We\’re all on the alert now. Everyone on or near the coast of the Gulf of Mexico has an uneasy eye on TS Marco. My hometown appears to be the bull\’s eye, too. We\’re under hurricane watch, and tropical storm warning.

When I was a kid, I thought it would be exciting to experience the eye of a hurricane: to have the wind suddenly die, and the rain stop; to step outside for a minute to see a clear sky. Nowadays the advice says, do NOT go outdoors during the eye of a hurricane unless it\’s a true necessity.

If you really do have to go outdoors, stay on the alert! This calm can end very abruptly, and you don\’t want to get caught away from shelter when the wind and rain return.

This morning I rode, but made it much shorter than my usual Sunday ride. There were thunderheads here and there on the horizon. For all I knew, they were an indication of Marco\’s approach. I wish I were more adept at reading Nature!

The forecast is for tropical storm conditions by tomorrow morning. Needless to say, I do not intend to go for a ride in such weather. It\’s hard enough for me to control a bicycle when the wind is 20 mph. And tropical storm force winds? Only as a tailwind. Otherwise, no, thank you!

Perhaps the prospect of being cooped up indoors in terrible weather is why I have a hankering after a special lunch. I can take a short ride on the hybrid to get take-out. Chinese food? A sandwich?

Whatever I choose to get, I\’ll take along the poncho, and stay on the alert for changes in the weather.