Earthquakes and now "Irene".....is someone trying to tell me something?

We will be securing all flying objects today, and getting ready for a guest we would rather didn't come to the party, but "Irene" doesn't seem to care about an invitation. We are under a mandatory evacuation, however, that means little to me. I've sat through every storm that has ever come by to say hello, so I'll be sitting here through it holding down the building. And along with me will be Sara, Vernon, perhaps Michael, he's still undecided he may go with a neighbor back to her house in Preston. Mary, Brian and the children are undecided...Mary wants to stay but Brian is naturally a little concerned. We also have a few hotel guests who have asked to stay....so we don't know what we've got and we won't until 5:00 p.m. when the evacuation is suppose to be complete. All the foreign workers, which is really the entire staff of every property in Ocean City were required to leave yesterday so many of the businesses were closed last night...Salty Yarns of course, stayed open until 9:00 p.m., so stitchers could get their supplies before leaving or hunkering down. It's all a little daunting really. But I'm packing up my "stuff" and I'm moving into the hotel today so guests will see me there and know that I'm not leaving them to fend for themselves. So we're about to go on an interesting journey and one that I wish I wasn't going on, but I'll keep you posted as we sit here and wait. Earlier this week we had a first...I was sitting on the porch with Debbie and Phyllis as they were saying good-bye to the beach before heading home. They were here for the Jackie Du Plessis class last weekend. While we were talking I felt the hotel moving and thought "that's strange, there's no wind, no planes passing, no huge trucks going by" but I just rocked harder and put it out of my mind. A woman sitting down from us asked, "Is it normal for the hotel to move like that?" To which the Romanian foreign student replied...well I'm not sure what he said but it kept me from answering so I let him go. And then the woman's cell phone started blowing up and I heard her saying, "What, you have got to be kidding." She looked at me and said, "we just felt the after shocks from an earthquake which happened in Virginia." I feel like we're looking at the beginning of the end here...hurricanes and earthquakes? You have got to be kidding! Well, at least I have my needlework to keep me busy over the next couple of days. You know that is going to be the first thing I pack to take to the hotel. Although, last night I was unpacking orders from the recent show and there are several more projects in my "to do" pile. UPDATE....just got a call from Sara at Lankford central....our command center....and apparently one of the guests who didn't want to leave....their children back in Baltimore called the Ocean City police to report us and the police showed up at the hotel last night and told Sara we had to evacuate the tenants by 5:00 p.m. today (Friday) or we would be arrested (I guess)....so we are now evacuating tenants and workers....except, of course, us. We will be riding out the storm from our command center and will keep you posted. The day is beautiful, suns out and birds are singing...obviously they are clueless at this point as to what is coming to ruin their day! It's still suppose to be only a category 2 storm when it goes by us so I'm hoping that doesn't change. While I've been here for higher categories, I'd prefer it downgrade before passing here. And the saga continues.

I hope your day is going better than mine.