On Isaac..

  For the past few days, I have been amazed at the lengths some people go to in our area for "storm prep." From lines wrapping around gas stations, to plastic bags covering the pumps.. from lines wrapping through Wal-mart, to the aisles being stripped bare of water, bread, and well, mostly junk food... from kids at school frantically proclaiming the "high winds" (breeze), to school being cancelled for two days, and now at 11:30, we have yet to see a drop of rain...

   The reality of it is, here in Podunk, USA, we are some 330 miles inland from the coast. By the time Isaac reaches us, he will have weakened, quite possibly,  even to a tropical depression. Although we are expecting wind gusts upward of 20 MPH, we reach that in a normal thunderstorm at times. I can't tell you how many trees have been uprooted in my back yard over the years, and we've only seen one hurricane (Gustav, 2008) since we've been here.

   I don't understand the people here who are pushing 2 carts around the store; one filled with 8 cases of water, and the other piled high with junk food. I don't really understand the need to fill up the truck, 4-wheeler, boat, and 6 gas cans. (No, that is not an exxaggeration. I saw that with my own eyes.) I don't know why 2 5-lb bags of ice should cost $10, and I don't know why gas has climbed to $4.06/gallon. I find all of this to be absolutely insane; sensationalism.

   Now, all those things being said, I don't mean that you shouldn't be prepared for the storm. I cannot begin to imagine how those people in NOLA and the surrounding areas must feel being slammed once again by storm surge 7 years to the day they were slammed by Katrina. I don't know the fear or flood of emotions that those residents (and former residents) face as they flip through the channels on TV and see images that call to mind images of the past.... images that they wish were dreams rather than memory. But... I don't think absolute insanity helps anything.

   Yes, I hope and pray that those affected by the worst of this slow-moving storm are prepared. If in flood prone areas, I would hope they would have evacuated if possible. I pray they have the supplies they need, as nearly 300,000 are currently without power. I would hope they would have stocked up on enough essentials to last a few days. And hey, here, too. In a rural area, the possibility of wind always means the possibility of power outage...

But c'mon. 330 miles inland, how many cases of water and twinkies do you really need?

We are slated to get some rain around 1:00... I'll probably "evacuate" to my mom's around 3 (before anything other than light rain happens) simply because I don't want to be alone with the possibility of a tree on my roof if the winds get gusty. We will have a case of water, some soup we prepared yesterday, and bread and lunch meat. We have plenty of batteries, candles, flashlights, and books to read. The ipads are charged, as are the cell phones. My car is parked safely in the garage, and I'll be taking the truck. Puppy girl has plenty of food, and she's ready for her short journey to visit her puppy relatives.

Stay calm and be well my friends! Stay off the roads once the winds and rain get up, and take care of your pets. Isaac may not be a monster, but being safe is always best. ....just not if it requires 17 cases of water. ;)