The End of Day...and the Resumption of Day

You'd think we got advance notice of the Apopadopalyspe, as Hick refers to it.

With the upcoming total solar eclipse on Monday, the Backroads area is expecting an influx of visitors. The motels have been booked up for months. The state has activated their emergency preparedness plans. So Hick and I decided to get ourselves prepared. You may think we're a couple of over-reactive nitwits, but unless you've lived on the far edge of the grid for a few years, let's not judge.

On Friday, I gassed up T-Hoe, and told Hick to make sure all of our vehicles have a full tank. You never know when gas stations might run out of gas. Even if Bubba and Lurlene just drive in from a few counties over so they can be in the totality path, they have to gas up somewhere. Surely the drain on resources won't cause a power outage. During the Great Icepocalypse of '06, nobody had gas because the power was out, and it couldn't be pumped. Our homestead is all electric, and our water is from a well...but Hick has a generator that he can hook up for that.

I don't plan on going to town that day, but I have plenty of bottled Diet Coke. However, Hick was almost out of Diet Mountain Dew, so I went to County Mart and got some for him today. I also picked up bananas. No. I did NOT stock up on bread and milk. It's not like there's a couple inches of snow in the forecast, you know.

We both refilled our prescriptions. Not because we think all the eclipse-viewing visitors are going to be drug fiends, but because they run out on Monday, and I'm not going to town on Monday for refills. Besides, my pharmacy had a note on the door today that says they will be CLOSED on Monday, so their employees can enjoy the eclipse.

Also on Friday, I went by the bank to get our weekly cash allowance that I usually get on Mondays. Okay, it wasn't a special trip, because I was putting Genius's textbook money in his account. I figure I could have waited until Tuesday, but with my bank being right off the interstate, their ATM may be depleted on Tuesday, and I don't like to go inside to make a counter withdrawal. Those tellers are too nosy, and act like I'm a money-launderer. Do people even use cash any more? Am I the only one? Maybe THAT'S why they seem so interested if I deposit or withdraw cash.

I don't know if other people around here are preparing or not. Town was extremely busy yesterday, even around noon when all the kids are in school again. Lots of traffic. Today I noticed that TWO SPIGOTS on the Coke fountain at the gas station chicken store have OUT signs taped over them!!! Thankfully it wasn't the Diet Coke! It was one of the teas, and whatever is next to the Diet Coke. It's not real Coke. That's on the right of it. Surely people aren't getting here two days early for the eclipse? The Man Owner was working alongside the Stern Old Gal clerk, and I heard him say to a man, "Oh, so you're not from around here?"

Country Mart was surprisingly less busy than I expected on a Saturday. Their employees were more concerned with the $535 million PowerBall drawing than the eclipse.

Alls I know is...we're going to be prepared to stay home for one whole day, with money in our pockets, and drugs at the ready, and diet soda to sip.