Hurricanes

Recently, we had our first hurricane in a long time when Iselle hit the island of Hawaii. The storm itself decided to head for a more remote area of the island but did some damage in the more populated areas.

We have a house near the water in Kapoho but only lost some older fencing and a few screens and some outdoor art. We were lucky.

We did not have power for about 12 days after the storm. We had a generator so we could turn things on as needed, but the noise was something significantly lacking in Aloha.

I have learned that if you turn the generator on for 2 hours, then off for 4, and then on again, things in the freezer and fridge seem to be okay. I also found the value of having a DVD collection on-hand, though I still prefer Netflix and Amazon DVD Streaming.

In a hurricane, when you do not have power, you have no computer or internet or streaming, so you rely on old technology: DVDs and VHS tapes. When your options are narrowed, you take a fresh look at old DVDs like Bonanza or old episodes of Dragnet or Cinderella, resulting in a whole new appreciation of the art and the acting and the sheer entertainment of these classics!

Of course there is always reading, but that does require a lot of light. My wife and I were fortunate, having just visited IKEA on the mainland and returning with clip-on LED book-reading lights that seem to have endless battery life.

So now I am reading again and reflecting on how good it is and that there are no commercials and no special effects.

I guess I am just lazy and look for the shortest path to entertainment.

Hurricanes must arrive with a message. It must be something like:

You should be prepared.

You should be neater.

You should build things to last.

You should remember to read.

You should remember the older values.

You should rely on each other more.

You should be helpful.

You should not live too close to the water.

No one lives forever.