BigDog Speaks

Fay drowned most of the state of Florida doing a mini-bypass around Hillsborough County. We got a little rain, a little wind, everybody else got a LOT of rain. As far as storms go, this county has fared pretty well compared to the others. Being inland in the county helps a lot too. Usually everybody else gets hit pretty hard and we seem to scrape by with relatively little damage.

[More:]

This does not mean we never get any damage, we just seem to have gotten less than others over the last 18 years or so I have been here. We've lost shingles from the roof, had plants drown in too much water and had some paint loss from flying debris on vehicles but for the most part, nothing to write home about or even make the news. Fay had moved on when we got our heavy rain leaving the yard feeling like a very large sponge holding water right beneath the surface. When the sun came out, all this wet turned into sauna like conditions that are not favorable for puttering around in the yard. A little bit of time out there and you are dripping with sweat and wishing you lived someplace cooler. Florida has some pretty good swings in temperatures and the heat/humidity combo can make life miserable outside. Like everybody says, the high humidity makes it seem hotter since you fell like you are walking around wrapped in a hot, wet, blanket. No fun. Deodorant fails. The heat and humidity if you stay out in it will strip whatever deodorant you fancy to nothing in short order. After that, your smell good becomes smell bad, pretty quick. Working outside is not the most favorable position to have. Smart folks work indoors with AC and only venture into the heat long enough to get to their cars where they can crank up the AC. Florida may be a peninsula, that doesn't mean that all those ocean breezes actually cool the whole state. The inland areas are hot, just like anyplace else. Being flat and prone to swampy, it is hot and sticky. Add in the storms, the bugs, the wildlife, and you can't help but wonder why so many folks are moving here? Oh well, I don't guess I know any better, I was born here.