Hunkered Down

We are hunkered down here, and waiting for the worst of the storm to arrive.  The latest predictions show the hurricane force winds arriving sometime around 6 pm tonight and lasting until the early morning hours before daybreak tomorrow.

We are as prepared as we can be, save building a bomb shelter, so now we just have to ride things out.  The winds have picked up significantly in the last half hour or so.   Early this morning we had already gotten over 3 inches of rain, and it has only continued to fall since then so I'm betting some of the lower lying areas around us are already experiencing flooding.  And we haven't seen a high tide yet this afternoon but our pier has water licking the bottom of it already.

I had hoped to show you images of the waves on the river, but that won't be happening, the tropical storm force winds and sideways rain are a bit too ferocious for my camera I'm afraid.  So instead I'll just show you our 4 kayaks which are nestled up by the house, just outside our master bedroom.  They are lashed together and turned upright to collect the rainwater so that they will be too heavy to fly away...at least that's the theory!

They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and since we don't have a proper umbrella stand (note to self to get one) an old zinc watering can tucked into the garage during our storm preparations will have to do.  As will scatter rugs strategically placed everywhere to try and catch as much water as possible when we bring the dogs in and out.

As the storm progresses, we will need to take them out the front door where we will be slightly more sheltered from the wind and driving rain.  And there is a porch where we can towel them off under cover before coming back inside.

The pups are real troopers though and will come in and let me towel them completely off before giving us a good shake.  Just a little bit ago when Quinn came inside after a potty run my daughter commented that he looked like a boxer getting ready for a prize fight with the beach towel draped all around him.

As much as I dread the next 24 to 36 hours, I have to feel pretty lucky.  Lucky that Mr. Tide and the folks at the company he was visiting worked like dogs while on travel so that he could catch a flight in last night....such a wonderful feeling to have him home when we weren't expecting it!  And our daughter will be staying with us as the rental property she shares with her brother has many more trees surrounding it than our house.  Super saturated ground with high winds = downed trees!  

Our son Bugs is riding out the storm at the local firehouse.  Not what a mother really hopes for during a major storm, but it's what he loves, and I know there will be people who will need his help.  I just hope they don't keep the first responders on the roads until the 11th hour like they did during Irene.  Once it becomes unsafe, no one should be on the roads or be expected to go out during the height of the storm.  He sends me texts every now and again to ease my worries and to let me know how things are going up his way.

And you can't help but feel lucky when you compare yourself to the families who are experiencing loses from Sandy's earlier landfalls, or the pure agony of waiting to see if their loved ones will be rescued after the tragic tall ship accident off the coast of North Carolina today!  I hope the 2 missing crew are found safe and sound.  Or the folks living in high rise buildings in NYC who don't know what to expect.  One of our friends is a New York City firefighter, and my heart goes out to the first responders of the major metro areas up and down the coast.

I went outside yesterday and snipped a few roses knowing that any remaining blossoms will be gone with the wind by this time on Wednesday.  For now, I will enjoy them and maybe even channel a little Scarlett O'Hara myself...

"Oh, I can't think about this now! I'll go crazy if I do! I'll think about it tomorrow. But I must think about it. I must think about it. What is there to do? What is there that matters? Tara! Home. I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all... tomorrow is another day!

Thanks so much for your comments and emails wishing us well during the storm, they are much appreciated!  And to our wonderful first responders, stay safe, and thank you for all that you do! 


 

Goodnight Irene

As Hurricane Irene whirls her way up the eastern seaboard of the US I've been busy gathering the necessary supplies to help us weather the storm.

A good book is a must, since TV and internet may be scarce for a few days.  I've been down this road before, and though we have a whole house generator for just such an occasion, invariably trees come down and service is disrupted.

Perfume is nice to have on hand, just in case you can't shower for a day or two.  My Lollia "Calm" should do the trick.

And you really need cake, we all know that cake makes everything better!

Along with a good book, it's important to have a few magazines on hand.

Ok, maybe more than just a few!

Bringing in all of the garden veggies is important too, so I've harvested the ripe tomatoes and peppers and I might whip up a yummy sauce or salsa.

And of course we need tea, lots of tea!  You may have noted that no alcohol is included in this "must have" hurricane ready list.  I'm not irresponsible my friends, you have to keep your wits about you in a storm!  I will bet donuts to dollars that someone on my street will host an impromptu hurricane party though! ;-)

If we don't lose internet due to Irene, I will also be taking the next few days to reply to the many wonderful emails I've received in the last few days...thank you to each and every one of you, many of whom brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my heart!

To everyone in Irene's path, let's hope she bids us goodnight and veers off to sea.  But if she insists on stopping by, I hope each of you will be safe and sound!

Dear Earthquake

 

Dear Earthquake, just moments before you visited I was doing this.  I was also outside trying out the video feature on my camera, but had just come in when you made your presence known.  Apparently I was never meant to be an ireporter, and I'm ok with that.

We thought you were a helicopter, they fly low and loud over us often, but when things began to fall and the windows started to shake we knew you were just pretending to be a helicopter.  

We appreciate that you left so quickly, and we knew who you were because we had lived through your wrath once while living in California years ago.  Thank you also for causing so little damage and as of now, no injuries.

I don't, however, appreciate you shutting down Metro, bridges, and making life otherwise difficult for all of the people who have to commute home.  But I will overlook things like that since my family and friends are all safe.

I sincerely hope that you and your siblings, who have done far worse throughout the world, will behave yourselves...I for one am not ready to have the world come to an end...if you'll reference my last post you'll clearly see that I just purchased a plane ticket to Europe next month, and I have lots of other things on my to do list!

If you want to make much of the East Coast into an island, I would be open to that, but please give me a little more advance warning next time, since I will need something much larger than a kayak to get around.

Oh, and one more thing, since you have already visited, would you mind speaking to your cousin Hurricane Irene?  Although we are more accustomed to visits from that side of the weather family, we really don't have room for any more drama...thanks!

Sincerely,

Kat