Hurricane Ike

We have survived Ike! He entered our little neighborhood at about 2:49 a.m. on Saturday morning. I know this because that was the last time our electricity was on. It is now Wednesday.

We ate really well the first night. After that, not so much. No way to keep anything cold. By Sunday night, we were feeling pretty hungry. Then some friends loaned us their gas grill. So we grilled the hot dogs we had left, and that was our last hot meal. TuesdayI stumbled upon a gas station opening and got to fill up my gas tank. That same day we found a little mom and pop store with ice! Woo Hoo! What a find!! Today we had COLD drinks. That was so awesome. It went really well with our COLD showers that we have been taking for 5 days.

We heard today that we should have electricity by October 4th. Great . . .

The worst thing that has happened is that we had fish in our freezer. When it defrosted, it leaked fish juice (technically shrimp) into the drain line of the refrigerator. Now our entire apartment smells like dead shrimp. Mike is working on getting it cleaned out and getting rid of the smell.

I am at my sister-in-laws tonight. She lives in a nearby city and is in one of the rare neighborhoods with electricty. So tonight I took a hot shower, watched tv for like 10 minutes, ate a hot meal and SHAVED MY LEGS!!! I'm gonna blow dry my hair in a few minutes. You learn to appreciate the small things. Let me tell you.

I have learned a few things. One, we had NO IDEA how to "prepare" for a hurricane. You should definitely plan for not having power for a long, long time. Some camping gear is probably a good idea. And BIG, REALLY BIG flashlights. And matches. And something to cook on if you don't have a gas stove. Also, own a generator and a few gas cans. They will come in handy when you don't have power.

Also get plenty of paper products, not just paper plates. Stock up on toilet paper too. And own a couple of ice chests. Also, power adapters that you can use in your car to charge up your computers and cell phones. These are also handy. Oh, and don't think you can live on peanut butter and tuna for very long. You can't. I may never eat it again!

All that to say, we have survived. We have several more weeks of surviving to go. And thanks Deb for the food and hot water.