Right Now: Joy.

Daufilme was cancelled due to rain, which is great because we can now spend this day chillin out max and relaxin all cool, with newly arrived and temporary visitors who are all some of the best people in the entire world.

The Maestro

Should I go Tiger Mom with Aeli's interest in guitar?

Isaactacular!

We had prepared, expecting not only THISMUCH rain, but also 100 mph gusts of wind and no electricity, so we were fine.

Here are some of the things that happened during Isaac:

Aeli wrote to his estranged loves.

Aeli got on Josh's shoulders.

Josh got on Stefin's shoulders.

We hung out before the real winds started blowing in ponchos and short-shorts. (We performed a Really Good Dance on the sidewalk, street, and intersection in front of a local bar.)

Josh and Joel wrestled.

Played all sorts of instruments.

Improvised candle-holders.

Generally, just jammed.

The next day:
Without power, the sidewalk was the coolest place to be. Aeli, having been cooped up with kin for 24 hours, found refuge with Mayor Matt nextdoor.

  We were on our stoop reading, eating muscadine grapes; Josh was on his stoop, faking like he was studying for the GRE, and words were exchanged. One of the words was "margaritas," which caused the boys to pull out the generator, and us to fill our block with a roar not unlike what I imagine a Nascar car sounds like up close. Also, everything smelled a little gasoliney. But it was cool. We plugged in the fridge, charged our electronics, and blended some delicious drinks with our melting berries.

Aeli lusted for electronics, as usual.

Sans electricity, we gathered. Aeli kicked me out of the living room, so he could do a solo dance for Joel; everyone else kicked it on the sidewalk, in various modules.

Also, there were sparklers. Aeli's first.

The power went out, it certainly was loud, there were definitely a handful of substantial leaks from our ceiling... our towels all had to be used to sop up water from above... showers were cold, but it was hot anyway... our phones didn't work, and we had no internet (GASP!), but through such trying times, we were stuck with a big group of some of our best friends.

 All in all, pretty magical.

Preparing for Isaac

 Monday: Move the canoe.

 Take down the mast, lights, and wires. Move plants, wheelbarrows, and barbecue.

 Clean out containers for potable water.

 Tie up random neighbor's bike. Turn bench on its side.

 

 Dinner with the compound, and other good friends who live within a half-mile.

 Cucumbers from the yard and homemade pumpkin pie.

 Hurricane jello shots, from Kenny. (Don't worry, he's a doctor.)

 Play games.

Tuesday:

 Watch/listen as hurricane is reclassified as just a tropical storm, then a Category 1 hurricane again, and back and forth and back and forth.
This is what it looked like outside this morning.
Yoga, guitar, walking outside.

It's starting to rain now.

We're so grateful to be here.

Isaac

We are here. Hunkering down. "Sheltering in," is one thing the newswebsites call it. Isaac is not as scary as my first class of eighth graders was. *Knocking on wood, of course.* (My little voodoo trick...)

A slice of our lives this afternoon:
Josh (after moving the canoe where it is less likely to careen through a window): Okay, so, Stefin didn't give me a straight answer for this, so I'm asking you guys: Should we not get a keg?

We haven't yet.

What we have includes: cans of beer, mineral water, filled up wedding jars and milk jugs and vegetable juice containers and giant Gatorade-style coolers with potable water, beef jerky, nuts, pesto, breads, pho, lasagna trappings, Josh's grandfather's generator, Rebirth Brass Band on the audio jack, acoustic instruments, the long-time-neighbors' confidence, our cars parked on the neutral ground (full tanks inside), NO MANDATORY EVACUATION STILL, writing utensils, art supplies, lots of nice people, and OPTIMISM.

Don't worry about us, but do send out good vibes. I'm not as worried about broken windows or flooding as I am about Aeli cooped up inside for so many hours... but a long drive would entail that too. This will be quite more economical. And we have the whole compound here on our team.

Life is certainly an adventure.

Also, our backyard looks SO CLEAN!