Looks like the tropical storm (maybe hurricane?) is headed this way. WTF is going on with Texas hurricanes? This is the 4th in less than 5 years! We’re not supposed to get that many! We’re stocked up with water, food, flashlights, candles, and batteries, as well as battery-operated radios and a little tv. :dubious: I hope it doesn’t hit, but it looks imminent. Dammit! (I don’t think this is pit-worthy, though).
It ain’t fun watching this from Kansas City and worrying about Grannydog who lives in Laguna Vista. I’ve been calling her three times a day since Saturday, trying to get her to head inland.
She claims she won’t budge for anything less than a Cat 4. She’s gonna get her plywood put up and plans to hunker down and host another storm card party for the old farts club.
Old people is stubborn!
Come on up and spend a few days in Austin. Hang out on 6th street, go out to the lake, kick back and relax.
On a related note, I visited Harlingen for the first time a couple of months ago. Being that far down in the valley with an impeding hurricane would scare me to death. There is no way to get out of there fast enough.
Keeping my fingers crossed for ya hellpaso. Our air conditioning was out for several days post-Katrina. Ugh.
I’d rather it hit Texas or Mexico then make a right turn and head for the oil spill. Sorry, doesn’t look like it would be too big. Stay safe, get away from low lying areas.
Surely you mean “than”. 
Thanks, ya’ll! I appreciate the support! Nothing at all right now–“the calm before the storm”, LOL. I think we’ll be ok. Just a little freaked out–my grown daughters were living in Houston when Rita threatened ( I was in El Paso at the time), one of them did the hellacious evacuation from Houston. Then, the two of them experienced the “eye” of Ike go over their dad’s house, where they went to ride out the storm in 08 (at least their husbands were with them). Eek!
[goes out and does anti-hurricane dance]
GO AWAY ALEX!
Be safe everyone down there, we’re thinking of you!
Those are all good, but having been through a couple of hurricanes, I can tell you that you forgot two items. The same two items that everybody forgets: Ice and charcoal (or propane if you have a gas grill). You might lose power for several days; I lost it for four last time. Those two items will allow you to cook instead of just eating sandwiches for four days. The grill can be used to boil water if need be. And get lots of ice for the hurricane. You know, for the beer. You can’t do a hurricane without beer 
Still above water down there? We are already getting frog-strangling rain up here in Austin. The radar does not look pretty.
As far as hurricanes go, this isn’t much of a deal. It will hit land as a Cat 1 or a minor Cat 2. A lot of rain and wind, but there shouldn’t be too much damage.
The scary thing is that this is the first June gulf hurricane in 15 years. Gulf water is warmer than it has been in a long time, and hurricane forecasters are predicting a very bad season.
LOL–I did forget to say we had charcoal and ice, which we did have (good pick-up, Monkey). Of course, beer, plus massive quantities of vodka and Diet Coke. We survived. This one was pretty much a dud in our area. Hurricane Dolly two years ago was a little worse for us. Quite a few folks in lower lying areas and some colonias experienced flooding, and there were tornadoes in several areas. We’re fortunate enough to have good drainage and a well-built dwelling. The Hellpaso compound survived with little more than 6-7 inches of rain. We had winds of around 45 mph (when we lived in El Paso that was considered a brisk breeze). Thanks for all the positive thoughts, ya’ll!!
Here’s to hoping we don’t get any more storms this season!