Living in Florida has its pluses…beaches and warm weather…it really doesn’t get much better than that.
Every coin has two sides, and living in Florida is no exception. High humidity and little things called hurricanes top my list of downers.
I’ve lived in Florida for about 18 years, and I’ve been through my share of storms. I have run away from more than one hurricane, even driving all night with two children under the age of five and a fish. Yep…me along with half of Florida on the Turnpike. Not the fastest trip I’ve ever been on, but when you have a Category 4 storm heading your way, you run faster than you can say boo to protect your babies.
This latest storm has been a bit unusual, cutting across the state and turning around to get the part it missed. I don’t believe in share and share alike when it comes to tropical storms. South Florida can keep the rain. I like the way my hair looks when it’s dry.
Regardless, the Lord has other plans, so Tropical Storm Faye is headed my way. I did what every responsible mom does and headed over to Target on the way home from work. The funny thing about preparing for hurricanes is that you purchase items, in mass quantity, that you might never get around to using. And the stores take advantage of shoppers’ crazed mental state, making everything seem like a great deal too! How would you like to buy seven Pimento candles for $5? Sounds good to me. I drop 14 in my basket. Musn’t run out…in case the power decides to take a break for the weekend.
Ok, I’m exaggerating, a little bit anyway. I didn’t buy Pimento, but I did buy three humongous candles, two of which are different scents due to the Chick children not paying attention to the labels. So now my house is going to smell like pomegranates in one room and apples in two others.
Blech.
At least I’ll be able to knit if the power goes off, although I might be sick to my stomach.
In addition to batteries, bottled water, and candles, there’s also the dilemma of what food products to buy. You have to buy non-perishables in case the power goes out, but you also need a few things for the fridge so you can eat until the power goes kaput. This would seriously be a good time to begin a fast because about the only other things you are going to eat are chips and Chef-boy-ardee. Actually, that sounds yummy, but it’s certainly not the healthiest diet. Oh well, who cares. It’s only for a few days.
After I picked up the children from school, I carted them to Publix (a grocery chain in the South) and spent about $70 on not much of anything. The grocery budget is blown to bits. Hopefully the foliage outside my house won’t be.
I’ll post before and after pictures after the storm passes. Please keep us in your prayers. Heavy, heavy rains are expected, and flooding could be an issue.
Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: preparation, tropical storm faye | 1 Comment »
AuburnChick's Adventures 