We Need That Like A Hole in the Wall

I have an old friend whose level of intelligence, is, well, a bit lower than the majority of my friends. He is ALWAYS coming up with a malaprop, and one of my favorite's is when he says "Man -- I need that like a hole in the wall."  I never have the heart to correct him, and have decided I may indeed adopt the saying, in the way I have adopted my late friend Alan's wonderful neologism "tensosity."

Anyway, on top of the cresting plague, comes news of a potential tropical storm headed towards Florida. As of last night, the entire state was in the cone of death, as I call it, even though the storm hasn't formed yet beyond a mere system.

I lay awake thinking about how grand quarantine would be without air conditioning.

The positive news this am is that the thing appears weaker, and if it does form, should go across the DR where the mountains will weaken it further. If it indeed comes, it would probably just be a rain event, which I can deal with. The only problem we have with a lot of rain is the pool overflowing, which causes water to come, a little, into our garage floor. The garage is several feet lower than the rest of the house -- we'd need a true once in a century storm for our main house to be affected.

The last time we had inches of rain in a day, I figured out a fix: I empty water from the pool. Luckily, our house's builder installed a drain system where I merely switch a valve, and the water pumps rapidly to a large storm receptacle on the edge of the property. It solves the garage issue.

As we learn in life if we live long enough, merely having one crisis does not immunize us from having more on top of it.

I started a great book last night, the first book I have had the attention span to try to tackle: "The Accidental President," about Harry Truman. The intro reminded me of the numerous calamities our nation faced under FDR, including the Great Depression and WW II. Truman, a simple man who never dreamed he'd be president, had to deal with the end of WW II and the momentous decision about dropping the first A bombs. After the War ended, the crises continued -- rail strikes, racial strife, etc...

We tend to think otherwise. Like now, the plague is our only health worry. Ha. As if. Just yesterday my friend Mike told me about his old friend Bill, a fellow I've met over the years. He awoke a few weeks ago and was having a massive stroke. Fortunately, he lived, but is left essentially legally blind. Covid and its worries didn't stop a totally unrelated catastrophe from visiting him.

Meanwhile, the days slog on. I really think I've gotten somewhat used to Miami's Summer heat and humidity. I do my afternoon walks in a "feels like" temperature of 100. I still get in about 4 or 5 miles, savoring the breezes when they make their way down my neighborhood's streets. I figure with my improved health, if the virus gets me, I'll at least go down fighting...

And hopefully the storm passes us, as well as other negative developments. We need all of them like a hole in the wall.