Check out the sign... priceless! [OK, it's hard to read.Someone taped some paper to a For Sale sign saying:
"Lake Front Property for sale"]
It's the last week of April. Anyone that has ever lived in Tornado Alley knows what that means. Super. Sucky. Weather. This is the week every year when you get craptastic and usually tornadic weather. It's usually payback for fabulous weather the week before. Of course (and if you've been reading my blog, you already know this), last week was awesome. 80 degrees and sunshine everyday.
This stuff started last night (see blog below). After I posted, we were all pretty hungry. Usually in times of bad weather, I do something horrible, like, make some poor minimum-wage schmo deliver us pizza. It would have been cruel and unusual punishment to do this to someone last night, so we went to one of the local Japanese sushi/steak houses (they're practically on every corner around here. Just like Starbucks). This was going to be great as it provided lots of Pocket Edward picture-taking potential!
We began to get a little worried on the way there when we noticed that most of the traffic lights, and everything else around them, were out of power. Luckily, one block away from the restaurant, they came back on. When we arrived, it looked like we'd have the place to ourselves! No one was there except the workers, who were watching the big screen tv in the bar. Exxxxcellent! I reached in my purse and got my iPhone and PE out. We ordered and waited for the hibachi cook guy to come feed us.
As we were sipping our soup, the waitress sat four more people at our table. Rats. My husband knew what the look on my face meant. He whispered that it didn't matter and to take pictures anyway. Sheeah, right! Maybe I can be covert about this? Maybe I'll sneak a picture when they're not looking? So I place PE and my phone in my lap and cover him with my napkin.
I decided to take a "test" photo without PE of the guy cooking our food.
Yeah, they stared. So, ok. No PE pics tonight. That's ok. My daughter took a "vampire stand-in" picture for me instead.
We came home, tucked the kids in and went to bed. Then the rains started again. It rained loud enough last night that I was dreaming about it! This morning, my daughter got up early ( I know! Kids DON'T get up early on school days!) and turned on the tv in the living room. That sound opened my eyes. Then the guy on the tv said that Cy-Fair ISD was closed for the day due to flooding. That made me sit upright. Did he just say schools were closed due to flooding? No way. I was shocked they closed for Hurricane Ike! So my husband and I jump out of bed and go to the living room to see for ourselves. Yup. Closed, but only the school district in our area. This left us wondering. Why? Because our kids don't go to public school. They go to the local Catholic school (Which is awesome. Which is also why they go there and not public school.). Usually our school does what Cy-Fair does. Better call into work.
Like I've said before, work is a LONG way away. Work is generally a long commute for anyone who lives in the Houston area. We like to sit in traffic in our cars. It's what we do, like riding the subway in NYC (which is where my sister lives, so I know). Anyway, I have a 9am meeting. If they've deemed flooding to be bad enough to close schools, there's no way I'm going to be able to get to work. As I'm on the phone with them, the school's automated hotline calls my cell, my husband's cell and the home phone. All at the same time. If there was any question about me trying to make it in to work, there isn't any more. No school.
We go back to bed, but switch on the tv in our bedroom. Love it. All channels, all news, no commercials until 12pm. It appears that my area of town was the worst hit by the torrential rains. I got 11 inches of rain just from midnight to 7am.! Our street is fine. We never flood. The thing is that this area never floods! Our streets fill up pretty fast, but as fast as they fill up with water, the water drains away. I've lived in this area of Houston on and off my entire life. We have drainage creeks everywhere. They might look pretty full time to time, but they have NEVER over-flowed their banks. Not once. NEVER... until today. Neighborhoods all around us are flooded. Cars are under water. W-T-F!
Our old subdivision, Bear Creek, has been on tv a lot this morning. It went under. My aunt is there. My god parents are there. My aunt says she's fine; although, it's her part of the subdivision that now resembles a scene from Deliverance. SIDE: Why is it whenever there's flooding, there are always rednecks with no shirts, blue jean cut-offs, trucker hats and no teeth standing in the water smoking a cigarette? Probably because they are the ones with bass boats. My cousin was only upset because the news chopper was right outside her window and it woke her up. My god parents are, in fact, flooded out. Water got in the backseats of both cars. This really sucks because they only just got their house finished two weeks ago repairing the damage from Hurricane Ike .
This is my old neighborhood:
This is what it looks like a few streets away from me:
If my friends are out there doing the back stroke and need some help, let me know. You know how to reach me. We have my dad's F-250 at our disposal if you need us to come fish you out.
This stuff started last night (see blog below). After I posted, we were all pretty hungry. Usually in times of bad weather, I do something horrible, like, make some poor minimum-wage schmo deliver us pizza. It would have been cruel and unusual punishment to do this to someone last night, so we went to one of the local Japanese sushi/steak houses (they're practically on every corner around here. Just like Starbucks). This was going to be great as it provided lots of Pocket Edward picture-taking potential!
We began to get a little worried on the way there when we noticed that most of the traffic lights, and everything else around them, were out of power. Luckily, one block away from the restaurant, they came back on. When we arrived, it looked like we'd have the place to ourselves! No one was there except the workers, who were watching the big screen tv in the bar. Exxxxcellent! I reached in my purse and got my iPhone and PE out. We ordered and waited for the hibachi cook guy to come feed us.
As we were sipping our soup, the waitress sat four more people at our table. Rats. My husband knew what the look on my face meant. He whispered that it didn't matter and to take pictures anyway. Sheeah, right! Maybe I can be covert about this? Maybe I'll sneak a picture when they're not looking? So I place PE and my phone in my lap and cover him with my napkin.
I decided to take a "test" photo without PE of the guy cooking our food.
Yeah, they stared. So, ok. No PE pics tonight. That's ok. My daughter took a "vampire stand-in" picture for me instead.
We came home, tucked the kids in and went to bed. Then the rains started again. It rained loud enough last night that I was dreaming about it! This morning, my daughter got up early ( I know! Kids DON'T get up early on school days!) and turned on the tv in the living room. That sound opened my eyes. Then the guy on the tv said that Cy-Fair ISD was closed for the day due to flooding. That made me sit upright. Did he just say schools were closed due to flooding? No way. I was shocked they closed for Hurricane Ike! So my husband and I jump out of bed and go to the living room to see for ourselves. Yup. Closed, but only the school district in our area. This left us wondering. Why? Because our kids don't go to public school. They go to the local Catholic school (Which is awesome. Which is also why they go there and not public school.). Usually our school does what Cy-Fair does. Better call into work.
Like I've said before, work is a LONG way away. Work is generally a long commute for anyone who lives in the Houston area. We like to sit in traffic in our cars. It's what we do, like riding the subway in NYC (which is where my sister lives, so I know). Anyway, I have a 9am meeting. If they've deemed flooding to be bad enough to close schools, there's no way I'm going to be able to get to work. As I'm on the phone with them, the school's automated hotline calls my cell, my husband's cell and the home phone. All at the same time. If there was any question about me trying to make it in to work, there isn't any more. No school.
We go back to bed, but switch on the tv in our bedroom. Love it. All channels, all news, no commercials until 12pm. It appears that my area of town was the worst hit by the torrential rains. I got 11 inches of rain just from midnight to 7am.! Our street is fine. We never flood. The thing is that this area never floods! Our streets fill up pretty fast, but as fast as they fill up with water, the water drains away. I've lived in this area of Houston on and off my entire life. We have drainage creeks everywhere. They might look pretty full time to time, but they have NEVER over-flowed their banks. Not once. NEVER... until today. Neighborhoods all around us are flooded. Cars are under water. W-T-F!
Our old subdivision, Bear Creek, has been on tv a lot this morning. It went under. My aunt is there. My god parents are there. My aunt says she's fine; although, it's her part of the subdivision that now resembles a scene from Deliverance. SIDE: Why is it whenever there's flooding, there are always rednecks with no shirts, blue jean cut-offs, trucker hats and no teeth standing in the water smoking a cigarette? Probably because they are the ones with bass boats. My cousin was only upset because the news chopper was right outside her window and it woke her up. My god parents are, in fact, flooded out. Water got in the backseats of both cars. This really sucks because they only just got their house finished two weeks ago repairing the damage from Hurricane Ike .
This is my old neighborhood:
This is what it looks like a few streets away from me:
If my friends are out there doing the back stroke and need some help, let me know. You know how to reach me. We have my dad's F-250 at our disposal if you need us to come fish you out.
Yikes! Hope things get back to normal soon!!! And glad you posted anyway - hand in there!
ReplyDelete: )
P.S. Probably for the best that PE didn't make an appearance at the restaurant - I don't think he'd fare very well if he accidentally landed on a hot spot - lol! Nobody wants a melty OME...
Funny you should say that! My husband pondered OUT LOUD last night about how long it would take for PE to melt on the cooking surface. I didn't laugh.
ReplyDeleteMy dad drove the F350 to work today.
ReplyDeleteKrista
Holy shite! That's some serious flooding. Oh, and your comment about the rednecks and the bass boats made me cry. It's kinda like that here in Jersey too.
ReplyDelete