Thursday, September 1, 2005

Thursday, September 1, 2005

This morning, more freezer cleaning.

Some of the stuff on the very top had defrosted, and needed to be gotten rid of, a cousins dogs got to feast.
She had left and gone to Georgia, and her animals were so very hungry, and starving for water.
We didn't have water to spare, but they did get to eat, hopefully there was enough water in the things that we had to throw out. (9/8/05 the animals are fine, though we did worry about the horse, but he's fine as well.)

Mother and I went into town, 13 miles away.
There's no gas to be found in the county, but hearsay has it that there is gas in Mobile, but who has the gas to go 30 some odd miles to find out...(not me, I'll wait till there's a sure thing close by, do not want to get out in this heat, risking running out before a station is found that does have gas, and a generator to pump with.)

The hometown grocery had sustained extensive roof damage, and they had us lined up, letting ten shoppers in at a time (Wal-Mart letting in 2 shoppers at a time), warning us, of the damage and wet floors, and they were not responsible for any falls.

We waited our turn.

They were taking only cash, and local checks.
Phone lines down, so credit cards, and food stamp cards could not be used. (I really felt sorry for the people having to use food stamp cards, how were they to feed their children?)

When we entered the building, I thought I was gonna puke, the stench was overwhelming to me. It took a few minutes for my stomach to catch back up with the rest of me, and honestly if it hadn't been that we needed a few things, and mother needed help, I'm not sure if I could have stayed inside.
The milk products, and old hot blood from the meat market part of the store was sickening.
The 'whop biscuits' had blown their covering.
Anything that had to be refrigerated was ruined, and being inventoried, and packed up to get it out to the store.

We bought can and dry goods.
Someone asked me while we were in the back if I thought the eggs might be good. *raises eyebrow*
uhhh, no, I wouldn't think so.
I wouldn't eat them, look around you...
She decided to pass them up.
Wise decision, I do believe.

(People use your brain! Ever heard of common sense?)

I'm sorry ya'll, but some of the things people do, even if their hungry make no sense, you eat to keep living, please don't poison yourself...
And actually, I think they should have gotten the eggs out of there when they got the meat out, at least rope it off, or something...
*shrugs*

On the way to town, we had seen the Army National Guard unloading bags of ice into peoples cars, at the fairgrounds, and went there after we got our grocery's. (some people had stopped when they went into town, and then had been overheard, verbally wondering if the ice would melt while in the trunk.) *please* Again, use your brain...
So what if you have to wait for awhile in line to get it and then take it straight home, better than to have a trunk full of water...

I guess it's the Army Brat in me, but I do enjoy seeing men in military uniforms, sexy as hell!

It did bring a tear to my eye, as my father ran thru my thoughts. *love ya Daddy! and I have felt you near*

After we left the fairgrounds, we went to check on my storage unit.
After all that we've already been thru, the idea of losing what little we have left would break my heart, I was so tickled to see it still standing!

On to pay the rent for the storage building.

When I walked to the door and knocked, the lady who owns the storage building came to the door, I could feel something wrong, even before she opened the door.
something not right here...
Something coming from her made me want to cry.

She looked at me really funny, and said, 'Well bless your heart, you came to pay me didn't you?'

'There's no way I'd not, I don't want to loose everything I own if I can avoid doing so.' was my reply.

She just stood there looking at me, breaking my heart, though I didn't know why...

'What's wrong?' I asked.

'Everything is just so overwhelming', she said.

'Is there anything I can do to help?', I asked.

'No. I can hardly believe you've come to pay me, I know it was hard to come by, you used fuel to get here too.'

I nodded, 'Both my guys stopped paying child support back in June.'

Still feeling the overwhelming sadness coming from this woman...
I hugged her.

'Are you alright?' I asked.

She nodded.

She said, 'Tell you what, I know that money was hard to come by, I know things are hard right now for everyone, lets just forget about September, August has been a bad month. You keep that money, go buy your kids something good to eat, or get some gas, and I'll see you again next month.'

I was totally surprised, and then the tears came, I couldn't hold them back any longer.
I don't know what was wrong, but I know that woman was hurting for something, I've worried for her, and hope that all is well with her, and hers.

I asked if she was sure, and she nodded.
I told her if she needed us to holler, we'd help any way we could. (We use to sit with her parents before they died.)
She said she would if she needed us.

We said goodbye, and I went back to the van, bawling my eyes out.
Mother asked me what was wrong, I told her something was wrong, but didn't now what, that Gail had told me to keep the money.
I handed it to my mother and told her to keep it, she may need gas, or something.
(Later in the week, mother gave me the money back, told me it was our money and to keep it, she would be fine...)

*Thank you Gail & Mother*

After we left her house, we went to my baby sister's.
She had not eaten in 2 days so her 3 children, my niece, and her child would have something to eat.
We shared what we had bought in town, and the ice with them.

On to mother's, with my sister, and the kids not far behind us.

We had a big burner outside, and started making soup from the veggies, and some beef that had begun to thaw before we left, so it was ready to eat when we got back.

Mother's husband had stayed home while we were gone.

While we were feeding the kids and my sister, he had been sitting in the kitchen, being nosy, and half ass listening.
He over heard one of the girls say that she had spilled Kool-aide on the front of her shirt.
And he bellowed, 'KC, if you spill anything on my chair, I'll kill you!'
Everyone stopped, looked at mother, and everything got quite.
Mother said nothing.
KC got up and put what she had left in her bowl in the kitchen and went to sit outside on the porch.

Honey, that man pisses me off , and we'll all be much better off when he's gone...
Jackass!

It wouldn't be so bad, if he'd at least treat my mother well... (but those are for another story.)

After everyone left, the girls and I went to my Aunts, she is on the City water, and they had turned it back on, not much pressure, but it was water.
This evening, we got baths and quick showers, rather than dish pan wipe offs.
It felt sooooooo good!

Slept much better this night!