7 October 2024
Hold on to your hats! They could blow off your head this time tomorrow. As of the 5:30 pm news, Milton has reached 180 miles per hour. Fortunately, it’s predicted to be a category 3 by the time it makes landfall. Even writing that statement seems obscene – only a category 3.
The infusion went quickly today. They took me back early and I was out of there by 2:30 pm. Pat was my nurse again and we wished each other to stay safe as I left. The Tootsie Roll Minis were a hit.
Once I got home, I secured the Bahama shutters and the accordion shutters. We are not predicted to have more than tropical storm gusts (39+mph) however, what I am concerned about is any tornados that might be spawned from the hurricane. So far, it doesn’t look like the rainfall projections are too much for my street to handle – fingers crossed. I did move the patio furniture and some containers into a more protected space. Let’s hope the awning holds up to the winds.
The reason I secured the shutters is I won’t have time tomorrow. I’m taking Tom in for his surgery and I intend to be there until he wakes up and I know he’s OK. It’ll be an all day process. It’s a serious surgery and I want to be able to talk to the surgeon as soon as he finishes.
Tom will drive to my house and arrive at 5 am and I’ll drive him to Hollywood Memorial for a 5:30 am prep. The surgery should only take 1 1/2 hours. Tom knows how to plan things: his marriage to Kurt, the surgery and then a cruise on the 27th.
My friend Chris at Broward Health seems to be doing much better today. As I age, I find myself in hospitals – both for me and for friends – more and more. Up until my first surgery ever – the torn biceps – I’d never really spent a night in the hospital since November 1, 1948. Dad always reminded me he had to sell a calf to get my sprung.
You would think hospitals would all be alike. That’s not the case. Each has their own set of procedures and priorities. What works in one facility doesn’t necessarily work in another.
When I moved here in 1985, both Broward Health (back then it was Broward General) and Hollywood Memorial were pretty small. Today you can get lost in the hallways. It takes a while to learn where everything is.
Keep a close watch on the weather. This is a massive system and it’ll affect weather all over the southeastern U.S.
Stay tuned!