Preparing for the Storm

   The lights are already starting to flicker here and I will lose my internet if the power goes out so I am going to make this quick...just in case. ;)  We have a major windstorm complete with drenching rain headed out way.  It is supposed to hit us late tonight/early tomorrow morning.  The rain is already here ahead of schedule and the winds are picking up just a bit.  Our sustained winds are expected to be in the 30-40 MPH range with gusts of 50 MPH or more.  The west side of Washington state is going to be hit really hard and we have family over there that I am super concerned about.  

   I have been trying to get ready for this storm.  Jeff and I got all the hanging plants and wind chimes down and put in a safe area.  He used bungee cords to secure my big black iron plant stand that lives on the back porch to some support beams.  My car has been moved away from the big tree in the front.  I have 2 loaves of bread plus lots of sandwich fixings here.  I also have some fresh fruit and lots of canned goods.  I also have lots of juice, aseptic packs of milk, seltzer, soda and water.   There are lots of crackers and cereal.  I've charged the cell phones and my computer.  I have candles ready along with flashlights. If we lose power, I can go next door to our friend's house since she has a wood burning stove to stay warm if the power is out for more than a day.  Even if we still keep our power, the winds are going to be fierce, so I had my hubby stack bags of wood pellets for our stove up on the screened in porch next to the back door so we can both easily access them.  I have the laundry all caught up and am showered and dressed for the day.  Jeff will be picking up a huge bag of dog food tonight before he goes to his bowling league.  I figure we need it and it will add some extra weight to the car. ;) If we still have power later tonight, I will make another pot of coffee and put it in the thermal carafe (I have this mornings coffee in their now) and I will take another shower and blow dry my hair so that I at least look and smell decent tomorrow. ;)

   My hanai sister/neighbor, who just had a medical procedure done today and needs to keep the area iced, called to tell me how things went and I told her that frozen bags of peas worked really well for me after I had a breast biopsy done to keep the area chilled and less painful.  She and I got off the phone and she headed to the store to get some.  As our lights started to flicker, I realized that those peas were not going to stay frozen and would need to be refrozen again.  I  also realized that one of the things that I don't have in my medical supply stash is those chemical break away cold packs that do not need to be frozen and that she might need those too.  I quickly called her back and let her know about our lights flickering here and that she might want to pick some of those up as well.  She had not thought about that and to be honest, until the lights started flickering here, neither had I.  She is picking some up now before heading home. I need to remember to add those to my medical prep supplies as well.  My husband has to ice down his hand almost every day due to tendonitis and arthritis.

   Unfortunately, my hubby will be on the road tonight driving through an area that is notorious for really bad cross winds on a good day.  He will be driving through the area right when things are supposed to get really bad and then the storm will be following him up on his drive back home.  I am having him take some emergency supplies with him in case he gets stuck somewhere due to flooding, closed roads or anything.  His work truck is a high profile one that the winds just slam and it concerns me deeply.  I wish they would cancel his run tonight, but I don't see that happening unless the roads are closed before he takes off which is very unlikely.  Prayers for his safety are really appreciated!

   Praying for everyone else that is dealing with storms and the aftermath of storms right now.  Be blessed!