Fortified by a sandwich, a portion of Grace's Texas Chocolate Cake and a Diet Coke with ice, I took a nap. When I woke up a few minutes ago, Dennis had made landfall near or in Pensacola, Florida. This is east of us. Our winds have picked up but we are far enough away that if the storm stays on course, we won't get the horrific winds which were predicted.
Our sister in England said in a comment that extreme weather was rare where she lives. She's fortunate to miss the theatrics of nature on the Gulf of Mexico. Hard, heavy winds can do awful damage. A large pine tree can be twisted like a drinking straw wrapper paper. Old oak trees push over and bring up their roots along with the grass turf like a table cloth thrown over a chair. It is amazing. Roofs blown off as though they'd been held by only scotch tape.
We have power, we have ice, we have each other.
More later.
St. Casserole (in Church prayers known as Cassie and her family. So sweet, Songbird!)
11 comments:
Stay safe!!!! I live in South Florida, and know the routine you are going through.
Somehow, I left chocolate cake off my emergency management list of things to do. What a great idea :)
Thanks for the update--praise that you and family are on the "good side" of the hurricane. I can't tell you how touched I am that the Texas sheet cake became a "solidarity" cake in a crisis. God works through cakes, too, doesn't she?
Memo from LH:
Friday night. St.C quite nervous about the impending Dennis, which some believe could come our way, but which seems pointed on the path to Pensacola, Florida, to me. Try to imagine what would be soothing, and end up taking her to see Fantasic Four movie, with LD, one of my friends, our son and 5 teenage boys. Was not as effective as LH thought.
Saturday. Tried to remember that St. C, the LW, is from a non-hurricane area, whereas I am from hurricane alley on the Gulf Coast. Bought her chocolate candy in a bag, which is her preferred drug of choice during a crisis.
Spend morning boarding up office which faces and is about 100 yards from Gulf waters.
Saturday afternoon. Watch storm and make jambalaya with chicken,sausage and freshly boiled shrimp. Invite friends over for meal of the jambalaya, large and fresh tomatoes with curried sauce, Texas cake, and local beer. The LW still nervous.
Sunday morning. Storm still heading to Pensacola (which was hit bad last year). St.C is stressed ...makes second Texas cake. LS and I (with friend and son) board up house, which removes all stress lines from St. C's face, who is then content to nap with kittens.
Sunday afternoon. LD, LS, and I take drive, watch DVDs,take a few boards off back doors, and start getting calls from friends. St. C is happy, chocolate-d, and storm free.
LH
Memo from LH:
Friday night. St.C quite nervous about the impending Dennis, which some believe could come our way, but which seems pointed on the path to Pensacola, Florida, to me. Try to imagine what would be soothing, and end up taking her to see Fantasic Four movie, with LD, one of my friends, our son and 5 teenage boys. Was not as effective as LH thought.
Saturday. Tried to remember that St. C, the LW, is from a non-hurricane area, whereas I am from hurricane alley on the Gulf Coast. Bought her chocolate candy in a bag, which is her preferred drug of choice during a crisis.
Spend morning boarding up office which faces and is about 100 yards from Gulf waters.
Saturday afternoon. Watch storm and make jambalaya with chicken,sausage and freshly boiled shrimp. Invite friends over for meal of the jambalaya, large and fresh tomatoes with curried sauce, Texas cake, and local beer. The LW still nervous.
Sunday morning. Storm still heading to Pensacola (which was hit bad last year). St.C is stressed ...makes second Texas cake. LS and I (with friend and son) board up house, which removes all stress lines from St. C's face, who is then content to nap with kittens.
Sunday afternoon. LD, LS, and I take drive, watch DVDs,take a few boards off back doors, and start getting calls from friends. St. C is happy, chocolate-d, and storm free.
LH
Glad to see you made it through okay. Have to remember the chocolate cake next time!!
In fact, QD, I propose a name change--Grace Cake, or Solidarity Cake.
Thanks, LH, for letting us know that you are now unboarded and safe!
Grace Cake is good. Grace Cake for Solidarity Situations could be the formal name...
Glad you all are safe and nekkid now (with boards on the windows). I smiled reading LH's post about taking a nap with the kittens - that's MY drug of choice when I'm stressed!
We had hurricane action a couple years ago here in the Washington DC area - we usually just get the aftermath of the storms. We have lots of trees here, too, and thus lots of downed trees after a hurricane and - in our case - 5 days without power. I'm in awe of folks who can expose themselves to that kind of thing much more frequently by living on the Gulf Coast - you guys are braver than I - and who are more systematic than I about dealing with it (viz. the Grace Solidarity Cake)!
I'm so glad you are okay!
And I love the LH's narration of events. :-)
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