I’m going to pretend this is a blog for the weekend, as is evidenced by my typing directly into the diary-x box thingy here, and just do a couple of itty bitty entries. I don’t actually have a ton to say about the hurricane, or anything else, really, but I just wanted to say that Mom and Becca are doing fine and they got some sandbags in case they’re flooding and they’ve got a dog, a cat, and a bunny in my sister’s apartment, and the storm has been downgraded from a 4 to a 3 or a 2 and that’s good news. Mom says that they’re still going to get some bad weather but it’s probably not going to be as scary as previously thought. Maybe. To the extent that you can predict such things, which is to say, none at all.
Anyway, you have no idea, unless you’re a continent away from your mom and sister and a storm is heading right for them, how relieved I am to have heard the above news. It’s still a storm and it’s still scary and I still wish Mom could be here with me this weekend but all I care about is that they’re okay. This morning on the phone, I said “Mom, we hope this has all been a big waste of time and totally unneccesary. We’ll be thrilled if nothing worse than a weekend off from work happens.” And that’s what we’re hoping for: that evacuting was pointless and a big waste of time!
Thanks, also, for all the kind emails I’ve received after yesterday’s entry. It really helsp me to know that so many people are keeping my family (and, you know, the rest of Florida) in your thoughts and prayers. So far it seems to be working pretty well, so keep it up! I asked Mom and my sister to email me anything they felt like sharing about going through this particular type of natural disaster, and I wanted to invite all y’all other Floridians and other hurricane-experiencers, former and current, to email me with what’s happening with you or what happened one time and I’ll post it here. I don’t know if that helps anything but as the lovely Robyn says, the two best words in the English language are “Me, too” and in my head this all makes sense so totally email me your hurricane stories and it will be like a big hurricane party here at Ampersand. Won’t that be great? Sort of?
In the meantime, everybody stay safe and fill your bathtubs up and make sure you’ve got your candles and everything and some good books to read and that you have plenty of treats to eat and cats to pet. I hope everyone affected by Hurricane Frances is with the people that they love best this weekend and that this all turns out to have been no big deal. You’re all in my thoughts and prayers, 3000 miles away but close to you in my heart.