Better get ready

"OH, SINNER, YOU’D BETTER GET READY"

This is the first line of a wonderful Negro Spiritual. Yes, they are still “Negro” spirituals, called thus to be faithful to an historic word.

“You’d better get ready” for the judgement day is the theme of the spiritual.

Today we’ve all been getting ready for Tropical Storm Fay, which may yet become Hurricane Fay.

Earlier it seemed that the storm would come up the west Florida coast. Now the prognosticators see it moving east across central Florida.

Despite the bellowing of the newsreaders on radio and television, the meteorologists have been much more honest. They have warned us to be prepared for a hurricane in the Sarasota/Bradenton area, but also made it clear that the storm could by-pass us.

I’ve gotten ready. My plants in pots have been moved from a garden area in my car port into my laundry room. (No-one wants clay pots to be flying around in a storm). I have good supplies of fresh foods and bottled spring water. I’ve checked my flashlights (torches in the U.K.), and made sure that my Coleman camping stove works.

At this moment (6:57 p.m. Eastern summer time, on August 18th 2008) I am ready.

I’ll let you know tomorrow what actually happened.

Better get ready!

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