Wake me when it's over

A week ago Sunday, while at church, I learned through the grapevine that another hurricane was headed our way.

Michael.

He was due to arrive on the following Wednesday. Or so went the scuttlebutt.

What in the world? I marveled to TG on the way home. 

Unlike when Hurricane Florence was still thousands of nautical miles away, we hadn't been told two weeks out that we needed to plan for the end of the world.

And you know how that turned out. We had a rainy day. And not even particularly rainy, by South Carolina standards.

(Again: I understand that many suffered catastrophic effects of Hurricane Florence. Again: they have my prayers.)

But here we were with a tropical storm a mere three days away, and no extra bread in the house.

Fast forward to Thursday -- almost a week ago now -- when Hurricane Michael did arrive, in the form of a much-downgraded tropical storm.

The folks in the panhandle of Florida had already experienced devastating losses when Michael loomed on our horizon.

For reasons I'll never understand, this storm was not hyped to us in the same way at all. Even though it turned out to be worse.

As in, our sun room took on water in two corners. The rain came down pretty hard for many hours during the wee hours of last Thursday morning.

Our pool was nearly full to the brim when TG and I woke in still-gray, grainy light to check that all hatches were still battened down.

That's when I discovered the water on my new sun room floor and ran for the stack of pool towels. TG stood by to grab the little Shop-Vac and suck up the puddles.

But not long after, as I drank my coffee and sat watch, the rain subsided. The towels in the corners, having deftly absorbed the opportunistic rainwater, were all that was needed.

By one o'clock that day, the sun was out and puffy white clouds scudded across an azure blue sky.

By three o'clock that day, the pool towels had been washed, dried, folded, and re-stacked in the cabinet where they will ride out the winter.

Crisis averted.

And then it got hot again -- we've been in the high 80s for days now, with killing humidity.

I think Indian summer is about to be in the rear-view too, however. And the sooner, the better.

Rizzo does not like storms; they appear to traumatize his wee canine soul.

When I got up on the day Michael swanned through Columbia, as the rain lashed the windows and seeped in from the corners of the sun room, Riz cowered in the recliner on his blankets, clutching his Bullibone.

The picture above isn't from that day; I took it this past Monday, because as he sat beside me snoozing, I noticed that he'd dragged his blue-rings chew toy up with him and had his paw shoved through one of the rings.

His Bullibone was nearby too. Just in case.

The blue-ring chew toy is the one I bought for him at Pet Supplies Plus on the day we rescued him, in January of 2017. He also has a small black tire with a rope through it, but that came later, and the blue rings are his favorite.

Besides the Bullibone, which is his absolute favorite.

What would I do without the Riz-man?

I'd spend a significant amount of time being sad and lonely, which is its own kind of storm.

And that is all for now.

=0=0=0=

Happy Wednesday

Comments

[sally]

Thank goodness for Rizzo.

I was in W. FL when Michael hit. Three of my cousins lost their homes.

It was frightening, but praise the Lord they were safe. Where I was all the old pecan trees uprooted, the two in front stayed put much to our surprise. Farm equipment took a beating.

xoxo

[Jennifer]

@Sally ... I thought of you a hundred times. I'm sorry about the pecan trees! That's a hard loss. It was terrible for y'all. Thank God it's over and was no worse. xoxo

[Mari]

Michael caused a lot of devastation! And you're right - not nearly the hype. Glad you didn't have any more issues than you did.
My sisters dog doesn't like storms either. He is just a mess when it thunders. Poor Rizzo! I think he's just as glad he has you, as you are to have him. :)

[Jennifer]

@Mari ... I hope he loves me too! Can dogs love? I think Rizzo can. He's my angel dog xoxo

[Cheryl]

Michael became a hurricane so quickly that there wasn't time for hype...….no long days of warning. We were not watching the tv or social network and almost missed it. We were like WHAT? Another hurricane???? Glad you are safe and your towels are dry. I agree with Rizzo. I would never want to be in a hurricane. I am sad that you were sad. I hate the feeling of being sad and lonely. Call me any time when you have a sad and lonely day. You have a friend in Ohio.

[Jennifer]

@Cheryl ... no worries, my dear friend. I was only saying, if I did not have Rizzo to keep me company, I would be sad and lonely. I tell him all the time: Don't ever leave me! I think he understands but we'll never know, haaahaha. xoxo

[Barb]

Aww Riz - glad he brings you comfort (and glad you bring him comfort, too). I am sometimes sad and lonely lately. Wish I had a Rizzo here with me.

[Jennifer]

@Barb ... it's amazing how much our pets give us just by existing. They can't do much else, haaahaha. But they're so good at it. Rizzo by your side would give you all the feels ... xoxo