If We Get Hit

It seems like in the last few days, I have had a lot of people worried about us being here on Florida’s Central Coast during hurricane season, based on the number of e-mails I have received from people telling me that it’s supposed to be an active year for hurricanes and wondering what our plans are in case we get hit.

We are almost two months through the season, which runs from June through November, with no worries so far, although things usually start getting serious in the Atlantic in August. But I’m not sure I understand why everybody is so freaked out about hurricanes. Three of the friends I heard from live in Tornado Alley, one in Texas, one in Oklahoma, and one in Iowa. Another is in Indiana, a state that has seen its share of tornadoes as well. At least with a hurricane, we have plenty of advance notice that it’s coming and we can make preparations or get out of Dodge, depending on how things look. People living in states with a lot of tornadic activity don’t have that luxury. They can come out of nowhere with little warning.

We have lived here for almost six years now, and in the first two years our area was hit by hurricanes. One did significant damage in our little community, although our home did not receive any. Both times we left before the storms hit. In the last four years, there has not really been anything, although I know it can happen any season.

We are well prepared, with storm shutters on our windows, a good supply of nonperishable foods in stock, bottled water, two Honda generators, and a supply of gasoline for them. So unless it’s a bad storm, we can sit it out. If things do look like it would be advisable to leave the area, we are a long day’s drive from our son’s house in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and we know we can go there if need be.

That’s a lot more than we had during our 18+ years as fulltime RVers, during which we spent many summers in areas that were prone to tornadoes. Life is always a crapshoot, but we’re not going to freak out every time a storm system develops.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us. This is a business that knows how to make the most of a bad situation.

Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of More Than Human by my friend Heather Ashbury. It’s a blend of fantasy and paranormal romance that begins when a young woman returns to an enchanting town in New Mexico following a mysterious death, where she is unexpectedly pulled into the mystical world of gods, demons, werewolves, nymphs, and more.

To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

Thought For The Day – Why do we put cups in the dishwasher and the dishes in the cupboard?