Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Summer Fun in the Gulf Coast South by Eleri Grace

 Well, I'm not so sure it's "fun" here in the Gulf Coast South in these still-technically-early days of summer here in Houston -- with Hurricane Beryl expected to make landfall on the Texas coast this week!  

It's far too early to be stocking in the hurricane supplies, doing the annual lamentation of "should I . . . or should I not . . . buy a generator," and wondering if I could find any handyman at any price to put up the hurricane boards from Ike in 2008, assuming they are still usable from that backyard shed that no one has opened in many years. But yet, that is what I'm doing this weekend as I write this blog. 

Beryl isn't expected to be strong enough to warrant the boards, and I probably (hopefully) will not need the generator. I am charging up some power banks, charging my Kindle, and planning to keep my phone and computer plugged in as long as feasible. But this is far too early for a named hurricane to be striking the US, and it's an alarming harbinger of what's to come I fear. 

As I noted in my blog last month, I'm evaluating relocating for retirement to somewhere cooler and less prone to dramatic climate events. I visited Asheville, NC and its surrounding mountain communities. The weather was so incredibly pleasant (though the locals were all complaining about it -- they have NO idea what heat truly feels like). And somehow, I'd much rather deal with regular visitors from the local black bears like this guy (below) than a hurricane! 


So when Beryl makes its way ashore tonight and tomorrow, I can hopefully distract myself by curling up with a good book (the Kindle is fully-charged and loaded). Here's some of what's up next on my Kindle:





I hope you are all having lots more summer fun than I'm having at the moment and are reading lots of great books!


You can learn more about me on my website and my books are available on Amazon







2 comments:

Judith Ashley said...

Eleri, I hope you had only the most minor inconveniences, if even that, from Beryl. I'd rather have black bears visit than hurricanes also. However, here in Oregon we are breaking extreme heat records. Today's forecast is for 104. This will be our 5th or maybe 6th day of temperatures over 100 degrees. Those days were preceded by a few 90 degrees days and although Thursday is supposed to be "only" 86, we then have a week of 90 degree days again. And we aren't even in August, our traditionally hottest month! The best I can say is that our humidity has been low...so below 50% and usually in the 30%s.

Books? I read a couple of new ones that I've had for a year or so but after being outside for 10 minutes to do some augmented watering, I felt sick and am back to rereading books from my keeper shelves. I expect I'll be rereading "Courage to be Counted" and "Carry a Crusading Spirit" for the 3rd time by the end of summer.

Diana McCollum said...

Eleri,

Hope the hurricane did not mess with you too much! I don't think anywhere is free of some kind of weather disaster. Take care!