Alex, Michael and Jan

You can really see time fly by when you have grandchildren.  It seems like we just welcomed Alex into the world and then she turned one, just the other day.  It doesn't seem possible, but she is walking, waving, laughing, running, swimming, cutting teeth and being charming.  She is such a tiny, little  thing, but she is all wrapped up in cuteness and light.  

We went to Florida for her 1st birthday party and had a great time.  David showed his bakery mastery again with a beautiful cake celebrating everything that Alex loves.  She was surrounded by a loving family and all kinds of presents!!

She smashed her cake with glee and was a true birthday princess!  

After we came home, we dealt with hurricane Michael that hit south Florida.  We made sure that our favorite Aunt, Gerri, who lives in Sandestin, Florida was OK and then rode out the wind and rain that reached up from the south.  It was certainly nothing like Florence, but annoying none the less.  We lost power and Tony's pine trees took another hit, but once again, we were so, so lucky compared to many others who had to brave the worst of the storm.  

After that, it was another round of doctor's appointments--this time focused on my psoriasis.  My legs and chest got infected to the point that my skin was a Merlot shade of purple and I had open lesions on my legs.  On the positive side, people at work thought I was young enough to be having menopausal hot flashes that turned my skin a deep red color--on the negative side, I hit menopause in my 40's and this was really intense pain-wise.  It burned and itched.  I went back to the dermatologist and now on a regiment that will address the infection and attack the actual disease.  

Squeezed in among all of that was another trip to a new doctor and a rescheduled heart doctor's appointment.  

I have 5 official days left to work and that will be it for me.  November 3rd will be my last working day.  I am glad and I am sad, but mostly glad.  I have to define my new normal now and get my health under control.  It will be nice to plan things without having to consult my work schedule or worry about having to get up early the day after an important event. 

Fall brings many good things for us.  I love our clam bakes, fires and sitting on the Lanai with blankets.  We are having friends over in the next few weeks and I am looking forward to that.  

Tony will be going back to Florida soon for the charity golf event that he does with David and then, David, Brenda and Alex will be here for Thanksgiving.  What a crazy year.  What a happy year.  

I am one!!

The Aftermath

The rain is gone, the wind is soft.  We have sunshine and beautiful weather again.  When I look out the windows I see white clouds drifting and rolling by as if they are being manipulated, like Pinocchio,  across a big blue stage.  

We have driven around the development a few times and count our blessings each time.  Although, overall damage in Compass Pointe was minimal, we fared so much better than others.

We saw the most dramatic damage yesterday.  We were on our way to the mall (past the downtown area.)   As we approached,  we saw more and more downed trees that had damaged homes, bent fences, took down phone wires and traffic lights and broken up sidewalks.    

The trees in that area are mature and in some cases, suffering from rot on random larger limbs.  The power of the wind pushed the trees over so that their roots were exposed and standing 3 to 4 feet above the ground while the body of the trees laid majestically against the houses, their upper most leaves fanned out on the roof.   

As we went over the bridge (to downtown), we saw a sail boat, twisted and resting on the shores of the Cape Fear River and a small power boat that did not survive the churning waves and powerful wind.    

It was a sad drive, but a successful outing.  Tony found a small grill to replace the one that Florence destroyed and we stocked up on candles and batteries.  Wal-Mart was definitely the place to be yesterday!

Dixie is glad the storm is over.  She has been trembling of late when she hears thunder, so we got her some, "liquid marijuana!"   It's actually just a hemp based dog medication that calms them down.  She stayed close to us during the storm and it didn't seem to matter to her that we lost power and couldn't watch Dr. Phil.  

We are shifting back into our routine slowly.  The golf course was open on Thursday so Tony worked.  The traffic routes to the hospital have all been cleared so I am working today.  It will be odd to go back since I have not been there in so long. 

I hope we don't experience a storm like Florence again, but if we do, we are now better prepared.  

Tony building our new grill 

The dented, broken grill attacked by Florence 

Every time we give her the liquid marijuana, I expect

her to get the munchie but she pretty much just  chills out.  

Hello Flo!

It's finally over.  Florence has come and gone and as the news people are saying, "good bye and good riddance."  The rain and wind started on Thursday evening.  It was amazing.  I saw trees bow to the sheer power of the wind and water rippling down our street like a small river.  

I read one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's book in her prairie series when I was in elementary school.    In it, she described experiencing a tornado.  She and her family were in the cellar and she could hear the sound of the wind.  She felt confined and wanted to be able to breathe in the air and see what was happening.  I felt the same way.  We could see and hear the storm, but I felt stuck and sticky.  But the rain hitting the pine trees unleashed the smell of pine.  I loved the smell.  It was fresh and liberating.  

We lost power at 6:45 a.m. on Friday and it didn't come back on until Monday night at 9:45.  We used the generator sparingly and managed to keep hot water until Sunday night.  We got creative with lighting.  We have solar powered, stand alone garden lights in the yard.  We brought some of them inside and used the lighting from them instead of candles.  It was dim, but it worked. 

We did attempt to leave on Sunday but flooded highways and police turned us back.  We saw cars stuck on roads with water up to the door handles and massive trees uprooted, many blocking house entry ways and garages.  

Highway signs were bent and displaced and we saw a gas station with the overhead awning totally destroyed and laying on the pumps.  

On Sunday and Monday, lines for gas were 3 hours long and many were turned away as the gas ran out.  Luckily, Tony filled both cars before the storm.  Grocery stores were closed and those that opened on Sunday had long lines of people waiting outside in the rain to get in.  Drug stores were closed, but many sent out email warnings about getting meds before the storm hit.  

All in all, we were very lucky.  We survived with minimal damage.  The wind took our portable garden shed and flew it two yards away, including over a tall fence.  Tony's grill was destroyed and two of our pine trees were damaged.  

Destroyed plants, no power, cold showers and Scrabble by candle light were very small things to deal with when we looked at the damage that others had sustained.  

We are confident now that our house will stand up to a major storm so if this happens again, we will evacuate right away.  

Here she comes!

View from the Lanai, the trellis went over and one of

 the large bushes in the background was uprooted 

The cornhole games were in the shed that flew away.  The games fell out. 

 There goes the grill.  Five minutes later it on blown 

over face down on the grass, propane tank included

Scrabble instead of Dr. Phil....hmmmm

The shed door landed on our small island

The day after

I will share  more of our adventures soon.  Right now, I'm off to take a hot, hot shower!

We are well.  

An Odd Normal

We are settling into an odd "normal."  Normal used to be one of us going to work (depending on the day), watching Dr. Phil (um, that would be me, not Tony!!)  Doing odds and ends, doing laundry, reading, watching a movie and in general just being here.

"Normal" since Florence has been watching the weather channel, checking radar, enjoying a brisk breeze on the lanai and preparing the house.

The wind is picking up again.  Trees and flowers and "bouncing" up and down to the rhythm of Florence.  Tony braced our favorite palm tree and I hope nothing happens to it.  The beautiful potted flowers that Tony planted in the spring are taking a beating and we aren't even in the worst of the storm yet.

I watch the weather channel and see many of the places that we have been over the years.  It's odd to see them as being in the path of harm instead of being on the path of future growth.  

Dixie is getting more and more nervous, even with her medicine.  She senses the change in the temperature and pressure and stays close to us.  She's not sure what is going on, but she knows she doesn't like it.  

We didn't sleep in the closet last night, but may this evening.  2:00 to 4:00 a.m. seems to be a theme in the weather community so we anticipate that may be the worst time for us. 

We got the scrabble game out just to pass time.  Tony beat me again, but not by as much as usual.  It's something different to do while we wait.  

Here are some new pictures:

Beautiful flowers taken yesterday....

....bent by the wind today.

The same photo subject from earlier....gray clouds.  

You can hardly see the house across the street 

Scrabble, part of our new normal 

More Waiting

We continue to watch the weather channel for updates.  They are saying that 2.6 million people will be affected by the storm, which is now a category 2 with 105 mph sustained winds.  Florence is 145 miles ESE of Wilmington.  The ocean is churning and the sky moves from blue to gray.

Florence is approximately 150 miles wide so inland flooding is a given.  

My cousin, Dale Diane and her husband, live right on the water in Beauford, South Carolina and I am certain that they are still there.  

A few people from Compass Pointe gave in and evacuated, Dixie's Godparents among them and our next door neighbors.  

Tony, ever the good neighbor, checked the sprinkler systems of one of our vacated neighbors to ensure that their system was turned off.  No need to sprinkle with Florence in the area!  We are also keeping medication for people without generators and offering the freezer in the garage to store frozen food.  

The rain started at 12:51 today.  It came down hard and then lightened up.  This will probably be the pattern for days to come now.  

I took a few pictures today:

This was taken early afternoon.  Check out the blue sky

This is taken from our front porch at 12:45, looking across the street

The clouds at 12:45 

The Calm Before The Storm

We are still in wait mode.  Weather predictions are saying that Florence has taken a left turn and they are now looking seriously at Myrtle Beach and Charleston, South Carolina as the "target." We are hopeful, but cautious.  

That does not mean that Wilmington won't get hit, but winds are down to 115 mph and the eye of the storm seems to be turning.  That is good news for us, but we are still bracing for a wild ride. 

There is an eerie quiet in the neighborhood.  No birds are singing or even flying from tree to tree, the breeze is noticeably absent and there is no traffic in the development.  

We have filled our tub with water, just in case and are getting ready to sit on our lanai, just to enjoy the last bit of peace.

Florence is 335 miles southeast of Wilmington and I hope she doesn't do too much damage to a city we have come to love so much.

I am off to get our safe room (my closet) ready for bed and hope Dixie is calm with her medication. 

More later.  

It's Almost Too Much

We are in wait mode and waiting is something I don't do well.  

We are as prepared as we could possibly be.  On the inside, pictures that Tony has painted and hung are down in case the wind rattles the house, laundry is up to date, my closet is set up for our "safe" space, with blankets, towels, bedding, a sleeping bag, Dixie stuff and our meds.   We have water in containers for flushing and tarps are ready just in case we lose windows. 

On the outside,  trash cans are weighted down with bricks, each car has a full tank of gas, we have stocked up on bottled water and have signed on the owner's website hurricane page, set up to keep track of those staying here.  

I have watched the Weather Channel so long, I'm starting to understand "weather speak."   

We have seen the wind speed drop from 140 mph, to 130.  That's still a category 4 storm, but encouraging, none the less.  

We have received calls and texts from many friends and family wishing us well and we appreciate the time and prayers that people are investing in us. 

But now, it's just a matter of when, not what. We know that this could be the worst hurricane in Carolina history, we know that it's going to be "life threatening," and we know that power could be out for awhile.  The Weather Channel coverage is almost too much.   But, we continue to watch, just in case something new comes along.  

We will try to communicate with everyone as best we can.  Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers.