A Wee Bit of a Storm!

  Living on the Bayou, we get our share of hurricanes and tropical storms.  This is not unusual in the least.  What is unusual is the storm that whipped in here yesterday evening and spent the night with us. This thing was crazy!  Today was a bit calmer in the afternoon but the morning was just about as severe as last night.  Our tide still has not subsided and occasionally gusts of wind rattle the windows.  The strangeness of the storm is that none of us were expecting it to amount to a hill of beans!  This is the remnants of that huge storm that slammed Mexico a couple of days ago.  It moved across Texas and then ventured our way.  Still nothing unusual except that it pulled copious amounts of moisture in from the Gulf of Mexico and dumped it on top of us.  Rain is good, though, as we were nearing drought conditions.  Folks here can deal with a bit of a storm if it brings the moisture needed to help our gardens survive.  Although, the winds whipped about the place, other than a few small limbs being blown down, nothing was damaged.  Even our clue hunt "Fortune Teller's" tent held tight and did not even leak! This was one of my main worries as we have two runnings of the hunt this weekend.  It would have been ruinous had the tent been capsized! Erecting a new tent would meant a bit of scrambling for Son and me. We did have the foresight to secure the tent with ropes prior the storm's approach.  

Our pier just after the tide and winds subsided a bit.

Looking west I could see that my brother's pier was completely underwater. 

  All night long the wind blew and made the windows rattle and also made the old cat, Ms. Put, nervous.  The Bayou Queen slept inside for the first time in many nights.  Her presence was welcome on this blustery night. Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess, insisted on sleeping on the porch rail regardless of the rain.  I have never seen such a thing as a cat that doesn't mind a pouring rain!  Several times, I tried to coax her inside but she was not having any part of that idea.  This morning, the goofy cat was soaking wet but a happy camper.  She was none the worse for wear and seemed a bit smug that she had succeeded in getting her way.   Whatever.

  Lets hope that this peculiar bit of squally weather is the last we shall see of "Patricia" and of the weird weather that comes with El Nino.  Go away.  I am not fond of you.