Annunciation | NOLA

A glorious cold front came through. It’s like Mother Nature’s way of saying “sorry for all the really crappy weather the last few weeks.” I’m sure it’s a relief for the people who are still waiting for their electricity to come back on. My brother-in-law in Baton Rouge finally got power on the 11th and another friend as of Saturday still didn’t have power. It will get hot again I know. But not beastly hot like August.

The power and size of Ike really took people by surprise. And while I don’t want to wish harm or disaster on anyone, there was some smug satisfaction to all those who after Katrina said things like “why do people live down there where they get hurricanes?” Flooding in Indiana and Ohio from a tropical storm? Who would have thunk it. Weather happens. Everywhere. Talking with a friend of mine who I grew up with in Florida, I was surprised how little she knew about hurricanes. I later realized there weren’t many big storms then, not until Andrew, not like now. I’ve become an expert on them after living in New Orleans. People here still talk about hurricanes Betsy (1965) and Camille (1969). I couldn’t believe the people on the Texas barrier island who were staying for Ike. It’s not crazy to live somewhere hurricanes hit, it’s crazy to stay when a hurricane is coming right at you. People on the news in coastal Texas and Louisiana said things like “the water’s never gotten this high” or “I’ve never seen the water come up so fast.” Every storm is different and you just never know what’s going to happen. I slacked off this year on my hurricane food supply. Thankfully we haven’t needed it, but I’m not going to let it slide again. Here to hoping this is my last hurricane related post for a long time.