Hurricane!

Beware!

Old Meg has Left her corner by the fire!
As EVERYONE knows, Old Meg NEVER leaves her fire! Today, my Dear Friends, she left her fire and climbed the Castle stairs....

She climbed through the narrow steep winding stairs.... up and up...

Higher and higher

To the topmost Tower of the Castle!
There she stood at the very edge of the wall and Blind though she is, she stared to the West...

And Gazed to the East

And then to the SOUTH.....

Where the Storm clouds were starting to Muster...
and the winds beginning to blow.....

She lifted her arms and Pointed her bony hand to the Sky

And SPOKE!
"BEWARE the Hurricane! Winds will GALE! Trees will FLAIL!
Rain will Pour! Remain Indoor! I SAY no more!"

Henry, who had feared for her safety and followed her to the top of the Tower, heard every word. Even though he was NOT sure he Understood what Hurrycane meant....... he could tell that her warning was SERIOUS!

And just in case he Didn't understand, when she was back inside,

Old Meg looked him in the Eyes and said...."PREPARE!"

So Henry told the whole Tale to Belle. He really was a bit Agitated about this "Horrorcane"! Belle calmed him with her simple words...."Our Kitchen is Stone, our Well is deep, our Fire is warm and I have just been baking the bread! What More are we supposed to do? Rest easy, all will be well!"

Meanwhile, the word has gotten out to the other Little people and they are PREPARING themselves for an EPIC Storm!

Arthur and Will are carrying the Garden furniture inside so it will not blow around.

Daphne is helping with the chairs and the potted plants!

And in the Lovely Old Dollhouse, Helen is preparing to fill all the Large pots with Water, so they will have some when the power goes out. She is old enough that she remembers a few large storms, but perhaps not one like this one!

Joanna has found the Old Hurricane Lantern and has filled it with oil and checked to see that the wick is just right. She remembers using it once in a while when the Power has gone out in other storms.... so she knows what she is doing.

Victor has dug around in the cupboards and found some OLD Beeswax Candles! They are a bit odd looking, but he is sure that they will burn a long time as they are pure beeswax! (Dear Readers, I MADE these candles in my teen years when we lived on the Farm and my boyfriend kept bees. We melted the wax and I dipped these candles!)

Pollyanna has brought some candles over to the Folly. She is sure they will be alright in the tiny house, but she has invited everyone to stay at the Lovely Old Dollhouse if they feel at all threatened!

Sally May has gone shopping to stock up on the essentials.... Milk and Eggs and Butter .......

And while she is trying not to worry, she is keeping Annabelle close, and they will spend the day baking.... just in case the Power goes off and they can't bake tomorrow!

And even Charles has found himself heeding the urge to PREPARE... he went shopping and came home with a basketful of produce and a rack full of Milk bottles! Nobody is going to starve!

So while we ALL PREPARE for this Epic storm, Dear Readers, very little has been accomplished on the Cupboard House! I have added a bit to the kitchen flooring....

I have been using my Rose Pruning shears to cut the wooden sticks to the right length..... and occasionally I have cut too short.... so there are a couple of gaps..... but I hope it will just add to the Character of the building! After all, it IS just an OLD Cupboard!

And I have done the tricky job of cutting and mitering the coving for the Dining Room ceiling trim! I have stained it and will add gilding to parts of it for accent. Here it is just temporarily held in place so you can see how the Dining Room is taking shape. The wooden cut out for the mantlepiece is probably just a stand in for the fireplace I will eventually either buy or carve myself. It will need to be ornate and ..... well... Victorian!

So, Dear Readers, I want you to know that we ARE expecting to be hit by this Hurricane Irene! It is forecast to go straight up the Connecticut River Valley as it crosses New England, arriving late tonight or early Tomorrow morning. I live in the Connecticut River Valley, about one hundred miles inland. We expect Strong winds and Lots of Rain and probable loss of Power. So if I am not on Blogger for several days.... please DO NOT WORRY! We will be fine! We are well above River level and have stocked up on candles, water and Food! I will spend this evening baking! And During the Storm tomorrow, I will be gluing floor boards in place, gilding ceiling coving, and Maybe even starting to paint the Mural in the Hallway....... ANYTHING to keep myself from listening to the WIND......!

Hurricane!