Dodging Dennis. Tales from the Storm

There's nothing like a Cat 4 hurricane bearing down at 146 mph, churning through the gumbo in the Gulf, headed straight for the shores of Mobile Bay, to get my attention. How does one prepare for such a wonder of nature?

On Friday, July 8, folks were boarding up their houses, buying out batteries and tarps at Home Depot, and clearing the shelves of peanut butter and snack foods at WalMart here on the Eastern Shore. I know first hand, because I watched the frenzy. The Gypsy Queen Cab got back on the road after a hiatus of months in storage--more on that later.

First stop was Home Depot where a power drill was on the list of must-haves. Who can just buy a power drill when there are packages of many power tools? The Riobi All-In-One kit with 18Volt battery powered everything from the power drill to a chain saw to a circular saw suddenly became a MUST-HAVE. Every D-Cell and C-Cell battery was ripped from the shelves; every generator sold. I bought the power tool kit so that I could start remedying the problems my contractor left, provided Dennis the Menace didn't take my little house and the Gypsy Queen Cab's home to Kansas or somewhere out in the Gumbo of the Gulf.

Following the shopping frenzy on Friday, Saturday started with a flap and a scramble. Powered up those batteries Friday night. Hired the neighborhood kids, ages 12 and 13, to move all the plants inside, to move all the construction debris under the house, and the mow the lawn. Thing is, those kids are sweet, but none too bright. Short term memory problems and distractions like the cats and the Wolf Dog...yes, I adopted orphaned Angel (Karen Cater's wolf dog)...and my white German Shepherd puppy made it really tough for the boys to get the job done without a few wrinkles. Major supplies of lemonade, hefty doses of mosquito spray, bandaids for blisters, and anti-itch medicines, along with cup after cup of ice water, were necessary along with strict supervision of everything those little rascals touched.

By Saturday night, the Gypsy Queen Cab begged to rest and was in a deep sleep, bookended by kitties Midnight and Lily, when the phone rang and Tampa EMA Official/high school friend Steve called, "You ARE evacuating." Well, no, we weren't. He scolded me and basically said, "Sweetheart, it's been nice knowing you." Then the reverse 9-1-1 computer phone calls came interrupted what little sleep I could get through the night, "You are putting your family in danger. Evacuate now." No, I am going to try to sleep.

More later on Sunday...the Day Dennis hit the Gulf Coast

Diamonds and Sex...Oooh, la la. It ain't what you think, folks!

It's two for the road.

Suzanne Hudson and Joe Formichella on book tour and in a quest for the perfect enchilada, but you have to visit the blog The Sex and Diamonds Book Tour to find out about the new cool!

They quote MacAdam/Cage publisher David Poindexter, "What's life without a little trepidation?" And, those road warriors are keeping us all on pins and needles as we wait for them to post their adventures on the road.

Suzanne's new novel In the Dark of the Moon and Joe's novel Here's to You, Jackie Robinson: The Legend of the Prichard Mohawks are receiving the rave reviews they both deserve.

Here's a blurb from Joyce Dixon's Southern Scribe about the launch of their new books. You can buy their books through Over The Transom bookstore in Fairhope, Alabama.