He might be not as cool as the tiki, but here's Kevin the Flag, the latest random item people have noticed in a hurricane cam. As Florence approaches, this American flag was just getting battered. It is standing atop a structure called "The Frying Pan," an old Coast Guard facility about 35 miles off the coast of North Carolina. Or so I've read. As the hurricane approaches, the wind was so relentless and so strong that we watched this flag start to tear. A lot of other people were doing the same thing - there were plenty of social media posts from media sources, each suggesting we check out this live feed as the hurricane loomed. And... there was a chat area just to the right of the imagery, and suddenly there was a large ongoing conversation about this flag. And somewhere along the line, it was given the name Kevin.
Kevin is somewhat of a symbolic thing, it was noted, a flag being torn apart. There was a suggestion in media stories that this flag is a symbol of the enlarging divide between warring factions in this country. We were there when the three stripes began to tear, and those have always been symbolic of the thirteen colonies. So, does that mean we lose Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina? And from what we could see, another two stripes were about to go, so let's just say that's Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Obviously, the commentary is not about the symbolism of geography, but about the spirit of the people of this country. That being said, if you look at the flag above, you'll see one thing that probably most flags have: a pure, white backbone. Yes, let's talk symbology there, shall we? A solid, white fabric that runs vertically up and down, connecting all the stars and stripes. In fact, by storm's end, this is literally what holds the flag together, isn't it? Without something to cling to, these stripes would be thrown away in the strong winds.
So what does that white solid stripe represent, hmmm? What does the color white symbolize? White is pure, truth, innocence, faith, goodness, and light. White is not trolling, fake news, selfish ambition, pride, greed, slander. In fact, those very things are more like the wind battering this poor flag. It's the other more positive things that hold this country together. So there's your real symbolism.
Again, the idea of Kevin wasn't as epic as the tiki, perhaps because Kevin began to get attention from the mainstream media, no longer "our little inside joke." But nevertheless, we were part of it, watching as the hurricane drew nearer.
And along those lines, the hurricane was projected to be a category 4 as it struck the coast. Some outlets predicted the possibility of it being a category 5. But something happened to it along the way. The hurricane is downgrading as we speak, and will probably strike as a category 2, or even 1. It is weakening. We've been praying in this direction, not to take credit for anything, of course. And our prayers have been linked up with many - it's funny hearing people get scientific in their prayers: "God, please lower raise the millibars of pressure!" But we all have the same thought in mind, our faith and hope that people won't be hurt.
Unfortunately, it does rain on the just and the unjust, and although things seem to be downgrading, there is still a lot of rain to come, and that's an understatement by a long shot. There will be flooding and there will be loss. But as with Nana and Ye-Ye, things worked out for them - they have a new house now, with better appliances and structuring than they did a year ago. It wasn't exactly the path they chose, but a year later, they're okay with the end result.
While the hurricane was lurching towards the Carolinas, we were heading to the dojo. Madison earned another stripe tonight, her second on her orange belt. It was a lot to learn for her, but she did okay in the end, along with the other students. The orange belt kids are looking to advance to yellow belts hopefully by October, and this puts a smile on Madison's face. She's happy she did well tonight, and again, she's genuinely enjoying the class.
Kevin is somewhat of a symbolic thing, it was noted, a flag being torn apart. There was a suggestion in media stories that this flag is a symbol of the enlarging divide between warring factions in this country. We were there when the three stripes began to tear, and those have always been symbolic of the thirteen colonies. So, does that mean we lose Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina? And from what we could see, another two stripes were about to go, so let's just say that's Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Obviously, the commentary is not about the symbolism of geography, but about the spirit of the people of this country. That being said, if you look at the flag above, you'll see one thing that probably most flags have: a pure, white backbone. Yes, let's talk symbology there, shall we? A solid, white fabric that runs vertically up and down, connecting all the stars and stripes. In fact, by storm's end, this is literally what holds the flag together, isn't it? Without something to cling to, these stripes would be thrown away in the strong winds.
So what does that white solid stripe represent, hmmm? What does the color white symbolize? White is pure, truth, innocence, faith, goodness, and light. White is not trolling, fake news, selfish ambition, pride, greed, slander. In fact, those very things are more like the wind battering this poor flag. It's the other more positive things that hold this country together. So there's your real symbolism.
Again, the idea of Kevin wasn't as epic as the tiki, perhaps because Kevin began to get attention from the mainstream media, no longer "our little inside joke." But nevertheless, we were part of it, watching as the hurricane drew nearer.
And along those lines, the hurricane was projected to be a category 4 as it struck the coast. Some outlets predicted the possibility of it being a category 5. But something happened to it along the way. The hurricane is downgrading as we speak, and will probably strike as a category 2, or even 1. It is weakening. We've been praying in this direction, not to take credit for anything, of course. And our prayers have been linked up with many - it's funny hearing people get scientific in their prayers: "God, please lower raise the millibars of pressure!" But we all have the same thought in mind, our faith and hope that people won't be hurt.
Unfortunately, it does rain on the just and the unjust, and although things seem to be downgrading, there is still a lot of rain to come, and that's an understatement by a long shot. There will be flooding and there will be loss. But as with Nana and Ye-Ye, things worked out for them - they have a new house now, with better appliances and structuring than they did a year ago. It wasn't exactly the path they chose, but a year later, they're okay with the end result.
While the hurricane was lurching towards the Carolinas, we were heading to the dojo. Madison earned another stripe tonight, her second on her orange belt. It was a lot to learn for her, but she did okay in the end, along with the other students. The orange belt kids are looking to advance to yellow belts hopefully by October, and this puts a smile on Madison's face. She's happy she did well tonight, and again, she's genuinely enjoying the class.
She had other tests today, including a pretty epic math test that has lasted two days. But she's still doing well in school. Her social studies grade has dropped to a 89.24, basically because she got an 88 on a test, and these summative tests make up 80% of her entire grade. All the other grades she has in this class are above a 90, but all of them put together make up just 20% of her grade. The test weight seems a little top heavy at the moment.
Daddy did some writing, and was happy to hear that more of the 501st will be here with us on Sunday at KidPak. Nana did the first of her doctor's appointments today, just routine exams, and the whole reason the grandparents were up here in the first place, although it's a nice visit nonetheless.
Tonight we had a delicious meal, all of us together at the table. It's good to be with the grandparents. We had chicken parmesan, and plenty of conversation. The weather is humid, but no rain yet. That will come later, they say - the storm will downgrade, and eventually head in the direction of North Georgia, before shifting upwards into the middle of the country.
Tonight, we read some more from the Grim Grotto, and found the passage from "The Walrus and the Carpenter," a poem that Madison was just reading in class. Seriously, her class was reviewing this, and even taking a little quiz on it (she got an A!). It was a funny coincidence, one that widened Madison's eyes and brought a smile to her face: "We were just talking about that!"
We said our prayers, continued prayers for the Carolinas, and there were zerberts and hiding and so forth... and then there was sleep... goodnight!
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