Update #2....and all is not as bad as it was...

First thanks to all of you who are following this and offering your prayers and well wishes and also to Carolyn who offered us a room at her house...we thank you but our conditions aren't as bad as we originally were told so I'm feeling more optimistic... Renee called to check on us and she and Greenie are hunkered down on 6th street and staying. When they came by her house to get next of kin information they didn't say a word about electic or water being shut off so Greenie has gotten to the bottom of this as we all felt it was illegal to just shut off utilities like that. Now we are being told that the secondary water pumps are being shut down but the main water pump will still be on and the electric from 1st street south is being shut off since the lines are all underground, but that is it. Now I'm thrilled they haven't buried ours...so we are feeling a lot better about our circumstances. There are quite a few of us staying who have businesses for a very good reason...with the town officials ordering everyone out....we have become targets of the unscrupulous whose only intent is to loot from the empty properties. We're old school down here and we will not allow that to happen. So I know that Lee at Malibus is camping out for the duration there, and the owner of the Green Turtle up at the north end has 2 people sleeping in the bar to protect his investment. We are becoming like the wild west down here. Meanwhile I may actually be able to use Vernon's taser, or Old Sparky as he likes to call it, and Renee and Greenie are armed and ready as well. So if looters show up they better make sure they are picking on empty properties because I won't hesitate to spark them up and throw them into the storm. Yes, I'll be kicking butt and taking names. Hopefully "irene" won't be kicking my butt. I've already had my first accident. Sara brought up the computers from down stairs and put them in the lobby where I promptly fell over them to the floor as all the workers were in the lobby getting their lunch. The good news....they said I went down very gracefully. The bad news...getting up was a red hot mess....and my knees are still killing me from the experience. But I lived through it and hopefully that is the last unpleasant experience I am going to have this weekend. The hotel is finally empty except for you know who, but the police did go up and spoke with them and the kids tell me he is loading his car, so by 5:00 it should be just us chickens here. Mary and Brian had decided to go, when we thought we wouldn't have electric and we're now trying to locate a place (Brian thought the Great Wolf Lodge in Pennsylvania would be a good waiting out place but they are full so we're back to the drawing board). After calling Mary who was home packing just in case, she's informed me that Solomon wants a night of camping out in the lobby so I think Brian is being voted off the island alone. We'll see how this turns out. It's like playing Survivor down here...groups forming, people teaming up...oh, this could get ugly people. But you know I'll keep you posted. I will say this...it's eerie here...no one on the boardwalk and the beach is closed. They've worked for 2 days clearing the beach of all objects like the beach stand boxes and trash cans. The only thing you see are the life guards sitting on our porch to make sure no one goes over the sea wall. And there is an air of anticipation here....humid and every once in a while a breeze. The water is calm as it ever is and you just know it nots going to stay that way. Yes, folks we know the storm is coming but we just don't know when, and we don't know what the winds are going to be like. I only hope at some point I can sit down and stitch without feeling like I should be watching kids or cooking or blogging. This is like a snow day....only we're actually having to do a whole lot of work to prepare. And they've called off the first day of school...so Michael is thrilled and when Solomon finds out he is going to be so upset as Monday was his first official school day and he can't wait. Well, I've got to go get busy looking busy...I'll keep you posted.