Salary Study, Evacuation Plans and Trip To The Vet

Monday I had an interview with the company that is performing a salary study for the county. We had to fill out a five page survey last month which asked questions about our job duties. The interviewer looked mine over, asked me two questions and then said we were finished. I asked him what he thought the results of their study would be. He said he felt we would probably be recommended for salary increases. Hope it isn’t too much I’d have to rethink this retirement thing............................................ FAT CHANCE!!!!!!


On Tuesday Connie was on a panel of experts at a seminar for non-profit organizations. The seminar was about preparing a plan for evacuations, shelter –in-place and disaster recovery. It also covered implementing the plan after it has been developed.

She was invited to participate because she has developed the plan for the Children’s Center. She also teaches it and makes sure that all of the 160 or so employees know their responsibilities according to the plan as well as everyone else’s. She is dedicated to making sure that the kids and staff are not only safe during a disaster but also disrupted as little as possible when recovering from one.

Connie has been told by Emergency Management officials that her plan is the only one for non-profit organizations on the island. As far as I know there are over 150 non-profit organizations here and I can’t believe that no one has developed a plan for any of these organizations.  We live on a sand bar in a hurricane prone area for God's sake.

Hurricane Ike three days before landfall

Jamaica Beach after Ike

They want to use Connie’s plan as a model for the rest of the organizations. She has volunteered to help them and give them access to all of her information and data. I’m very proud of her. She took this on herself when she first went to work at the Children’s Center and realized there was a need to safely evacuate the children. She researched and talked with Emergency Management people from the local level to the state and federal levels to develop her plan. We know it works because it was used to evacuate the kids for Hurricane Ike and to keep the programs functioning during the evacuation and recovery period.

On Wednesday Sam had a surprise. It was time for his annual physical. He was all excited to go with me until we pulled into the vet’s parking lot. His mood changed quickly. He became somewhat subdued but he was still cool until I handed his leash off to a girl who probably weighs 90 pounds. Sam weighs 102. It wasn’t going well for her and she had to call for reinforcements as I ducked out the door.

I had him microchiped in case he gets lost when we are on the road. I don’t really think we have to worry too much since he won’t let us out of his sight but you never know.  The microchip will at least give us a shot at getting him back and the $45 fee is cheap.

I picked him up after work and he was more than ready to go home. I had to apologize to one lady who he knocked into the counter on his way to get to me.

Adios for now, enjoy the day.

--Rod