Hurricane Irene

Like it or now, it looks like Hurricane Irene is on her way to the North Carolina Coast. Meteorologists, TV Anchors, Neighbors, and Strangers all have their own predictions of what the the storm will hit and just how hard the hitting will be. Meanwhile, I'll take steps to protect my place and stuff. I'm pretty sure that today might be the best day to go ahead and gas the tanks, bake the bread, desalinize the water, and, well...yeah.

Unfortunately, some North Carolinians could stand to have their homes inundated twice in the past 300 days, dating back to last October when Tropical Storm Nicole bilged it's clouds into the low streets of Creswell and Columbia. Driving around in it's aftermath, it was comforting to see levels below doorways, but sump-pumping had to be enacted to empty out the crawl spaces. Hopefully, there's enough time and dire warning for folks to clean out the gutters, the crawl space, and even some lower level living spaces. Right here on Bulls Bay, the high ground as many call it, things should get a good soaking than a good lashing, should the storm follow it's anticipated path. Since the Sound is connected to the Atlantic, the storm is expected to push lots of water inland. I'm sure the rivers and streams and sound will rise a day or so before the storm, yet the wetlands, swamps, and marshes should act as sponges to save lots of low-lying coastal burgs...finally, a good use for wetlands. HA!

Also, I am well on my way to knocking out some items on my bucket list...for those that don't understand the term "Bucket List", it's basically a list of things you hope to accomplish in a certain amount of time, which is generally your life span. Nevertheless, a passport is on mine, and should be checked off very soon. I'm not sure why I haven't had this done already. Sure Alabama might as well be a foreign country, but it's not so there was no need to have a passport to visit neighboring states! Either way, I should be able to travel abroad as soon as I provide a horrible, poorly-lit picture, the details of my parent's birth sites, and my physical description. I look forward to stamping the passport with: Canada(!), England, Scotland, Argentina, South Africa, and Switzerland in the coming twenty years. Other bucket list items include strange foods, tough challenges, and famous handshakes. Should they occur throughout the tenure of this blog, they'll be posted.

So, for those of you in the Carolina coast country - heed the warnings, hope for the best, and help your neighbors...

Enjoy the day...