Hurricane Ike

The approach of Hurricane Ike towards my house is like staring down the barrel of a gun.

I'm blinking.

I don't live in an area of Houston under mandatory evacuation, so my family and I are nestling in like ticks on a grazing cow. I just hope our cow doesn't tip over when the s*$# hits the fan.

When Rita hit three years ago, it made a sudden turn to the east that left Houston largely untouched. Ike shows no sign of veering away from the metro area; Ike is Pacman and Houston one of those power balls. He's going to eat Houston and then chase some ghosts down.

Really though, we'll probably fare just fine. 60+ mpg winds are estimated for my neighborhood. The biggest problem will be loss of power. Centerpoint was running radio commercials yesterday reminding Houstonians that hurricanes knock down power lines within a massive tract. The ad intoned that it can take from days to weeks to restore power in certain areas.

Weeks? And to think I was in Home Depot the other day lazily gazing at a generator, wondering if I should buy it.