A Farewell!!!

This morning is overcast and it probably will rain if we are lucky enough to get one of the scattered storms that arise from the gulf. I have been pondering for quite awhile now of how I will bring my blog to a close. Last evening I watched the panel of candidates that are vying for the presidency and what I observed was a travesty in my opinion. I noted that in the diverse group there was a black man, an indian and a woman. All on the panel gave opinions on a mixture of issues in their hopes of being the one that takes the high office. Are they sincere? Each made comments and took a stance on every controversial issue that was put before them. Several took a partial stand on allowing marriage between homosexuals, the female candidate seems to separate what may be the actions of a future president (her) by recently quoting psalms. Does that mean we can trust her? Okay by now I have at least offended a few people which is my intention. So many of us have been silent because of the fear of repercussions but I am taking a stand now. Yes, I was married for many years (same man) and bore four children. I never had an abortion and if I had found myself in that situation without the benefit of a lawful marriage between a man and woman I would not have aborted it.. there are options to let a life continue. There are many caring people who want a child and will adopt. My blood boils when I realize that saving animals has taken precedence over saving innocent babies still in the mother's womb. There are pictures of dead dogs in garbage cans and that is very sad but not as sad as seeing parts of babies in a garbage can. The elderly and the disabled are being treated as a non- person of no value as they take from the system. I assure you that they are getting only a portion of THEIR money that they paid in as taxes when they worked.

America was founded under God and has been blessed more than any other country. We were a god fearing country, a moral country. As wholesome as apple pie. Then we began thinking that we were doing all these wonderful things on our own (who needs this God we have never seen) and we slowly and steadily began falling. All the problems we have now can only be blamed on our present "anything goes" mentality. I wouldn't have thought that people would openly ridicule the President of the United States. We have become so used to media propaganda that we believe we are entitled to know the stratagem of the Defense Department. The land of the free has been maintained by America for the past 231 yrs. but it took wars to maintain it. We had to fight for our freedom.

So I have watched the panel of Democrats giving their promises to take care of America and next I get to watch the Republicans as they try to counteract what the Democrats said that so many of us disagree with. Will they be sincere in what they propose? Probably not! Morally I can't cast my vote for either party. Shape up America!

As just a footnote.... we are still in a mess from Katrina. Everything is moving very slowly. I have publically documented my writings but have become very disappointed in the lack of response to our ongoing problems so any further writings will not be aired. Thanks to all of you who have visited my blog.

I am finally coming out of the Katrina dreamland that I have existed in for two years now. Sure I still ride around looking for progress almost every day but things have become more realistic to me. The homes that are being rebuilt are more beautiful than what existed before the storm but the discerning part of me sees the hopelessness that must exist for a great percentage of people on the coastline. There are so many rules that we must all follow to succeed in life, I agree with that but morally I can't accept that we shouldn't help people who, for whatever reason, can't help themselves. I am not just talking about what is happening here but all over the United States there are "haves" and "have nots" Many faith based volunteers have come to offer their help but the procedure, in my opinion, that they have to follow excludes those who with just minor work could help themselves. For example, they rebuild an entire home for a person but on either side of the house they are working on there may be people who if they had help putting the sheetrock up could then repair the rest of their home. Someone else may just need help with flooring or a roof to give them the "jump start" they need. I don't believe a volunteer would object to that method at all but they would have to be given the freedom to go where they see needs. It would certainly speed recovery for the people who have been in the miserable trailers for two years.

There is something else I would like to say ... browsing around the internet I many times enter forums and people have such terrible thoughts about what is going on down here. They will say to stop whining you didn't have a hurricane, New Orleans did. Yes Sir, Yes M'am, we did have a hurricane and it was far worse than what New Orleans experienced. I have my own opinion about why Mississippi didn't get good coverage on what happened here. I still am of the same opinion, perhaps it was because Katrina wasn't a normal hurricane. Perhaps, if the people in the United States had seen what a destructive force hit us it would have shaken their own fears for their safety. Last August my daughter miscarried and last September I was diagnosed with thyroid disease. Want to hear my way out idea on why these two things occurred so close together? Because we were here during Katrina and we waded in water that contained every contaminant known to modern man. I search for info on the health hazards that would result because of this and I have yet to find anything. The concern has been put solely on our mental health. Why do I feel lied to? Don't we have a right to know? I went out today so I snapped a few pics.

Pascagoula P.O. Gone

Park Taking Shape at M&M Bank

There is only one other thing that is hotter than the month of July down South and that is the month of August down South. It hasn't rained in Pascagoula for the past four days but amazingly my flowers are still alive, although a little scorched. A steady drizzle would be nice .. I don't think my nerves could handle anything beyond that. Yesterday I went to the doctor complaining that I was extremely tired again. I have a thyroid problem and was put on synthroid and for several months I was feeling great. I wasn't to come back for a year but I called for an appointment as I knew something was wrong. I got the results of my blood test today and the dosage was raised as the level of the hormone was out of whack again. I should be feeling like my old self in a couple of weeks. I know we all have to get something but I was sure hoping I would be the exception. Darn it! Well, here we are two years out from Katrina and we are still recovering. Katrina has, I believe, taught us all a lesson. Not the lesson of "Get out when a storm is in the Gulf". It goes deeper than that. Not only has it taught us to reach out to people, countless volunteers from all of the states have extended helping hands to speed our recovery. They work hard and the joy that radiates from the people they help is all the payment they want. There are so many stories of miracles in our areas, some great, some small. I met a wonderful couple yesterday and the husband gave me a book on local people's experiences during the storm before he left for an appointment. His gracious wife took me through their beautiful home they are rebuilding. As we talked, I listened to what she experienced on returning to find her home destroyed and I noted that the things that were lost didn't take priority over something that had belonged to a loved one. She possessed a calmness of spirit that was pleasant to be in the presence of. Afterwards, I drove around taking pictures. went home, took a pain pill that was prescribed to ease the pain in my legs. An hour later I was pain free but was so sick with an upset stomach that it wasn't worth it.

Beach

Beach

Beach

Beach

Beach

Beach

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Washington Avenue

Washington Avenue

Help!!! I am burning out ...! Each time I do put a post up I feel that it will be my last as I have been covering happenings in our area since November 05. I have manually copied my writings and am in the process of backing up all the pics I have taken. Kodak put all I had there on a CD (1,036). So now I will get Photo Bucket and Shutterfly to do the same. Our areas are still in need of intervention. Sure casinos are "popping" up all over but that is not helping the people that are in need. When I speak of need I am talking about housing... they have the basic necessities. Volunteers have virtually stopped coming in great numbers. There are apartments scattered around in all the counties but note the word often used in news articles... affordable. All people are not in the same financial category. Then there are the people who have come into our area to "cash in" on our misfortune. The simpliest job has a high price tag. Personally, I have found that saying I have a thyroid problem is undermining the disease that I was unfortunate enough to contract. The synthroid tablet I take every day has done wonders taking the extreme fatigue away but it does nothing to stop an attack on some other part of the body. It now is "messing" with my joints. How crazy an auto immune disease is ... it doesn't recognize the cells in my body and attacks as something foreign. Gee! We have been getting rain and at first my flowers were flourishing ... now they are drowning. It is a trade-off though because the lawn has improved. Why can't I have both? Because of the rain, the beach fireworks were postponed until Saturday in Pascagoula. It didn't stop the locals .. as the neighborhood and surrounding area was like that of a war zone. Afterall, it was the Fourth of July! I am just documenting with this post. I know from time to time that I will be back. The pic below is of a Chevron gas station and convenience store on Ingalls Avenue.

Sorry folks that I haven't been here much lately. I am bored not having anything new to talk about. A lot of time has passed and there have been no "big" changes in Pascagoula. There are small businesses that have not reopened. The homes that are being rebuilt are mostly on Beach Blvd. and Washington Avenue. The homes on east beach were not completely destroyed and they came back rather quickly. West beach was wiped out and it is taking longer. A great swath of Washington Avenue was destroyed and there is much to do but they are showing progress. Out of this great tragedy that befell us, I have been witness to the goodness of people. For instance, today I kept an appointment with a dentist that I had called because I had lost a filling in one of my teeth. Since I personally didn't know any I looked in the directory. The first I called said he was booked. The next never answered the message I left. When I arrived for my appointment, I was shocked when I entered the small building ... it was storm damaged. He told me as he worked on my tooth that he had been practicing for 30 yrs. It was a painless procedure. He certainly knew his profession. Afterwards, we chatted for awhile and I told him that my late husband had worked for doctors and dentists. I took my checkbook from my purse and said, "How much do I owe you"? He said, "Thirty five dollars." I said, "Doctor that isn't enough ... I am going to pay you more". As I was writing the check he very softly said, "So many people are having a tough time and I am trying to help. " Now that is kindness, isn't it? Fema has been reneging on promises made. I want to tell as many people that I can in case you are ever faced with anything like happened to us. They say all kinds of grand things that never materialize. We have been getting a lot of rain. Usually, I complain about the heat and lack of rain killing the plants but now too much rain will kill them.

I think that I will write down everything that crosses my mind today. Ought to be interesting huh? Many months ago, I mentioned the lack of humidity in our area, is it like the lake in Chili that disappeared in two months time? I thought about the day that Katrina made landfall and the strange rumbling we heard. I remembered that we had jackets on as we stood on the front porch because it was cold. Most prevalent is the fact that as the raging water came barreling down the street, we were not blown off the porch. I have wondered why the "sonic booms" have stopped, do jets not break the sound barrier anymore? We never get concrete answers .. it's always blamed on global warming.

What do you eat, what toothpaste do you use? Do you eat peanut butter anymore? I don't! It's frightening when "Peter Pan" is not on the grocer's shelves. I read it should be back in July but to me once tainted always tainted. We are to avoid the non brand toothpaste which would be easy but there seems to be no assurance when a brand name like Peter Pan was not safe. My daughter has no idea what to feed her two well cared for dogs anymore. So much of the pet food was tampered with. Funny ... I read an article the other day that said don't feed your dog grapes as it may kill them. So many things seem like nonsense. Manufactured pet foods were responsible for killing numerous pets .. not grapes. By the way, we had german shepherds for many years and not one of them would have eaten a grape if offered.

Crime seems to be on the upswing again .. a convenience store owner was killed yesterday in Biloxi and this morning a Moss Point man was shot and killed in D'Iberville by his estranged wife. People are exhibiting strange behavior. For the past two nights firecrackers are being shot at late hours in the area I live in.

The cities are rebuilding as slowly as the citizens. The casinos are the exception as are condos. Somehow, to me, it all seems wrong when people are still not housed properly. Wouldn't you think that with all the "big money" they put out, to get even more money, some of it could have trickled down to apartment complexes for the ordinary people? Why not be altruistic?

The picture below is of my niece's house on Washington Avenue.

Why does it seem that when catastrophe strikes that terrible tragedies seem to continue. There are numerous people who had rebuilt their homes only to have them destroyed again by fire. It has been a short time since the entire Coast was rejoicing when two lanes of the Bay St. Louis bridge opened to traffic. Yesterday nine construction workers fell from scaffolding when a pillar collapsed and plunged them into the Bay. Eight of them were rescued and taken to the hospital where one of them died from injuries. Today the body of the ninth victim was recovered. The memory that two people lost their lives building the bridge will remain with all who live here.

The next two pictures are not very pretty .. just a pile of rubble now.. the old Pascagoula post office. Whatever is built, will certainly be nicer than the Fema trailer.


There are many things taking place all along the Coast. None of it is fast but still we are inching our way to recovery. We will overcome. Katrina was said to be unprecedented, shouldn't have happened. Well folks, we have a lot of "shouldn't have happened" in our world today. The Attorney General of Mississippi has filed a lawsuit against the Governor of Mississippi and the NAACP is threatening to sue the city of Biloxi for not having a proportionate number of blacks in a particular school. I see both of these issues as a "ploy".

I didn't take many pictures today but I did get one of new construction.

I haven't been blogging much lately, not because I don't have anything to say, because I don't dare to say the things I want to. Will I be banned from blogging if I speak about the State or Federal government? Can I say that all the aide that has been given to us has become a hindrance to the ordinary citizen? Interest is focused on taking the opportunity to build what we didn't have instead of rebuilding (to code of course) what was there. The governor is asking the feds for an additional 150 million, with 75 million allotted, to upgrade the smaller cities away from the Coast solely on anticipation of further growth in their areas. I lived in those areas, we had our main residence there for 26 yrs. until I sold it in 2004. Would I go back? NO! The Coast is only 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. away from these very small towns and although Hattiesburg is near, it is a college town. The water and sewage system on the immediate coast has not been repaired, it seems to have shifted north of Internet 10. The Mississippi Cottage is not the Katrina Cottage that I have pictures of on my blog. I have seen one and they will be small "shotgun" houses on wheels. I can't see many people purchasing them after the 2 yr. deadline is reached. Well, I could go on and on with what I think but I will stop for today.

Personally, the small dead oak I had in the front yard was taken down this morning by the power company. The lawn service people I had hired earlier were suppose to take it down for $150.00 but here's the catch. I was told that I would have to pay the dump fee when they hauled it away. I asked how much that would be and the main guy said only $25.00 but they might have to make as many as a half dozen trips. So I said, "Okay, so it will cost me $300.00"? He said, "I can't say for sure because it might be more than that." I literally said, "Go away"!

I am taking advantage of this lazy Sunday afternoon only because it seems my right knee is wearing out before I do. It doesn't matter how high our energy levels are .. if something hurts.. we slow down. Me too! The only solution for the knee problem is surgery. Since I have known people who had the surgery and afterwards walked with a pronounced limp, I am avoiding the inevitable. Besides who will clean the raingutters? Maybe you will recall the blue tarp the neighbor had between our property.


In mid April. I saw the trash guys putting all the neighbor's containers in my front yard. Every Tuesday there are two pickups, one for trash and another for garbage. I went out to tell them that the cans weren't mine. The neighbor's wife came out to see what we were talking about and I asked that they not put their "stuff" on my side. I was backed up by the guy saying that we are to keep trash or garbage in front of our house. He added that when the garbage collectors come around that they will not pick up any of the things you have out here as it has to be in a city receptacle. I went back inside and thought that everything would be okay but on the night of May 3rd, this awful tarp went up between our houses. The cops came and demanded he take it down but he didn't. On June 1st, two fence guys were cementing posts on the line to put up a fence. I asked that they do the front of my fence to match what he had. Now I am happy to say there is a much neater "barrier" between us. Come Tuesday, I will see if he puts his trash and garbage at the front of his house. I doubt it! This guy is the "King of Easement" ... he just eases right on over to your property!

Progress "down our way" is still moving slowly. I think before we recover, people my age will have most likely departed this earth, my youngest of four daughters, will be middleage and my grandchildren will be the future leaders in our communities. What kind of outlook is that you may say ... realistic.

As soon as my knee is better, I will be out scouting for pictures.

From time to time I feel as though I should post, although my heart isn't in it. Through Site Meter I am aware of who comes to my site and so "This is for you and thanks for your interest". I don't think my problem is boredom, as I am not easily bored. Katrina has revealed the good and the bad that has arisen because a disaster put Mississippi in the spotlight, albeit late. We are the state that people love to hate. Yep, that's us! I had my "rose colored" glasses on for awhile and thought that at last what I had always hoped for, was happening. I was wrong .. the slurs have never stopped. We are fat, lazy, ignorant, hillbillies and we should apologize for slavery. The Sun Herald newspaper online has an article on the subject and is taking a poll asking if we would apologize. The last time I looked "NO" was 79%. If Governor Barbour apologizes for the state, I guess that would be great but, you see, I had nothing to do with slavery so I have nothing to apologize for. Other people speaking for us destroys our individuality.

We have been a suffering people on the Coast and a great deal of money was earmarked for our recovery but it was held up because of the 10% match and then to add insult to injury it was put in the same Bill for getting our soldiers out of Iraq. President Bush had said he would veto getting out of Iraq at this time so they put us in hoping he wouldn't veto. Is that caring about us? To put us against all the guys that are fighting and losing their lives for our country was a low blow. Personally, it made me fearful of what the new regime is going to inflict upon us all.

I have read that more than 40,000 immigrants are in our state, where are they? Where do the stay? We have thousands of our people with no shelter except Fema trailers. The conclusion that I have come to is that we can't always believe what we read.

Although regular gasoline is $3.06 a gallon, that doesn't stop me from riding around looking for pictures of construction. Dave, Anita and children spent Memorial Day at my home. I made hamburgers the old fashioned way .. in a skillet. Sure beats McDonald's. I never understood the "hoopla" on such a solemn occasion. Life is not one big party.

The actual construction of a condo complex being built in Pascagoula started in 2005 before Katrina made landfall. At that time there was only one unit that had been framed. With approximately three more to be built, it appears that it will be near completion before the year ends. You enter from either Martin Street or Geerkins Street which border each side. I may be wrong on one side being Geerkins but I can always change it. They are very nice and they are housing but not affordable for many. We have problems along the Coast but housing still remains the biggest. I am driving around at least three days each week looking for new construction or repaired homes. If the area was "booming", I wouldn't have to "look" for houses, would I?

When I re-read some of my earlier posts and noted how enthusiastically I wrote, I realized that my inspiration to write has subsided. Why you may ask? This storm that we were unfortunate to experience and the subsequent damage is not what my blog has been about. It has always been about the people. WLOX has an article on today about the senior citizens in our coastal areas and how much they have been forgotten. Most had lived in their own homes, some in retirement condos. When Katrina destroyed or damaged what they had, it became an impossibility for them to rebuild again or replace all that was lost. It takes near a lifetime to pay for a home and most people can't do that. It's a fact that seniors in other states wouldn't be able to do it either. Many have left the area and gone to live with family. All of the ones interviewed wanted to maintain their independence as did the ones who had to go with family members. I can understand why they feel forgotten. They deserve to spend their remaining years comfortably and independent.

Personally, I am doing well, one of the lucky ones! Mentally, I am like everyone else. My daughter had spoken with a Project Recovery person who came to her door a few months ago and was told that what was happening to us was that we were still in survival mode. When the storm came ashore our adrenaline rose in response to what was happening as it would with any serious happening in all of our lives. The problem, the aftermath has been filled with obstacles and the adrenaline stays at a peak and has caused short term memory loss in many of us regardless of our ages. It would be interesting to know the number of people here who in mid conversation stop and say, "Now ..what was I saying?"

I just looked at the date and realized that I haven't posted. Viewers of my blog probably have become accustomed to just CLICK and there she is talking about everything. It's not unusual that I am tired, we all are. First we endured the horror of the storm and, for almost two years, we have been living it every second, every hour, every day. Whew! Of course we don't talk Katrina every day, we also have our daily lives to contend with To tolerate my bizarre neighbor and still remain christian in thought and action is something I have to wrestle with every day. There is good news, two lanes of the Bay St. Louis (not Bay of St. Louis or St. Louis bay) bridge are now allowing us to connect. Biloxi's bridge will probably have a couple of lanes open this fall. I kind of laughed a little as I wrote this as when we cross the bridges there aren't many places to go except the casinos. The way we pronounce names or precede the names of the bayous like Bayou Bernard, Bayou Cassotte come from our french heritage. Now what is not widely known, we may pronounce bayou as ba-you or ba-yo ... choosing the one that rolls more smoothly when spoken. For instance, I used to live in Bayou View pronounced Ba-yo View. Maddening, isn't it? Yesterday, we (Dave, Anita and Kids) went on a casual outing to the park The little girl in red is Yvonne.

Beach Park

Where's the Water?

The splashpad was great for the kids and I enjoyed watching but I also took the pictures below of new construction or progressive construction in Pascagoula.

Beach Homes

Beach

Beach