In the United States, June first is the official beginning of the hurricane season. For most people around the world this does not mean anything, but for many men, women, and children, hurricane season is a time of uncertainty.
In the morning I could not open the front door at first. There were so many branches and other debris piled up against the door that it was hard to get the door to move. Eventually we were able to get out onto the front porch and we saw drifts of leaves and twigs all over the place. Luckily the tree branches that did snap did not fall on the house. We were very lucky to come through it with almost no damage at all. Many other home owners were not so lucky. 
By: Danette Haworth,
on 8/26/2008
Blog: Summer Friend (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Tropical Storm Fay, Hurricane Gustav, hurricane season, Add a tag
But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? Tis the absence of the stormy Fay.
Hooray! Tropical Storm Fay has left the building! Though I will not be quick to celebrate--what was Tropical Depression Seven last night has this morning become Hurricane Gustav.
For those who aren't familiar with the cycle, storms that we call hurricanes start in the Atlantic Ocean, far away from Florida. A concentration of thunderstorms is called a Tropical Depression; should it become more organized with sustained winds of 39-73 mph, it is promoted to a Tropical Storm and given a name. The same storm, with just one mile faster wind speed, is a hurricane.
We are in the hurricane season.
One has only to watch NASA's satellite videos to see how massive and powerful hurricanes and tropical storms are (even TS Fay encompassed Florida as she lollygagged over it). Though weather forecasters predict many more named storms (meaning organized cyclones with sustained winds of 39-73 mph), I pray the season will be gentle to all of us and the small islands south of here.
Unfortunately Gustav is bearing down now. I got Violet Raines yesterday. No chance to read it yet, of course. But it sure looks cool.
Sometimes I forget just how calm (though wet) are weather can be in England.
Wishing you and your family well this stormy season. :)
Charles,
I just finished reading the front section of the paper and it says that more than 400 homes in this area are submerged. And that the St. John's River has not been this high since 1924.
I either read or heard that if the storm had lingered over my county, we'd be the ones with submerged houses.
It hits home to see photos of places I know, places I've been to, and see emergency workers walking in waist high water. But every time we have a bad season, I always feel scared for people on islands over which these hurricanes pass on their way here.
And sorry for this rough transition, but thank you for buying Violet Raines! I hope you love it!
Thank you, Cate!
Danette, I hope your home is in no direct danger from Gustav. What a name btw! Ha! What a cool job it would be to name the storms...
Violet Raines should be arriving tomorrow! I can't wait.
Good luck weathering out all the storms. Maybe you can read a good book. May I recommend Violet Raines Almost got Struck by Lightning... I hear it is excellent!
Stay safe, Danette. It seems the storms come one right after another. Oh, our local Borders in Kalispell, MT didn't have your book (shame on them), so I ordered it. Can't wait! :)
Rena
http://renajjones.blogspot.com/
I hope it's a gentle season for you too.
I guess I shouldn't complain about our rain in the Willamette Valley. That's usually the worst of it here in Portland, OR.
Sending good thoughts your way.
I finally got my copy:
http://kimkasch.blogspot.com/2008/09/its-finally-here-violet-raines-almost.html
Dear Danette, I am reading Violet to my eight year old daughter. You may ask why she is not reading it herself, and the answer is because, although I am American, she was born in Italy, and her reading skills in italian are more developed. She's getting there, but she still likes to hear her mother's voice before going to bed. So I indulge her. Besides, I want very much for her to hear about true American experiences and to be able to discuss them with me. This book rings as true as you can get. I grew up in Tennessee, and I relate to so much of the tone and "stuff" of daily life here. So, I must say, that indulging her is really indulging myself. I have loved this book. Not only is there a familiarity with the South that takes me back, but It reminds me very much of exactly the way I felt at Violet's age. Watching my best friend wear lip gloss and "practice" kissing. I didn't want to go there. Not yet. I just wanted to cling to who I was. And I sense my daughter is of the same ilk. She LOVES Violet. We have two chapters left, and I guess I'm sort of writing to beg you to write another. We will keep our eye for it, and we wish you well. Your gift is a true one. Tonight we will savor the last pages. Thank you.
Charlotte,
Thank you for your lovely comment; it means a lot to me.
I have a book review of Violet Raines on my blogsite today. Check it out here: http://kimkasch.blogspot.com/2008/09/violet-raines-almost-got-struck-by.html
Hope everything is settled there now! I had a lot of relatives in Florida (some of them are still there) and well remember the excitement of hurricanes, especially Camille, who everyone talked about as though they knew her -- "Back when Camille was here..." It's very scary, but providing the storm never reaches you, it can also be rather exciting in a good way. (Easy to say when you're far away and not affected yourself...)
Because of the move, I haven't bought your book yet; we're wrestling with how to get only 60 kg of textbooks sent to our new address -- which is all we can afford to send right now. But by the end of this year, I will have bought and read it -- can't wait!
I've just awarded your blog an 'I love your blog' award over at my blog.
Wanna come out and play? It's a game. Tag, You're it.
My answers are on my blog 9/21, post yours on your blog, if you want to play.