The Blonde in the house and I express our hope that everyone and their loved ones survived Irma. As I mentioned last week, hurricanes are not kind in their performance. They do not care who or what is in their way. They move the way they want and woe betide anything or anyone that is in the way. Humans think that they are the boss, but they lose every time to Mother Nature. I seriously doubt that will ever change. If Mother Nature doesn’t get you in one way, it will find another.
We had some problems that are minor in relation to what some people and nations have suffered from Irma – and Harvey. We did find out that if the sun has baked the stucco enough to cause small cracks in it, then a hurricane can drive water into the house. We discovered that when my sister who was staying with us walked over near the window in her bedroom and things went squish squish. At first we thought water had come in through the window, but no it came through cracks in the stucco. It also came into the master bath. We now have powerful dehumidifiers in those rooms – which we have to stay out of for a few days.
As I indicated these are minor issues compared to what millions of people are facing. You need only look in the media to see the mass destruction. It is one thing to see the chaos in pictures and on TV, but it is another to actually be in the middle of such a scene. Empathy is a great human trait, however, it cannot match what many unfortunate folks are facing and will face for some time. The good part of human nature is that we will overcome the obstacles and people will be generous in helping to make matters whole again.
It is times like this that we have to get our priorities in line. For example, I do like to play golf, but the fact that I can’t for some days is not big on my list of priorities. The main benefit of the courses coming back as I see it, is that it is a comforting return to our norm. Anything that makes folks feel good and safe is a good thing. More important, naturally, is having power returned, securing your home, knowing that friends are safe, and perhaps knowing that you can visit your friends and family as the roads are open and gas is available.
When taking care of the aftermath and contractors are needed, I would suggest heeding the words of Charles Dickens who wrote, “”I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face, Don’t trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance, any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it.”
May your days be comforting!
Barry Evans writes about Life in The Villages for Villages-News.com
