Showing posts with label survival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label survival. Show all posts

August 10, 2024

Here and gone - Tropical Depression Debby

Hurricane Debby was a tropical storm by the time it reached us. The radar map looked scary, but while the sprawling storm brought a lot of rain, at my location there was very little wind. For that I am grateful.

The weather broadcasts I watched frightened me. This was the first major round of dangerous weather since Ron passed back in March. My head knew that even if he were still with us, damage control would fall on me. Knowing that didn't ease my mind any. I prepared for the worst and got the generator ready.

The rains came, slow and steady. Over Wednesday night and all day Thursday, I waited for the sump pump to begin to cycle. It didn't. I knew the ground was dry and the slow, soaking rain was just what we needed to replenish the earth. It was daybreak on Friday before the sump pump cycled, and then it was only for a couple of hours. The power grid coughed up one tiny flicker but stayed on. Deuce, Loki, and I made it through. I'm grateful for the lack of strong winds because there is very little clean-up to do in the woods. 

I weathered the storm in more ways than one. I missed having Ron to talk to and to counsel me, that is to say remind me, to check the basement and use the binoculars to keep an eye on the lane. My friends had more faith than I - only one called to check on me. I'll remember her in my prayers, for sure. 

It's now Saturday and the sky is blue and the sun is shining. It's a steamy August day, and it's easy to forget my worries during the week just past. 

That's what we need to do. Forget and forge ahead. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway


Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, Hurricane Debby, dangerous weather, rural living, country lifestyle, a writer's life, survival, generator, fear, worry, forge ahead, rain gauge


March 23, 2020

Strange days indeed


I'm not sure where to begin. Perhaps with a question: How do you know you have enough to survive?


As I write this, we are on a sort of house arrest due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. The government has "asked" us to self-quarantine except for emergencies. 

What constitutes an emergency? 

People have gone mad. The shelves in grocery stores are bare. Toilet paper, of all things, is being hoarded. Bottled hand sanitizer cannot be found. Most groceries now have programs where you can order online and pick up your order. As of last night, if I order today I can pick up in two weeks. 

I'm concerned about having to walk the aisles in the grocery store, especially if I can't purchase the items on my list. 

Will I have enough water in the cistern to get by? 

Will I have enough money to get by? 

Watching the homesteaders on YouTube is not just for entertainment any longer. It's become more of a how-to for our modern times. 

These are strange days and I wonder who I will be if I live through them. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor