Tag Archives: hurricane matthew

Rolling back to normal

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Post Hurricane Matthew and we are slowly returning to “normal”.

The kids have one more day off of school.   The total number of days to make up due to inclement weather so far this year:  5.

It will be weeks before tree debris is cleared out of neighborhoods.

Neighborhoods are checker boards of properties with missing, partially missing or severely leaning fences, granting new vistas all over town.  A little weird.  A little cool.

Our dog (and many others)  will be leash walked instead of enjoying his backyard to run and sniff and dig at will.

Sooner than we planned, our home renovation will begin with our master bedroom since a small part of the carpet sustained water damage from water seeping up through the ground.  For now, we’ll get an area rug to cover the concrete rectangle that used to have carpet.

Electricity has been restored to our city, although there are still areas nearby that are out; it is coming along though and for the most part people seem to be getting the hang of 4-way stops at the non-functioning traffic lights.

Our refrigerators and freezer are sparkly clean and slowly filling back up with replaced food.

Our garage has been purged and shelves re-organized.

The inconveniences have been truly just inconvenient.  Yes, they will cost money to repair; money that had not been earmarked yet, but somehow, I have faith it will all work out.  It always does.  The “damage” we sustained was so ridiculously minor to others in our neighborhood, area and state  as well as in in the other states that hosted our unwanted guest, Matthew; that it doesn’t even bear complaining about.  Blessed.  We are so blessed.

I do know we are dealt our hand, which we have little to no control over, what we do with that hand is completely on us.

The storm gave us an opportunity to hunker down with all  of our kids through the meat of the storm, even playing Monopoly for an hour or more until we were all tired of it.  And Clue.  And Gin Rummy.  And I really am not a game player.

We had plenty of food and snacks and down time.

So now we return to normal.  Back to the election nausea.  Projects due on Wednesday at school.  Homecoming week (now 3 days).  Laundry.  Schedules.  Life.

It’s all good.

 

Get ready

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Welp.  Looks like the next couple of days will be interesting.  Praying Matthew doesn’t change course any further west and hooks east back out to sea.  It’s a thing, it can happen. See Hurricane Charley (although that hooked east about mid-state–which was NOT good!).

The last time we dealt with a big hurricane it WAS Charley in 2004, who was followed by 3 friends.  The others are a blur, because with 4 hurricanes in 6 weeks, that was a crazy I do not care for.  Prior to that was Floyd in 1999 when most of Central Fla evacauated north (we were in the Panhandle at the time and were fortunate enough to host my dear friend and her family for the night—which was in turn fortunate for us as our 2nd son was born early the next morning!).

This time though, we are here.  This time it’s far larger and stronger.  People may have been slow to act (12 years will do that to you), but I can assure you that the gas stations, grocery stores and home building stores were bustling yesterday.  The Hubs, is a planner though and when we grocery shopped last week we stocked up on the water, gatorade and soup.  Our cars are all gassed up.  Our windows are about a year old.

Today, we will watch the forecast and the Hubs and kids (and cat and dog) will head inland to a friends and depending on whether I get called to the hospital, I will meet them tomorrow after we close or head in to weather out the storm at the hospital.

Pray it up, people.

Head east, Matthew.  WAY east!!!