Irma Preparations

A week ago, Irma alighted in the news.  All predicted paths had her going far to the East of us.  Regardless, my primal self preservation kicked in and decided to start serious preps last week.

By Wednesday, we had all the equipment and all the tanks filled, just as the local gas station was running out of gas.
We have three generators on the farm, one behemoth being propane powered.  Even though chances were still slim we would be impacted by Irma and the tank was half full, I had it topped off.

Folks had been rolling there eyes watching me in my whirlwind of preparations.  Had. As of Sunday morning, Irma is predicted to hit us directly with sustained winds between 45-73 mph.

Stoicism isn't only about enduring life's hardships without complaining, an important component often overlooked is the art of imagining possible outcomes and being ready for them.

I may be on the verge of stroking out from the preparations, but I won't be on TV lamenting to the reporter how Fluffy got sucked up in the 'tornader' when the roof of the mobile home was ripped off, or how the children have nothing to drink, or how there's a tree parked on my pickup. During my Saturday night fit of insomnia, I wrote down all the solutions to possible worst case scenarios.  It's my job to take case of my boss's assets and I intend to do it to the max. My pea brain nags at me "How do you know you've done enough, unless you do it all?"
Firstly, we won't be in our mobile home.  I've moving all my food to a safer location.

And turned the power and water off. 

My mobile home is completely shut down.  A tree can cleave it, but it won't catch fire or flood from it.
 I've pulled my artwork off the walls and stashed it too.

Guns, documents... anything I don't want tossed around the neighborhood is outta there.  
Allen and I ran a marathon trying to secure anything loose outside of all the houses and barns to make sure they don't become dangerous projectiles.

I never realized how blessed we were with outdoor furniture.

Not a stick of furniture left to be thrown through a window.

I bought extra food for my oxen and the horses.

Dropped 1000 gallons of water in the Boonies in case we need that pasture.

Then added 1000 more to the tank and left it and the tractor in the middle of the field. She may get pounded with rain, but not trees or the shed roof. (Don't think I didn't agonize about leaving her in the open, but she's the only one with a front end loader capable of lifting roofs off other trapped equipment--- now you see why I don't sleep).

We're at a point where we can be walled off from the world for a month without a hiccup. Maybe a little overkill!
Or is it?  You never know. I bought the farm a new chainsaw on Friday as our old one needs a proper burial.  

Allen and I finished up some tree cutting projects before we get inundated with more!  I think I'm in love, slow and steady she was getting through a very dense oak.  Really well balanced machine.  I 💖 Stihl.

I have plans from A-Z on what to do with the horses during each phase of the storm.  I'm going to try to keep them in  the barn as long as I can, until the potential for flying roofing metal is too great, then I'll push them to a back pasture.  No telling how many fences will be down, but I'm prepared for that too.

"For a good time call_____" As you can imagine, my Monday surgery is cancelled.  Not like everything and anything that could go wrong this last week leading up to it hasn't been a factor either!  I know Cole is watching over me and I've been asking him, day after day, to make his signs better understood.  From narrowly getting approved for surgery by the cardiologist; to the AC in my home failing and coming very close to not being repairable (previous administration must've faced this issue and replaced the blower with a used one from a chicken house, so much of the crap we've cleaned up after him is so retarded I couldn't make it up--chicken feathers were all inside the blower motor); Irma, of course; being short staffed for four days; and the last great sign from Cole:  on Friday when registering with the hospital, they refused me because my driver's license had expired a few days earlier, I quickly corrected the matter and registered but I'd received The Sign. 
Heard you loud and clear, little buddy. 10-4.

Besides it would take a SWAT team to pry me off the farm when a big storm is menacing to hurt my kids.

These are my charge and we'll ride this thing out together.

Horses are up,

Chickens are roosting in the shop,

We've had supper and are tucked in bed, nothing left to do but see what Aunt Irma brings with her from Florida.

My 4 wheeler and chainsaw are ready to go when the winds become civilized.

I'm hoping she passes us by and four days of preparations can be chalked up to practice.  I'll redo four intense days of that versus four weeks of chainsaw work.