At this time, 8:40 PM, we continue to have heavy rains and sometimes the kind of vigorous wind that makes the tree tops dip and bend and swirl. A small branch left my almond tree, but it was already weakened by gusts of wind from yesterday's pre-hurricane activity.

I was alarmed to learn that Dennis had grown overnight to Category 2, considering this had been a tropical storm up to yesterday. I had felt prepared for Category 1, but above that would give me some concern and mostly for persons who had not yet fully recovered from Ivan last year. But my reading of the maps indicated to me that Dennis would pass north as indeed it did.

We have had flooding in low-lying or coastal areas, and people have needed to take refuge in shelters. Some bridges have been inundated or have been washed away. My electricity blinked off and on numerous times during the day, and I realized the winds were to blame. But Dennis has moved on and some of us have been given another chance so we can be better prepared for the rest of the season. Someone said that she was not taking Dennis too seriously as hurricanes at this point in the season are "amateur" and don't come to maturity till about September. Dennis seems intent on proving her wrong by already moving to a high category 3.