NOT on the To Do List

I had a freakin flat tire out in the middle of nowhere this afternoon.

John was more than and hour away, so started to change it myself
when a good samaritan came along to help.

He had problems getting the tire off, but John got there to finish
up and so we spent the rest of the after noon
and a pile of money at the tire store on a new set of tires.

NOT cool!

Tummy Tuesday!

One tummy can be rubbed and one you better not.

so....
choose carefully!

It's Tummy Tuesday
every Tuesday
at LisaViolet's Diary

After Ike: TENEMOS AGUA!!

The weekend started out with a nice surprise...the water is ON.
Lucky we were there because the sinks and shower and stuff we took out were leaking and the last thing we need on the floor is more water.
We've been told not to drink or poop...we are good with that.
It was nice to be able to wash off the things we are able to keep.
Even Rafe's chair got a good washing down.

We....well John...got the electric stuff done. As soon as we get the city inspector we can go on the turn on the lights already list! That will be a happy day. After he comes we can see about choosing a water heater, washer and dryer. Of course we need to sheetrock and tile that area first. At least that is the plan. Having time to do all that is a bit of a problem.

The flood adjuster came by. Not much is covered, but he was kind about what IS covered so we are hoping his report is as nice as he was. It will be at least a month before the report is sent for our approval so a check is some time away for sure.

We got the new kitty condo put together.
No cat seems that interested yet, but maybe they are still mad at us.
Yes, they are still mad for sure.
I have a few pics, will post soon.

The debris clean up crew has arrived at last!
They started on the other end of the subdivision but seem to be working our way.
A lot of strange looking folks have been driving the neighborhood checking out the trash, so it will be nice for that stuff to be picked up an gone.

And now for the really good news.
I sold a house yesterday.
In the middle of all this mess, people are still needing to buy homes.
Now that is very good news indeed.

I'm so blonde

I sprained my ankle.
How did I sprain my ankle?
By kicking off my shoe.
How did I sprain my ankle kicking off my shoe?
I forgot to untie it.
Ow.

Little House on the Canal

Clearly I would not have made a very good pioneer because I am SO over this outhouse buisness.
This morning I "tried to go" and of course someone's butt has exploded in there.
I can hold it.

After Ike: Too Old for This

I have discovered that even though it looks really fun to smash stuff out with a sledge hammer on all those house flipping shows in all reality?
It is not.

The Flood Plain Plan

So now that we have pretty much trashed everything,

we are anxious to get the insurance and
electrician and city inspector stuff

done so we can get started with the plan.

Under the carpet was this old tile.
It will have to be all scraped up before we can install

our flood friendlier porcelain tiles.

The bathroom vanity was a bitch to knock out.
A Pedastal sink will take it's place.

The wet bar was well built as was the downstairs kitchen cabinets.
Removing them was quite a chore!
In place of the bar will be a couple of tall tables and chairs.
These can be carried UPstairs in case....well....you know.

. We will replace this sink and such, but do not
plan to put anything too pricey in here.

We have not yet chosen our theme.

We are choosing between Mexican Cantina and Sports Bar.

John is leaning toward Mexico only because he is thinking IF I

were to get my very own sports bar

I would plaster the place with Brad Ausmus posters.

Hmm.....

Just Another After Ike Hassle

Knowing the floor to ceiling cat tree was on the verge of collapse,
I purchased a new cat tree off of EBay.
As you can see it was not delivered in time.

It is held up at UPS for now.

And here I thought they were supposed to
deliver rain or...OH nevermind.

Update: UPS did have it so hopefully will be able to get it set up soon...:)

After Ike: Galveston Island Reopens

Galvestonstonians were welcomed home yesterday at last and given a chance to take a look at their homes and start cleaning up after the storm. West Enders are still on "look and leave" as those homes are not protected by a seawall and got hit the hardest.

I think I am not ready to go down there yet.
I can see enough messed up stuff on my own street.
Maybe next week....

MSNBC Slide Show

After Ike: Note to self

Be sure to rake through debris before picking up in case there is a dead rat in there.
Ick.

Ike and the 6-Pack

First of all I want to thank everyone for your care and concern before and after the unfortunate landfall of Hurricane Ike. Your kind thoughts and prayers were appreciated more than I can even try to convey.

We evacuated to Uvalde on Thursday before the storm. The water was already on our fishing dock when the storm was still 200 miles out, so saw we had a problem brewing.


We decided to take only the one car. We were concerned about the traffic and gas shortage that the Rita evacuation had caused. We loaded the 6-pack into carriers and headed out. Rafe sang with Jimmy Buffet most of the 7 hour drive, so we were not without entertainment.

We got settled and like everyone else watched the giant storm slowly make it's way to across the Gulf Coast. Rafe and Rhett were happy to be at Gramma's house. RicoDammitt who is always up for an adventure, made his own fun.

Rafe relaxes after the long trip

Saywer and Charlie waited for nightfall to check everything out.
Kate hid in the closet.

After Ike came through, we started getting reports on local message boards and such that our neighborhood got hit pretty hard. We found out we were to be allowed to return on Tuesday, but not knowing what we would find hesitated driving back with 6 cats. One of my co-workers generously offered to house them in an empty bedroom she has so with the 6 pack loaded up we headed back.

The drive back was much shorter, but the lines for gas were long. We were (sort of) glad we only brought the one car. Rafe sang with Laura Fygi for awhile, then took a long nap.

Once we got back to Houston, we dropped off the cats. The room they were assigned to was completely empty. This seemed like the perfect solution. About 10 minutes after we left my friend called to say they had opened the closet and popped her exercise ball. Only MY cats can cause damage in 10 minutes in an empty room....lol.
At least that closet gave Kate had a place to hide, and she did!

The Gulf freeway was closed, but we found we could get entry with ID by traveling down hwy 6. The closer we got to home, the worse it looked. Snapped power poles, trashed vehicles and torn up roofs littered the landscape. We had to wait in line at the check point and the anticipation almost did me in. Coming up to our turn, we start seeing the real carnage. There were boats, jet skis, refrigerators, trees, decks, stairs, and God knows what all strewn throughout the neighborhood. It looked like a war zone. There was even a house floating in the canal.

Finally we got to our house and it was still standing!!!!

We walked around the back first. The debris is unreal.



On the corner...2 boats AND a jet ski!


My neighbors get boats, I get mail boxes...not fair!

The fence is bent, but still standing. The dock and bulkhead are intact. The screens are blown out of the porch but the structure and even the stairs are also intact.


The truck and AC unit took a lot of water, but are not blown away.
We are blessed.

Then we go inside.. YUCK.
The water line is just over 3 feet, much less than some our neighbors have reported but 3 feet is enough to trash the entire first floor.

The water line


Fridge dumped, beer opener/magnet OK!!


Bathroom trashed, but cat poop floats.
The litter is dry!

Upstairs is exactly how we left it. We are blessed, but can not stay here. There is no electric or sewer. The stench is unreal. The police are only allowing look and leave by 6pm for now.

John's employer offered us a vacant apartment he owns. We are blessed yet again. This place is only a few miles from the house. The power is on. We loaded up the 6 pack and brought them over. 5 cats had a good time exploring. Kate hid in the closet.

The next day we got far enough in the house that we can bring home the cats, but had to keep them in the office until we can cover the stairwell. I can't let them down where we are spraying Clorox and such. Surprisingly they seemed satisfied hanging out in there. Rico took his usual place on my desk and seemed confused as to why we were not working. The others sat in the window or snoozed in cat beds except Kate, who hid in the closet.

Yesterday we got a welcome delivery...Port-O-Potties!


We also got the stairwell covered so the cats can now move around again.

No place like Paw's lap!

NoRhett is determined to defeat that tarp so he can see what is down there. What is that they say about curiosity?
Anyways....
They seem happier and Kate has moved from the office closet to under the bed.
Now THAT's progress!

More later.....PJ:)


The Carnival of Cats is up and running over at Chey's Place