Hurricane Season Ends Today!

Once again, we've come through relatively unscathed. Another hurricane season come and gone. For the third year in a row, there have been 19 named storms in the Atlantic/Caribbean area. It's pretty unusual to have this level of storm activity in any three-year period. Dr. Jeff Masters, founder of Weather Underground, said that "Since 1851, only two seasons--2005 (28 named storms) and 1933 (20 named storms)--have been busier than 2010, 2011, and 2012."

Preliminary 2012 Atlantic Storms

Even though today is officially the last day of the season, it's wise to keep a weather eye peeled for a couple more weeks. There's always the possibility for a late, out-of-season storm to hit us. As we used to say in  another life - "Relax, but don't go limp."

Hard to believe that six months just blew by (pun intended) like that. Now all we need is for the skies to clear up so the sun can shine unimpeded and warm our pool back up. Seventy-six degrees just ain't cutting it. We took down the awning once again to encourage that warming process, but with the sun hiding behind a cloud bank, that becomes a tall order.

Anyway, if you've been holding your breath, waiting for the next storm to strike, you can begin to exhale now. Slowly, slowly... There. Now, don't you feel better?

It's Gonna Be A Hurricane... No, Wait A Tropical Storm.. No, Wait...

Hunker in the Bunker. No, wait. You can relax. No, better hunker...

Ernesto - Now He Wants To Be A Hurricane

Thanks to the National Hurricane Center for the image above, and for the good work they do. I get obsessed this time of year - looking at every message and map that they produce. I'm so glad they look our for our area too. I really appreciate it. But, I'm digressing, aren't I?

I'm beginning to think Ernesto doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up. Or maybe he just has ADD (apparently, he's not the only one).

Lack of focus on the task at hand. "Hey! Ernesto. Pay attention here. There's people watching you."

You're out there just playing in the warm Caribbean waters, listening to some fine Reggae - especially since you're passing Jamaica. But, you gotta concentrate, man. One thing or the other. You can't just let things wander all over the place. Next thing you know, people'll start thinkin' you drool some too. That can't be good.

You want them to think you're sharp, don'tcha? Sure you do. Focus, focus, focus.

We dutifully took down our awning fabric. Now, within an hour of taking the awning down, the pool temperature zoomed up to 91 (f). We were just about ready to bring stuff down to the pool house, which is serving as our hurricane bunker, when I checked the latest charts. Nope. It's back to a storm, so we can sort of relax (not forgetting the shellacking Arthur gave us a couple of years ago).

I get up this morning, check things out. Whoops, we're back to being hit by a hurricane. So, my schedule for today, now, is to put up the plywood over the louvers, move the important stuff down to the pool house, make sure everything loose is nailed down, put away, or some how gotten rid of, just so we have fewer opportunities for wayward missiles and such. This includes chopping the coconuts off the trees. You just don't need these cannonballs flying around if you don't have to.

I don't think from the map, that Ernesto's going to make much of a hurricane, but still, a hurricane's a hurricane. Know what I'm saying? Sustained winds of 74 to 110 miles-per-hour and higher gusts. Yeh, cannonballs and scrap wood and other crap that wasn't nailed down. Who needs it?

I think I may roll the dice and not take down the weather station. I'm curious to see what the actual wind speeds will be, so I'll tempt fate with that. Satellite dishes? Hmmm. I'll wait and see till later today.

In the meantime, I've got more than enough stuff to do to keep myself busy and focused.