Another Unwelcome Guest

We are safely home in Wisconsin, getting accustomed to our new life of being "retired folks" after so many years of work.  I am still teaching two classes, but they only take up two days a week.  That leaves us with long weekends to enjoy doing other things besides work.

We have started to take care of the yard here and other parts of the house that have been sadly neglected for the last couple of years.  Washing windows literally shed a whole new light on the interior of the house, and Rick has been working on cleaning up parts of the exterior also.

Our concern, of course, is the next unwelcome guest --  Hurricane Isaac -- that is heading toward Florida.  As it looks right now, it could make a direct hit on Pinellas Country.  While we are not terribly concerned about the house, thanks, in part, because of the new wind-resistent windows and doors that we installed, we are very concerned about the truck.

The truck is insured, but I mentioned to Rick that I would not put it past the insurance company to say that a hurricane is an "act of God," and, as such, any damage incurred because of the weather will not be covered. The only comfort I have is that Steve and Chris' trailer survived a hurricane a few years ago, so we pray our sturdy, heavy truck will do the same.

We are glad that we removed the holly tree in the back yard before these storms developed.  I would feel horrible if one of our trees fell on the house, but even doubly so if one of our trees fell on the neighbor's house.  At least all of the dead trees in the backyard are down.  I know that Michelle next door is concerned with our live oak tree, but it seems to be a tough, sturdy old giant, so I hope that it will weather the storm.  Our bottle-brush tree in the front yard, though, is another story.  That one already has lost four major branches in times past, so the rest of it may very well fall too. If it does, I hope that it misses the truck and the house.

Gladys as we left her.  I really wish that I had taken my hanging flowers down and stowed them safely inside.  I am sure
they will be long gone by the time Rick gets there in October.  If we get reports of damage, he may have to fly down early.

Beyond the wind, we also face the chance of flooding due to a storm surge.  Gladys is only 9 feet above sea level, and we are in Evacuation Zone E.  Zone E is the last and most inland zone, but a storm surge of something like 30 feet could still cause major damage to her.  (I will have to check online for the exact details of how large the surge would have to be to flood the neighborhood.)  While I am glad that Rick and I are safely in Wisconsin, I will tell you that if we were still in Florida, we would have packed up the truck and would be heading north at this very moment. I am concerned for the neighbors we have met also.

We received an e-mail from our Pastor in Florida stating that the church was not in the flood zone, and that people could take refuge there, but it was not equipped with beds, food, etc.  It would be a kind of bring-your-own-blanket short stay, if needed.

At this point, all we can do is pray that the good Lord will look after Gladys and all that we own down there.  We are watching the path of the storm carefully, and we can only hope that it veers away from land or really loses power as it touches land.  Only time and the grace of God will tell.