Y’all come back now
Whe n the economy is driven by tourism, the locals want people to visit. There’s a special refrain, from a classic TV show: “Y’all come back now, y’hear”. We do want people to return. Only, in our current situation, there’s a sotto voce sentiment. Next year.
I admit, I was surprised to see “foreign plates” yesterday, when we went out of our own yard. There are visitors around. Here for the autumn weather (sic), and the relative elbow room on the beaches. We are working our way through a natural disaster. If you came to see the “Fall colours”, take note that the locals haven’t been able to attach all the seasonal foilage to the trees, because some of those trees are down. Gone. Fell over. Onto the electrical lines, which explains the prolonged power outages. More than two weeks for some.
To the couple that showed up at the emergency food kitchen, wondering why more restaurants were not open, I will bite my tongue. To the people (elsewhere) that suggested the locals simply go to a nearby hotel until normal returned, I will add my lip to the meal. And as for the inconveniences, I can point. To the bridge. The one you will take, as you head home. But remember that refrain. We love our tourists, at the right time. This isn’t that time.
We may look normal to you, but tempers are short. Frazzled. The sound of the wind on the shingles is not a comfortable one. If trees across those back roads seem abnormal, you should have been here a couple of weeks back. We’re fixing things up, as quick as we can. In fact, rather than bringing home a retired lobster cage, bring home a downed tree. Or three. We have a surplus.
