Borepatch, the QOTW, and Wolfgang are all okay.
Borepatch will give a full report when they are reconnected with the modern world. Neither he or I know when that might be. I heard from him by text message tonight. I don't have much any other information, but I know the regulars were waiting for some report so there ya go.
Generator works - some spray brake cleaner through the carburetor did the trick. Thanks to everyone who left a comment - useful info.
We have lots of water and food, batteries, and everything. All in all we're bedded in tighter than a tick on a dog.
But this looks like a big one, and the eye of a CAT 4 hurricane will pass within 20 miles. Weather Underground says it should pass late today. Good luck to the Florida bloggers.
And Wolfgang doesn't want to go out to do his business when the wind is blowing the rain horizontally. I expect he'll reconsider once his eyes start to cross.
Damn generator won't start. It will almost start - start to turn over, but then shuts off. Here's the situation:
And especially if you're trying to predict a hurricane's track.
Divemedic has a great series of posts up about hurricane preparedness (this post will lead you to the others). He sounds ready.
The Queen Of The World and I are ready, too, although I'll get another 5 gallons of gas for the generator tomorrow. We have some things that Divemedic didn't include on his list. For example, a Homer Bucket (5 gallon orange bucket from Home Depot) with a toilet seat and some cat litter makes a makeshift toilet. Hope we don't need that one, but it's not a bad idea - although Divemedic's idea of filling the bath tub for toilet flush water will be plan #1 ...
But he also points out that predicting the track of a hurricane is not the most accurate science. We're keeping our eyes on the forecast, and it's changing multiple times a day:
I don't mind if the storm track moves away from us, but there's no reason it can't move back again. We both are pretty confident that we can ride this out if it does, and the running around earlier was time well spent.
But Divemedic's post is today's must-read if you're anywhere near the southeast.
I don't know, But I Just Want 2 Ride sums up what's going on. If you're a two-wheels-down sort of reader, you should go check it out.
In other news, I Just Want 2 Ride is still posting. I think the first time I linked there is seven years ago which is pretty long for the blogsosphere.
I had a wonderful childhood.
My friends and I used to stick each other in old tires and roll down the big hill.
Those were Goodyears.
Shamelessly stolen from Jennifer who has a bunch of them. This one may not even be the funniest.
And if you go to Key West, you can visit them at the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Children's Animal Farm. It's located at the county jail, and got started more or less by accident:
The farm was started in 1994 in an open area underneath the jail facility. The Stock Island Detention Center was built to withstand a Category Five Hurricane, and is built on stilts, about 11 feet above the ground. Underneath the building is employee parking, and a secure fenced area used for the evacuation of inmates in the case of a fire. It was in this evacuation area, initially a graveled area not used for anything else, that the farm was started.The inmates work the farm, taking care of the animals, under the supervision of one of the Deputies. I must say that The Queen Of The World and I heartily approve of this. It rescues animals, and it has got to be good for the inmates.
The farm began as a haven for homeless animals. The first inhabitants were Muscovy ducks and a group of chickens which were plaguing a nearby golf course and were being killed on a regular basis by vehicles traveling on the road leading to the jail. A short time after the chickens and ducks were brought to the area, the SPCA in Miami called and asked if the facility would have space for a blind horse they had found abandoned in their area. Using inmate labor, a pen was created for the horse, who was christened Angel, and the animal farm was born. Since, it has blossomed into a beautiful park, complete with an large aviary, reptile exhibit, rabbit warren, farm animals and other domestic and exotic animal species.
Actually, it's more correct to call this "Academy Award nominated Duke Ellington" since he was nominated for the 1961 Best Original Score Oscar. He (and fellow nominee Dmitri Shostakovitch) lost to the West Side Story steamroller (10 awards that year). But "Paris Blues" is an interesting flick - stars include Sidney Poitier and Diane Carroll matched against Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and Louis Armstrong made an appearance as well.
It's not the typical Sunday Classical fare but it's pretty terrific.
It's been ages since I put up some blues here. So here's Joe B. and Clapton.
You're welcome.
Did you hear about the explosion in the French cheese factory? There was nothing left but de Brie.
Dr. Samizdat has changed his practice, for quite good reasons:
There is no doubt that hospitals are, in this day and time, among the most dangerous places to find oneself surrounded by. The thing I love about what I do now, compared to years past, is that 99% of what I do is considered to be outpatient. I stepped back from a component of my practice that was complex, high-risk, and in my estimation after two decades of experience, had limited impact upon survival relative to what I do now. One of the reasons I altered my focus is that while the hospitals were more than happy to have that complex, high-risk practice under their rooves, they weren't willing to spend the money to provide adequate ancillary support to maintain satisfactory, SAFE postoperative care. These were faith-based institutions, mind you.
You really should go read his post. The health care system in this country will not survive under these conditions.
The iconic fighter plane from World War II for England was the Spitfire. But the Brits won the Battle of Britain with a Spitfire-Hurricane team. So which was more effective?
It seems that the answer is the Hurricane. Consider:
Christine Lee Hansen was 2 1/2. She was going to Disney with her parents when their plane, United Airlines Flight 175, was hijacked by Muslim extremists and flown into the Trade Center in New York City. She was the youngest person to die on 9/11. Her father was holding her on his lap as the impact occurred. We know this because he was on the phone with his dad as it happened.
Dead at 95, the second longest reigning monarch in modern history (behind Louis XIV). She now rejoins her beloved Prince Philip who no doubt has a gleam in his eye and a prank readied for the reunion.
Her type will not be seen again - wiser and tougher than younger heads of state. Remember, she learned to shoot at 14 by using Winston Churchill's tommy gun.
May flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest.
Peter writes about how a bunch of folks underestimate just how hard subsistence farming really is. "Green Acres" is funny because Oliver Wendell Douglas doesn't have the faintest idea how to farm, but it's just a TV show. Reality is different.
Just how different is shown nicely by a very interesting young lady from China. Li Ziqi has a farm where she grows pretty much everything she eats. The Queen Of The World found her Youtube channel and I find it to be very relaxing to watch - the music is soothing and the videography is simply spectacular. There's a reason that her videos have been viewed almost 3 billion times.
But if you watch you will see just how hard she works. Her life looks rewarding, but she works increibly hard for it. Folks thinking that they'll set up a couple acre farm for the End Times should really watch a few of her videos just to get a sense of what they are getting in for.
