Expecting

Woke up this morning, got yourself a gun

Oops, not writing the lyrics to the Sopranos theme song here, let's start over.

I woke up this morning to a pregnant sky, heavy with impending precipitation, waiting for its water to break. Will it be snow or rain? Could go either way here, down the shore. The predictions for our area have been all over the place, and include rain, sleet and snow.

The consensus seems to be that we will get significant accumulation, but they've been wrong before. They being the forecasters of doom. In March of 2001, John Bolaris (then of Philly channel 10/WCAU) predicted the Storm of the Century for the Philly and South Jersey area. And he did it in a big, dramatic way. Schools were closed, as was the anonymous government office, in anticipation of the event. And we got nada. A whole lot of nothing. It was a lovely, serendipitous day off.

Not much chance of a day off from this storm, falling as it does on a three day weekend. Most of my coworkers appeared to accept the threat of a blizzard with equanimity. Seems we all secretly welcome a reason to stay home and rest for a change.

We made the short trip to the grocery store last night. It was not crowded (we went on the late side). While we did pick up water and PopTarts (standard fare around here when the electric service goes out), we really went to get a Valentine to mail to Mom, since the chances are pretty good that we won't get out to see her before Tuesday. The card is on its way as we speak, along with a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Why do I always hear Forrest Gump whenever I say those words?

Unfortunately, Mr. Merci took the chocolates to the post office to mail them, and he mailed the card separately. Maybe mom will think she has a secret admirer when she gets that anonymous box of chocolates (there goes that Forrest Gump line again). Maybe that's not a bad thing. She has a good sense of humor.

I've looked everywhere for those wonderful Hershey's Cordial Kisses, but they are nowhere to be found. I had one at work last week. My hubby loves cherry cordials, and I had hoped to pick some up for him. I found some cherry KitKats, but they are just too sweet. We're not exchanging gifts this year; no real need to do that. I just thought the cordial kisses, along with a card, would be a nice touch.

But I digress: back to the topic of the (alleged) Nor'easter. We don't often lose our electric service, but it's best to prepare for the possibility. We have a well - no city water (or sewer) available here. The pump can't run without electricity, so we can't get water when the power is out. I will fill the tub before the worst of the wind hits. This will enable us to continue to flush the toilet if we cannot get water from the well.

So here I am, waiting for the heavens to deliver a big bundle of joy. We're all safely at home (2 humans and 2 canines), we are well stocked with comfort food, and the nutritious kind, as well. We'll light the pilot light on the gas fireplace, which will ensure that we have heat if the power goes out (the heater needs an electric spark to start), and, oh yeah, gotta go fill the tub with water...

5 Excuses for Not Blogging

1. Fatigue and a disrupted sleep cycle
2. Headaches
3. Medical appointments (mostly routine)
4. The Stephen King book (my first) I borrowed from Pax
5. The dogs ate my post

I set out to come up with 10 reasons, but I'm just too lazy. The weekend (3 days off, hooray) should bring better things.

OC

Since I don't have much to say today, here are a few pics to keep the blahg from becoming too blah.

This is the beach in Ocean City this afternoon. The surf was really rough, almost Nor'easter rough. There will be some erosion today. The wind was not unusually strong. One of the worst Nor'easters I remember happened on a perfectly beautiful, sunny day. I headed into Ocean City late in the afternoon for a field visit. I was puzzled by flooding on Ocean Heights Avenue in Somers Point. When I crossed the 9th Street Bridge into Ocean City, I had to turn back because of the flooding on the island. All on a beautiful day. I believe that was the Perfect Storm of Halloween 1991.

This is the Boardwalk looking north from 11th Street this afternoon. You can't tell from the photo, but there were quite a few shoppers on the boards today, and some of the mainstay shops were open (Atlantic Books, Mack and Manco Pizza, The Fudge Kitchen and others).

Here's another beach shot, taken a bit later in the day. Still quite rough out there.

The Fishing Pier
This pier is privately owned by a fishing club and is off-limits to mere mortals.

The Music Pier.
Most of the entertainment on the Boardwalk takes place here. I remember attending services here when I was a teen. My youth group came to OC for a convention every year.

And here it is, the place I refer to as, "The Scene of the Crime." This is the Flanders Hotel, where my hubby and I said, "I Do," oh, so many years ago! She was a grand old dame, and beautiful inside. She's been through a lot - closed, reopened, partially converted to condos, and much more. Perhaps I'll tell my bit of that tale another day...