OT: Dodged the bullet...

MareCat said:

Boy, were we lucky...didn't even get a quarter inch of rain, and the
winds weren't much different from some strong thunderstorms we've gotten
here (the winds were at their strongest around 3:00 am). Piles of pine
needles and pine cones (and a few branches) in our backyard, but that's
about it. No broken windows or trees falling on our house or garage. And
we never even lost power (although we're hearing that some people in our
area did). We're still in the very outer bands of Rita right now, but
it's moving away.

The Houston area really dodged the bullet this time. Glad everyone was
ready just in case. Hopefully, the damage and loss of life is very
minimal everywhere this storm goes.

OB Food: This dreary weather calls for soup. Since we do have power and
don't have to grill all of our food now, think I'll make chicken corn
soup (with extra rivels) for dinner tonight. Good comfort food.

Mary (40 miles north of central Houston)

Glad to hear all is well. How is Galveston doing? I woke up to the
clock radio this morning (forgot to turn off for the weekend) and a
voice was saying something is down to a category 2 now. Was that your
hurricane or another one?

MareCat said:

Boy, were we lucky...didn't even get a quarter inch of rain, and the
winds weren't much different from some strong thunderstorms we've gotten
here (the winds were at their strongest around 3:00 am).

Southwest Houston here. Same thing, a lot less rain and wind than we
get from a typical summer t-storm. We never lost power, though had a
few "blips" during the night.

Now we're going to have a party with the neighbors; I cooked a whole
turkey, chicken, and pork loin in case we lost power (better cooked
than raw, I figured). And we have lots of beer, wine and vodka!

And yes, sf, we're talking about the same storm that Galveston got.
Good ole' Rita.

"gjgee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

MareCat said:

Boy, were we lucky...didn't even get a quarter inch of rain, and the
winds weren't much different from some strong thunderstorms we've
gotten
here (the winds were at their strongest around 3:00 am).

Southwest Houston here. Same thing, a lot less rain and wind than we
get from a typical summer t-storm. We never lost power, though had a
few "blips" during the night.

Several people around Houston have reported similar stories in
houston.eats. Very good to hear.

Quoted message said:

Now we're going to have a party with the neighbors; I cooked a whole
turkey, chicken, and pork loin in case we lost power (better cooked
than raw, I figured). And we have lots of beer, wine and vodka!

Your party sounds like a great idea. We've got a ton of food here (might
donate some of it to the Katrina victims who are living in our area).
And lots of alcohol (mixed up a batch of 'ritas--of course--last night).

Now comes the fun part of moving a couple of million people BACK into
Houston...

Mary

"sf" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Glad to hear all is well. How is Galveston doing?

Much better than was expected.

Quoted message said:

I woke up to the
clock radio this morning (forgot to turn off for the weekend) and a
voice was saying something is down to a category 2 now. Was that your
hurricane or another one?

Same storm.

Mary

"MareCat" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Boy, were we lucky...didn't even get a quarter inch of rain, and the
winds weren't much different from some strong thunderstorms we've gotten
here (the winds were at their strongest around 3:00 am). Piles of pine
needles and pine cones (and a few branches) in our backyard, but that's
about it. No broken windows or trees falling on our house or garage. And
we never even lost power (although we're hearing that some people in our
area did). We're still in the very outer bands of Rita right now, but
it's moving away.

The Houston area really dodged the bullet this time. Glad everyone was
ready just in case. Hopefully, the damage and loss of life is very
minimal everywhere this storm goes.

OB Food: This dreary weather calls for soup. Since we do have power and
don't have to grill all of our food now, think I'll make chicken corn
soup (with extra rivels) for dinner tonight. Good comfort food.

Mary (40 miles north of central Houston)

Woo Hoo!!! Glad you made it through relatively unscathed. Soup my ass, you
need a strong drink =:O

Michael

--
Send email to dog30 at charter dot net

MareCat said:

Boy, were we lucky...didn't even get a quarter inch of rain, and the
winds weren't much different from some strong thunderstorms we've gotten
here (the winds were at their strongest around 3:00 am). Piles of pine
needles and pine cones (and a few branches) in our backyard, but that's
about it. No broken windows or trees falling on our house or garage. And
we never even lost power (although we're hearing that some people in our
area did). We're still in the very outer bands of Rita right now, but
it's moving away.

The Houston area really dodged the bullet this time. Glad everyone was
ready just in case. Hopefully, the damage and loss of life is very
minimal everywhere this storm goes.

OB Food: This dreary weather calls for soup. Since we do have power and
don't have to grill all of our food now, think I'll make chicken corn
soup (with extra rivels) for dinner tonight. Good comfort food.

Mary (40 miles north of central Houston)

I talked with my mom in extreme north Houston (20 miles east of Conroe)
a couple of hours ago. They only lost power for about 15 minutes and
the phones never went down that they know of. (once upon a time, the
power went out every time it rained there)

The winds took the top out of a good sized maple tree, and there are
small pine limbs *all over* the place. No damage to the house or
outbuildings. A neighbor lost a big oak tree, but it fell in the only
direction it could without damaging anything -- it fell in a narrow area
between the fence and garage.

She said there's a lot of cleanup to do but nothing that's urgent.

Best regards,
Bob

"gjgee" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

MareCat said:

Boy, were we lucky...didn't even get a quarter inch of rain, and the
winds weren't much different from some strong thunderstorms we've gotten
here (the winds were at their strongest around 3:00 am).

Southwest Houston here. Same thing, a lot less rain and wind than we
get from a typical summer t-storm. We never lost power, though had a
few "blips" during the night.

Now we're going to have a party with the neighbors; I cooked a whole
turkey, chicken, and pork loin in case we lost power (better cooked
than raw, I figured). And we have lots of beer, wine and vodka!

And yes, sf, we're talking about the same storm that Galveston got.
Good ole' Rita.

Hmmm... turkey. I've got a 12 pounder in the deep freeze. I might have to
thaw it out and give the upcoming holidays a kick start. I've been wanting
a turkey fryer anyway. Perhaps it is time to drag the turkey outside to my
laboratory and dunk it.

Michael

--
Send email to dog30 at charter dot net

MareCat said:

Boy, were we lucky...didn't even get a quarter inch of rain, and the
winds weren't much different from some strong thunderstorms we've gotten
here (the winds were at their strongest around 3:00 am). Piles of pine
needles and pine cones (and a few branches) in our backyard, but that's
about it. No broken windows or trees falling on our house or garage. And
we never even lost power (although we're hearing that some people in our
area did). We're still in the very outer bands of Rita right now, but
it's moving away.

The Houston area really dodged the bullet this time. Glad everyone was
ready just in case. Hopefully, the damage and loss of life is very
minimal everywhere this storm goes.

OB Food: This dreary weather calls for soup. Since we do have power and
don't have to grill all of our food now, think I'll make chicken corn
soup (with extra rivels) for dinner tonight. Good comfort food.

Mary (40 miles north of central Houston)

That's good news. It's rolling in here (65 miles ENE of Dallas) right
now. Blustery winds from the NE. Wind chimes working overtime.
Sprinkles. Fast moving, dark clouds. I bought two "Swiss Army Lamps"
yesterday against the liklihood of losing power. Tanked up the second
propane bottle, too. There are no D cell batteries left for sale in
Cow Hill.

My mom called this morning from Baton Rouge. She said they lost power
overnight, but it came back on around 8 this morning. She also said
they had torrential rain. She didn't know how much because the rain
gauge in the yard filled up and it rained still more after that.

OBFood: Today is the Bois d'Arc Bash here in Cow Hill
http://www.commerce-chamber.com/boisdarcNew.htm
D and I popped in at the festivities to get a corny dog. Yum. Some
of my students were selling pots and mugs. One invited us all to a
"slurricane party" tonight at his place. Don't think I'll make it.

modom