Damage

This is what I woke up to this morning.  A huge old tree fell from the winds on the back side of tropical storm Colin.  The main trunk fell between two of the goose pens and stretches across the paddock to the chicken coops.  Remarkably, all the geese and chickens are alive.

I found my geese in that one little corner of their pen that was not crushed.  They were smart and fast to be alive this morning.

At this point I am thankful that all my birds are alive, but overwhelmed.  I have no idea where the geese will go tonight.  I cannot get to the chickens.  I am in my 60's, disabled and I don't have the a chain saw.  I ask for your prayers as I try to figure things out.

Tropical Storm Colin

I spent the last couple of days preparing for tropical storm Colin.  Fortunately it was not a strong storm, and we have received less rain than we expected.  I have been able to do farm chores between the rain bands.  Although I am close to the coast, I am far enough inland that I was not affected by the storm surge that has caused flooding in other areas.

The geese were disappointed to stay in their pens today, but even the heaviest of the geese can fly with a good wind, and I wanted to avoid injuries if they had a rough landing.

The back side of the storm will go through tonight, and tomorrow I will be able to assess any clean-up work that needs to be done, and change all the bedding in the pens that is now thoroughly soaked.

My father was Commanding Officer of the Hurricane Hunters when I was a child, so I grew up hearing about barometric pressure and wind speed.  My dad also taught me how important it was to be prepared before the hurricane arrives.

I suggest you review the following sites if you live in a coastal area vulnerable to hurricanes:

• Hurricane Preparation Overview
• Hurricane Supply List
• First Aid Kit
• Food Preparation
• Farm/Animal Preparation

Building An Ark

Normally the rainy season in Florida starts the end of June.  This year we haven't had the afternoon thunderstorms yet, we have been having all day rain.  According to the morning news we have had 7.5  inches of rain since the first of June.  The grass has grown to my knees in a week and the dog kennel was totally flooded.

The trees have been loosing limbs due to the weight of the wet Spanish Moss.  Last night there was a huge crash.  I thought an entire tree had fallen, but a limb had fallen on the goslings brooder.  They were unfazed by the incident.  Tough little guys those goslings.  They have spent this morning drying out and fluffing their down.

 

All of the animals and I are looking like drenched rats, and are running for cover, except the geese.  Not only do they love the rain, they love all the new grass that has grown as a result of the rain.  One of my favorite things about geese is their fondness for grass and weeds.  Most of the year they eat very little feed, and keep the grass trimmed.  With 8 geese now, it makes a huge difference in my feed costs.

This morning we saw sunshine for the first time all week and I noticed that all the rain had brought the 100 year old magnolia into full bloom.  I feel the pull of the South every time I see a magnolia blooming.

No Water

Yesterday afternoon the pump on the well stopped working.  My landlord brought by this huge jug of water and had a well repair person here at 7:30 this morning, so crisis was adverted, but it was a good reminder.  My animals went through the entire jug of water in just the evening water check.  Living in hurricane country, I need to have extra water stored in case we get hit.  This year I need to store much more water than I have in the past.

Storm Damage

I was too busy last month to get to the blog, but I wanted you to see my near miss.  Last month we had a day of severe storms and tornadoes.  The projected path shown on the television went right over my house.  Now you need to know that I am scared to death of tornadoes.  I have no fear of hurricanes, but a tornado will send me running for a closet.

I vigilantly watched the continuous weather coverage as the skies grew dark and the wind picked up.  Gracie, my hound, started howling and pacing.  I could not see the tree from the back window it was so dark.  Then I heard a huge crash.  I have been in tornadoes before, and I knew it wasn't a twister, but I wasn't about to go outside and check.

Thank God, the storm passed over, and when I went outside there was roofing material all over the yard.  I couldn't figure it out.  The house has a metal roof.  As I went around the house I finally figured out that the carport roof had peeled up in the wind.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Grace is modeling the latest in cold doggy wear.  It is cold enough she actually kept the coat and sweater on this morning.  Even though we are in Florida, there was ice in the outside water bucket this morning.  Grace is really feeling the cold this winter, but she loves being outside, no matter what the weather.  She has a cozy dog house, but she always finds a little bit of sun to be the best for warming up.

Update January 3, 2011:  The weather service announced today that we had the coldest December on record.  

Fur and Freeze

Does this cat look like she would be trouble?  No, she looks like a sweet, fat cat that would rather curl up on the bed than run like a demon from room to room in a house.  But beneath the fur lies the heart of an evil kitty, at least if her owner is trying to get her into a crate to move to the new house.  This is Emma, the cat who did not want to move.

All my cats have been feral cats who have adopted me.  Emma has lived with me 7 years, but unlike my other cats, she has not become a wonderful cuddly domesticated cat.  She does not like to be held, and has never climbed into my lap, but she obviously enjoys the benefits of regular meals.  She gets the same amount of food as my normal sized cats, but she does not move all day long.  The only time I see her walk is to go get food.

I was really worried about her being alone in the house.  The electricity had been cut off, and we have had temperatures in the 20's, but it ended up she was just as warm as I was with heat at the new house.

This was the kitchen thermometer/clock/radio/weather forecaster/calendar this morning, the warmest morning we have had in a few days.  Note, it is 54 degrees inside at 8:42 in the morning.  The heat had been running non-stop for days, but this is as warm as it got.  I think the main culprit is the whole house fan in the hall ceiling.  It is about 20 degrees cooler in the hall than anywhere else in the house.  It is going to look pretty tacky, but I am going to have to put plastic over the opening.

When I finally caught Emma at the house today, it was a toasty 60 degrees with no heat, and she was sleeping on my bed, and I had slept on the floor.  The cat is smarter than I am.