Peace.

http://blackcatbone.blogspot.com/

and i didn’t mean that today you would be okay. i meant that at some point in time, it would be okay again.

i love you and if there is any way that i can help, just tell me.

The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art’s new Gehry museum on the Highway 90 appears to me from aerial photography to have been destroyed. It also appears that the renovated 19th Century home of Pleasant Reed, a former slave from Mississippi who built the house by hand, has also been destroyed. The Pleasant Reed Home was relocated from its original location to the new museum site to be operated as a living museum of African-American history in the state of Mississippi.

I once worked for the museum and being from Mississippi know every square inch of the Gulf Coast. Aerial photography seems to confirm this destruction.

It’s harder to tell about the current Ohr museum, which is located in the Biloxi Public Library. The normal hurricane policy is to move the museum’s invaluable collection of Ohr pottery to bank safe for the duration of a storm. Hopefully, that was done. I have friends at the museum whose homes were obviously destroyed. I’ve been unable to contact anyone.

The historic Tullis-Toledano Manor and Museum in Biloxi (which is located right next door to the site of the new Ohr museum) appears to have been destroyed. I hope I’m wrong about this. It’s very hard to tell because it appears as though some of the ancient live oak trees survived and they may be obscuring a clear view of the home if it did in fact survive.

The Biloxi Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum appears to me to have been destroyed.

The historic Mardi Gras Museum in Biloxi appears to me to have been completely destroyed.

I believe it’s been reported in the Biloxi Sun Herald newspaper and the Jackson Clarion Ledger newspaper that Beavouir in Biloxi has been destroyed. I’m not sure about the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library that’s located next door on the property. I’ve seen no aerial shots from over that area.

It’s also very difficult to detemine the status of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

I didn’t know Gorj. was alive or otherwise until just a bit ago i found someone to let me use a computer and found this post. I haven’t heard from him or seen him yet despite calls and walking down to check on things (he lives 2 blocks away).

My house had a tree crash into it after destroying my garage. we still have no power and the water is just now (i believe i heard that right) safe to drink. its been roasting outside and we ran out of propane to cook with. Luckily Jah and Wah did come by and check on us. they have power now and they helped us clean some of the debris. I cannot thank them enough for being such good people. also Dr. Wagner and family who provided a grill to cook up the last of our food and a place to shower when their place.

My mother lives in Diamondhead, MS which, if you didn’t know, is pretty well dead center for where the storm hit. she moved there about 2 weeks ago. I had not heard her voice until last night when I found she had made it to alabama. We have no idea if her new home still stands.

No one in my family had heard from my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins that live in or around Houma, LA. i have no idea how bad they were hit there and none of use know if they’re alive.

So, yeah, i’m in jackson, but i’m not really OK.

Woodland Manor has power, and an open invitation for you to come on over. I saw Dr. and Ms. Wagner Tuesday morning (they were checking on EVERYONE to see if everything was ok) – its great that they’ve got power back on.

So, c’mon over. I’ve got a truck load of flat mt. dew and some makers mark.

i used my lunch break to take toys to kids that didn’t have anything left. i talked to grocery stores about donating food. i’m calling the tv today to get the message out to the public about where these people are staying now and how we all can help them. i’ve contacted churches about adopting families in need.

the loss that is here is tremendous. i can hardly breathe when i think about it and i have stopped watching the television because all i end up doing is crying. but i found out yesterday that hope doesn’t come in bright and shiny packages, wrapped with ribbons and new paper. hope comes as a used Barbie doll given to a little girl that has nothing left. it comes as a can of green beans to someone who has no food. it comes in the embrace of a stranger who reached out and said “what can i do to help?”

hope is there, it’s hidden and it’s afraid to come out. we need to show these people that sooner or later, it will be okay. so, brother, you may not be able to give up any towels, but people need tube socks, too.