Tuesday, June 21, 2011

not so much gale storm as zasu pitts


It has begun.


Well, something has.  Beatriz is not yet here.  No sailboats have flown by the house on there way to dry dock at the hardware store.


But we have had winds.  More than breezes.  Nice gusts of wind.  Almost all day on Monday.


And then the rain.  Not a lot.  Not like what we receive at the height of the rainy season when I feel as if I live on a canal in Venice.  Just a brief steady downpour.  But not what we are still expecting.  A bit like Mike Huckabee warming up for the Grateful Dead.


I was going to put off preparing for any storm that may come our way until at least Tuesday morning.  But the wind and sprinkles were fair warning to get it done now.


I tracked down the water truck guy and bought a 4 liter bottle of water.  Then I ventured to the Pemex station to fill my tank.  Usually, a few drops of rain and we are without electricity for anywhere from a couple of hours to a few days.  No electricity, no pumps to pump gasoline.  And then I straightened up a few items outside that might develop unknown aerodynamic skills.


Tuesday morning (storm day), I will stop by the local store and buy a bag of ice.  After all, when the electricity ceases to run down the wires to my house, the refrigerator will stop cooling.  And I will not want to open the door unless it is necessary.  So my sandwich materials will penguin peacefully in the ice chest.


And the last thing for Monday – while I still have internet – is to put up this post.  Giving the impression I am in contact.  When I may or may not be.


But I assure you I will not be doing what these boys were doing on Monday evening.  Trying to take advantage of the challenge of the storm.


13 comments:

Art Moretti said...

"penguin" makes a nice verb. 

LeslieLimon said...

The adventures of rain season!  (I'm still waiting.)  And when it does, I'll need to prepare for the electricity outages as well like making sure the tinacos have plenty of water.  The well's water pump doesn't work without electricity.  And make sure the cell phones, handheld video games, batteries and Kindle are all charged.

Hope you are safe and out of harm's way.

Steve Cotton said...

I thought as much.

Steve Cotton said...

So far, nothing.  We have sprinkles and the swallows are having a glorious morning feeding on all the new insects.  But the day is young.

Steve Cotton said...

Because of my frequent travels, I am in the habit of keeping the electronics well-charged.  After I do my Bible reading on my cell phone this morning, it is headed back to the cradle.  For some reason, the backup bsttery for my computer gear is acting up.  But I will have little use for it if the internet goes down.

ANM said...

In New Orleans, in preparation for hurricane, one also filled the bath-tub with water, taped the windows to avoid flying glass and slightly cracked them to allow equilization of atmospheric pressures in the hope of preventing their blowing out.

I do not miss hurricane preparation which now reminds me of a quote from Mark Twain, which I will not get entirely right, but the meaning will be there:  "I suffered a great many calamities in this life, some of which were even true."

ANM

Steve Cotton said...

We are a far simpler folk here.  No bat tubs -- and no gin.  And enough ventilation holes in the houses that pressures are eternally equal.

I see that old Mr. Clemens and I share a bit of experience.

Laurie Matherne said...

Batteries, flashlights, candles, playing cards, scrabble . .. things everyone needs during a tempest. 

Kim G said...

"Penguin" as a verb? I'm not sure I grackle that.

But I hope you've ridden out the storm.

Buena suerte.

Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we keep missing hurricanes, especially the ones I prepare for.

Steve Cotton said...

And I can use them without a tempest -- as it turns out.

Steve Cotton said...

This one was a real bust.  As you will discover in a few moments.  It looked like a freight train and turned out to be nothing more than a Lionel.

Art Moretti said...

Fact: freight trains can be deceptively quiet.

Steve Cotton said...

Well, this one was as quiet as nuns at prayer.