I’m not a fan of the tornado warnings, either. They’ve been constant since Friday night. At first we gave them heed, but at this point I’d say we’re rather jaded. As Em put it, if I hear one coming, then I’ll go hide in the closet. Until then, forget it.

The cats weren’t pleased to be dragged in there at first, but once inside, they settled right in. They were the last to leave, and Pandy has decided it’s a great place to nap. That’s not a disappointment, considering her superpower is invisibility. If she doesn’t want to be found, she cannot be. Star, on the other hand, is another story. She’s far too curious to hide from much, or for very long. As long as Pandy obliges and hangs out inside the closet voluntarily, it’ll make roundup a whole lot easier. In the photo, the hamster is the reason for their fixed gazes. And yes, my closet is a mess.

So far, we’re still dry. And, we have power. That was expected to go out by today, but, the wind was also expected to be much stronger. The rain was expected to stop, and we’ve yet to see that happen. It slows rarely, and stops not at all. Right now it sounds like we’re living behind a waterfall. A really major waterfall. It’s enough to make me reach for my immersive headphones, but… should a tornado show up, I’d prefer to hear it before I see it. Not that anything can be heard over this rain. It seems like rain would get sucked into a tornado. So if there’s ever again silence, maybe that’s the time to grab the cat and run for the closet.

I have written very little, I’m terribly chagrined to say. All this time at my disposal, and all I can seem to do is work over exit plans in my head. They say if the water rises to the second floor, to get on the roof. But how, exactly? Tread water, until it rises to that point? I’ve puzzled that over, and have yet to come up with another solution. How to get the cats on the roof, and the dog, not to mention the hamster, is an additional puzzle. If this ever ends, I’m buying a canoe. That’s what I wanted to do before this all started. I told Brad we should do that, and he laughed. He often does that, when I’m actually quite serious about something. Well he isn’t laughing now, he’s wishing he took me up on that brilliant suggestion! All we have to fall back on, should the neighborhood flood as some have, is an air mattress. With two cats involved, I don’t see that getting us very far.

In spite of feeling driven a little crazy by the sound of the rain pounding incessantly, there’s a lot to be thankful for. First off, I’m not driven to chewing doorstops, like my poor cat. Not yet, anyway. Secondly, we have power. Thirdly, we have yet to be flooded out of the first floor. Nor have we had to do IRL problem-solving, and figure out what to do with everyone while we wait for the water to rise high enough to climb onto the roof. We’re not stuck on an air mattress with an antsy dog, two claw-happy cats, and a hamster who’s industriously chewing a hole in someone’s pocket. Probably mine. We have plenty of food. We’ve certainly got plenty of water! We’ve also got enough bottled, to last us three weeks. Pandy is well, everyone else is healthy, prescriptions have all been filled, and like I said, there is a LOT to be thankful for. Verizon kindly made the decision to waive all overage charges for those of us in affected areas, so even if the WiFi goes, and so does all our data, we won’t be cut off, or paying for it later. I thought that was incredibly nice of them.

In spite of the tornado warning still effective until forever, I’m breaking down and getting my headphones. It’s better than breaking down and chewing doorstops. The sound of the rain, which at one time I considered pleasant, is now absolutely maddening.

Maybe if I replace the racket with enough Hawk Nelson and Citizen Way, I can get a few more pages written in Disengaged. I’m going to try, anyway!