Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky...

...Stormy Weather. Sung by seemingly everyone, but my favourites are Lena Horne, Billie Holiday and Etta James.


For the last few days we've been watching Tropical Storm Fay as it creeps closer and closer to our coast. Chatham County (the county right next door to us, and home to Savannah proper) is now under a Tropical Storm watch. Am I nervous? Maybe a little, although we are not under any watches in our county.

Truthfully, a tropical storm doesn't scare me as much as the idea of a hurricane. I've often told Ray that, while I know he has to stay and cover the storm for his listeners, the first evacuation order that comes will find me, the kids and the cats making a beeline up I-75 and to his parents house.

I actually did a live broadcast once as a tropical storm came ashore in Charleston a few years ago. The storm was quickly downgraded to a tropical depression, but it didn't make it any easier to stand outside of an oil change place and try to convince listeners they really needed to come on down and see me to win tickets to the Moody Blues. We did get some people to come by, but it may have been that they felt sorry for me. I was almost five months pregnant with TFYO at the time.

"Come on down folks! When was the last time you had your oil changed? Schools are closed and half the businesses in town have shut down, so now's your chance to be first in line to get an oil change for $19.95, and have a chance to win tickets to see the Moody Blues!"

There I was, just starting to show, holding an expensive piece of electrical equipment, while the rain just poured down all around us, and the wind tried to uproot the palm trees. At one point, I was underneath the awning that was over the front door. I walked inside, and moments later the thing collapsed from the amount of water that had pooled in it.

Thinking back on it, I suppose I should be nervous, but we're prepared. We've got all the batteries for our lanterns and radios and flashlights. We have our water supply (bottles, stored in the garage), plenty of canned foods, plus extra ice in the chest freezer. I've even taken in the patio furniture and moved the grill. The grill will be important, because if power goes out, I can use the side burners to cook things.

So blow, wind, blow!

6 comments:

Kim said...

I do hope the storm completely spares your county! You're prepared, and that's important. Here in Oklahoma, ice and tornadoes are the bane of our existence. Frankly, the tropical storms and hurricanes always seemed scarier to me when I lived down your way. Maybe it's what you're used to.

Take care.

www.ayewonder.com said...

The Moody Blues? I would have been there in a second. Shows you how old I am.
Hope you're well.

Anonymous said...

You know, if our parents were down there, Mum would've probably been the first there to try and get those tickets.....I remember when she drug me to one of their concerts....sitting waaaaaaaaaaaaay back on the very very, very back of the lawn....yeah, that was....um...fun.

Jo Beaufoix said...

Be safe Jen. Hope it doesn't come your way. The Moody Blues thing was hilarious.

Susan said...

Be safe and keep those darling girls of your safe, too. I think the thing about a hurricane or tropical storm is that you have a warning and can stock up and get to safety. The thing I dislike most about earthquakes is that they hit from out of left field without any warning at all. No time to get out of harm's way.

Anonymous said...

It's been ten days, the storm has passed, a new one is moving into the Gulf, August is ending and fall is on the horizon.......

Dad