August 05th, 2024

Just in case you've been hearing in the news about Tropical Storm/Hurricane Debby down in  what used to be the Sunshine State (now relabeled the Soggy State) and were concerned in regard to our welfare, please be assured that we are all good.  The house is dry  (inside at least) and we are fine. 

And today, as Debby makes landfall north of us as a hurricane (upgraded from tropical storm) I am less and less enamored of it as the day goes by.  It begins to feel as if we will never again see the sun!  I know that's not true, but you know what I mean.  AND I feel so badly for those folks at hurricane ground zero and hope they are all safe and sound.

But meanwhile, where we are, dang it all folks, it's seriously wet outside. I mean wetwetwet.  The gullywasher/thunder/lightning/full orchestration kind of wet.  Geez.  It started raining about mid morning yesterday and really hasn't stopped yet.  Sometimes the rainbands are heavier than other times but still  rain is still rain and that means wet.

I have new appreciation for rainbands, by the way.  Whenever the storms calms the heck down for a little bit, the ground can absorb the water more, the storm drains can catch up and the run-off that goes out to the bay and the gulf can adjust to just a wee little bit more.

At the beginning, it just felt like a very normal summer rainstorm honestly.  No big deal.  We even went out to lunch yesterday to just a little local place that we like and watched the rain come down out the window while we noshed.  

We kept thinking,  Little Tropical Storm  Debby having a cute little tantrum and we spent the day  doing inside stuff.  We kept thinking it would all pass by and be over soon.  We considered going to the beach to take pictures (but didn't) or the jetty for pictures (closed).  Guess I was feeling a little rainy day lazy.  

You know that delicious rainy day sleepy feeling where all you want to do, as the rain pitterpatter (or sometimes tap dances) against the house and all you really want to do is drink tea, eat cookies, nap and read alternately.  It's cozy and lovely and kind of gives permission for not doing much at all.

And that's all fine and good for awhile, but when it goes on .....and on...AND ON!  Well let's just say it gets old, quickly.   Flood watches, Tornado Watches, High Surf Advisories and Rip Current Statements just kept coming.  Dang.  It was a long night of listening to the wind whistling through and the thunder rumbling and now and again crashing (sometimes it sounded like it was literally on our roof),  lightning crackling and rain relentlessly pounding down.  We had a few minor power flickers though no full on outtages, thank goodness. At least so far!

We've been getting notifications of things being closed today.  No garbage pick ups today for example. Normally Monday and Thursday are our days.  Not This week! But since I had already taken the bins to the curb (after checking on line and it saying..yes go ahead, pick up is today like usual) they have since changed their minds and that meant I had to schlepp through the downpour in rain jacket and wet sneakers to haul it all back in.  Oh well.

Starting to get a lot of other notifications now too.  Stay off the streets , the notifications say, Limit water usage, the notifications say.  Okay, we can do those things. So...no more laundry is being done today, can't turn on the dishwasher, limited cooking and cleaning will be happening. We have bottled water always (learned that the first year here!) so we won't die of thirst.

I know that there is some local flooding on the roads by the beach (which is the entire west side of the island) and we also read that the part of the road that goes to Caspersen Beach (the southest point of the island) has washed out!  Oh My Gracious!    Our neighbor's mailbox fell down, there is a lot of deadfall from trees and shrubs that will eventually need to be picked back up and binned.  The courtyard has become a pond and the backyard a lake.  But otherwise, it's all good.  Thoughts and prayers go north to the people being effected now by the storm (and on into Georgia and the Carolinas!)

Soon this will be over and things will go back to what passes for normal.  But in th e meantime, just wanted to reassure everyone that all is well.  Wet, but well.

I'll attach a few photos I took between rainbands on our property.  If it lets up later, I'll head to the beach and see what photos I can get there!  

​Hugs all 'round.