Mike - *HUG* Trust me, I understand. 2011 has been a pretty crappy year for me. But, look at it this way: if we get it of the bad stuff out of the way NOW, then 2012 will promise to be an awesome year, no?

Sue - Saw those a few weeks go. Gotta love those rose seeds.

From the New York Times: New York City Orders Evacuation of Coastal Areas
By JAMES BARRON

With Hurricane Irene pushing relentlessly toward the East Coast, officials announced plans to evacuate low-lying areas in New York City and shut down the sprawling subway and transit system.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg ordered a mandatory evacuation — something he said the city had never done before — of coastal areas in Brooklyn; Queens, including all of the Rockaways; and Staten Island, along with Battery Park City and the financial district in Lower Manhattan and Governor’s Island...

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said that a half dozen bridges — including the George Washington Bridge, the Robert F. Kennedy Triboro Bridge, the Throgs Neck Bridge and the Whitestone Bridge — would be closed if winds reached 60 miles an hour for more than a short time.

Homeowners scrambled to cover windows with plywood and boaters struggled to get their vessels away from docks. In New York, apartment dwellers with balconies and terraces hauled in patio furniture and potted plants, and stores ran short on staples like batteries, flashlights and bottled water.

Actually, I just realized there is something for me to be incredibly grateful for. When my sister told me she couldn't attend our wedding on June 26th due to a schedule conflict, we almost decided to postpone it until the end of the summer - specifically, this weekend. Good thing we didn't!

Yikes, this is a huge thing!

I like the way you think, Skiekitty!

Yes, Sue, this is huge. As of 9:45 AM EST Sunday morning, here was the hurricane''s satellite image, showing the eye of the storm just a few miles southwest our house!

crap, looks like no one is safe in the NE.. I hope my father's OK (he's right where Lake Ontario bleeds into the St. Lawrence River)

Eeeek, duck for cover!

The worst is over for us now. We got seven inches of rain, but now we just have high winds.

I did just what I said I would, and went outside before the storm to cut a lot of the roses in bloom, and made a big bouquet.

Here they are all in the cutting bucket, sitting on the deck.




And here they are after I arranged them in a vase.

What a beautiful sight, and combined with such good news. I'm glad the worst is over.

Thanks. Those are Paloma Blancas on the upper left side of the bouquet.

Very impressive! I'm so glad you weathered the storm and are okay.

I could have guessed they were Paloma Blanca. They're so perfect!

Thanks Porkpal. My rain gauge measured 7.5 inches of rain, and we had some flooding down by the river in my town (shown here). But I live atop the highest point in town, so I wasn't affected by the flooding.

Good grief, look at all that water! Glad you kept your power too.

Wonderful bouquet, so lush and colorful!

Lots of power saws are in use around the neighborhood today, cutting up downed trees and limbs. Half the state of Connecticut is still without power this morning, and a friend of mine who lives less than an hour away over the state border said they've been told it may be 5 to 7 days before they have their power and water restored.

My brother is a claims adjuster for State Farm and has been reassigned from the gulf to Long Island to process claims there this week.

Here in my town, we got off pretty lucky.

What a nightmare! I can't imagine being without power and water for a week.

Zuzu - it's not fun. I've gone through it when I was a teenager living in the mountains in S. NM. We had a horrible ice storm that also dumped about 2' of snow. We lived in the Lincoln National Forest and many of the areas out there are extremely remote. The powerlines were brought down by trees exploding from the -30+ that hit that night. We lost power on Dec 20th and got it back on Dec 24th about 15 minutes before midnight Christmas day. We were on wellwater, which meant no power: no water. I went out into our field w/my mom's humungo canning pot (about 15gal) and packed in fresh snow for bathing water (we were on propane for heat/cooking) and my sister & I went across the street to the tiny creek w/5gal buckets & a sledgehammer. We broke through the ice on the creek & filled the buckets so we could flush the toilets. It was a VERY boring 4 days (Christmas is always a big thing in my family), but we survived just fine (father wanted to know if any of us wanted to go to a motel down in Alamogordo to ride it out.. none of us could justify the cost! I didn't want to.. my sister did though). But we made it OK.

Mike - I'm super glad that you made it through the storm just fine! I've got to talk to my mom to see if my father's OK.. she's still in NM while he's in NNY trying to sell his house up there.

Glad every one is doing fine heard from grand son in N.J. and niece in N.C. and brother in MD. all are well

My father-in-law over in Connecticut is now in his third day without power or water. What a mess throughout New England!

hugs to him I feel bad for all of the people that are cleaning up there lives out there . Just haveing power and water would be a blessing