8/31 Our life in Quincy

is good. We're planning a family picnic today at Jan and Tim's. We're going to swim in the afternoon (including Gus) and then eat. It will be so much fun because we always have fun when we're together.

Yet, I received two emails from national Red Cross asking for me to go to the Gulf Coast to help with disaster mental health. Do I want to go? Hell, yes. Can I go? No, damn it.

My job is still too new to allow me to be gone for two to three weeks. I would go without pay (like I did with Katrina/Rita/Wilma in 2005), but it's the newness which makes it impossible. Plus I'm still down three staff and we're all doing extra duty.

Yeah, my back is an issue too. Can't really see me living in a shelter at the moment (unless I absolutely had to).

But I can't get the people out of my mind. Although the news is focusing on New Orleans, I know the same thing is happening in Mississippi. My friends are staffing shelters, even though there's a mandatory evacuation. They'll be there until the end. And they'll be working up to 20 hours a day.

Yeah, I'll definitely have fun today--but the Mississippi Gulf Coast won't be far from my thoughts.

8/29 Three years

Three years ago today Katrina hit. And people are still trying to rebuild their lives.

Now Gustav is on the way. Let's keep the Gulf Coast residents in our prayers.

8/28 Busy

Time is just flying by. The class at QU went well again last night. And work is extremely busy, but I love it. Just wish I felt better. Next Tuesday will go to St. Louis to the neurosurgeon. Hope to hear something that will help.

Gotta run. Gussie needs me.

Okay, I'm back. Talked to Genia in Biloxi. She's in charge of the Harrison County evacuation shelter. And the coast has a mandatory evacuation coming up tomorrow or the next day. Sure wish I could be there helping. They are definitely in my thoughts and prayers. They don't need a repeat of 2005.

We do have our own drama and adrenaline-producing stuff going on in my current job too. Guess that's why I like it so much.

3/19 I'm done

The day started out sad but ended up great. I went to my empty house and put the trash at the curb. Then I went to work, talked to my boss via phone, and turned in my computer equipment and phone. Sad.

Following that I went to a board meeting where the Interfaith Disaster Task Force gave me a gorgeous pottery bowl, made from Mississippi mud. It is fantastic, and I will always cherish it. I promised not to use it for popcorn. :) It came from the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum and was made by a local artist.

Then I went back to my house to put the trash can back near the house and saw that the painters had been really busy already. It's like it's not even my house anymore.

I joined the casemanagers and some other staff at High Cotton for lunch. It was a really nice celebration, and they gave me a lovely piece that has two pictures of the staff on it, and an Irish blessing. I will cherish this as well.

So now I'm back at Caroline's doing laundry and starting to pack up for my trip tomorrow. I'm looking forward to picking up my dogs since I haven't seen them since Saturday.

Oh, I almost forgot. Last night was crazy fun. Our card-playing group met for the last time (with me in it). After we played for a few hours they brought out this HUGE wrapped box. When I opened it, I noticed there were many smaller presents inside. Genia explained the significance of each gift--most of which were hilarious. The one that made me cry is a gorgeous calendar with pictures of Biloxi's Gulf Coast. They also gave me Biloxi t-shirts--one has three drunk frogs on it and it says "Toadally Wasted." Funny. I also got a round pillow that says World Poker Tour on it. Made me laugh, but I'll use it. I got a beautiful glass frog wind chime. And a CD with some memorable pictures on it. Genia also knitted a lovely scarf for me so I can ward off the northern cold. One of my favotie gifts is a placemat with three Care Bears on it. Each one bears a name--Caroline, Genia, and Lorena--and it says Best Friends. I'm going to frame it and hang it up.

What a great group of friends I have. I'm such a lucky bug.

3/18 On the truck

Everything is out of my house. Everything, that is, except the tons of dog hair left behind. Oh my. And to my embarrassment, there's plenty of dog hair being transported to Quincy too.

But the wonderful news is that my stuff will be delivered on Friday. Yes, this Friday. My shipment was last on, first off of this truck. I'm beyond pleased. This means I won't have to take a day off from work without pay in order to be there for the delivery. The cable guy is coming Friday too. Other than having a huge mess, I should be good to go. The phone is already turned on, and I'm calling water and electricity tomorrow to get them in my name. Got a text message from my niece Kris today with the necessary phone numbers.

Things are progressing. And I'm anxious to get going. It's going to be hard to leave here, but I can't wait for the next chapter to begin.

2/28 Can't sleep

The dogs woke me up at 4:30 to go outside. They came right back in and went to sleep, but not me. I haven't been able to go back to sleep. My mind is just racing--so much to think about, so much to do. I have to put the finishing touches on my presentation for tomorrow. There are going to be around 300 people there, and we are talking about the importance of funding case management. Some federal folks will be attending, and it's vital they hear us.

Then of course there's all I have to do with the house and other items to get ready to move. I'm so excited, yet know there's a lot of work ahead of me--not the least of which is driving to Quincy with both dogs. Last time I drove to Quincy in August, Q was six months old and I didn't have C yet. Now Q is one and C is 18 months. They'll take up the whole back of the car, plus I have to take at least two suitcases, a big bag, dog food, toys, water, computer case, purse, and a dog crate. Oh my. I have no idea how I'm going to get everything in the car. But I'll do it. Everything always does work out, even when it seems impossible. I just want to have enough room in the back of the car so the dogs can at least move around for the 12-15 hour drive.

Lots of fun things to look forward to also--I'm going to be home for Easter. Plus family members are arriving on the 9th. I love to show off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Besides the devastation still in evidence, there's incredible natural beauty. It'll be fun to have them here.

2/19 Grieving

It's funny how diverse we are culturally. It shows up in millions of ways--how we treat the common cold, how we discipline our children, and how we grieve, for example.

Today I attended a Mississippi funeral. The deceased was an elderly woman whose one goal was to get back into her home before she died. It didn't happen. Her death saddened an entire community, but her dying without her home also saddened those of us in the long-term recovery field.

Her caseworker is a dear friend of mine, and is suffering greatly. We wonder how we could have done thins differently. Could we have made a difference in whether or not this matriarch was able to return home.

Too late for those second guesses. We need to move on, and ensure this doesn't happen to any other people on the coast.

Ah, but this began with a sentence on diversity. The deceased left behind a huge family--four children, many grandchildren, many great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. What a beautiful legacy. And the church was full of other relatives and friends who loved her.

Throughout the service you could hear wailing coming from one or more of her daughters, and one very close granddaughter. It didn't seem odd or out of place at all. And I thought how wonderful it was that folks can express their emotions so readily. That if someone wanted to scream and cry they did so.

If someone did that in our German Catholic community back home, people would think they'd gone off the deep end. We stuff our big emotions, and in my family especially we cover them with jokes. How I would have loved to have wailed at my Mom's funeral. She died way too young and it was more than sad.

Right now, I want to scream as well--for several reasons--not the least of which is grieving for my job and the jobs of others. Grieving for the clients whose homes are not yet rebuilt. Grieving for the 11,000 families still in FEMA trailers.

Wishing things were different.

So I stuff my emotions, and soldier on. Looking for a new job, a new home, a new life.

Just as sh!! happens, so does grace. Grace happens. That is what I'm counting on.

2/17 Having fun and I won

First of all, for those who couldn't get to the video--it aged out. Just go to wlox.com and do a site search on Krystal Allan. The video I'm in does show on the list. It's the one with the name Donald Powell in it.

Yesterday was a really good day. After a nice relaxing breakfast, and a few moments of enjoying the surf breaking outside the windows, we took off. Genia, Caroline and I went to Niceville where Caroline used to live. We saw the condo she still owns, plus her previous homes--all lovely. We met up with her friend, BJ, and got haircuts. (She's a retired hair stylist.) Went to lunch at Camille's at Destin. It was a quaint little spot with great sandwiches. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Afterwards, BJ had to leave, and the three of us drove to Grayton. It's a beach village with trendy little shops. Bought a few cards and that was it. As we were walking back to the car we heard some awesome bluegrass music coming from a bar. We peeked in, and it was a live band, so we sat for a few minutes and listened to their last two songs.

Driving home we stopped at a fish market to get red snapper for everyone's (but me) dinner. The parking was weird and Caroline got the car stuck on a median. So I "unstuck" us while they bought the fish. We do have pictures of both driving incidents. I just don't have the connector with me to get the pictures on my computer. Will upload them when I get home. Pretty funny! Poor Caroline.

We had a marvelous meal, and Aunt Webbie loved it too. Pan seared red snapper, baked potatoes, salad and garlic bread. Yum. Tonight they are having steak on the grill. I'm making grill potatoes and asparagus. Yum again.

Last night we played cards again, of course. I did indeed whup Genia's butt. I won at both spades and Spite and Malice. The first night was Genia's, last night was mine, so tonight must be Caroline's turn.

Right now Caroline is sitting on the deck, alternately reading and watching the surf. I'm in the living room doing this, and watching the surf. Genia is upstairs in our bedroom, reading and watching the surf. Aunt Webbie is working on Sudoku--which I'll do when I'm done here.

As you can tell, we decided today was going to be total relaxation. No "have to's." Just enjoy the beautiful ambience of Navarre Beach and our lovely temporary home. Tomorrow it's back to reality, and I don't really want to go there. Sigh.

1/31 I can talk about it now

Due to an abrupt and unexpected funding cut, my program has been terminated here in Mississippi. Most of our staff received their RIF (Reduction in Force) letters today. They received two months notice so will be laid off after March 31. There are five us staying on until the end of June in order to finish out the necessary administrative tasks.

I closed on my house April 13 of last year. I should have known that Friday the 13th would not bode well.

This program termination isn't the fault of anyone in our company. It's purely a funding issue. So I can't feel bad about all the good work we've done. But I can feel bad about all the work left to do. Luckily there are other agencies rooted here in Mississippi who will continue the work.

We really want to stay here to finish, but it's not to be. My company came here from Texas for what we knew would be a limited time, but we certainly didn't expect the abruptness of this. It is gratifying to know that we did what we could and that other good companies will stay until it's done.

So, like many others here, I'm job hunting. And will chronicle the travails of doing so. Also, I have to look at selling my house because the three jobs I'm looking at are all in different places. Gosh, I really love it here, but I know I can be happy wherever I end up. God is so good to me, and always has been.

So tonight I'm thinking of our clients, still struggling to put their lives together; I'm thinking of our staff, and all the energy and passion they've continually put into their jobs; and finally I'm thinking of me and wondering what life will give me next.

Please pray for all of us.

11/30 Still more pics

Quincy fitting in a tight spot when we were putting up the tree


















My house


















A sad saloon in Bay St. Louis


















A familiar sight--No Trespassing sign and desolation.

11/29 More pictures

Some of the live oaks that died were sculpted beautifully by an artist with a chain saw. (Yes, they are really called "live oaks.")





















My beautiful kids.

11/27 Photos

A series of pagodas on a fishing dock.


















And the Hard Rock guitar at the casino.


























King Neptune lost his arms in the storm.























Finally, here's a Katrina Cottage--many of the survivors are given that after the FEMA trailers are removed.

More photos later.

11/18 Bill Moyers on PBS

Bill Moyers did a wonderful piece on the Mississippi Gulf Coast recovery, or the lack of it. This is the written piece, but the TV show was both wonderful and extremely sad. This describes eloquently why we will be working here for a long time.

11/3 Busy day

Jan and Tim got in on time last night and got to meet three of my friends. And my dogs were very happy to have new folks to attack with love.

This morning we took Quincy and Cookie to the kennel and then drove along the Mississippi Gulf Coast toward New Orleans. Jan and Tim both seemed to enjoy the beauty of the coast while being saddened by the devastation.

We decided to drive down south of New Orleans to the end of the Mississippi River. The drive was too sad, full of refineries and poverty. So we happily decided that the French Quarter was the place for us. We walked for hours, and drank for hours too (or so it seemed). But it was a very enjoyable day. And Tim got thrown a lot of beads because of his willingness to expose his breasts.

Jan and Tim both just went to bed, and I'm going to head to mine soon. We laughed at how old we are.

I'll miss having my puppies with me tonight.

9/22 The storm didn't come--yet

We're very grateful that the tropical depression did not turn into a tropical storm. I still have the 10 AM conference call--I guess there might be something else brewing for next week. I'll find out.

Here are some pictures from young Paisley's birthday party last week.















I tried to post some pictures from the dumpster diving episode yesterday but they were sent bitmap for some reason and I can't change them to jpg or gif, so they won't post. I'll try to figure out something else.

9/21 It always changes

The caseworkers can't move today because their new offices aren't finished. So we have utter chaos here in the old state office. The only constant here is that things keep changing. :)

Because of the approaching tropical storm we are extra busy today. I'm sneaking a few minutes while munching on a sandwich. This will be my first tropical storm since moving here. I'm so grateful it's not a hurricane. So many people haven't recovered from Katrina. There are thousands of folks still living in FEMA trailers--much of the country doesn't realize that.

I'll be so happy to stay home with my pups tonight. I have flashlights and batteries and a radio that you can crank up, so I'm prepared for some power outage. I don't really expect much of anything to happen where I live, but we all know it's better to be prepared. The advisories call for 40-50 mph winds and some coastal flooding. I'm eight miles from the coast, so I have my fingers crossed on that.

Will have another conference call tomorrow with a guy from the National Weather Service. He was most helpful this morning.

Keep your fingers crossed.

9/17 Dinner Impossible

Robert Irvine, the chef from Dinner Impossible on the Food Network, is cooking dinner for volunteers and staff at the Salvation Army place (called Yankee Stadium) in Biloxi. I went there for a while and it smelled awesome. But my dogs had been alone for 5 1/2 hours and I needed to get home. Drat!

But the primary foods were meat and seafood; at least what I saw and smelled. There was a tremendous seafood gumbo being prepared, and I saw ribs and chicken. It will be on TV during the Christmas holidays. That will seem funny because we were all sitting there sweating. :)

Prior to that I had another function to go to and they had baklava. Omigod, I love that stuff. Luckily it's always cut in little pieces since it is so rich. Had two of them.

Got a lot done at work, but problems keep popping up. Guess that's the nature of the job. Lots of stuff going on. This Friday the caseworkers move to their new location, and next Tuesday I move to mine. There will only be three or four of us in the state office in the future, since our case managers and construction folks are stationed at the camps now. It will be quiet. No excuses for not getting my work done--well, except that I'm not in my office all that much. :)

Oh, Quincy did fine for the time left alone today. I figured out that Cookie is the destructive one--chewing cords and my clothes. And poor Cookie had an accident in the crate today. That really surprised me. Anyway, tomorrow they're back to Doggy Day Care. Hooray.

9/15 Saturday, beach, mud

This morning was good. I picked up Genia and we went to breakfast. Then we got "the girls." Q and C were both happy to see Genia--she's a real dog person, so they love her.

We took them to the beach and the dogs had a ball. Genia kept Cookie and I played with Quincy. I'd bought a 25 foot training rope, so Q was able to play in the water until she was exhausted. Great fun!

Today was Mississippi Gulf Coast clean up day and the beaches were just full of people picking up trash. The good news is that there were plenty of people and not a lot of trash.

Last night I had to leave Genia's party abruptly when my shoulder started hurting pretty bad. Today it felt okay again, until after I got back from the beach. Then it started hurting again. Can't wait until it gets back to normal.

It sucks being old.

9/12 Busy

Today I got so much work done that I feel great. Well, also I worked until 9 PM last night to catch up on email.

I think I'm going to put the dogs in the kennel overnight on Friday since I'm invited to a party at Genia's. I always have to leave early to get home for the puppies. But this time I want to stay later. I'll make it up to the pups by taking them to the beach the next day. Genia said she'd go with me as I've never taken both dogs before and don't know if I could handle them. It's hard enough just having them both on leashes normally, but near the water would probably be impossible. It should be fun.

Both dogs are absolutely dog-tired. (Clever, huh?) They fell asleep around 8 so that means they'll be up before 6. Guess I should get to bed soon.

9/2 Hurricanes, etc.

Am getting ready for church and looked at the Hurricane Center of NOAA online. I hadn't even heard of Hurricane Felix and it's already at Cat 2. Looks like it's heading for Mexico and turning north for Texas. Of course, the path can change drastically. I'm keeping my colleagues in south Texas in my prayers. Sure hope this one dies out before it hits land in Mexico. But there's slim chance of that.

And there's a tropical storm off Baja California, plus another one in the Atlantic. Things are heating up. So far everything looks good for us here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. But you never know....

My pups are having fun playing with their toys. But I have to wash my bedspread a LOT because that's their favorite playground. This is just like having two toddlers. Except they can't really talk. Except Quincy reminds me of Lassie. She does communicate. She'll bark and go to the door, so I know she needs to go out. She'll bark and put her nose in the empty water bowl, so I know to fill it up. She'll bark when her toy goes under furniture and I'll know I have to get it out for her.

The cool thing is that she'll come to wherever I am, bark and wait for me to follow her. Of course I often say, "What is it girl? Is Timmy in the well?" Aren't I original?

Gotta run. (Oh, the pups slept until 6:38 today. It felt like I was sleeping in.)