I didn’t get to post this morning, so now I’m going to go with something different.

When they start talking about a Hurricane it’s like the boy who cried wolf. Just like the news media, they get all excited, run around like a chicken with their heads cut off, and then the darn thing goes someplace else. BUT there is always the chance that this time it will come here.

Now I remember when Charlie was set to hit Tampa Bay. People threw their horses in their trailers and went to Orlando and Georgia, and where did the Hurricane end up going? Orlando and Georgia. We stayed put, but that time I left the horses out. The problem with loading your horses to get out of Florida is that everyone else has the same idea, with or without horse trailers. There are only two major highways out, I 95 and I 75. These very quickly become long parking lots. Horses are stuck in traffic in sweat boxes, unless you are blessed to have air conditioning for your horses. If the trailers aren’t moving, neither is the air inside. Then there’s the added thought of we’re out of gas and so are all the gas stations. Personally I’d rather ride out the storm at home than be stuck on the highway with horses in the trailer.

So this morning, as I’m doing my chores, one of my boarders text me and asked if I need help getting ready. For a split second I had to think, ready for what? Then it registered that the 11:00 a.m. update had come out. So right now it looks like it’s a possibility. I thanked her and told her we were under control.

The biggest thing is to remember what you did last time to prepare. First of all leaving town is not an option. I’m not doing that to my horses. If you don’t know anyone in one of the other states, you get there and what do you do? There is an option to go to the State Fair Grounds, but people make reservations in advance.

So here we stay. I’m very comfortable that we will fair well. We have in past years. Barn is well built, I just got grain, have hay, generator for the well, it’s just remembering what has to be secured.

The one boarder that was here this morning asked if the horses stay inside or out. She said there are various opinions about that. Well you have to take a lot of things into consideration. How strong is your barn? Is it going to collapse on top of your horses? How safe is your pasture. What are the chances that debris will fly in from the neighbors. Are your pastures large enough that the horses can run out of the way of UFO’s? Will your fences become UFO’s? Will your barn or other outbuildings become UFO’s? Your house, the dog house, your jumps, all can become flying debris. How strong are the trees in your pastures. These oaks in Florida fall for no good reason, so when you have a good reason are they going to stand?

I have dog tags that attach to the horses halters and tails. I guess I should pull them out, but chances are 1. The hurricane will change course, and 2. The horses will remain in the barn. I know this barn, it will stand. I have first aid supplies for any injuries and medications for everything else. Chances are that getting a vet here will not be an option. If trees come down on the road, they just are not getting through.

This, of course, is not just a Florida problem. This storm, or others, can run up the East Coast. I’d rather deal with something I know may hit us as opposed to a Tornado that just shouts “Surprise!” as it takes everything in it’s path. I don’t even want to think about what people went through this year with the fires in California, or floods.

So for now, it’s a wait and see. We’ll start securing on Friday, until then it’s business as usual. No thought of building an Ark, we’re high. The rest of Florida would have to be submerged for us to have water front property. If that happens, would the name Florida be changed to Atlantis?