Irene is done and gone, and I am doing OK
Recovering
I think we have all heard enough about Irene. She was a bad storm, wasn't as destructive as expected in some areas, but for others, it was a disaster. I had a bad weekend, including holding fort in our basement for an hour because we were alerted that one of the storms passing through my town could spawn a tornado. That did not happen, but I had quite a bit of anxiety waiting for the time to pass.The rain came down in sheets but the wind gusts were not the 50 to 70 mph that had been forcasted. They were in the 25 to 45 mph range, but that was more than enough to put some of my trees in a slanted position.
There is quite a bit of flooding and some people chose not to heed the warnings and drove into water, only to have their cars stall or float away. You have to wonder what could be so important that they had to go out during a Category 1 hurricane. There are some very sad stories today because of mistakes people made.
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| Reporter covered in possibly toxic foam reporting on Irene. |
Newscasters were on the job for close to 72 hours. Weather junkies were in their glory. I know it was important to get the latest updates as this was a serious situation but it was constant and they talked ad nauseam, repeating the same stories over and over. The stations posted their people where the wind was the strongest, the water was the deepest or where the weather conditions were the worst.
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| Boys just have to have fun |
On Sunday, Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm and the rain subsided. Then at about 5 pm, the sun came out. We put the deck furniture out again and sat down for a "sigh of relief" dinner. It feels good to breathe out again.
Today, myself and those in Irene's path, bagan the cleanup.
So glad you are all right and that it is finally over. A little hard on the nerves, yes?
ReplyDeleteDitto - pleased for you that it is all safely over as far as you are concerned.
ReplyDeleteHello Arleen:
ReplyDeleteWe are so relieved that all is well with you, and others, in the aftermath of Irene. Have a quiet time - recovering and returning to normal!
So happy to hear you made it through Irene without much damage. I do agree with you regarding the media. It seemed, to me some reporters, were disappointed once the storm was downgraded to a tropical storm.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you came through the storm okay. Weather chasers are a funny lot of people. It isn't that they want to see death and destruction (exactly) but they sure do salivate and get all giddy when the forecast has even a hint of an ominous flavor.
ReplyDeleteWhat a relief you're safe. It looks pretty horrendous. I can't believe that people would actually drive their cars into the water - madness on wheels!
ReplyDeleteA 'sigh of relief' dinner - I hope you opened a bottle of wine in celebration! So pleased to know that you are safe.
ReplyDeleteThis will be one of those memories you can always say, "Remember when..." and people will know what you are talking about!
ReplyDeleteThank you everybody. I have gotten most everything cleaned up. Getting 168 pots of flowers back took awhile. I couldn't remember where I put everything before, so it was a remake and I have a a new look in many of my gardens now.
ReplyDeleteThe weatherman was kind and thoughtful and reminded us that we have another month at least to get through the hurricane season. He is off my Christmas card list for that remark.
I'm a newbie in AZ where it never seems to rain more than . . well, hardly long enough to get the concrete get and STAY wet for more than 2 or 3 minutes. Even so, AZ has a Stupid Motorist Law which I think every state should adopt! [if you drive your car into water and you require emergency service - YOU pick up the tab!] I miss the rain in Illinois but I can't say I miss the tornado warnings - I remember the huddle waiting for a storm to pass. So glad that you are ok.
ReplyDeleteWater is a precious commodity out here but I would LOVE to have a few more potted plants. Not sure I'm woman enough for 168! Well done!
Even to me, 168 pots sounds a little ridiculous. I really thought I had planted less than other years, but having to put them all away for the storm and bringing them back out, had me take inventory. I have 14 gardens and some are quite large. There are places where I can't plant in the ground, as I did before, because the root system of the bushes and trees has taken over. This is why I do pots. My garden on my header is my Zen garden and I have 14 plants in there. They all take a lot of watering and the good thing is that with all the rain we have been having lately, Mother Nature has relieved me of doing that job.
ReplyDeleteI will have to post some pictures of my gardens on my blog.
glad you came out of the other side ok.... we brits cannot work out just how BIG your weather can be
ReplyDeletewe are such babies over here
Thanks John,
ReplyDeleteI am all cleaned up but so many still have big problems. It was a bad storm.