A beachy & squally New Years to You!

Pinellas prepares for the Great Tornado Drill

                      Take shelter and a selfie to participate in the Jan. 6 exercise

was today's headline, with the weather report including both a High Surf Advisory (5 feet or more) and A Life Threatening Rip Current Statement. We were also due for an exceptional high tide overnight.

Our County's Great Tornado Drill instructions are below and come complete with a request [not shown below] to post on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  The drill is probably a good idea given the recent spate of tornadoes touching down in hurricane alley and the southern US. Still one has to see the humorous side of taking selfies in a closet or inside bathroom - the likely 'shelter' for those of us without basements (ie most of Florida as we were built on a swamp).

Everyone is urged to participate. Businesses, organizations, families and individuals are asked to first identify a shelter and their source of emergency alerts, such as messages received on a mobile phone, weather radio or other notification service. The alerts should be loud enough to wake a person up if a tornado were to hit in the middle of the night.

Then at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6, the NWS will issue a test alert through the Weather Alert Radios only, following a scenario that a tornado is in the area, and warning people to take shelter. Regardless of whether the alert is heard at 10 a.m., participants should practice taking cover and then take a selfie of their group.

What's inside?

After opening a few Christmas gifts, it was time for a Christmas Day beach walk in shorts and sunglasses. Unlike last year when Nov & Dec (13 Dec 2014 post) had a distinctly chilly feel, it has been unseasonably hot and very humid (read muggy).

Here's what we found.

With the holidays there is  bit of time for quilting - this is going to be a cover for a framed mirror (family heirloom) -- to ensure the bright Florida sun does not reflect onto my antique quilt (posts of 22 March & 20 June 2015) and fade it. Manatee is from a zebrapatterns.com sea life collection pattern that I adjusted from a square to a rectangle to fit my mirror frame - a first machine stitch applique for me.

The frame

wall quilt under construction

NB/Note:  Americans are big into the row by row experience and license plate fabric panels - to see more visit Country Bears & Quilts Shop.

Shop's 2015 Challenge Winner: Doris Drown

Karen Pieczonka
Row by Row Winner

Fabric License Plate Panel