Yesterday, I got a taste of what it’s like to be without power for a few hours. Apparently, there was a major traffic accident near my home involving a power pole and a big transformer box at the corner intersection. Everything fell eerily still and silent. No blinking lights, no attempts to restart the power like it normally does during a power outage. It took almost 5 hours before power was finally restored.

Due to the rain and cloud cover, the house was dark mid-afternoon. I had a small flashlight, candles and matches readily available, plus my cell phone, which was only about 1/2 way charged. On my to-do list for yesterday was to buy D batteries for the other flashlights and radio, plus charge up my Daylight lamp and small portable battery bank.

I took care of all that last night and this morning – plus removed yard ornaments, cushions and secured other things that might go flying in heavy winds. Home Depot and nearby retail stores were out of D batteries, but I managed to snag some at a CVS a few miles away. I have my books, word search, playing cards and handwork (embroidery/EPP) ready to go. Water and non-perishable snacks are ready. The 10′ ladder is in the garage waiting to prop up the garage door in case I need to get out when there’s no power. I’ll finish up all the laundry this afternoon, take a hot shower and wash and blow dry my hair. All in case the power is out for an extended period of time after the storm.

The weather forecasts are all over the map. It’s hard to know exactly who to believe. The storm is estimated to come ashore anywhere from a Cat 2 to Cat 5 hurricane. The forecaster I trust the most is calling for a Cat 3 hurricane at landfall closer to Cedar Key. We’ll still get rain and wind, but the worst of it will be east of I-85 – on the other side of town from where I live. I hope he’s right. Anyhow, I’m planning to hunker down in the basement with Sadie for the night. We’ll deal with whatever we need to once the storm passes.

Stay safe out there!

Well, I was planning to attend the Asheville Quilt Show this week.

Slight change of plans due to the hurricane brewing down in the Gulf of Mexico. We’re slated to get nasty weather here in Atlanta Wednesday – Friday and Asheville is to get the same mess Thursday – Saturday. I have no desire to drive 4 hours each way in torrential rain on unfamiliar roads. I cancelled my hotel reservations. 😦

Sure, I’d love to see the quilts, demos and vendors (especially the FW guy who is supposed to be there), but I have a lot of projects that need to be worked on here. My school is on break next week and TR has already put hubs on notice to head to the FL Panhandle once the storm passes through. Think I’ll take advantage of having the house to myself for a few days and sew.

Sadie and I have a college visit today. Then, it’s off to the grocery store. We’ve been eating up what we have on hand and I haven’t done any real grocery shopping for three weeks. The fridge and pantry are in need of a little restock before the storm hits.

Stay safe out there!

In late June, I wrote about receiving my official retirement notification letter from TRS. That letter merely set into motion a series of steps that had to be completed before I would be through the new retiree process. I’m happy to report the final step of awarding service credit for unused sick leave is currently in process and the additional 1/2 year of service credit will be added to my benefit calculations retroactively to August 1st. This means is will have taken five plus months from the date of that letter to get everything resolved.

It’s been a journey. Last week, a health plan drop notice caused momentary panic. Turns out it was a mere formality needed to stop billing notices when premiums started being deducted from my monthly pension check. All is well. Health insurance premiums are being deducted as they are supposed to and we’ve received all the open enrollment information for our 2025 plan choices.

Now, if all the damned political ads would disappear! I cannot wait for this silly season to be behind us.

done.