I just got my power back last night (Friday night) since Ike arrived last Sunday. No fun living in the dark for 6 days. Those ice cold showers were something else. Many folks still without power and my heart goes out to them. With a million people without power, progress is being made now with help from power company workers from N and S Carolina, New York, and other states. Local stores, lacking power, have been closed or selling only non-perishables. Traffic lights started working Thursday. Interesting driving with no traffic lights- kind of like playing bumper cars. Gasoline has also been in short supply, long lines forming whenever someplace got a truck load. The has supply does seem to be improving now. So does ice supply. That was almost impossible to find. We built a bonfire in our driveway last night and had a party last night to celebrate. Lots of neighbors were here. I had a lot of roof damage too, as well as siding damage. I have gotten one roofer here to look at it who recommended replacing the whole thing because damage is so extensive. I have siding damage, too. Some just blown loose and flapping in the wind, some crimped, some mangled and blown away. Most roofers and siding companies unable to keep up with calls, or say they can't even look at it for a month or more. I also lost every bit of food in my fridge and freezer, hundreds of dollars worth. Philmont's description of Cinti is pretty good. So many huge old trees were blown out of the ground. Street and traffic signs are gone with the wind. There are still power lines on the ground all around my neighborhood. Three power poles in a row are laying on the ground a block from my house, lots of wires attached to them. I heard that winds were indeed 75 mph, and this storm was classified as a subtropical hurricaine. They're saying a storm of this intensity occurs in this part of the country about once every hundred years. We spent today trying to return to normal life. Picked up a few groceries, took long, hot showers, did mountains of laundry, cleaned up the clutter inside the house (candles, flashlights, scraps of paper with emergency phone numbers. Clutter was amazing. I might never eat another piece of peanut butter bread. It was the mainstay of my diet all week. Karen

122) Chiggers love the sweet perfume of OFF! Wear it well at clothing openings and about the ankle. (Deer ticks are optional here but plentiful.)

Thanks. This was helpful. Here is a link that might be useful: solar panel installations

Good Morning All, I'm so sad. I found out yesterday that my favorite SIL has tongue cancer. She is the one who helped us get started with the phone business. We will have test results back this next week so hopefully they removed all of it. Seems as though we're slowing down so others are starting to post. I hope they continue. I need to be able to come here and relax. Anj, That is awesome your DD made the team. We'll have to jump in and help support your early mornings from here. Repear after me I know I can, I know I can.LOL I'm sure you'll get alot of enjoyment being able to watch her excell. Maybe you can try to go to bed early the nights you have to get up earlier. Luvs, I know what you mean by getting rid of clothes. You should take and donate them to charity and write them off on your taxes. Here in MT we can write off $1500 a year. We have Goodwill, Twice But Nice and others. I personally like to donate to the 2nd hand church store. There is 9? area churches that share the profits. The ladies all volunteer their working time. I have a steam machine box that is full of turtle necks from previous years and haven't even looked at them, but I have 20 new ones this year. Not funny! One of my closets has clothes for DS, DD and DG. I told them I would be boxing them up and they could keep 2-3 outfits in there and no more!!! Think that will happen? When the kids was in high school we didn't have any debts so we went to the mall shopping every weekend and to this day they still love to shop. I created shopoholics! DS dresses bette than most women. That closet is going to have more of my Christmas and crafts in it, if I follow through. Yeah Belle, FYI. DH has an industrial Delta scroll saw and has had good luck with it. He also has a Sears that he cuts some with. We have gone through quite a few saws through the years and the Delta has been the longest performer so far. I love to camp. We have a toy hauler and also a cabin so I've camped for years. We always felt it was family time when camping. We would go fishing or ride the 4 wheelers to our friends cabins and visit. Some times we would have pot luck up in the woods in the evenings. It was so nice to not have to hear the phone ringing. We have dish up there and don't even watch it. Just kick back and enjoy once the weather is nice. Have a good book so you can sit by the fire and read, if nothing else. Here's my project that turned out ugly. Maybe I'll find someone who likes it a little and give it to them.