When the Rains Came

I slept so late this morning, it was quarter of 11 before I dragged myself out of bed...and then only because the phone was ringing. Jodie asked me if I still wanted to go over to Dad's house to watch the Eagles-Falcons game and do my laundry. I said sure, why not? It would be a nice way to enjoy a gloomy afternoon, and I did need to get my clothes clean, especially if we're going to run into bad weather and lose water.

Made a very quick breakfast of Pear-Honey Pancakes while listening to Brunch With the Beatles. The busy year 1964 was in the spotlight today, with songs from the Beatles' first year of real worldwide fame. Some of their most famous music (and their first movie) came out that year - "A Hard Day's Night," "If I Fell," "All My Loving," "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," and "Can't Buy Me Love." 

I called Mom as the Beatles were winding down. She was fine. Dad was home, thank goodness. Turns out the boat he works on as a commercial fisherman had broken down well before the storm, and he'd been in for days. They live in the middle of Lower Township in Cape May County, well away from any water and next-door to the county airport, so flooding wasn't a concern. They have a small generator that will keep their refrigerator and freezer going if they lose electricity and have stockpiled all the usual necessities. My sister Anny and her son Skylar will be staying with them; they live near the Bay in the Villas, which is prone to flooding. Sky's out of school for the next two days, so he'll be around, but I imagine Anny probably still has work at Big Lots, unless it gets so bad down there they actually close.

Jodie picked me up early, around quarter after 12. I spent most of a very quiet afternoon chatting with her and Dad and watching the game. The game didn't go well. The Falcons have been killing everyone all season, including us. I got so tired of listening to Dad fuss about how badly the game was going, I went down to the den and watched the rest of the game alone, going through the baskets of toys and kids' books probably kept for Khai and Samantha's family. 

(Dad ended up being right - the Eagles did finally lose, 30-17 - not great, but not as bad as I figured it would be. He did have one reason to smile - the Dolphins pounded the Jets, 30-7.)

Jodie's friend Erica arrived around 3:30-4PM. By that time, the rain had arrived, too. The weather for most of the morning had been just like yesterday - cloudy and windy, but nothing out of the ordinary for October in southern New Jersey. Mom said it was sprinkling in Erma when I called her. By 4:30, the rain had become a nice, steady shower. I had a bowl of chili that had been bubbling on the stove all afternoon, then went home with Jodie, Erica, and my (now clean) laundry.

Spent the rest of a quiet evening reading Maiden Voyage on my loveseat while snuggled under the thick green blanket Mom knitted me years ago. The rain started coming down harder shortly after I got  home, and continued that way for the rest of the evening. Most weather forecasts, including the National Weather Service, says the worst of the storm here will be tomorrow through Tuesday afternoon. We'll see what happens. At press time, it's not even raining anymore, just cold and windy.