So I haven't been able to take my eyes off of the Weather Channel since the news broke about this hurricane. I KNOW I have a tendancy to stress out about disasters (you should've seen me during the wild fires in San Diego) but I am so angry right now.
All of my Maryland friends on FB are saying "oh, pshhh - it ain't nothin', it'll miss us, blah blah" and - I am so angry right now and I guess it fits into this blog because I feel triggered?
YOU'RE WRONG. You're worrying for nothing. What YOU think is completely baseless (even though I am watching SCIENTISTS) and this is a NON-issue.
CERTAINLY, the Weather Channel makes a HUGE! BIG! DEAL! out of everything so you will stay tuned for the next drama fueled report. I GET THAT. But the factual info they have is coming from the military and the National Hurricane Center and the path of this hurricane is pretty much STILL directly headed to my area.
I dunno. You guys parse it out OR DON'T it's my issue but I haven't slept in a couple days and this thing isn't even scheduled to hit for two more. It is barely breezy here and although cloudy, nary a drop of rain. But I know it's coming. I have issues, can you guess? I can't control this, which is beyond my scope of reasoning I CONTROL EVERYTHING WHY NOT THE WEATHER.
Even if the winds are ONLY 75 MPH - sweet fancy Moses, isn't that fast enough to do some damage? And I am on a penninsula - there is only one road out. Storm Surge 2012 might be enough to cover the road?
Yes, I have candles and batteries and flashlights and toilet paper, I have food but I need to do something so imma go get MORE FOOD but the point of this is
I hate being patted on the head. If you are prepared for the worst, it helps. I ALWAYS prepare for the worst, and most times I am pleasantly surprised. But why this tendancy for people to downplay fears and feelings? I mean, I'm not big on wah feeeelings but this - ugh.
I can't do it right now. Words are failing me. THANKS, WORDS. I'm not PANICKING like bok bok chicken little ahhhh! but I am taking it seriously, piling blankets and gathering candles and making ice.
But this "pshaw little baby, it ain't nuttin" - is that ONLY because these people have lived through this fear many times and come out the other end? I always respected those people who said "nah, I ain't movin'" (sorry, they really do talk like that down here I'm not characterizing) or is it being negated? <--is that a word? Am I being pushed aside, pushed to the back, minimized?
Or am I just a big triggery baby?
My husband texted me this morning that we may be out of power for a few days NO SHIT SHERLOCK what have I been telling you but since a co-worker AND A MAN told him that, suddenly it is real.
Ah shit. I'm going to go get more - something. Then coming home to make a big pot of spaghetti.
Sorry, I know a lot of you are in AA but I am buying a JUG of VODKA and tonic and limes because if I'm watching a HURRICANE from my living room (plate glass *shudder) window, I'm doing it with a little buzz.
PS: My car is full of gas, I have lots of water, we are ok until we aren't ok but who knows until Monday. BESIDES I AM BLOWING THIS ALL OUT OF PROPORTION don'tcha know.
ALSO PS: How do I make coffee if the power is out this is a very serious issue.
Maybe get a little Coleman propane stove so u can boil water and pour the water down over your coffee in the machine. That's assuming u have a drip machine, tho. Or twist the coffee into a filter and rubber band the filter, stick it in a cup, and put the boiling water over it tea-style?
ReplyDeleteBTW, storms scare me too, and all we get are spotty tornadoes up here. And I love coffee.
Gladys,
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing wrong with being prepared for the worst (or hoping for the best.) You're doing what you need to do to take care of yourself, and that's the key to being able to let go of some of the worry, IMO. I call it the 'on the plane' phenomenon. You're going on vacation. You spend weeks, months, preparing. You stress over what you need to take with you, what will be available to you, that you will have enough and on and on.
You worry because it's worrisome. Fair enough.
And then, it comes. It's today. You get on the plane and are overwhelmed by the realization that you have done all that you can do and the rest is out of your control. And you can let it go because you're in the pilot's hands for better or worse.
It's okay to worry about what you can control, it really is, and it sounds like you've done all you can do. The rest? Well, I'm a drunk so vodka wouldn't be a good idea for me, but personally I take the view that if you CAN drink without doing all of the rank shit I did while drinking, baby, bottoms up!
Keeping you in my thoughts...
Love,
Vanci
Extrapolating on Bess's idea (cuz we loose power here for DAYS): You have a gas grill or even a lil' ol' Dollar Store hibatchi-type thingy? And some instant start charcoal as well as the longer burning stuff? OK, good. I don't have to say don't do this IN the house, right? Just wanted to make sure.
ReplyDeleteHit a thrift shop if ya don't have this: A tin type of coffee pot you'd take camping: Nothing to plug in, just the pot will do, OK? As long as it's "guts" are in there meaning the basket for coffee grounds, you're good to go. Fill the basket with the coffee like you would a regular coffee pot. Put the H2O in, replace basket. Put it on top of the grill/hibatchi and it'll perk-you'll hear it-maybe-but you'll definitely see it as it perks. Pull it off and check how strong it is after it's started boiling for about 4/5 min. (my "sweet-spot" is 6 min. but I don't like real strong coffee) and see if it's the right "color" for your preference. Use your flashlight, OK? I can't in all fairness tell you to try this with a kerosene heater-most of them aren't configured correctly on top for the coffee pot.
Or if you can stand instant, well, boil and pour-Bess, Great idea! Thanks for that, I'll be trying it, no doubt sometime in the next 6 mo. if not in the next few days.
Vodka is my drink of choice. And I don't drink much, but if I'm gonna I want Absolute (regular, forget the flavored stuff) and Clamato with some celery salt, lots of ice, tall glass, thank you. Or OJ. Either way, I wanna keep my wits about me so I'm VERY conservative about the whole thing...but hey, it's not a "par-tay" so a bit to calm the nerves works.
No, you're NOT blowing this out of proportion. If I'm hearin' about this in The Tundra and after a look at your map and the one here, well shit. Not good. You at least TAPED the windows, right? If you're not gonna board them up (well, maybe not completely, you can leave a peek hole at the top) and you've moved everything OUTSIDE that may turn into a projectile (patio/lawn furniture/"lawn ornaments" etc.) INSIDE or at least away from the wind, right?
Spaghetti? Honey, if you have stuff in the freezer, that's what I'd be cookin' right now. I had (and do I ever MISS IT!) a gas stove and oven. (Self-Contained, not "Municiple.") I eat like a Queen and so did/does everyone else when the winds and snow/ice of winter leave us powerless for days into weeks. Disposable tins for food? Check. Bathtub filled? Check. Sinks filled? Check. "Bail Apparatus" meaning some container to scoop water from a bucket into the back of the toilet/into a pan to be boiled? Check.
I also had a generator, but I wouldn't recommend this for rookies at all. Or older people because they weigh a damn ton. And you'd best be sure you understand how to hook it up.
I'm NOT "patting you on the head," Gladys. Believe me, this looks like a BAAAAD Mo-Fo for you all. Been there, done that and I will NEVER again be frozen to death in the dark. I'd be preparing as well-in fact, I already am because we're gonna have very strong winds (ahhh, all the "beautiful" trees when ya live in the middle of a huge "Northern Arboreal Forest") and heavy rain/snow about the time you're getting out of it. So I may "disappear" as well.
No doubt, I won't be missed!!!
Take care, Little One. Write when ya can; you're in my thoughts and I doubt gawd listens to me because I'm just not that important FWIW. But you are. And YOU are my concern right now.
TW
Sigh. We're on the water, right at the heart of where this hurricane is supposed to hit. And I don't think you're alone in feeling overwhelmed/scared/unprepared/worried about it. It IS scary. DH has been running around filling up jugs of water all morning. He proudly emptied out a smallish container of coffee creamer so that he could fill it with water. Then he proudly showed it to me (yes, proudly) so that I could see what he had done. I just let him do his thing.
ReplyDeleteHe got mad at me a little while ago because I was talking to DD and I didn't hear him and when he raised his voice, then I heard him and he said, "Fine, I'll just go then!" (Meaning, I'll go without DD's halloween costume that you wanted me to bring to your mother's house because clearly you don't care and you're not listening and I was going to bring it with me). I was like, "What? Huh? Why are you even in such a hurry?" And he yelled back, "Because I need to prepare the house for the upcoming storm!" I was even thinking about that.
DH is quite concerned about it. Making sure we have gallons of milk (not sure why, that's not so good if we lose power). Filling up things with water. I had some ice cream and finished the carton. He said, "Don't throw that away! We could put water in it!" I started laughing. I thought he was joking. In hindsight? Yeah. Pretty sure he wasn't.
This reminded me of him: "I have food but I need to do something so imma go get MORE FOOD." I love that. It made me laugh (not at you, I think it's endearing).
But having said all that, I do think this is a serious thing too and I'm trying really hard not to make DH self-conscious about it. Even if I think some of his safety measures are pretty funny, I just don't want to hurt his feelings or invalidate his fears.
I'm cracking up over your post for a couple reasons.
ReplyDelete1. Because we've been trading our teenage son that of all else fails, he can be a TV weatherman. He's charming, good looking and has a better shot at predicting the weather than the so called experts. He's at least willing to step outdoors to see what's happening.
2. We've been making a concerted effort to clear out our freezer, so we're lower then usual good-wise. On the upside, we've got about 10 gallons of vegetable broth stewing on the stove. All the scraps from the summer are simmering in preparation for canning.
And if the power goes out, we've got a generator.
But something tells me we'll he fine and maybe only a little wet.
Vi,
DeletePoor you with your new iphone. Lol. I had to read the first line of your comment like three times before I could calm the inner voice that was screaming, "No! Don't trade your son for supplies!"
Love,
Vanci
I use those plastic dish washing containers to "corral" stuff under the sink in the kitchen and in the Bathroom. It keeps my small kitchen trash can, my dishwashing stuff, my rubber gloves etc. right there without making a mess all over. It's just me and a cat and I have a disposal so I just don't have a lot of trash. In the Bathroom, under the sink it keeps my cleaning stuff, my gloves, my "cans" of personal care items, extra soap stuff all together, so I have "extra" stuff in addition to the regular stuff. I'm a huge "stocker-upper" when it's something I use regularly and it's on sale or I have coupons.
ReplyDeleteThey get dumped and filled with water in addition to the sinks and bathtub. Laundry is being done as we "speak." Tomorrow I'll strip the bed and take a shower in preparation and check again to be sure I've not forgotten anything including batteries. I think I'm OK today, but I guarantee you by tomorrow, something will "need" something.
Aye, jonsi, as if a container of ice cream will hold water. Gawd love men. Better to let their little egos seep slowly like that gallon ice cream container.
"Thanks Honey! Love you too!"
TW
Love ya, Gladys - have you ever watched those shows about obsessive preppers? they prepare for flesh eating bacteria. some for nuclear holocaust. others for a military state. we could up on. so being prepped for the hurricane on the actual radar is totally within reason. I mean I am with you all the way on your game plan.
ReplyDeleteHey, Gladys? Hope you're OK. Hint: If you have a hulluva hang-over, well, you're ALIVE! Hope your "Insurance Agent" is on speed-dial or walking distance.....
ReplyDeleteTW
I'm thinking of you, too. Happy Vodka!
ReplyDelete