We have only gotten light showers the last couple of days. They just seem to pop up, last for a few minutes and then are gone. We had one such shower this morning, with the sun still beaming down, thus the beautiful rainbow.

That is what we were getting but they are passing us by this week. It is funny when you drive through those showers, it is sunny all around and pouring over your head.

The Ark is in Kentucky, Ken. LOLOL

We always get rain here in East Central FL...this weekend was the first couple days we didn't have rain. Glad my house not in flood zone...houses down by the creek getting concerned.

Today will be another full day of hurricane preparation. I've still got work to do to srip large leaves from my hundreds of plumeria, reinforce their fencing and staking, and begin to move some large potted plants off the pond's banks and into a more sheltered area. I'll put those that I can move between the landscape plants and the house. There's a narrow space there but it's going to really take a while to do this, one plant at a time. A few are simply in pots that are simply too large to lift, so I'll stake those and hope for the best. The heat and humidity keep me from staying outside for any length of time.

Tomorrow I'll complete moving the rest of my orchids inside the equipment shed. I've taken all those plants hanging under trees and have them hanging in the shed. I haven't removed the orchids from the lanai or the shadeshouse. I hope the weather tomorrow isn't too bad. This hurricane is unlike any hurricane I have dealt with, and I've been dealing with them for 6 decades. Now the weather folks are saying the hurricane is going to almost stall over the Bahamas for perhaps a day or even two. The Bahamas are only about 90 miles from me, so we'll surely be getting tropical force winds beginning tomorrow (sometime) and the Atlantic shore should be getting really rough by them.

My wife just told me that Dorian is now a Cat. 5 hurricane. Wow!

Ken why to you strip the leaves from the plumeria? Just wondering since I have one.

Sherri, it's simply a matter of reducing the wind's impact on my plants. The less square inches of leaves, the less the wind will bend the plants. Leaves will grow back, but I want as little stem damage as possible. I've finished de-leafing all the in-ground and 3 or the 5 staging areas (leaving only the small, terminal leaves). I have approximately 40-50 plumeria in each staging area and those areas are fenced-in. I've tied or am in the process of tying the taller plants to the fencing so that they'll be more steady.

Thanks Ken, I was wondering.

Sherri

Just came inside to get some ice water and some AC. I've got about half the 300 plants out of the shadehouse and into the equipment shed (150 are seedlings though). I've got another 4-6 hr. of work to do and then (I think) I'll be done.

Ken, I can't remember who it was here who suggested the orange construction mesh to you but I thought at the time it was a good idea and after seeing your photos I think it is a great idea. Something all of us should consider when storms approach. It has to be easier to secure large pots or groupings of small pots to the ground with the mesh rather than toting them indoors. Also, it would be good to surround and protect shrubbery that might be damaged by high winds. Now if only I can remember that if and when we have another storm.

We understand the power has been off and on at our home, the storm is still about 40 miles south of us but they are only expecting rain and wind at the house. Flooding for sure closer to the coast. I am having lunch with an old gardening buddy today, we had supper with old neighbors last night, they had been evacuated also. It has been fun but we will head south tomorrow an see what we find there.

I don't know, Alice. Heck, I didn't even remember seeing someone post that suggestion. I was at HD getting some supplies and saw the mesh, so thought it might come in handy. Perhaps, in the recesses of what brain I still have functional, that suggestion was stuck. Were y'all in a mandatory evacuation zone?

No but there were evac zones and bridges all around us. The area is more prone to flooding due to being so low. I just got a notice that our power is out but that was expected. Looks like the storm is passing our home now. We plan to head back tomorrow.

Just when I thought I pretty much knew of the usual dangers lurking outside here in Vero Beach, here's a new discovery. I don't know why in the world I was not covered with stings, since I was actively cutting these fronds on a Palmetto Palm. Perhaps these yellow jackets are beginning to be less active and less aggressive now that's it's fall. These three yellow jacket nests were on 3 fronds and all three were covered with yellow jackets. I killed them all. Thank goodness I just happened to see that first nest (the largest) before cutting that frond. Pure, blind luck. Now I've got something else to watch for. :whistling:

So good not to get stung and be rid of the wasps.

I've done research and found out that yellow jackets are simply a variety of wasp. I thought that they were different. But now I think that these nests are of the European paper wasp, an insect I had never even heard of. The only noticeable difference between these and yellow jackets is that the ends of the antennae are orange on the paper wasps and are black on the yellow jackets. The literature says that the sting of the paper wasp is incredibly painful. Lucky me.

I learned the hard way years ago to look under the palm leaves before I touch them.

Y'all should have warned me 20 mo. ago.....

Wow, I had no idea and I have been messing with Palmetto fronds for many years. Yikes, that is scary.

drdawg said:Y'all should have warned me 20 mo. ago.....

Ken, Watch for Bats also.