6:34PM: Power is restored to the residents of Camelot West.
That’s right. Two days after the worst natural disaster in America’s history Alabama Power & Light has restored electrical service to many residents of West Mobile and Tillman’s Corner – including Omar’s Pleasure Palace!
Oh! We are HAPPY campers!!
Well, gotta go get things wired tight and stowed properly for the next Gulf Coast version of “Angles & Dangles“.
Omar, out. 
Can you say “HOT“?
I’m talking about that incapacitating, sticky-beyond-words, makes-you-want-to-puke, can’t sleep, can’t sit, can’t work, kind of “HOT“. This is the most miserable heat I’ve ever known. Period.
Yet, despite all of that, all of us in this house feel a kind of guilt for the fact that while we are in some discomfort – and we expect much more – we are in great shape when we see or hear of the torment our fellow Americans are suffering just down the road. While we are watching each other sweat, our friends and neighbors are watching bodies of friends drift down flooded streets. We are cooking on a grill when we feel like cooking at all, but thousands have no food at all and no place to eat it.
This afternoon we went out and found our favorite Mexican place open and had a hot meal. As much as I love Mexican food, it turned to ashes in my mouth when I thought of all those in need. All of those desperate people and there is no way for me to go there and help. I mean that. No way. All of the roads and bridges to our West are closed or simply missing. We hear that what roads that lead into the coastal areas that are in decent shape have been closed to all traffic that is not headed OUT of the afflicted areas. People, find a charity that you trust and donate as much as you can. Don’t worry about Ol’ Omar here, nor his family. We have problems, but we’ll be fine. Those in Mississippi and Louisiana are not. They need your help in the forms of money, labor, and supplies. Anything and everything is needed. It is all needed NOW! This happened to some of the poorest folks in our grand Nation. Help them. Please. Americans help people. It is what Americans do. Now that help is needed most right here at home.
I also appeal to the rest of the world to send help as soon as possible. There is hardly a nation on Earth that has not benefitted greatly from American know-how and sacrifice. Often American blood sacrifice. This is the single largest natural disaster to ever occur in this land. Quite frankly, it’s time to pay up. For example, it occurs to me that we are dealing with huge amounts of water that need to be moved and then kept back. My mind then thinks of Holland and of Venice. There is expertise in the field of hydraulics that would be of great us on the Gulf Coast right now. Just a thought…
For now we are back to sweating, but haapy it isn’t as bad as it could be…
Omar, out.
I have an interesting update for you this time… VIDEO!
It dawned on me that I could take a quick .AVI film of what is happening outside. The worst seems to be overwith, though damage is still occurring all over the place. The film out of the front door doesn’t show much. I’ll post some from the back yard later. Right now it is simply too dangerous to go back there. Besides, all you could hear if I were on the back porch is the generator running.
My job now is to figure out how you the reader can view the film clip… It’s 204 Megabytes and 2 1/2 minutes long. Too large for most to download. If you’ve got any ideas, send me an email, ok? Meanwhile, I’ll check around in my books…
All continues to be relatively well with us. Looks like Mississippi is looking at something even worse than hurricane “Camille“. It will take me ages to get the yard back in any sort of order. With my back and Lady Beth’s work schedule it is going to be very slow going. Probably will need a new roof as well… If so, we ‘re going to go with steel. Those houses with steel roofs seem to simply brush off the hurricanes. That is what I want! Only thing is, what color…?
As always, more when and if we can.
Omar, out!
As of 10:00AM we are underway on generator power!
We lost power at 6:30 this morning. (Just as I was going to hit the “post” button for my update…) Cable went out just before the power. Strangely enough, the phone lines are still up and DSL!
Things are in a mess down here. Just called Pop to tell them we were getting along just fine. Hot, but fine. Since then we’ve heard several loud “pops” on or in our roof. We don’t know what the damage to the house is yet.
Mobile is flooded. I-165 is passable only by boat – if you dared. You would most assuredly die in the attempt. I imagine the Bayway is underwater as well. I kinda wish I was aboard the USS Alabama. Many folks use it as a hurricane shelter. We are in no way out of the woods yet. Damage is severe and will get worse.
Biloxi and Gulfport are certainly devistated alnog with every small town in coastal Mississippi. We are hearing scattered word out of New Orleans of casualties and damage to the Super Dome. Our prayers are with them all.
More late if I can. From storm-ravaged Mobile, AL…
Omar, out!
I’ve managed to cat-nap over the last few hours. ‘Bout the only thing I managed to accomplish is a crick in my neck.
The storm continues to ride on in. Rain bands are increasing in frequency and severity. The good news is that “Katrina” has hit the shelf in the Gulf and has weakened – slightly – as a result. We’re still talking about a very strong Catagory 4 hurricane. I don’t see an ass-load of difference between 155mph and 160mph winds. YMMV…
I’m hearing reports out of New Orleans that should the storm make a direct hit on the city we can expect 8 out of 10 homes to be totally destroyed city-wide. Eight out of ten! Can you imagine? When we went over to the “Big Easy” earlier this month I was kind of shocked at the complete desolation and poverty of the surrounding neighborhoods. Many of those home alnog the sides of I-10 looked to be standing only out of sheer habit. Still… Eight of ten?
If you’re reading this then get to praying. We are going to need it. Especially for our countrymen in the New Orleans and Gulfport areas.
More later – I hope.
Omar, out.
Weather continues to build towards something we’d rather not see.
Finally turned off the Weather Channel and local stations since everyone has gone to 24 & 7 hurricane coverage. It finally got to be too much for the three adults human’s nerves. Speaking of the adults, Clancy is sleeping on the couch. Or rather, trying to do so. Lady Beth is asleep in our bed where she will remain until the feces impacts the rotating atmospheric oscillator. She needs the rest. “Bruiser”, our male Great Dane puppy is sleeping with her. He’s been hurtin’ pretty bad. Growing pains in his joints and back. Kinda pity the dog. “Buck” the Lab doesn’t like storms anyway. He’s going to get steadily crazier as the storm comes in and gets worse. I’m fairly well. Back & neck hurt, but what else is new? All three kids are asleep in the hallway on mattresses placed there earlier for the purpose. Their daddy called from the Navy base to check on them. I know he’s feeling lost being unable to be here with them at a time like this…
“Freya”, the Shepard/Lab mix, is now inside. She settled right down. We’re going to be forced to wal them at some point. I’m not looking forward to that.
Oh! Earlier I was speaking of neighbors… While we were out at the store picking up a couple of last-minute things our neighbor cut our lawn for us. The woman has battled cancer twice, currently has a slow blood leak inside her body somewhere, but cut our grass for us so clean up wuld be easier for us and she knows my back kills me after even trying to push a mower.
See? American neighborhoods still live!
More later.
Omar, out.
We’ve had two tornadoes in the area in the last two hours. Storm surge expectations in Mobile Bay have been reduced from +30 feet to +15 feet. That’s great news for downtown and the shipyards. Dauphin Island has been cut off from the mainland for hours now. Even before the first rain bands arrived the surge had covered the causeway. The bayous are flooded.
It is now raining steadily. Winds are still not much more than 10-12 knots. No doubt, things are all downhill from here.
Just heard that FEMA projections on such a storm as this were for 40,000 to 60,000 casualties.
How do you even begin to contemplate tens of thousands of dead, injured, and homeless people in such a small area? Not good. Not good at all.
We are also fortunate to live in a real American neighborhood where folks help their neighbors before considering their own needs. Our generator would easily keep us more than just getting by… We could be rather comfortable. However, once the power goes our neighbors will need electricity too. We will provide it. Why? Because that is what Americans do!
Sadly, there is always those who don’t get the concept of being an American. Considering human nature, if there is that kind of damage then there will be much discontent in the population. Those without will loot, those looking to make a quick score will loot, and the local governments are going to be in no shape to help. Now is the time to be armed. Just in case.
We are.
We’ll use them too… if forced.
Until later, or the power goes,
Omar, out.
Sunday, 23 August. 4:24PM
“Katrina” is coming and, man, is she ever pissed!
I will be posting here as often as possible until the power fails. The only thing I have left to do outside is get the generator started to warm up, so to speak, and then move it in to the sun room, (not running! You think I’m that stupid? Er, don’t answer that…) After that, it’s a nice shower and then just sorting.
The storm is not expected to hit until tomorrow but we are already getting really good gust. Here in Mobile, AL we expect gust to 140 mile per hour. Damage will be intense unless the Gods above are watching closely and feel merciful. It is unknown when we can expect electricity to be restored. Our neighborhood is historically one of the last to reconnect. If you find it difficult to get in tough you will know why. Look for updates on my friend Grau’s blog, “Frizzen Sparks“.
I don’t know where to begin, really… I’ve come to love the Gulf Coast. Seriously, I didn’t think that was possible. I thought I was a true Mountain boy. Perhaps I’m not afterall. The coast is beautiful, rich in culture, history, and wildlife This storm stands to change much of what the coast is today. Beaches, and even entire islands may simply disappear before our eyes tomorrow.
Then there is the “Big Easy“, New Orleans. I finally got to that city earlier this month for the first time. I immediately felt at home. Somehow New Orleans felt familiar. Comfortable despite the heat. Tomorrow much of that ancient city may lay in ruins. The the city and surounding lands crushed by wind and water. Centuries of accumilated culture – and many, many, lives lost. The media has already mentioned a possible shortage of body bags. Oh, the sorrow!
With all of this bearing down I ask each and every person that comes across this blog post – regardless of your faith – to pray for the Gulf Coast and its people. Pray especially for New Orleans and Gulfport, Mississippi. Those cities stand to take the worst that this storm will produce. Pray for us in Mobile as well. Then, when “Katrina” is a memory, please, find a way to help those in need. There will be thousands.
I’m so tired. Can’t stop yet, though.
Omar, out.
Pop sent this one. According to Snopes.com, the following “Letter of Apology” from a retired Marine is still being researched. No one knows for certain if it is authentic. Until it is authenticated I will not stick the name of said Marine on this blog.
Fact is, whoever wrote this note had indeed done his homework. I like it. I like it so much I’m going to post the body of the letter here. Enjoy!
A Letter of Apology from Lieutenant General —– ——, US Marine Corps, Retired
“For good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will remain an issue. On the one hand, right thinking Americans will harbor the stupidity of the actions while on the other hand, political glee will take control and fashion this minor event into some modern day massacre.
I humbly offer my opinion here:
I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth, it was in the defense of Muslims (Bosnia, Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.).
I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came after 9/11.
I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were Islamic Arabs.
I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live in squalor under savage dictatorships.
I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth,
I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious schools, mosques, and government-controlled media.
I am sorry that Yasir Arafat was kicked out of every Arab country and high-jacked the Palestinian “cause.
I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians.
I am sorry that the USA has to step in and be the biggest financial supporter of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame the USA for all their problems.
I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our own brainwashed masses do not understand any of this (from the misleading vocal elements of our society, like radical professors, CNN and the NY TIMES).
I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the “food for oil” money so they could get rich while the common folk suffered.
I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers upon their death.
I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed thinking they will receive 72 virgins in “paradise.”
I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant women, babies, children, the elderly and other non-combatant civilians are legitimate targets.
I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves of dissidents of their own making.
I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more Arabs than any other group.
I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state.
I am sorry we don’t drop a few dozen Daisy cutters on Fallujah.
I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient “Holy Site.”
I am sorry they didn’t apologize for driving a jet into the World Trade Center that collapsed and severely damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church â€??? one of our Holy Sites.
I am sorry they didn’t apologize for flight 93 and175, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, the murders and beheadings of Nick Bergand, Daniel Pearl, etc…etc,
America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish those responsible because that is what we do.
We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see. We move on. That’s one of the reasons we are hated so much. We don’t hide this stuff like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology.
Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported in the news, we were likeâ€???so what? We lost hundreds and made fun of a few prisoners. Sure, it was wrong! Sure, it dramatically hurts our cause, but until captured, we were trying to kill those same prisoners. Now we’re supposed to wring our hands because a few were humiliated?
Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own people killed, mutilated and burned among a joyous crowd of celebrating Fallujahans.
If you want an apology from this American, you’re going to have a long wait!
You have a better chance of finding those seventy-two virgins!
—– ——-, Lt. Gen., US Marine Corps (Ret.)
Semper Fi
Omar, out!
I really am getting tired of these storms.
Autumn and Winter can not come soon enough. Oh, Summers are indeed hot down here and there is no Spring to speak of at all. Still, they are not all that bad as long as the A/C is funtional. These storms however, are a pest. A huge, expensive, frightening mess that we could all do without. Pity poor Florida as they can’t seem to get a break. I do hope Pensacola is missed this time. They still have damage from “Ivan” and have been hit several times since!
Latest forecast models show the center of the so-called “cone of probability” places “Katrina” coming ashore near the Mississippi/Louisiana border. Well, for me that is better than Mobile Bay though I don’t wish this storm on anyone. I fear for New Orleans. We made a trip there recently. My first ever visit to that ancient city. Fell in love with it on the spot! I’m certain there was a reason for building where they did, but damn, the city is below sea level! It is kept dry (a relative term I assure you) by a complex collection of pumps, levies, and good fortune. History shows us that cities build in bad spots can not count on permanent good fortune. Do the names of Pompeii and Herculaneum – or even San Francisco – jog your memories of disaster? Sooner or later New Orleans must face disaster. Let us all pray for later!
The serious preparations begin at dawn. Check the generator, buy gas, count out Plylocks (love them) for the window covers, and go over my list of necessary items. We’ll move un-needed things to the shed and move some tools, tarps, boards, and such to the house. No doubt that even if Mobile isn’t evacuated, Dauphin Island will be. Lady Beth has a co-worker that lives on the island. I fully expect that they and their beasties will stay with us until the coast is clear. Literally! Well, the more the merrier! It’s also a help to me as my back is too weak to be of much use should things go bad. See, Homer? I’m trying to be prepared!
If things go bad down here and the power & phone lines are cut, then please look at my dear blog-friend Graumagus’s, Frizzen Sparks, for updates. We’ll stay in touch with him via cell phones so long as the towers stand.
Few places in this country are as full of history and as beautiful as the Gulf Coast. Why not just pray for us all down here? Oh yeah, Pagans pray too!
Omar, out!
Well, the week has past without word one from El Paso Saddlery. No call, no email, and no rig.
This kind of horse-shyte is beyond me. Yep, I’m VERY aware of the entire artisan-thing. Been there – Done that. Even when I had an issue with a supplier I called the client to keep them up to speed. No one ever whined and everyone appreciated the effort. Another thing is the money. Personally I ran on a “1/2 now & 1/2 when completed” deal. Not here, though… El Paso wanted it all up front. The payment went through immediately and without a hitch. Now I can understand that some folks need the money to bring in the raw materials. What remains is that if you’ve got a guys money then it is incumbant upon you to provide the product – or at least keep the guy up to speed as to where the money is at…
Next week there is a phone call planned to the folks at VISA. If El Paso Saddlery can’t live up to the promises they make then they need to loose the contract. The folks at VISA will replace the money in my account and they will take it up with El Paso. I’ll then just return the bloody thing – if – it ever arrives.
I’m sick of dealing with these people. I’ll find someone that CAN deliver as promised even if it is double the cost! My final word on these guys: Do not do business with El Paso Saddlery – ever!
UPDATE: I decided to send one last letter to El Paso. is as follows:
Before I ordered my Tombstone rig and 6 round slide I called twice to discuss the details with your shop. In both cases I was told there would be no problem in having the rig to me within the promised “4 to 6 weeks”. That time frame has come and long gone.
I’ve made several calls concerning my order and have been given several different dates for the delivery of my rig, and given stories about said rig being “ready for shipment” and then 10 days later a story about “wrong spring clips” being sent.
My question is this: If my rig was ready for shipment, how does a wrong shipment of spring clips 10 days later effect the arrival of this completely paid rig?
Surely if the rig was not ready someone could have just said as much rather than telling a lie. It is considered customary to return phone calls and/or emails from customers. Especially when said customer’s money was so quickly spent.
Is it going to become necessary for me to contact VISA and have this order cancelled and the money placed back in my account? I’m not sure, but that seems like it will only cause more grief than either of us needs. Not to mention the bad press to be circulated among shooters and on the blogs.
Please. Only a HONEST phone call will be needed to settle my fears.
Sincerely,
Omar, out!
Nope. He’s not on my short-list of close friends.
In fact, he my wife’s ex-husband. I’m relatively certain I’m not on his list either. (Though Lady Beth and I did not meet until well after they split up…)
What the man is, though, is a loving father to three of the finest, most beautiful kids on Earth. (I’m just the step-dad.) He is also a Master-at-Arms in the United States Navy and an experienced police officer down on Dauphin Island – and a Patriot.
Later this morning we are taking the kids to the airport to see him off to the Middle East where he will be fighting for our Freedoms and the protection of our Country. It isn’t so easy on little Sarah seeing her Daddy go off to war, but even at her tender age she knows he is going there to do something great. She says he’s leaving as a Hero and will return as a Super-Hero, though she wonders what color his cape will be. You gotta love kids!
My guess he’d much rather continue to patrol the white sand beaches, cruise the causeway, and see the girls in bikinis. Who wouldn’t? But the man knows his duty and it is no surprise to him. He signed up after the “feces impacted the rotating atmospheric oscillator“. (That’s Navy-speak for “the shit hit the fan“…)
Anyhoo, Our thoughts, best wishes, and prayer go with this young father and all the members of his unit as they travel into harm’s way.
‘Lo, though they walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, they shall fear no Evil. For they are the meanest Sons of Bitches in the Valley!
God Speed, Be Safe, & Good Hunting!
Omar, out.
Once again I’m still up at midnight and later. No worries though. I’ve actually had some 10 hour nights of late. Now *that’s* good sleeping!
Anyhoo, I’m sitting here going over some reloading data for the .45 Colt cartridge, listening to Johnny Cash, and being pissed off over something I heard on the news today.
Now I’ll be the first to stand up to the death for the Bill of Rights. It is dear to me. Freedom of Religion, Freedom to Keep & Bear Arms, and the Freedom of Speech are among the most precious bits of our Constitution. Still, it bugs the living crap out of me to hear tapes of some woman who was just bitchin’ & moaning down in Crawford, TX because her son died in Iraq saying to a group supporting a terrorist that this Country is NOT worth dying for…
Damn her.
Her very son must be turning in his grave!
Just damn.
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