Mark's Notebook

More from Mary in Mississippi

More from Mary's recent emails. - Mark

Bay St Louis, Sunday, April 23

Regarding SU, while we're in MS working, we have daily network access. I'm keeping up with SCS & SU for the moment.

SU is Stampin' Up, and SCS is Split Coast Stampers. - Mark

I've been introduced to an entirely new 'weather' while here in MS... the hot humid stuff that goes way beyond what I've ever experienced at home, or in Hawaii or other tropics... but I think when I've been traveling before, it was for vacation & play and we were usually IN the water to it was extremely tolerable. Working in this stuff is another story... just drink TONS of water and no hurrying. Both Mark and I must be especially "sweet"... we're simply FULL of bug bites... and some in places I don't know HOW they got to!!! On the up side, for now Mark and I are housed in the "hilton"... a 5th wheel trailer usually reserved for on-site directors... but the current director is in another trailer so she put us up in here... no air conditioning and can't use the trailer's bathroom, but having a 'watertight' shelter that gives us full shade from the sun and cloudbursts is like being at the 'hilton' when contrasted to the tents... this is good.

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We've been in MS since last Thursday. The humidity with heat and bugs is something different to us and we're 'adjusting'. Turns out the distribution center was cut back to 2 days a week. So yesterday we were helping in there. Today, Sunday, we rest. This coming week Mark & I are tasked with helping folks file electronic applications for some grants... that's supposed to start tomorrow and we still don't have the computers for that yet... but that's the way things seem to go around here... so we just go with the flow.

Bay St Louis, Tuesday, April 25

It's Tuesday afternoon now. Out 'work' days are long when it's hot & humid... have to really take things at a much slower pace in order to have any stamina.

The other day's rain was the first rain they had had in a long time and they are way behind on their water levels. When it's raining it feels soOOooo good, but if the sun comes back out then it gets like a really hot steamy sauna. I think I'll keep my CA residence, thank you.

Yesterday I worked the entire day in the the distribution center's tent while it was closed to the public. I was pulling all the winter clothing and bagging it up to be sent elsewhere.

Today Mark & I went to a couple's home to help in the yard with clearing... bamboo. The owner took the rest of the day off and pulled out his chain saw... so he cut what wasn't already broken away and we pulled all of it into a huge heap. We were ALMOST finished with the last of it when lightning was getting close so we had to stop. We went to Rite Aid to get me a new toothbrush (lost mine) and a Hershey bar... and it's been POURING and Thundering & Lightening like crazy since... camp is pretty flooded. I'll have to put on my hiking boots during the night to get to the bathrooms (where my flip flops or birkenstocks have been just fine for that middle of the night hike). Oh well. I do wish the thunder & lightening would stop... can't use an umbrella... so get really wet... seems like I look like a drowned rat whether it's raining or it's super humid & hot.

We had to drive our truck out to the home we were working on today (because we were the only ones going there and we're not insured as drivers of City Team vehicles)... Mark's keyring fell off his pants while we were working out there... looking at the area we had been working you would expect we would never be able to find it... but we DID. I have my spare set of keys in my bag at camp, but not with us at the time, but NO keys to the truck bed's cover). Wheh!

The home on the property we were working on was over 130 years old. They showed us pictures of the outside before K. It was beautiful. Actually, this particular home suffered very very little damage to the house and NO water entered. It is on a 'high' spot... you could see the waterline on the concrete thingys under the house... about 18" of water... and the bamboo on the gulf-side of the house caught & held incoming debris so that only water ran by. The house on the end of the street was about 180 years old... the entire gulf side of the yard & street were washed away and that side of the house has collapsed. It has to be demolished. They showed us photos of that house pre-K (katrina) from a coffee-table style book.

The biggest challenge for us has been the heat & humidity. I'm so used to working 'nose to the grind stone' pace, but you can't do that here. We're so tired by the end of each day that we're sleeping really well, despite the heat & humidity. Late this afternoon there was quite a rain storm complete with thunder and lightning, unlike what we're used to at home.

Bay St Louis, Thursday, April 27

Sadly, I didn't get around to bringing ANY stamping supplies... space, didn't think I would find time on vacation, and we simply HAD TO GET going. In lieu, I pulled a bunch of BD & thank you cards and 2 generics without any salutation. I SHOULD have brought some stamping supplies! I've gone thru my generics already and will need to buy a get well for a friend at church.

I'm toying with trying to expedite order from SU to deliver here some very minimal things for cards... maybe the pre-cut-folded card & envy sets, a set of petal points (for some color choices), black classic, adhesive glue stick, and an image set... rats, would have to order scissors to to cut & mount the stamps... I'm tempted but it's not the smartest way to spend $$$... I may simply resort to store bought cards to fill in for what I didn't bring... ack!!!

Shirley is the lady across the street. She fixed us all some Alfredo fettucine with shrimp and 'BBQ' jumbo shrimp the other day... tonight Nola made us Gumbo... everything is so yummy.

Yesterday we had that nasty storm. Today's weather has been like 'home'... comfy and no humidity with gently breezes. I wish everyday was like this. Mark & I are both have allergic reactions to the bug bites... they're all 'welting'. I started taking Benadryl this morning... leaves me spacey but I'll take that over the insanely intense itching that goes beyond poison oak's itch... thankfully I don't have to do any driving.

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Another question you asked in first mail... something about how the folks are doing compared to our previous visit? They're coming along very slowly. Things seem harder now for them. I think the shock of things has worn off. Everything is a roller coaster ride... things appear going well for a bit then the bottom falls out... over and over for so many of them. Today I met a woman of 50, her house, property, & car were all paid off so she didn't carry insurance... did you know if you didn't carry any insurance you could not qualify for any of the gov't's grant monies and numerous other assistance? This woman was having a particularly bad day today... not over losses from K, but it's been 2 or 4 years (I can't remember which) since her youngest son was killed in an automobile accident (he was 22 at the time). So many homes await volunteers or others to come in and work... the amount to be done is mind boggling still... but the only way you can eat an elephant is one bite at a time. With summer heat approaching, there will be less and less volunteers available to assist. Personally, if we didn't have the weather & fierce bugs to contend with, I would want to stay longer.

Bay St Louis, Friday, April 28

regarding rubber stamping and cards - Mark

I gave up last night figuring I would just go buy some as needed... but you've given me hope again! It's Wal-Mart that they have here...'express'... which means they don't have what you're looking for... lol. They don't have a craft section. But MAYBE Sunday on our down day I can get Mark to take me to Michael's in a near town... one of the directors got stuff for yesterday's lady's lunch & craft event. I think I may just do color blocks, inspired by me bestest friend ;-)...

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5:00 Friday afternoon. I'm finished for the day... can't wait to jump in the shower. Today I cleaned out and hosed out (the insides!) of 4 huge vans and then had to disassemble a tent that tore during the storm a few days ago. All in slow motion, of course. Yesterday Mark learned to lay carpet over concrete and also using carpet strips. Today he's learning to put up dry-wall. Tomorrow the distribution center's open ... so that's what we'll be up to the entire day.

I was flipping thru the SU catty and realized they have KITS! So I ordered 2 so I could make both masculine & feminine cards. I put up a thread on SCS demo forum asking if there's any demo's in the area here as I would love to meet some local demos... (I'm thinking of donating the 2 stamp sets at the end of our vacation). I ordered overnight shipping so should receive it Tue or Wed here in MS. Itch itch... time for another Benadryl. It was hard to place a 'minimal' order and not keep adding all sorts of little things (but I did 'upsize' the kits).

Bay St Louis, Tuesday, May 2

We have 2 more days here. After last Tuesday the weather cooled down for nearly 5 days... what a blessing that had been. During that we also had a pretty good storm that damaged all but 1 of the camp's nylon tents... Mark spent the better part of 2 days taking those down and apart... trashing the torn and splintered stuff. They still have the bunk houses and a few trailers in camp so all is well. City Teams is considering moving camp to higher grounds for the 2006 hurricane season... and we expect that means they will get out of the tents, too.

Yesterday the weather got hot again, and today was also hot. I have succumbed to the heat... today I spent the day in bed from a migraine ... I'm feeling much better now. Tomorrow the distribution center will be open and I will be doing registration, something I can manage even if I'm not quite 100%.

Last Sunday Mark & I attended the Calvary Chapel that's been set up in this community... originally CC had setup feeding the community over 7500 meals a day. Now they are sending volunteers out to the homes to assist with repairs, much like City Teams is doing (Mark has learned to lay carpet and put up sheet rock). CC holds its Sunday service in the same circus tent they served meals from. They even have a small tank setup and lined with heavy black plastic sheets for doing baptisms. While at church we met a man who's from CC Monterey.

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Last updated Tuesday 13 May 2008