An ill wind...

Well, we've survived Hurricane Ernesto, albeit with some clearing up to do. By the time it reached Gloucester County, Ernesto had been downgraded to a Tropical Depression (although he looked like he was still in his Manic phase to me.) We had very high winds - I was working at the hospital during most of it, but El Jeffe was at home, and she said there was debris flying. My in-laws down in Yorktown had a tree down behind the house, but fortunately it missed their house, and the neighbours' house. We all had power outages, Yorktown is still out as I write this, but we had our power back by yesterday at around 4pm. Sixty percent of Gloucester County, and all of Mathews County was blacked out for a while, but our house is on the same grid as the Hospital I work at, so we're usually among the first to be fixed.



The water is a different matter. In the two years we've lived here the water has never come so close to the house. Beaverdam Creek, the little waterway that crosses our yard, is usually about 4 feet across and maybe one foot deep in parts. Tonight it's about 40 yards across and has risen around seven feet, coming alarmingly close to the house. Now we know why our mortgage people made us buy flood insurance for a house on a bluff. Also, the creek is full of beasts, including snakes. El Jeffe is terrified of them. I'm not scared of them but I sure don't want to get bitten. We've seen blacksnakes in the yard, and there are cottonmouths in the area. Tater and Poppy haven't been allowed near the water because of the snakes, and Tater isn't big enough and Poppy can't be trusted not to run away.

Well, that's about it - just lots of clearing up debris in the yard today. The hospital was hopping yesterday with car accidents all over and the ER bursting at the seams.

Thought for the day - life's a trip. Bring a paddle. Night, all.