For the most part, the weather has been pretty good here in Florida all winter and we have dodged the worst of the storms that did come through. When we were at the Orlando Thousand Trails preserve in Clermont they were getting hit hard down in the Tampa Bay area. Then, when we spent a month in Bradenton on the south side of Tampa Bay, they got some pretty bad storms further north. We’re just now wrapping up a month in Port Orange, near Daytona Beach, and the weather patterns seem to have stayed the same. Most of the storms were either north or south of us, and we only got rain a few times.
But early yesterday afternoon the weather alert on my phone beeped and said we had a strong storm system coming through our area, with the possibility of winds up to 50 mph. A little later the folks in the fifth wheel next door said that a friend over near Daytona International Speedway, about five miles from here, called to say that golf ball sized hail was coming down. Not long after that the wind picked up and the storm rolled in. We got a lot of rain, and there was a lot of thunder, but that was about it. So I guess we dodged the bullet once again.
The other day I got an email from a blog reader asking if Terry and I weren’t worried about hurricanes here on the eastern coast of Florida, where we have been looking for a place to use as a winter retreat and call our “someday home” if we ever hang up the keys.
I wrote back and asked if she meant as opposed to tornadoes in the Midwest, earthquakes in California, or wild fires in the west? We’re not fools and we don’t go rushing headlong into storm systems, but we understand that we can’t control Mother Nature. We won’t live our lives in fear of what might happen. At least hurricanes give you lots of warning compared to other calamities. I can outrun a hurricane.
Last summer someone asked if we weren’t worried about the reports that the whole Pacific Northwest coast was going to fall into the ocean and that we’d be swallowed up by a tsunami. As I said back then, we’ve all got it die of something, and I’d rather get killed by a tsunami while I’m on the beach flying kites with Miss Terry then have some young twit hit me head-on while she’s texting at 70 miles an hour.
It’s kind of like all the health nuts who eat right and exercise and worry themselves sick over any extra ounce they put on. Those folks are going to feel real silly lying in a hospital bed dying of nothing someday. At least I’ll know why I’m there!
After a marathon session of editing and proofing, Terry finished my new book, Return to Dog’s Run, yesterday. I made the changes she suggested and sent it off to my second proof reader. She’s pretty fast, too, so it should be ready to go in a day or two. By the time she was about a third of the way through the manuscript Terry had laughed once and cried twice. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. I guess I will leave that up to you folks to decide once you’ve read it.
Thought For The Day – I followed my heart and it led me to the refrigerator.
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Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
So glad to hear about Terry’s laughter while reading your new book!! The humor in your books is my favorite part. I think I’ve read them all by now. My personal favorite is Bad Nick!!!
My wife used to hate a movie if the character’s made her mad, I always said that’s a good movie if it stirs emotions ….. looks like you got a good book coming!
Never take a shower when Terry’s proofing.