Hurricane Tea Coming Up

Sat through some wicked high winds and driving rain, and even some hail at one point, which I’ve never seen during a hurricane before, but our house is still standing, and no trees fell over! HUGE blessing. Power was off for 26 hours, but as soon as the worst winds were gone, Mark hooked up the generator, and it ran like a champ. We were able to connect the fridge, the small a/c unit in the bedroom, my CPAP machine (so I could sleep),  a few lamps, chargers for our devices, and whatever else we needed at any given moment.

We bought the generator right after Charley came through in 2004, and it was the best $500 I’ve ever spent. At least we were comfortable as we watched the storm. Our biggest damage was that the 15′ security light pole that was attached to our shed was ripped loose. It was a huge wooden beam as thick and solid as a railroad tie, and it had withstood four other hurricanes. Now it’s laying across my garden, but it didn’t damage a thing as it fell, missing a huge (unmovable) ceramic planter by an inch.  That was a pricey pot that I would have hated to lose, but we couldn’t bring it in, and happily, even it was spared.

There were a few times when I was pretty sure the roof would get ripped off, and it has definitely sustained some damage. We’ll probably have to replace it SOON, as there’s some evidence of leakage. But overall, we were truly lucky.

We have a massive cleanup ahead of us, though. The yard is buried in branches and bamboo stems that were stripped from the canes, piles of Spanish moss, and various other clutter. It has essentially become a rather challenging obstacle course for the dachshunds, who pretty much have to get a running start to clear even the smallest of  twigs!

Bottom line, I won’t be officially “back” for another couple of days, as we finish the clean up, but I’ll be keeping an eye on things here. And as soon as I possibly can, I will “re-open” #ExcerptWeek, and get the rest of the submissions posted. Bear with me a little longer, if you will. Thanks!

And I hope the rest of you who were in the path of this wretched storm are safe, too. Gerald? Don? Kass? Anyone? Let us hear from you if you can.