Sep 05 2008
Stocking Up For Ike
After dropping most of the children off at school this morning (in the rain due to tropical storm Hannah bands), I ventured over to the BJ’s to snatch up some hurricane supplies before the panicked weekend crowds decimated everything. I stuck to the non-perishables - cereal, cookies, crackers, milk that doesn’t need refrigeration, some instant coffee and non-dairy creamer. I also ripped off half a fingernail carrying it all to my car, but it’s a small price to pay for maintaining an adequate juice box inventory.
Spending $200 on junk food was kind of like stocking up for a party.
Except instead of fun and merriment, it’s lame because there’s not enough food and the guest of honor drinks way too much and breaks all your stuff, then possibly pees in your potted plants. (Don’t tell me you’ve never been to one of those parties.)
Already storm coverage is building, fueling the panic setting in. Advertising “Cone On Your Phone” updates and segments titled “Surviving The Storm”, insinuating by their mere existence that we stand the risk of not surviving if we don’t watch. Despite the fact that the “cone of death” or “forecasted path” has a wide margin of error at this point, there will always be that part of my brain that is certain the storm will be headed straight for our door, to rattle our windows, knock our fences over, steal our power and drop the neighbors’ debris in our yard.
My husband may possibly be on shift when Ike makes landfall, meaning me and the kids and the dogs will be hunkered down on our own, much to my mother-in-law’s dismay. I actually get along very well with her, she lives very near and hinted quite forcefully that we should hole up with her…and her eleven cats and five dogs…I love my mother-in-law, I do, but I’d rather weather the hurricane strapped to my avocado tree.
We’ll ride it out, we’ll be fine.
The path is shifting south for now, which is good news for us, but potentially bad for someone else.
Hurricane season sucks. Actually it blows. Stupid meteorological phenomenon.
Good luck! I hope you guys make it through without too much trauma or broken stuff! (Did you pick up some Nyquil to sedate the children so you could eat ice cream and watch soap operas all day–works every time!)