The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Photo Courtesy One Houston resident who left her home shortly after the storm hit said, "A drizzle can cause a flood here in Houston." This is possibly why so many residents didn't leave. They'd lived through many floods, but never one like this. The National Weather Service had to add a new color to charts indicating a higher level of rain fall. White has been added for 24+ inches. Much of the Houston area is colored with this new 24+ inch color. Photo by Mary Vee Houston's Mayor Turner stated: "I don't care if there is no food or water there, I just need a safe place for people to go. He asked libraries, multi-service centers, any facility to offer a lily pad haven for people who cannot flee the city. The people need more than a lily pad. Conflicting information funneling in downpours to the residents of Houston made decision making processes difficult. One British woman said, "Had ...

What an exciting day. All you party poopers get on board! YOU ARE INVITED TO GET excited about the 2017 solar eclipse.  I am sitting at my desk, at this very moment, with the sun in my eyes. Give me a second to slide my chair.  Good.  I am a solar-powered person. I am a vibrant, speedy worker when the sun is up. But, when the sun goes down, seriously, I lose motivation. Not today. Not on the day of the eclipse. Not during that hour or so when the sun will "turn black".  This is such an exciting day, only because we get to witness a rare event in our lifetime. Okay, I know this post is going up on Tuesday, but I am writing it on Monday, so rewind your clock to yesterday and relive it with me. My one daughter and her friend are driving six hours south and planning to stop at some cornfield to be in the zone. My son is adjusting his commitments to drive north to a rest stop to be in the zone. Friends from church are drivin...

Photo Courtesy I don't know which African country this twenty-something man was from. For this post, it may not matter. I would have liked to have known, though, to show him respect, and that I cared.  He was new to the store where I shop. From first glance I'd say he was shy. At second glance, I decided he was being polite to a lady who was talking a lot. You know the polite body language: the smile, the nod, the periodic eye contact while still doing the job.  I assumed the words he chose to say while working were the suggestions he received in training. Having sat through my fair share of those training sessions, the experience seemed to go that way.  So. I decided not to talk on and on about whatever and bore him with chatter about this and that. Good grief, some customers may as well break out the 8-track tapes (now there is an old saying. That was even before my time!!) When my turn came, this young man did a great job ringing up my order, he smiled, ...

With all the allergies kids have today, schools are faced with a new problem: what to do when a child forgets his or her lunch. Even up to the 2016 year schools offered a peanut butter sandwich to a child who forgot their lunch or had no money left in their lunch account. Unfortunately, there are children with peanut allergies. A child with a severe peanut allergy can have a serious reaction if even near anything that contains the product or has been made in a factory that makes peanut products.  Also, there seems to be many children who are now allergic to milk products. Since the school is not sure if a child might happen to have a milk product allergy, staff cannot give one who forgot his or her lunch any milk. The current list of food related allergies has grown quite long. So, for the safety of the child who has forgotten their lunch, some schools in the state of Arizona no longer provide food for these children. The whole day. Horrible, you migh...