Deflated Expectations

Thanksgiving Day, 2016.

8:00 a.m.
Two days ago, a tropical depression formed in the southern Caribbean Sea and developed briefly into a hurricane named Otto. It is a rare occurrence, not only because it is late in the hurricane season, but it is threatening both Costa Rica, which has never recorded a hurricane strike, and Nicaragua. Forecasters warned of heavy rains, winds, and mudslides; the fragile electrical grid here in Nica might cut out for a period of days.

Yesterday, I went to Diriamba to buy some extra water; my water pump needs electricity to provide the house with showers, flushes, and kitchen water. I looked for candles in eight separate stores in the mercado, and found birthday candles only. Weird, that in a place where the power regularly fails, candles would not be a staple commodity. I also bought a bottle of scotch and stockpiled ice cubes to get me through without electric fans, should the power go out.

Last night, Otto regained his hurricane status, and was expected to make landfall today. It is moving very slowly, and as of 8 a.m., not a leaf is stirring, no rain is in evidence. The forecast model puts my home just above the northernmost edge of the cone. Of course, the wind and rain can still be quite fierce on the perimeter. For the moment, the proverbial calm before this storm continues.


4:00 p.m.
And continues. Well, I am disappointed. Indeed, hurricanes are nothing to make light of, and I should be relieved that my first hurricane is anticlimactic, despite my preparations and my excitement. But I cannot help but feel cheated of a phenomenal weather experience. It will be dark in two hours, and if any wind and rain should appear, it will be useless to take pictures.  Well, I'm going to crack that bottle of scotch, and wonder why, when the radar showed the entire country engulfed in swirling clouds, we had sunshine and only a slight intermittent breeze all day. Cheers.


6 p.m.
Not a drop. Nothing. I spoke to my former landlady down in La Boquita about today's earthquake off the coast near El Salvador. She said the tsunami warning horn went off, but the sea seemed unchanged.  No rain there, either. As Otto moves into the Pacific, there could be some storm surge, I suppose.  I'll head off to bed with Henry Fielding shortly. Otto has turned out to be rather a turkey. As far as I'm concerned, hurricanes blow.