Effin Milton

 

This was posted before the first (majorish) hurricane after moving here to Orlando. It still makes me laugh, but still makes me mad she's a free woman.

Here we are again, years and storms down the road. This one is named Milton and is currently packing 180 mph  winds as a Cat 5.

Yowza.

Here's the thing with hurricanes. It's either going to blow you off the map or blow on by like an annoying neighbor who's been knocking on your door for days like Gladys Kravitz.

We've been through both, although we have been very lucky thus far. I've heard from friends and neighbors we've met here that Charley was a monster and parts of Orlando were out of power for an entire month. Are you kidding me?? I would have already  moved to another state by the end of week one. Of course we have learned a lot since then. Our first hurricane we stocked up on tons of food that went bad in our freezer and refrigerator after four days without power...with no ice to be found within a fifty mile radius. 

I feel like we are true,  thinking Floridians now. We bought a nice size generator and a propane tank about the size of a smart car to fuel it. We live on a well so if the power goes out, no water. Total bummer. 

Now we can bypass just the hot water heater and A/C and everything else will work as usual. If we need hot water we can bypass another breaker and heat the hot water tank, then switch back. As far as the A/C our house was built in 1967...when rooms had multiple windows and cross ventilation. We have five windows in our bedroom alone, a lanai off our living room with french doors opening up to it and four huge windows in our kitchen, Massey has a small screened in porch off her bedroom...not to mention we have ceiling fans in every room. Unless an anomaly of a storm (jinx don't speak a word) occurs we'll be okay. Our biggest concern is that it has rained and rained and rained here for the past month or so. Our yards are beyond soaked, and so are the tree roots. 

Not a good scenario, but what are you gonna do?

We were in the Keys (arrived early this past Saturday) for our annual vacation when forecasters determined we were in deep dodo back in Orlando when Milton finally made landfall late this Wednesday near Tampa. Already a Cat 5 and headed our way next. 

We spent all day Saturday on the dock and Sunday as well before deciding even though the Keys were out of the warning area, our homes and dogs back in Orlando weren't. So we loaded everything back up into our vehicles and left early Monday morning way before daylight even thought about poking its head out.

The good news is we came home with our suitcases full of clean unworn clothes and a weeks worth of groceries, drinks and staples.

We spent the day getting our ducks in a row, resting from no sleep and making a game plan for tomorrow.

I have almost as much furniture in my yards, front and back and under my pergola as I do inside my house. That's where I spend the majority of my time so I like to have all options open. A hammock you say? Got one!  A chair under an umbrella covered six seater table to sit and eat? Come on out and have a plate of food!  A pergola? Do you want to sit in the rocker or the glider?

Adirondack chairs with foot stools under three beautiful trumpets trees above you and a bird bath behind you which is regularly visited by cardinals, thrashers, blue jays, wood peckers...  hummingbird feeders busy, squirrel feeders and  suets almost being fought over and generally a most pleasant experience for a sixty four year old woman to spend her retirement? I'm your girl!

We're shoving everything into the utility shed at the back of our property tomorrow, including the glass/tile patio table with the umbrella and six chairs.

Milton may be bad. May not be bad...but at least we're home to make sure we can do everything in our power to take care of everything we call and know as HOME.

Helene taught us a lesson which should always be remembered. Mother Nature always wins.

Hunkering down with our dogs, hopefully plenty of supplies, preparations galore and  a lot of hope.

Til next time...COTTON