A Visit from Irene - Day #3

Hurricanes and tornadoes?  Oh, my!  When we moved to coastal Delaware, we expected the occasional Nor'easter, but we never expected that we would be preparing for Hurricane Irene.  Who thinks of photocopying their marriage certificate and recent tax papers?  Yet, the information provided by the Hurricane Preparedness websites had those on the TO DO list, along with preparing the quick get-a-way bags that included a different kind of doggy bag - not the kind that comes home from a restaurant filled with yummy left-overs; instead, a bag with dog food, bowls, treats, thunder shirts, doggy butt-wipes...you got the picture?  We gathered the papers, the bags, and the flashlights. 

After all this was organized, and just as my husband and I were content with having successfully stuffed all the outdoor furniture into the shed and having secured the extra-large items with bungee cords, we heard the words "gas-powered portable generator" from the neighbors, and we caught the fever.  However, everyone else in the coastal area had also caught the fever, and they had done so sooner! So, just like the disappearances of D batteries and bottled water, the generators had also made a quick retreat, leaving the shelves empty.  

The hunt began.  First, we got our name added to a "call" list for Home Depot in case they got a delivery before the full-out attack of Irene.  Then, we got a gift from the angel of "Don't worry, be happy" - word that Lowes was currently distributing a fresh batch of generators.  Off like a (cliched) flash, we sped to the local Lowes, rushed to the check-out, handed over the Discover card ("It cost what?!"), sighed, mentally guessed the future minimum payments, and joined the line of cars that inched to the pick-up point with the same resignation as we'd had during the old gas lines of the 1970's.  Victory!  We were one of the last ones to score a generator.  

Now, here is the bottom line of this last preparation step: having a generator was more than just bragging rights; it was the guarantee that our community would not lose electric power because we had just paid the value of a future vacation weekend just to have that metal engine on wheels available. Our plan worked.  No loss of electricity in our part of Sussex county!  We had saved the day, rather than saved the money.

An Earthquake?! Really? - Day #2

So, I heard there was an earthquake that was felt throughout Sussex County, Delaware.  Really?  And I missed it.  How you might ask?  I was driving home from the college when the quake happened, and apparently, a car in motion does not actually notice the earth in motion.  

When I got home, my husband Matt insisted that an earthquake had shaken our deck and caused the siding to squeak.  Of course, I was doubtful.  I suggested it might have been some dynamite being used to create yet another new housing development.  Or maybe it was the gas line that was being placed down Route 9.  Or...well, maybe it was a local land shift.  But then my aunt told me about her mobile shaking, and my cousin expressed disappointment that Delaware could get earthquakes, and the television made it sound like the "Second Coming."  Yep, it was an earthquake.  And I missed it.  

Not that I ever want to be placed in danger, but it feels like missing something special - like arriving at a mall just after the famous actor left, or buying the lottery ticket right after the guy who hits the million.  Of course, although I didn't experience it first hand, I can always turn on the television and get the local connection.  [When I lived in Maryland, we had "The Baltimore Connection," that prime news approach that always finds a way to match the latest hero or villain or disaster with the local town.  I could understand grabbing the coat-tails of a hero or great event, but the Baltimore news channels even reveled in finding connections to despicable criminals and horrifying events as though such a connection was worthy as bragging rights.]

A New Day and the Leap into Blogging - Day #1

I once heard that a blank paper is the most frightening sight to a writer.  I didn't believe it.  Writing has always been fairly easy to me.  Stuff falls from the sky into my head and through my fingers into a story.  Isn't that how it works?  But starting a blog...where is my large quantity of stuff?  Why is the sky letting me down at this moment?  Where are all those fictional characters in fictional towns facing fictional situations?  Oh!  So, blogging is about real life?  Now, that's scary! 

I attended a writer's conference today, and one of the presenters suggested that blogging and social media were essential to success in the writers' market.  I came home and jumped off into the great unknown (to me) of blogging in much the same way that I decided to take skiing lessons when I turned 40; I imagine that blogging is much safer than sky-diving or running with the bulls in Spain.

So, for those of you who are writers, or beach-lovers, or senior citizens braving new adventures, or anyone who finds enjoyment in this blog,  I look forward to sharing some thoughts - stray or otherwise.