| Week One: |
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| What a terrible start to this month. I have been sitting here glued to the television watching this tragedy unfold down South. Many of my "Yankee" friends initially wondered why those people didn't leave New Orleans before the storm. After having been through 8 hurricanes myself (several during vacations to
Myrtle Beach, SC, and several while at Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, FL), I had to explain that usually a hurricane is just a lot of rain and some wind. And I meant a LOT of rain. So you just stock up the pantry, and hunker down to wait out the storm. Thankfully, rarely, those storms turn into the
monstrous disaster that we witnessed. |
As Katrina initially gathered it's strength in the Gulf, I began to think about the people that I might know in the path of this storm. I haven't kept in touch with anyone from my old college; but I did know of one person who might have still been nearby in Mobile, AL - my ex-fiancée of all people,
Leigh Atnip. |
Leigh's Senior picture |
Yes, I know.  Many of you are thinking "girlfriend"?!?  Having been raised as a good ol' Baptist in the South, I really never even considered that I was gay in high school. Sure, I wasn't a jock or very butch; but I had a nice girlfriend who was my best friend while attending Northside Christian School. Being a good boy, I wasn't even really thinking much about sex, since that was a sin. But about the time we were both leaving the
Christian college we were attending, we both realized that our sexual attraction laid in opposite directions. No, I don't think either of us caused the other to "turn" gay, I just think it was part of the bond we shared in our formative years. |
This picture was taken just after my graduation from high school,
and just hours before I hit the beach in Myrtle Beach, SC |
Leigh and I at a friend's party |
Joking around when I visited Leigh in Mobile |
| Over the years, we just lost touch with one another. She moved to Mobile and went to work in a hospital while I ended up moving here to Ohio with Randy to open our pet shop. As Katrina began to bear down on the Gulf region a few days ago, I began to think about Leigh again. I regretted not having called or mailed her in so many years and tried calling to Mobile before the storm arrived. However, even the day before the storm actually hit land, phone lines to that part of the South were already having problems and all I received was a busy signal. I set my computer up to remind me every 6 hrs to call. And I called for days, as I watched the news from New Orleans growing worse, and hearing nearly no news about the city of Mobile. As things worsened in New Orleans, my fear was that I may have waited too long to ever contact Leigh again. |
Thankfully, about 6pm on Thursday, Leigh's phone rang through when I dialed. After the first ring, I heard a voice that I haven't heard in years saying hello, and my heart took a leap. Leigh and her kitties had stayed in their apartment throughout the hurricane and had survived!  Between shifts at the hospital, before the storm actually hit, she had been able to get some cat food, water, and a few cans of ravioli (that was misplaced on a shelf in a pretty depleted
Wal-Mart). She says that there is a lot of severe damage in the Mobile area; but even she had heard what was happening in New Orleans and counts her blessings to be one of the lucky ones after this disaster. |
This picture was take on a trip Leigh took to VA. |
Leigh told me that she was doing ok for now; but I did make her promise to let me know if she needed any help. I'm not certain what I could do, but I did promise to her that me and my friends would do whatever it took if she needed anything. I'll be sure to post here if Leigh needs anything that I think you can help with. If you'd like to check on her yourself, her email is vlatnip@hotmail.com. Of course, she won't be able to get her emails until they restore power in her area ; but I'm sure she'll appreciate your concern. Now that I've regained contact with her, she'll find that to be MY friend means that you are friend with ALL of my friends - and that means YOU!  |
The moral to this story is that if there is someone that you haven't talked to in forever and have thought you should talk to again, make the phone call today! Tomorrow, for some, could be too late. |
| I'd like to take a few moments here and talk about the situation in the South. First, I think that it's a huge disgrace to America that help took so long in coming to those beleaguered areas. Why in God's name, was water and food NOT air-dropped to those victims huddled on those few points of high ground? I've lost all faith, that in desperate times, the government will actually be there to assist. Although the snow storms that we have in Ohio are not as disastrous as the flooding in New Orleans, I've already started to stock some cans of food and water so if an emergency would arise here, me and my dogs could survive for several days if help would not arrive. |
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| Several of my friends up here also pointed out how it seemed that it was only blacks involved in the New Orleans situation. Yankees don't seem to understand that all those slaves that were freed after the Civil War stayed in the South and for the most part greatly out-number the whites. That's why there were so many dark faces on the news - that's the majority of the population. Then to top it off, many of them were poor. Many, whites and blacks, have been poor in the South since the inception of this great nation. I know from my own situation, that this happened at the end of the month, when I only have $6 in my pocket and am waiting on the first of the month for my disability money. If I had lived in New Orleans, even I would have been forced by my situation to stay and hopefully wait out the storm. |
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I'm so lucky to live in a country where even a "poor" state such as Ohio (our 5 largest cities are in the top 50 poorest cities in America) has the funds to subsidize the medicines that keep me alive. But how is it that I live in a country where we were watching on TV, people literally dying of thirst and hunger after being hit with a devastating hurricane? Did FEMA not see that huge storm as it filled the entire Gulf the two days before hitting land? Shouldn't aid and supplies have
already been in route? Florida, under Jeb Bush, has received immediate assistance each time that State has been hit with hurricanes. I'd hate to think that it was because of the race of the "refugees", or of their financial positions, that help was so late in arriving. (Listen to the New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin literally BEG for help WWL-AM interview on CNN.com) |
| Am I only lucky to have help with my meds because I'm white? What would happen in a crisis to my and many of my friends who live in poverty? Would we be left to die, while those with money could get gas and drive out and leave? (In this day and age, how can FEMA not even have a website to help people find their missing friends and family?) What if this had been a "dirty" bomb terrorist attack that we have all been warned about? Is all that homeland security money being spent, only to have no plan when a disaster strikes an American city? It's a sobering thought to say the least. |
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| The hands of a 40-yr old woman after wading in flooded New Orleans for four days |
| The horrible situation which struck the Gulf coast, but by nature and by the stupidity of men has greatly affected me. I am so simply amazed at how our federal government so deserted those poor people; but I must mention two situations in particular, both near and dear to my own heart and life. |
a couple carries their dogs
through chest-high flood waters |
One: the Pets
Most of you, who are my friends, are like me and have pets that are just like our very own "children". I still break down into tears every time I think of a small piece of video footage that I watched. A man with his two dogs had finally found a rooftop to share with several people. As he slumped to the floor, all he could mumble again and again, as he cried, was how sorry HE was - how sorry he was to have put his pets through the living hell they were going through.
I can only imagine all the pets that were lost to this disaster, much less all the pets left behind, homeless, foodless, and without any of the care and comfort that they have come to rely on from people. If you consider any donations to aide in the relief, please consider assisting the Human Society of the United States, Houston SPCA, or Louisiana Veterinarian Medical Association.
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| Two: those with HIV
One other group to consider donating for are those with HIV. For many, they left everything they own behind - including meds. We have all seen from my situation that medicine DOES make a big difference in whether a person with HIV lives or dies. (Go off the meds, the viral load rises, the illnesses take hold, and you're dead. It's just that simple.)
You probably don't even realize from reading my blog, that I've always considered myself one of the lucky ones with HIV. Although I have hives
occasionally and throw up a lot, I don't have any of the accompanying diseases or needs that most HIV+ers do. Many have much more reactions to their meds, other medical complications (heart, lung, intestinal illnesses) and are on special food/diet regimes.
Plus, it's not like having HIV is very conducive to having a positive mental attitude. I can imagine myself, some days just barely hanging onto my life and sanity by a thread, living through a situation like this for only a while, before giving in to the depression. It's hard enough living with this disease in
civilized, subsidized America without ending up in a "third world" situation.
This forum over at aidmeds.com has several links to agencies you might also like to consider when donating for the relief from Katrina - Helping HIVers of the Gulf Coast
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| Unfortunately, I have some sad news of my own to report after this holiday weekend. My cat, Sheagra, has finally passed away at over 19 years old. She's been showing her age in the last few weeks and during the Labor Day weekend old age took it's toll. She spent most of Sunday and Monday, sleeping in the bathroom. I keep her as comfortable as I could make her in the bathroom, and then eventually moved her into a padded box in my computer room where I could keep an eye on her. |
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| A little over 24 hrs. from "taking ill", she passed away. After wrapping her in some white satin, Jim and I carefully buried her in the backyard under the beautiful blooming morning glories. |
| Please take a moment to read through Sheagra's "biography" at the website that I have for all my pets. (http://reigningpages.com/puppies/sheagra.htm) |
I'm truly going to miss Sheagra. Later tonight, I'll retire her food bowl to the collection I keep of all my pets that have passed away -
which sadly has become quite a large collection over the years. |
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Week Three: |
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I got lucky; but my lucky has finally started to run out. As you know,
I've been mentioning my money situation for a couple of months, and
predicting gloom and doom. Well, so far, things have worked out better
than I thought; but that was with some help. Both my Mom and GrandMother
sent me some cash, and so far the house and basic utilities are still
all on. However, I've lost my cable and internet connection.
I'm a real news junkie and it's killing me to not have the cable news
channels; but I really miss the net. Hopefully, I may be able to get
just the internet connected back up at the first of the month. (I've
been feeling better and I've had a couple customers lately.)
the Back Yard
(Updating you on my gardens as Fall comes in)
Last year, about this same time, I brought a little bit of the
Animal Planet to my log by showing you some butterflies "doing it".
This year, I bring you a little more X-rated animal activities. My yard
is filled with black crickets every year and now that I have an
abundance of flowers (especially the cosmos) growing, I've gotten a ton
of grasshoppers (and even more spiders!! ) too.
Cover the children's eyes now, cause here are the grasshoppers "doing
it". LOL |
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cosmos
At least, not ALL of the
cosmos have died out.
I'll still be collecting
seeds for a while for
next year's planting. |
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Every morning, this corner of the back yard blooms with a
myriad of purple morning glory flowers. As you can see,
the wire cages, that I put up to "try" to contain the vines,
seem to have had the opposite effect. Instead of keeping the
vines off the fence, they just had more room to grow.  |
Two GBS's
and a flower update, all in one picture. LOL
the Front Yard
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The irises and gladiolas are
getting pretty droopy now. It won't be long till I'll be picking
dead leaves and weeds from this flower bed. |
| After all their blooming and being
cut down, the hollyhocks continue to grow. Last year, they did
the same way and I nearly had blooms again by the time the first
frost hit. |
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| Lookie! My fountain is nearly as
green as Jim's pool was earlier this year. I'm waiting for all
the rain from the hurricanes (Katrina and Rita) to pass, and
then I'll be emptying and cleaning the fountain. I should
probably get to clean the fountain and trim the hedges a couple
more times before Winter sets in. |
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The Pampas grass has continued to
grow larger every year. It's kind of hard to tell from this
picture, but it's nearly doubled it's circumference from last
year. |
Aug 2004
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Sep 2001
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;)
;)
Within
the last month, I've finally heard my second pack singing. One day I
left something behind, circled the block and came back home. As I
got out of my car, I could clearly hear the pack howling away
inside. 
Although they were really loud, I had forgotten how much I missed
that sound. LOL 
