The countdown starts...

Well, here we go again...looks like I'm going to be pretty busy the next 5 days or so as we prep and wait for Hurricane Irene.  She's set to hit us darn near directly as of this morning, and not as a wimpy Category 1 storm either, she's expected to make landfall as a Cat 3 or even 4, which would be devastating for anything in her path.  I've been through it before many times, and it's not the storm itself that I worry about, but the aftermath.  The downed trees, no electricity (we've gone up to 9 days here before), no fuel or ice to be had... that's the stuff that I worry about.  I hope you can bear with me the rest of the week as I get behind on reading everyone's posts and blog about random stuff since I probably won't be doing any gardening or fall planting until after she passes.  Hurricanes are like hired help in the fall garden, I've had all my summer stuff not only knocked down, but completely ripped out and blown away so I don't have to do it, LOL!  The important part is to clear the way for her, so I'll be ridding the garden beds of piles of tomato cages, stakes, and anything else that might appear later as jewelry sticking out of house siding or people's limbs.  

Know what's going on here?  

Popcorn popping is a real treat in this house, since the smell of it makes me ill it doesn't happen too frequently, but when I say "ok", it becomes a major event.  As soon as Sprocket hears the air popper start whirring, she takes her place... our popper is known for shooting popcorn all over the kitchen LOL, great fun for neurotic herding dogs with no sheep!

I went outside this morning to try and get all I can harvested before Irene takes them for herself...

I have loads of Ancho Peppers and Butternut squash that is still out there ripening, I figure I can give them until Friday evening before they need to come in to be put up somehow before the storm.  Now I'm off to gather "stuff"... we're good on all things pretty much thanks to my prepper personality, but things need to be organized like putting lamp oil and candles in strategic places and packing the car with camping supplies, water, food, dog food, important papers, fuel, etc should the need arise to leave.  Leaving here is not generally something we do since we essentially live on an island with only tunnels and bridges leading to higher ground, so anyone evacuating will most likely be stuck in traffic and run out of gas before they get anywhere LOL.  Plus, the bridges and tunnels are the first things to close due to high winds, so any evacuation orders are usually made too late, or way too early.  Will be busy doing outside prep this week like hauling out the generator and locking it up with cables, filling as many fuel cans as we can and lashing down things like trash cans and lawn furniture.  

Maybe if one good thing can come from all this, the blighted soil and the insect laden plants will blow away and I can start the 2012 summer garden with nothing evil harboring within LOL!