The View From The Farm

It's been breezy since 6:30 this morning when I left for the farm. As I traveled, Hamptonites loaded roads westbound, and the breeze came with gusto. I continued east.

As the morning progressed, winds picked up, shifting from north-north east to east, blowing fine dust, gritting my teeth.

Not one to miss a useful rainfall, and never one to miss an opportunity, I headed back west to buy lime for my plot. I spread it with a cheap, two-wheel device left by my predecessor. Now, when the rain does fall, the pelletized lime will begin to dissolve and sweeten this moderately acid soil.

The winds are more steady now, maybe 20 mph with gusts over 30, as I eat lunch in an empty pizza joint in Montauk. It'll stay this way for awhile. But I'm not too worried about the wind, the frankenstorm.

The lines at the gas stations out here are into the street. The traffic moving west is slow. The jitney crowds amass, thankful the rain hasn't begun to fall. I don't want to minimize the potential impact of any storm. It will be bad for some, particularly those along the water's edge, those under trees, and along flood prone rivers.

But for most of us it will be an inconvenience and for many an excuse to buy bottles upon bottles of water.

Shutting down subways and transit sounds like an emergency, but really it's pragmatism designed to avoid minor emergencies. There will probably be flooding near sea walls, NY harbor's own kick in the crotch effect that is more likely during nor'easters than tropical storms. But this storm, late as it is and given its unusual path, could be considered as such in effect.