Oh What Fun

As most of you know, my family is OK. My husband stayed with his older son & his girlfriend (his son's girlfriend, not my husband's) in the Northwest part of Houston. They rode out the storm in a sturdy brick building, and when they looked outside Saturday morning, the worst damage they saw was huge tree limbs on the ground. On, in fact, fell where my stepson's girlfriend usually parks her car. The night before the storm hit, it was decided to move her car to a safer locations. Thank God for that. Saturday afternoon they went out to our property to see if our home was still there. It was, but there were lots of trees down, blocking the driveway and a few fell in the backyard as well, one within inches of our storage shed. At least they were trees we were going to take down since they didn't look like they could stand up to a strong storm. Ironic. Our neighbors weren't as lucky. A huge tree came down and, according to my husband, split their mobile home in two. They had left before I did, so I don't know if they know yet.
As for the kiddos, animals and I, we are in Sacramento, staying with my sister. After talking to my husband on Saturday, with early estimates on the power being restored at 2 to 4 weeks, it would be a good idea to find a more permanent place to stay. My sister flew to Albuquerque Sunday morning and I drove there to pick her up and continue on to Flagstaff. Monday we drove from Flagstaff to Sacramento. And now I'm exhausted. I'd say I'll never do that again, but I know I'll have to drive back as soon as power is restored.
So as of right now, Husband, Kids and Animals safe. Wife is frazzled. House is OK. I really am glad that we have survived undamaged.

Time to Go

I woke up this morning knowing I was going to evacuate to Abilene with boys this morning. It made it more helpful that Carl's school canceled classes for today & tomorrow. I just thought I'd leave a bit later than I know I will. The news greeted me with a storm path that had shifted to the east, again, and parts of Houston under mandatory evacuation. I now know why they make it sound scary. Because it is scary. I'm officially scared. I guess at least I'll see a new part of the state.

A Hurricane is like a Dentist

Ike's starting to look like a basketball player. Fakes left, goes right. Or something like that. Monday the forecast looked as if it was going to hit Corpus Christi. Phew! Yesterday, the track was changed to include a Northward turn before hitting land. But when? I'm sure today I'll be hunkered down in front of the Weather Channel watching every single move by this storm. Of course, I've got everything together so I can get out fast. I hate the waiting. It's like sitting in the waiting room of a dentist. You're already tense about being there, then you hear the sounds, those awful sounds. Then the imagination sets in. I'm already cringing. I guess it's going to be a long 12-24 hours.

Another storm

Again another tropical storm is poised to hit the Gulf Coast. Ike, even though it's far away over Cuba right now, has caused my husband to figure out where I will be taking the boys & animals. He's got a very detailed evacuation route that completely avoids the major roads, and hopefully the other 2 million people who might be leaving as well. "It will be fun, you can see all the town squares and small towns along the way." Yeah, just what I want to do while fleeing a Category 3 or 4 Hurricane is visit a museum dedicated to red cream soda or see the world's largest pecan. I just want to get to a motel with cable TV and a pool, far enough away that I won't be hit by 125+ mph storms. My husband won't be with us though. He's not going to be like our neighbors and stay home ("Ain't no storm gonna hit here.") but he's going to be at his Government job, and most likely will flown out if it gets really bad. But I get the boys, dog and cat on a "fun-filled" road trip. I think I need a Hurricane.