Blissfully sleeping within the confines of my ever-so cozy oasis, a strange yet familiar ringing woke me up. I sprung out of bed, wiped the crust from my eyes, and blinked myself into consciousness.
Who the hell is ringing my doorbell at 8am on a Saturday morning? I wondered. I peered out my bedroom window and saw my neighbor Ira standing there. I grabbed my robe, and raced down the stairs.
Flinging open the front door, I exclaimed, “What’s going on?”
“Is your grandfather okay?” Ira inquired.
“Yeah, what do you mean is Poppa Sye okay? He’s in his bedroom watching the news.” I said, still half-asleep.
Ira sighed, “Well apparently your grandfather has already called the Police, The Fire Department, and you parents, several times, because of the hurricane.”
“What!?”
Yet, there wasn’t even a cloud in the sky, much less a drop of rain.
Ira told me about the phone conversation he had with my parents. He explained how my grandfather was completely freaking out. And at that moment I knew it was going to be a very long day ahead of me. Poppa Sye is famous for being paranoid, over nothing. But now that he had a legitimate reason to worry? You can bet your bottom dollar he went into full-blown-panic-attack-mode.
After Ira left, I went to ask Poppa Sye what’s going on.
I knocked on his bedroom door and waited for him to answer.
“Poppa Sye, can I come in?”
“Yes, dear.” He replied in a weak little voice.
I stood in the doorway, “Can I ask you a question?”
He sat up in his bed, “Yes, dear.”
“Why did you call the police?”
“I didn’t call the police.” Poppa Sye lied.
* Poppa Sye is also famous for lying.
So I rephrased the question.
“What did you ask the police when you called them?”
“Well, I just asked if they had any suggestions about the hurricane.” He admitted.
“Okay, well, just so you know, you’re not supposed to call the Police or the Fire Department unless it’s an actual life or death situation. The township called everyone yesterday specifically for that reason.”
“Yes, dear.”
“You’re not going to call the Police or the Fire Department anymore, right?”
Poppa Sye nodded, “Right.”
“Promise?”
He started laughing, “Yes.”
I gave him my stern look and said, “Okay” before going back to bed.
An hour later, I heard all kinds of noise coming from downstairs. It sounded like we were having another earthquake. Once again, I sprung up out of bed, wiped the crust from my eyes, and blinked myself back into consciousness.
I ran down the flight of stairs, thinking there was an intruder, only to see Poppa Sye desperately trying to re-arrange the furniture. Mind you, he’s 91 years old, and he’s incredibly frail. He can barely lift a coffee mug, let alone lift a lamp.
When I saw him struggling to move a plate, I took matters into my own hands and agreed to help him ‘Prepare The House’.
Poppa Sye was determined to get everything away from the windows, because as far as he was concerned all of the glass in the house would shatter. So we moved the knick-knacks from the windowsills to middle of a coffee table. After his remodeling, the family room looked as if it had been hit by ‘Hurricane Sye’.
And I thought that was going to be the end of it.
But I was wrong.
As the day progressed, Poppa Sye watched constant coverage of ‘Hurricane Irene’, blasting the television so loudly; the sound literally ricocheted off the hallway walls. And the more news he watched, the more he became riddled with anxiety.
Whenever there was a commercial break, Poppa Sye would come downstairs and to perform a mental sweep of things, while walking laps around the house. He paced nervously, clenching his jaw, and wringing his hands together.
“Mel”… He called to me.
“Yes, Poppa Sye?”
He collected his thought and asked, “What are we going to do when they shut off the water?”
“Who is going to shut off the water?”
“We aren’t going to have any water.” Poppa Sye reiterated.
“Okay, I think we are going to be fine, but would you like for me to fill up the parents bathtub. Just in case?”
I could see the fear in his pale, blue, cataract-covered eyes, “Yes. Please.”
I was more than happy to oblige.
Another hour later, the rain started and the winds began to intensify. Poppa Sye came back downstairs for one of his pace-around-the-house-checking-on-things, maneuvers. After making a full-lap around the house, Poppa Sye stood in the living room doorway staring at me.
“Melee…”
“Yeah, Poppa Sye…” I looked back at him.
“Do you have a flashlight?”
“Yes, grandpa, it’s right here.” I held it up to show it to him.
“Do you think we have enough candles?”
“Yes. Absolutely. They are lined up on the kitchen counter like soldiers ready to deploy for combat.”
Poppa Sye, walked away and proceeded to go to the back door. He opened it, and much to my surprise, he went outside. At this point it was pouring sideways. I chased after him.
“Poppa Sye!” I shouted, “What the hell are you doing out here! Get back inside, now!”
“I need to check on this furniture.” He firmly stated.
“It’s all tied down. And it’s heavy. It’s not going anywhere.”
But he didn’t believe me.
Nope.
Instead, he fussed with the blue rope, tugging the strings as tight as he could.
Later that evening, when it started to get dark outside Poppa Sye became quite fixated with one window in particular. He was absolutely certain if any window in the house would break, it would be this one.
No matter what I said to him, he refused to stop obsessing.
Thanks to my friend Leslie, I handed him some masking tape to secure the window, in an attempt to help him relax.
Here’s another thing about Poppa Sye you may, or may not, already know. He’s completely blind in one eye, and he can barley see out of his other eye. And, ever since his stroke, he does NOT have good balance. In fact, he tends to fall down. A lot. Plus, he refuses to turn ON any lights.
The thought of him walking up and down the hallway, or the going up and down the stairs, IN THE DARK, was enough to make me a nervous-wreck. Because while he spent the entire day concerned about the hurricane, I spent the entire day imagining him taking a spill down the stairs, careening wildly out of control, and cracking open his skull.
I invited him to, “Please watch a movie with me downstairs on the sofa?” I thought if I could keep him in one spot, and get his mind off the news maybe we’d BOTH be able to calm down.
And here’s how that worked out.
Not more than three seconds into the movie, Poppa Sye squirmed on the sofa, noticeably anxious. Rocking back and forth while tapping his metal cane on the floor. I knew exactly what he wanted.
“Do you want me to put on the news?” I asked.
“Yes. Let’s just check.”
Now, I had also spent my entire day avoiding the news, because I cannot stand the hyperbole. However, I did not want Poppa Sye to make yet another trip upstairs. And by this time the winds and rain had really picked up. Out of sheer curiosity I agreed to put on The Weather Channel.
That was my first mistake.
As I watched in horror, Poppa Sye kept telling me why we needed to stay away from the windows. He talked about living in Florida through other hurricanes, and exactly how damaging the winds could be. He carried on and on about possible dangers.
And I started to believe him.
That was my second mistake.
Somehow, Poppa Sye managed to project and transfer all of his irrational fears onto me.
“Do we have any wood in the garage to cover a broken window?” He asked.
“Um…” I paused, “No. I don’t think so.”
Poppa Sye’s voice cracked, “What are we going to use to fix the window if it breaks.” His white hair, turned even whiter. “Maybe we should have bought some plywood to board up the windows.”
“I have no idea. I guess I should ask Ira?” Suddenly, feeling very unprepared for the impending disaster, I unleashed my very own brand of anxiety. The very anxiety I had been suppressing all day.
Maybe Poppa Sye is right? Maybe he does know what he’s talking about? Maybe I shouldn’t have dismissed his concerns as being overly paranoid? Maybe the cast iron chairs outside really are going to blow through the windows, and crush us to death! Maybe my mom’s copper weathervane from the garden could fly through the house and decapitate one of us! Maybe the roof of the house will get ripped off from the 85 MPH winds, or the trees will come crashing down upon us! Maybe the power, and water will be shut off for days, and we will be stranded here, starving, dehydrated, and filthy. Goddamn it, I knew I should have bought some vodka! And, HOLY SHIT I’VE NEVER BEEN IN A HURRICANE. AND NOW THE NEW SAYS WE HAVE A TORNADO WATCH/WARNING TOO? JESUS H. CHRIST! WE’RE ALL GUNNA DIE!
I mentally tried to talk myself off the proverbial edge, to no avail.
Fortunately, we still had electricity and phone service, so I called my brother. I left Poppa Sye alone on the sofa and went into the garage to have a private conversation with Abercrombie.
And here’s how that went:
“Grandpa is a nervous wreck. Which was cute at first, but now that I hear the wind, and now that I’ve watched the news, HIS anxiety is giving ME anxiety. And now I am freaking out because he keeps going up and down the stairs, and he won’t sit still. And he keeps checking everything, and he wants to hide out in the garage, but this door isn’t very sturdy. And what if the power goes out and he falls down, and what if the phone lines don’t work, and I can’t call 911. And what if he’s bleeding to death on the floor, but the big tree’s are ripped from their roots and block the roads so the Emergency Vehicles can’t get to us. And what is with this tornado watch, isn’t it enough we are in the middle of a hurricane……?”
My brother quickly interrupted my insanity, “Calm, down.”
I took a deep breath, and lit up a cool menthol Newport 100.
Then my brother reminded me how to ‘find the funny’ in what Poppa Sye was going through by taking photos and texting them to him.
And thankfully that helped. A lot.
Poppa Sye and I retreated to our respective bedrooms around midnight. And we both kept our doors WIDE OPEN. I made him *pinky swear* that if the power went out, he would NOT attempt to travel downstairs, under any circumstances, without me.
But, I didn’t trust him.
So, I spent the duration of the evening listening to him.
And playing ‘Words With Friends’ on my iPhone trying to distract myself from the creepy howling sounds from the wind, and the freakishly pelting sounds from the rain.
I didn’t sleep very well, if I slept at all.
Every time I heard a strange noise I had a mini-heart-attack.
And while WE managed to escape ‘Hurricane Irene’ virtually unscathed, I can’t say the same for the rest of New Jersey.
Here is a picture of Hightstown NJ, leading into Route 33, located all of ten minutes from my house.
And here is the devastation Jamesburg NJ is suffering.
Another town, less than 15 minutes from my house.
And this photo, is in my actual home town.
Oh hello, Main Street.
So, tell me boys and girls….
Have you ever been through a hurricane/tornado/life-threatening-weather-condition?
And if so, please tell me about it.
Oh, my! Poor Poppa Sye and poor YOU! I’m sorry, but I laughed that he turned you into an anxiety-ridden wreck, too. The tape on the windows did me in. Those flood pictures are horrible! I ventured out a little bit today, but we got smart and turned back because they really didn’t want anyone on the roads and we didn’t want to be those idiot people. Give Poppa Sye a big hug from us all. We’re glad he made it through with your help!
Oh great. Irene is here now. It’s raining and windy and I wasn’t even remotely worried until I read this post and realized just how much danger we’re in!! 🙂
Glad you and Poppa Sye are safe. How is it that neither of you worried about the piano on the wall crashing down? As I was reading, I kept thinking that if the windows shattered and the gusting winds tore through the house, that piano was going to wreak havoc!!
I am happy you are all okay… Today we had 55 MPH winds and two inches of rain. Nothng like what you had. Over the years I have witnessed a number of floods and been through a few wind storms but nothing of the hurricane variety.
Thank you, Kathy!
Once Poppa Sye’s paranoia took over me it was all down hill.
At least I am laughing about it now.
Last night? Not so much.
HOLY HELL!
I didn’t even THINK about the Piano, Nicky.
And, hopefully YOU will be SAFE just like we were.
Sending you all of my love, thoughts and prayers.
xoxoxo
This hurricane shit is NOT for me.
awwwwww….Poor Papa Sye, I just love him!…and I love YOU!…and what a nerve-racking experience for BOTH of you 🙁 …and sorry, but I couldnt help chuckle at his blue rope tie-down effort – he was TRYING to do the right thing…poor dear. I’m just glad the worst is over (right?) ~xoxo
Shawn,
I am so happy I can laugh about this now.
Poor dear old man.
He was and still IS a basket case.
He hasn’t slept either.
Hopefully, he will get some rest soon.
And hopefully, so will I!
xoxo
You know, with the attempt to inform sometimes the hype can be very destructive. Fear does strange things to people and I feel bad for your grandfather, with his age and frailties I am sure he was feeling severe anxiety and then you went through it with him. I am glad you are doing fine and wow, those pictures say a lot.
Thanks, Lucy.
I truly believe watching THAT MUCH NEWS is NOT healthy.
And, definitely contributed to his level of fear, which, in turn, affected my sanity.
I’m just glad Hurricane Irene is blowing over now.
And things should be back to “normal” tomorrow.
What a mess, though.
Oh my gosh, Mel. I can fully understand Poppa Sye’s anxiety and how it became YOUR anxiety. I’ve never been in any kind of weather severe enough to cause major damage or devastation, but have come close. Every time I hear tornado sirens, it freaks me out. And I think it’s worse when you’re responsible for someone else. When my kids were little is when I was the most anxious about severe weather.
So glad you’re all okay.
So glad that ya’all made it through the storm unscathed. When they first started saying it might hit us I was trying not to freak out and stocked up on Whisky and chocolate. I thought I might survive if I was too drunk to care. I had hoped it would miss everyone but I’m so happy everyone rode it out ok.
For the record, I was watching the weather channel and someone pointed out how a house had duct tape in an x on their window. They said, “I’m not sure that is actually going to protect anything.” I’m so glad you didn’t see that part of the report. 🙂 I’ve spent time in basements waiting for tornadoes. Distractions are the key. Playing games, etc.
Omg!! I can’t stop laughing!!!! And I thought my mom was bad!!! I could picture every facial movement of Sye’s , every bit of his body language..the way he says Yes, dear”!!!! Thanks, Meleah for sharing this!!!!!! Lovce you bunches!!!!
I’m glad you two survived Irene 2011 without any damage (aside of your sanity). If I had been there, I woulda started drinking about the time you were rearranging the furniture.
I’ve been through a hurricane or two. Actually it’s been 3 hurricanes. Carla in 1961, Rita in 2005 and Ike in 2008. I was a young kid when Carla tore up south Texas so I only remember it as an adventure. Was too young to be scared/worried. Rita was right after Katrina flattened New Orleans, so everyone was scared s*$#&%#%less. Most of Houston packed up and left town which left all the freeways packed like it was the end of the world. Took me 5 hours to get home from work (normally 45 minutes) with the traffic jams. We were far enough inland not to be worried about the storm surge only wind and rain. Since we had enough supplies, water, booze and bullets, we chose to hunker down and ride it out. My paranoia from the wind did drive me to board up the window on our bedroom, but once I started, I couldn’t stop until I boarded up every window on the house. By the time I got done, our place looked like an abandoned crack house. Rita hit east of us and didn’t do any real damage aside of some downed trees and fences.
Ike was a bigger storm with a lot more damage. I did not board up this time, but we rode it out with one skittish dog and lots of whiskey. Lots of ancillary damage (torn roofs, fences, downed power lines). Only thing that got us was the lack of power for 10 days (some areas went 3 weeks).
Each storm is different and you have to know what your limitations are. IF you have a good enough home that can hold up, I’d ride it out. If you are on the coastline, I’d pack it in and head inland.
BTW – my boss his lawn furniture into the pool. Easy to find afterwards.
I’m so glad too, Terri.
Being ?in charge’ of another persons welfare and sanity, was VERY stressful.
My vacationing parents managed to escape the worst snow storm AND the worst hurricane to hit NJ.
Congratulations, to them!
YES!!
I knew my family members would FULLY appreciate this blog post.
I love you Aunt Lynda!
Glad YOU are okay too.
xoxoxoxo
It was all about Words With Friends, Junebug!
If I didn’t play that game, I definitely would have LOST my mind.
Holy. Shit.
Agg!
Holy, shitballs.
Now THAT is SCARY!
Geez.
I am about to crack open the Vodka.
Right, now.
Celebratory drinks!
Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Floods, Fires, Tornados. If God’s got your number, you don’t have much choice.
Still, you and Poppa Sye survived! That’s another notch in your belt. Another story to share. Hell, down here, some people have hurricane parties when the “big one” comes. Kind of a “storm kegger” to ride out the storm. Stupid is as stupid does.
Watching the Weather Network and CNN got me thinking about how the 16 floor building I live in would hold up under hurricane winds… It survived 30 Canadian winters so far…
That sure sounds like a solid building to me!
That sure sounds like a solid building to me!
OMG, I’m sorry for laughing, but like Kathy shared….I laughed at how he turned you into an anxiety-ridden wreck too!
This could have been a scene in a sitcom! BRILLIANT!
Holy cow, I cannot believe the flooding you got in your part of town!!! YIKES! I was thinking of you last night and wondering how you were doing in Jersey. We got a lot of rain and wind, but we never lost power or had any flooding. Like Poppa Sye, I lived in Florida for 20 years and have been through FIVE hurrincanes, therefore I was pretty calm. But then again, living in a city is actually the safest place to be during a hurricane. Now an EARTHQUAKE? That’s another story.
I’ll be posting about that tomorrow on my blog.
Glad to hear you and your family are safe, girl.
((((( Meleah ))))))
X
I’m so glad for everyone that this was much more hype and less actual devastation than what was predicted. Thankfully, other than wear and tear on your nerves, you came out of it okay.
While we have huge-mongous amounts of snow and horrible cold temps, we are lucky to not have to go through a lot of terrible weather. No hurricanes, no earthquakes, and (almost) no tornadoes here–EVER!! BUT, I DID have a hurricane scare.
Way back in the dark ages, K and I got married in October. Two days later, we moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where he was stationed. Not only did I not know anyone, but this was back in the days when it cost BIG TIME money to get a telephone hooked up–about the cost of our monthly rent, if not more. Of course, we couldn’t afford a phone and didn’t have a TV, either, so I was left in a tiny apartment with only a radio and whatever books he would bring me from the ship. (Believe me, I read more spy/war/sniper books than I ever dreamed I would in those days.) Three weeks after we got to Charleston, a tropical storm/hurricane formed and proceeded to move toward the US–and specifically Charleston. This caused me to panic–SURPRISE! But with my new husband by my side, I was sure I could get through anything. And then he told me: If the hurricane/storm came toward Charleston, he would be on the ship, safely at sea, while I would be TOTALLY ON MY OWN in a city I didn’t know. I still don’t know HOW I managed to keep my sanity, but the ONLY reason I’m not locked up today is that the storm changed course and did not hit Charleston. I guess my guardian angel worked overtime. 😉 Anyway, I hope I never have to (almost) go through anything like that again. And THAT is my hurricane story.
Thanks, Ronnie!
This post was intended to be funny.
Because seriously, I have to laugh at what happened.
Can’t wait to read your blog post.
xoxo
Oh snap, CMK!
If I had to be alone, in a town full of people I didn’t know, and with NO TV/PHONE?
I would have LOST MY FREAKING MIND.
Thank goodness the hurricane changed directions!
I had no idea the flooding was so bad. Poor Poppa Sye – I would have been anxious too. I’ve never been through a hurricane and I know I would be freaking out wondering what was going to happen. You handled him so well but it must have been exhausting for you. I am glad you are both OK and hope the flooding eases soon.
Oh poor you and Pappa Sye! That totally sucks! I have slept in the garage during a storm when the wind blew a tree on both of our cars and house and the neighbor’s house and car. I HATE THE WIND/RAIN COMBO!!!! It makes me anxious to even think of going through it again. Ambien is your friend, and I won’t tell if pappa Sye ” accidentally” takes some 😉
Poor Poppa Sye! It probably isn’t easy for him to relax in this kind of weather, wondering if some injury or something even more horrible would happen and he can’t help. But you take such good care of him. And a Pinky-swear is binding anywhere on Planet earth.
I haven’t watched much tv in ages and certainly no news at all; those flooded areas look so bad.
Poor Poppa Sye! It probably isn’t easy for him to relax in this kind of weather, wondering if some injury or something even more horrible would happen and he can’t help. But you take such good care of him. And a Pinky-swear is binding anywhere on Planet earth.
I haven’t watched much tv in ages and certainly no news at all; those flooded areas look so bad.
Poor Poppa Sye! It probably isn’t easy for him to relax in this kind of weather, wondering if some injury or something even more horrible would happen and he can’t help. But you take such good care of him. And a Pinky-swear is binding anywhere on Planet earth.
I haven’t watched much tv in ages and certainly no news at all; those flooded areas look so bad.
Poor Poppa Sye! It probably isn’t easy for him to relax in this kind of weather, wondering if some injury or something even more horrible would happen and he can’t help. But you take such good care of him. And a Pinky-swear is binding anywhere on Planet earth.
I haven’t watched much tv in ages and certainly no news at all; those flooded areas look so bad.
Poor Poppa Sye – and you, of course, but you do make it sound quite funny 🙂
Yes, I have lived through a major storm (the worst in 300 years) that killed 18 people in our surrounding areas. There were no weather warnings, so it was completely unexpected. Mo and I were out in the garden trying to tie our garden furniture down, because it was blowing about the garden. We had no idea how bad it was, or we would never have gone outside. We could hear loud cracking sounds all over but didn’t take too much notice and went back to sleep. We are so thankful that we did because I think we would have died of fright had we realised that the sounds were the huge trees coming down and crashing through houses and cars. Winds reached about 110 mph in some places.
Our neighbours houses had roofs missing and a tree had crashed right through the centre of one house. Cars were squashed flat and not a tree was standing! It was the most awful feeling when you looked around the next day and saw all these beautiful trees laying on the roads. The local park was devastated. Many of those trees were hundreds of years old – all gone!
Here is a video of some of the devastation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLUxsmADWrA
That’s a lot of water! Glad you are all safe, and hopefully Poppa Sye can relax a bit now. We got a couple brief showers (not hurricane related) and some hurricane related wind on Saturday up to about 40 mph for a short time. Then nothing. We could have used some rain.
Scary situation, Meleah. I’m glad you were safe and that there was only minimal damage. Watching the news does make it more scary. I watched for several hours until my nerves were shot and then made a gin and tonic and figured, well, what will be will be. After a second gin and tonic, I really didn’t even think about Irene again for the rest of the day. Get some gin in the house for Poppa Sye.
Dude: I love the picture of your “emergency water supply”. I imagined you putting your mouth to the sink, and taking a refreshing draught of water to quench you parched throat and lips. Hahahahahaha… Poppa Sye is your penance for causing all that grief to your mom and dad… when you were young and dumb…. Brian
As you know, Hurricane Irene affected our island but, thankfully, not directly and damages were considerably less than expected. I’ve now experienced four hurricanes in the past seven years, all of which sent my nerves into high-gear and, at times, almost paralyzed me in fear. I can appreciate and empathize with both you and Papa Sye with your issues of anxiety. I can only relax when I know everything I could have done has been done to secure the house. And if that doesn’t work (that being the knowledge I can’t screw with Mother Nature and there is nothing else I can do), I take half a Gravol – usually with a vodka chaser. Don’t judge.
😉
Seriously, when you look back, there is humour in some of those moments and your post reflects that. And, if you want any hurricane tips (hopefully you won’t need any in the near future), let me know.
I feel bad for both you and Poppa Sye that you had to have all the worry and stress that goes with being in a storm. I think it is esp. hard for older people. You are so good and patient with Poppa Sye.
Considering the circumstances, some of your pics are hysterical. The one with the tape and Seriously? cracked (no pun intended) me up.
Glad you made it through with minimal damage. Hopefully, Poppa Sye can relax now.
Oh, Madge!
Please!
I definitely contemplated sneaking some XANAX into Poppa Sye’s Gatorade. And I would have loved to take some too.
Except that I was too afraid to relax/calm-down/self-medicate.
Because WHAT IF HE FELL DOWN THE STAIRS!!!
I seriously hope WE never have to go through something like this again!
xoxoxox
The * pinky-swear * is KEY!
I could have used one of those drinks, Linda!!
The next time I have to deal with this?
Please send some Gravol & Grey Goose!
M’Kay?
F2 tornado in 2003, New Castle, Delaware. I ended up in the ladies room of my office, six women shoved themselves into a bathroom stall and I got under the sink so I could hold on to the plumbing. I laughed when they actually latched the stall door, but then we heard the sound, like a train passing over a trestle bridge while we stood beneath it. Our building was just a warehouse that had been turned into offices, so the whole time I was shoved under the sink in the bathroom all I could think about was the 15 feet of empty space, puny steel supports, and corrugated metal above the drop ceiling. It was the only time in my life, car accidents included, where I confronted the very real possibility that I might die.
When it was over the roof of the building directly behind us had its roof peeled off, the sprinklers shooting into the air like a fountain. The rest of the buildings on that street of the industrial park had to be torn down.
There was funny to be found, however; we all walked out front and just sort of stood there in shock, and the guys from across the way at the Mack Truck dealership did the same. We stared at each other across the driveway and I realize that one of them is WEARING A FOOTBALL HELMET. He just looked so ridiculous; he was the shortest guy of the bunch and he’s standing there with a Denver Broncos (and there’s a what the hell right there) football helmet jammed on his head with the chin strap dangling. So we did the most logical thing that people who just almost died might do– we laughed at him. Loudly. A couple of us may or may not have pointed and doubled over a little.
Okay, that is TERRIFYING!
But the helmet is HILARIOUS!!
Have I ever been through a
hurricane/tornado/life-threatening-weather-condition? Umm. Sure. Once, it rained, like, really hard. And you know, this one time, it got really hot, like almost 95 degrees. Um, and we sometimes have a little thunder. It can be very scary. Oh who am I kidding. The only thing we have is snow. Hey, does driving on ice count?
I’m glad both you and Poppa Sye survived with only minor heart attacks and a little case of paranoia, I would have freaked out, no question about it.
Yes, I think driving in icy conditions COUNTS!
Wow, some places really got hit. I lucked out, the city didn’t get smacked by Irene nearly as bad. I didn’t lose power and didn’t even see a tree fall down where I live. Has Poppa Sye settled down?
You got it, sistah! But you gotta deal with the hard stuff (window shutters, etc.) before you take the “good stuff”. Besides, it’ll put Papa Sye’s mind at ease if he know things are secure which, in turn, will also help you be at ease.
😉
Poppa Sye is FINALLY calmed down!
I’m boarding up EVERYTHING next time!
And then getting drunk!