I lived in Hawaii during Hurricane Iwa - early 80's - had a newborn son, a
16 month old daughter and had always sworn when were stationed in Florida that
I'd head for the hills if one was coming. Well, you have one on an island
and you can get in your car, but if you do you're back on your doorstep in 3
hours anyway, so why bother : ) Hubby was a Naval Officer and they
go down with the ship while the moms hunker down and handle everything
else. We did - house was framed out with 1/2" plywood for walls, one layer
on the outside! (yes, like put a picture up inside somewhere and you can also
hang something outside the house, too because it poked through, LOL)
I feel for everyone in Florida right now...two is just a little too much
this close together. I'm in Texas and so it's a little out of range for
evacuees, unless it's a permanent evacuation because enough is enough.
Suzi and Holly who would gladly share her pasture but not her food!
Ah, living in Florida. Is there any more
exciting place, in the universe, to live, this time of year? I think
not. If not for beer, I think I would have dropped 30 lbs over the
last few weeks. Charley, with me being the exit point, and, now,
devestating Frances, thinking of entering nearby. You know, the one
they're comparing to Andrew, except, expecting even more devastation
because Frances appears to be planning a Kobe Bryant attack on Florida,
within the next 36 hours. The point of entry, where the eye hits
Florida first, is what is on everybody's mind down here, today, and,
tomorrow.
I was gonna run to Truman's. I was going to make
two trips (because of having 6 horses and one 3 horse trailer) and have a
party with my favorite buddy in the whole world. And, Kathy, and,
maybe, even Carlos, if he showed up too. Heck, maybe, we'd even get
a ride in; Truman keeps telling me of all those Florida moutains he has at
his place. I'd like to take a look-see.
But, being glued to
the local stations, the ones brave enough to tell you where they think
it's going to hit, things, right now, and, they are subject to change, are
pointing to more of a south Florida hit, near Stewart, which is between
Vero Beach and Palm Beach. We got lots of beaches down here.
The
projected track takes it southwest of Kissimee (oh, come on, kiss me),
which is the home of Disney, and has it exiting close to the
panhandle. This is quite a lot of real estate. The excitement,
the anticipation, man, can you just feel it?
Well, if you can't,
let me say, I'm feeling it for the rest of you. This truly
sucks. But, we've made the decision, for now, to, maybe stay here,
since we are out of that forecasted cone. Of course, as the folks in
Port Charlotte found out a few weeks ago, sometimes those forecasts can be
off. This is why you stay glued to your set and watch
everything! All my vehicles are gassed up and ready to go if things
change. I will only do this if the world looks like it's ending, in
my neck of the woods, because, that would mean leaving with only 3 horses,
and 3 staying home. How'd you like to make that decision?
My
family and I ran 5 years ago when they told us Floyd was going to be a
direct hit at my house. Yes, they actually said it. Howard's
gonna die if he don't get the heck out of there. So, we did.
And, after it all went down, after the nightmare of being part of an
evacuation which turned out to be one of the world's biggest evacuation in
history, when I got back home, I said, never again.
You either
leave early or you leave last minute or you don't leave at all.
Right now, I'm planning on the last two; we've missed the boat on the
first one.
Panic, super markets out of food, gas stations out of
gas, people, after the hurricane, fighting over ice because they have no
power and all that food they purchased to suvive, from the super market,
is gonna go bad, without the ice. Man's inhumanity to man. I
saw it during Charley and I fully expect it to happen all over
again. I wish I could say there were more acts of kindness, and,
maybe, there are, but, some of the bad shit that happens after a
hurricane, is, well, let me just compare it to a lunch with Dick
Cheney. It can turn your stomach.
God bless my fellow
Floridians. Yes, it's true, I will one day leave you for the
mounatins of Tennessee, but, until I do, I'm with you. Each and
every wind gust that Frances blows our way.
