12 Oakdale

We missed almost all the buildup for Hurricane Helene, which devastated Florida’s panhandle and North Carolina, still no phone service and electricity in many areas. And lies promulgated about FEMA, which slows down the search and rescue. Now it’s our turn. Hurricane Milton is churning across the Gulf of Mexico, predicted to land as a Class 5 somewhere near Tampa Thursday, then head across the state. We’ve brought in the porch chairs, picked up the few things in our yard, turned pots over, and dismantled Grant’s big plant tower, laying the levels on the porch. There isn’t a lot to do, and I will be thinking about what I can move on after the storm and what makes the list to be kept. Less is less. For water, Grant filled 2 of our food safe 5 gallon buckets. If we need more than that, we will fill our water bottles and head to either Patten’s or Sally’s, depending on which is in better shape after the storm. It is so unnerving not having any shutters. But I still claim Central Florida is...

We’d gone to Fort Lauderdale to celebrate Patten’s birthday, bringing the watermelon cake he’d requested. He said I’d made one for his birthday many years ago. That recipe was long gone with all the cook books I’d tossed when I sold 14th Court. Onto the internet for a recipe where I found one using watermelon-flavored Jello. None at Publix, but three brands at Wal-Mart: Jell-O, Sonic, and Starburst. Do those customers do a lot of Jello shots? I opted for the Sonic, which claimed it tastes just like their slushee. Could be. Because the frosting was buttercream, I’d had Grant put our camping fridge in the truck to keep the cake cold on the trip down. It thawed while we watched the Miami Dolphins beat the Baltimore Ravens 42-38. Actually, I watched while Patten, Ryann, and Grant went to the grocery store. They’d left at the beginning of the 4th quarter, Ravens leading 35 to 7, with the Dolphins not looking good. Fortunately, Patten keeps his phone on so they saw the comeback while they sh...