Uh, oh! Just lost a tophat from the chimney!! 
Storm tracking -- Sandy is a late season storm (late October) that has become a menace to the east coast as a result of a deep cold front and a yielding jet stream, coinciding with a full moon causing high tides.
Oh, what fun! (sarcasm)
This year, though, the residents who lay in the path forecast appear to be taking heed and evacuating or buying flash lights (can't find D batteries any where), buying water (I bottled my own and filled my bath tub), buying generators, stocking up on non-perishable food items (planning to eat up all the perishable stuff soon), and checking on friends and medication. Most people are bracing for at least a week of inconveniences in the aftermath of the storm. Most have vivid memories of the Oct. 30th, 2011 freak snow storm and before that the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Weeks of disrupted services, the high cost of clean-up and repair, all cobbled with everyday distress.
Yesterday, searched for inexpensive (cheap) gas and a friend told me there was a Delta station close-by with gas for $3.15! Found it. Had to wait in a line about 15 minutes. Haven't had to wait in lines that long in a quite a while. Gas prices along the way ranged from $3.84, average was $3.47, then down to $3.39 and $3.33.
