Preparing for the Worst

Batteries. Check. Bottled water. Check.

Canned food, bags of ice, candles. Check, check, check.

This morning I woke at 7 to the sound of the wind whipping through the trees and alongside the two-story house we're staying in. J woke right after me. Brush teeth, pull on shoes and take the dogs out before the weather gets bad.

Even though its a necessary statement, preparing for the worst is something we just do in the South. No hesitation. We're used to the statement.

Some of us evacuate. Some of us tape windows and border our homes and shops with sand bags. Some of us hunker down for the storm. Some of us go shopping for two days buying all the necessities in case we're trapped for days. (Yes, we are the latter.)

We're hunkered down at J's parents' this long weekend. They're traveling north for their vacation so we left the apartment complex to stay in their home. We have J's brother and his fiancee staying with us as well as an instigating Mini Monster (rat terrier), a psycho spastic pug named Jasper and a calm mothering pit bull named Princess.

The boat, vehicles, trailer and even our new big black beauty is tucked away and strapped safely under the carport. No, we didn't close on the house Friday. No, I don't want to talk about it. *pout* All I really want to say is these companies we're dealing with really need to get a grip on what they've been doing for hundreds of years. "We forgot to include a number on line 3," or "Oops, there's one more thing you need to sign".

Make an effing checklist. You do this shit every single day. There's really no excuse.

Continuing on the Gustav prep... We finished all the necessary to-dos yesterday. Mom's birthday is Labor Day so we went to visit early yesterday for a little pre-birthday, birthday party. She opened presents and we ate a yummy diabetic-friendly dessert that I made for her (pictures and recipe for another post). We all cut up and watched the kiddos play together, but we all talked about the storm. We all had it in the back of our minds. Though my immediate family is only a few miles and minutes away from one another at the moment, we still worry.

The tv stays on the weather station. The words landfall, damage, and winds are heard every five minutes. J paces from room to room, stepping out on the enclosed porch to look at the weather. I let out an occasionally "stop!!" when the pug and the rat terrier get to aggravating each other.

Today's is my mom's birthday. Give her a hug if you have a moment: Tookie Tales Probably doesn't feel like much of a birthday to her.

I'll try to check in, there isn't a whole lot to do when you're waiting for a storm. I have magazines, books I haven't been able to read and J's laptop. Oh, and the ever-entertaining dogs...