Tag: The Great Outdoors

The Weather

Hurricane Prep/Disaster Kit

pamibe

This is my master list so I’m dropping it here.

GENERAL

  • Silicone caulking for bathtub drains to hold water. The caulk will not affect the taste of the water and cleans up easily. Just use a thick bead around the seams and it will pull away cleanly when dry.
  • Manual can and bottle openers.
  • Folding stove, oven mitts. Better to use a camp stove or grill; but don’t use them indoors. In a pinch, you can use ”canned heat” (Sterno, etc.) but it will only heat food; it won’t cook it.
  • A battery-operated radio and/or television.
  • Extra batteries.
  • A windup clock.
  • Battery-operated lanterns and enough flashlights for each member of the family, plus extra batteries and bulbs. Candles and kerosene lights can cause fires and severe burns. If you must use candles, never leave one burning unattended.
  • Duct tape.
  • Lightweight fire extinguishers.
  • Wrench to turn off household gas and water. Keep it near the shut-off valves.
  • Chain saw, gassed up, oiled and ready.
  • Generator.

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Florida, Garden

Luna

pamibe

I captured (and subsequently released) a Luna moth caterpillar. Couldn’t help myself; it was huge. Easily the largest I’ve ever seen. And so close to his pupal stage.

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He was the length of the mason jar.

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His legs were nightmarish. Seriously. They have ‘faux legs’ that look harmless and then the things you see when he’s turned over, which grab leaves and… elongate.

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Tell me that won’t give you bad dreams.

 

Florida

Two Things

pamibe

We hit the beach again yesterday. Cloudy days are the best… next to evenings.

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He looked for buried treasure and I walked up and down glancing at snowbirds. Every other license plate in the parking lot said Québec.

Here are two things that drive me crazy:

  1. People sitting nearly at the water’s edge of one of the most beautiful beaches in the world… playing games on their cellphones. REALLY?
  2. Tourists wearing shoes (flip-flops are shoes) walking on the beach. Down near the surf, where the sand is packed well enough to walk without looking like you’re falling. Sure, we all do that. The sand and the water… they’re for digging your toes into. They’re really good for buffing the callouses off your feet and let’s not discount the pure sensory pleasure of it… If you don’t want to feel that, just go to DisneyWorld and be done with it.