Friday!
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
We have split up the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone in IAN to do daily diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
Now that things are more settled, we are asking for additional IAN readers to write diaries. Any day would be available, and any weekly commitment would be welcomed!
We are looking for next Tuesday, June 4th for sure! Please let us know when you can write and we will make it happen! If no one volunteers for Tuesday, FloridaSNMom will cover until we find a new diarist, but we would prefer to have a new diarist!
If you'd like to be part of the Itzl Alert Network, please leave a comment asking to join, or send us a message asking to join. We'd love to have you. The bigger our network, the less likely someone will be stranded all alone.
So today is the last day of May and tomorrow begins the official Hurricane Season, which runs until the end of November. June usually isn't too bad, we don't usually see the "Hurricane Conga Line" across the Atlantic until August/September. That doesn't mean we couldn't get hit with something serious before that. We've already started putting together our hurricane kit, but it's been harder this year, with bills and grocery prices going up and food stamps benefits coming down. I'm a bit worried we'll be hit before I get enough together. The only good thing is we have a good friend who lives 5 minutes away who will be able to offer some back up if that happens.
It's already been a warm and fairly wet spring, which is good in a way. It means no drought/fire conditions here, or at least less of them. We're closer to 'normal' rain fall than we have been in more than 10 years. But I do worry what all that warm moist air in this area is going to mean come hurricane season. My only consolation there is that storms that form right off our coast usually don't have time to ramp up into major storms.
It does make me REALLY glad we moved out of that falling down trailer and into a better house. So far it doesn't seem to be prone to flooding from rain either, even the couple of all day heavy rains we've had no leaks into the house or the car port/laundry room.
So we have lots of green this year, and not as much brown/dry growth.
Some wild flowers growing in our yard:
Even the cemetery at the end of the street is green:
More moisture in the air means fewer fires. Fewer fires mean less smoke and less risk to homes as well as fewer accidents caused by smoke clouds crossing roads. I'm hoping however it doesn't mean larger, stronger storms. I'm trying to get ready though in case it does.
What is your local ecology looking like this spring? Better than last year or worse? Different or the same? What are you doing to prepare for summer dangers?