Hi Everyone,
Hope everyone is well and having a good day. We certainly have been having some terrible things to happen in the United States last month. Hope this month is better than last month.
I will start off with the Japan earthquake which was a 9.0 disaster and occurred on 3-11-11. We have an aquifer here in Texas known as the Edwards Aquifer. When the earthquake happened in Japan, just 15 minutes after the quake in Japan, the water sloshed here in Texas in the aquifer. The aquifer is monitored in Bexar County, San Antonio, Texas and has monitoring devices. I thought that was amazing. One woman whose property sits above the aquifer said she was looking out of her kitchen window when the water started to rise several feet in her stock tank. Later she found out it was due to the Edwards aquifer moving.
The Edwards Aquifer serves 2 million water users in Texas. Not the first time it happened, also Chile 8.8 and Haiti 7.0 quakes did the same thing.
Last Wednesday 4-27-11, a powerful storm system came up from the Gulf waters across Central Texas and started moving north east . We had a small tornado touch down at Groesbeck, Texas.
Groesbeck is 40 miles north east of Temple. Groesbeck is home to Old Ft. Parker. It was established by the Parker family when they came to settle in Texas. A daughter, Cynthia Ann Parker was kidnapped during a Comanche Indian raid and grew up among the Indians. Her son was the famous Quanah Parker, last Comanche Chief. She was recaptured and brought back to live with her family but she never accepted that life. She died 2 years after this event, a very sad story. Ft. Parker is a place to ponder the event and walk among the graves of the slain from the indian massacre.
The system then moved towards Ben Wheeler, Texas and another tornado touched down with winds in excess of 90-100 mph. Ben Wheeler is 75 miles east of Dallas. We did not get a drop of rain from this sytem but Dallas did get rain. Only 3 structures lost and no one seriously hurt. This same storm system
then moved through seven southern states and produced the worst tornados the U.S. has known in 30 years or so. Alabama was hardest hit by a very large tornado. I really feel for all the people affected by this storm, so far 327 lives lost and still 400 people missing. The system was produced when the warm air from the gulf met the colder air from the north. The destruction is massive and uncomprehendable. The cleanup will be a massive event and probably will take several years. Bodies have to be placed in refrigerated trucks until they can be buried. So, so sad for all the loss of property and life.
We in Texas are in the midst of the worst drought. Several years ago, we had a drought but nothing like what we have at this point in time. This time the drought encompasses all of Texas and we are desparate for rain. The wildfires are still burning in north west Texas and they have them contained down to 300,000 acres. But if we get no rain, we will have more fires as the vegetation is so dry.
Went with my brother Jerry on a restaurant outing on 4-28-11 to the little spot in the road called Ratibor, Texas. The home he lives in does 1 restaurant day each week and he goes about each 2 months or so.
The only thing at Ratibor is an old gin, a new gin, the restaurant and about 4 houses. This all sits in the middle of corn fields about 8 miles east of Temple. Jerry could not believe his eyes, a restaurant in the middle of nothing but country and it was busy. The restaurant is known for its good cooking and its jalapeno chips. These are jalapenos sliced thin diagonally, battered and fried. Served with ranch dressing, lip smacking good. He had an old fashioned burger and I had the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich with jalapeno chips. After this they took us on a bus ride through out the country side, Jerry really enjoyed all of this trip. Got to see lots of farm land, animals, and farms. The recreation aide from the home told me she was glad I could go with them as it is someone different to have around. I do help them with various things when I go so I guess you could say I am a volunteer aide when I go with them.
On Saturday I went out to his VA home and we had a movie date. I had just got him a DVD player and we tried it out. Saw the movie, "Night Crossing" by Disney films. A true story of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families daring escape from East Germany into West. They made and stitched a hot air balloon in one of their houses in 1979. A very good, suspenseful film. Amazing what a thirst for freedom they had and were willing to risk their lives to be free.
Got up early enough Saturday to watch Texas Country Reporter which is stories all about Texas and especially the small places. You can watch some of their clips on You Tube. Address is youtube.com/texas countryreporter. Check out the Blind quilter clip, so good and hard to believe that someone can be blind and still quilt.
Then we had several terrible things happen. Remember I told you Milam county was having a crime wave. Well, a really bad thing happened last week, 2 guys 18 yrs. old decided to rob a house in the country side. Only the woman was home, when the door bell rang, she opened the door without looking. They shot her, killed her and then took her new car which they had seen in Rockdale, Texas. Caught several hours later with car, how dumb and now they face capital murder with possible lethal injection. What a thing to lose your life over and how stupid. So ladies if you are home alone, do not open your door without seeing who is at the door. The lady did not know either one. Then a 37 year old man in Killeen, Tx shot his 5 year old daughter, then killed himself. How tragic, how sad for their family. Bell County where I live has the highest rate of child abuse in all of Texas because of the military. We do not like these facts.
Thanks to all of you who are reading my blog.
It is a cool 70 degrees today with winds of 20mph. Rain in forecast but none as of 4:00 p.m..
Well, that is all from my current perspective. Hope everyone has a safe week. Remember to put Christ in your life, you will never be sorry if you do. Maybe the recent disasters will bring people back to their knees and what is important in life.
In Christian Love and compassion,
Marie
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