1397 Positive Thoughts

Hi Sweetpeg,

Don't apologise - positive thoughts from me all the way!

Try not to worry too much (easier said than done, I know).

Love Lesley

Have just been watching the news in the uk re the hurricane, so hope it doesn't happen again - I followed the NO disaster spellbound and horrified though an amazing blog run by an IT guy stuck downtown for days.
Luck and love and any positive energy I can muster to you and yours Sweetpeg.
I'm not a believer but I'll say a little prayer anyway...

Marina

Keep your spirits up sweetpeg, perhaps the mobile battery ran dry, (charge mine once a month if I can remember). They will call as soon as poss. I will bet as were responding you've already heard there ok.

God bless and keep us informed.

Our thoughts are with you and your family. Its unbelievable that something similar could happen again - so soon.

What the hell is going on with our global weather- -not like the gulf coast, but even in the UK the usually benign weather has become very strange - this year many floods and tornados in Birmingham and Bath - have we really screwed up our planet.

THINKING OF YOU SWEETPEG

Positive thoughts are coming to you and your family, Peggy. The doctors and nurses who stay behind (at great risk to themselves) to help the injured are the unsung heros of these disasters. I have much admiration for Audrey.

Dee, and John too.

Thank you - you know how you are there at work and you get calls from other family members that another is in a situation because of mother nature - there is just nothing you can do, but reach out as I did. You have been all so great so loving, just good karma coming through from all of you. I have talked to Mary my sister, just before leaving work about 5:45 p.m. my time - you were all snoozing or most of you were. They have not left yet for higher ground, even though they would like to, the freeways and roads are packed. Traffic is at a stand still so they have decided to wait until Thursday to try to leave, hoping most will be out by then. The hurricane, hurricane Rita as she is called will hit land in there area by Friday. Cell phones are not working hardly at all, I reached them on their home phone and that was pretty static sounding. Postive thoughts for not just my sister and her partner Audrey, but for all of the people who will have to go through this hurricane is still needed. Mary will call my mom, and then Mom will let the rest of us to let us know what is going on. We may not here from Mary until maybe as late as Monday, depending on how evacuating goes on Thursday.

In the meantime - thank you - I just needed all of you so much right now. Yuck mushy I know - heck I'm from California I was raised in the 60's I'm a hippy at heart - love, peace :D
Thank you I will keep you posted. but next time I post it will only be my cheerleading that I do so well when someone moves to Italy or becomes a member to Italy Magazine, or the thrill of seeing someone that you read or write to on this forum on a webcam in a Piazza in a small village. Peace and love to all of you - Peggy ;)

On a lighter note, we already have the Carovigno web cam, can we not have the PUGLIA PARTY WEB CAM. Just thought of that yesterday whilst putting washing on the line. Do you have a web camera Alex and Lyn and can you set it up for the party so that we can all log on and be there (if only as a viewer) :D

[QUOTE=Sweetpeg]I really hesitated on whether I should write this post, not having anything to do with Italy or webcams in a Piazza, but you know I need some positive thoughts for my family. My sister lives in Houston Texas and I don't know how much of the United States news you get in the UK and /or in Italy, but there is a new hurricane with the same strength or stonger, a catagory 5 strength then the last one that just hit about 3 weeks ago. The hurricane is heading towards parts of New Orleans and dead on for Houston. In Galveston about a 45 minute drive from Houston they have made it mandatory evacuations, last I heard they were going to make it mandatory that people leave the Houston area. Mary's (my sister) office closed early and they sent people home,to get things together and get out. Her partner Audrey is a nurse at a local hospital and can't leave, so Mary is trying to get the dogs and what is important to them and get out of Houston, head up to Austin (higher ground). I have left a message but have not heard back from her. My other sister has left a couple also. My Mom has talked to Audrey a couple of times, now we are just waiting to make sure Mary gets to Austin okay. Traffic is at a stand still just about. I just would love positive thoughts, that the hurricane poops out and Mary and her Partner Audrey along with all the others stay safe.

Sorry it's a bummer post - I just thought the more positive thoughts and prayers - well it couldn't hurt ;)

Thank you - Peggy[/QUOTE]

Peggy, I have a contact on another forum who is still in contact with her family in Houston. Apparently the city is evacuating but the high volume of traffic on the roads means things are not moving very fast at all. If you do get in touch with your sister suggest to him that she pull together a 72 hour kit of essentials to tide her over should the worst happen and Houston gets a direct hit by the storm.

Hopefully though they will all get out on time - the US government and individual citizens have learned a hard lesson from Hurricane Katrina and will be anxious not to see a repeat of what happened in Louisiana/Mississippi three weeks ago.

Peg, just logged on, so sad to hear of your sisters difficulties, much love and positivity to you and your family, here's hoping they find a gap on those freeways. my thoughts are with them. Hugs...

Sweetpeg, not wishing to put a downer on things, but why are your family waiting? I can't imagine being in their position, but if it was me, I'd get out ASAP. I can see the logic of waiting until later when it might be easier to travel, but what if it's not........?

It might not be just your family who has had that idea. I'd rather sit in traffic now and still get out than risk sitting in traffic later.

It's a dreadful position to be in (and I may not be helping one iota!), so the least I can do is give you my best wishes too.

Sweetpeg,

My thoughts are with Mary & Audrey. I hope your sister will manage to get out in time, especially being a female on her own with pets, she wouldn't want to be stranded somewhere in the wilderness. A huge place like Houston would probably take weeks to evacuate completely anyway, so I can just imagine the traffic jams (not even mentioning the rising petrol prices!).

Audrey will probably be extremely busy over the weekend looking after all those people who for some reason haven't had a chance to escape the city. Professionals like her deserve every recognition possible in the face of what's going to happen.

My relatives are all on the West Coast so fortunately out of harm's way...

Hugs,
Stephanie :)

[QUOTE=tuscanhills]Sweetpeg, not wishing to put a downer on things, but why are your family waiting? I can't imagine being in their position, but if it was me, I'd get out ASAP. I can see the logic of waiting until later when it might be easier to travel, but what if it's not........?

It might not be just your family who has had that idea. I'd rather sit in traffic now and still get out than risk sitting in traffic later.

It's a dreadful position to be in (and I may not be helping one iota!), so the least I can do is give you my best wishes too.[/QUOTE]

I've just been watching on Fox news, there was an interview with a woman who had taken 6 hours to travel 5 miles, cars and petrol stations running out of fuel, all with a backdrop of a major motorway with one side packed with traffic while the other side was virtually empty, I know I'm a Geordie, threfor a bit slow, but, errrrm, why not open both sides of the highway (except one lane for people who MUST get IN to the city )that would maybe speed things up. Best wishes to Peg and family...

Thank you all of you. I understand the question that was asked to me why they are waiting. I asked that too, but if the traffic it is at a standstill what do you do? What are your other options? The dogs are ready to go, their things that are of value to them are in the car. I guess people who live in areas where they have experienced hurricanes know a little more than say me who would just panic and get in my car as fast as I can. But would you want to be in your car when a hurricane hit or in some place in your house, they say bathtubs? I just don't want to be in one. I have earthquakes out here. I like the thought of not knowing and just having something strike. Hurricanes, they track that, the news sensationalizes it more so - I don't know why she is waiting, I hoping she knows best.

Thank you though again for all the positive thoughts and comments. I will keep you updated on what is happening - we need some good thoughts. So I'm all for the web cam at the Puglia party - I can feel as if I were there :p That would be sooooo cool -

Hugs my friends I have to work - Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart Peggy ;)

[QUOTE=GeorgeS] I know I'm a Geordie, threfor a bit slow, but, errrrm, why not open both sides of the highway (except one lane for people who MUST get IN to the city )that would maybe speed things up. ...[/QUOTE]

Excellent idea, being a southener I didn't even consider that!

My thoughts and prayers are with your family, and everyone else out there atm. I heard on the radio this morning that some families have literally only just returned home and have had to turn around and leave again. :(

xx

News today were reporting cars being abandoned - run out of petrol - on highways & many people fleeing on foot!! Also fights at petrol stations have taken place while most have run out of gas.... scary!

GeorgeS,

It seems someone has finally 'noted' your comments on opening both sides of a highway as it has apparently happened now!!! But why so late? :confused:

Fingers crossed!

Stephanie

George they did open both sides finally that helped, but the gas shortages at the gas stations - :( Anyway, downgraded to a Catagory 4 and moved a little east (I think the news said east) not such a direct hit on Galvaston and Houston - It always changes - we have to just wait and see. So far safe :) The hurricane will hit late tonight (my tonight) or early early Saturday morning. We still need positive thoughts for all the people not just my sister and her partner - whom I love both so much :)

I think I'm going to stick with earthquakes - it just happens, you don't have to watch it move slowly onto land - shakes and rattles and rolls - actually not fond of those either - scares the poop out of me, but I don't know when they will hit.

Again thank you for all the support will let you know once hits land. Did anyone find out if webcam at the Puglia party? I must think of other things.

Stephanie where do your parents live on the west coast? That's me, west coast - Southern California!

Hugs to you all I will talk to you all later. Peggy

[QUOTE=Iona]News today were reporting cars being abandoned - run out of petrol - on highways & many people fleeing on foot!! Also fights at petrol stations have taken place while most have run out of gas.... scary!

GeorgeS,

It seems someone has finally 'noted' your comments on opening both sides of a highway as it has apparently happened now!!! But why so late? :confused:

Fingers crossed!

Stephanie[/QUOTE]

I know, I admire the power of this forum to affect world wide change :rolleyes: I gave some advice to an Australian chap a while ago about precisely how their cricketers should behave, immediate change, England "won" the ashes.... I know the situation affecting massive evacuations of areas is a complex one, but surely someone somewhere could come up with the simple thought of opening evey highway on both sides and putting petrol trucks out prior to the evacuuation starting, as with most health and safety law changes though, unfortunately some ordinary people have to die before people in power start thinking... Ooops, principles showing again :eek: Latest news seems to suggest your sister should be OK Peg, positive energy still flowing their way. Hugs

I have not talked to my sister Mary (no she isn't a nun :D), but it ended up to be a Catagory 1 hurricane - winds 75 miles per hour and it was not as bad as orinially thought. Wow that is great. A lot of power outages, downed trees, and downtown Houston some windows blown out of highrise buildings.

Thank you, thank you, all of you for the thoughts and prayers (for those of you who pray ;) ), they were needed for not only Mary and Audrey, but all the people who have been through the last two hurricanes.

Much Love to you all, Peggy :)

Hi Peggy,
it looks as though the Hurricane "Rita" has lost some of it's power, thank goodness. Let us all be thankful for that.
I do hope that your sister and her partner and the dogs are all safe, and that you hear from them soon. I do believe in the positive power of prayer, and that everyone's positive thoughts have helped in some small way.
My thoughts are with them all over the next few days and indeed weeks ahead, as they still have the arduous journey to make back to their homes, once the danger is over.
Keep well and keep positive!! :)
Ciao
Frances

Sweetpeg,

My aunt & cousins are spread out all over the west coast. 2 cousins live in California & my aunt's moved back to Oregon to live with another cousin last time I heard from her. She seems undecided as she tends to move back & forth between those 2 states and I've lost track :D ! Not sure about the cities... am bad at remembering addresses...

Great to hear that Rita has calmed a bit. A lady on a Writer's List I'm on has evacuated from near Houston & it took her 26 hours for an 8 hour trip! She couldn't take side roads as they were blocked off by police (why??) but eventually found a way off the highway which seemed littered by abandoned cars & she feared for her & her family's safety. Haven't heard yet if her home was hit but with a bit of luck all's fine.

Glad it's over for the time being.

Stephanie