Stans

Morning y'all, made it through the night and hopefully through all of the potential tornado activity. Mostly cloudy this morning, 97% humidity and 75F. Expecting a mostly cloudy day with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms and a high of 82F.

Never before in my life have I seen as many tornadoes in the greater Richmond, VA area as I have seen today. Still under a severe storm warning and tornado watch and will be until at least 2200 hrs.

Morning y'all, cloudy skies, only 89% humidity and 75F. Tropical depression Florence is now in the SW tip of Virginia and will be pushing a lot of rain across most of Virginia. Expecting a cloudy day, a high of 82F and a chance of showers and thunderstorms throughout the day.

Morning y'all, guess what? Cloudy skies, 97% humidity, 73F, and wet. Today's forecast same as the last. Cloudy, showers and thunderstorms possible, humid, 79F. Looks like we might see sunshine on Wednesday. Tropical depression is still in SC and I heard this morning that it went to the SC DMV to apply for status as a permanent resident. My mom got an update on her house yesterday afternoon. No trees down, just some branches and leaves, no apparent damage to her house and the electricity on her street has been restored. Now she's not happy that I convinced her to evacuate because the roads and highways between Virginia and the SE coast of NC and NE coast of SC are flooded and closed. But, she is going to call an old realtor friend of hers up here and initiate the process of looking for a house here. She had already talked to a couple of realtors down there about selling and that was early this spring.

Morning y'all, cloudy, wet, 99% humidity and 74F. Expecting a cloudy day, 10 mph winds from the NE, a chance of showers or thunderstorms all day, and a high of 78F. Hurricane Florence is now 35 miles west of Myrtle Beach, SC and is moving west at a whopping 2 mph. One of my mom's neighbors decided to stay and has sent her updates on her house. It's still there, no visible damage and no flooding as of 7AM. My mom is looking to move back here, that's probably best and it would allow me to see her much more often and to take care of her as she ages.

Hazel was also classified as the storm of a lifetime. My mom remembers hurricane Hazel and now Florence, storm of a lifetime. Is their definition of "lifetime" the same as a lottery definition of "lifetime payments" which is either 20 or 40 years, depending upon the jackpot? Florence is down to tropical storm force, but it is moving so slowly. On tv we can see downed trees, but the bigger impact will be flooding from tidal surge and "once in a thousand years" fainfall... which they also had just a few years ago. And yes, it is Trump's fault. Approximately 7,200 Americans have died every single day since hurricane Florence made landfall and even before it made landfall! My wrinkles and gray hair are also Trump's fault. The failing clearcoat on my Honda... Trump's fault. My aching right knee... Trump's fault. I'm typing this after only one cup of coffee... Trump's fault. Uh-oh, just noticed that my battery powered desk clock has stopped, surely it is a dead battery and that would be... Trump's fault!

Cats are being kept in large cages as they are known to pee, poo, and puke. Plus, I am allergic to cats, so I really don't want them wandering all over the house. Mom is giving very serious consideration to moving back to Virginia. She may not have a house to return to in SC, we already know the power is out.

Morning y'all, overcast skies, 75F, very wet, 99% humidity. Winds have not been bad, just enough to take some leaves off of some of the trees. Especially the Poplar's, which are first to lose their leaves at the end of summer. Expecting a cloudy day with a 70% chance of rain, a high of 79F, winds 10-15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. The eye of Florence is passing over Wilmington this morning and looks like it is beginning to turn to the SW. Even though my mom had to bring her 3 cats (she's down to 3, last time she had 5), I'm glad she is up here and not down there.

Morning y'all, cloudy, extreme humidity, and 73F. Expecting a mostly cloudy day, a high of 81F, and a chance of afternoon thunderstorms. Hurricane Florence is still expected to make landfall around Wilmington, NC, but now track SW, inland from yesterday's forecast. Here in central VA, we can expect bands of rain, thunderstorms, and showers for the next 6 days, but the total rainfall is likely to only be 3 inches. Winds will start late tonight and peak tomorrow, but should only be 15-20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. Saturday and Sunday should see winds of 10-15 mph.

Well... I finally convinced my mother to pack up and come up here. Somehow living in North Myrtle Beach, exactly 5.18 miles from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean doesn't seem like a good idea right now. This is the second time in two years that she has had to evacuate due to "once in a century" or "once in a lifetime" hurricanes and flooding. She should be arriving here sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Morning y'all, cloudy, extremely humid, wet after last night's rain, and 72F. Expecting a mostly cloudy day, a high of 85F, and afternoon showers and thunderstorms.

I have not forgotten, never will. I remember being at my office, rushing to see my next patient and I heard a little blurb on the radio about an airplane striking one of the World Trade Center towers. My initial thought was that NYC was socked in with fog and a small aircraft or helicopter had struck one of the buildings. It's not like that had never happened before, so I dismissed it as pilot error. Then came the report of a second aircraft striking the other tower. At that point it dawned on me that this was some sort of an attack. It did not take me long to make the decision to immediately close the office for the day, not knowing if this was an isolated attack or if it was going to be widespread. Then the report of the Pentagon being hit. I got home and turned on the tv to see this. And then this. My first thought was that this was a movie with very well done special effects. But no, it was no movie, it was real and our lives would be forever changed. I displayed my flag at half-staff today in honor of those who died in the attack, those who died rushing in trying to rescue others, and those who have died from or still suffer from illnesses as a result of the collapse of the towers.

Morning y'all, overcast skies, extreme humidity and 72F. Expecting a mostly cloudy day, a high of 86F, and showers and thunderstorms all afternoon. Lashed down the deck furniture and grill last night, started removing things from the yard that might become missiles if subjected to high winds. This morning's forecast track of hurricane Florence still has it making landfall in North Carolina, somewhere between Jacksonville and Wilmington, but then rapidly losing strength and slowing to a snail's pace. The storm may stall in North Carolina.

Morning y'all, cloudy skies, 68F, and 95% humidity. Expecting a mostly cloudy day, a high of 86F, and a chance of afternoon thunderstorms. This is going to be a crazy week, hurricane Florence is forecast to make landfall somewhere around Wilmington, NC, then either track NW and into the mountains or N and straight up to the Richmond, VA area. Either way, I am preparing for what could be a very rough ride.

Thanks for the tunes, but I'm just too tired to think about how to reply with a musical theme. Think I'll just listen until I go back to slee... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz