Irma 9-6 Update

This is the latest map.

We have Irma.

She is the main player and the one heading

over to visit late this weekend and early next week.

Then we have Jose to the right

but looks like it's only going to

raise the waves on the beach.

And then if you look over to the Gulf of Mexico

there's a bunch of red and yellow.

That's Tropical Depression Katia.

She is crossing the state starting

at Tampa and hopefully leaving

north of us.

They are predicting rain today.

The weathermen are having a field day.

However, we as regular citizens are 

experienced, prepared, and dealing with it.

Yesterday Kyle put the shutters on the Samual's house

and made sure her farm is prepared.

He will be prepping the animals later in the week.

(they have a pasture in a pasture - they go in there...)

Last night after work Rod found the wood

that goes over the remaining windows for our house.

(We never "got around" to taking down some of

them from last year.  Scott requested we leave his

on his windows since they face East and it allows him

to sleep a couple extra hours.  And the office is still

shuttered - basically we took the shutters off Kyle's

room because he NEEDS sunshine to survive.)

The generators (yes, we have 2 of them) have been

serviced and we have plenty of fuel for them.

Since we have a well (actually 2 of those as well)

and generators to run them, we don't store

much water.  (We also have access to Brock's 

artesian well next door if need be.)

I did a little final grocery shopping last

night - we have freezers full of meat,

(beef, chicken, rabbit)

but I was a little light on veggies.

This morning I got fuel at 5 am before

there were lines at the pumps,

and picked up some batteries and

stevia sweetener (that I can ONLY get 

from Walmart and 5 am is the ONLY time

I'm willing to go in that store!  LOL).

By the time I left at 5:40, the store parking

lot was filling and the gas station was

doing a brisk business.

Glad I was early!

We have already taken down all big pine trees

that were threatening our fences and 

shored up / strengthened our perimeter fence.

All the animals will go the cow pasture.

Again kind of a "fence within a fence" situation.

The chickens will be locked in their coop.

The dogs will be in their kennels in the garage.

There's only one small window and 

that gets boarded up.

We are anticipating (right now, and it changes)

wind and rain beginning late Saturday or early

Sunday with the "real" stuff coming on Monday.

They are saying 120 mph once it hits the area

my schools are located in - that's 100 miles

south of us.  Which means it should drop again

by the time it gets to us.

But that is still 100+ mph.

A good strong storm.

But not the catastrophic stuff they 

will be getting to the south.

We have a cement block home.

With a relatively new roof.

(12 years - our shingles are rated for 20 years)

The only thing that might be in danger is our barn.

Since it's not actually a barn.

It's a sheet metal car port.

And it's getting a little long in the tooth.

I wouldn't be shocked to see it peel away

some of the roof / walls.

But as long as it doesn't hit anything on it's 

ride across the pasture, it's ok.

We are prepared.

We are ready.

We are respectful.

We are nervous, but not freaking out.

And we are ALWAYS grateful for any prayers

you might chose to send on our behalf.

But we are fine.

And we'll stay in touch.