We Survived Ernesto!

Forecasters warned of the eminent danger posed by the mighty storm "Ernesto." Around-the-clock coverage of Ernesto's path sent messages to everyone in Florida: "Prepare for the big one!" "Buy supplies! Ready your home!" And, it didn't help that every news station was running special stories on the year anniversary of Katrina between their bits on Ernesto, just to build the suspense even more. This storm was due to hit us on Wednesday afternoon, with effects felt for a 12-hour span. Our schools were closed. Residents were urged to remain safely inside their homes for the day. Emergency shelters were open. Ready or not, here he comes...

Today was the day Ernesto hit. It was a rough one, too. After my second cup of coffee, I was awake enough to look outside and notice a few raindrops on the ground. I stayed in my pajamas until at least 11:00am--the point where you tell yourself you better throw on some clothes in case a neighbor comes knocking. Normally you wouldn't have to worry about this in the middle of a huge tropical storm, but, sure enough, our neighbors came by a couple hours later to see if Aidan and Cotter wanted to take a walk with them. I didn't apply sunscreen, but pediatricians probably would've recommended it on a day like today. Later in the afternoon, we got a few scattered showers and even a threat of a threat of a tornado about 30 miles away. I was thankful for that, because I needed a little drama. The true storm wasn't actually supposed to be right on our head until later in the evening. So, at that point, the rain did become a little more steady, making it fun for the kids to go splashing in the porch. I heard one clap of thunder the entire day. And, concerning the "potential for damaging winds," a one-year-old could blow out birthday candles with more force than Ernesto unleashed on our city. This all leads me to wonder one thing: just how much are the Home Depots and oil companies sponsoring the Weather Channel anyway?

Roy suggested we need to make a line of T-Shirts that say, "I survived Ernesto!"