Miscellaneous News

#HurricaneUpdate

/ Marcia Meara / 42 Comments

 

Just taking a moment to let you know that we came through Nicole in pretty good shape. Yes, a THIRD tree (from a neighbor’s yard) DID fall on our property, but this time, it was a small one, and it hit one of our storage sheds instead of the house. (Mark can repair the tin roof. )The storm also blew down the fence again between our house and our next-door neighbor, but it had only been put back temporarily after the last time. It is old and in need of replacement, which will probably happen soon. But today, Mark is out there helping prop it up again in the hopes it will remain vertical until that happens. 

For those who may not have seen the images, while Nicole hit as a Category 1 hurricane and dropped to a tropical storm as soon as it came onshore, there are areas that were severely damaged. Not as widespread or horrific as Ian, but if one of these was your retirement home on Daytona Beach, you’d be pretty unhappy right now.

Having grown up in Florida, one thing I’ve never even considered doing is building a home on a sand dune, though I do feel sad for these folks.  The damage continues much, much farther than what shows in this picture. It was caused by the storm surge breaking down the seawall, then washing away the sand under the homes.  As you can see, these have collapsed, entire patios have been swept away, and empty swimming pools lay tossed all over the place. Truly a terrible sight. 

Our neighborhood has once again held up well. No flooding, though of course, there is some wind damage up and down the block. But nothing that can’t be set right. Speaking of which, it’s back to debris clean-up for me. This will probably take us several more days. I’m doing the easy bits, and doing them at a far slower pace than I’d normally tackle, so my new doctor won’t yell at me when I see him next Thursday.  (So much for getting any writing done this week. 🙄)

Until Next Time, Stay Safe, Everyone!

#ThorsDaySmile – #AmLaughing – #Humor

/ Marcia Meara / 25 Comments

Thor seems a bit tired of wild animals for now, and when I asked him what else he might get a laugh from, he suggested I find something more Vikingly. Hmmmm. Not the most popular of memes, but I did come up with a few that made him chuckle. Hope you enjoy them, too.

Let’s wrap up for the day with
A Viking in the Making!

And that’s about all the Vikingly Stuff I can take for one day!
(Even we diehard Thor fans have our limits, you know!)
Hope you found a few to make you chortle!

#TeriPolen’s – #BadMoonRising Featuring #TerryTyler – #HappyHalloween

/ Marcia Meara / 4 Comments

Another really spooky post on Bad Moon Rising today, this time featuring author Terry Tyler. Head on over, but be sure you’re ready for some more shivers!

Bad Moon Rising Day 26 with Terry Tyler

ENJOY!

#BadMoonRising – #TeriPolen Featuring #MichaelMcGovern – #HappyHalloween

/ Marcia Meara / 2 Comments

Another wonderfully spooky Bad Moon Rising post featuring author Michael McGovern. Head right on over to check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

Bad Moon Rising Day 9 with Michael McGovern

ENJOY!

 

Still Here! #Update

/ Marcia Meara / 19 Comments

Most of Southwest Florida looks like this picture of Fort Myres

Just wanted to let you know we are still here. While the generator kept us going most of yesterday, we lost internet shortly after my last check in. Without internet, we had no way to keep up with the storm, and it was a long, scary afternoon and evening. Ran out of gas for the generator during the middle of the night, so Mark is gone to see if he can find a gas station with power at the pumps. 

Spectrum is back now, but if we can’t find gas, we’ll be without power again, and I won’t be able to get online. I WILL at least be able to check news on my phone apps as long as internet stays on. It was horrible not knowing what was going on. 

In spite of this, we are SO blessed to have been spared. I’m just seeing the most recent pictures out of south Florida and they are unbelievable. In my LONG life here, I’ve never seen such terrible devastation over such a large area. It breaks my heart! Entire communities of homes are either smashed flat or  COMPLETELY submerged beneath the flood water! 

Will check in later, if we still have power and internet.  I’m hoping it lasts long enough for me to respond to earlier posts, but we’ll see. In the meantime, please stay safe, especially those of you who are still in harm’s way as the storm moves north! 

#HurricaneIan – And Here It Comes!

/ Marcia Meara / 17 Comments

Tonight will tell the tale, folks! Florida is going to feel the impact of Hurricane Ian starting after midnight, and the latest NOAA info indicates it is going to come directly across Tampa and over us in central Florida. In fact, it is going to pretty much going hit every portion of the state at some level or another. They have even predicted flash floods in central Florida, especially along the rivers, though so far, we haven’t been asked to leave. Frankly, I wouldn’t want to be caught on the highway when the winds and rains really start pounding.

I will post again (maybe) as it gets closer then check in with you after it’s all over, if we have power and internet service. That’s a BIG “if!” They are now calling Ian “The Storm of the Century” for the Tampa Bay area. It appears it will be the worst hurricane to hit that part of Florida in over 100 years, unless it loses strength. Believe it or not, that can still happen. Last night, it was a Category 4 storm and now that it is pounding Cuba, it has dropped to a “mere” Category 3, so we can continue to hope it lessens more.

Thanks for all your kind comments, and sending love and prayers and positive thoughts to everyone in the path of this destructive storm! Hope to see every single one of you safe and sound on the other side!

HERE’S TO BLUE SKIES AHEAD!

#BlogBreakThursday & #Update (Brief)

/ Marcia Meara / 4 Comments

I’m not going to be around much today, since it’s this week’s Blog Break Day, but I did want to let everyone know that I have a few openings coming up for both #GuestDayTuesday posts and #TenThingsYouMayNotKnowAboutMe posts. If any of you are interested in taking part in either of these series, please email me, and we’ll see what we can set up.

I’m sorry to say, I’m still not over the Long COVID thing yet, but I really do think the episodes are getting milder, and farther and farther apart. Hopefully that means this really won’t go on forever! 

And on that note, I’ll get back to the tasks on my agenda for today. 

Have a GREAT ThorsDay, everyone!

#BlogBreakThursday and a #ThankYou

/ Marcia Meara / 13 Comments

A Quick Reminder and a Thank You!

I won’t be around much today, folks, since it’s my scheduled Blog Break day for this week, but I wanted to thank EVERYONE who commented so beautifully on Debby’s #TenThings post yesterday. I was not able to respond individually, as Long COVID fatigue wiped me OUT. I slept most of the day. (Something that’s unheard of for me during normal times.) I do feel better this morning, but still not quite back, so I’ll be taking it easy today, too, and hoping to be FULLY back to normal tomorrow! Fingers crossed.

In the meantime, here’s wishing each of you a SUPER day today, and Granny and I will see you tomorrow.