Critter Attack!

  The waiting for an approaching tropical system is sometimes the hardest part.  You scurry around all day preparing and then...wait.  You wait for what seems like eons before the first gust hits or the first torrential downpour.  You can either sit and wait or you can find things to fill the hours.  I prefer to occupy my time even if it means meandering about the hillside.

  Early this morning, I took the old dog out for an walk when I was bedazzled by the way the sun rays filtered through the trees.  The sight made me stop and stare for a bit and then I realized that there was also some sort of tiny critters flying about in those sunbeams.  Ok, so that meant I needed to investigate!  What was flying hither thither in the morning sun???  I wish I had not investigated so closely, however.  Those tiny dots of light in the photograph are mosquitoes!  Hundreds and hundreds of mosquitoes had obviously been pushed out of the marsh with the high tides.  They were up the hillside a bit playing in the sunlight but they sure did not like me interrupting them...or perhaps they did.  I was literally attacked!  Never get in the midst of a swarm of mosquitoes if you do not want dozens of bites.  The old dog and I had to race back up the hillside and into the house.

  So, one of the worst parts of waiting for the arrival of a hurricane is boredom.  That boredom can lead to trouble and a lot of mosquito bites!  The old dog and I have had to change our walking route to avoid the hoards of bugs down near the marsh.  For the time being, we will be happy in the citrus orchard.

Back to Being a Bayou Again

  It is often easy to forget the perils of living on a Bayou. The serenity that normally envelopes the place, makes it hard to believe that with a gnarly twist of fate, things can get ugly.  One of those times is bearing down on us as I write.  The peaceful Bayou will soon be rocking and rolling as yet another storm insists on paying us a visit.  Hopefully, this will not be a bad one and I can be writing about the aftermath once it passes.  As of now, pure exhaustion has set in and rest is much needed.  The angst during the storm will make for a sleepless night then the hard work of cleanup after will add to the weariness.  But...we will carry on and get things done.

  Today, not only saw Son and I clearing the pier, securing the boat and cutting the grass but also found us up on the rooftop with straps for the dormer windows, boarding windows and checking the generator.  In other words, we were battening down the hatches in preparation of a hurricane.  Gordon is knocking at the back door.

Calm before the storm.

  Tomorrow will be another busy day with last minute preparations as we follow my mantra of "Prepare for the worst and pray for the best".  This has carried us through many hurricanes and I am sure that it will do so with the future ones...and there will be future ones.  That, my friends, is something you can count on if you live this near a coastline.  Still, we love our little place and are determined to not let some storm get the best of us!  

  Stay safe if you are in the path of Gordon.  Hurricanes are not something to take lightly.