The wind has blown all day, but now at sundown, we are in a period of eerie calm. The "calm before the storm," without a doubt. We are expecting high winds and lots of rain. that is a perfect prescription for power outages, so we have a good supply of firewood on hand, pails of water in the bathroom so we can flush at will (!) and drinking water on hand in glass containers (always). Oil lamps are filled and at the ready. I will keep my little flashlight handy - I don't  like being caught in sudden darkness without any light at all. More than once we've both stumbled around the livingroom trying to find our way to candles, oil lamps or even a match. So the last time that happened, we installed a battery operated light in the corner of the livingroom where we usually are when the power goes out. It senses motion and as soon as we stand up or wave at it, we have light! No more stubbed toes or crashing into furniture.

I'm sure there's something we haven't thought of, but whatever it is, we'll deal with it if and when it's needed. We just hope this storm doesn't last too long and perhaps won't be as dreadful (2.5-3 inches and 40-50 mph winds) as predicted. We'll see. Stay safe and dry.