According to the calendar and the weather prognosticators, we’re beginning hurricane season.  I normally start thinking about it in September but decided to get ahead of it this year.  The key element is that the generator works, there’s plenty of gas and there’s plenty of propane for the Holland grill.    I pulled the generator out of storage and gave it a few cranks.  It took a half dozen or so but started up and ran for 20 minutes flawlessly.   I have 3 five gallon auxiliary gas cans, all full, so that gives me 3-5 run days.   I also have 3 two gallon aux tanks which I use for the lawn mower and other gas critters.   When a (real) hurricane rears it’s head, I’ll make sure all of those are full.   We don’t need lots of water since the well will work just fine as long as the generator works.

Then I cleared out the roof gutters.   That’s a pain in the butt job since I have to get up on ladder to reach the roof and then keep moving it around the whole perimeter of the house.  They were fairly full of pine needles and oak leaves – I think it has been maybe 6 months since I did it.   I got an amazing load of gutter trash which I piled up over by the garden to become part of the garden path system.   

The other seasonal job was pulling out tons of Boston ferns that have spread all along the driveway.   There was several hundred square feet to be removed – probably a zillion or so fern plants.  What makes this a seasonal job is that it’s so much easier when we’re in the rainy season and we’ve had about 6” in the last few days.   When the ground is soaked, they pull right out;  when it’s dry, not so easy to remove.  At the beginning of the rainy season, it’s normally hot but not summer hot so now’s the time.   

Started tying down items on the dock.   We’re starting to get serious thunder storms that usually include some wind gusts.  If I don’t tie things down on the dock, they end up in the drink.   I’ve done this so many times, it’s quite routine.

The last job was to take a chain saw to dead branches likely to break off in high wind and close enough to the house to be a bother.   In this case the grapefruit tree just outside the kitchen door is infected with some kind of virus that’s attacked most of the citrus industry and creates dead branches.   Gone.    I’m hoping the tree will survive so all I cut was dead wood.  

Officially pooped out!!!!

Some things are coming back to normal.  A good number of restaurants are now open with pubs soon to follow.   Most retailers seem open to some extent and we’re starting to see traffic picking back up.  Today we had lunch at a restaurant/brewery in Deland – The Half Wall.   We hadn’t been there for several months and decided to give it a try again since they had plenty of outdoor seating.   I popped my head in the door and spotted people holding brewski’s which I thought had been outlawed.   Turns out that bars, per se, are not allowed to open but restaurants can serve and offer beer.   We checked into Persimmon Hollow and found that they can serve a beer but you have to consume it outside.   Not a giant problem since there are several alley’s with tables and canopies.  So between Half Wall, Persimmon Hollow, and the Elusive grape – plenty of libation opportunities.   

Breaking news – Persimmon Hollow is now officially open for business.  Turns out the taco place across the road is owned by the same people that own the Hollow.   When last we checked, the Hollow was classified only as a brewery and you had to go there to get a take out brew then eat it at the taco place.  Now, as before all this nonsense, they reclassified Persimmon Hollow as a restaurant with bar so all of a sudden it’s back to normal.    You don’t have to actually order food from outside     Just the fact of the reclassification does the job.   Also our favorite Greek restaurant, Santorini’s is also now open so I think everywhere we could go before, is back in business.   I check Moonrise at Palm Coast and they to are back to normal.   What more could a guy want. 

But all’s not back to normal, alas.   It took several hours to get a simple blood draw in prep for a visit with the doc for a routine annual checkup.   I am right at the point that says I’m giving up totally on going to doctors for routine checkups.   It’s just too much of a hassle.  If something goes wrong, then I’ll call them but other than that – leave well enough alone.   My bride is not necessarily onboard the program but…………

I have a need for a new product – an iPad accessory.   Maybe it already exists but I haven’t heard of it.   I need an index finger extender – a product to overcome fat finger syndrome.    It has to be made of material that simulates a finger but be tapered into nearly a point.  It might be nice to have it extendable so my whole hand would be farther from the touch screen – I think a 4-6” extension would be adequate.   My Sudoko app is more of a physical challenge than a mental challenge.  I know the digit is supposed to go into a particular spot but hitting that spot with my finger is hit and miss proposition.  I just as often hit two spots or an adjacent spot as hitting the target.   Getting better though!   Nancy’s actually using the iPad more than me.  She converses with “Siri” frequently.   I think her favorite is having Siri set a timer for her although she gets a weather check a couple times a day too. 

Starting to get in some quality fishing time now that the sun’s up so early and it’s nice and warm.   I can get up, hit the lake, and be back home before Nancy wakes up.   The poke boat is still the vessel of choice.  It’s just soooo quiet and easy to handle.  Tom left his fly rod at the lake so I’m making sure it doesn’t get rusty or forget how to perform.   So far this week the score is squarely in the court of the fish.  I’m getting a few swirls and boils but nothing worthy of the stringer. What I want is a 3-4 pound bass that will fillet up for a couple of meals.

 

Made an awesome pizza today.   Used a fresh Publics bakery shell, a pint of Nancy’s famous tomato sauce, misc cheeses including fresh mozzarella, sausage and pepperoni, and my incredible new kale variety.   Hard to believe that the kale is holding up so well this late in the season – soft, tender, and no bitterness at all.   I’ve had some difficulty in the past with the shell sticking to the pan but this time I sprinkled the bottom of the cooking sheet with corn meal and that did the trick.  Twenty minutes on the Holland does the job – a nice crispy crust.   

The gov moved us to a phase 1 thingy which basically means lots of restaurants and retail stores are open on a limited basis.  Based on the increase in traffic on the road, it must be getting people moving again.  Most of the beaches are now open and people seem to be dealing with it in a rational fashion.  All we need is the bridge club to get back in business!!!!!