There is a hurricane bearing down on us. Even though it isn't going to hit us
directly, we're likely to get a lot of rain and wind, and they're telling us
that we'll probably lose power. All over
Twitter and Facebook people are posting updates on how they're preparing for
the storm. "We've filled our
bathtubs with water!" (We didn't
fill our tubs with water.) "I'm
cooking everything in my refrigerator!" (I'm not cooking everything in my refrigerator.) "I've made the mad dash to Wal Mart for
canned goods, toilet paper, bottled water, and ice!" (I did go to the
store on Thursday, but that was before I even knew about Sandy.) I'm starting to think that maybe we're going
to be the ones who are going to be screwed because all we've done is bring in most of our
deck furniture and scrambled around the house in a nearly futile attempt to
locate flashlights. We're up to our ears
in batteries, thank goodness. We don't
have a well, so we should have clean running water available. We have a gas water heater; after Hurricane
Isabel hit us we lost power for a week and we were grateful that at least we
could take hot showers. We have a gas
stove and matches, so we should be able to cook pasta or canned soup (that is,
if we have any in the house). Larry has
a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I took the day off; I should be able to run
to the store in the morning if I feel an urgent need to stock up on whatever is
left on the shelves.
And then there's all the political vitriol. I think my blood pressure goes up every time
I read some new development in the Benghazi fiasco. Most of you know which candidate I support (I
used to have a Romney/Ryan sign in my front yard, until last week when someone
went up and down our street and yanked up all the Romney yard signs), and I've
said as much on my Facebook page. There
are a lot of things I've been tempted to say but I've mostly kept my mouth shut
because I really don't feel like getting into any arguments with people who I
love and respect but don't necessarily share the same political views
with. If I see one more advertisement or
article about how those mean Republicans want to deny birth control to poor
women I think I'm going to scream. I'm
sick of the rhetoric, but at the same time I can't seem to get enough of
it. It's like a bad drug. That's why I've (finally) made up my mind to
take an Internet fast for the next few days.
No Facebook, no Twitter, no blogs. I might even stay away until after the
election. I haven't decided yet. (And I have a feeling that this one will be
like 2000, when we didn't know the results for more than a month. I wouldn't be surprised if certain
politicians are going to act like sore losers and call for recounts in several
states.)
I have laundry to catch up on, books stacked on my shelves
that I have yet to read, and for some strange reason Sandy is giving me a
sudden compulsion to clean and organize.
(I think our mad scramble through the house in search of flashlights is
what did it.) It will be hard to resist
the temptation to post photos of what damage Sandy might do to our trees to my
Facebook page, or tell my friends about how we're hunkered down by the fire
roasting marshmallows (something to add to tomorrow's grocery list). Hopefully there won't be any news to report
anyway.
I've been anxious to blog again. Soon I hope to return and tell you all about
the wonderful weekend we spent with Joe's brother and his family, about my
sister-in-law's baby shower and how joyful we are about welcoming a brand-new
life into our family, about Larry receiving his black belt in taekwondo and how
proud we are of him, and the everyday goings-on in our lives. Meanwhile stay safe, and don't forget to
vote. (Especially if, like me, you can't
wait to throw the bums out!)
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