Coastal Reflections

The calm (or mayhem) before the storm

Well, it looks like we're definitely in for Ernesto here tomorrow.  The forecasted track has changed quite a bit since Sunday morning, but has stayed consistently coming up through the state of FL (just wobbled back and forth as to where exactly).  It looks as though we're not going to be spared, period.  At one point yesterday we were right in the eye's path as it was making its exit back into the Atlantic Ocean.  Now the path has veered westward so we'll be to the right of the eye now, and unfortunately, taking the brunt of the winds.  We're as prepared as we can be.  We still have limbs and such that we cut down lying down on the road for yard trash recycling pickup.  They have ignored picking them up for weeks so those will be strewn about all over the place.  I hope they don't cause any damage.  It's typical of our yard trash recycling to just leave it all lying there (never mind it's a service we have to pay for whether we use it or not and never mind it's hurricane season and they should be picking these type things up on a weekly basis as they are supposed to!). 

Dh will be taking off work today about 1pm (he hopes) to come home and see through the last preparations.  He'll get plywood up over the windows and somehow I will help him.  Ds1 will have to step up to the plate and take charge of watching ds2 for us.  We have to get everything moved off the front and back porches (and we have BIG porches with lots of stuff on them!) moved into the garage.  That will be an ordeal in itself as the garage is full of all kinds of stuff with the whole house remodel we have in progress and most of the stuff on the porches is remodeling stuff. 

I have a couple of teeny loads of laundry to do today.  Technically the loads are way to small to be washed, but with the potential for losing our electricity and not knowing when it will be restored (took over 2 weeks with Frances in 2004 and 3 days with Jeanne in 2004 - didn't lose it last year with Wilma), I may as well have it all clean.  Dh also wants me to bake some things today.  One thing he specifically mentioned is pear bread.  Ds1 is not fond of that so I'll make some blueberry muffins for him.  I'm not sure what else I'll whip up.  I'll be using my 16qt. roaster oven so I don't heat up the whole house with the regular oven.  It'll be nice to munch on some 'comfort' food tomorrow while the winds are whipping and howling.  I need to check the batteries in everything today as well and get our cell phones charged, although mine doesn't really get a signal here due to all the trees. 

We topped off the tanks in our vehicles last night and dh filled our gas cans.  He also filled our extra propane tanks for our grill.  We went to BJ's and it was quite chaotic.  The kiddos and I almost were hit twice in the parking lot just trying to get in the store.  Dh stood in line to get the propane tanks filled up, but it actually didn't take long at all.  While in line he found out they had run out of regular unleaded gas earlier in the day so he left and filled up one of our vehicles at a station down the road that wasn't busy.  He filled his and the gas cans he had with him on the way home at another station and then took his work vehicle and the remainder of our gas cans back to the same station to fill up.  He said the second time he was there a man pulled up and called everyone crazy for getting gas because nothing was going to happen and then the man proceeded to unload his own gas cans and fill them and his vehicle up!  Such is life here (and yet one of the reasons I would love to move).

We're currently forecasted to get 4-8" of rain and a 4-5 foot storm surge.  I know the house will be surrounded by a moat again.  The ocean and lagoon will flood us via the creek that our ditches at the road tie into and the land behind us is low and will flood us as usual.  What we don't know is how the road that was put in just on the other side of the land behind us and the 2 houses that have been built on the other side of it are going to affect the flooding.  We've already seen last year that the road made it worse, but the road wasn't completed then - now it is. 

Off to do what I can...................

Untitled Comment

09:13, 2006-Aug-29 .. Posted by Carol

Kim, please keep safe along with your family. Continued prayers here.
~carol

Prayers for your safety

06:09, 2006-Aug-29 .. Posted by teapots66

Hi, I'll be saying prayers for you & your family. You do sound ready, but it is always a bit scary/stressful. Blessings - Chris