Hurricane Prep

This morning the air was eerily calm.  Like even if it were the 1800s and we had no knowledge of the impending doom, there was definitely a feeling of foreboding in the air.  Joey and I woke up at the crack of dawn to go prepare the house for the storm.

First, we moved all free-standing objects inside.  That included the trashcan, the disgusting patio table left behind by the previous owners, and of course this guy:

Staying safe and grazing in the Garage!

Yesterday our contractor informed us that our sump pump was basically a POS.  Since I don't feel like filing an insurance claim after owning the house for a week and a half, we paid to replace it.  We also decided to add some extenders onto our gutters to get the water as far away from the house as possible.

Finally, we decided to forego the last task because the wind was already picking up and it involved Joey getting on the roof to caulk the area around a vent to our attic.  Plus I'm not really sure how he was going to get up there in the first place...

So that brings us to where we are now. Waiting. Watching the news and Facebook statuses of people further south. 

Everyone, please stay safe!!

~SG

Oops

I guess I should have addressed the previous open letter to "Mother Nature" instead of Hurricane Irene. Looks like I didn't go far enough up the chain of command...  So like everyone else on the East Coast, I'm going to blog about the Earthquake.  If you don't know what I am talking about, then you definitely live under a rock.

But instead of telling my harrowing tale, I'm just going to make a short list of things that I learned from yesterday's earthquake:

1. I already had a hunch, but now I know for sure that in any survival situation I will be the first to die.  Think deer in the headlights.

2. If there is ever a real emergency in DC, we are all screwed. 

 mass chaos immediately following the quake and evacuation at Washington Navy Yard

3. Once again, I'm pretty sure my dog handled this event better than I did.

And another quick list for the inevitable FAQs:

1. Our new house is fine.  In fact, Joey is very proud that his white picket fence survived an earthquake.  He’s been talking about it all day.

2. Damage at the In-laws was limited to a book that fell off the TV.

Earthquake Damage

3. No, I didn’t feel any of the aftershocks.

So like I said, perhaps I was a little too curt with Irene, so she tattle-tailed on me to her Mom.  So let me go ahead and revise my open letter, in a nicer tone…

Dear Mother Nature,

While I understand and respect your power and might, I would like to request that you please refrain from any more natural disasters.  I would love to be able to enjoy my upcoming vacation(s) and my parents’ visit without any further issues.  Thank you for your understanding.

Respectfully,

Sarah

 

An Open Letter

Dear Irene,

If you screw up any of the following, I am going to be very peeved.

a) All the work we have now completed on the outside of our new home.

b) My parents' visit to see our new home for the first time.

c) Our Disney Vacation

It would probably be best if you downgraded to a Tropical Storm and turned out to sea ASAP.

Best,

Sarah

Biotch.