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12 September 2017

Hi, gang! I'm back after the big blow. I have to say, it's a whole lot less scary going through a 'strong tropical storm" in the daylight hours than it is going through a Cat. 1 hurricane overnight! There were still some pretty tense moments, I'll tell you, but there was no damage to my house, no trees fell in the neighborhood, and although the lights flickered a few times, and went out completely for a second or two twice, my electrical service held up, as did my internet. Woohoo! My yard is a lake, though. No complaints, as that is the worst of nearly 18 hours of howling wind and torrential rain. I think we got over 8 inches of rain.
Tension has a way of making me lose my apetite, so although I tried to eat, it was a no go. Once the worst of the storm was past, I guess I relaxed because I fell asleep at my desk. Woke up to calm skies around 8:30 PM, and toddled off to bed.
I planned on going to work today, but found out that the boss had closed the shop until tomorrow. I already had to reschedule my clients on Saturday, and some of them were supposed to come in today. Oh, well...we all went through it together, so there is understanding.
I ventured into my tiny town, and the cops had the main road blocked off, right in front of Town Hall. Holy moly! There was an old oak tree down right beside the Hall, and it had to be a good 36" in diameter at the base. It snagged some power lines on the way down, so a repair crew was working on that.
I purposely didn't get any fresh veggies on my last shopping trip, because I didn't want them to spoil in the fridge if power was down for days. So I went to the grocery store, and saw a lot of empty shelves. No bread, no milk, very few veggies. I managed to get some celery, lettuce and 4 sad little tomatoes. I've been craving veggies!
Dinner tonight will be homemade hot wings, with celery and ranch dip.
Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week!
~Kes

(11 comments)

10 September 2017

Checking in with all of you. Irma has taken favorable path today, as it concerns me. Upon making landfall, it almost immediately reduced to a CAT2. Still potentially damaging, but bearable. It appears that we will get some moderately high winds, and a good bit of rain. I'm glad I decided to stay put. There's a good chance I won't even lose power. Or if I do, it will only be a couple of hours.
I watched a weather man stand out in the open during the landfall of the eye wall. 95 MPH gusts nearly knocked him off his feet. I'm not that crazy. We're expecting 35-50 MPH winds tomorrow. Much less than last year's hurricane.
The fun now will be navigating the traffic as people from further south try to get home to survey their damage. My heart goes out to those who sustained damage, loss, and grief.
Right now I have a light drizzle and frisky breezes. According to the weather maps, these are the effects of the outer bands of the storm. The birds on my deck seem to know there is weather coming. The hummingbird feeder has been mobbed all day, and the smaller birds have been at the feeder, quite aggressively.
There is a Facebook page for checking in on friends in the path of Irma. On it, people who are offering refuge, supplies and help can post what they have, as well as people in need who can post what they need. I found a (stranger) woman who needs things I have in plenty, so as soon as the post office is back in operation, I will be sending her a care package. She is elderly, wheelchair bound, and in a shelter. On the other side, for every plea for help, there were dozens of offers of places to stay, offers of help from as far away as California, and warm feeling of support and sympathy.
People are fundamentally good-hearted, generous, and kind. I affirm it is so.
Wishing you all a good night's sleep/bright awakening as it applies.
I will sleep well tonight, and see what tomorrow brings.
~Kes

(15 comments)

09 September 2017

Another new low. Yippee! And something of a surprise, considering the last 2 days have been KFC days. :/ Granted, it was a single meal stretched over 2 days, but still...
I can tell I've lost more inches, because yesterday I wore my Chico's size 1 pants, and they were baggy! The last time I wore them, they were snug.
My boss decided to close the salon until Tuesday, so I had to cancel my appointments for today, in spite of the fact that the hurricane isn't expected to impact here until Monday. And as of last night, my area is completely outside the 'cone of uncertainty'. I'm pretty sure we'll still see some unsettled weather, but it sure takes some worry out of the picture. It's a good possibility that I won't even lose power. Waiting and watching, and staying prepared.
Have a great Saturday, Buddies!
~Kes

Weigh-in: 155.0 lb

lost so far: 45.0 lb

still to go: 5.0 lb

Diet followed reasonably well

(5 comments) losing 3.7 lb a week

08 September 2017

Ahhh...I'm staying put. The westward wobble of Irma has taken me out of danger. Predictions are now of top wind speeds of 39 MPH. Piece of cake!
The highways heading North have been atrocious. Stop and crawl all the way. Almost all of Florida is trying to get North ahead of the storm.
My sister in Orlando is staying put. Her house is constructed of cement blocks, and they have underground utilities. The prevalent concerns in her neighborhood are loss of air conditioning and grocery stores being closed. LOL! I AM a bit concerned for her, though. Wind speeds are expected to be 100 MPH as the eye goes directly over her area.
For now, I'm safe, at home for the next 3 days, and holding my fur-babies close.
Hang in there, buddies!
~Kes

(8 comments)

07 September 2017

Hello, buddies! Thank you all for the congratulations and good wishes/prayers.
I'm still watching the storm path. It took a jog today that takes it more westerly. They eye looks like it will track straight up the Florida peninsula. This thing is a monster...350+ miles across. Florida is only a little more than a hundred miles from coast to coast! Having the eye over land will take a lot of power out of it, which means by the time it gets to my area, it should be a CAT 1, or a tropical storm. However, the forecasts vary widely, and today the local sheriff held a press conference. There is a voluntary evacuation order starting today, and he said that there would *probably* be a mandatory order on Saturday. If there is a mandatory order, I will bug out with the kitties.
I went out this afternoon, and my sleepy little town was a traffic jam. The interstate coming out of Georgia narrows from 3 lanes to two. From the border, the Interstate is a parking lot. Stop and crawl. There is a secondary minor highway that goes straight through downtown, and it was the same. I had to navigate through all of that to get where I was going. A trip that should have taken 20 minutes tops, took me 45.
I know the back roads around here, that probably wouldn't even show up on a GPS. I have my route planned, if I do need to get out.
It looks like in this area, at least, it will be mostly a wind event, like last time. Only 2-5 inches of rain forecast for now. Last year, in Matthew, my house withstood 95 mile-an-hour winds without even a shudder. So if the winds are in that range, I feel confident in staying.
For now, my prayers and compassion go out to the island folks (CC? Are you there?). So many islands were completely decimated, and are facing a second storm tonight. I will update again tomorrow.
Ironically, we are having the most gorgeous weather right now! Humidity gone, cool temperatures, bright blue skies. The high front is one of the things that is steering Irma away from us. Hang in there, High Front! <3
Have a wonderful day/night, friends.
~Kes

(13 comments)

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