return of the empty nest hiking club!

Yep, it's true! See for yourself!

Friday Five: Storms of Life Edition

Here's me... scanning the horizon for storms. (OK, this was just an excuse to use a picture from our recent trip to South Dakota.)

I'm baaaaaaaaaack (again). My good blogpal, Processing Counselor, suggested a captcha to help solve my Asian spam dilemma, so I'm giving that a go.

Now onto this week's Friday Five!

Martha writes:
I'm listening this morning for word of Hurricane Earl. Is he coming to visit, or will he bypass my part of Maine and move further Downeast, or veer toward Nova Scotia? Should I buy those bottles of water, just in case wind brings branches and power lines down? And how many times will the tracking map change today?
Herewith, a Friday Five about the storms of life:


1) What's the most common kind of storm in your neck of the woods?
I grew up in North Dakota where the most common kinds of storms were blizzards in the winter and tornadoes in the summer -- each possessing their own special charm. Living now in the Pacific Northwest, I am trying to think of what type of "storm" we get here... and I'm coming up short. We really have super mild weather. (Of course we get lots of rain at times, but not really storm-like rain. We've also had a mild earthquake or two.)

2) When was the last time you dealt with a significant power outage?
I'd have to go back to my childhood and Dakota blizzards for this one. However, when we lost power we had a generator. On the up side we had power and warmth, but on the down side it was so darn loud that our hearing was in jeopardy.

3) Are you prepared for the next one?
Sadly, no. Because of my past experiences (see #1 and #2!), I haven't felt motivated to get a disaster kit together. But if a big earthquake hits, I'm in trouble.

4) What's the weather forecast where you are this weekend?
It's beautiful today (sunny, mid-70s), but the rain is probably rolling in tomorrow.

5) How do you calm your personal storms?
I like music and talking with friends.