# Been an interesting year.



## greybeard (Sep 30, 2016)

3 floods, 2 calves dead, beef prices have plummeted, watched, worried and cried as my twin suffers thru radiation and chemo and fights brain and esophageal cancer diagnosed July 2015. He's doing better, just had his 2nd brain surgery 14 days ago and is up home, travelling a bit, and pretty much back to normal.
But it beats the alternative. A year ago this afternoon, I was waking up from a quadruple heart bypass surgery.


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## Mike CHS (Sep 30, 2016)

Here is wishing that 2017 is a little eaier and less traumatic.


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## Southern by choice (Sep 30, 2016)

Geesh Greybeard... that is a whole lot of "everything" to go through in just one year.
Quadruple heart bypass ... see I always knew ya had a heart! 

In all seriousness
Very very happy to hear your brother is doing well!  And very happy to know you are too. 
The farming aspect sure has it's ups and downs- but you've been there done that before... your health and your loved ones - well that is another thing altogether. 

 


Have a soft heart for you greybeard. I am the daughter of a marine and so that makes you special in my book! You have my utmost respect. Blessings to you and your family!


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## frustratedearthmother (Sep 30, 2016)

You have certainly had a challenging year. Prayers and best wishes to your twin.  Glad you have that bypass behind you!  Fall is here, weather is better, hopefully no more floods headed this way and especially hope that stinkin' hurricane that's out there is going to make that sharp turn to the north like the forecasters keep saying.  Sure hope things turn around for you and your twin and all the family members that love and care for ya'll.


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## babsbag (Sep 30, 2016)

I think you have had more than your share of trials in the last year. Here's hoping that that is all behind you and that there are brighter times on the horizon. Glad that your twin is doing well.


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## OneFineAcre (Oct 1, 2016)

frustratedearthmother said:


> You have certainly had a challenging year. Prayers and best wishes to your twin.  Glad you have that bypass behind you!  Fall is here, weather is better, hopefully no more floods headed this way and especially hope that stinkin' hurricane that's out there is going to make that sharp turn to the north like the forecasters keep saying.  Sure hope things turn around for you and your twin and all the family members that love and care for ya'll.


That sharp turn isn't looking good for us
I don't normally track them that far away but I have a bad feeling about this one
We are over due and I'm not prepared
Due to where it formed and the turn north the media is comparing it to Hazel which crushed NC


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## OneFineAcre (Oct 1, 2016)

OneFineAcre said:


> That sharp turn isn't looking good for us
> I don't normally track them that far away but I have a bad feeling about this one
> We are over due and I'm not prepared
> Due to where it formed and the turn north the media is comparing it to Hazel which crushed NC


Let's hope it goes further east


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## frustratedearthmother (Oct 1, 2016)

Oh boy, I was thinking it was just going to head north and then east and away from all land.  Sure hope it doesn't head your way...


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## OneFineAcre (Oct 1, 2016)

frustratedearthmother said:


> Oh boy, I was thinking it was just going to head north and then east and away from all land.  Sure hope it doesn't head your way...


I hope so too
But I've got a bad feeling ...
I'm coming up with a plan


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## frustratedearthmother (Oct 1, 2016)

A few years back I sold my big stock trailer... sometimes I wish I still had it.  I could put ALL my critters in it and haul butt outta here.  Really hope it doesn't head your way... or anyone else's way.  If I ever pull up stakes and move  -  it'll be a few hundred miles inland...sigh.


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## greybeard (Oct 5, 2016)

Does this 5 day forecast look odd?






Here's why--this is the computer model ensemble's best guess as what is going to be happening in the next few days. Some of the professionals do think it will make the turn to the NE but overall, most see a partial landfall in Fla and Ga and then a turn to the East with a loop back toward Fla or even into the GOM.


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## frustratedearthmother (Oct 5, 2016)

Oh HEEL TO THE NO!  In the words of my grandkids: * I CAN NOT WANT IT!*


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## Mike CHS (Oct 7, 2016)

Those storms are why I no longer live on the Gulf Coast.  You probably remember but In 2004 Hurricane Ivan hit land over my home in NW Florida and headed NE.  A few days later it circles around and came back into the Gulf heading west toward you folks on the west side of the Gulf.


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## Hens and Roos (Oct 7, 2016)

Prayers for you and your family @greybeard


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## AClark (Oct 7, 2016)

Here's hoping everyone that lives in that area stays safe and dry. I watched some things on the weather channel about it last night after a mass message from work yesterday. I've been trying to get in touch with a friend in FL since yesterday but can't seem to get ahold of her. 

Grey, well wishes for your twin and you!


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## greybeard (Oct 7, 2016)

Mike CHS said:


> Those storms are why I no longer live on the Gulf Coast.  You probably remember but In 2004 Hurricane Ivan hit land over my home in NW Florida and headed NE.  A few days later it circles around and came back into the Gulf heading west toward you folks on the west side of the Gulf.



Yes, I remember Ivan. Just a depression when it finally got to Texas. Tropical storms  are just one of the many natural risks we deal with--there are risks of different types no matter where we live. I've survived Carla, Allison, Rita, Alicia, another Allison, Rosa, Ike, and numerous other tropical storms, as well as some nasty ones while aboard ship or stationed on land in the Pacific. By far, the worst were Carla, Rita, the 2nd Allison, Rosa, and Ike.  Rosa was a Pacific storm, that crossed Texas from the Baja and dumped heavy rain on the watershed here in East Texas in 1994--which is still the flood of record for the river that is my Eastern property line. As bad as the flooding was this last spring, we were still 3' less than what Rosa dropped on us. 

I lived nearly 10 ears in San Angelo Texas, and went thru severe drought and the ever present risk of tornado, with the "take shelter" sirens going off on average of once/month. I'll take tropical risks over that any time.


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## greybeard (Oct 7, 2016)

AClark said:


> Here's hoping everyone that lives in that area stays safe and dry. I watched some things on the weather channel about it last night after a mass message from work yesterday. I've been trying to get in touch with a friend in FL since yesterday but can't seem to get ahold of her.
> 
> Grey, well wishes for your twin and you!



Many thousands without electricity there, and unless it has come back up this morning, even NOAA/NWS/ NHC website hasn't been up since late yesterday. Servers knocked off line.


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## Mini Horses (Oct 7, 2016)

Greybeard, I wish continuing improvement & good health for you and your brother.

As to this storm, I watch them all closely as they have a mind of their own.  Being 50 miles inland from Va Beach, VA, instead of right ON the beach (as I used to be) has it's plus but, still can get hammered.

I remember Andrew in FL early 90's....wiped out Homestead, FL. where I had just left that AM without realizing it was even out there!!  Then spent 6 months there while our crews repaired our apartment buildings.   Don't want more of that!!


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## greybeard (Oct 7, 2016)

I got a taste of Andrew as well, when I lived in New Iberia La. After destroying Homestead Fla, it crossed the GOM and came ashore near Morgan City and came right up the Atchafalya Basin.  It's the only storm I ever evacuated from and that was because I and my 4 kids lived in a tin can (mobile home). I lived less than 10 miles from Cypremort Point. We were lucky--returned home from Houston to find front end of our wheeled home knocked off it's blocks & tie downs but other than that, very much in livable condition. Jacked it up, moved the blocks and re-installed the tie downs and waited for the electricity to come back on.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Andrew#Louisiana


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## OneFineAcre (Oct 7, 2016)

I'm a Hugo, Fran, and Floyd veteran.

This is one of the most memorable images from Floyd


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## Southern by choice (Oct 7, 2016)

OneFineAcre said:


> I'm a Hugo, Fran, and Floyd veteran.
> 
> This is one of the most memorable images from Floyd
> 
> View attachment 22625



Very hard to see that picture.  I remember living up North seeing all these pics and the storms over the decades, still makes me so sad. It is always the same... instant flashback.

@OneFineAcre  isn't your FIL on the coast?


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## OneFineAcre (Oct 7, 2016)

Southern by choice said:


> Very hard to see that picture.  I remember living up North seeing all these pics and the storms over the decades, still makes me so sad. It is always the same... instant flashback.
> 
> @OneFineAcre  isn't your FIL on the coast?



No I have a cousin in Morehead City and another between Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills.

My FIL is 20 miles east of Wilson.

Those hogs were lucky, they let them out of the house.  The industry said I think 25,000 drowned.  People outside of the industry think it may have been more like 100,000
Dead hogs everywhere.


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## Baymule (Oct 7, 2016)

Greybeard, it has to get better from here. You've been hit from all directions, it just has to get better now.


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## Latestarter (Oct 11, 2016)

Best wishes to you and your twin GB. My dad had quad bypass surgery (after a believe 2 heart attacks) and it added years to his life. He eventually passed from cancer, which I believe has become one of the predominant reasons old folks die. 

Been through a couple of named storms myself but never really made a point of remembering their names. I've always enjoyed, and still do, watching mother nature in all her fury, but have never enjoyed the heartache that folks suffer because of it. Watched the eye of one pass over me in VA Beach after it destroyed NC. Then spent 2 days (driving west to the Appalachian mountains) trying to skirt the damaged area to get back home to Jacksonville, FL. I believe it may have been the one with the floating pigs pictured above.


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