The Russians were over for dinner at the farm last night. It has been two weeks since I was on the property and a lot has changed. The scarlet leaves out the kitchen window have dropped from the branches and their color is a forlorn brown in a heap near the roots.

Fall fell.

So did the stupid Tigers, now down three and on the brink of abrupt elimination by the Giants.

The Dinner was all courtesy of Tatiana and the local farmers. She prepared a slow-cooked celebration of local food. The stew was conjured from a combination of vegetables from the garden they put in- the stuff that survived the deer, anyway- and the Croftburn Market on State Route 3 near Culpeper.

Andrew Campbell, the owner, just expanded into the downtown market, so I am hoping for great things for the Culpeper Cheese Company where he has a counter. I am also hoping for great things from the garden next door in the near term, and helpful tips on growing things myself, maybe next season.

It may be the barometric pressure but I was up early, prowling the deck like the bridge of a ship looking at the outbuildings in the thin gray dawn and wondering what the winds will do to the scraggly pines on the property.

The weather maps can’t help us much, which tells you something about weather and climate, and this is an event that might be starting this afternoon, or maybe tomorrow. What does not seem likely is that we will dodge the bullet, but there is hope where there is life, I suppose.

Don-the-Builder told me that Rappahannock Co-op was pretty good about keeping the branches trimmed against the winds, and in twenty-two years in the County he had only lost power once for a significant period.

That could be useful if we get smacked Up North in Arlington. They say there will be hundreds of miles of steady, strong and damaging winds and rain for the entire Eastern region for several days. That could produce a bigger wallop than last year’s damaging Irene flood-out.

I heard the officials on the radio beginning the State of Emergency. Governor MacDonald wants us to stock up on food, water and batteries. The stores are packed with frantic citizens buying groceries, generators, candles, bread, eggs and other supplies in anticipation of power outages.

Some local governments have already canned the school days for Monday and Tuesday. The farm is battened down as well as I can get it, but just in case I have to flee the capital, I want to ensure the place is ready to go when I get here.

Here is the chart from Adams County, courtesy of alert reader Lisa, with the projected storm impact by region:

I am going to fire up the Syclone pick-up truck and mosey over to the Old House Winery and ensure I am ready for the storm.

My only real issue with the storm is this: are fifteen cases enough?

Copyright 2012 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com