Hit or Miss.......???

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Sigh.....

We are preparing for a hurricane.  Hurricane Isaac.....which as of now is still a tropical storm....and as of now headed west of us.....and I hope it goes far enough west to give some rain to those who need it!  We don't.  

I've always been very nervous about hurricanes, or as the Superhero says "when the barometric pressure goes down, my anxiety level goes way up"  That's a true statement.  Oh, I know, everyone is nervous about a storm, but I usually go way overboard.

***** O.K. obviously this post never got finished so that's the before and now is the after!

We are praying for all those who got a direct or easterly hit from Isaac.  We were once again spared and only got lots of wind and some rain.  Of course, this morning we woke up to a little while of tornado warnings and lots of rain, but we aren't complaining!

I started to talk about how nervous I've always been during a hurricane's approach.  A native of Florida, I am no stranger to hurricanes.  

Note to family members....these are my memories and only mine.  They could be spot on and they could be the product of an overactive childhood imagination, but for the purposes of today, just remember they are MINE!
Thank you!  Whew!

O.k. now.....I grew up in a two story home and during an approaching hurricane our mama didn't want us to sleep upstairs.  I guess in case the top part blew off! In any case, I remember being scared when a hurricane was approaching and sleeping in the living room and eating by candlelight.  

I googled researched hurricanes in the late 1950's and figured those that frightened me most could have been Hurricane Flossie in 1956 when I was four.  Or maybe Tropical Storm Debbie in 1957 when I was five or maybe a later one when I was a little bit older.  Neither of these were direct hits but merely brushed the Panhandle of the Gulf Coast.  To be clear let me say we don't actually have to HAVE a hurricane, just be put on notice that one is approaching for me to start the anxiety attacks.  After all, my anxiety problems started young and although with age I am able to be completely hysterical rational and understand how to prepare when a storm is coming, it doesn't completely alleviate my heightened sense of impending doom.  

In 1995 as my nephew in Pensacola was preparing to wed in ten days and my own wedding was exactly a month after Hurricane Opal arrived it was especially upsetting to all our family.  I remember waking to my phone ringing very early and my sister in law saying something to this effect "there is a category 5 hurricane headed directly to your front door!"  I may have gotten the wording a little off but that's what I heard.  So I gathered my wedding dress and photo albums, called and learned where my eighteen year old was going to be during the storm and headed off to the Superhero's house.  On the way I stopped, along with every other citizen of the county, at the grocery store to stock up on diet pepsi necessities we would need during the storm.  I called my parents and they headed over to the Superhero's house with their own set of necessities.  Basically, we had a huge party with the following people......
The Superhero's parents, 90 something year old grandmother and his uncle, his brother and wife and our two youngest sons who were young.  My daddy and the Superhero's daddy had fun sitting in the garage on ice chests watching the wind.  I cooked spagetti and we settled in for the duration.  Even though Opal came in around Pensacola Beach, we got devastation all along the Gulf coast.  But both weddings went off as planned.....thank you Lord!

Below are a few pictures I took on my way to work in nearby towns shortly after the hurricane....

If you can't read this is says.....Anybody got an aspirin and the owners' names.  People marked their homes and tried to keep their sense of humor through it all!  
Doesn't look too bad does it?

Well, this is the other angle of the house.  It fell into the Gulf.....

This is just one example of homes and businesses we saw all along the highway.

Please don't misunderstand, I never want anyone to think I make light of a devastating situation.  I think people try to keep their humor because at times, it's all they have left.  All those homes have either been torn down or rebuilt and the Gulf Coast survives as it always does!  

 Many storms that have come near us during the years.......but right now I want to extend my thoughts and prayers to those in New Orleans and Mississippi who have gotten the worst of Hurricane Isaac.  I do assure you that the people all along the coast will rebuild and recover from this storm.  We are a tough breed here in the south!