Wow, what a week this has been. Hurricane Gustav blew through this state and wreaked havoc on us for quite some time! What was thought to be a safe haven for some Gulf Coast residents turned out to be one of the hardest hit areas of the state here in Louisiana. This was the worst recorded storm to ever hit Baton Rouge and the most damage I have ever seen in my city.



Our property didn't sustain much damage since we don't have any tall trees but my Mom didn't fair as well as us. A 100' pine tree fell into her bedroom.

This storm was quite different from Katrina; instead of flooding, we got lots of wind, and in a city full of beautiful old trees, wind is not your friend. After 5 days, we finally got power back, but over half the city still is in darkness and may be for a month. Schools remain closed for another week.

After tasting my first MRE, we decided to hit the grocery store today to refill the refrigerator that had to be cleaned out. I found only one that didn't have a line of people waiting to get inside. We were able to get most of the staple items, only one choice of bread but no eggs were available. It looks like the 2 hour gas lines are finally tapering off too and we are finally going to have to fill up the car soon.

The streets are still littered with debris and uprooted trees. It will be quite some time before things get back to normal and it looks like IKE is headed for the Gulf!

The only thing we were able to do while the power was out was take a hot shower since we have a gas water heater. I was thinking it would be great to have a gas stove, natural gas grill and what about a CNG car that you could fill up at your house. Especially in times like these when petroleum transport and refinement is difficult and there is no electricity. I would love to just have natural gas for everything during times like this!

I love nature and am always inspired by it. I am naturally drawn to art with nature themes.
I found a wonderfully talented designer recently whose products caught my eye. Tobi Wood of Tobi Wood Designs has a bright and bold artistic style.
She carries paper goods, magnets and prints that feature her art. She has 8 series of designs including bloom, bulb, flower, grass, leaf, stem, tree and vase.
Her designs are bright with colors that really pop!