For the first time in a long time (2003 was Isabelle who was a minor Cat 1 hurricane - although she created a lot of flooding) that we've had a serious hurricane.  Irene is a big girl - and packing a wallop - she's going to be a Cat 3 at the Outer Banks and could be a Cat 2 when it get to us - much more than we've had in this century!

The backyard has been picked up - the porch is clean - the garbage goes out tomorrow and then the cans go in the garage - the loose fence sections have been securely tied to the posts - the storm windows have all be lowered on the east facing windows - water and food are ready.

There's a generator in the garage that's never been used - tomorrow we will fill the gas can for it - and keep our fingers crossed that we won't need it.

I'm hoping that Sunday afternoon the sun will come out (it's definitely going to be humid!!), the lights will be on, the A/C will be humming along and all this will be over.

"The earth moved under my feet" but the sky didn't come tumblin down. Well, I can now say that I've been through an earthquake - certainly never thought I'd say that!!  5.9 and the building at Oceanfront shook - the lights, which hang down on rods were rocking back and forth!! And this was from an earthquake over 100 miles away!! Quite exciting - especially since there wasn't any damage or anything around here!!  Now we're preparing for Hurricane Irene which is turning out to be a much bigger storm than we've seen in many years - hopefully she'll be a nice lady and stay out to sea - but right now the forecast is for a Cat 4 at Hatteras and a strong 1 almost a 2 here.  The last hurricane we had (Isabelle in 2003) was a weak 1 and I had no power for 7 days!  SIGH

I miss being special . . . I hadn't thought of it that way until just now . . . but that's the feeling  - not being special.

I've learned that I truly don't have a life outside of work . . . well, actually I have a life just not a fun, social life.  How sad is that?  Now to decide what to do about it - I am so not a people person that it's very difficult for me to "mingle" especially with strangers . . .

PS I don't really have a social life at work either but that's ok!!

This isn't exactly how I anticipated spending what was, until March, our anniversary . . .  but life is what it is and it's now just another day in my life.  It's a lonely time because it's really only the second time I've been alone - and the first time I wasn't truly alone because there were children who needed to be tended and cared for.  Right now my future - which I had anticipated spending with someone - looks a bit bleak but that doesn't mean it will stay that way.

In the meantime, I have work and family and those are all good things.

The news has been so bad recently - both with the military and with the economy.  So many deaths in Afghanistan . . . and I'm not sure what the purpose is . . . surely we can learn from the past - taking over certainly didn't work for the Russians and it isn't working for us . . . bring them home!

As for the economy, it's just scary - it didn't seem that scary in 1987 or even 2008 but it certainly seems scary now. I was hoping to retire but that doesn't seem realistic right now . . . SIGH

All in all though, I should be very grateful - I have a job I enjoy; my sons are both healthy and well; and things are ok . . .