"Hurricaning"

I love hurricanes. Yes, they cause a lot of panic with everyone running around frantically trying to prepare by getting food, water, and ice from Walmart, trying to get gas in the car, and moving outdoor furniture to a safe spot. But after all the work is done, and the hurricane hits, there is almost nothing to except hang out with your family.  We have a tradition that we always enjoy during hurricanes.  My grandmother lives across the street from me, and she has a huge front porch.  We always all sit on the porch and watch as the storm comes in.  I know it sounds crazy, but it is really awesome to watch a hurricane!

            The best part of my day…and the worst part of the hurricane…was right around lunchtime.  As usual, we were all on the porch:  my mom and Brock, my four siblings and me, my grandmother, my aunt and uncle, and my two cousins.  This time, we were celebrating my twin cousins’ birthday and eating lunch.  Some of us were sitting in the rocking chairs, and some were sitting on the steps, but we were all entranced by the storm.  We literally watched the storm come in.  Within an hour, the weather went from slightly cloudy and drizzling rain to pouring rain, raging winds, howling trees, and flying branches.  All the while, we were enjoying delicious, piping hot, homemade chicken and dumplings, a dish that my grandmother is famous for.  She had spent the morning hand rolling dumplings and boiling chicken as fast as she could while we still had power.  Just as the meal got heated up, the power went out.  We were served lunch on flimsy paper plates and ate with plastic forks that could hardly hold the weight of the chicken, but it was still one of the best meals that I can recall.   My plate was full of big chunks of juicy chicken, gooey dumplings and crunchy ones, and a salty broth, all resting on a bed of steamy rice.  For dessert, we had birthday cake.  But it was not a normal birthday cake.  It was a melted mess of Baskin Robbins mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate cake that was flowing off of the cake plate because the freezer was no longer on.

I loved the cozy feeling of being with my family, eating a hot meal, and watching a hurricane come in.  It doesn’t get much better than that.  And it’s a good thing we enjoyed it so much, as it was our last hot meal for awhile!