I'M SURE JIM CANTORE IS A NICE GUY, BUT...


As I type this, it looks like the coast of North Carolina is going to be spared from most of the effects of hurricane Matthew. The entire Crystal Coast has taken a collective sigh of relief.

However, that doesn't mean that we, here at Dingbatters Roost, aren't still taking some precautions.

My youngest daughter and I headed over to Tractor Supply yesterday on a feed run. It doesn't hurt to stock up a little on the essentials just in case, you know, like chicken and duck feed and cracked corn. Oh! And bird seed - the chickens and guineas love wild bird seed, and we give them a handful of it as a treat every couple of days.

The inside animals, Old Dog (who turned 17 this month!) and Poodle, Big Kitty and White Cat, also have plenty of food/treats/kitty litter to last for a good while.

Later today we will go outside and make sure anything that can blow about is either tied down or brought inside. They are calling for 35 - 40 mph winds with gusts up to 50 mph to blow in here Saturday night into Sunday. Rain is a given with possible totals of at least 5 inches - probably more.

We had an incident with the tropical storm/tornado that came through here in September and took the roof off the duck house, so the ducks will be going into the feed room section of the chicken coop Saturday evening where they should be tons safer. They won't be very happy about being stuffed into a dog carrier one by one and carried out there, but they will just have to deal with it.

Laundry is pretty much caught up and the generator has been tested and gas cans filled. So has the tank on the Jeep and the propane tank for the house. We have also made sure we have plenty of matches to light our inside stove with if we loose power. The generator will be used for the freezer and fridge and one small TV.

The garden is just about finished for the season so we are not too concerned with it. We are still getting some green peppers, hot peppers, and okra though, and I cut whatever I could and brought it inside yesterday. On the herbal front, I harvested some oregano from the garden and have it in the dehydrator now, and I really need to cut a bunch more of the basil and catnip before Saturday. I also have a bowl of dandelion root that needs to go on the dehydrator in the next day or two.

There is wine, beer and O.J. in the fridge, tequila in the cabinet and plenty of food in the pantry. Toilet paper is also in supply, so we got both ends covered, so to speak.

I would say we are as prepared as we can be.

So stay safe out there. If you are told to evacuate, do it. And as always: PREPARE FOR THE WORSE, HOPE FOR THE BEST.

And don't forget the toilet paper!


~Sue Sue