As The Yarn Turns

More Hurricane

We had to go to Huntsville the other night. On the way, Rick, who knows way more about radio than any person should, wondered out loud if WWL-AM 870 in New Orleans managed to stay on the air. Turns it did manage to stay on the air, including the disc jockey walking through snakes and alligators in the night to turn on the generator for the transmitter. They have a strong signal, so listen to them if you get a chance, or go to their web site. It was good to get a different perspective on things. I also read in our paper that Alabama is offering rooms and campsites at Alabama state parks for hurricane refugees. You have to call FEMA at 800-621-FEMA to register.

Have you seen how much Margene and Susan have raised for the Red Cross with their Give a Little campaign? So far they have over $15,000 plus several items to auction and some great prizes for those who donate. Check it out and donate a little if you can.

The nice thing about going to Huntsville, while it's light is that I have a whole hour to sit and knit, at least while Rick is driving. Sometimes that's a luxury, and it was definitely a luxury this week. So I used that time to work on my cotton sock.

For some reason, once I start the heel, it is always downhill from there. There's still plenty of knitting to go but I even seem to knit faster once I start on the heel. It's going to be a quiet long weekend of knitting and puttering around the house. I'm looking forward to it.

by Sydney  |

How You Can Help

Now that the dust and water have settled, we have seen just how bad Katrina has left things in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and it is very bad. If at all possible, forgo a little of your yarn or fiber money and donate some money to one of the charities helping out in the relief efforts. If you are in Alabama and have actual time and skills to donate, the state of Alabama Governor's office is taking applications for volunteers at their Serve Alabama web site. They also have a list of charities. Animals are part of the relief effort too. Noah's Wish and the Humane Society are two that I know about. I'm sure there are others. Our ferrets (Balt, Zoe, and Phoebe) and Katie cat donated their allowance money.

Rick and I are both Ham Radio Operators. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that ham radio operators are the ones helping out when other lines are communication are down and passing messages relating to the health and welfare of people in the affected areas. If you are trying to get in touch with loved ones, check out this article at the ARRL web site or talk to your local ham radio operator.

Back to knitting.

by Sydney  |

Only Minor Damage

Katrina the tropical storm has come and gone here in northwest Alabama. Last night we had winds up to 50 mph and lots of rain for most of the night. But only minor damage around here. We didn't lose power or phone service at all. Apparently there weren't as many power outages as they expected. Driving through town this morning for an appointment, I only saw a few trees down and lots of leaves and branches. For us, it was a typical bad storm in the Shoals. It just lasted a little longer. The one loss at our house was one of our ham antennas. Rick and I are both ham operators.

The pole that held the antenna snapped where it attached to the house and fell nicely onto the roof of our house. I thought that was rather nice of it. It's aim could have been much worse. Today was a nice day, some drizzle in the morning and sunshine in the afternoon. Utilities in the area are supposed to be restored by tomorrow for those who lost them. We fared much much better than those further south of us.

As far as knitting, I'm moving right along with the Shapely Tee. I'm past the decreases and working on the increases. The nice thing about Katrina was that it cooled things down for a couple of days. Tomorrow it's back to 90 degree days so it looks like I'll have plenty of time to wear this.

by Sydney  |