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Ike didn’t bring us any rain, but did bring some people up from the area to escape some of the misery that is going on around Galveston, Houston and that area along the coast.

Jane Clark reported that her son Danny who has a place in Galveston received a report that his place was still standing, but didn’t know how extensive the damage was. No reports of a relative or friend losing their homes.

Jean Strouhal and some friends of Friends Wood came to Bend to stay with brother Pat Millican to get away from the storm. She received word that a tree had fallen on her home and was planning to return Monday to survey the damage.

Jim, Patty, and Thomas Caughman and a friend Michael came from Houston Sunday afternoon to the home of Bill Price to stay until all the utilities are back on in Houston. Their home suffered no damage from Ike, just electric and low water pressure. They reported that neighbors’ trees were down all along the street, but no serious damages. They were some of the luckier ones.

It was reported that Calvin and Peggy Henniger remained in their home in Pasadena until after the storm and was on their way here. They suffered the loss of some trees and all their power.

Lola Morris reported her granddaughter Deidra and her family left their home in the Woodlands to stay with her sister-in-law away from all the storms and they were just fine.

Tommye Cobern reported that her granddaughter Karman Marley of Hoffman had some sort of seizure Friday afternoon and was rushed to the Children’s Hospital in Houston. She remained in the hospital Monday where other tests were being run to determine what caused her to have the seizure.

Tommye reported that if nothing is found she will be released to go home. She also reported that other members of her family that lived in the area lost some big trees and shingles off the houses and their electric, but other than that everyone was okay.

When you stop and think about all the clean up that will have to take place after Ike it really blows your mind. Just think of all the super markets, convenience stores, home freezers that were without power and lost all of their frozen foods, not to say anything about the fresh milk, eggs, cheeses and all the stuff we take for granted every day.

Then there are all the homes, businesses that were totally demolished. All that will have to be cleared away. No electric no pumps for gas, no cash register to take in the money-it just goes on and on. We may need to go back to some of the good old days of cash registers that were hand operated and gas pumps with levers to pump up the gas in order to fill up our vehicles. It may have been slower but at least they would work even when the electric was off.

The Bend Community meeting will be Saturday, September 20, at 6:30 A covered dish meal will be served. Everyone is invited and asked to bring their favorite dish and/or dessert. Plans will be made for the October fund raiser.

Happy birthday greetings go out to Tommy Pulatie and LaFayne Porter who will be celebrating a birthday September 19, to Margaret Smith whose birthday is September 22 the first day of Autumn, to Sarah Lovejoy September 24 and to Jerome Meischen whose birthday is September 25.