Married to the Empire

Friday, September 12, 2008

Battening Down the Hatches

The weather here is supposed to get bad tomorrow. Hurricane Ike is wreaking havoc on the Texas coast, and we're expected to get tropical storm force winds all the way up here in Dallas. They're talking flash flooding and power outages. Truthfully, I don't expect things to get that bad, but I figured we should be prepared, so I spent some time today shopping for batteries and a new tank of propane for the grill. Never hurts to be ready, even if I don't think we'll actually need it.

I needed some groceries, but that had more to do with the youth breakfast I've organized (and am cooking for) on Sunday, as well as the food I'm bringing to a farewell reception for our youth minister. The grocery stores were fairly packed, but there didn't appear to be a run on the typical stuff people buy during bad weather: eggs, milk, and bread. I have a friend who calls it the Great French Toast Crisis, since all the things required for French toast are what always fly off the shelves. What's ironic is that is exactly what I needed, and even for that purpose. I'm making two pans of praline-topped French toast for the youth breakfast.

I was annoyed to see this:



You see, I'd driven by that same gas station at 10:45 last night, and the price was only $3.45 for regular unleaded. Overnight, it jumped 16 cents, presumably because of the hurricane. I just get annoyed when the price jumps overnight when the gas supply has not yet been affected. I did still manage to find a station that hadn't jacked up their prices yet.

So, the plans for this weekend are just to stay holed up in our house. I guess we'll get the opportunity to see the quality of our new roof, such as, if it can keep all its shingles in high winds. I expect I'll just spend time in the kitchen and craft room, and maybe in front of the TV with some movies.

9 comments:

LLMajer said...

Wow, Ewokgirl! I did not know you were a fellow Dallasite. I am getting ready for the rains to hit.

Anonymous said...

I can top your crazy-gas-price-jump story!!!
When we drove to school yesterday, the gas price was $3.45. Drove by again around 1pm, and the price was $3.65. But when we drove by at 3pm, it had mysteriously jumped to $3.99, and there was a waiting line at every pump.
On an interesting note, one of the gas stations here that refused to raise their price is already completely sold out.

And I absolutely LOVE the "Great French Toast Crisis"!!! That is sooooo totally Huntsville!! Someone new to the city asked why we reacted the way we did to the "s word" (snow) and to weather events that don't even happen anywhere near us. It's because (a) the only weather we get are tornadoes, which you can't prepare for and (b) we were hit with an F4 tornado in November of 1989 that broke all the meteorological rules about tornadoes, including going up and over a mountain and hitting a school! So, we have a long and proud history of being prepared when it comes to weather...even when the weather might not actually come our direction.

My husband used to live in coastal Florida, and he said to tell you to have a traditional hurricane party: Watch TV and bake until the power goes out, then light the candles and read or play board games until it comes back on! :-)

We'll be praying for your safety!

Anonymous said...

Hi Anne Marie! It's Saturday, I hope you're all safe and sound!!! I hope the weather doesn't ruin your wonderful plans for Sunday.

Cathy VanPatten said...

I hope the storm has abated plenty by the time it reaches you, but stay safe!

And I have to tell you--perspective is all. I would be REALLY happy to see gas at $3.61. We were finally under $4 here in Chicago (well, in the burbs... we never buy gas in the city), but yesterday the cheapest place on our commute to and from work jumped from $3.89 in the morning to $4.29 in the afternoon.

Feh!

Sue said...

"I just get annoyed when the price jumps overnight when the gas supply has not yet been affected."
Exactly! I haven't checked the prices here in MI (I'm sure they've gone up), but where my family lives in TN, you're hard-pressed to find an open gas station. My dad had to drive around for quite some time before he finally found a station that was actually SELLING gas (at the hefty price of $4.19 a gallon).
Hope you're safe!

Anne Marie@Married to the Empire said...

Wow, I didn't realize the price of gas was jumping everywhere else, too. I realize that $3.61 isn't a bad price. My annoyance was merely the overnight jump for no real reason. If gas jumps a lot this week, that will make perfect sense in the aftermath of Ike. It's the anticipation of the storm that irritates me about gas prices.

It's a little after noon here right now. All is well. It's raining a little, and the wind is picking up, but all is well. I've been watching the non-stop coverage from Galveston and Houston. I really feel for those people!

AnneK said...

Hi Anne Marie, Hope you guys are keeping safe. The gas jumped here too.

Annie

Anonymous said...

Hi! It's Sunday and I am just checking in to be sure you are ok. Seems like you were not in harms' way, happy to hear that!

*carrie* said...

When Hanna was approaching SC, my sister said her friend paid $5/gal!