Counting the 'Canes

As Willy the Bard Shakespeare once said, “and summer's lease hath all too short a stay.”

Here I was trying to hold out until Labor Day ~ or the late summer Bank Holiday that my British colleagues take ~ or my friends in the Madrid office who consider all of July and August as one general Time Out. That's the life.

I wasn’t coming back to this desk and the blog for another two weeks. I mean let’s get through the Olympics! What’s the hurry? Read a few more books ~ lower the blood pressure.

Well, the wake up call for Floridians is the on-rushing storm named Fay which is soon to become a hurricane within a few hours. That marks the end of summer for us and the start of the Middle Season ~ the Hurricane Watch ~ or counting the 'canes as we say here on the big peninsula.

Why it was just 3 and 4 years ago when Florida set its record of eight major storms in two seasons. Major damage ~ major upset ~ major distraction. This was suppose to be another quiet season like last year when nary a breeze blew through. Alas...

Now Fay lingers over Cuba ~ taking a breathier but looking our way. Here’s the routine today:

Bottled water? Check!
Flashlight? Check!
Batteries? Check!
Canned Food? Check!
Cash on hand? Check! (no pun, that)
Family papers secure? Check!
Evacuation Plan? No ~ we are staying put, thank you.

How is your summer going, by the way?