I’m Not Marooned On A Mountaintop

The best laid plans of mice and men and Trrri sometimes actually do turn out to be the best-laid plans. Last week, nestled between two hurricanes, Max and I went on a scheduled vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains. My understanding when I moved to Florida was that the hurricane season ended with September. I should have gotten that in writing.

As we drove towards Tennessee, it occurred to me that I was driving practically into ground zero for Hurricane Helene. Luckily, where we were going did not have too much damage, but there were storm ravages in nearby areas that were now inaccessible by vehicle. Two of our tour guides volunteered with the relief efforts. In their case, “volunteering” meant hiking up into isolated sections of the mountains with 35 pounds of basic essential items on their backs. That was the only way to transport life sustaining items to help the people stranded by the storm’s damage to the roads.

While we were in Tennessee, Hurricane Milton fought his way across a swath of central Florida. We were safe 600 miles away, but we were concerned for our family of friends in Florida and, of course, for our house. The hurricane hype trailed us two states north.

I’m happy to report that we arrived home safely, about three days after Milton’s temper tantrum. All our friends are safe and very few experienced any significant damage. We came home to traffic lights floating at weird angles because the hurricane winds had warped them off their normal balance perpendicular to the pavement. We had some yard debris and we lost approximately six roof shingles. The street sign where we turn to approach our house is a bit more difficult to read than usual because it is now lying face-up on the ground. Neighbors inform us that the power was powerless for about 12 hours before the electric company was able to get it restored. We didn’t lose any groceries.

All in all, I’d say we fared pretty well. After all, I could be marooned on a mountain top in Tennessee waiting for some kind, physically fit volunteer backpacker to bring me peanut butter.

Have a peaceful day!

Terri/Dorry 🙂

What is the worst weather you’ve had to face? How did you handle it? Please share your perspective by leaving a comment. On the alternative, you can email me at terriretiremet@gmail.com.