Where the Real Fun Begins

Nothing like a little hurricane to shake you up a bit, I always say. At least we still have our home, albeit a bit messy, and our health, right?

I hope everyone is safe and sound and recovering from Ike. Thanks to everyone who has text messaged me and offering places to stay with power and such. We are doing ok. We're back at my Mom's house who has power and water now so we can cook, shower and watch DVD movies of the Backyardigans...over and over and over again! Ugh. Somehow I have Internet access--which is why you should secure your wireless networks, FYI.

The weather in Houston is really nice lately. Low humidity with highs in the low 80's/high 70's and at night its about 60 degrees. Yay. I guess its fall here now. This means that without power, its not so bad in the Houston. Power is being restored slowly through out the city. They start off with places that are most important: hospitals, fire and police departments, etc. Then they make their ways to the individual homes, where the quote is still 2-4 weeks in some areas. Our house will likely take weeks as the power line is completely tied around the tree. The lines for gas stations are ridiculous; wrapping around the streets until the pumps are empty, which happens by mid-afternoon.

Emma is doing well. Still tired, but that might have something to do with the fact that we are totally displaced and our schedules are more screwy than ever. Some nights she won't sleep until 11pm, constantly asking for her own bed. She still may be feeling the effects of radiation too, as doctors say it will take about a month for appetite and energy to come back. Hannah just passes out anywhere you put her, so she's not so bad. Both are bored to tears though.

Meat-Water: Not For The Faint of Heart
I took them out yesterday for a drive, hoping to find a Blockbuster open near my Mom's house. It wasn't. I should've known, but I just couldn't take listening to Backyardigans again. So we drove over to our house to see what was going on.

The house is still boarded up. No one was there. Mike had a crew come out to tarp up the roof and remove the tree from the top of the house, so at least we were protected from rain. I walked up and put the key in the lock. I could already smell the horrors lurking inside behind the closed door. A wall of moist, putrid air hit me as I pushed the door open. Ugh!

Even through the dark it was evident what a wreck the interior was. Carpets soaked with water, roof debris on the floors, refrigerator completely defrosted, plus the general mess we left behind in our haste. Pages of dry books on the shelves in the other room began to warp from the humidity in the air. A stale, musty smell circa 1946 filled the entire house.

If you are experiencing the aftermath with me, if you still have no power, then I probably don’t have to describe what a defrosted refrigerator is like. A few days before the ice melted, I put down a few towels; an attempt to control the imminent mess. Now, streams of defrosted, pinkish-brown meat water stained the towels and the white kitchen tiles. I didn’t even open the fridge door. I’m afraid of what will happen when I do. I am SO not looking forward to cleaning up.