Saturday, August 27, 2011

Irene Up Yourself

Best of luck to all of our readers and the masthead, all of whom are in line for some tropical storming. Laura and the kids are en route home from New Jersey as we speak, and I understand that JWT's wife has been evacuated from the Rehoboth beaches, which is good as I have no idea how you would cover up a surfboard with plywood.

I have taken the usual precautions, including installing my parents in our family room, bringing in the smaller birdfeeders, and removing the watering bags from our young cherry trees because, well, really now. I have also made an enormous quantity of chili, which may not have been such a good idea if we are not in a position to crack the windows now and then.

Whether or not JJV is in an undisclosed location, I look forward to the forthcoming "This is Obama's Katrina" post with the usual mix of anticipation and foreboding.

Stay safe, everyone, and see you on the other side.

Update: Here now, the obligatory downed limb photo:


This looked a lot smaller when it was hanging from our tree, but the landing gets a 10.0 even from the East German judge (kids, ask your parents) as it missed two roof vents and the side of the house, and did no apparent damage to the roof itself.

8 comments:

smrty.mrty said...

Looks like you're starting to get the heavy rain. We're just getting regular-type rain.

BTW, Joe was going to make a big pot of gravy (that's what normal people call spaghetti sauce) but he worried about being able to freeze the leftover. I hope you've only made enough chili for six.

jjv said...

1. Employment is obama's Katrina.
2. I have been chastized by my wife for not doing anything to prepare except going to work.
3. I have a reverse Slattery plan, in that my parents left this morning at 8.a.m.
4.Marty in my family all the normal people called it Gravy and if I recall that would be true in most of your neighborhood upstate too.
5. My house is on the highest hill in Northern Virginia. Thus flooding is not a concern but it is also surrounded by virtual Sequoia and during the last one when the boys were just born one came down on the neighbor's house. This is the chief worry though all trees are in good shape.

EMM said...

My preparations included cancelling plans to go see the Mets (boo) at Citi Field (23rd park visited) and then driving through NJ for a couple of days of lighthouse viewing.

Thankfully due to obsessive grocery shopping and stocking, I won't starve to death.

Good luck to all!

J. said...

Our preparations to date:

*Stock up on beer.
*Make chocolate chip cookies.
*Eat remaining ice cream.
*Watch Jets-Giants game.

And on the more mundane side:

*Cover up grill and place smoker in shed.
*Close and remove deck umbrella and place in shed.
*Fill up water bottles and large containers with water.
*Buy non-perishable foodstuffs.
*Charge up all electronic items.

Hope Laura and the kids make it home safely and that the storm doesn't cause as much damage as feared. (It seems like just the other day we finally repaired all the damage from the December-January snow storms. SIGH.)

@EMM, Us Mets fans are actually grateful for the delay, though it seems the Mets are rallying. And I would be happy to treat you to a game at Citi Field come next season. :-)

smrty.mrty said...

Hmm, JJV, not sure which neighborhood you're referring to. Certainly, here in South Jersey I'm surrounded by *gravy* people, who also insist on calling ice cream *custard," and slushies "water ice." Nothing of that kind in upstate NY though.

Oh, and hurricane update: we might also get a tornado here.

Unknown said...

Please help me by reading my appeal on my profile.

JWT said...

I am prince of a tiny Scandinavian country and am stranded in the Eastern United States by this hurricane. I have urgent need of a large amount of cash but have no means to get such wealth in the present circumstance. If you will allow me to direct the deposit of this vast sum in your bank account, I will grant you 10 percent of this unimaginable wealth. Please list your bank account number to which I can direct this stupidly enormous mountain of moolah. You are a very kind blog, and I will personally see that you get what is coming to you.

Dave S. said...

@JWT, I thought I smelled lutefisk nearby... I will wire you JJV's account information.