Ready

Ready- adj- in a suitable state for an activity, action, or situation; fully prepared
            verb- prepare for an activity or purpose

Last night, I settled onto my couch to channel surf for a few minutes before I went to bed.  After skipping over a few obnoxious reality shows, Law and Order reruns, and whatever was on PBS, I came across the news just as the weather report began.  Waiting for the weatherman to tell me I was going to have perfect weather for my walk at the park the next day, I was a little surprised to instead hear about the tropical storm that was spinning just off the coast.  I paid close attention for a few seconds, only to quickly move on to the next channel when the weatherman said it wasn't going to come anywhere near me.

This isn't to say that I don't care about tropical weather.  Earlier this week we had a couple of relatively minor storms that caused a lot of problems, and all I could think was, "If this is just a little storm, what the heck would a hurricane be like?"  But there's no sense in losing sleep over something that wasn't going to affect me.  Besides, I "know" that I am ready.

Last year when Tropical Storm Emily came close enough to warrant a few NOAA e-mails from our emergency prepardness director, I went out and bought EVERYTHING I needed for a hurricane kit.  Then, when Hurricane Irene came close enough to scare everyone, I went out and bought just a little bit more.

Like I said- I tried to cover everything- many gallons of water, juice, canned fruits and vegetables, canned chicken, some granola bars, applesauce cups, and plastic silverware.  I had enough food to last for a week! To top it off, I used some old "disaster" menus I made for school and tailored it to make my own personal hurricane menu.  When Irene came around, I stocked up on batteries, dog food, and the last three gallons of water on the shelf.  I also had a blank book, ready to start writing a book during the three days that the power would be out (I was trying to be optimistic!)

Then, when Irene didn't stop by, I gradually started picking at my stores.  First I took the juice, the applesauce, and the granola bars for my lunch.  Cooper gnawed on a couple of jugs of water, allowing them to slowly leak into my carpet.  No wonder I couldn't figure out where that musty smell was coming from.  He also ate my honey nut Cheerios.  I figured out once and for all that I hate, with a capital H- Hate, canned meat of any kind when I went to use the chicken in a recipe.  Slowly but surely, the canned fruit and vegetables made it into various casseroles and baked desserts.

So come January (when I first discovered the emptied and shriveled jugs of water), I looked down into my hurricane basket and sighed.  What had been a full basket that would carry me through the h-e-double hockey sticks that would be a category 3 hurricane was now a pink basket with a container of Purell and a box of mixed cutlery.

Since then, I've started adding back to my little stash.  Like I said- I hate canned chicken, but I now have a few cans of beans, a container of peanut butter, a can of almonds, and some Ravioli for protein purposes.  Triscuits are in still in the box, and I added some club crackers.  I found some high fructose-free applesauce cups for half price with a coupon, and I decided to make my peace with the canned peas and carrots.  (Somehow they will get mixed in with something I actually like.)

The water is now on the top shelf, far away from the dog's fangs. I found out that Bi-Lo offers a "buy the name brand, get our store brand free" offer for some yummy granola bars, and I splurged on more juice boxes and Capri Suns.  I figure if I'm going to be cowering for protection in my closet, I may as well have all kinds of yumminess nearby.  Speaking of that...maybe I should get a little chocolate?

All in all, Alberto is far away tonight, so I have probably have at least another two months or so before there's any more mention of a hurricane.  Also, the reality is, no matter how ready I think I am, I will still probably be scared out of my mind if anything heads toward Charleston.  Additionally, I have set my hurricane category limit to "2."  Anything more than a category 2 and I will be taking an impromptu vacation to Ohio. Or maybe Tennessee, since driving to Ohio would violate my "never driving 77 North alone again" rule.

In any case, I have a strawberry rhubarb pie to finish baking.  Hopefully it will be as delicious as I am imagining.  Have a great week everyone!