We’re back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We made it through the night.  It was a long one.  Our electricity started blinking on and off around 9 so I logged off the computer.  I didn’t want the blackouts to damage the computer.  We finally lost power about 12:30.  We had 2 tv’s that run on battery so we weren’t out of touch.  Our biggest problem was all the windows in the house.  It was dark and we sat here listening to projectiles hitting the windows. 

I got a couple of hours of sleep but Gyla didn’t sleep at all.  Friends and family kept calling and texting.  We have friends in all time zones so it was nice getting those messages.  We didn’t feel quite so alone.

Now we have the generator working.  We have hot coffee, a fan, tv, refrigerator, and best of all the internet.  The generator was pricy but I’m telling you it was worth it.  We are watching the damage reports that are starting to come in.  So far it looks like Houston will survive.   There is a little town between Galvaston and Houston called Kemah.  It’s a tiny town but has a waterfront complex with restaurants and entertainment.  They said this morning that the footprint of Kemah has been changed forever.   Wow.  That really brought home what we’ve been through.

We have a few pics of the aftermath.  The debris dosen’t show up too good in the pics but you will get the idea.  The swing in the back yard is laying down.  We did that before the storm.  The pots on either side are very heavy.  I’m shocked they are knocked over. 

We have plenty of real food and the gas grill to cook on.  We also have the butane cooker that Gyla gave her Dad for Christmas one year and a bottle of butane so we could have a fish fry or shrimp boil if we had fish or shrimp.   We figured we cook the food as it thawed but now we have the generator it won’t thaw.  We still have to empty the fridge over the next few days in case we don’t have electricity when we leave for California.  We’ll be eating good.

I’m attaching the pics.  Then I’m going to log off and conserve battery.    Thanks for following our advernture and thanks for you thoughts and prayers.  It makes a huge difference knowing that there are people “out there” that care.

Hugs.

Janice

Sorry about the duplicate pics.  I got them in here double and can’t get them out.  You can click on them to make them bigger so you can see them.

We’ve just had our electricity flash on and off.  It only lasted a second but I didn’t like it much.  I’m hoping to get through a good part of the night before we loose our juice.  I’m fond of my air conditioner.  The wind is picking up.  As I sit here typing I can hear the wind whipping up the large bush outside the window.  I guess that’s what it is.  It’s all that is out there.  It’s dark now.  Hurricanes are like babies.  They always seem to come at night.  Ike is no different.

That’s the update.  Not very interesting but it’s all I’ve got.  I guess that is good news.

Still not much happening.  The most action we are seeing is our phone ringing with everyone worried about us.  Please understand…..we are quite a distance from where the flooding is.  We are 72 miles from Galveston.  We will not be affected by the storm surge.  At most we expect to see some 75 mph winds and probably a lot of rain.  This all won’t come until late tonight.

It’s nice to know everyone is thinking about us.  Just know that we are okay.

All I know is that we still have electricity and aren’t out of Ding Dongs yet so all is good.

Well.  This is a boring storm so far.  We’ve taped all our windows and eaten our junk food.  We went for a ride to see what was going on.  Everything is closed except gas stations and a few fast food places.  Oh and bars.  Bars are always open.

I haven’t seen so many businesses closed since they got rid of the Blue laws that forced businesses to be closed on Sundays.  It always amazes me how many empty cars there are in parking lots when the businesses close down.  We went by Wal Mart.  There were a number of  cars stranded in the parking lot.  I wonder where the people are and why those cars are left there. 

So far we’ve had a few sprinkles.  The story in Galvaston is amazing.  There is already so much water and it’s not really even raining there yet.  They estimate that there are 40,000 people that stayed on Galveston Island.  Are they nuts??????  I guess they don’t have cable and get the Weather Channel.  I mean when Jim Cantori tells me to get out I’m going.  He’s the MAN!!!!!

That’s our news for now.  Will check in soon.

Not much is happening here.  The sky is a little darker but that is it.  We’ve just heard a child has died.  His parents were cutting a tree in preparation for the storm and somehow it hit their 10 yr old child.  It is so sad.  I wish I could reach out to those parents.

The waves in Galveston are amazing.  The island is already flooding and they are rescuing people who didn’t leave.  No one expected flooding this early.  The tv reporter joked that this will be the only time he has gotten a sunburn covering a hurricane.  It’s really a weird storm.  What do you expect from a storm named for a Republican.    LOL  ( I couldn’t help myself.)

Gyla is still taping………..

I just talked to a friend of mine named Shirley.  She was telling me that she had called her best friend here in Houston.  Her friend said her kids had come in and said “Mom, you’re eating all the snacks.  We won’t have any left for the hurricane”.   Right after Shirley told me that Gyla came in with a Ding Dong and said “That hurricane better get here soon or we’ll be out of Ding Dong’s”.   We all got a good laugh out of that.  I guess we are all alike.  In stressful situations we want comfort food. 

More later.

Janice

I hope you will pardon an off poker post but this Hurricane Ike is taking over our lives right now.  We are sitting at home watching the constant news coverage of impending doom for our city.  Gyla has taped up the windows.  That’s what you do to protect yourself from shattering glass.  I don’t know if it works or not but it is what you DO during a hurricane.  It may be like the old story of the woman who cut the ends off her roasts because her Mom did it.  I don’t know but we did it so I guess we are ready.

Gyla also went and bought a generator yesterday.  Everyone needs one, right?  She has bad asthma and cannot be without her breathing machine if we are without electricity for a long time.

Our refrigerator (it will run on the generator) and pantry are stocked with Hurricane essentials like Twinkies and Ding Dongs.  I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I ate a Ding Dong but I’ll tell you that I didn’t know that they weren’t wrapped in foil anymore.  How do you make foil balls??????  I have great memories of the kids and their foil balls in times past.

My son works for the local NBC affiliate in their news room.  He called a little while ago to see if we needed him to help us with anything.  He’s off today but has to go in at 3 am.  That will be in the middle of the storm so he will be going in early and catching some z’s up there.  I know he will be safe.  That place is a fortress and it will have electricity.  He will have air conditioning.  I imagine he’ll be spending a lot of time up there.  During Rita they allowed their staff to bring up their family but not this time.

Gyla is running around plugging in everything that needs to be charged.  She says she is running out of plugs.  Life has gotten complicated with all our cell phones, portable computers, hand held games, etc.  Last night we stopped in the Verizon store to get a car charger for my phone.  The guy tried to cell us a wireless card for our computer at $59 a month.  He says we can watch the local news on it after the power goes out.  The problem would be charging the computer battery after it runs down.  We decided to pass.  We will just have to go compterless when we get to that point.

I’ve been through a lot of hurricanes before but the last one for me was Hurricane Camille.  I had just graduated from high school when that baby struck.  It was one big hurricane.  It came in so fast that my boyfriend at the time got stranded at our house.  I had a gall bladder attack in the middle of the storm and couldn’t get to the hospital.  It was really bad.  That was the closest we came to flooding.  The aftermath was terrible.  There was a huge mess everywhere and the heat was incredible.

We are safe here.  Or should be anyway.  We live in NorthWest Houston.  On the map you would see it as Jersey Village.  All the warnings about facing “iminent death” are directed at the areas around the coast.  There are still those crazy human beings who decide to ride out the storms in evacuated areas.  I hope there won’t be many lost in this storm. 

We actually got a call asking us NOT to evacuate.  The problem is there are 6,000,000 people in Houston.  We can’t all leave.  They want the roads cleared for those that have to leave.  We could have left this morning.  The roads were clear.  We have decided to stay in case there are problems we can deal with them right away.  If the drainage system lets us down and we have rising water we want to be here to get stuff up.  It will be a miserable time of it but we can save a lot of things.

I’ll blog here as long as we have electricity.  Right now the sky is clear.  There is a slight wind.  Gyla says the first rain is showing up on the radar.  Parts of Galveston island are already flooded.  They are expecting devestation down there.   I hope everyone leaves.

More later.

Janice

Sept 12, 2009  11:10 am