Shark Oil

Ryan has vacated the island and not because a Category 2 Hurricane is headed this way. He is in State College spending some time with good friends. He left on Thursday as we thought, "Oh just another hurricane scare, it won't hit." Well, this time it may hit. Thank goodness I have my ever so helpful mother here to help with the preparation. Joyce came for a low key visit to see Collin and I think she is in for more then she bargained for.

The Bermuda Government sent out a warning yesterday to start preparing for the hit of Igor. When the government sends out notices, Bermudians start to take it seriously. I always watch what Bermudians are doing to see how I should prepare. This time the grocery stores, hardware stores, and gas stations are busy. We were in town today and most people were getting off early to start to prepare. We have 5 gallons of water, ice, candles, extra diapers, twine, tape, etc... We have moved everything inside, we have taped the windows (in case the glass brakes, the tape prevents shattering), filled the car up with gas, and started making our nest in the office. The newspaper today is comparing this hurricane to the 2003 Category 3 Fabian. I have heard from multiple people that Fabian caused power outages for up to 16 days! We will fill up our bathtub to use for flushing the toilet and possible showers (well maybe a sponge bath). We still have a few days to wait for Igor's arrival and hopefully it will weaken and veer off to the east before its anticipated arrival on Monday morning.

While meteorologists are predicting the arrival and path of Igor, some Bermudians have their own way of predicting the storm. Shark Oil Barometers are natures way of predicting a hurricane. The shark liver oil (normally clear) turns white and forms peaks as the storm approaches within 200 miles of the oil. It has been theorized by Jacques Cousteau's son Philippe (according to the Bermuda Sun Newspaper) that during stormy weather sharks get sick to their stomach and descend to the sea bed. I am not sure how the shark oil outside of a living shark can change, but a Bermudian with a shark oil barometer will say it is always accurate. Now if Joyce and I can just get our hands on some shark oil!

We are taking precautions and will be safe, but without power I will not be able to post on my blog. Stay tuned as we battle through the storm.

Until next time...

Finally a post...

I am not sure if I even have any followers left out there. I have neglected the blog for months now with really no good reason. We have lived in Bermuda for 18 months now and I no longer find Bermuda exciting. In some ways it is dull here. While we enjoyed our summer to its fullest last year, this summer has been drastically different. I think I have only been in the water 3 times all summer. I have found this summer to be so hot that I don't even like to venture out for an evening walk with Limerick. I feel saddened by this and still like to take in the beauty of Bermuda as much as possible. This summer we did take a much needed 3 week vacation away from the island. It had been 5 1/2 months since I had left and was desperate to get off island. August is brutally hot here and I enjoyed the cooler temps of the US. Not that it was that much cooler, but there is something different about the humidity and blazing sun in the Atlantic. At its coolest at night it has only been in the 70's, which is not conducive to leaving the windows open. I wish we could so that I could be lulled to sleep by the whistling tree frogs.

What inspired me to write today was a book that was discussed at a dinner with friends last night. Tea with Tracey is a woman's survival guide to Bermuda. Tracey is from Canada and married a Bermudian which led to her move to Bermuda. She wrote a book to describe the challenges of life in Bermuda. This book is recommended to all ex-pats that move to Bermuda. For some reason I was never recommended this book and figured out things for myself. In some ways my blog was a way to post information as I discovered so many differences about our new home. Most of my information in my blog has been upbeat and happy. Maybe a post here or there (such as the laundry room from hell) was a way to get out frustrations, but for the most part I found the positives of Bermuda to share.

We have enjoyed our life in Bermuda, but I think I can enjoy my life wherever I live. I have so much to be thankful for: a wonderful son and husband (dog too), supportive family, solid careers, and opportunities that I never imagined. We also have some great friends here that provide a listening ear when we need to vent about something related to Bermuda. While the remainder of our time here is to be determined, I know that I will continue to look at the positives in this tropical paradise as I know I will never have the opportunity again.

Until next time....(hopefully next time is sooner than last time!)