Wednesday, October 9, 2024

What A Random Meandering


 

Encouraging data with the 5pm ADVISORY.
Significant shear taking a toll on the S & SW part of the core of MILTON. Weaker this round and the weakening should continue through landfall tonight. That doesn’t mean it’s still not going to be nasty with dangerous conditions all over the place near that core - the surge around Tampa and the wind and rain will still be significant, and the tornado threat is very real moving from S to N up the FL Peninsula.
It hasn’t slowed or turned more EAST yet, that’s a little interesting. The next few hours should show that happening or at least some version of that happening. That is what I’ll be looking for next, along with continued weakening.

That's the latest news from the desk of Rob Nucatola. Yes, I do talk about him a lot. And yes, that's because I trust him and his forecasts. I am worried about friends in the Tampa/St. Pete area, the central Florida area, and over there on the east coast where Roseland is. So yeah, pretty much all over the path Milton seems to be taking. Mr. Moon has a relative down in the Tampa/St. Pete area who did not evacuate but has a seemingly solid house to stay in. "He's a fucking idiot," I said to Mr. Moon. "You want to tell him that?" he asked. "Nope," I said.
Back to the reasons that people do not evacuate for hurricanes- I think one of the main reasons is the emotional aspect. We humans seem to have this belief that if we stay with our house and belongings, that the house will stand and the belongings will be intact. As if our very presence could guarantee the safety of our home. I get that. Oh boy, do I get that. But of course the truth is, our presence means nothing in the big scheme of things. If a tree's gonna fall on your roof or the water is going to rise to enter your house and wreck all your possessions, it's going to happen whether you're there or not. We have no control over these things and trust me- if your roof has blown away, you're not going to be able to do a damn thing about it until the storm is well over and the roads are cleared and the roof guys can get back to work. Even then, good luck. We DO, however have control over whether or not we are in that house when the roof blows off, the tree falls on it, or the water washes away everything we own. Of course that is, if we have the ways and means to evacuate in the first place. There are shelters in every community and I think quite a few people are staying in them tonight. I hope so. Meanwhile, as we here in North Florida are living our lives without the immediate threat of death and devastation, here are a few things going on in my world.


In preparation for leaving to go hunting in Canada on Monday, Mr. Moon has taken all of his hunting attire out of the closet it lives in and set it all out on the guest room bed. This way he can see what he has more easily and pack more efficiently. I wish you could really see the size of those boots. You could definitely fit a newborn in one. Right now, the man is at a casual meeting of the guys going up to hunt with him at some bar/restaurant. Before he goes on one of these trips he is far more already gone than he is here in Lloyd. It's just the truth. I feel like my main purpose in his life right now is to make the cookies for him to take.
I swear to you, I am not complaining. I am so glad that he is able to do what brings him joy and I want him to be able to do it as long as he possibly can.
And of course, I'll be eating salmon and tofu and cauliflower and LeSueur baby green peas and curried this and curried that while he's gone. And playing some piano. And being content and peaceful. Unless, of course, another hurricane gets birthed and decides to slide right in here to make its natal howls.
We shall not talk about that right now. 

It's been gray and breezy here today, whether from Milton or not, I do not know. It has been cooler, as well. Those who are sensitive to barometric pressure are experiencing headaches and bone aches. We are indeed getting some of Milton's effects. 


That is the temperature on the back porch right now and please don't laugh at me but I had to go find a little cotton sweater to wear over my tank top because I am chilly. 
Yes. We have thin blood here. It's supposed to get down into the fifties in a day or so and I'm already thinking about the duck and the duckling. 

I worked in the camellia bed today, pulling weeds and unwanted plants. Looking at you, Rose Glory Bower! And a whole bunch more. Here's what I'm talking about when I mention the camellia bed.


It also has a pecan tree and two sago palms in it. I really should transplant some of the camellias to another area because I planted them way too close together. I also need to trim them but probably not right now as they are already budding up. 

I have a 9:30 appointment tomorrow with my dentist. For the last week or so I've been feeling unexplained grit in my mouth and my curious, searching tongue has discovered what I am calling a crater in one of my teeth. It does not hurt at all but something ain't right and I don't want it to get to the point where it does hurt because I am a big old wuss.

The light is sort of green here right now and we are getting gentle gusts of wind. This is to be expected when there's a hurricane, even if it is many miles down the coast. It's going to be a hard night for a lot of Floridians. May they all wake to clear skies and intact homes. 


Cardinal on a camellia branch. 

Love...Ms. Moon


39 comments:

  1. The fact that this storm has spawned at least 20 tornadoes is mind-boggling. It may be weakening but it still has quite a bit of 'punch'.

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    1. Yes. So very true. That is another part of hurricanes that people are not generally aware of- they spawn tornadoes.

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  2. I feel so bad for poor people especially elderly poor people who have no insurance and no money with which to evacuate. They are the most likely to stay, in my experience. Be careful with that tooth dear one. I’ve had crater teeth split in half in my mouth and they are the worst. Hunker down Mary. The thought of you donning a sweater made me think it is for reals the end times. Yours in wee baby christ child and the lamby lambs, Rebecca

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    1. Hopefully, many of those folks will get to shelters. They generally have transportation if it's needed. It's not ideal but it's better than staying in a poorly built or mobile home.
      Yeah. You KNOW I do not want to go to the dentist but...as I said, this does not feel right and I'm going to get it taken care of sooner rather than later. I am so lucky to be able to do that.
      It's just a little cotton sweater but it feels good.
      I join you in wee baby christ child and lamby lambs and all the animal gods, too.
      Mary

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  3. Calm before the storm. Milton is big news in Britain too. Let us hope that nobody dies. How typically horrible of #45 The Arch Liar to try to make political capital from this impending natural disaster. Empathy with one's fellow citizens is a concept that he appears unable to understand.

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    1. I see that so far, the death toll is 11. And 3.1 million people have no power.
      At this point DT seems to have completely lost any sense of normalcy that he may have ever had and the only things coming out of his mouth are vile, destructive lives.

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  4. 69 was our high temp today. May everyone weather this storm, which may be weakening. And here's to Mr. Moon and a good trip.

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    1. It did weaken some but then came the tornados...

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  5. I didn't know that tornadoes come with hurricanes. Why? Because hurricanes aren't bad enough?
    Where is Mr. Moon going? Saskatchewan? Duck hunting?
    I'm sure you'll have a lovely time by yourself, you always do:)
    We're watching the hurricane from the safety of Alberta. Stay safe my friend.

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    1. I was in a hurricane once that was pretty darn strong but I am sure that it was throwing off little tornados everywhere. Trees were snapped in half all over the place.
      Yes! You got it! Saskatchewan for duck hunting!
      The storm did not affect us except in the most small ways.

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  6. Thinking of my cousins in Orlando and Sarasota tonight. They’re in the thick of it now and so far are weathering the lashing wind and rain ok. I so u destined

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    1. I surely hope they are okay. Have you heard from them?

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  7. My fingers went awry and pressed send before I was done. I was going to say I so understand people hesitating to evacuate. Where to go? The expense of it. The thought that perhaps if a window blows in we can patch it if we’re there. Oh I know it doesn’t work that way. But I get how the mind makes the assessment to stay. I hope all your loved ones and mine are safe and everyone else, too. (It’s 37P by the way, continuing my comment above.)

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    1. It is wrenching to leave a house before a storm. We humans are creatures who believe in our hearts that home is our safe place.

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  8. A cousin in Ft. Pierce was in one of the tornadoes ... the area was hit hard and fatalities according to her! She's OK ... but others are not!

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    1. The tornados are evil. I'm glad your cousin is okay.

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  9. It's crazy crazy watching all the hurricane stuff when you're 3000 miles away. I hope the day doesn't bring the sight of as much devastation as we saw from Helene. What A World.

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    1. What a world, indeed. And although I know that storms are more frequent and more powerful these days, I always think of the early settlers of Florida who had no Weather apps or meteorologists to warn them that storms were coming. By the time they noticed the signs it was probably way too late to flee. And in what? A buggy? A wagon?
      Their Eyes Were Watching God.

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  10. I do hear you about evacuation needs. But also because I stayed in my house during Ida, the mold damage to my house was significantly remediated. Me and my towels during the peak when water was coming in fucking everywhere, then the mold killer and ventilation and tarp on roof immediately after. I would have evacuated for this though because of my fears of rescuers trying to come for us and my crazy dog biting. This is a monster and I can't stop checking on people

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    1. You were lucky, Marie, that you were able to stem some of the water. Were you by yourself? Pets often influence our decisions on whether to stay or go. I had a friend who had figured out how to pack up her chickens and fit them in her car in case she ever had to evacuate.

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  11. Never mind the BIG boots, that bed is HUGE! It needs to be with all the tall people in your family I guess. I see the camellia bed and can make out one sago palm, but everything is about the same shade of green so I can't tell what is camellia and what isn't. The tall tree left of centre is the pecan?
    There's a picture in my newspaper this morning of a store in Tampa with the windows boarded up, but painted on one is "Open. F.U. Milton" so I guess it's business as usual there for now.

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    1. They don't have king-sized beds where you are?
      Yeah, Glen is too long for any but a king size. He has spent some miserable nights trying to sleep on smaller beds. His legs just hang off.
      Yes, that is a pecan. Good eye! A very old one that loves to drop its branches.

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    2. We do have king size beds available and some people I know have them, my brother who is six feet tall and hefty too, has one, but most people I know have queen size beds which are a bit smaller. My own bed is a single, the room is too small for anything bigger unless I throw out all the drawers but I need them for storage, there is no linen closet here.

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  12. It looks to me like the storm weakened at a critical time and the damage doesn't seem as bad as anticipated -- so that's good. Of course there's still a lot of damage.

    I know Mr Moon enjoys his hunting but I can't imagine having to haul all that stuff to Canada!

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    1. I am still worried about my friends on the East Coast in Roseland. Haven't heard from them. That area got a lot of tornados, I hear.
      Glen's not taking all that stuff. That's all the stuff that was in his hunting closet that he pulled out to see what he needs to get rid of and what he needs to take, etc.

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  13. Those of us who've never had to mandatorily Evacuate probably have no Idea really how or why we wouldn't or just couldn't. I did see where people ran out of Gas and being stranded in a traffic jam without Gas or the Financial Means to stay somewhere else would be prohibitive to most average people. I didn't know where or how many Shelters offer alternatives and how they relocate the most vulnerable to them who might not have Money, Health or Transportation to get to one themselves? I couldn't even Imagine the Emotional impact and why I'd not choose to voluntarily live somewhere with continuous high risks, I'd be broken down after a single incident, let alone chronic ones like some States are now having all the time in rapid succession and worsening each time now. It seems at some point the financial cost of running damage control over and over again will reach a breaking point though. Not to mention the loss of Life, which is a priceless Cost to pay just to live somewhere, anywhere actually. Life is too precious. I do Hope those who had to Shelter in place will be okay.

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    1. I am sure that many people who may have been pondering movie to Florida are having second thoughts about right now.

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  14. These boots are big indeed. I have a very tall big footed brother and we refer to his shoes as boats.
    When we lived in our Africam paradise, the temp once dropped to below 75 and everybody put on long sleeves, it was so chilly.
    Good move to get to the dentist early. We live and learn.

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    1. I always say that my burglar deterrent is leaving a pair of Glen's boots right outside the door.
      I've been in Mexico when the temp got down into the seventies and kids were wearing jackets!

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  15. My ex's cousin lived in Florida when Hurricane Andrew came through (in 1987 I believe). His wife and kids had moved out to PA but he said it was hell. Never again. It felt like a freight train was bearing down on him. After that they moved (to tornado alley) in Oaklahoma, but he said the hurricane definitely killed Florida for him!

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    1. Andrew is still spoken of in whispers in Florida. That was a terrible, terrible storm. True devastation.

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  16. Being able to evacuate is such a privilege sometimes. To be old and alone or with many pets, or disabled, perhaps it is not as easy as people think.

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  17. I'm glad you are safe there, Mary. I've heard that the tornadoes on the east coast did a lot of damage. I hope people are safe.

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    1. That's what I've heard too, Ellen. And that troubles me as I love that part of the state so much.

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  18. I have a crater in one of my teeth right now too. We are (laugh) practically twins! I KNOW how much you love going to the dentist! A newborn fitting in Mr. Moon’s boot made me laugh.

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    1. Trust me, Sher- even a chunky newborn would fit into one of those things. He's going to carry a bottle of bourbon up to Canada in one of those boots though. No babies.
      Have you been to the dentist about your crater tooth?

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    2. Nope, too poor. Tooth will have to wait. Just had a twice fractured wrist and a $37,000. surgery. Also have an $800. teeth cleaning and extraction on one of my cats next week. It’s like constant financial triage around here!

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  19. Just catching up here. Can Mr moon bring home his catch, whatever it is?
    I got word from several friends that they're okay now. So good to hear.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.