We were very lucky. I lost DSL about seven last night, and as we were watching the DVD of “Hidalgo” (not my selection) the power went out just as Viggo the Idiotarian crossed the finish line.

After that, as Bulwer-Lytton would write, it was a dark and stormy night. I think that once again, just like Frances, we were in the southern eye wall. No flooding, and by morning, the wind was down to a dull roar, and we could go out to survey damage, of which there was little. We heard on the radio that a million people were without power in Florida, and that eighty percent (of which we were a part) of Palm Beach County was in that state. We didn’t expect to get power for a few days, under the circumstances, so I was (almost literally) shocked when it came back on about half an hour ago. So we didn’t even lose it for twenty-four hours.

Considering what the folks up north have been through, we feel very, very lucky. We’ve taken down plywood and shutters, and perhaps we can finally get back to normal. Though, since I’ve only been here a month or so, this (watching for storms, preparing for storms, going through storms) is starting to feel normal to me. Perhaps now we can get to something much better than normal.

I don’t know how long I’ll be able to continue to post.

Everything is fine here, but we’ve had several power dropouts, most of them momentary, causing reboots of computers, but one of them was long enought to knock down my laptop. I also lost DSL for a while, but it’s come back, so I thought I’d attempt one more post tonight before we’re down for good. Or at least for a few hours or days.

The wind continues to pick up. We have a stagnation region just outside the front door, because the winds are coming from the northwest, so it’s fun to stand out on the porch and watch the wind and rain across the street. I think it will get worse than this, but not a lot worse, based on the track we’re seeing on the television. I’m not done with the post yet, but it seems like a good idea to put it up, in case I lose the connection. Think of it as a “save” that everyone can see.

The DSL connection is hokey, so I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to post. In any event, power or not, we’ll be good. I wish that I could say the same for those folks farther north.

We put up the last plywood a few minutes ago–the wind is finally starting to pick up. I debated buying the Game Plan on DirecTV so I could watch the Michigan Big Ten opener against Iowa, but I didn’t really want to gamble the twenty bucks when we could lose either power or satellite signal at any time.

The forecast hasn’t changed much since this morning–it’s still headed north of us. I don’t expect any more surge than Frances caused, and the house stayed dry inside the last time. This will be the first time we’ve ridden one out here, and I expect a noisy night. I’m sure that the shutters and plywood will make a racket like they’re about to come off and take the walls off with them, but seeing how they performed with a similar storm only two weeks ago (exactly two weeks ago) will provide us with the confidence to stick it out.

At this point, at least, we’re feeling very lucky, and feeling very bad about those north of us. On the other hand, at least they didn’t waste a lot of money rebuilding from Frances–they didn’t have time.

We’re just starting to see the first outer rain bands of the storm now. No significant wind yet.

The good news (at least for us, though not for St. Lucie and Indian River Counties) is that, like Frances, it’s hitting north of us, so we shouldn’t have to worry about storm surge here. The other good news is that it’s moving much faster, so the agony won’t be prolonged as it was with Frances. The bad news is that it’s now Cat 3, with a possibility of intensification to Cat 4 prior to landfall, sometime later this evening or early Sunday morning. It’s grown considerably, and it now has a huge (45 miles) eye width, with a hurricane-force wind radius of seventy miles. Whatever Frances didn’t take care of, Jeanne will finish off.

We’ve got both cars, and everything that’s not mortared down, into the garage, and just one last bit of plywood will seal us in for the afternoon and night. The winds will probably start to pick up this afternoon, intensifying from tropical force to hurricane into the evening. If it follows the predicted path, we’ll be on the southern edge of the hurricane-force winds, and they’ll probably last several hours.

We still have power, but I’ll be surprised (and thrilled) if we keep it until midnight. I’ll keep checking in when I can.

The shutters and plywood are back up, except for one patio door that lets us get out to the grill and pool. We’ll cover it tomorrow, as the winds start to develop.

But there’s no wind tonight, and a three-quarter moon, waning. The temperature is pleasant. There’s no hint that there’s a monster lurking three hundred miles away, preparing to wreak havoc on us (or more hopefully, at least for us, those north of us) on the morrow.

The winds should pick up in the morning, and we’ll have to check the storm track to see if it’s going to continue on its present path toward the counties north of us, including the Cape, or take a bad (again, for us) turn toward us, in which case we’ll have to decide whether to stay or run from the flood waters. The winds don’t concern us per se, but we don’t want to have to be in a position in which we’re seeking higher ground within the house, and running out, with the only alternative to get outside in hundred-knot winds.

For now, the forecast is encouraging for us (and proportionately discouraging for those north of us, who also took the brunt of Frances only two scant weeks ago). All the good wishes that you’ve sent to me, broadcast now to them. Unless, of course, the storm whimsically changes course yet again.