Piggy's Bottom...

Since we have another holiday weekend, I decided I wanted to smoke another pork butt to make some more pulled pork. The night before putting the meat on to smoke, I coat the meat with a quite generous helping of a dry rub, making sure to get it into all of the little nooks and crannies of the meat. After coating, I wrap the meat tightly in a couple of layers of Saran Wrap then put it in the fridge to get happy with that dry rub.

While I was unwrapping the meat from the butcher paper to get ready to season it, Matthew asked me what that was. I told him it was a Pig's bottom. Of course, every story we've read and every DVD he has watched lately it seems has talked about "piggies", so Matthew wanted to see the piggy. Not much to see, but he made several comment's about the poor piggy missing his bottom, and how I came to be in possession of the piggy's bottom. The meat market I like to use is near the in-law's house, and I had my father-in-law pick the butt up for me yesterday, so of course, I blamed it on Doc.

I wonder what Matthew will tell Doc next time he sees him? Should be interesting.

Even funnier, Matthew walked into the living room as I'm typing this entry and informed me that he doesn't like piggy hiney, hamburgers, or deer. Sounds like the kid is going to be a little hungry...

Can't take me anywhere...

Shelly asked me a little while ago if I had blogged about what happened at dinner last night. I guess now I have to tell the story.

We were having dinner last night at Macaroni Grill. I suppose they are everywhere, but for those not familiar, it's a decent Italian chain restaurant. Their grilled pork chops with rosemary balsamic graze are excellent, especially served with the mushroom risotto. Anyway, that's what we ordered.

Just after our food arrived, I started to sneeze. I couldn't stop sneezing. I was trying to sort of hold them back, but after 3 or 4 stifled sneezes, all hell broke loose. The last sneeze wouldn't be stifled. It was a big one, so big that the pressure caused another pressure leak. Folks, that was one of the biggest, loudest farts I have let go in a long time, and it happened simultaneously with the big sneeze. Of course, I didn't hear anything but the sneeze, Shelly heard it all. I'm sure everyone around us heard it all.

Of course, Shelly and I couldn't stop laughing. We couldn't even look at each other for the rest of dinner without cracking up.

Sort of embarrassing, but pretty funny as well.

At least it didn't smell....

Already? GEEZ...

I got home from work this evening and cooked dinner. A big pan of chicken enchiladas and some pinto beans. Don't get all excited, I cheated a little. The enchiladas were Stouffer's from the freezer section. They were actually pretty good. The beans were the canned variety. Let me say that the new fangled can openers SUCK. Shelly just HAD to have the kind of can opener that cuts the can on the side, leaving no sharp edges. The advertisements are correct. There are no sharp edges, partly because the darn lid doesn't come off.

Seriously, the stupid thing only opens 1 of 3 cans I try with it. I end up having to get out the old style can opener that cuts from the top and actually does what it is supposed to. Sharp edges? Maybe, but unless you are a complete idiot, that shouldn't be a problem.

What is the title of this post about? After dinner, I had to help Matthew with his homework. Yes, I said homework. This is a 4 year old. What's the deal with homework for a kid in daycare? The kid can barely hold a pencil, and he's already got homework? I guess it's not bad. He had to trace the numbers 1 thru 5, three times each. Then he had a page filled with the letter "f". He had to trace a page full of capital and lower-case f's. I started him with a brand new pencil, but that's a little to hard for a 4 yr old to use. I ended up breaking the pencil in half and sharpening what was left. Much better. The kid did a pretty good job.

Still, isn't 4 yrs old a little young for having to do homework?

NOT AGAIN? DAMN!!!!!

I just got finished with a LONG weekend. After work Friday, I mowed, edged, weed-eated, and swept up in the yard. After finishing, I cooked dinner. Don't ask why I did it all myself, it's a sore subject, but apparently my fault.

I volunteered for 2 different service projects on Saturday, so I was gone from 6am until 4pm Saturday. After I got home, something else was apparently my fault again. Can't win for losing around here. When I got cleaned up, we took the kids to see my parents for a little while, and while they kept them, we had a date night. You know you are an old married couple when your date night is dinner out followed by shopping for kids clothes at the Carter's store and then doing some grocery shopping.

Work is really busy lately. After leaving the office at 6:30 or so this evening, I stopped by the hair cut place on the way home to get a long overdue shearing. When I walked in the door at home, completely beat, I heard it. From somewhere deep in the house, it was a familiar, but dreaded sound. BEEP! You've got to be kidding me... Well, I know which one it isn't. I just replaced the battery in the smoke detector in the office. I guess I'll get busy with the rest of them. I headed upstairs and wandered around in search of the beeping smoke detector.

After checking all of them, I discover that it's the same darn one. It's the one in the office again. I got my chair out and took it off the ceiling, then removed the battery. Surely the battery can't be dead already. I remembered a way to test the battery that I learned as a kid... YOW, there is nothing wrong with this battery. While grouching about the smoke detector, unplugged, and battery free, of course, it beeps again. This thing is possessed. I start thinking that the batteries in these things aren't lasting very long lately. These are hard wired with battery back-ups, so they should last a while as the battery only powers the thing if the electricity goes off. I actually removed the one from Matthew's room a couple of weeks ago when it literally ruined a battery. Made the 9v battery look like a football. I haven't been overly concerned about that one since we have a battery powered alarm outside his bedroom.

Well, I ended up reading the small print at the bottom of the alarm. It seems that you are supposed to replace these things every 10 years. As the house is now 9 years old, I guess it's about time. Problem solved. I got online and ordered 6 new detectors from a company out in California that had newer versions that were direct plug-in replacements for the ones we currently have. Tomorrow, I should have a UPS tracking number to busy myself with. After counting, we've got 6 hard wired smoke detectors in the house, 2 carbon monoxide detectors, and 3 extra battery operated smoke detectors for "just in case" - sort of a belt & suspenders sort of deal.

Did any of the rest of you know that these things only last about 10 years?

It's getting to be that time of year...

Yes, I know it is about time for college football to start. We chose not to renew out Texas A&M season tickets this year. With 2 kids and an 80 mile each way drive to the games, we decided we just couldn't make enough games to make it worthwhile. Especially when you have to pay several hundred dollars worth of "donation" per seat to have the privilege to pay face value for tickets. Still, we do have a moderate feeling of loss about not having "our" seats. Hopefully we can work it out to leave the kids with one of the grandparents and get some tickets from eBay or Stub Hub and go watch the Aggies play. If not, TV is the best seat in the house (I prefer to watch on TV because those crazy Aggies STAND the ENTIRE game.)

I think most of my readers are college football fans (not sure how many, but I think there are a few of you). I think I have a couple of Aggie fans, some LSU fans, at least one Crimson Tide fan, and an Appalachian State fan. Let me know if I forgot anyone... I've even got a couple of t.u. fans that read from London on occasion. (it's 10:53 PM in Houston and t.u. still sucks).

But, as big as football season is, there is one season that is more important to me. Deer season. It's that time again. Sure, rifle season doesn't start until the 1st Saturday in November, but there is quite a bit of preparation that goes into deer season. Doc & Ron will be out at the ranch this weekend to start working on the food plots. They need to be mowed, plowed, fertilized, plowed again, and then planted. Bro-in-law will head up Labor Day weekend to cut down the grass and weeds in the feeder pens, and I'll head up late September / early October to fill the feeders and check the stands.

In addition to getting the ranch ready, I'll take at least one trip to the range and shoot the guns to make sure that they are ready. Once they are sighted in, they go into the cases and aren't touched again. A serious hunter has more than one rifle. I have my primary gun and a back-up gun. I also have a second back-up that I take when Shelly hunts with me. That way, we each have one and there is a spare in case something happens to one of them. The second back-up needs a minor repair, so I need to take it to the gunsmith in the next week or so in order to have it back in time.

About a month before season opens, I pull out all of the hunting clothes and make sure they all still fit, and replace as needed. License tags are also picked up. A week or two before opening weekend, the clothes get washed in scent free UV killer soap, and get packed in the duffel bag. I also pull out the hunting bags and make sure everything is in them that needs to be in them. Walkmans and flashlights get fresh batteries, knives get sharpened. License tags are also put in the bags. I'm not kidding when I say I worry myself to death about making sure I have everything. I'm always scared to death that I'll get all the way out to the ranch and not have bullets, license, or something else important.

Can you tell I get a little excited about hunting? I'm actually sitting on the sofa right now watching a hunting show on the Outdoor Channel. Hey, it's my sport. When I was a kid, hunting was the big thing with my dad and grandfather. We all hunted together until just a few years ago when the land we had hunted was sold. Now, we don't hunt together often, but my Dad and I usually make sure to have one weekend hunting together, and we text message back and forth when we are hunting at our respective ranches.

As we get a little closer, there will be more posts. Who knows, I might also post about football. Maybe there will even be some smack talk in the next week or so between Reggie (Appalachian State fan) and Tommy & Joanna (LSU fans)

Olympic Sports...

I've watched a few Olympic events over the last week or so. I have to tell you, there are some interesting ones out there.

Fencing... Not the construction of a privacy structure, this is sword fighting. Interesting sport. It would be more fun if the competitors either dressed in pirate costumes or started every match with the phrase "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

kayaking... Cruising down a man-made river of sorts going through green or red gates (green heading downstream, red gates headed upstream). Forget the man-made river, put these jokers in some serious rapids. Keep sending them down. Last one standing that hasn't destroyed either their boat or themselves wins... To make it more interesting, put some rednecks with banjos into the mix...

Women's Trampoline... I watched some of this. Strangely, not quite as exciting as one might think it would be... (not quite the same as "Girls on Trampolines" like they used to have on "The Man Show")

Speed Walking... I'm not sure I see the point in this one. Watching a bunch of men in the little shorty-shorts prancing like that... Things such as that are disturbing to the Ladies Man...

Rowing... This is actually a decent sport. The funny part was pointed out by Tommy's wife, Joanna. When watching, notice the coaches and trainers (maybe judges also?) all riding bicycles along the side of the channel. All of them are looking to their right watching the boats, NONE of them are looking where they are going. Sadly, there was never a huge pile-up to laugh at...

Suggestions for new sports...

Men's Cannonball... You have the traditional diving competition, where the plan is to do a trick or two, then make the smallest possible splash. Put a couple of big guys on the high dive, and let us do our tricks and then make the biggest splash possible. I wonder if they make a Speedo in my size?

Lumberjack competition... You've seen this on one of the sports channels. It is guys doing their thing with chainsaws, axes, and saws. Why not put this into the Olympics?

Bass fishing... This sure would increase participation from the folks in the Southeast...

Are there any other sports you guys can think of? Maybe the IOC will find this blog and decide to incorporate your suggestions into the 2012 games in London...

EDIT: Joanna commented on the beach volleyball. I'm adding this so everyone can be in on the story. I had made a comment on Facebook last night about the Brazilian Beach Volleyball team. They had the letters BRA across their chests. I thought it was hilarious, and thought they needed UNDERWEAR written across their behinds.

I'm living in a Seinfeld episode...

Last night, I stayed up pretty late. I was changing the battery in my mother-in-law's car and missed "Ice Road Truckers", so I had to catch the re-air at midnight. Incidentally, did you know that the battery is under the backseat in a Buick LeSabre? You literally have to remove the rear cushion of the seat to get to the batter. In a grandma car, that means remove 2 car seats, remove the seat, change the battery, and reinstall all of the crap again. GM's engineering department was out to lunch on this one... My father-in-law must have me pegged for a sucker because I was changing the battery for him.

Anyway, since Ice Road Truckers wasn't over until 1AM, and I still had a little picking up to do to get ready for bed, it was pretty late by the time I finally hit the rack. I was deep into dreamland around 3Am, when I was aroused from my sleep by a "BEEP" from somewhere in the house. I laid there a little while thinking that maybe it would just be one beep, then I heard it again. "BEEP!" Crap, this thing isn't going to stop. I was so tired, I could barely see strait, but I got out of bed and went in search of the dead smoke detector. I tracked it down to the one in the office. I stood on a chair and removed the battery, then headed back to bed.

No sooner than I had closed my eyes, I heard it again. "BEEP!" CRAP!!! Another one? I got up and stumbled into the darkness again to find the offending smoke detector, thinking, "Tomorrow, I'm changing all of the batteries, but I've got to stop this damn beeping now so I can get to sleep." I walk around the house, and figure out it's the same stupid smoke detector. It's the one in the office I had just removed the battery from. I stood on the chair again, twisted the detector from it's holder, and unplugged it (hardwired with battery back-ups). Problem solved, I headed back to bed.

Ahhh, back in bed, head on the pillow, and eyes closed, sleep was coming quickly. "BEEP!" What the hell?!?!? I thought I must be hearing things, so I stayed in bed. A couple of minutes later, "BEEP!" Ok, this is nuts. I'm so tired I'm getting desperate. I went back into the office and picked up the smoke detector. Unplugged and battery removed. I held it looking at it thinking "Surely this isn't the one..." A red light blinked and "BEEP!" "How in the...?!?!?"

I pushed the "test" button, and it let out one more, but this time sick sounding beep about half the volume of the other beeps, then silence... "Thank you, sweet Jesus..." Back to bed...

My head hit the pillow, still not believing that the stupid detector, unplugged and battery removed could still beep. Exhausted, I drifted back to sleep. "BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP...!!!!" "C'MON!!!!" This time, it was my 7AM alarm clock....

I found all of the 9volt batteries I bought a couple of months ago to freshen up all of the smoke detectors. Maybe tomorrow I'll put them in... (as the detectors are hardwired, the batteries last quite a while, but I do TRY to replace them once a year or so.)

After thinking about this later today, wasn't this a Seinfeld episode?

Losing my mind...

I had another post all worked out in my head, and I remember it was a good one... Now that I have the time to post, I can't for the life of me remember what it was...

I'll think of it sooner or later, and I promise I'll post it.

Grandaddy Update...

Apologies for the delay in giving an update. Grandaddy's surgery last week went really well. All of the blockage was cleared out and he got to go home the next day. I talked to him over the weekend, and he sounded pretty good, just a little tired.

I'm thinking that we might try to make the 2.5 hour run out to see him over the Labor Day weekend.

Thanks again to all who said a little prayer for him.

This just breaks your heart...

It happened again today, and it just breaks my heart. I'm still at the office and I turned on the TV to hear the local news, and I hear that it happened again. What's the matter with these people? It's a child. A helpless child. How could you? How do you forget about a child?

What happened? Someone "forgot" their child in the car when they went to work. Yesterday it was a 3 yr old boy left in the car 10 hours. Today it is another 3 yr old boy, just discovered a short while ago. This person was an employee at a local hospital. According to the news, it was obvious the little boy struggled to get out but wasn't able to.

Both children are dead. Not a chance of surviving locked in a hot car with outside temps in the 90's.

I'm speechless. So many people would trade their souls to have a baby of their own, and the ones that have their own leave them in the car to die. Alone.

Denny's vs. IHOP...

Every time I opened Internet Explorer yesterday, msn.com had a little deal about breakfast wars going on between Denny's & IHOP. This must have stuck in my mind because when I headed out to lunch, something drew me to IHOP. After browsing the menu, I chose an omelet with ham, cheese, onions, and filled with hash browns. All of that goodness was served with 3 buttermilk pancakes. Not bad, eh?

Well, while I was enjoying my lunch, Shelly called. When I told her where I was eating, she told me that she was planning for us to eat dinner at Denny's. There is a Denny's right next to where Matthew is taking swimming lessons in the evenings, and kids eat free on Tuesdays. I chose the omelet with bacon, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc, served with a side of hash browns and a biscuit with gravy.

The verdict? It was VERY close. Almost too close to call. Neither one is exactly "first tier" dining, but both are consistently decent (or at least consistently average). In the end, I think the pancakes at IHOP tilted the verdict in their favor.

In the end, I think Cracker Barrel is just slightly better than the others. I'll have to go there soon.

That being said, I think my breakfasts are better, although I can't seem to make a decent pancake to save my life. I can make some damn good eggs, and I make a mean omelet with smoked deer sausage, grilled onions, and whatever else is available to throw in them. Well, it's sort of an omelet. I'm still working on the folding technique, but the taste is top notch.

On a more serious note...

Those of you who have been reading for a while will remember my grandfather. He is known to everyone as Grandaddy. Grandaddy will be 83 this month, and is still going quite strong for a guy his age. In addition to all of the weddings, graduations, etc that you would expect him to attend, it means alot to me that he was here for the birth of both of our boys and he has made all 4 of Matthew's birthday parties. This guy has done everything you would hope a grandfather to do, plus some. I killed my first deer sitting in the stand with him.

Grandaddy needs some prayers this week. A couple of months ago, he fell getting out of a chair at his favorite little lunch counter (plastic lawn chair broke). He was hurting enough to go to the ER later that day, and figured out nothing was broken, just sore. When he kept hurting, he went to see an orthopedist, who told him that he needed rotator cuff surgery. The surgeon told him that in order to do the surgery, he would need clearance from all of the doctors he sees on a regular basis (heart, diabetes, etc). That Dr doesn't know it yet, but it looks like he might have saved Grandaddy's bacon for another little while.

Long story short, the cardiologist "heard something" in the carotid artery. Several tests and a week later, the word was 90% blockage on one side, 70% blockage on the other. They are going to do surgery on Thursday to clear the blockage. Everyone says it is a fairly routine surgery, but at almost 83, nothing is risk-free. When you have a free minute, say a quick prayer to the Big Guy for the big guy...

Exercise...

Once upon a time, I was a pretty active fellow. In Jr high and high school, I mowed grass for spending money. I generally had 7 or 6 yards on a regular basis and did others on a random basis when people went out of town or were short on time. I high school, I threw in the occasional gym workout into the mix.

Later in high school, Tommy and I would go to Red's in Lafayette and work out before school. Well, we worked out a couple of times. We would generally work out for 30 or 45 minutes, hit the hot tubs, eat breakfast, and go to school. After a week or so, we just hit the hot tubs and ate breakfast before heading to school. We told everyone we went to Red's before school, and everyone assumed you worked out when you went there. Screw that. I got enough of a workout mowing and trimming yards that I ate everything I could fit in my mouth and never weighed more than about 150.

I gained a little weight, but was still fairly healthy at 190. The summer after my sophomore year, I worked for a plumbing company. We're talking 60+ hours a week as a grunt. I drove a shovel like nobodies business, and ended up a pretty buff 175. I was probably in the best shape of my life. Those were the days. An office job isn't exactly conducive to being buff.

Anyway, Katie was talking about being in shape and the fact that in her mid-30's, she was finally able to outrun her dad on one of their recent runs. The topic of sit-ups and push-ups came up. I was challenged to see how many I could do. Well, when the rest of the family was safely upstairs, I decided to see what I could do. Here's the blow-by-blow...

I started with the push-ups first.

1st push-up: Hey, this isn't so bad... I would swear my arms used to be longer, my belly isn't very far from the ground...

2nd push-up: Not bad, I could probably do a few more...

3rd push-up: Crap, I'm heavy, it feels like Shelly and the kids must have jumped on my back.

4th push-up: Your kidding, right? Does it count as 4 if I was able to get up from the floor after this?

Now for the sit-ups. I cleared a spot on the living room floor, laid on my back, and put my feet under the edge of the coffee table:

1st sit-up: Hey, this isn't so bad. I just did one more than a certain someone I know...

2nd sit-up: I seem to remember that you are supposed to touch your knees with your elbows...

3rd sit-up: No, it's physically impossible for me to touch my knees with my elbows.

4th sit-up: Come to think of it, It's been a while since I've seen my knees. Hey, guys...

5th sit-up: Man, that's some strange popping coming from my back...

6th sit-up: Crap, this is hard...

7th sit up: FART... (sweet relief, was sick yesterday, would have been a SHART had I tried this insanity a day earlier)

8th sit-up: WHAT is that popping sound. That can't be natural...

9th sit-up: I can't believe I made it this far, thinking about how sore I'm going to be tomorrow...

10th sit-up: I determined I'd try to reach my knees with my elbows if it killed me... It almost did...

So, the total is 3 push-ups and 10 sit-ups. I'll post tomorrow to tell about the serious pain I'm in...

Dissed by a fortune cookie...

The weather was crappy today, and my boss and I along with the receptionist (who live about a mile from the office) were the only ones that braved TS Edouard to come to work. I drew the short straw and had to make the lunch run to the local Chinese joint for some takeout.

All was going well, until I got my fortune cookie. Most have happy, encouraging fortunes to make you feel good about yourself. I've got quite a collection in my desk drawer. This one I'm throwing away:

"Today, your mouth might be moving, but no one is listening."

Well, that explains alot...

Riding horses... Or not.

Earlier in the year, Shelly and I took Matthew for a weekend getaway at the Hyatt Lost Pines resort outside of Austin. I have to say that although it's not cheap, that is a really nice place. We think it's quite a bit nicer than the Hyatt Hill Country resort in San Antonio. They have all sorts of neat things to do. The pool is top notch with a water slide and a lazy river, the golf course is supposedly quite good, and Shelly gave the spa a thumbs-up. They also have horseback riding.

We didn't have time to ride the horses that particular weekend, but I thought that would be a neat thing to look into on a future trip...until I read the fine print. The horses have a weight limit of 250 lbs. Man, how bad is it when you weigh too much to ride a stinkin' horse. I'll admit, I'm a big guy. I need to lose weight, but horses are BIG animals. Surely they could handle my 270 lbs without that much trouble.

Of course, this is near Austin, which is basically the Texas version of San Francisco. Maybe those horses are not quite as tough as you think...

Bright idea by a dim bulb...

Ever have an idea that you think is pretty slick and have it not work out so well? I do every now and then. Today was one of those times.

I shave with an electric razor. Usually I shave in the car, but today I shaved while sitting on the couch while watching the NASCAR race. I needed to clean the "crumbs" out of the razor. Normally, I tap the razor on the bottom of my shoe onto the floor mat of the car. When in the house, I tap it on the edge of the bathroom sink and then rinse the sink afterwards. Today, I had a stroke of brilliance (be afraid). I decided to tap it on the edge of the commode, with the thought that I could just flush it and not have to rinse the sink. Can you see where this is headed...

One of the taps hit the little button that releases the top of the razor, giving access to the blades. Before I could catch it, the top fell on the water. Thankfully, the toilet was clean and recently flushed, or it would have been a bad situation..

I'm happy to report that all parts have been cleaned and dried, and it still works fine. Mark that down as another bright idea that wasn't quite as bright as I thought.

Hurricane Preparedness...

Living in the South, there is a chance of encountering hurricanes during the summer and fall months. Being a responsible husband and father (ok, nobody laugh, I'm being serious here), it falls on my shoulders to make sure my family is prepared in the event a storm hits this area.

Each spring and early summer, I go out and pick up our standard hurricane supplies. With the cost of gas, some of these are getting a little expensive. Here is a basic list:

Gasoline. During hurricane season, we make it a point to keep our vehicles at least half full. In addition to the cars, I have six 5 gallon gas cans, in addition to the 2.5 gallon can I use for my lawnmower. I don't have to tell anyone that purchasing 30 extra gallons of gas for "just in case" is not cheap, but it is cheap insurance. Gas does not keep indefinitely, so you need to use it in your car over the winter and re-fill in the spring for next hurricane season. I use our hurricane gas during deer season to offset the cost of extra trips out to the ranch to go hunting.

Drinking Water. We always have a steady supply of bottled water, but just for hurricane season, I have six 1 gallon jugs of drinking water and a couple of the 2.5 gallon containers with the handle and spigot on them. The gallon jugs come in cardboard boxes with 3 gallons per box. Keep them closed up and store in a dark place and they theoretically keep quite a while. I'll switch ours out after this year just to make sure it stays fresh. We like camping, and the 2.5 gallon containers with the spigots are perfect for taking camping.

Other use water. In addition to drinking, you also need water for other things like bathing and flushing the toilet. The night before Rita was supposed to make landfall, we took one last bath and then filled all of the bath tubs with water. We also filled Matthew's swimming pool on the back patio. In a pinch, you could also boil it and use for cooking (I don't cook with water we have bathed in...)

Batteries: Self explanatory. I buy a mega pack of D and AA batteries. Most of our flashlights are AA size, but we do have a couple of bigger ones and also a lantern that runs on D batteries. When you have kids, the bonus is that you have plenty of batteries for all of the Christmas toys.

Charcoal / Propane. I generally buy 2 big bags of charcoal and keep about 6 of the small propane canisters. If the power goes out and looks like it will be out for a while, we're having a heck of a cook-out at our house. Being hunters, we have a decent amount of meat that we would need to do something with. I know how to smoke meat and make Jerky on the charcoal grill, so we would be able to use most of it (and share with neighbors). The propane cylinders are for the camp stove if for some reason the gas service at home is not still on. I can't imagine having that problem, but I would feel stupid having a camp stove and not being able to use it if we had to.

Non Perishables. We generally have a decent amount of dried pasta, canned goods, and peanut butter type stuff hanging around. I'd say we could eat for most of a week without any major problems. We have a gas stove / oven, and a back-up camp stove, so cooking a few things shouldn't be a problem.

Paper Products. You have enough to worry about, and possibly a sparse water supply. You don't want to have to worry about washing dishes. Also, with a baby, make sure to have enough diapers and wipes, etc on hand for a few days.

Cards, games, etc, etc. No electricity means no TV and no Wi-Fi. Make sure you have something to do to pass the time.

Cash. No electricity means no ATMs and no stores will be able to take a credit card. Have enough cash to get you by until things are running normally again.

Home defense. Everyone has their own opinions and comfort levels, but there will always be people that don't prepare. Desperate times make people do desperate things. use your imagination. Share with people as you can, but be prepared to protect yourself if you need to. I make sure to keep 2 or 3 boxes of the proper type and calibers handy at all time.

I might have missed some staples, but you get the idea. Most of this stuff is stuff you would use throughout the year, just stock up at the beginning of the season and use it the rest of the year.

Getting the house ready...

We're on the far northwest side of Houston, so I'm not overly concerned about major wind damage. I don't board up the windows, but I do have wood and plastic to seal up a couple of windows if for whatever reason a window broke. That being said, it is important to pick up and loose items from outside your house. We put patio furniture in our breakfast area or in the storage building. Garbage cans go in the garage, etc. Also put a lock or piece of wire through the gate latch to keep it from blowing open. Anything that could get blown around should be secured. Before Rita, I also took all of the screens off our windows. I don't know if that was necessary, but I didn't want any of them to blow away.

Evacuate...

When Rita came this way, we had planned to evacuate before the storm took it's last minute turn to the East. Out thought was "plan to leave, but prepare to stay." Being the father of a 4 yr old and an infant, I'm not planning to be a daredevil and put my family in harms way. We're not going to ride out any major storms. We're fortunate that we have the ranch to go to north of Austin, so it's not too far away. If we stay for a minor storm and lose all services, as soon as practical, we'll probably leave town until services are restored. If a major storm, we'll leave ahead of time and be able to gather supplies (generator, etc) from outside the storm zone where they would still be available.

Future plans: I keep saying that I'm going to get a window unit A/C (can be bought for less than $150) and a generator to power the A/C and our fridge and freezer. I hope I'm not disappointed that I didn't spring for it this year, but with medical bills, a new baby, and unpaid maternity leave, I didn't want to spend the money from our savings. Maybe next year.

MOST IMPORTANT: Now that you have all of the supplies and are prepared, make sure you have the most important thing. Homeowners (or renters) insurance. Check your coverage and deductibles, and make sure you know where a copy of your policy is to you will know what to do if you need to file a claim.

I'm not an expert, so if I left anything out or have potentially led anyone astray, leave me a comment.