In a state of uncertainty and anticipation, we are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. Yesterday, our work places were closing in anticipation of this storm. Trident Tech police officer John called me early to ask if I was planning to come in and clean out the freezer and refrigerators. They were shutting down the campus and turning off the electricity. That was the start of my day and then I went home and brought my yard ornaments and stored plants in to the garage. I filled the trailer we use for carrying yard debris to the dump with branches and plastic plant containers. Knowing that the shelves in the stores had been cleaned out Wednesday, I gathered all my saved plastic water bottles and filled them. My husband dumped the trailer and filled the truck with gas as well as our gas can. We gorge coolers with ice. Calls from family and friends offering shelter and prayer and clean up help after the storm were received but but we are stayers. That is we will not be evacuating. News man Brad Franko warns me that if I drive on an evacuation route, I will be swept up in the flow and not allowed back home until Mathew heads east.
Josh says no hurricane is the same and talks about the amount of money spent by the federal government to sample the atmosphere. We watch the weather imaging tracking the mass, the winds, the breath of Mathew. They keep telling us to prepare. To leave.
Last night we met up with some of our friends, late. We went to Craft Cafe in North Charleston to talk about our plans. The Durhams are heading west with their children and dog. The Gnades and their neighbors Robin and her husband "Irish Whiskey" plan to stay and hunker down in their new homes. We order beer. I drink a local Revelry Stout and we talk about our jobs and our fear of this storm. Seems like John and Nancy are the only ones in their right minds this evening. On the way home, we put the top down on our Mustang and ride through the night, looking up at the starless, cloud filled sky.
Today we will be showing our family of house sitters how to run the generator should the power go off and we hope to be heading out on our postponed vacation on Sunday but it's not looking good at this point. Planes fly west during hurricanes and do not return until after. Denver will have to wait. My brother and his wife who are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary will be enjoying our Airbnb apartment alone. We've switched our flight once. Should we switch to leave early and miss the storm, worrying all week about the damages? My husband says yes. Let's go. I need to watch over my home and my senior dog Keisha Pearl and see this through. We will prepare, freeze bottles, fill the bathtub with water and wait for Mathew to come.
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