All Clear

Super storm Sandy cleared out after about 2am. I could hear a change in the intensity of the screaming of the wind. It was SO LOUD! The rain was pounding sideways against the windows. It would have made an excellent horror movie sound track.. My co-workers in New York are still without power; some are away from home waiting to go back. The subways are flooded and the trains are stopped until the teams can inspect the tracks, tunnels and stations. My sister is here working because we have power here and she doesn't . Thousands are without power in Virginia and Maryland. Ours went out, but thankfully came back on.

I can't tell you how impressed I was with the NY nurses and firemen. They carried the sick people out of the hospital down flights of stairs in the dark during the storm when the power went out and the back up generator failed. It was a clear demonstration of our valuable our first responders are. Kudos also go to the NOAA and National Weather Service teams who worked tirelessly over the weekend and all night Sunday and Monday, constantly updating the storm path information .What an invaluable service they provide. The next person who says something snarky in my presence about government workers will get hit with my Jaguar-topped cane.
(Did you know that those agencies that  just saved millions of lives are part of the Department of Commerce? Just sayin')
Photo above courtesy NOAA.

Hunkered Down

Image of Sandy courtesy NOAA/National Weather Service
(A government agency that saves thousand of lives daily - just sayin')

It's pouring rain and windy; it's only a matter of time until the power goes out, probably sometime tonight. The utilities say that due to safety issues that they will not be able to even start getting it back on until Wednesday. If we're lucky.

I have my embroidery and needle felting supplies at hand to work on. We have food, water, batteries and cat food. Plenty of books and flashlights.
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Batten down the hatches, we're in for a rough night, say the eerily cheerful weather TV people.

Frankenstorm Prep

Photo of Sandy, aka "Frankenstorm", aka "Snor'Eastertcane" courtesy NOAA

Mr. Hunting Creek is hard at work clearing the gutters, removing dead branches and putting the outside furniture and umbrella away. We have already bought bottled water, batteries and all sorts of food, including what looks like a month's supply of cat food. "How long do you think we  would be trapped in our neighborhood?" I asked Mr. Hunting Creek. We have just the two cats. We have 15 cans of food.. He said, "It's best to be sure." There's a man who takes care of the pets first!
Last year at this time it was snowing, now we're getting a monster storm, the likes of which have never been seen before. Global Climate change is real and it's happening now. We had the Derecho this summer and it was bad enough..
In honor of the approaching storm, I have made some preparations of my own. I made my weekly batch of granola, and to use up three ripe bananas, a batch of Melissa Clark's Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. It's a storm emergency. Plus we can eat banana bread with no cooking required, if the power goes out.
I stopped by the Variety Store to get some materials for ornament making that I can do by hand if we are without power. I think we're ready. Stay safe and dry, my Mid-Atlantic friends.