Random snaps

Doug and Tina August 2008
Outside the back door - guess we need a chain saw
Tree down
Tina in need of a haircut
Shiba Inus vs. Turtle
Aja and the turtle


Flourishing Spider plants

Floods and road closures

This is NOT our house - just a snap of Tallahassee.

It's Monday and it doesn't feel like it. Doug had to work all weekend to report storm related deaths and so...yesterday felt like a workday, not a Sunday. The rain kept hammering Gadsden county yesterday. I could hear things falling on the roof and the thunder was constant. Kobe was not at all pleased. He hates thunder. When the rumbling seemed to subside I took them out for a walk, slogging through calf deep water trying to find them places to walk. Then the sky went black again, thunder increased so it sounded like a train freight yard behind our house. With the high risk of getting struck by lightning in Florida, I decided it would be prudent to drag the pups home.

The ground is so over saturated that our septic system quit working. Get a shower upstairs and it backs up in the downstairs tub. Totally disgusting. We finally got the electricity back on very late Saturday evening. Unfortunately 2 tubs of ice cream had turned to liquid and it broke my heart to toss ice cream. Love ice cream. Also had to throw out other previously frozen items like sausages, bananas that were meant to be smoothies, etc. The chicken stayed just frozen enough to be cooked immediately. Yummy chicken Parmesan and fresh pasta last night. Tonight the flank steak will become fajitas.

On the very plus side we still don't have water inside the house and for that I am very thankful. There are people with cracked foundations where a retaining wall broke, sweeping water through their homes. There are people who needed to be evacuated by the sheriff's department, floating away from their homes in small boats. In our county they called the national guard because of the problems with looting. That was, thankfully, short lived and in a small town just 10 miles northwest of our home. Since we are in a rural area we weren't as worried about looting or prowlers. Sometimes I don't think people know we are back there since you can't see the house from the road.

Tropical Storm Gustav formed in the Caribbean and it may take the same track as Fay. All of us along the gulf states sincerely hope not!

Tropical Storm Fay

It didn't seem we would get much rain or wind from this one. Wow...there are branches and large limbs down around the house. The field isn't underwater but there is plenty of standing water. It's now almost noon on Saturday morning and we have been without electricity since 7 p.m. last night. It was a bit hot for sleeping but we did manage to sleep.

Yesterday was also Kobe's birthday. Poor little guy didn't have the celebration I planned. I had Kongs stuffed with peanut butter gelling in the freezer. We were going to have pizza and watch A Knight's Tale but alas......the electricity went out. Then, dopes that we are, we braved the very windy and rainy weather and cruised down to Great Wall Chinese take away. We ate by candlelight. Then we just sat around talking before retiring to bed early.

At present I am typing from work because Doug had to come in to give the Emergency Operation Center an update on hurricane deaths. He has a very cool job...until you have to risk life and limb and drive in a monsoon to see how many people have bit the dust in car accidents and drownings. As I look out in the almost empty parking lot I see sheets of rain waving like vertical cellophane. At least here we have electricity and can charge up the cell phones, computers and get a shower.

During breakfast at the truck stop this morning I told Doug I wanted to try at least one of the things on that list of foods...by this payday. Either the dirty gin martini or one of the Indian food items. We'll see.

Squirrel Head Manor

So, I came to realize that while I fully intended my Pierce blog to be genealogical research only...it ended up with personal material. However, the blog did accomplish just what I needed it to do...to keep me organized and get the Pierce information documented.

Anyway, this will be more of a journal for me to vent or purr about life in the slow lane at Squirrel Head Manor and what's up with the Culbertsons. Where I can natter on about being an amateur gourmand, a home cook and voracious reader. My dreams and passions....Doug and Tristan, owning a home in Ireland or England, my obsession with kitchen gadgets and appliances, recipes, books, cookbooks, wines, cheeses, beers, ales and avenues of food exploration. My family and Aja, Kobe and Hextall.

Upcoming goals will be trying to make pastry dough and I am still getting the Pierce info organized for a hard copy printing.