Waiting on the locusts...

The Great Virginia Earthquake rattled us on Tuesday afternoon.

I was in the grocery store, in the Natural Foods aisle, when all the ultra expensive jars of all natural fruit juice started rattling.  Hmmmmmm.....Strange...

I looked upwards and watched the lights swing and the air conditioning ducts shake...

Double hmmmmmm....

Slowly, I backed down the aisle to a more open space and we all waited for it to end...

It just kept going and going and going and going...

Finally, the last tremble stopped and we all kind of looked at each other and laughed.

The rest of the day, I can honestly say we got very little done.  With the number of phone calls, Facebook hits, emails...everyone wanted to know if we were OK.

Kiddo announced at pickup that 'The ewrfquake woke me up Mommy!' in a very indignant tone of voice.  He was more upset over his interrupted nap than anything.

That's my kid...cool as a cucumber.

And then news of Irene...

Massive Ass Hurricane barreling towards the East Coast.

I survived Isabel and I am scarred.

I grew up with snow storms.

Not raging wind rain lashing trees bending over to the ground stuff flying everywhere storms.

So I started my preparations early because I am a devout follower of wxrisk.com

He is a Meterological God...if there is such a thing.

He's not the on air weather guy at the local affiliates that have missed nearly every significant weather event for the past five years.

He's dead on.

And he called this storm earlier this week.

It wasn't going to swing northeast and hammer out New York.

It was going to come inland as a Strong Categorty 3 or a Category 4 in Wilmington NC, and take out Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Central VA, then barrel on up the East Coast.  New York is dessert. 

We are the entree.

wxrisk.com called this on MONDAY.

Our local affiliates and The Weather Channel are just now catching up, today...THURSDAY.

Hello!

People are having to evacuate,...and I am talking about LOTS of people.

Stupid state government waited a bit too long.  Just sayin'.

And half of our Virginia National Guard members are currently about ten time zones east.

So we wait on Irene.

I have my propane.

And my generator is tested and ready.

I have replenished my Storm Box and am loaded with batteries, flashlights, lanterns and a battery operated radio.

Fridge has lots of bottled water, juice, sweet tea.

Cereal, rice milk, Chef Boy Ar Dee in the cabinet.

Doritos, Potato Chips, Dip...cookies...and I'll bake a cake tomorrow.

Some boxes of Little Debbie snack cakes.

Baked spaghetti and a chicken casserole will be baked tomorrow night...and we are set.

I'm scared.

Isabel it was just me and The Husband.

This time is it me and Kiddo.

I'm responsible for him and keeping him safe and calm.

I'm eyeballing our tall oak trees and trying to gauge which way they might go.

I have never seen devastation like Isabel.  She was a terrible storm to the Central Virginia area. 

She tore trees up by their roots and flung buildings around like they were nothing.

After Isabel blew through, I drove out to see if I could find gas (yeah right)

I saw a family sitting out in their yard around the picnic table, with their heads bowed in prayer and holding hands while saying Grace...as a massive oak tree literally laid across their house and had cut it in half.  I pass that house once a week or so...and the scar of the different colored shingles serves as a big reminder of the punch of these storms. 

I couldn't help but honk and wave at the power crew convoys heading east as I was heading home tonight.

This is gonna be an interesting weekend!