Well, everything here is still up in the air.
We can't tell yet what the hurricane might do, but most of the forecasts are now predicting it will make landfall north of us. I hope so, the storm is now category 4 with winds of 130+ mph. It's very, very dangerous and I hope it just spins out to sea and peters out over the colder North Atlantic ocean. It could still head this way, though, so we're watching it closely and hoping for the best.
As for the call I got on Tuesday with a message left asking me to come in for an interview, I haven't been able to get back in touch with the lady. I called several times that afternoon and yesterday, and left two voicemails. No response. Today I decided that I've tried enough; I didn't call and I'm just waiting to see what happens. It seems really odd that someone would leave me a message asking for an interview but then not respond at all when I try repeatedly to get back in touch. The position is for this woman's secretary. She's the superintendent of curriculum and education for a local public school district. I'm hoping she's just busy and in dire need of a secretary. Maybe she'll call tomorrow. It's not the end of the world if she doesn't but I really want the job.
So, today has been all about taking a "wait and see" approach....on all fronts.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Hurricane!
Well, it looks like we're going to be starting October off with a bang--a great big hurricane is headed our way. It came as a surprise to me, since I haven't been following the local weather forecast very closely.
My husband called me in to look at the storm track projections tonight and there it was: hurricane Joachim, growing bigger by the minute and headed our way. They're saying it might end up as a category 3 storm by the time it makes landfall, and believe me, that's no joke. A category 3 hurricane can have sustained winds of over 120mph, and my area is expecting anywhere from 12 to 18 inches of rain no matter where the storm comes ashore....that's going to mean serious flooding.
So the next day or two will be spent going through emergency supplies and preparing. We have plenty of non perishable food, bottled water, and the like, but we need to stock up on batteries and candles, gas up the cars, remove any unsecured items from the yard, and make sure that we have everything we'll need if we're stuck at home (possibly without power and/or water) for a few days.
We're old hands at this stuff. You can't grow up on the East Coast and not know how to handle a hurricane.
If we don't blow away first, I'll keep you all updated!
My husband called me in to look at the storm track projections tonight and there it was: hurricane Joachim, growing bigger by the minute and headed our way. They're saying it might end up as a category 3 storm by the time it makes landfall, and believe me, that's no joke. A category 3 hurricane can have sustained winds of over 120mph, and my area is expecting anywhere from 12 to 18 inches of rain no matter where the storm comes ashore....that's going to mean serious flooding.
So the next day or two will be spent going through emergency supplies and preparing. We have plenty of non perishable food, bottled water, and the like, but we need to stock up on batteries and candles, gas up the cars, remove any unsecured items from the yard, and make sure that we have everything we'll need if we're stuck at home (possibly without power and/or water) for a few days.
We're old hands at this stuff. You can't grow up on the East Coast and not know how to handle a hurricane.
If we don't blow away first, I'll keep you all updated!
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Rain, more rain, and one bright spot!
Today is my last day off of a 6 day stretch of vacation time I've used up and guess what? It's rained off and on Every. Single. Day.
I had such plans for outdoor chores: cleaning up the yard, gathering pine straw for mulching, cleaning out and washing my car, giving the dogs baths (I can't bathe them inside. Lifting them into the bathtub is hell on my back, and I've been dealing with pulled muscles for a month now. I'm not looking to make it worse!) and taking the dogs on a couple of individual trips to Jeffries Creek park. Sadly, none of that stuff got done. Stupid rain!
We did manage to take the dogs out for walks around the neighborhood every day even though we ended up caught in the rain twice. This morning I took both of them to the little park down the road in between showers. They love it there.
After our walk, I got home to discover that I had a missed call...from someone who wants to interview me for a job! So even though it's already raining again, my afternoon had a bright spot!
I had such plans for outdoor chores: cleaning up the yard, gathering pine straw for mulching, cleaning out and washing my car, giving the dogs baths (I can't bathe them inside. Lifting them into the bathtub is hell on my back, and I've been dealing with pulled muscles for a month now. I'm not looking to make it worse!) and taking the dogs on a couple of individual trips to Jeffries Creek park. Sadly, none of that stuff got done. Stupid rain!
We did manage to take the dogs out for walks around the neighborhood every day even though we ended up caught in the rain twice. This morning I took both of them to the little park down the road in between showers. They love it there.
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| My sweet girl! |
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| George climbing on the playground equipment and rocking his weighted backpack! |
After our walk, I got home to discover that I had a missed call...from someone who wants to interview me for a job! So even though it's already raining again, my afternoon had a bright spot!
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Full Moon, Blood Moon, Harvest Moon
Well, tonight is the big harvest moon/lunar eclipse/super moon and we won't be seeing any of it. It's been pouring rain for days and days. Oh well, such is life.
To celebrate the spirit of tonight's moon, I'm cooking my first batch of chili this year, and I spent a cosy afternoon decorating for fall and Halloween. It's almost October, after all.
I love decorating the mantle over the fireplace. It may be hard to see, but there is a candle with the first line of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, and two big pumpkin shaped votive candleholders at either end.
This is our living room. The two jack o lanterns are turned around for the picture, but they're actually arranged so that they're grinning out of the front windows.
Happy Full Moon to you all, and I hope that everyone that wishes to see the eclipse has clear skies tonight!
To celebrate the spirit of tonight's moon, I'm cooking my first batch of chili this year, and I spent a cosy afternoon decorating for fall and Halloween. It's almost October, after all.
I love decorating the mantle over the fireplace. It may be hard to see, but there is a candle with the first line of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, and two big pumpkin shaped votive candleholders at either end.
This is our living room. The two jack o lanterns are turned around for the picture, but they're actually arranged so that they're grinning out of the front windows.
Happy Full Moon to you all, and I hope that everyone that wishes to see the eclipse has clear skies tonight!
Friday, September 25, 2015
The Cephalopod Coffeehouse September Book Review--The Little Stranger
It's time for The Cephalopod Coffeehouse, hosted by The Armchair Squid.
My favorite read for the month of September, without a doubt, was The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.
From the Goodreads site:
The Little Stranger
by Sarah Waters
The Little Stranger follows the strange adventures of Dr. Faraday, the son of a maid who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country doctor. One dusty postwar summer in his home of rural Warwickshire, he is called to a patient at Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for more than two centuries, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline-its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, the clock in its stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more ominous than a dying way of life? Little does Dr. Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become entwined with his.
Sarah Waters might just be my new favorite novelist. I seem to gravitate to female British authors and Waters is so very skillful. I read The Paying Guests early in the month, and was really impressed with it. My only criticism of that book was that the ending fell a little flat. I wanted to try one more of Waters novels since I liked her writing style so much. And The Little Stranger is one of my favorite kinds of stories: a gothic tale in the vein of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca.
The book is creepy, but in a very subtle way. It takes it's time and the dread builds slowly; from the very beginning you're not sure whether the house is haunted, the people are all going mad, or if someone is deliberately trying to terrify the Ayers family. Waters is an excellent writer, and the book is so well written that you keep turning pages even when the plot is moving slowly. And the ending is so very worth it! It's masterfully done, in my humble opinion., so much better than the ending to The Paying Guests. I've been pressing The Little Stranger on my friends (the ones who like this sort of novel) and I wish one of them would hurry up and finish soon so I can discuss the ending with someone! The last couple of chapters will send a cold chill down your spine and leave behind a lingering haunted feeling. 4.5 stars.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Religion in a Nut Shell
I think this pretty much sums the major ones up, don't you?
Enjoy the giggle.
Enjoy the giggle.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
A toast to you, my blogging friends!
I just wanted to say this--I love you all, my friends in this strange world of blogging. I don't have more than a small handful of casual friends in my everyday life, and as a person that frequently feels a bit lonely and isolated, I want you all to know how much your friendship means to me.
I love getting glimpses of life in faraway places that I may never get to actually visit. I love hearing about your families and gardens and trips. I care about your pets. I grieve with you during hard times and worry about you, too. My world is a bigger place with all of you in it. Thank you. You guys are the best!
I love getting glimpses of life in faraway places that I may never get to actually visit. I love hearing about your families and gardens and trips. I care about your pets. I grieve with you during hard times and worry about you, too. My world is a bigger place with all of you in it. Thank you. You guys are the best!
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| Taken recently while out to dinner with work mates...toasting friendships that make life easier and better. The same sentiment applies here! |
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Spider Lily Time
You know it's almost the Autumn Equinox when Spider Lilies start to pop up around the edges of the lawn.
They're called Spider Lilies for obvious reasons. I think they're very pretty, for flowers that are practically weeds!
They're called Spider Lilies for obvious reasons. I think they're very pretty, for flowers that are practically weeds!
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