Nature to take a break.

First Person Video of Joplin Tornado

I believe this footage is the most intense thing I have ever watched.  This first person video of a group of people huddled inside a walk-in cooler at a convenience store is not for the faint of heart to watch.  This video was shot at the Fastrip on east 20th Street.  The people in the video all survive, but you still might want to have a box of tissues with you if you wish to watch the video.

* This video is first person in that it was not captured by a news outlet - it is not first person as in me filming it.  It is just one of many videos that have been posted to YouTube showing the destruction in Joplin.



Have a safe Tuesday.

Aftermath

As it has made national news, I am sure that many of you have heard of the tornado that struck Joplin, MO around 6:00 PM yesterday evening.  Many of my readers know that I live in the Southwest section of Missouri.  I want to assure you that I am safe and fine, as I live approximately 40 miles from the location of the tornado.

Yahoo News Story on Joplin Tornado

Photos of Tornado Damage

My brother and his family live a few miles north of the devistation, and thankfully they were all at home and not in the city when the tornado hit.

The tornado destroyed a large section of Joplin, including a direct hit on one of their two hospitals.  The patients at that hospital have been transferred to hospitals in Springfield, MO, Pittsburg, KS, as well as smaller hospitals in surrounding towns such as the 25 bed county hospital here in my hometown.

The following information is from a Facebook page set up for information on the tornado:

"Live Press Conference is wrapping up. Please only repost confirmed information to avoid confusion and panic. So far - we know 89 people are confirmed deceased as of 5:30 a.m. * Search and Rescue is top priority, going door to door and grid search. * Patients in uninhabitable facilities have been transferred to nearby hospitals. * Unknown number of people still need to rescued from rubble. * 25-30 percent of Joplin has been directly affected. * Area radio stations have opened phone lines to answer questions and let you pass along information - Please utilize this. Phone lines will be busy but keep trying. This will be an immediate way to ask for help over the next several days if stations continue to offer this option. Please turn down your radio if you are live on air. 102.9 FM 1310 AM 102.5 FM 97.9 FM 93.5 FM 92.9 FM"







I hope and pray that all of my readers are safe.  Please be in prayer for the people of Joplin - they have a long road to recovery.

I'm Still Alive!

Hey everyone!  I know that it has been a while since I last posted.  This time of year is complete chaos for a teacher (at least one that coordinates Federal Programs for their school district... it's time to submit all of next year's plans to the state).  This brings long work days and exhaustion when I am at home.  It's a great recipe to keep the blog from being updated.

I do have a few fun finds that I need to get pictures of and share with y'all.  It may happen before school gets out, but I can't make any promises.  My last day with the kiddos is May 25.  It's always an exciting time, but it also gets me down a little as well, I enjoy my students so much, and believe it or not, I miss the little boogers over the summer!

I am finally getting to the point that I can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Out of the nearly 20 things on my must-do list at the beginning of last week, I'm down to somewhere around 5.  At least I can see the progress as I cross them off the list!

To add a touch of vintage to this post, I've included a really fun (although somewhat long) clip from 1941, showing the last pre-war Pontiac. 

Hope you all are doing well!

Have a great day!

Time for a Little Kate - God Bless America

After watching President Obama's speech last night announcing the death of Osama bin Laden, I felt many emotions, as I am sure most people did.  I instantly remembered that day, almost 10 years ago that changed our country forever, and felt intense sorrow.  Watching the crowds that gathered at the White House, in Times Square, and at Ground Zero, I felt pride in my country as well.  The man who planned the World Trade Center attacks is dead.  I wasn't sure what the best way to share this on the blog was, but I felt that sharing a little Kate Smith was appropriate.  Of course, that national anthem is alway appropriate, and I have never heard a better version that what you will hear in the video below.  Have a great day.