Hurricane Diary 5 - My first one-one-one dance with Sandy

So as I wrote previously, the old window sill in the dining room was taking on water and had nowhere to put it. As a result, the water was pooling and then leaking through the moulding and dripping down the drywall in rivulets and through the base board to who knows where? And to who knows what end?

At first we tried putting a towel there. This was a great albeit temporary sandbagging treatment. However, it had the disadvantage on a day when the low will dip to 42 degrees Fahrenheit or so of making it impossible to close the window tightly. As a result, the dining room was getting colder by the minute.
Down in the dusty basement, there were several storm windows. I brought up several sizes and having ascertained which one was correct, tried putting it in. Something is wrong with the track into which it fits, so it wouldn't go down. No matter what I tried, that storm window just wouldn't go down.

Finally, I remembered my drill out in the newly opened garage (thanks Mr. Long Blong Haired Locksmith Guy). I got it out, got out a brand new drill bit that could cut through aluminum, and began drilling holes at the bottom of the sill.

Water began draining down, the window was closed, the room began to warm, and I was soaked because the only way to access the proper angle to do what I did was to attack the problem from outside the house. 'Would I get electrocuted?' I wondered more than once. I didn't think I had much freedom to worry about that at the moment, since when the rain began deluging the house, we could have a much bigger problem than rivulets. At the least, I hoped I was preventing future mold spores from growing in a house that was already more than musty in several places when we moved in.

For a while, I was worried: Would the drill bit go through? I was pressing on it and nothing but a lot of noise was happening. Finally, I realized less is more. I just gave it steady -- not hard -- pressure and ... voila ... the bit went through, the holes appeared, and the water drained. I was a hero to my wife. Yay!

Anyway, so far so good. Who knows what's next? I don't know. I don't care. All I know is I'm warm and dry, out of wet clothes. It's the simple things, the common sense things that not only get us through times of adversity but through life in general, things like warmth and dryness. I have that. What else do I need in the moment? Deo gratias.

Hurricane Diary 4

They're now calling it "a hybrid ... NorEaster with tropical overtones."

The locksmith had to come out in the rain to open our garage, for which we thought we had keys. It is where all of our wood for the storm is should we lose power and thus the ability to heat the home (we have a wood burning heater in the house).

The rain is still heavy. Same with the winds.

But now they're saying the winds will be between 55-60 mph in this area. That's an increase from 48-51 mph.

Poor locksmith. He just got done, and when I shook his hand, they were bone cold, his sweatshirt looked rather wet, and his long blond locks looked the same. I hope he doesn't catch cold.

Storm drains are backing up, even though crews and residents are trying to keep them free from leaves or debris.

One tree fell over in the last big storm (just a normal ol' rain storm). Since then, it has rested on a fully upright tree next to it at about a 45 degree angle. Both so far have withstood the winds, but it will be very interesting to see whether they'll go down. Although I have to note, they're not waving nearly as bad as the free standing ones. Those still wave like happy hands, although intermittently. Still, how long can a tree can handle that sort of stress. Do you?

Hurricane Diary 3

As I stepped into the shower (the last for a while if we lose power), the rain was coming down in sheets. However, it was coming straight down (i.e., not accompanied by significant winds). The center of the cell/storm/hurricane (whatever we're calling it now for our purposes here about an hour west of Philadelphia) is due to pass directly over us, and we are due to see the eye of the storm, as well. That should be in several hours.

They're posting mandatory evactuations from low-lying areas in several towns and all coastal cities.

However, they're not saying "hurricane" on the news anymore. "Very heavy rain," "this storm," "very windy," but not "hurricane."

The moment of truth will be between 8pm-1am EDT. That's when it's due to hit the shore. And before, it'd been travelling at 13 mph. Now it is moving at 18 mph. I-95 is closed going southbound, and several other major thoroughfares are closed as well. Rehobeth Beach, Delaware, where my fourth oldest and I went this summer, is seeing some wicked storm surging. Fences along the boardwalk are floating in the sea, and it wasn't supposed to reach as high as it is "yet." It was supposed to be several hours from now.

One of the old windows that the landlords didn't replace in this 1841 parsonage has already leaked. We now have a towel there to keep water out.

For the time being, however, we're dry, fed, warm, and have electricity. Deo gratias.

Hurricane Diary 2

The winds have definitely picked up. When I last hit "publish," the winds had picked up and there was more steady rain.

Now the rain is harder, there are rivulets going down our drive way, and the very tall walnut trees on the back edge of our property, it's as if they're waving at us. Vigorously waving at us.

My wife is telling me, "Go to the ATM. Get money." We have some cash on hand, but I'm listening to the television report on Ch. 3, and they keep repeating almost like a mantra, "Don't go out unless you really have to." I'm thinking, 'We have cheques. Let's use those if need be.'

What do you think?

Hurricane Diary 1

It's my first hurricane. I've experienced and lived through several earthquake, the same with tornadoes. Thanks be to God, I've never experienced any ill effects from either.

Tornadoes are awesome, in the traditional sense of being awe inspiring. Earthquakes can be ... no, are freaky. Yes, it's kinda fun to ride the ground like a wave. Nevertheless, going to sleep is difficult for a while, at least going to sleep without a slight (and sometimes not so slight) worry.

So I've been interested to see how an hurricane unfolds. After all, you expect a hurricane. Earthquakes, tornadoes, they just happen. Sometimes you get a tornado warning, but it can just happen out of nowhere.

Hurricanes, I've learned, build slowly. Yesterday, a misting started early in the morning, followed by a slightly windy drizzle. Sometimes the wind didn't build at all. It was dead. It made me wonder if everything was just a false alarm.

Still last night, it was rainy, but it was just rain. Now the rain is heavier, the winds alternately breezy to decidedly more gusty. Let's see what this brings. News is reporting 32 miles-per-hour in Philadelphia and 41 across the river in Camden. Good sized winds.

Happy Feast of St. Evaristus

Happy St. Evaristus' Day. St. Evaristus was the son of a Greek Jew from Bethlehem and the sixth pope. He is buried in the Vatican grottoes near St. Peter, the first pope. By assigning churches to each priest of Rome and establishing a "board" (for lack of a better term) of seven deacons to serve as key advisors, Evaristus set in motion factors that would later lead to creation of the College of Cardinals. He was beheaded for Christ on 25 October 108, around the same time as St. Ignatius of Antioch. (The latter was a disciple of John the Evangelist and is best known for being the first to call the Church "Catholic." In his Letter to the Smyrneans, Ignatius gives some of the earliest evidence that the early Christians believed the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Christ and not just a symbol of Jesus.)

This is possibly a game changer in the Catholic world

There are three reasons why this venture is really one to watch:

1) It gives people a reliably Catholic alternative to outlets such as Amazon.com, which carries questionable material. Yes, other online outlets do this, as well, but none have the value added features that this does.
2) It provides financially strapped parishes, apostolates, parochial schools, etc. a new revenue stream
3) It gives Catholics of all stripes access to orthodox, faithful catechetical materials and for free. Won't that dampen sales?! you gasp. No, because a reading Catholic is a voracious, contagious Catholic. He/she will acquire an insatiable need to know more and will spread that passion and fervor to others.

What do you think?

FOR RELEASE October 22, 2012
CONTACT: DJ Venne, Jr.
PHONE: (847) 658-2949

 

Illinois Company Launches Catholic Alternative to Amazon.com

 

Algonquin, IL—An Illinois group announced this week that it has launched Parish WebStore, LLC (PWS), which a number of people are already calling the Catholic alternative to Amazon.com.

 

Its creators say that PWS not only features a full range of products—DVDs, CDs and mp3s, jewelry, sacramental gifts, books and e-books by authors such as Dr Scott Hahn, Steve Ray, Fr. Robert Barron, and others, but it also has a wide array of user-friendly catechetical materials geared toward reaching deeper into the pew. These include resources that help solve people’s real needs, including addictions, marital help, healing, parenting, and financial advice from a reliably Catholic perspective.

 

Company officials say PWS does all of this because they want to provide both a trustworthy, Catholic alternative to huge online secular retailers, while at the same time financially supporting formation efforts of parishes, beginning with the Year of Faith called by Pope Benedict XVI in order to accomplish the New Evangelization.

 

"Our mission is really three-fold," explains PWS President Doug Venne, Sr. "First, and most importantly, the spiritual mission is to reach deep into the pews to draw people closer to Christ and to further the Church’s mission of evangelization."

 

"Second, it is to be unifying, Catholic, and evangelistic. We benefit and support resellers, parishes, vendors, and content providers involved in Catholic ministry who in the past have functioned fairly independently. "Third, Parish WebStore provides parishes a needed ongoing income stream because the company contributes 12 percent of every parishioner’s purchase back to parishes and other Catholic organizations that place a PWS link on their websites." P

 

WS is trying to accomplish something special by bringing together all Catholic ministries that share a mutual desire to reach people with the gospel. For example, a benefit to Catholic stores is the ability to expand their product offerings to include items they don't stock, like e-books, MP3s, and more.

 

"We need to work together to have a stronger impace and voice, and by doing so, I know we will be more effective," says Venne.

 

PWS connects Catholics to a wide variety of educational and spiritually-enriching products, information, and resources through a trusted, all-inclusive website for Catholic products that completely supports the Church’s mission. Many Catholics are not aware of all the reliable Catholic information that exists. For example, an Internet search for "Jesus" or "Mary" will yield information from Catholic and non-Catholic sources. This makes it difficult for some parishioners to determine what is from a Catholic perspective and what is not. PWS enables seekers to avoid having to guess what resources accurately reflect Catholic teaching.

"After viewing the Parish WebStore site, I was excited to see how this will be an incredible resource to reach parishioners wherever they are on their faith journey," says Fr. Christopher DiTomo of the Diocese of Rockford.

PWS currently works with many top vendors such as Our Sunday Visitor, Ignatius Press, Nelson Gifts and Malhame, as well as many smaller vendors including Illuminated Ink and Holy Heroes. Future plans include additional products, content, links, support for Religious Orders, expanded video content, and much more.

"Building a strong network with many Catholic organizations in order to inflame more hearts than ever is the ultimate goal of PWS," says Venne.

 Parish WebStore, LLC is a Catholic online resource and retail store which provides a wide array of faith-filled goods and resources, and further promotes the Church’s call to evangelization by all of its members. For more information or to sign up, contact us at 847-658-2949 or info@parishwebstore.com or visit us at www.ParishWebStore.com
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