A couple of months ago, there were tornados, near here. They did not reach Chez Jones, nor were any family nearby affected in any horrible way, but the region was shellshocked, because tornados don’t normally show up in this area, in that fashion. A few days ago, there was an earthquake in Virginia, which was felt all the way down to Georgia, and all the way up into Canada. Here at Casa de Jones, I felt it, while sitting in my chair — I looked up, and the cats and dog were staring at me in abject horror, clutching the couch. I couldn’t fathom why my chair felt like a Massage-O-Matic for a full minute; I assumed a huge truck was coming down the exit ramp, so I turned to look… but that wasn’t the case. I txted the other Mrs. Jones, who felt it in her office, as did her officemates… and thusly, ‘Earthquake’ was the assumption, however odd.
And now, a hurricane. Irene of 2011 has torn up the eastern seaboard, causing thus far tens of thousands of dollars in damages. She’s on her way here, and thus far, the only thing of note is the bridge to our little neighborhood is semi-flooded over, and our basement is taking on little streams of water between the cinderblock.
My father is terrified for us, to the point of offering to pay for our gas and hotel if only we’ll hurry up and leave the area. Much as I love my father, I can’t get worked up about this. Irene just doesn’t seem like it’ll be a big deal.
I hope I’m right about this one…
