Remembering Hurriane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey. A name that has been uttered in every local newscast in southeast Texas for the past year. 

Hurricane Harvey impacted many people. And although our family emerged from Harvey’s wrath virtually unscathed, many in our small rural community are still suffering from the floods that showed no mercy. People are without homes or in the process of rebuilding.

Since Harvey has been in the forefront of many Texans' mind during this one-year anniversary, I thought I'd repost the images I shared with you all last year at this time. Images that will be forever seared into my memory. Because every time I cross the bridge into town, I can't help but think about those floodwaters.

At one point, our little town was cut off to the west, north and south, leaving only one way in and out.

Grocery stores and other businesses were forced to close because of the rapidly rising river and delivery trucks were unable to get in to restock the shelves. Mail delivery ceased for a few days because the post office was cut off by flood waters.

And, oh, how they rose, swallowing whatever lay in their path.

Wildlife found themselves trapped.

And people had to be rescued.

Quiet little hamlets that usually went unnoticed were completely under water.

Yet despite the devastation, it was Texas' shining hour. People came out in droves to help their neighbors. People with flat-bottom boats and airboats made their way to flooded areas to rescue those who were trapped. 

In the aftermath, residents donated food, water, clothing... And months later, prom dresses for those young girls whose families were still living through the nightmare created by Harvey.

People cared. They came together to help. No matter their race, religion or politics, we were united. And, Lord willing, it won't take another tragedy for that to happen again.

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Three-time Carol Award finalist, Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com 

Food, Comforting Food

Mindy here, and as Harvey raged around us early last week, dumping 23 inches of rain on us here at our camphouse, all I wanted to do was cook. Bake. And since we never lost power, I was able to do just that. But it couldn’t be just any food. We needed comfort food. Homemade chicken noodle soup, beef stew…

Fresh baked bread…

So what do you suppose happened when I realized I had three over-ripe bananas on the counter? 

Yep.

Usually when I make banana nut bread, I use the recipe in my Betty Crocker Cookbook. But since that’s in storage, I had to find another recipe. Now you all know how much I love cakes with sour cream in them, how moist and delicious they are… So you can imagine how excited I was when I came across a banana nut bread recipe that used sour cream.

Score!

Here’s what you’ll need for this delicious version of a classic.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3 overly-ripe bananas, mashed, but still lumpy

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

½ cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¾ cups chopped pecans

Preheat you oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour regular size loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk to flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Set aside.

In a second large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time.

Stir in the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until moistened,

Then fold in pecans and pour batter into prepared pan.

Set that atop a baking sheet.

Place tray in the oven so that the top of the loaf is in the center of the oven.

Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack.

Once cool, or maybe just a little warm, slice and enjoy.

 You can see not only the pecans, but those pieces of banana.

Once again, the sour cream did not disappoint. This has to be my favorite ingredient for adding moistness to baked goods. I love this new recipe and have already decided it will be my go-to from now on. Lord willing, we won’t have any more hurricanes, though.

Hurricane Harvey impacted many people. By now, I’m sure you’ve all seen pictures and video of the devastation in Houston, but I can’t help sharing another perspective. Although we personally emerged from Harvey’s wrath virtually unscathed, many in our small rural community are still suffering from the floods that showed no mercy.

At one point, our little town was cut off to the west, north and south, leaving only one way in and out of town.

Grocery stores and other businesses were forced to close because of the rapidly rising river and delivery trucks were unable to get in to restock the shelves. Mail delivery ceased for a few days because the post office was cut off by flood waters.

And, oh, how they rose, swallowing whatever lay in their path.

Wildlife found themselves trapped.

The scene that really broke my heart was after the rain had stopped. We had ventured away from the camphouse, through the pasture and past the flooded gate area onto the main road that took us down to the interstate. And there, just on the other side of the highway, not more than a quarter mile from our camphouse, was a rescue in process.

While we sat high and dry, just down the road the quiet little hamlet that usually goes unnoticed was completely under water.

Making us realize just how truly blessed we were.

Now we join with others to aid in the recovery process. Praying, delivering food to friends who’ve been displaced, donating cleaning supplies and whatever else is needed in the relief effort. In big cities and small towns alike, the outpouring of support has been overwhelming. People lending a hand to their neighbors. People they may have never met before.

Why?

Because we are Texans and we are Texas strong.

Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com 

Preparing for Harvey

Mindy here, and by the time you read this we will likely still be dealing with the remnants of Hurricane Harvey. You see, even though our ranch is located 100 miles from the coast, this storm is expected to impact a huge portion of southeast Texas—including us—with tropical storm force winds and upwards of 20 inches of rain.

So what does one do to prepare for a hurricane?

Well, that depends. Since we live in a rural area, ranchers are scrambling to bring in their hay before the rains fall. Grocery stores are frantically trying to keep up with the demand for water and bread. Schools, which are already in session, are evaluating the forecast to determine when/if they need to call of classes.

Even the animals know when to get ready.

These deer are hunkered down.

See them tucked in the thicket?

And the hummingbirds can’t seem to get enough nectar.

 

We typically have half this many at one time, and though it’s getting close to migration, I suspect their instincts are telling them to get ready.

Then there’s us. Since we are rural, we have a well for water. That means we have a pump. If the electricity goes out, so does the pump and we have no water. So we’ve set out buckets to catch the rain water for things such as doing dishes (after boiling, of course) and flushing toilets. 

Batteries are always important for things like flashlights and portable radios.

Plenty of drinking water.

Ice to keep refrigerated items cold if we lose power.

We moved the grill to the front porch so we don’t have to trek out in the rain to cook whatever might potentially thaw after a day or two without power.

As well as a gas burner for things like heating water and cooking.

Now that we are ready, we wait under ominous skies. And pray.

 

 

UPDATE: Saturday morning. Who would have guessed that a tropical depression meandering around the Yucatan Peninsula a week ago not only reorganized, but was able to become a Category 4 hurricane? Harvey’s outer bands began to impact us yesterday afternoon. Overnight, we were inundated with wind and rain.

And we're nearly 150 miles from where the storm made landfall!

We awoke to a little over 6 inches of rain which, considering we haven’t had any measurable rain in over a month and were very dry, is good.

This was the pond in front of our camphouse Thursday.

See how low that water is. Almost dry under the bridge.

This is what it looks like this morning.

The concern is over what is yet to come the next several days. They’re saying we may not be free of this storm until Wednesday or Thursday.

Oh, but we still have power. Yay!

And the hummingbirds… I love watching these little creatures. Whenever there’s a lull in the rain, they come out to replenish.

Now it’s your turn. Have you ever been through a hurricane or other natural disaster? What did you do to prepare?

Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com