October 11th, 2018

Sorry there was no blogpost yesterday.  You can blame  Michael for that.  While we are only getting some wind, rain and terrific wave action, as opposed to those poor people that got hammered in the panhandle, apparently it was enough to interrupt internet service. Which, yesterday, meant no computers, no phones and no TV.

It was..........frustrating.  I felt completely cut off from the rest of the world. We have all become so very dependent upon computers anymore. I'm not certain this is 100% a good thing.

And speaking of Hurricane Michael, for all of you lovely, sweet, dear people who have tried to contact me and ask if we are okay. Yes thank you, We are absolutely fine :)  This Hurricane made landfall up in the panhandle of Florida.  Here is a quick geography lesson:

We live about halfway down the left side of Florida.  The panhandle, obviously is that part of Florida (the blue bit on the map) that runs horizontally right up there underneath Georgia  (in red) and Alabama (in green).  And from where we live to let's say, the capital of Florida, Tallahassee which is in that area,  is 225 miles away from Venice Island and about a 5 hour drive.  We were well out of the danger zone.

Still, it's very rainy and windy today , and while I do have internet once again, thank goodness, and I am ever so grateful that the hurricane didn't land here, I am so sympathetic to those in Michael's path.  Hurricanes are amazingly powerful and destructive.  As everyone in the panhandle knows for sure.

Panhandle is a funny term isn't it?  I've heard of the panhandle of Texas, that bit that sticks straight up at the top and of course the panhandle of Florida but there are other states with odd bits that stick out and I don't recall those referred to as "panhandles".  Oklahoma comes immediately to mind.  That literally does look like a pan's handle! (and frankly it's the only one that looks like it's name) but I've never heard the term, 'The Oklahoma panhandle'  But maybe I've just never been around anyone who said it.  Utah has that little pokeyuppy part on it's top left side.  Missouri has a sort of hook on it's bottom right part.  I actually lived in St. Louis Missouri for a short time and I never heard that part referred to as a panhandle.  Or a hook come to think of it.

The Cape Cod part of Massachusetts could be thought of as a panhandle sort of area, but no, it's just "the Cape".   Although it doens't look one bit like an actual cape to me.  Louisiana has a part on the bottom right that shoves out horizontally but it's more like the toe of a boot than a handle.  And you know, when I look at Texas on the map, it's sticking out in all sorts of directions!  But only one part is the 'panhandle'. Interesting.  New Mexico also has a little  downward jog on it's lower left part which is also not called a pan handle.  So what do you suppose the qualification must be to be considered such?  Just an idle curiosity on my part.  Does anyone know the answer though?

Soooo. At least for the moment, I'm back up and functioning again Hurrah!  It's wet and yucky out but not destructive. And we all had a geography lesson.  All in all, not a bad day!

Hope yours is a good one!

Hugs all 'round!  And everyone who was worried about us?  Thank you so much for caring!