DUKE'S GRAVESTONE ARRIVED, AND IRMA IS ON HER WAY

Duke's gravestone arrived on Friday. Isn't it beautiful? Our daughter and son-in-law, Kurt and Bethany, provided that for us. We'll place it on his grave after Irma has departed.

Speaking of Hurricane Irma, she is expected to visit North Georgia later this afternoon. Winds and rain have already heralded her impending arrival, and they are both picking up as I type. We do expect power outages here, and we've been told it will be for several days.

Clark and I are as ready as we can be: we have assembled flashlights, candles, lighter, paper plates, plenty of food, water, and other necessities. We have even packed "getaway bags" just in case we must evacuate. Our church is opening its doors to evacuees, and it's only a half mile from our house. We are thankful that it won't be nearly as bad here as it has been farther south. Pray for those where Irma has wreaked havoc.

Power may go out later today and stay out for a number of days, so I'll resume blogging afterward. Stay safe wherever you are, pray for those who have lost everything, and keep looking up. God is in control. Is mankind listening?

Granddaughter and granddawg!

HARVEY AND IRMA: NOT A NICE COUPLE

Please remember to pray for those in Hurricane Irma's path as she barrels down on Florida Sunday or Monday. Speculations on her path change almost hourly, but there will be much destruction and flooding. The states of GA, SC, and NC are also hunkering down. We are located north of metro Atlanta, and at this writing, will mostly be facing high winds of 60 mph.

In any case, FEMA and volunteer organizations now allow pets to come along when rescuing people. That is definitely a step in the right direction, because beloved pets ARE FAMILY MEMBERS and deserve to be taken care of like the rest of the family.

Also remember those states out west fighting a multitude of forest fires, as well as those in TX/LA recovering from the onslaught of Hurricane Harvey.

I don't know if we will be without power here in North Georgia--only time will tell. But I'll see you on the other side of the hurricane. Stay safe if you are in one of those areas mentioned above. Let's pray for each other. God is in control.