I hope folks in Tennessee need some rain- it looks like they'll be getting some soon. We're supposed to get about 5 inches of rain Monday, although we're no longer considered to be in the storm's path:

The forecast for this storm has changed a lot- which is good for us in SC, but not so good for Florida and Georgia. I hope those in the path of Irma will check in to let us know your status, as you can.

We also need rain in South Ga, but Irma can take her wind and go! News at this point has us with 90 to 100 mph. Winds. I am a couple of miles east of I75 and her westward turns ups our risk of tornadoes. .. everyone please pray for Crisp County...we have a great little town, but we aren't going to be able to handle two days of sustained winds of at least 30 mph and higher (yep up to 100 at ceryain times) Along with the heavy rain without heavy damage. We are surrounded by pines, pecan trees and old oaks that will uproot or break off. The bonus of a small town is the fact everyone has every other persons cell number...which can be a blessing (Irma) or a curse...lol. we also have our own power company which we curse 2 months out of the summer, but they have the most amazing line crews...we are actually spoiled and fuss if power is down for 1/2 a day!! (Which says a lot about them because we are usually hit by a tornado once a year and the occasional ice storm.) Also, our public safety city and county are the bomb! We have smart organized people high up the food chain that can anticipate just about any need. ..still, this storm is a beast and NO ONE here is taking it lightly. ..even our usual skeptics have been spotted preparing. ..just please add us to your prayer list. We are an impoverished county and many are going to have horrible days ahead.

gagal, I was worried that you would see some bad weather when the forecast shifted the track further west. I tend to think of hurricanes as Mother Nature's tree service... which would be fine, except people and their homes and vehicles just don't work as well if tree limbs come down on them.

I hope y'all are as prepared as you can be if you plan to stay put ... I was in Cordele for a wedding some years ago, and there's some beautiful country in that area. It's good that you need the rain- I think the wind does more damage to wet trees than dry ones.

Praying you'll all be safe and tornado-free,

Virginia

PS How is your sister?

I was watching the news and they said Irma possibly would be cat 3 when she hit Ga. Ugh. I think we are as prepared as we can be...just have to ride it out...thank you for remembering my sister...good news to report. Her cancer markers went from 400 to 70! It's not cured and never will be, but now the Dr had been talking about doing anot her scope of her abdomen to see if surgery is possible. She doesn't want to open her up and risk it if she is not ready. ESS is a tissue cancer and I think there is the fear of spreading things around. She is a hoot and always calls me after each appt. To give me the scoop...of course when she does, she is at some cool ATL restaurant with a cocktail! That is her treat that she and her hubby have made a ritual! She gripes about the weight gain the hormones cause, but on the other hand she is great full that is all she has to deal with. They came down a few months ago and stayed. We got my other sister and did an 8 hour kayak trip. Too fun. No current the last hour and a half, but the hubby and I stopped a fisherman and tipped him to tow us! Lol. They were shocked we got there so fast! We haven't told them to this day!!

Best thoughts for anyone affected.

I used to have a dog named Irma, the mother of my Aris. She shared many traits with her namesake. God rest her soul.

Holding FL in my heart as Irma approaches the Keys! I hope everyone farther north weathers the wind, rain and tornadoes! Also in the mix are 6 million evacuees including my sister-in-law, her dog and cat and one of my dearest lifelong friends with her daughter, dog and two cats. Thank you for hosting our loved ones, Alabama, Georgia, N and S Carolina, Tennessee and beyond! Carol

Portland mystery rose are they in hotels? If they have to leave again one day (which I hope they dont) please reach out. I have friends with cabins and lake homes that are empty. Would be happy to drum them up something! Don't know if they have pets, but they are ok. Got a friend with living quarters in her barn kitchen, bedrooms. Dog kennels and place for horses! No charge. My mom had to evacuate man times and always had her 2 siamese cats. Truly would be happy to help!

Well, maybe I should hush...it's getting us this time!

Thank you so much, Gagal! When they last contacted me, they had secured ports in the storm. I sincerely appreciate your generous offer. Hearts like yours make the world beautiful! Carol

Well, we all should help each other when we can...so many people, millions, so I know rooms were hard to come by for many. The offer stands if ever needed.

Thinking of all affected, from here in Australia. Stay strong, and help one another in whatever way you can. Wishing the very best for you all. At least a major disaster can bring everyone together, regardless of politics, religion and ethnic heritage. Seriously addressing the contribution of human causes to all this must follow in due course, with appropriate action taken to avoid and/or mitigate the worst effects of our planet's changing climate in the future. Until then, stay safe everyone.

With this second westward shift of Irma my family is now in its sights. Ouch. One at least (and her two houseguests from the Atlantic coast of Florida who took refuge with her) is probably going to have to evacuate, probably to our brother's place. Her trailer in a coastal town is on ground eight feet above sea level. Glad it's going to miss you, Virginia.

It has turned west again which puts us on the east side...tornados. . The sheriff in neighboring Wilcox County told people to evacuate. ..very rural area that was destroyed by tornadoes not to long ago. Lots of mobile homes that are hard to reach. At this point we are expecting 70mph sustained winds at times up to 115. With gusts up to 125. Heavy rain..5 inches or better. I am praying for Albany Ga...portions of their town were wiped out by a tornado a year ago and they are still cleaning up. I have friends there they say the Florida evacuees that got rooms in Albany are packing up and leaving, headed to Alabama ..what a mess. I can say one thing..southerners are tough and rally! Strangers helping strangers. No politics involved. I know people think we are a hot bed of rednecks and racism, but it's not true...sure it exist, but where I live, we are all family. That's the case in most southern towns. Should I go trim my rangy roses back so they don't get whipped around? I put all my rooted babies back in my garage. Did that first! Lol. Priorities right? Just pray for South Ga. My family may get severe damage to our home, but we will be ok...it's the rural poverty stricken areas that I am concerned about! My dear friends hubby is a big farmer and their home is not to far from me . We have joked about her and hubby riding over on one of their massive tractors to check on us. Trying to finish laundry then headed to my father in laws and sister in laws to make sure their yards are free of debris and other items. I appreciate everyone listening to me....kinda takes a load off...I am the Rock in this house. My hubby is a wonderful guy but has a tendency to over react..like when the kids were little and got hurt..Lord he would scars them to death! Panicking! Lol. The saying in this house is "you don't worry unless mama is worried ". I am just really laid back and just roll with things.. but, I am also not a fool, this house will be as prepared as it can be. I have the kids putting anything of value in the top of closets so in case we do get tree damage, it won't be on the floor in the rain. (Guns, computer stuff, shoes, ) also having them pack an over nite bag incase we have to leave. Bought big round battery push lights, the ones you put in a closet, because my Emily Rose would burn the house down with a candle! Bless her over the top self!

My thoughts are with all of you. Living on the other coast I can only imagine what you're going through but to me it's terrifying. I hope you and all your animals stay safe, wherever you are. Your tough spirit comes through and I admire your courage in the face of this terrifying storm. Please take care.

Gagal, I am holding you and your family in my thoughts. No tornadoes, please! Wishing for no trees falling, no rooves leaking, no flooding and a little peace of mind in the midst of the storm for Mama the Rock and Glue of the Family.

Melissa, I hope your family makes it to your brother's and shelters safe and secure! The shifting track of Irma has created so many challenges.

Sultry, a tree frog?! Thank you for a little humor in the mix. I hope you stay safe and your home holds its own! I also hope you finally got that much-needed cup of coffee.

Virginia and Alana, you two stay safe over there in SC! Batten the hatches, and we'll all pray together for Irma and any foul weather she's sending your way to pass as quickly and as lightly as posssible.

I'm thinking of everyone who is dealing with Irma and her side effects! Please keep us updated on Virginia's thread whenever and however you can.

Carol

gagal, I'm glad you have a sense of perspective on things. You do need to take the storm seriously- as you clearly are- but panicking doesn't really help much. Control what you can, and hope for the best with whatever's out of your control. And I think we can all get on the 'No Tornadoes' bandwagon, no matter what other differences we may have...

I'm so glad to hear that your twin is doing so well; you'd better hope your sisters aren't checking up on you on this forum, or they'll find out about your kayak trick!

comtesse, I agree that disasters do bring out the best in most people, North, South, East and West. It's a shame we can't always be at our best, but I guess that's not really sustainable. It would be nice if folks could/would learn from the past when planning for the future, but that doesn't seem to be likely. I hope I'm wrong about that.

Melissa, I hope your family will all get to a safe place to shelter, and remain unharmed.

I don't understand people who will risk harm because it's too inconvenient to evacuate. Seriously can't imagine that folks plan to stay home when they live in the Keys. They will not all survive, but I guess they all think they'll be the lucky ones.

Sultry, your Ninja frog is adorable; it's a mystery how the critters find their way inside. We don't have many frogs, but we have many, many lizards, and they do find their way in sometimes. I hope you will be safe from the storm surge; it looks like it will be a doozy, even though the SE coast isn't in Irma's path, she (and maybe her interaction with Jose?) will cause some major flooding in that area. My understanding is that the worst flooding will be south of us, but we will get some rough weather here also.

It's already cool and breezy (with 18mph gusts) here, and my roses are putting out new growth already. They are as ready for fall weather as I am. I hope the weather will be cool after Irma moves through the South, because quite a few people will lose power and have no A/C or clean water to wash with.

It's just started to rain here; I hope it will let up soon, so we can take Lucy for a walk.

Take care, everybody,

Virginia

Sultry, I would have peed mine! Hilarious! We get a few, but it's lizard city at this house! They pop out and scare me all the time. I think snake! Then they dash off.. where are you l9cated? Hope everything is good for you. I get frustrated with the ones that stay too. I would bail in a second if told to evacuate! I like to think that the ones giving the order are privy to more than we are!

I am on the NE FL coast..Jax area. I don't think we will get it too bad unless there are tornados but who knows. Its been rainy and the wind has started up. A few small tree limbs are down. We have really old Live Oaks in our yard. The farmhouse was built in the 1940's so not sure how old the trees are but they are close to the house and monsterous. Lots of tall pines, magnolias, and other trees on the property as well.

I dont know about Jose, I saw some crazy model where they had him going north out in the Atlantic then looping all the way back down and around and hitting the east coast of FL..seems crazy.

I went through Katrina and Rita in Louisiana in 2005. Rita flooded us. Our kids school was under 6ft of water and it pretty much trashed the whole town. There were crypts open in the town graveyard. We had to mandatory evacuate before the storm and it was over a week till we could get home through the flood waters. Mind you, there were NO hotels or shelters open due to being filled w Katrina victims a month prior. People just camped out in parking lots. There was no power, no gas pumps working, no atms working, no restaraunts or stores open etc etc. Complete nightmare. People all just helped each other.

It didn't really start flooding there until a few days *After* Rita hit. Then all the bayous backed up from the surge and rain etc and it flooded later. At least in FL, the sand drains. In LA it took forever to soak into the soil.

So that was my 'baptism by fire'/flood for hurricanes lol. Lord knows why I moved here to get some more :D

We also get a lizard or spider or two in the house once in a while but this is the first time I've seen a frog in the house,lol.

Thats what I get for leaving coffee in the pot..he found himself a terrarium. My son said it was Witches Brew lol

I was happy to see that the hurricane was downgraded to a category 2, so apparently the worst-case scenario did not materialize. I hope that many people who thought they would lose their homes will still find them standing.

Still windy and raining, but weak sunshine is lighting up the surroundings.

We lost power for half the day, but it's back- at least for a while...

A big oak tree went through the roof of a house around the corner, but we were lucky just to have some branches down and debris at our house. Wind, rain and trees can be a fearful combination.

I hope those in Florida and Georgia are safe, and dealing with minimal after-effects. Please let us know that you're okay. And if you're not okay, please let us know if we can help.

Virginia

We made it! Never even lost power. We have one tree uprooted, that fell on my fence and about 2 million limbs and pinecone, but we were so lucky. Our town was hit hard, roofs gone, trees on homes, cars, and sheds..no tornados, thanks to the cool weather. I admit, there were times that I thought the wind was going to send the pines through the house, but didnt. We were told to expect wind gust up to 77 mph until 11 pm, but it didn't happen! Yay! It got gusty, but nothing like predicted...just fizzled out. We did have a visitor, little bird flew in when my hubby opened the door. He hung our with us for hours. We decided to wait until the weather died to get him out. My hubby caught him and set him out during the eye of the storm. He sat on the lamps, TV shelves, even got in the dog food bowl. Had no fear. Crazy and gave us lots of laughs...much needed.

It's cool out now, but I am going to start moving my rose cuttings back into the sun. They rode the storm out in my garage. I am so glad that everyone made it thru the storm and that Irma went bust in Ga! 77 mph wind gust + wet ground = trees down everwhere!

Posting from my phone and I apologize for the duplicate photos and quality!

I'm good, the worst of it came through last night. It was howling last night and so dark you couldn't see anything. The power flicker a couple of times, but we never lost it. I'm glad everyone so far hasn't had bad damage!

Alana did you get hit with any tornadoes? I was watching the weather channel and they kept announcing warnings and pointing out the rotations. I was sure scared for yall. All that rain and wind, then tornadoes is devastating! ! We were never under a watch or warning, due to the cool weather. Lord knows we live a few miles from tornado alley, I just knew we were gonna get hit!! Our neighboring county was evacuated, because of the risk of tornadoes. So grateful they were spared!

So happy for all of you that it wasn't worse and appreciate your updates!

I am so relieved for y'all!

It's good to read reports from those over on the southeast coast! Virginia, Alana and Gagal, so glad damage was relatively minor and all are well! Carol

gagal, that wren is too cute; we had wrens on our back porch during the storm... heck, they visit the porch every day...

I'm sorry you had a tree down, but glad you are otherwise fine. Very happy the tornadoes did not arrive.

Alana, it was pretty bad here, and we lost power for 5-6 hours, beginning mid-day. But after the power came back, we had two rather nasty rainstorms last night, and I'm surprised- but glad- we didn't lose power again. Glad you didn't have that to deal with.

Downtown Charleston got flooded pretty badly- the third worst flooding on record after Hugo and another storm in 1940... Some of the area beaches got rearranged.

I did a quick tour of my plants, and didn't see any casualties. 'Belle Vichsoise' got knocked over, and lost some dirt. A pot with a native clematis wasn't draining. Luckily, it's a plant that often inhabits swamps, so I think it will survive the inundation. More mosquitos than I care to feed, so I don't like to stay out for long.

I'm worried about Sultry... Jacksonville got hit pretty hard with flooding, and I think she mentioned a creek on or near her property that she was worried about...

The trouble with Irma is that as she lost intensity, she became a much bigger (wider) storm, so areas that weren't in or near her "path" had very bad weather and flooding.

Virginia

I have been wondering about Sultry, too! I didn't like what I saw on the news about Jacksonville. Carol

Virginia, I forgot you were in SC! Glad you didn't get wiped out! Is it hot there? It has been downright cold here in the am...The sun just came out a few minutes ago...YAY. I did not have to be at work until 12 pm. (county offices were closed) so I did get to set all my rooted babies out of the garage. I had to tuck them away next to the walkway because someone was coming to clean our yard and get the tree out. I agree that Jacksonville looked terrible! I love it, with all the water and bridges, but I never thought about the flood threat...I guess when I am there, I just look at how cool it is! I have a friend (used to live here) that kept us posted. She said it was horrible during the storm, but they are fine. I don't know how far they are from the water though...Interstate 75 southbound is just packed! It was when the Floridians were running from the storm, now they are headed home...I can't image wondering if I had a home left...I did see a news report where many of the evacuees where going to local home improvement stores and buying chain saws, equipment to take back with them..They said there would be a shortage in Florida when they arrived and did not want to wait for big chains to get new supplies.

gagal, it's amazing to see the damage folks can do to themselves with chainsaws and generators. I hope the hospitals are prepared for all the people who are too impatient to wait for professional help, or to even Google safety tips online.

It is warmer here than it has been, but not too bad.

I remember wondering if I had a home left when we evacuated for Hugo. I haven't evacuated for any other storms, but would if I thought I were in danger.

I imagine I-75 is a parking lot right now, and will remain so for the next few days.

Glad your rose babies are out of the garage and enjoying your cooler weather.

Take care,

Virginia

Mercy Virginia, I didn't even think about the injuries! You are so right! My hubby is paying someone to see about ours. He wants it done, but working like he does, well, we would be waiting forever. I can pick up limbs, but know my limits. Chainsaw is not my thing! Those things scare me! Hubby had a gas pole saw to get some limbs down last week (from the very tree that uprooted lol) and I got way back. Chainsaw on a 10 ft pole...no way! Our neighboring county, that was evacuated did have one fatality. .limb fell on a house and the guy went up to remove it (during the storm) and was blown off. Terrible. Another childhood friend's cousin, in Florida, had a tree fall on their house and he is in the hospital with a lacerated kidney. My hubby got out during the storm, to check on his dad and sister. I wanted to kill him. Just so stupid and dangerous. I know he was concerned, but our locals had their hands full and didn't need someone putting themselves in harms way. ..ugh. men sometimes! The sun is coming out here and it is gonna be a scorcher. We need this gown dried out. Almost everyone here has had their power restored, but a few near the lake. Those lines and poles still run thru the woods and haven't been moved streets idea yet. Something I didn't realize. My poor sister (lives at the lake) was texting during the storm about a leak in her guest bath....she was so upset, but she should know by now how our group text go! Me and my twin sent many a MEME ragging her...it got her out of her funk..lol. don't know what I would do without them and our weird sense of humor!! My girls have it too.

Sultry Jasmine, I hope you and the frogs are doing okay over there in Jacksonville! I've read that your area got hit. If you get a chance, drop a reply so we know how you're faring. Carol

I'm sorry you lost power for so long Virginia but I'm glad you made it good otherwise. I'm glad it was no worse. I was worried about you being right there where the impact was the worst. Or was that next to you..to close for comfort either way.

I hope everyone is still doing well. Sorry for the late reply..it's been hectic life wise lately..just stay so tired on top of hectic life.

Galgal I didn't get any tornado's , thankfully. I'm glad the weather didn't take a turn for the worse for you, and I'm glad you came out with just the one tree down. Such a cute bird to ride the storm out with you as well!

I loved your picture of the frog in your coffee pot Sultry..too cute.

Take care everyone!

I'm hoping Sultry is just busy, or- at worst- still without power. Very much hoping her house wasn't flooded or otherwise damaged. It looks like the Jacksonville area is having a really rough time with ongoing and record-setting flooding.

Irma set some records, and I'm hoping that was just something Mother Nature needed to get out of her system, and there won't be any more dangerous storms for a while.

Jose is a wild card, though, and may be a problem for Bermuda, the Outer Banks, eastern Canada... nobody seems to quite know yet, but I hope those on the east coast of the U.S. & Canada will be fine.

Hey guys, I'm still alive lol. We stayed and did not evacuate. It was really windy, lots of rain, things thrown around a little, some stuff flattened or missing. We have a lot of trees down and tons of limbs. One came across our driveway right next to my son's jeep and took out the power line. So we had several days without power until the electric company (JEA) came to turn the power on for the neighborhood but then come to find out we had to get an electrician out here because the wires pulled down from the electrical box on the house. So an electrician came out and then said he needed more stuff to fix it and left until the next day or whenever he could order it in. We thought, Oh no! It's gonna be a few more days but low and behold another JEA crew came out and fixed it themselves without us even asking them!! They really weren't supposed to have to fix anything related to the box but they did! Love those guys! I am so thankful lol.

We do have a generator from when we went through Hurricane Rita courtesy of Fema lol, but its a small one and we can only run a few things at a time.

Our internet and cable etc was out till yesterday.

We got some flooding on the property and into the utility room. From past experience, I have our washer and dryer up on concrete blocks with a sheet of plywood over them.. kinda like a pedestal..but hillbilly style lol. Hey its ghetto but it works :) There is still standing water in some parts of the yard.

I lost one baby chick (a yellow Silkie baby) due to a tree falling on their coop.

I think I've lost a total of 6 roses so far from tree limbs broken below the grafts and one own root/Golden Celebration just up and turned black. I don't know why unless the water was brackish and it couldn't take it. One other looks bad but may come back. Lots of other plants and little trees also damaged or lost. Overall though, most stuff is surprisingly okay.

Thankfully no one was injured. We will be cleaning up for a long time. DH does have a chainsaw and other saws. I'm not about to use a chainsaw. I have used a circular saw and table saws but ya, chainsaws kinda creep me out. Maybe I watched too much Texas Chainsaw Massacre lol.

Our chickens are all out just having a blast digging through all the downed twigs and leaves getting whatever bugs they can find, drowned worms and such lol. They are loving the post-hurricane.

I went to the grocery stores today to try and get some cold stuff since our refrigerator lost power for a while before we got the generator going. We had a leak in some kind of valve to the gas tank on it. So much for being prepared lol. Dh rigged up a pop bottle and some IV tubing and fed it that way until he could fix the valve/tank.

He's pretty handy but anyhoo, almost all the stores around here lost power and many have not got a lot of cold food like meats and frozen items back in yet. Its so weird to go to Walmart or somewhere and all the freezers and refrigerated areas are empty with tape across them. I had to try several different stores before I found lunch meat. The delis at the stores are still totally empty but at least they had got some pre-packaged lunch meat in at one store. A lot of the produce aisles are also bare.

I am so glad everyone here made it okay. I am thankful for you guys!! I hope hurricane season is over for the year. Praying for all those south of me.

~SJN

A great relief to hear you made it OK.

Cath

So glad you are OK, Sultry! What a huge relief that it wasn't worse.

Sultry, thank you for checking in with us! I'm celebrating that you and your family came through safely and that the damage was less than it could have been. I've got all fingers crossed for your roses' recovery, and I hope nurseries give you first dibs on any that need to be replaced.

Your sense of humor is an impressive lifeboat! Wish we could all take turns helping you and other forum members hit by Irma and Harvey dig out of the debris and repair the damage. I'm there in spirit! Carol

Sultry, I'm so thankful you're okay, and that you checked in. I figured you probably had issues with power and/or the Internetz, but I was a bit worried that your situation might be worse than that.

I'm also glad that you're staying away from chainsaws. They creep me out also, and I've never even seen that movie.

I can't send you a Golden Celebration, but if you do have issues with other, unpatented roses, please let us know. Someone may have a spare that they haven't decided what to do with. My rooting success is hit-and-miss, but I am willing to try to root anything I have that you might need.

I've been playing pick up sticks today, so I found this blog post about oaks automatically dropping twigs rather interesting.

Take care, and please let us know if any of your other roses got a bit too much brackish water.

Virginia

Glad you are ok, Sultry!

Sultry You guys had a mess! We suffered the winds, but I can't imagine the flooding! WOW! Linesmen are so underappreciated...ours were actually working during the storm...unreal. We never lost power, thank goodness..the debris is the worst, but hopefully your chickies will work overtime and keep any extra bugs away!

L, so glad you guys are o.k.! It must have been pretty scary. I pray hurricane season is over and that you guys will be back to normal very soon. Sorry about your baby chick :-(

And here we go again...Nate is going to visit this weekend.....great, just great...

I hope it won't be a severe storm for you, and I am definitely voting for no tornadoes.

Keep us posted, please,

Virginia

I will Virginia! Just saw an update weather report and it looks like it is tracking further west, which is wonderful. (not for those in its path) Probably get some rain and mild winds...regular storm stuff...yay! Now, if Nate will just not turn toward us last minute...you know how men are!

Relief for us, but some much needed rain. I will be praying for those west of us. Their is always a chance of tornadoes, but the weather man says they are slight! YAY. His quote: Our Rain chances increase significantly Saturday and Sunday, thanks to what will likely become Category 1 Hurricane Nate. Most models have Nate's circulation well off to our west, making landfall Sunday morning in Southeast Louisiana. Southwest Georgia could still receive 1 to 3 inches of rain this weekend along with 20 to 25 MPH wind. Most weekend rainfall totals will only reach about an inch. Stay tuned for the latest forecast.