It's that time again

Here I sit. I've been in the office since 0400 hrs.....that's 4 a.m. to you civilian folks. Storm Fay lurks in the gulf preparing to make landfall South of Naples. At the current trajectory, she should pass right overhead about 1300 - 1400 (1 p.m. - 2 p.m.) this afternoon.

Sometimes it seems like I'm always away from home when my wife needs me the most. I've carried a great deal of guilt about that over the years. Many times I've had to send her and the kids away while I remained behind. Other times I've slipped quietly out as she slept. Always going to take care of other people and leaving what I treasure in this world behind. What I've found through the years though, is that I need her far more than she needs me. The profession I've followed has served up a number of dichotomies through the years. She's tough....not quite as tough as she wants people to believe, but she is resilient.

I've been sitting around waiting for bad weather one way or another for 26 years now. I've seen just about everything that can come off the Gulf or out of the Atlantic. In the end, its just so much rain and so much wind. If it's gonna fall down, it will fall down. From the hand of God we see the frailty of human existence. There is no proper shelter when his full wrath strikes.....only His Judgement and hopefully His Pity serve in those times. None of our man made efforts at shelter and safety will stand in the end. As smart as we congratulate ourselves for being, we fare worse in a storm than snakes and turtles.....think 'bout that fer a spell.

Fay will pass over in a few more hours. Light is grudgingly creeping out now and I see the signs of the night's winds. As always, the Coconut, Royal and Washingtonian Palms come through unscathed. God planted those trees here and knew what he was doing. Everything else just falls down and blows away. But those three hang in there "like a hair in a biscuit'.

In all acts of God there is divine purpose. We will end up with nigh on ten inches of rain. After a two year drought, that will go far in feeding a thirsty lake. It has rained now fairly steady for 20 hours. We have about eight more to go and then should be free of this one. However, there is an ominous rumbling in the far Atlantic already. Looks like its going to be a busy August and September.

The wind is rising. I should get to work now and check on the Troops. Hope you're all slumbering peacefully. We'll take care of things here.

Don and Company