Well, my friends, there’s not a lot to report here. Very humid, some rain; before it got unbearable yesterday, we managed to mow the far side of the front yard and the area around the corral. We still have the upper part of the back forty to mow, but that will have to wait until next week as we have three days of rain – some of it very heavy – coming up due to Henri.
At this point, it looks like the worst of it will happen tomorrow, with the coast, Long Island, and Cape Cod getting pounded. I hope that changes and Henri turns to the right and goes out to sea. We will get heavy rain and wind tomorrow. As they say in the forecast, ‘tropical storm conditions.’ We’re going to the grocery store this morning (I predict it will be very crowded) to get a few staples.
This seems to happen every year now – or almost every year. For the first 10 years or so that we lived here in the east, this kind of storm rarely happened. Reader Vicki said to park our cars where there are no trees nearby – no can do. We have trees everywhere, as do most of the people around here who live in older houses. Newer builds to be out in the open with less trees around the house.
Anyway, I’m happily reading another Ruth Galloway mystery, The Woman in Blue, I may paint today (I’ve not felt motivated to paint in several days,) I have some cleaning to do, and as soon as I finish this post and have some oatmeal, we’re headed to the store.
Stay safe.
Happy Saturday.
yes we live very close to the beach so this upcoming storm is unsettling
Yes and we too have trees so we are praying
stay safe everyone
I will be watching the weather channel to keep up with what is happening on the east coast. You will be in my prayers.
Thinking of you, Linda. Hoping that there is no damage to your property. Hang in there!
Stay safe.
All you can do is make the best of those rainy days. I hope the wind isn’t too bad.
I needed a book to read and you had mentioned the Ruth Galloway series. I just finished the first one and downloaded The Janus Stone from the library this morning. I am going to try to read the whole series.
Thanks for recommending.
Stay safe
You’re welcome. I really enjoy them. The problem with this storm for most of the people living out here, is not just the rain, but the high winds. That combination can be lethal. We’ll be okay, I think, but those living closer to the coast will be suffering.
Stay safe, Marilyn.
You guys stay safe! I know what you mean by the weather changing! We have had very high temps the last few summers with some into the 100’s. We’ve lived here for 36 years and I grew up here, and the weather was never like this. Glad to hear you are off to the store for supplies. Make a list for future use. Also put the things on it that you wish you would have gotten. That way you can make it into the store and out again in record time! Keeping you, Don and everyone else being affected in my prayers!
We got everything we needed and I went right back out and ran another errand. Now we’re snug in the house.
Thanks, Tana.
Stay safe.
I am on the north shore of Long Island and am afraid we are in for some nasty weather. Husband is at the marina preparing our sailboat for the storm. I am home trying to do as much as possible but I have had another eye procedure done yesterday and can only do so much. We also have many trees on our property. we park the card in the driveway and hope for the best. It has been a very muggy and unsettling summer. I am having multiple issues but not dealing well with any of them. If anyone out there knows how to gain some inner peace and outward strength please let me know. Stay safe everyone.
Maria
hej, maria …
i am sorry that you have lots of things to deal with right now (your eye, the hurricane …). i will be praying for you and your family!
i can offer a few suggestions in answer to your request. these are things that help me. i hope they help you, too!
primary for me is God. can’t honestly say that’s 100% of the time and for a long time, when i was younger, sadly i wasn’t living my faith or tending it in any conscious way. like i walked away … the biggest regret of my life. looking back, though, i can see many many times that He got me through hard times (like now and like that poem “footprints”). so i keep walking back to God and He takes me back (He never left) with open arms, love and forgiveness. i try to thank Him, read the Bible, listen for and to Him, pray and stick closer to Him.
i am a tender-hearted and loyal person, i believe in second chances (for most things) and in showing grace and mercy (in part because i get it, too) … but i am careful to spend time with people who love me or at least like me, who will help me and be honest yet kind … and limit/avoid time around people i’ve learned to not trust. those things help with my inner peace, too.
on a different level, i find some inner peace by cleaning and organizing outer things. i can relax better when things are in place, plus i enjoy playing with arrangements of things i collect (art, little sheep, etc). doing something creative helps me, too … painting, knitting …
i’ve learned to pay attention to the balance in my life … sometimes it’s pretty good. sometimes it’s awful/feels nonexistent … and that’s when (after a long day at work) “play” means knitting at 11 o’clock at night even when i have to be up at 6 am the next day, because i enjoy it.
doing something physical has always helped me sort through my thoughts and problems and to mentally relax. used to be running, but cannot do that anymore since osteoporosis broke my back in four places late last year. i am sad and angry about that (definitely still grieving that) and, for right now anyway, i am limited to walking and exercises from physical therapy. not big faves (understatement) but they help and i figure it all counts and sooner or later some endorphins will kick in. ha.
i sure don’t have it all together, but those are a few lessons i’ve learned in my 63 years.
hope you find what you need and deserve and stay safe in every way.
will be praying for you, maria.
kathy in iowa
Kathy you and I think so much alike
I truly wish you were my neighbor
Isaiah 26:3😊
oh, thank you, linda! :)
i am in des moines. do you mind telling me where you are?
and how are you?
hope all is well and you stay safe.
kathy in iowa
ps … beautiful verse. thanks for the reminder.
A very unsettling summer to be sure. Breathe deep, Maria. In and out, in and out. Turn on some music, or do a puzzle, something that will occupy you and become your focus, instead of the hurricane being your focus. That being said, I understand, and I become very nervous in this kind of situation. Frankly, I try to pray, but that doesn’t do a whole lot for me, especially in the midst of a giant storm.
Do something that makes you happy. That’s my advice. I’m sending positive thoughts your way, hoping that this storm’s impact is less than predicted. Keep us informed if you can, Maria. Much love to you.
Alas, I am in the path of the storm and was also asking myself this morning where I can park my car so a tree doesn’t fall on it. I hope you escape any damage to your house or vehicle.
Thinking of you, Lynda. Stay safe!
xoxo
I will be watching hurricane Henri…hoping for the best for all whom are in his path. I’m quite sure your stores will be crowded. Hopefully it will have been a quick in and out. Hope you all stay cool, and stay dry…and take care! ;)
We will.
Thank you, Donna.
Stay safe.
whether it’s a hurricane, high heat, wildfires, covid … i am praying for everyone to have safety and peace of mind, pantries fully stocked with food/craft supplies/books/games, no loss of power, no injuries/illness/ property damage …
kathy in iowa
ps … keep your cellphones plugged in, just in case!
Thanks, Kathy!
Stay safe.
So concerning to read about this hurricane in your midst; seems like a big deal for sure; a lot of people on Long Island with the Hamptons, Montauk (perhaps still a good number of vacationers, too?). Susan Branch out there on Martha’s Vineyard. That it could affect The City/Manhattan? Wow. I only know the names of these places from stuff I’ve seen on TV or read about in novels; all I’d love to see for myself (in good weather!). Maybe it will indeed veer off, this Henri … back into the sea; let’s hope! Of course you’ve weathered a lot of storms at the cottage and know what to do. I’ll keep my fingers crossed you don’t lose power.
I once lived in a rent house (for ten years) that had a park-like lot with a massive evergreen/pine planted right up against the kitchen; loved the tree (was probably more than fifty years old but I know that’s young for a tree; gosh it was tall and majestic; I used to love to hear the wind sing through it when the wind wasn’t dangerous) but I also worried about the tree … enough to take a one-day class/lecture on trees, learning it had a shallow root ball and could be uprooted so easily, always hoping in the fiercest of Santa Ana winds, especially after rain (when Southern Calif used to get rain!), that it wouldn’t fall on the house. But it never did. In my last house before the one I’m in now, we had three gigantic oak trees, one of which the arborist dated to about 1850; the other two are now about 120 years old. City ordinance would not allow removal and of course they were so beautiful and a haven for wildlife. I’ve seen oaks that have seemed so sturdy, only to fall over, like out in the countryside, since the severe/killer Calif drought. But I also know of trees (a majority of trees!) in my surroundings that stayed sturdy and strong through even the hurricane-force winds we got at the end of 2017. And those three oaks of ours (formerly ours) got through everything, including the wildfires, just fine.
I’m sorry if I was thoughtless about mentioning trees in the Henri scare when you have enough to think about, like getting in supplies. All my prayers your way for a safe weekend; you will be FINE!
Wow, was just looking at Nat’l Weather Service to check on weather in various spots and I think you’re getting heavy rain right now at 9am EST.
No, it hasn’t started here yet. Just a few sprinkles.
xo
It will definitely impact NYC and Long Island and the Northeast. I have my fingers crossed because it looks as if it might not be quite as powerful as predicted here in our neck of the woods. Powerful, yes, but the winds seem to be less of an issue.
Thanks, Vicki.
Stay safe.
Do you and Don have some neighbors who have an empty garage or awning covered driveway?
Whenever there was a possibility of high winds or hail damage to my husband’s truck , our neighbors would let him park in their garage. Hope everything goes well with the storm.
Stay safe
The answer to that is no. Most people around here don’t have garages.
Thanks, Lottie.
Stay safe.
I love the display of your paperweights! Stay safe and dry!
Thanks, Linda.
Stay safe!
We were visiting friends in New Hampshire when Hurricane Sandy came through. We had a safe and pleasant time playing cards and did not lose power, but when we drove west later we could not get through Vermont, but had to drive through Massachusetts. Stay safe.
Yes, we were here during Sandy. And Irene. And several others. Climate change has brought more hurricanes to this part of the country.
Thanks, Sue.
Stay safe.
You’re almost caught up with me with Ruth! Oh, just you wait…. the plots are thickening at a record pace!
Stay safe during Henri. Do you have a storm cellar? Hope so…
We have a cellar that you enter from the outside, but unless thing are dire, we won’t go down there.
Stay safe, Jeanie.
Oh, Claudia, the paperweights are just lovely!! I have 2 of them and consider them prized possessions! So pretty!!
Just watched the PM news and see that Henri does seem to still be heading inland. Hope you were able to get any supplies you need at the store, and maybe a fun treat or two to get through. We will all be thinking of you both, and waiting to hear from you. May you and Don, along with your trees, stay strong and standing. Take care.
We’re all set and, in the meantime, Henri has headed toward the ocean, so things here might not be as bad as originally predicted.
Thanks so much, Chris.
Stay safe.
Hopefully Henri will settle down enough to leave yourselves and everyone else safe.
May it be a calm and cozy day in your cottage. All the best♡
Thanks so much, Grace.
Stay safe.