Flood Update, Day 6

I'm very, very happy to report that we've had a solid 24 hours with no rain.  It's mostly sunny, and a bit windy, so hopefully the wind and sun will help dry us out.  I just thank the Lord and MSD that The Compound was safe during this past week and a half's storms. 

I can't explain why this flooding situation had me so nerved up - the other times when the Ohio River was way higher than it was this week didn't bother me, but for some reason this week's continuous storms and rain had me all nerved up.  So today, I'm working off some of the leftover nervous energy by starting the Annual Spring Cleaning at The Compound.  I've already found a couple pairs of shoes I'd thought were gone forever.  I've put in a couple of hours today, and I'm going to take it easy the rest of the day and enjoy some rest and relaxation, but I'll put in another hour or so tomorrow and hit it heavier next week.  The Cousin From Alabama will be here in two weeks for his annual spring visit, and just two weeks after he leaves, his sister, The Cousin From California will be arriving for a visit.  Yep, we'll have them coming and going here at The Compound. So we've got to get things all spruced up for our visitors

Flashback Friday

The packaging might not be the same, but I still remember hot dog bubble gum from back in the day.  The shape of the gum is still the same, and the cinnamon flavor is still the same, too.  This was my second favorite novelty bubble gum; the Gold Nuggest bubble gum in the little cloth bag was my absolute favorite. At least these looked like an actual package of hot dogs.

Flood Update, Day 4

First and foremost, I apologize for no picture in today's Flood Update.  I had a little accident here at The Compound last night, and I think I broke my little toe on my right foot, making it a bit painful to walk.  I drove down to the floodwall before work this morning but I'm sorry to say my toe hurt too much to walk the quarter-mile to take the picture.

I haven't seen other pictures today, but from reports I've received, the river is up considerably from yesterday.  The Good Lord willing, I will make it up and over the flood wall tomorrow morning to get a first-hand report for TWIT.

I will also say a major thank you to the Lord above for keeping The Compound and the rest of the city safe over the past week and a half's flooding and severe storms. 

Flood Update, Day 3

Truthfully, this should be "Flood Update, Day 7", since today is the 7th consecutive day of downpours and severe storms that we've had.  But since I've only taken pictures for three days, we'll make this Day 3.

As you can see by the picture, the waters are up since yesterday's picture. While it might not show it from this view, the area to my immediate left was totally under water.  The main parking lot was still dry, but I'd venture to say that if I were to go down to the river now, it would most likely be under water.

Thank the Lord and MSD that we don't even have a small trickle down in our basement.  That's a miracle and a testament to the workmanship that went into the building of our house, given the fact that this house is over 40 years old. 

Unfortunately there's more heavy rain and severe weather in the forecast for tonight, but if we can make it till tomorrow, I think we'll have some clear weather for a while.

Flood 2011 Update, Day 2

Even though we went through a 24 hour period from early Monday till early today with only about a 15 minute period of rain, you can compare this picture to yesterday's and see that the flood waters were still up.  As you can see from this picture, the gate in yesterday's picture is completely under water.  As of 7:30 this morning, the river was still about six inches from going into the main parking lot.

As I type this, they're calling for more severe storms and possible tornadoes tonight and tomorrow afternoon, and then, just then, a day or two of no rain.  Right now, I'll believe it when I see it. But I am happy to report that I had to put on my sunglasses when I was driving home from work today. 



Flood 2011 Update

For the past few days, I've been hesitant to title a post "Flood 2011" but today, I think it's time.  Today is the fifth consecutive day of heavy rains and storms we've had (not to mention the mega storm we had late Tuesday night). 

I drove down a quarter of a mile to the boat ramp this morning before heading to work, and the Ohio River waters were about three feet from going into the main parking lot.  Once the parking lot fills, then it's up the flood wall.  And I'm not ashamed to say that is making me very nervous, especially when the Weatherazzi has us all whipped into a frenzy with things like "Life threatening flooding situation".   The last time I remember the flood waters being close was in 1994, when the Ohio River was half-way up the flood wall.  This morning when I stopped, the water had just reached the iron gate blocking the ramp.  In the picture above, you can see how much farther the water had risen by this evening. 

We just keep on praying that the Lord will keep us safe and dry here at The Compound.  That's about all we can do.

Link Of The Week

TWIT would like to wish everyone a very Happy Easter.  Please take a minute to watch this very moving song by Dolly Parton.  It's what Easter is truly all about. http://youtu.be/UbRPWUHM80M

Rain and Nasal Congestion, Go Away

Everybody in the state is probably singing "rain, rain go away" today, after more storms moved through last night and this morning, and will continue to move through this area for the next week.  There's no damage here at The Compound, thank goodness, and the basement is hold up pretty well because we didn't see any leaks down there earlier this morning.  But in addition to people dealing with storms and rain, just about everybody you talk to has been dealing with allergy or sinus issues, thanks to our location here in the Ohio Valley and all of the crap in the air. This spring, I don't think I've talked with a person yet who wasn't dealing with allergy problems. In fact, Mom never had any allergy issues in her life until this spring.

I've tried OTC and prescription meds for the allergy issues, and they don't seem to help very much.  Last night before I went to bed, my head became more stopped up so I had to deal with that along with severe storms all night long.  So this morning after breakfast I'm trying a new remedy - I'm snorting salt water in hopes to flush out my nasal passages and clear it up.  Wish me luck.  And with more rain and storms in the forecast for this afternoon, I think I'm going to take a nap.  I could use some rest.

Flashback Friday

It's been a slightly crazy week here at The Compound, but I would be remiss in not posting a Flashback Friday moment.

I will just say that I do not remember having the most awesome Reeses Eggs until my adulthood.  When I was a kid, the Easter candy I remember in my Easter basket was some Peeps, a hollow chocolate bunny, and some solid tiny chocolate eggs/footballs wrapped in pastel aluminum foil.  That was about it for my Easter basket.  Talking to coworkers and friends today, some Easter baskets are borderline Christmas present status, with clothes, DVDs, books, and electronic gadgets.  Somehow I don't think the kids today would be satisfied with some tiny foil wrapped chocolate eggs in their Easter baskets.  They probably gave a wish list to their parents and grandparents.

Joke Of The Week

Today's joke is brought to us from one of my favorite comedians and entertainers, Minnie Pearl.

Mr. Smith, 75 years-old, just married a beautiful, sexy 18 year-old woman. Needless to say, his friends sure were surprised. One of them asked him, "How in the world did you get an 18 year-old woman like that to marry you?" Mr. Smith answered, "I told her I was 95."

Spring Storm Update

I am very happy to report that we suffered no damage at The Compound last night with the big storms and tornados blew through the area, thank the Lord.  It was pretty wild for a few minutes.  As always, the weatherazzi had been building this up and they were right for once. 

I managed to sleep for an hour, and got up at 11:45 to find that the 'Rents were still up watching the latest weather coverage on TV.  As soon as we heard the weatherazzi say that PRP would be hit in about 30 minutes, we sprang into action.  We put on shoes, got out flashlights and lanterns, and got the portable digital TV. The lights flickered a time or two but thank goodness we didn't lose power. 

The storms that came through PRP wasn't nearly as strong as the ones that hit just across the river from us in New Albany, IN. It's still dark as I write this but I don't see any limbs in the yard, and all of the garbage cans are accounted for.  Southern Indiana seemed to get hit the hardest.

Once again, TWIT would like to say thank you, Lord, for keeping everyone safe at The Compound.

Spring, Spring, Go Away

I'm not ashamed to wish that Spring would go away for a while.  For the past few weeks, my allergies have been kicking my ass, and add to that tonight's forecast for the severe storm of the century, and you've got one girl ready for spring to be over.

Every morning I wake up congested, and no matter that OTC meds I take during the day, when I go to bed in the evening, it's just about the same.  If only we could get one more deep freeze here in the Ohio Valley to kill all of the crap in the air, we'd all breathe a major sigh of relief.  I'm not going to say that it couldn't happen;  I've witnessed snow and sleet on Derby Day before, so I know anything can happen in late April in the Ohio Valley.

Until the time when the air is clear and we can all breathe again without sneezing a bizillion times a day, I wish you all a very happy and uncongested spring.

I'm A Big Girl Now

It was a very long day at work, and on my end of the building, it seemed as if the heat was still on.  I roasted all day long.  Not even my fan and the open windows helped.  It was only 78 today, but as soon as I got into the car to go home, I turned on the a/c full blast to cool off. 

As soon as I walked into the house (after making 3 stops for stuff that the 'Rents asked me to pick up on my way home) I dropped the grocery bags on the dining room table, and walked straight into the hallway and flipped the switch back to the a/c to cool off. 

I shook my head this weekend at Dad.  Last Saturday, he was so hot and uncomfortable that he flipped the switch to the a/c without me saying one word.  As the week went on, it got cooler and cooler, until by Thursday, he and Mom were walking around the house in sweatshirts.  Saturday evening was his breaking point when he was ready to take his shower.  He flipped the furnace back on, and I will be the first to admit on Sunday morning when I woke up, I was nice and comfy.  But it warmed up yesterday and again today, and after running multiple errands after work I was in the mood for comfort so I flipped the switch myself back to the a/c.  It's been over an hour now, and I haven't heard any complaints. 

Link Of The Week

I've mentioned in previous posts how I love cutting coupons from the Sunday sale papers, and you also already know how I love a good deal.  This week, I found a cool site that will help my fellow coupon lovers.  You don't have to be one of those militant coupon people that have a whole room in their house filled with boxes of coupons; you need only want to get a good deal on something that you want to buy. 

I found a database where you can enter the item that you want to buy, and it will show you if that item has been in the coupon sections that you get in the Sunday papers within the past few weeks or if that item has an online coupon available.  You can't ask for much more than that, can you?  Just visit http://www.savingadvice.com/tools/coupons/.  All you need to do is just enter the item you want to buy, and the site will do the rest. 

Back In The Saddle Again

It's been over a month since I finished my Master's Degree.  It's been awesome coming home from work and being able to read a magazine or a book and not have to be working on a project or studying.  The best part has been not lugging aroung my 87 pound book bag.  Well, this weekend, I'm back in the throes of school work.  A friend and former classmate emailed me this week and asked for my help on interpreting General Motors' organizational structure chart.  I was only happy to oblige.  Then yesterday afternoon at work, my help was enlisted by a kid out in the plant.  Yes, I can call him "kid" because, well, he's young enough to be my kid.  But I digress.  He made the decision back in the winter to get his Bachelor's Degree.  Knowing I was pretty much a lifelong student, he talked to me about going to school for a few months.  I encouraged him and told him it was a great decision, and that I would help him all I could.  So now when I finish with my organizational chart project, I will be starting on a Powerpoint presentation.  And honestly, I couldn't be happier.

Flashback Friday

Last week on Flashback Friday, we spoke about Golden Circles Bread, and how I was the only one that remembered it.   This week, we continue the old school bread theme with none other than Sunbeam Bread.  I have to give major props to my friend, coworker, and faithful reader JMc for sending me this picture.  We both agree that the Sunbeam bread girl looks evil.

I remember when I was a kid, when I would go down to the "country" to visit my dad's aunt and uncle, they always had Sunbeam bread.  And when we'd all head over to the boat dock where they kept their houseboat docked, we'd stop by the McDaniels General Store and buy a pound of bologna and a fresh loaf of Sunbeam bread.  To this day, I don't think I've ever had bread that was as freas as the Sunbeam bread back in the day.

As a kid, I didn't pay any attention to the quasi-scary girl on the Sunbeam bread wrapper, but today, it would have freaked me out. 

Say It Isn't So

ABC has pulled the plug on its long-running soaps 'All My Children' and 'One Life to Live.' According to the network, the final episode of 'All My Children' will air this September, with 'One Life to Live''s finale in January 2012. ABC will replace the soaps with two new shows, 'The Chew' and 'The Revolution."
'All My Children' and 'One Life to Live' are iconic pieces of television that have made an indelible mark on our culture's history," Brian Frons, president of daytime at Disney ABC / Television Group, said in a statement. "Each of the shows has touched millions and millions of viewers and informed the social consciousness. It has been a privilege to work with the extraordinary teams who brought the residents of Pine Valley and Llanview to life each day, and we thank the cast, crew, producers and most especially the fans for their commitment to the shows through their history."
AOL TV first reported the 'All My Children' cancellation rumors in March. In the last month 'AMC' has delivered record lows in Nielsen ratings. In March, Deadline reported the soap came in last in the key demographic of women 18–49. It was seen by 463,000 viewers in that demo, down 34 percent compared to last year. The series also came in last in total viewers, grabbing 2.32 million. 'One Life to Live' had 2.36 million during the week of March 7.
Susan Lucci, who has starred on 'AMC' since it debuted in 1970, recently embarked on an ambitious press tour to promote her memoir, downplaying cancellation rumors. She told our sister site PopEater that the rumors were not coming from ABC. "I just have been very enthusiastically told how much they love my storyline that I just begun working on, and I just was given my schedule into next year," she said. Following the cancellation, Lucci released this statement to E! Online: "It's been a fantastic journey. I've loved playing Erica Kane and working with [series creator] Agnes Nixon and all the incredible people involved with 'All My Children.' I'm looking forward to all kinds of new and exciting opportunities."
ABC is following the lead of CBS replacing long-running soaps with lifestyle shows. CBS replaced 'As the World Turns' with 'The Talk' this season, and 'Guiding Light,' previously the longest-running drama in TV history, with 'Let's Make a Deal' in 2009.' General Hospital' will not be affected by ABC's daytime changes. 'GH' will be one of four soaps left on the air, along with CBS's 'The Young and the Restless' and 'The Bold and the Beautiful,' and NBC's 'Days of Our Lives.' "We are taking this bold step to expand our business because viewers are looking for different types of programming these days," Fons said. "While we are excited about our new shows and the shift in our business, I can't help but recognize how bittersweet the change is."
Since its debut 41 years ago, 'All My Children' has launched such stars as Sarah Michelle Gellar and Amanda Seyfried. Recent Oscar-winner Melissa Leo also had a brief stint on the soap. 'AMC' has most famously been home to Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of the most familiar faces in TV history. Lucci is the only original cast member still on the series. Viewers will also remember Kelly Ripa as Hayley long before she became the co-host of 'Live! With Regis and Kelly.''
One Life to Live' debuted as a half-hour show in 1968 before transforming into a full-fledged hour-long soap 10 years later. The show broadcast its 10,000th episode in 2007. Erica Slezak, who plays Viki Lord Banks on the series, is the longest-running cast member, having begun in 1971. Tommy Lee Jones, Dixie Carter, Judith Light, Marcia Cross and Ryan Phillippe are a few of the many famous faces who got their start on the series. Both shows were created by Agnes Nixon and take place in fictional towns modeled after Philadelphia suburbs. "More than 40 years ago, Agnes Nixon created both the worlds of 'All My Children' and 'One Life to Live,' worlds that the rest of us have been privileged to live in," Frons said. "Her shows led the way forward, breaking a lot of rules along the way to defy expectations about what soaps can do and the issues they can cover. I am honored to have worked with her." As for the new shows, Fons said, "[Audiences] are telling us there is room for informative, authentic and fun shows that are relatable, offer a wide variety of opinions and focus on 'real life' takeaways. A perfect example of this is 'The View,' and that factored into our decision. 'The Chew' and 'The Revolution' are in the same vein and will be great additions to the lineup, with 'The View' serving as an ideal foundation from which to launch these programs. They will also provide enormous opportunity for the creation of ancillary businesses and growth."
I just don't know what to say tonight. After September, there will be no more Erica Kane.

Something You Don't Hear Every Day

The 'Rents and I went out to supper tonight at our favorite 'hood Mexican restaurant. We were chatting and enjoying our frosty Adult Beverages when a song came on over their music system that caught my attention. It was Donna Summer singing her big hit "Bad Girls" in Spanish. Trust me. I know The Queen of Disco well enough to know that in deed was her voice singing "Bad Girls" in Spanish. But that didn't surprise me near as much as hearing the "Toot toot, hey, beep beep" part of the song being sung in English while the rest of the song was being sung in Spanish. That truly was Something You Don't Hear Every Day

Joke Of The Week

A drunk guy walks into a Catholic church and ends up in the confessional booth. After a few minutes, the priest starts knocking on the wall of the booth. The drunk says "You don't have to knock. There's no toilet paper over here, either."

Pray For Me, America

Medicare and prescription medication ordering is going to be the death of me yet, faithful readers. I long for the days when Grandma ordered her medicine from Otto's Pharmacy. All she had to do was call the drugstore, order the stuff, and then me or Mom and Dad would stop by and pick it up. We're dealing with Anthem now for Mom's meds, and I think I might need to hire a lawyer or engineer to try do decipher all of this crap.

Special Bulletin

We preempt the regularly scheduled Link Of The Week to bring you a special news bulletin from The Compound. I am very happy (ecstatic, even) to report that the Official Flipping Of The A/C Switch occurred last night while Mom and I were at the Reba McEntire and George Strait concert. As soon as I stepped through the doorway last night when we got home, I was stepping into air conditioned comfort. And I honestly did not way one word nor did I whine or drop hints. Dad said that as soon as we left last night, he took his shower before the Reds ballgame came on, and he said that when he was getting dressed, he was sweating like a goat. Now, I consider myself an educated person, but until last night I did not know that goats sweated a lot. But I digress. So Dad said he was going to be comfortable so he decided to Flip The Switch. And it didn't come too soon. When we were getting ready for church this morning, the temp was in the upper 60's but the humidity was over 90%, and they're calling for a record high of 88 today. All I know is I slept great last night in nice, cool comfort.

April Showers Bring May Flowers?

We had some very strong storms move through this morning. No tornados were spotted but for about 20 minutes we were pounded with high winds quarter-sized hail, and by the time the storm had moved through we had gotten over an inch of rain. We just got in from assessing, and am proud to report no damage at The Compound. But next door there was a pretty good-sized limb that had fallen on Miss Rosemary's central a/c unit, and across the street, Ted's flag pole was bent at a 90 degree angle. And here is a pic of the most interesting damage in our area -- a piece of a limb, about three-feet long and about two-inches in diameter was sticking straight into the ground as if someone had driven it in with a hammer. I've said it before and I will say it again - I thank the Lord and Tree Tech tree removal for keeping The Compound safe from falling limbs.

Flashback Friday

Last week during one of my awesome lunchtime conversations with the 11:30 lunch crew, we started talking about bread. Specifically, old school bread that they sold back in the day. The first words out of my mouth was "Golden Circles Bread." Everybody in the lunchroom looked at me like I had three heads. I did a quick Google search and this picture was the only proof I could find to show that I was not making up Golden Circles Bread.

The bread loaf was round, instead of the normal square-ish loaves of bread, and the crust was truly a golden circle. We didn't buy this bread regularly at The Compound; it was more expensive and we only got it for holidays or special occasions. But I did remember Golden Circles Bread.

Play Ball!!

It's been a long winter and the day is finally here: today is opening day for the minor league baseball teams. TWIT would like to wish the Louisville Bats good luck as they begin another season tonight at Slugger Field. Yep, I will be there cheering on the Bats and having an awesome ball park hot dog.

Wacky Wednesday

There's a lot of stuff swirling through my mind right now, and I'm trying to process it all. Suffice to say today was truly Wacky Wednesday. Some I will write about in TWIT later; some, I will not be able to due to confidentiality and discretion. I just wish that I was one of the hundreds of thousands of Jefferson County public and parochial school students on spring break this week. All they have to think about this week is where they want their parents to drive them to next.

Mood For The Day Update

This morning when my radio alarm went off, the first song lyric I heard was from CCR's "Proud Mary": ". . . working for the man every night and day" Nuff said.

Farewell, Ronald McDonald

I read an article today that kinda bothered me. It seems that McDonald's is putting Ronald McDonald out to pasture. You've probably already noticed that they don't show Ronald in any of their commercials anymore. That's because McD's has been facing increased competition from more upscale chains like Starbucks, causing them to be more focused on selling their high profit coffee drinks and salads rather than Big Macs and Happy Meals. The marketing experts say that consumers link Ronald McDonald to the old, high-fat foods that are becoming increasingly unpopular with many American consumers. I guess it's working; McD's McCafe coffee products hvae helped revive sales, increasing revenues in six of the last seven quarters. But all at the expense of Ronald McDonald. Never fear, faithful readers, because McD's isn't getting rid of Ronald McDonald all together; after all, his name is still on the company's charity, Ronald McDonald House Charities. So we'll still see Ronald in conjunction with their charity, just not on the menu or commercials. Way back in the day when there wasn't a McDonald's on every corner, it was a major big deal when they would open up a new McDonald's. I would always beg Mom or Dad to take me to a grand opening just because Ronald McDonald would be there. Somewhere down in the basement in the Archives, there is a picture of me and Ronald McDonald. If I can find it, I'll gladly post it.

Flashback Sunday

Folks older than me talk about "What were you doing the day JFK was shot." My generation talks about "What were you doing on April 3?"

On April 3, 1974, a Super Outbreak of tornadoes occurred, and produced 148 tornadoes within a 24 hour period. This is the largest number on record. During the height of activity, 15 tornadoes were on the ground simultameously. 315 persons were killed, 5484 were injured within the 13 states and Canada in which tornadoes occurred. The tornadoes travelled 2598 miles. Our southwest part of Jefferson County was spared, thankfully. But there were a lot of areas in Louisville and the surrounding counties that were destroyed. The fairgrounds, Cherokee Park, Crescent Hill and the Highlands were destroyed, as was the small city of Brandenburg, just west of here along the Ohio River.

When someone asks what I remember about that afternoon, I can tell them that I remember laying in the floor of the family room with my favorite big pillow watching the soap operas with Grandma, while the weathermen kept interrupting. I remember Dad and Grandpa nervously going outside every few minutes, checking the sky to see if they could see any funnel clouds. But to me, my most vivid memories are the day after the destruction.

In all of my 48+ years, I have never seen a sky as clear and blue as it was the day after the April 3 tornado outbreak. I can't remember if we were on spring break from school, or if they just cancelled school due to the destruction and devastation in the city, but Mom, Grandpa and I went up to Otto's Pharmacy and Gateway Grocery on Dixie Highway. Dad was up in Cherokee Park with the Boy Scout troop that he led, clearing the debris. I remember walking from the car to the drugstore looking up at the sky and thinking how clear and blue it was. Like I said, to this day, I've never seen a sky as clear and blue as that day.

Getting back to the afternoon of April 3, I don't remember being the least bit scared or freaked out. Sure, we have a basement, but we didn't go down there, even though the news people were telling people to take cover. I guess if Dad and Grandpa had run back in the house and said they saw a tornado, we'd all ran down there, but Mom, Grandma and I were in the family room. Maybe if we'd had Dopplar radar back then, the weatherazzi would have scared us but I can honestly say that we weren't afraid that afternoon.

Link Of The Week

You all know by now that I love a bargain, and you know that I'm a devout coupon user. Now, I'm not radical like some of the coupon people; I don't have a room full of binders and boxes with coupons, but I do go through the sale papers every Sunday evening and cut out the coupons in the inserts. Actually, that's about the only reason I look forward to the Sunday paper. There's an awesome site where you can get a good bargain - not just once a week but every day -- Groupon.com. You can find usually half-off (and a lot of times, more than half off) coupons for places in your area -- everything from restaurants to dry-cleaning to picture framing and everything in between. For example, today's deal is five one-hour sessions with a personal trainer at health club for only $99 (a $325 value). I've gotten a few "groupons" it was almost effortless. Visit http://www.groupon.com and sign up with your email address and you'll be notified everyday with the day's deal.

April Fools Day Recap

It took almost all day long, but Mom finally got me late yesterday evening. I had made a comment about going to the women's group prayer breakfast and meeting at church this morning, and said that I would wear my UK t-shirt that I had worn yesterday. Note: the majority of our church congregation are diehard U of L fans, and the women wear their U of L clothing to our women's group meeting. That having been said, I decided I would show some support for our Wildcats who will be playing in the NCAA Final Four game tonight. Mom said "Well, you'll have to wash it first - look at the mess you made." Of course, I looked right down and then heard her laughing. And here I was expecting a prank of epic proportions, since she waited so long to get me. Neve underestimate the power of my mother.

Stay Tuned . . .

I'm typing this with my coat on, getting ready to head out the door for work, so I wanted to give you the most up-to-date April Fools report. I'm scared, faithful readers, very scared - I've been up over an hour and Mom has not played one prank on me. That can only mean she's setting me up for the mother of all April Fools. As always, I'll keep you posted.