Tis The Season – For Hurricanes : Get Out Your Drink Umbrellas.

Having been in Florida for around 50 years I have weathered a hurricane or two. And weathered certainly does apply if you stay through a storm. You expect the  torrent of rain ,  then you come to realize what living at sea level means. Not only does my front yard return to a Cypress swamp , but we have had it flood to the point we have to park the cars down on the road and canoe out to them. We also have gone beyond that  , and had the canals over flowing into the street , with fish swimming up the road . And a snake or 2 as well.

The landscape looks like a crazy Dali painting during the storm , everything appears to be on the diagonal from the force of the winds. Four or five years ago we lost 20 trees on the property and needs a new roof. I remember as a child swimming in the canals of Cape Coral ( yes , they were actually clean with fish in them at first ) , and we could stand on the roof of one of our neighbor’s houses that had blown in. I am describing mild consequences , the destruction of something like Katrina is life changing and life ending.

Why we give hurricanes cute and trendy names I will never know  , but if say ,  a Louisa heads our way and you to decide to batten down the hatches and stay put , you need to follow the basic precautions. Stock up on canned goods and extra water . Fill the bath tub so you have water to flush the toilets when the time comes . Maybe invest in a generator or two. Have extra batteries and flash lights. Pick up all your prescriptions and have a first aid kit on hand. Make sure you have gas in the car. Put up your hurricane shutters or tape and board up the windows. Think about your pet’s safety as well. After all of that make the following drink:

The Naples Hurricane

1 ounce light rum

1 ounce Bacardi rum

1 ounce grey goose vodka

1/4 ounce grenadine syrup

1 ounce triple sec

2 ounces orange juice

1 ounce pineapple juice

1 ounce passion fruit juice

2 cherries , 1 slice lime , 1 slice orange skewered on a little plastic pirate’s sword.

1 little paper umbrella

traditional hurricane glass

Now you better be ready to stay put because you won’t be able to drive after downing one of these. When the lights go out and everyone is quite jolly from a Hurricane or two , take advantage of the situation and play Truth or Dare . Confess while laughing about how high the credit card bill really is , or what you have hidden in the back of the closet. That you don’t really see the Physical Therapist Thursday afternoon , you are just  golfing again. Trust me when you are done with that , you won’t be too worried about the storm anymore. Just keep a canoe close to the house in case you need to make a fast get away. So bottoms up ! You might want to try the Naples Hurricane in advance , just to make sure you can handle one when the real thing heads our way. Enjoy.