I didn't invite her and I'm a little worried about what's she's bringing with her.
SANDY is the name of the hurricane that is headed my way. In fact, the she's turning her eye right towards a landfall where I live. Albeit, I'm not out on the shore, where there will doubtless be tidal surges and monster waves, but she is bringing 60mph wind gusts and about 8-10inches of rain.
The area has been preparing for days. We will most likely lose power due to soaked ground loosening tree routes and heavy leaf-laden trees blowing over in the gusts and knocking down power lines. We've got some candles pulled out, some flashlights gathered, batteries on hand and outdoor items battened down.
Today, I will fill all of our sports jugs with water - really soon in fact. I've gotten a nice warm shower and made sure there is food that doesn't need to heat or be kept cold. Our cars are filled with gas and lined up in our driveway. We have a nifty charger that allows a car charger to convert to an electric charger so if we lose all else, we should still be able to use cell phone service. Everything that requires power is charged or charging.
Soon it will just be a waiting game for the unexpected.
All of our schools are closed for two days - they even announced it yesterday. AND...every mode of transportation was shut down as of midnight last night - crazy. No trains, busses, subways, etc... needless to say, my hubby is working from home since he usually takes bus, then el, then subway to get downtown to work.
While my teenage son was having a hurricane party with his friends last night to celebrate no school today, hubby and I drove down to center city and picked up a mobile hotspot. His IT job requires him to stay connected to the office at all times. Hopefully the hotspot will keep us connected and using the car, we can keep it charged. It seemed a bit normal and a bit eerie in the city last night. As we sat beside the window facing Walnut Street sipping a glass of wine in a cozy pizzaria restaurant, folks were walking dogs, riding bikes while holding umbrellas and trotting along the sidewalk in their wellies.
Even two of my three college age kids are off of school today (the 3rd child being 5 hours west of here will more likely experience some snow rather than crazy winds, but Sandy seems to want to visit our entire state!) Their campuses (90 mins away in the next state) have closed for today and will probably closed tomorrow. Each of them has decided to stay with friends in their areas.
So far, there's just rain and the dog is whining at the door as stuff starts to blow around. Colored leaves litter the black of the asphault and it just looks like a blustery fall day. You might even expect to see Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin roughing the weather outside. The neighborhood is eerily quiet but so far, all is well.
Photos to come I'm sure!
If you're in Sandy's path...stay safe!
