Hurricane Preparation

 Here's the latest tracking map from the National Hurricane Center and it's not changed a great deal since yesterday. 
We are going to get a storm. Possibly a category 3 storm although maybe "only" a category 2. This means that we'll be getting a lot of rain, some very high winds which often spin off tornadoes, flooding, and huge tidal surges. We don't have to worry about those here in Lloyd but the coast is going to be a mess. Not only will the storm be causing those, the moon is also full. 

Quite frankly, even a tropical storm has higher winds than I want to deal with. Here we are in an area that from overhead looks like a rain forest, and with the right factors in place, even the slower winds can cause significant damage to trees and buildings. I just told Glen that I really do not want to hear that rip and tear sound that a giant tree makes before a massive part of it falls to the ground. You hear that sound, wait for a few heartbeats and then feel the ground shake as you hear the tree coming down to earth. 

Rob Nucatola is not mincing words but he is being reassuring about the fact that Idalia is not going to squat over us unleashing its fury for a very long period of time. It appears to be a fairly fast moving storm. They have called for everyone in a county east of here to evacuate and for people in surrounding counties to do the same if they live in low-lying areas or trailers. 
That's a lot of people. 

So what did I do to get ready today? 
Well, I went to lunch with Jessie and was then going to go to a doctor's appointment with her. When we got to the office, we were informed that they were running an hour and a half late so Jessie took me back to my car at her place (which is right down the road from the hospital) and went back to see the doctor. I stopped by Lily's Publix, mainly because I wanted a Lily hug, and got a few things, none of them which we desperately need. Having a generator puts a whole new spin on things. But I had a few things on a list anyway and I got them and because a hurricane is coming, I bought a bag of chips and some cilantro to make guac with. 

Honest to god, I just couldn't think of anything else we might need. Lily said that a group of college girls came in and asked if they had flashlights. 
"Not any more," said Lily.
"Oh. Well, can you tell us where the canned tuna is?" She directed them to the aisle of the store where they could find the canned tuna. Let us hope that they have a manual can-opener. 

There's a train going by heading west. No doubt that'll be the last train traveling down those tracks for quite awhile. It sometimes takes weeks to clear the tracks of detritus. 

It's been quite a long time since we really got a big storm here. And hell, I'm looking out at the back yard thinking we should have put the outdoor chairs up and the trash cans should have been tucked away but we haven't done any of that. We pushed the front porch plants closer to the wall and there are some backyard plants that I brought in including my pretty culinary ginger plant, my new basil plant, and my sea grape. Everything else is going to have to root hog or die. 
I worry about the squirrels and birds and all the animals who do not burrow in the ground or deep inside hollow trees and even some of those are at risk of losing their shelters if the trees fall. 

I worry about my children and their safety. They are all born-and-raised-in-Florida and they know about hurricanes. I think they'll all be okay. And they know that if power goes out for a long time, they can come out here and stay afterwards because unless a tree falls on our generator, we should be set. Our friend Tom is coming to spend the night on our couch. He lives in the woods in a trailer of greatly advanced age and if it had ever had any stability, it no longer does. 

So I think we're all set. Or as set as can be. We're on Lloyd municipal water services so that shouldn't be a problem but I'll probably fill up the canning kettle and some other water-holding vessels just in case. 

I feel certain we'll be fine. There will be a lot to do to clean up afterwards. As I always say, "And the voice of the chainsaw was heard in the land," after a hurricane. Everyone's out trying to clear their driveways, get trees off their houses and cars.

Thank all of you so much who have commented, leaving me sweet and supportive messages. We'll be okay. If we have to move to the hallway underneath the stairs of this old, old house we will. We've got a full storey above us in case a tree does fall and truthfully, the wood and other materials this house was made of are about as strong and trustworthy as you can get. 

I'll report in tomorrow or as soon as possible. 

Don't be worrying. We'll be fine. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Probably the last zinnia bouquet of the summer.