Well … it’s that time again. And to prove it, at this very moment there are several storms brewing in the Atlantic. A look at the tropics on any television channel gives the meteorologist a chance to show his/her skill and knowledge of weather patterns. If we didn’t know first hand what those colorful orange and yellow swirls could do when they bear down on top of us we could ignore the predictions.

But those of us who have been in this area for any length of time realize that we should keep an eye on the weather for the next few weeks. Thankfully, the last storm we were anticipating went ashore to our east. A statement like this always causes me to realize that when we miss a storm someone else usually receives the brunt of it, and I don’t wish trouble on anyone.

I’m especially glad that we didn’t lose power since we don’t own a generator. We had a whole house generator in the country before we became townies and didn’t need a portable one. But the last little weather scare made us realize that it might behoove us to purchase a small generator.

Like most other folks we have already stocked up on water, batteries, and canned food in case bad weather does come our way. It is always a good idea to be prepared instead of waiting for a storm to enter the gulf and then rushing to the grocery store for supplies.

I hope and pray that another hurricane season will end without bringing damage to any of our properties or us, but preparation is key. After all, we can always use our extra groceries and such. It’s not like we would be wasting money on something frivolous.

One thing that I think about this time of year is the way people became so very transparent after Hurricane Katrina. The masks fell off, and people’s true colors shone. In my neighborhood there were two distinct groups.

Most of the neighbors banded together and shared food and supplies. We met every evening at a friend’s home and broke bread together. Everyone brought whatever they had, and sometimes the meals were quite different from what we were accustomed to. But we were glad to have food to eat, and friends to share our burdens.

We were fortunate that these kind folks had a pool, and invited us all to cool off after a day in the blistering heat. None of us faired extremely well with no air conditioning, so this was a wonderful blessing.

At the same time, another group of people were roaming the neighborhood at night stealing gas out of vehicles. The divide between good and evil was pronounced and easy to see. A lot has happened in the years since Katrina’s raging winds bore down on us, but the memory of people who came together to share what they had during a tremendous time of trial lingers on and brings a smile.

Jan Penton Miller can be reached at lilsisjan@yahoo.com.