Hurricane Ike - Back to Normal Yet?

The first question is: are we back to life as we knew it before Hurricane Ike? The second question is, “What was normal for us?” 

Well, the answers are “Yes”, “Yes, for us” and “No”, if you count the tree limbs at curbside awaiting pick-up and the trees resting on some house roofs. There are still a few extra people here, some who had nothing to go back to, and a few children registered with our local schools. So, as before, we have probably increased our population somewhat. 

There are extra service trucks and there will be plenty of them to do all the clean up. 

Most of us are back into the routines we were used to before the storm. Because we are “retired”, perhaps Hubby and I do not have so much of a routine as some. 

A few of us have some residual aches and pains which may or may not be psychosomatic. 

My friend has an ongoing headache. Sinus headaches are very common in East Texas and they are probably weather-induced. So, I conclude she is sick over the hurricane, or climate change. (No, she did not have severe damage, just the same inconvenience we all had.) 

Today I am finally going to see my doctor about my back pain. Now, I have to tell you my G.P. is a Canadian, eh? So, he will not tell me that I am a hypochondriac. He will come up with some uncommonly simple solution for my pain. He is a very down-to-earth type of fellow, graduated from University of Alberta who practiced in Northern Ontario. 

So, I have dispelled the thought for you that I am the only Canuck here! (And there are a few more . . .) 

Why is my back hurting so much? Well, it might be that big stock of water I pushed in the cart from the back of the Wal-Mart store before Ike. Or, could it be an immense tote box laden with heavy stuff marked “Crawl Space” that I pushed from one room to another? 

What is the significance of “Crawl Space” written on the box? Well, it means it came from Ontario, because we do not have any crawl space at this house. For all my Texas friends, let me explain. I was living in a four level back-split which is truthfully, a house with four levels and lots of short sets of stairs. On the bottom of it all was a final level – accessible by children, dogs, and you on your knees – for storage: CRAWL SPACE! 

So, like most of us, I kinda left something aside that I should have sorted through – oh, maybe 10 or 11 years ago. 

And, my doctor will know that I simply did too much at the last minute, won’t he? 

On the “do it now” side, we did take the tidy clear bag of gently used clothing that they were calling for at Goodwill. (I confess that bag had been sitting in the garage for about five months.) Fortunately the newspaper headlined that they needed more clothing for evacuees. 

On the clean side of the slate, except those with generators, most of us now also have very tidy freezers! (We put frig contents in coolers with ice, but alas the freezer contents had to be tossed and of course, any residual ice melted.) 

Should I tell you that yesterday morning, the power went off again while I was here at my computer? Accompanying the outage was a giant pop or crack out on the street. Fortunately, we were soon up and running and then, only then, did I print out some hard copies of work to be edited. Oh, when will I ever learn? 

So, shall we conclude that some of our pains are beyond our control – like headaches, and some – like other headaches and backaches, may well be caused by the old procrastination? 

Are we back to normal? Well, yes, no, and maybe!

Got Your Attention? Ah, This is a Dogue de Bordeaux!

All my life, I have been writing. Well, at least since I was about seven or eight years old, I have been writing something. It has generally been prose and mostly non-fiction. I have always thought that real life was very interesting and full of good material.

Everyday events make very good telling. I never felt the need to create any characters or events! I have written about dogs, the Purebred Dog Fancy, and the travel that going to dog shows involved. I was published in some of the dog publications and I always enjoyed the process. First, I had the event, then I wrote about it and then I saw what I wrote in print.

I took extra credits in creative writing and business & technical writing. Of course, being Canadian and receiving my education in Ontario, I spelled differently than I do now. Although, sometimes I might forget and I ask the favour of you that you favor me with excusing that I might do this sometimes, eh?

Then, of course, I might be talking about the "washroom" which is in Canada what we call the "restroom" in Texas.  In Texas, if you find a "washroom",  it is a laundry area with a washer and dryer!

At one time, I wrote for a weekly newspaper in a small town northeast of Toronto. I learned a lot there, particularly about editors. I will not elaborate on that!

I did publicity and public relations for dog shows and I loved doing that! I would write the copy and send it out in the Metro Toronto area and wait to see what would happen. I confess that I prayed for a slow news day when my event was on. Then, I might get four minutes on the six o'clock news! 

That is a specialized field and the first thing I learned was that people would let you have their dogs to take on TV but they were not prepared to appear on TV themselves. So, I learned to go to interviews myself with their dogs. 

I would tape the programs so that the next time I would do better and eventually, I was not quite so nervous but times when I had three dogs at one time with me, the professional broadcasters got rather nervous. I still have those tapes and it is amusing to watch them.

Because I was so immersed in the Dog Fancy, I really had to know something about all the breeds. That might seem like trivial information, but actually, it has continued over the years to help me make friends, even after coming to Texas.

When we moved to our home where we still live, I was standing in the driveway, waiting under cover of the garage in a light misting rain. A couple about my age came along with a giant of a dog and smiled so I said, "Hello". Long story short, when I named their dog's breed as Dogue de Bordeaux, they were impressed and we made our third set of friends. 

When I came here, I had a story to tell. I had been widowed and I had found a wonderful Hubby on widownet.org and moved from the Toronto area to East Texas. There has got to be a story there, right?

Well, I wrote it and Hubby and I went to writer's conferences and we pitched my story. But the New York agents seemed to be more interested in free drinks than a Canuck's story. Eventually, we gave up and I put it aside.

Well, the printing world has vastly changed and I can print my book myself at a very interesting place called lulu.com. 

So, that is what I am working on right now.  I will try to keep you posted on how I am doing.

When I first visited Houston in 1990, an old school friend took me to a Tex-Mex restaurant where she had to summon the server for more water for me. Oh, yes, it was a little hotter than I had anticipated and I really was not sufficiently warned! 

When I was first in East Texas twelve years ago, Hubby and I were at a pancake house. When my eggs were served, I noticed there was no ketchup on the table. I asked for some. 

Well, we are on a highway that will ultimately link Port Huron, Michigan and Laredo, Texas, so one assumes that people of all tastes will be coming through. 

The server asks what I want ketchup for. We tell her for eggs and she is really upset! So, Hubby gives her a little lecture about Canadians coming through here and Canadians like ketchup on their eggs so she might need to get used to it! 

When I would see a small size bottle of hot sauce on a restaurant table, I would think about that being a life time supply for a girl like me from 50s Toronto. 

Then, we started visiting Louisiana, home of Tabasco and imagine my amazement to see an aluminum holder containing five (5) bottles of differently spiced Tabasco Hot Sauces. Further, imagine my wonder at the Tabasco souvenirs in the gift shop, the most interesting being a man’s tie. Whoa! These people take their hot sauce pretty seriously! 

I must mention here that there are many other brands of hot sauce, some in very attractive bottles with cute little wooden lids. I know not to open these bottles! 

I also know to ask the server to ask the chef to “kick it DOWN a notch on the dressing” for my King Louis Salad at Ralph & Kacoo’s. (For you Canucks, this is a Louisiana Cajun Restaurant which became my fave after I got the ordering right.) 

So, I was having a telephone conversation with my friend Judy who lives just east of Toronto and on the staff at a retirement community. She told me about a Southerner, visiting his mother and staying there in the guest suite. He asked why there was no hot sauce at breakfast. Judy asked him what that was for. He told her the eggs, of course. 

I suggested that Judy go out and purchase a little bottle of Tabasco Sauce and presumably the Southern Gentleman now feels at home on his visits. 

Adjustment to the South has been comprised of a lot of little things you would never think about when moving here. But I cope! Pass the Heinz Ketchup, please! Hold the Tabasco, though!