Smithereens

Hurricane Sandy arrived today. She is currently sweeping her way across the eastern shore, sending millions into the realm of blinking and/or knocked out lights. 

Sandy got her in the end.

Her trail across the northern sky is made up of breached riverbanks (sorry tri-city area), autumn debris (R.I.P my stylish pumpkin) and brilliant curses (please reference @AHurricaneSandy). As stories go, some winners here.

But we are not on the coast. We are not flooded. And the "hurricane party" that Sisterita and I threw ourselves was one step above a normal Monday and one step below the brunch of 2011. And no where near the infamy of 2008's string of Charlie, Irene and that-storm-whose-name-I-still-cannot-be-bothered-to-remember.

On the bright side there is pie. There is wine. There is even a smorgasbord of cooked meats and sides (Sisterita cooks when anxious)! And we have candles that smell like cider and things are lovely!

Aside from the fact that the door is being whipped mercilessly by the wind, there is a nice calm around the place. It is an old house; thus, it creaks. We may end up with some spiderweb cracking in some areas. But, you know. Things happen.

There are a few great lessons to be learned for the observant 20-something in a situation like this! Allow me to share the not-so-obvious (and a few of the truly obvious) lessons with you:

Catholic Candles!

1. There is no excuse for poorly chosen footwear in Hurricane season. I watched a small child today run around in flip flops. I stared at her mother with complete judgment; ignoring the obvious problem of the maelstrom named Sandy, it is 39 degrees outside. As in SEVEN degrees above freezing.
2.  Wine is just as important as water. Yes, I said it. We have three global regions and four grapes represented in four separate bottles. Obviously, we will not drink them all, but for true hurricane preparedness, you simply musn't forget the important things.
3. We live in a society obsessed by sensational images...especially fake ones. Aside from the proud patriotic shot from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I have to say, these images never seemed all that real to me...
4. Candles are not cheap--unless you go the Catholic route. That's right, Sisterita and I opted for the very, very economical choice of advent candles. Seriously. We saved $3.00 a candle! And they have a Guardian Angel on them! Now, while I am not sure that I am any more protected, we certainly have covered the bases. It has the additional advantage of helping our prayers turn the rain into falling droplets of wine...see Lesson #2.
5. Hurricane preparedness requires candy. Especially in anticipation of Halloween.
6. Nothing is sacred. @AHurricaneSandy
7. Work is a last priority. I am not sure if this is a lesson? Or a simple truth? But something about the natural world all topsy turvy makes a person a little less obsessed with reports and the like. 

 

Yeah. I just really wanted a post entitled "Smithereens." Sorry that nothing was actually destroyed in the making of this post.