My house lies within the cone of uncertainty. That sounds bad, doesn’t it?
As of this writing, my house on the east end of Long Island is on the western edge of the possible path of Hurricane Earl as it heads up the east coat.
I have been watching it all week and preparing. I have already begun removing any potential projectiles (anything not strapped down) from my yard and putting them in the garage.I went to the store days ago to stock up on milk and bread before the rush hit. Since I have five children there is no fear any of it will go to waste.
It has been a while for us Islanders, but we have been through this before. You get prepared and you see what happens. There are certainly spiritual lessons to be taken from situations like this. You must be prepared becuase you don’t know when the end will come. The end will come like a thief in the night. In a world with ADT alarm systems and Doppler radar, perhaps we forget this sometimes. We many not have days warning when our end comes like we do with hurricanes. We are not used to surprises any more.
But I was surprised yesterday. I picked my nine year old boy up from soccer practice yesterday. He is a born worrier. Ever since one of his friends told him about the hurricane earlier in the week, he has been worrying about it. When I picked him up from soccer, the first thing he mentioned was the hurricane. “What category is it, Dad?”
I assured him that the storm would likely pass us by and we would only have some wind and rain. Nothing to worry about.
But as I looked at his face in the rear-view mirror, he still looked worried.
“Are you still worried about the storm?”
“No.”
“You still look like something is on your mind. You know you can tell me anything? What are you thinking about?”
“Well, ok. Dad, when there is a new heaven and a new earth, will I still be me?”
“Yes. You will always be you.”
“When there is a new heaven and a new earth, will there still be storms?”
“Ummm…I don’t know. But even if there are, I do know there will be nothing to be scared of anymore.”
“If I will still be me when there is a new earth, will I still have curly hair?”
“Ummm. I am sure you will.”
I realized later that the answer to the last question may not have been what he was looking for. Once again I find myself in the cone of uncertainty.
Hurricanes you can prepare for, children not so much.
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Why milk and bread…why??? When I prep for a storm I get rid of the milk and bread (if you loose power unless it is a snow storm those are pretty much wasted). I check to make sure the paper products are stocked and buy canned & non-perishable goods (like tuna, crackers, energy bars and some drinking water).
Other than that cute article (sorry it’s one of those pet peeves that bugs me before every storm).
Well, Christina. If you must know. It is possible, since I live in a very wooded area, that we could have trees down for days at a time potentially blocking the road to the store. It has happened before. Since I have 5 children, I like to stock up.
Not to nitpick the milk thing…Well - okay I am - but I hope you’ll forgive me!! We have five kids and hurricanes to prepare for… But when we’re in the cone of uncertainty (ridiculous term) we stop buying milk and bread and stock up on powdered milk and crackers. I suppose this has to do with climate difference? Milk will spoil within 2 hours of the power going out here—no point in stocking up. :) We had no cars, roads, or stores in some combination for months after Katrina—but if we had water we had milk. Sort of. I mean - the kids will even start to drink it after a few days - but the looks on their faces never really improve.
Might I recommend never trying the powdered eggs though.
Praying for you guys up there… Hope Earl puffs itself out without doing any damage. And if you start to panic—look to your kiddos for wisdom. Seems like they so often have their priorities straight when we do not.
Perhaps its because I live in a area with a bad power grid that I think this is odd. During our last storm parts of my city had no power for a week and I was out for 36 hours. I happened to have milk in the fridge and it ended up needing to be tossed (along with some other food that didn’t quite make it).
Here in Florida we jokingly refer to it as the “Cone of Death”. It seems you are going be brushed by the storm as it goes somewhere else and it will be just a major inconvenience. So it should not be so bad. Milk is not so good, but eggs should be ok as long as you do not cook them. Good Luck!
Ladies please, you obviously don’t have enough children to know how fast milk and bread can go - in my family that’s exactly ten gallons and nine loaves in four days- plus not everyone stocks up on the same things, and it’s Mr. Archbold’s decision (he being the head of his own family and all) it’s actually and intelligent thing to do - sandwiches are a handy no-cook if the power goes out.
PS. Christina, don’t toss the milk, let it go cottage-cheese like then add vinegar, let it sit half a day, drain it (don’t try to press it through the colander), mix some spices and you’ve got a decent “green-cheese.”
Ms. Clement
J.M.J
I will eat almost anything…and yet the thought of “green cheese” turns me green. ;-) (although slightly more serious - I thought making cheese wasn’t possible with processed milk)
Also, lighthearted exasperation doesn’t come through well in comments. I really don’t care all that much what he buys for his family (even if I think it odd).
And to try to get things back on topic since I ran it afield - I think it’s absolutely adorable that your children are asking such theological questions :) (I don’t think I thought about a ‘new earth’ until I was in college)
Prayers are with you - and everyone in the path of the storm.
East Texas—an area larger than England—was without power for six weeks after Rita, the hurricane that never happened, and the temps were 100-ish day after dreary day. It was a challenge! I learned how to set up generators for folks. I also learned that FEMA is whimsical and erratic, but already knew that if one expects to live, one prepares to take care of himself. Thank God for growing up in the country, for a father who taught me survival skills, and for my good Navy and Marine Corps training! A further thank you to Gerber for their (then) made in the USA knives.
I must be missing something. I thought this was an article about calming fears through preparation and solid dadliness (yes I’m making up a word). We were snowed in so often last year, we just checked the weather and planned as far in advance of the storm as possible to avoid the crowds. Doing that made my family feel safer. Milk, no milk, bread. no bread… I don’t see this as an issue.
The comments here remind me of what often happens after preaching my Sunday homily. They talk about the least important parts that perhaps were just meant for a smile, or a lead-in and the main point seems not to have registered at all. Ah, well. Anyway, Young Worrier Archbold - remember you will always be you and there will always be a you. And don’t let anyone make you feel bad about being a worrier. People like you and me have to make up for all the people who are far too laid-back and just take things in their stride. Never could understand that type. Kind of mentally lazy, if you ask me.
I’m sorry.
Christina - I understood you completely, and I always have exactly the same thoughts. No sorry needed to me - sometimes the most interesting conversations come from tangents….
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