Still no power at the house; water quality is questionable; gas is not easily available.  People are cranky and hungry and tired.Waiting it out at my parents’ house, where they have electricity, water, and people to talk with C&D while I stare at the wall (or this monitor).  Made a quick decision to leave, and while I packed it, left the laptop at home.  Restless; I had things to do, even though I know I’m too tired to have done any of it.Matt is back at home, to tidy up, investigate the leaky places (more leaky places!), and go back to work. 

The landlines are up, and we’ve just run two extension cords to our house from the construction site across the street to power the fridge and the laptop.  Most people in my immediate neighborhood seem to have power, but we and our neighbors on this side of the street don’t.  More later.

Our friend Ike is coming to visit.  It’s been a beautiful morning, with an unseasonably cool breeze from the north.  Traffic is light, and the sounds of the city are subdued, like a late Sunday morning.  Someone down the street is hammering plywood over their windows.  The center of the hurricane is poised to pass over Galveston; the further east the storm passes, the more we will be spared the worst of the wind and rain.

The plants and toys are secured outside; the house is tidied.  Forecasts predict we’ll get winds up to about 75mph at the house (those numbers below are in knots).

I’m more worried, I think, about flooding. 

We think about flooding just about every time it rains, though, so that’s nothing very new.

If we lose power/internet/landline/voice cell, we might still be able to send and receive texts.   

Our energy utility can be reached at 713-207-2222, 800-332-7143, or the CenterPoint Storm Center.  It looks like they might post a list of where power is out and when it might come back on. If they’re really nice, they’ll even post a map.  If for some reason we will be without power for an extended period of time, we’ll go off and visit the familia.

The NOAA radar for Houston (left picture) and satellite image (right picture) are found at the NOAA site for our zip code. 

A summary of how much rain has fallen is at the Harris County Office of Emergency Management.

The water from our neighborhood eventually drains into the Harris Gully, which has been directed underground.  You can see where it meets the Brays Bayou at floodalert.org.  It’s big (you
can drive a car through it), and if it’s full we’re in trouble.

We like Eric Berger’s hurricane summaries at the Chronicle the best.

Where’s the masking tape?

Oh, here it is, holding together a train of trucks.

The flowers were out, showing off. 

Lemon mint?

A dried sunflower in the morning sun.

And these wildflowers make me happy.

New boots and a grocery cart.  Then, pretending the convertible is a riding mower.  Cut it shorter, David, that fig ivy comes right back.

We live a charmed life, and some days are especially so. 

Friday morning the twins and I snuck out for almond croissants and gingerbread men from the French Gourmet Bakery.  The FGB doesn’t seem especially French, and not particularly gourmet, but it’s delicious nonetheless.

Before that we looked for something at the local hardware store and actually found it.  I have two hardware stores within walking distance; I’m in home improvement paradise.

Then we zipped over to the consignment store and found a pair of rubber boots for David, a stack of $5 pajama sets, and a pair of linen pants for David for $2.

While Carmen cried and dragged her feet getting back to the car (she loves the consignment store because it’s full of lovely things and lovely people), a mother in a hurry pulled into the lot and lifted two toys out of the trunk of her SUV.  She ran into the store, and then ran back out.  "I’m sorry to put you on the spot like this, but they said they aren’t accepting toys right now.  Would you like these?"  I followed her eyes to a plastic red convertible and a shopping cart.  I said I would take them, and eventually find a way to donate them to one of the local parks.  That made C&D happy, but they were even happier when we took our goodies to the park to share.  Carmen stood in front of a father and gave a long speech about after 5 minutes he had to say "ding!" and it would be David’s turn, and then he should say "ding" for the other kid’s turn, and then her turn again.  The father just nodded.  Later he and I discussed his grad school thesis.  Taking turns, and then talking physics at the penguin park?  Sweet. 

Later we went back to the consignment store to pick up a handmade 3-piece kitchen for C&D for $70.  It is going to be used to create stations for their manipulatives. It has cabinet doors and a hutch to feel tidy.  Carmen wanted to drive her red plastic convertible to the consignment store, but was persuaded otherwise when I told her Mommy’s car goes faster.

After dinner we played at another playground with our next door neighbors, and just as they left one of the park regulars showed up.  We played and talked until it was half past dark.

Charmed, like I said.

Carmen caught a bug, taking it to a garden

where it can fly around and make some new friends.

Hope it was friendly.