AOL Journals is shutting down at the end of October, so Miss Ginger is packing up her stuff and moving to Blogspot. Her new URL is http://missgingergrant.blogspot.com. She'll start posting there from this point forward, so please reset your bookmarks and head on over for some of her Southern hospitality, wit, and wisdom! See ya there!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Finally, the Recognition She Deverves!!!
Miss Ginger's publicist is ELATED to report that Miss G is an official "Dust Bunny"! Ya see, one of Miss G's favorite bloggers is David Dust, and he dedicated an entire entry to Miss Ginger's gumbo recipe!! If David calls his readers "Dust Bunnies", perhaps I should annoint you all as "Ginger Snaps"?
Get a Tissue...
You're going to need a tissue for this entry.....
Tonight after arriving back in NOLA, Miss Ginger and 2 of her dearest work friends decided to make an easy night of it and grab a quick bite at the Metairie outpost of Acme Oyster House. We sat down and ordered our drinks, and I noticed an old man sitting by himself at the table next to us, eating his dinner and drinking a beer. He looked like a million old "coon ass" men I knew growing up, and I thought it was cute that they still dress the same way today that they did (hmm hmm) years ago when Miss G was a kid. Then I noticed something that made my eyes water. Propped against the salt shaker, he had a photograph a stunning older woman, with perfectly coiffed white hair and pearls around her neck. No, it wasn't Barbara Bush, silly, it was his late wife!!! He brought her to dinner with him, and she was keeping him company while he ate! Awwwwwww!!!! Isn't that just the sweetest thing thing you ever saw?! No, not yet! One by one, the waitresses each came by when they got a chance, kissing him on the cheek, sitting and visiting if they had time, and just making sure he was okay! His actual server even brought him dessert to go, and she had labeled the styrofoam container "bread pudding 9/29/2008" with a ball-point pen so he would know how long it sat in his fridge.
It was one of those "wham!" moments that brings life into perspective, and when I pointed it out to my dining companions, we found ourselves all wiping tears from the corners of our eyes as we admired his devotion to his wife and the kindness of the servers, who clearly see him on a regular basis. As we left the restaurant, we noticed him lingering at the hostess stand, visiting with his friends, sharing the happenings of his day and catching up on the thrill of their young lives!
How ironic as I write this that Christina Aguillera is singing "we are beautiful" on my ipod and reminding us all that everyone is beautiful and deserves our love, devotion, and compassion!
Here are the lyrics:
[Spoken]
Don't look at me
Every day is so wonderful
And suddenly, it's hard to breathe
Now and then, I get insecure
From all the fame, I'm so ashamed
I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring me down
So don't you bring me down today
To all your friends, you're delirious
So consumed in all your doom
Trying hard to fill the emptiness
The piece is gone and the puzzle undone
That's the way it is
You are beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring you down
You are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring you down
Don't you bring me down today...
No matter what we do
(no matter what we do)
No matter what they say
(no matter what they say)
When the sun is shining through
Then the clouds won't stay
And everywhere we go
(everywhere we go)
The sun won't always shine
(sun won't always shine)
But tomorrow will find a way
All the other times
We are beautiful no matter what they say
Yes, words won't bring us down
We are beautiful no matter what they say
Yes, words can't bring us down
Don't you bring me down today
Don't you bring me down today
Don't you bring me down today
Love to all!!! Please love someone who is lonely today!
.........Miss Ginger Grant
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Here's the Gumbo, as Promised!
People often ask me the difference between Cajun cooking and Creole cooking. My late Momma explained it like this: “Creole housekeepers went to the French Market each day and bought the finest, freshest ingredients available. Cajun housewives walked into the yard and grabbed whatever didn’t run away. And they took it to the kitchen a cooked pretty much the same thing!” The common thread is fresh, local ingredients and some common classic French techniques. Many people think these foods are spicy, and they can be if hot peppers are in season and the cook wants it to be that way. I personally think that “flavorful” is a better way to describe it, because I don’t like food that’s so hot it burns your tongue just so you can say “it’s Cajun!”
There are as many ways to make Gumbo as there are Cajuns in Louisiana, and every Cajun claims to know someone (usually their Momma or Grandmother)
who makes “the best gumbo in the world”.
I’m going to share what my Momma taught me about making gumbo. I’m not saying my way is right or other ways are wrong. This is just the way I know how to do it. One thing I do love about this gumbo technique is that it can be done in one big pot, from roux to finished product. I know Cajun women who still won’t own or use a dishwasher (“it won’t get my dishes clean enough!”) so easy cleanup is a popular feature.
Also, Cajun cooking is family cooking, so shortcuts and conveniences are common “tricks” that can speed up the process. Many people use jarred roux from the grocery store, which can speed upthe process, but in only comes in one color, so it often has to be darkened to make the right flavor. In that case I’d just as soon make it from scratch.
On the subject of roux: the most flavorful meats, like wild game and venison, should be used with the lightest roux, which is a golden brown color. More delicate meats and seafood should be balanced out with a darker roux. Chicken falls somewhere in the middle, and the correct color is like a copper penny. That was Momma’s rule of thumb, and it works for me. We’re making seafood gumbo, and for that Momma made the darkest roux she could without burning it. It looked like melted dark chocolate when she finished.
There are 2 kitchen tools you really must have to make roux: a really heavy pot and a “roux paddle”, or wooden flat-edged spatula. My brother John inherited Momma’s heavy cast iron Dutch oven, so I bought this one.
The heavy weight and black interior make it easy to control the heat.
The first step is to dice your vegetables- onions, celery, and bell peppers. Here's the amount I'll use for this 8 quart pot.
Cajun cooks call this “the trinity” and is included in many Cajun dishes. Momma Ginger used the food processor (another favorite invention of Cajuns) to chop up pounds of it, which she kept frozen for times when she was in a hurry.
Set them aside, and then cube your sausage and brown it in the Dutch oven. I’m using andouille here, which is all the rage, but honestly I never even heard of it until I was an adult.
Momma Ginger used local sausage from a Cajun market, but it wasn’t called “andouille”. Andouille, like most sausages, is a combination of beef and pork, but andouille also includes onions and potatoes in the mixture. (Those clever Cajuns know how to stretch a dollar!) It is characteristically very coarse in texture, and red pepper gives it an orangey color. It is not particularly smoky, and not really all that spicy. The Internet savvy among you could have it shipped in dry ice, but really: use what you can get. It’s all good!
You’re going to need about 8-12 cups of broth to make a good size batch of gumbo. If you are making chicken gumbo, you can use canned or fresh chicken stock. For seafood gumbo, you can buy or make seafood stock, but I prefer vegetable stock, which is easy to make from leftover ends of onions, celery, and whatever else you chop off the vegetables you eat. Keep them in a gallon Ziploc until you’re ready to make stock, and then just boil the hell out of them to make the stock.
When you have your vegetables, sausage, and stock ready, you can start your roux. I use a little less than a cup of peanut oil, and a little over a cup of flour to make roux for about 8 cups of stock. Keep your vegetables handy, because you are going to need them quickly when the time comes.
Most Cajuns prefer to make gumbo outside, at least the roux. Honestly, it stinks the house up something awful, and it’s a hard smell to eliminate!
Heat your Dutch oven over medium heat until it’s good and hot, and then pour in the oil. With a whisk, shake in the flour a little at a time and whisk until smooth.
Now switch to the roux paddle and repeatedly draw the flat surface across the bottom of the pan, wiping it clean with each pass.
Move the paddle evenly and consistently to ensure no parts of the roux burn. Adjust the heat to keep the roux darkening at a rate you can control.
Here is the golden brown color. This is where you would stop for venison or game gumbo.
Here is the "copper penny" color you would use for chicken:
And here is the dark brown color I use for seafood.
Keep cooking until the roux reaches the desired color, and then stir in the vegetables all at once to stop the browning process. A dark roux for seafood gumbo takes about 15 minutes on medium heat.
Once the vegetables are stirred in, let them “smother” for a while with the lid on to release their water. You can add the sausage now and a can of diced tomatoes if you want them. This would also be the time to add okra if you wish. I use frozen okra discs, which seem to be less “slimy” the fresh okra. Stir it all occasionally. It’s going to be thick and lumpy. Keep cooking it until the vegetables start to soften.
Now, stir in the stock a cup or so at a time until you have reached the desired quantity/consistency. Seafood gumbos are generally thinner, and chicken generally a bit thicker.
Let the gumbo simmer until the vegetables are no longer crunchy, and adjust your seasonings with salt and red pepper to get the desired “heat” and saltiness.
When you’re almost ready to serve, add your shrimp, crab, oysters, or whatever seafood you want. They cook quickly, so once they are done, turn off the heat. Serve it now with rice, or let it cool to freeze for later!
Speaking of rice: please don’t use “minute” rice or boil in bag types of rice! They taste like cardboard, and they don’t lump together enough to make a proper “blob” of rice in the center of the bowl. Use long grain rice in a ratio of 2 cups water to one cup rice. Don’t rinse it; just dump a cup of rice and 2 cups water into a heavy saucepan (with a tight-fitting lid) and cover over high heat just until itboils. Upon boiling, turn the heat all the way down to low and leave the cover on for 20 minutes. Don’t peek! After 20 minutes, use a basting spoon to scoop out perfect blobs of rice to drop into your bowls of gumbo.
Freeze the leftovers if there are any!
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Saturday, September 27, 2008
Brrrrrrrrr!- It's Cold Outside!
When Miss Ginger went outside to feed Nog it was actually COLD outside!!! You see, in Texas, the air conditioning runs at about 70-74 degrees in most people's homes, depending on how thin your blood is. If it's below the a/c temp when you go out, it's "cold outside". Most of the time the outdoor temp is above 74, so it usually "hot outside". Once it's cold outside, you can make Gumbo. When the sun comes up, it won't be "cold outside" for much longer, but that's okay- if it was "cold outside" in the morning, you can still make Gumbo even if the temp rises. That's the rule and I'm sticking to it. To hear Miss Ginger's late Daddy tell it, once it's cold outside you MUST make Gumbo! Anyway, since Miss G had to throw out her stash of freezer containers after Ike, she is thrilled to be able to restock the freezer, since a batch of Gumbo can make enough to feed an army! So, it's off to Sam's Club for Miss G to get the stuff she needs. She'll try to snap some photos of the process (it's more of a process than a "recipe") and post them for you later! Meanwhile, here's a song from Miss G's childhood that she always sings when she cooks Cajun food:
And for Miss G's hearing impaired readers (love ya, baby!) and those die hard St. Karen of Carpenter fans, here's a karaoke version with the lyrics. (Kind of ironic that St. Karen sang a song about food! Just sayin'....)
And for all of Miss G's readers, but especially those on alerts, she thinks we finally have this YouTube think licked so they videos will work and you won't have to endure 10,000 alerts as Miss G and her peeps try to get it right!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Apparently it's All the Rage!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3ZLbtWEQ54
Lindsay Lohan is coming out..... (pictured here with GF Samantha Ronson)
Check out the article in the Houston Chroncle... the blog comments at the bottom are scary!
Clay Aiken is FINALLY coming out.....
And on Grey's Anatomy, even Callie and Hahn are coming out...
Who's next? Britney? Pink? Beyonce?
Here's the lyrics to one of my favorite Diana Ross songs:
I'm coming out
I'm coming
I'm coming out
I'm coming out
I'm coming out
I'm coming out
I want the world to know
Got to let it show
I'm coming out
I want the world to know
I got to let it show
There's a new me coming out
And I just had to live
And I wanna give
I'm completely positive
I think this time around
I am gonna do it
Like you never knew it
Ooh, I'll make it through
The time has come for me
To break out of this shell
I have to shout
That I am coming out
I'm coming out
I want the world to know
I got to let it show
I'm coming
I'm (coming out) coming
(I want the world to know)
(I got to let it show)
I've got to show the world
All that I wanna be
And all my abillities
There's so much more to me
Somehow, I have to make them
Just understand
I got it well in hand
And, oh, how I've planned
I'm spreadin' love
There is no need to fear
And I just feel so good
Everytime I hear
I'm coming out
Coming
(I want the world to know)
(I got to let it show)
I'm coming out
I want the world to know
I got to let it show
[Instrumental Interlude]
I'm coming out
I want the world to know
Got to let it show.... scat to end
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Miss Ginger is YouTube Challenged!
Miss Ginger is technically challeneged and the staff is off for the weekend. Here are the videos for the last post, from youtube.
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Friday, September 19, 2008
Miss Ginger's Microcosm Get Back to Normal
Miss Ginger has power! Miss Ginger has phone service! Miss Ginger has cable! Miss Ginger's house has been Celiacized- which is a VERY beautiful thing! (Miss Ginger was quite tired of dirt!) And I can hear MB blowing Miss G's lawn. An OCD lesbian with a gas-powered lawn implement is a very sought after thing right now! So Miss G's residential staff is back in place and her FABULOUS life gets back to normalish.
Things outside of Miss G's little microcosm are note so cheery. Most of the downed trees and branches have been chopped up into neatly stacked piles of debris awaiting pick up and haul off. No one seems to be working on that. Many traffic lights remain dark, some are simply flashing, and others are fully operational. That makes driving kinda tough: one has to stay very focused not to run a light or get honked at! Most of the groceries are open, but not particulary well stocked, and perishables are pretty much a rarity. And most of Miss G's neighbors won't get power until next Thursday.
Miss G's neighborhood is the one indicated by the red arrow- the 2nd from darkest blue! Miss G must be living right to have power back already!
The crazy girl's car (see previous post) is still at the end of Rick's driveway, and I'm sure he's sick of driving around it. Three of America's Favorite Department Stores have been damaged beyond immediate repair, and will have to surveyed and analyzed to determine the feasibility of reopening. So much for Miss G's bonus this year! I guess a lot of people are much worse off than that! The new stores in NOLA are still on track, and the opening process has only been "minorly inconvenienced" by the 2 hurricanes. Miss G is exhausted from all the hard work and travel, but opening a new store is fun so it makes it all worthwhile. She's headed back to Metry on Sunday! TTFN!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Okay... just a little more Ike
Big thanks to David Dust and his readers for their kind wishes for the folks on the Gulf Coast. His blog is one of my favorites because it is witty, good hearted, and has lots of hot pictures of curte menses. What else can I say?
So, the rescue workers have made it to Bolivar Peninsula and guess what they have discovered?! A TIGER escaped during the hurricane and is roaming the island. The last time he was fed by his keeper was Thursday. I can't pass up the opportunity for a one-liner: that's one way to reduce overcrowding at the morgue! Check out the deets at chron.com.
Here are a few pics from among the millions on chron.com that I found interesting:
What remains of highway 87 on Bolivar Peninsula:
Thousands of fish left on the beach in Orange County as floodwaters receeded:
A fish stuck in a hurricane fence. What a way to die! Oh, no!!!
They look like matchsticks. They are really 2x4's from demolished houses:
Lines round the few gas stations that actaully have gas:
None of the grocery stores have any food because it all had to be thrown away after days with no power:
People lined up for food, ice and water from FEMA:
The water table is really high in a lot of this area, and floods cause it to rise above the surface of the earth, causing trees andother things to rise to the surface with it:
Crystal Beach before and after hurricane Ike:
I hope I can find something better to blog about soon!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Hurricane Ike- Photos and Wrap Up
Are you as sick of me talking about Hurricane Ike as I am?! But I did promise pictures, so here they are!
When Miss Ginger woke up Saturday morning, here's what she saw:
Upon awakening Sunday, this was the view:
And tonight here is the view:
In her luxury suite in the W Atlanta Hotel, Miss G can relax, cool off, and try to forget about the stress and frustrations she left behind. And she has regular broadband service, so she can share some of the pics she took in her neighborhood. These are all in Miss G's immediate neighborhood, walking distance from Chez Ginger.
There were trees and powerlines down everywhere. Miss G was lucky to get power back when she did. For some neighbors it may take weeks. Miss G already has phone and cable as well.
On of my neighbors attic got crushed:
Another neighbors whole house got smushed:
On of the office buildings down by the freeway lost a bunch of windows:
Miss G's off to her W Wunderfull bed to have her first sweet dreams in days! Nite Nite!
Hurricane Ike- Final Update
The power came back on at 1:30 am!!! Hallelujah!!! Miss G was asleep on the sofa and awakened by a "click" as the A/C and lights came back on!!! Not sure about cable, etc, 'cause that stuff is all unplugged and not powered up yet, but the a/c, fridge, et al are humming along famously!!! Miss G takes back all the ugly things she said about CenterPoint Energy, Mayor McCheese, and the Houston Police Department!
Actually, Miss G never said an unkind word about the HPD- she's always had a soft spot in her heart for Houston's men in blue. They have always been there when she has needed them. Tonight, within minutes of the power restoration, there were 2 police cruisers circling the block. Clearly, they were being used as reconossaince to monitor the progress of the power crews.
And here's another HPD story. Tonight, around 10pm, Miss G was sitting in the driveway in Sally Silverado, charging the batteries on the laptop and blackberry with the engine running. A car pulled up on the sidestreet across from the end of the driveway, and a youngish girl got out and came up to the driver's side of Miss G's truck. She looked clean and scared, and when Miss G rolled the window down a couple of inches she recognized that the girl smelled freshly showered with some flowerdy soap. She told Miss G that her car was out of gas, her cell phone was not charged, and she needed to call her dad for help. She wasn't making a lot of sense, but Miss G struck it up to panic or fear, and dialed the number for the girl to call her dad. (BTW, she told Miss G her last name and dad's name was Masten, as in Beck and Masten Pontiac GMC here in Houston. No reason to think she was lying.) Anyway, as she talked to her dad, she made less and less sense, and try as he might to be reasonable (the girl put the call on speakerphone), the girl wanted money, gas, and food... NOW!!! It became apparent that she was REALLY f*&cked up on SOMETHING, and the more her dad tried to be reasonable, the less sense she made. I'm not sure where she lived, where she was going, or how she ended up on Ginger's street. Her answers to those questions were elusive. After giving the phone back, the girl wanted to go home, or to a "friends" house, or to an AA meeting place- for none of which she seemedto know the directions or whereabouts. Miss G considered offering her a ride, but something seemed "fishy in Denmark", plus, it was after the Mayor's curfew so technically Miss G would be breaking the law if the left the driveway. Not to mention she'd had about 8 bloodytinis, including one sitting in the cupholder of the firmly parked truck! So she politely pointed the direction the girl seemed to want to go, and watched helplessly as she stumbled down the street. Miss G, in a very parental way, texted the number the girl has dialed, telling "dad" her daughter seemed troubled and inviting him to call Miss G back to arrange aid. No return call. Miss G couldn't let the girl wander the streets alone, so she dialed 911 and explained what had trasnspired. Within minutes, a police cruiser arrived, with the girl already safe in their back seat. Miss G showed them where her car was parked, and explained to them she didn't want the girl to get in trouble, but just wanted to be sure she was safe. The entremely nice (and handsome!!!) officer assured Miss G that she had done the right thing, and that they would make sure the girl was taken care of and shown the respect of a distressed citizen, not the routine of of "police suspect". As a homeowner in a "gentrified" neighborhood, Miss G has had several occassion over the years to contact HPD, and every time has been extremely impressed by their promptness, professionalism, and compassion! Hats off to Houston's men (and women) in blue! What a tough weekend it's been for them, and even late on a Sunday night, in an urban neighborhood with no power, they approach their duties with dignity, charisma, and pride!!! It feels good to live in such a large city and know that the police treat their neighbors as neighbors!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Update Number 4
Sitting in the truck in the driveway. Curfew in effect.
1. Still bored to tears. 5th batch of 'tinis.
2. Most of the neighbors have left. Except WhitetrashBilly and QuestionableCollegeBoys. All the kewl people are gone.
3. Prolly not gonna make dinner. Nutwood Beth says I'll get enough nutrition from the olives. She's a microbiologist so she should know!
4. Looking forward to taking a shower!!!! and shaving!!!! do you know how the depth of dispair for a drag queen with 3 days of facial hair!! Quelle domage!!!
U[date [t 3
1. Beaitiful Texas night. A "not so hot" front came through. Humidity dropped to 70 [er cent. Darkness is taxin Miss G's youch typing skills.
2. Chronicle reports airport will reopen tomorrow. Good news for Miss G/ Atlanta here she comes!
3. Chippy 38 appeared at the end of the driveway between the time Miss G left for a bikeride and before she came back. Poor squirrel didn;t see them coming. They never do.
4. Miss G is on her 4th batch of bloodytinis. She prolly won't bother to make dinner.... the olives are satisfyingher hunger.
5. Gonna have to sit in the truck to charge laptop since curfew is in effect, Not complaining,
6. Can;t wait to get to Atlanta to A: bathe B: post the pictures I've taken,
7. I love you all, dear readers, and wish you were here with me now. Mostlt because I am bored to tears!!!!
Update part 2
Bullet points to save batteries. Details tomorrow.
1. Still no power. Still no trucks. Did see a few guys at the neighbor substation on Yale at 7th. Not much power progress anywhere in the neighborhood.
1.5 Most of the street flooding has drained, excepted a few places where is becomes trapped in a bowl and can't drain. That will have to be pumped. No one is pumping it.
1.75 The water is flowing again, with decent pressure. Citizens are asked to conserve until tomorrow. I'm taking a shower tonight.
2. Mayor McCheeses' inane comments about clearing debris are bullsit. No one is clearing debris except the straight guys and lesbians in the neighborhood. There are chainsaws running everywhere, but none being weilded by city, state, or FEMA workers. If the neighbors hadn't come together the streets would still be blocked.
3. The airport reopens tomorrow. Miss G is flying to Atlanta. She is not prepared for her meetings, but an air-conditioned suite at the W with room service instead of canned beans is worth a little embarrasment.
4. The kitties are staying here. They don't travel well. "Normality is important to Shelby. Drink your juice, Shelby". (10 points to the commenter who gets that!) Besides, they like it warm. Miss Annie will check on them, and I trust her to make good decisions if she thinks it's too hot for them to stay here.
4.5 I'm sick of the sound of generators since I don't have one. Note to self: have Kohler Residential Auxilliary Power installed before winter. (We're due an ice storm!)
5. I brought 2 boxes of frozen meat over to "Mom" and "Dads" last night. Their power was restored very quickly, we think they are on the same grid as a hospital. Thanks goodness that wasn't wasted.
6. The rest of the food that I can't eat before lunch tomorrow has been thrown away. All the containers of leftover gumbo, barbque sauce, and bean soup are in the trash. I proabably would never have eaten them, anyway. And those disgusting "Michaelina" frozen dinners in the cardboard that I bought and never ate because they were so gross.
7. There was 1/2 a jar of olives and some parmesan cheese in the fridge, and I couldn;t let that go to waste, so I'm having "bloodytinis". Here's the recipe:
2 oz Absolut (peppar if you have it)
2 oz tomato juice or BM mix
teaspoon worcestershire
a few dashes tabasco (to taste)
a blob of horseradish (again, to taste)
Wipe the rim of a martini glass with vodka and dip into grated parmesan to coat. (has to be the Kraft powdered kind)
Combine ingedients in cocktali shaker with ice, shake, and serve up with an olive garnish.
YUM!!!!! - Time to go shake another batch. More later!
Update
1. Nog is home. He spent the night on the neighbors porch and made it home in time for breakfast.
2. The street is draining slowly, but more rain is forecast for tonight. Travel around the city is precarious with downed trees, power lines, and flooded intersections. The mayor is asking people to stay home.
3. Mayor McCheese has also FINALLY issued a curfew for the city. Everyone off the streets 9pm - 6pm until next Saturday. Smart. There were way too many people millig about and way too many sirens, meaning cops were having to deal with petty stuff instead of helping and protecting people.
4. Miss Ginger has not seen one single utility crew anywhere around the neighborhood. Not even a meter reader! She's going to have to make a decision about what she and the kitties are going to do for the rest of the week.
The Day After- it Just Gets Worse!
Hurricane Ike cleared the Houston area at around 11am yesterday, and by mid afternoon the stormwater had drained and people were walking and in some cases driving around the neighborhoods to survey the damage. In Ginger's historic neighborhood, there are literally hundreds of huge trees uprooted, landing in roadways, powerlines, yards, on roofs. No damage at Chez Ginger, but there are houses around the corner that have been crushed by huge trees. The streets and roads are littered with debris- many roads are unpassable. The enormous power outtage- 5 million people, is an overwhelming task, and very little progress was made yesterday. We all had high hopes for lots of progress today.
Not gonna happen. It started raining again around 3 am. Not hurricane rain, but that relentless pouring inches-an-hour thunderstorm that only occurs on the gulf coast. After 4 hours of this relentless rain, Miss Ginger's street is totally impassable. The water comes up into the yard, all the way up to the first step of the stoop. Because the ground is saturated, the bayous and rivers are full of storm surge, and the storm sewers are blocked with debris, this is really a horrible situation! It could take days to drain, and obviously no work can be done on the power grid until the water drains. Some cellular towers are out, so there's not a strong enough signal to post pics, but I can get posts through, and your comments will come through to Miss Gs blackberry. Oh, and I can't find Nog. He was asleep on the back porch last night when we went to sleep, and this morning I don't know where he is. Hopefully he has found a spot to stay high and dry!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Still Storming
Miss Ginger fell asleep about an hour or 2 ago while it was still dark, and now that she has awakened it’s daylight. Even though she only slept an hour, the transition to daylight makes her body feel like she’s had more sleep than she has.
It’s still windy and rainy. It’s been storming for 7 solid hours, and from the looks of the radar we are about 2/3 of the way through. Miss G snuck out onto the front porch to snap a pic for you.
This is from the front porch looking across the street. The drops are actual raindrops frozen by the camera’s flash- that’s how thick it is raining. You can see the street is flooded and water is coming into the yard. The branch in the water shows where the curb is. It appears to be stuck in the storm drain. Miss G will send Boy G out to clear it when it seems safe, but certainly that isn’t now! More later!
Miss G Calms her Nerves
It's 5am, AOL Journals has healed itself, and so have Miss Ginger's nerves. Don't get her wrong- the weather is still horrible, and we still haven't cleared the eye wall. But, from looking at the radar, it looks like we're about 50 miles to the good side, which isn't saying much when you're talking about a 900 mile wide hurricane. Poor Beaumont and Lake Charles are going to get anhilated again!
Anyho, the house seems to be holding up well and the new windows aren't taking on any water. There may be some water in the attic, but Miss G won't even look until tomorrow because there's nothing she can do about it until then anyway. Since her panic attack is over, she's going to curl up with the kitties and see if she can sleep a little bit. It won't be good sleep without her CPAP machine (it's electric!) but it will be better than nothing. Tomorrow as soon as she can get out she'll try to get some pictures.
Miss Ginger is a Terrified Tranny Mess!
You won’t receive this update in real-time. Broadband is connecting, but the AOL Journals page won’t load. I’ll type into word, and hopefully load it into journals later.
It’s 2:30 am. The power has been out for 4 hours. It’s a bit warmer than I like, but not bad. I’ve been through hurricanes, near misses, clean sides, dirty sides, etc., my whole life, but nothing like this. It is relentless, and it has barely started.
Something I’ve never experienced before- thunder, or actually, a lake thereof. After each lightening strike (there are many!) instead of getting a nice, satisfying clap of thunder, you get this weird “bzzzzzzrt!” sound, as though an enormous cosmic transformer has just blown. It’s really eerie and I wish it would stop!
My nerves are totally on edge. Of course, I can’t sleep a wink with all the wind, noise, and mind wanderings. I realized that although all of the windows in the interior of the house were replaced with modern, impact resistant double-paned ones 2 years ago, the 3 windows in the gable ends of the peaked roof on the front part of the house are original. My fear is twofold. Obviously if those windows fail, the attic will take on water which will drain into the house and cause lots of damage to the flooring, plaster, and furnishings. Additionally, if the windows fail, hurricane force winds could blow right through the attic and potentially lift the roof off of the house. The new portion of the house has hurricane clips, but I’m pretty sure the old part doesn’t. I’m not terrified, but that concern makes it impossible for me to feel at ease.
Another frustrating thing is that when there is a noise outside, you can’t see what it is! It’s pitch black, and if you shine a flashlight at a window it just reflects right back at you. Even if you defy the “rules” and get close enough to put the flashlight directly onto the window to avoid the glare, you still can’t see anything because the windows are covered with a film of spray. The rain isn’t in drops or even sheets like a thunderstorm, it this endless spray of water. A fine, thick mist. Something keeps hitting the roof. I think its cones off of the magnolia tree. Those are harmless. The shutter on the vent hood exhaust on the roof keeps flapping. Hopefully water won’t blow in, and I sure hope the wind can’t grab the exhaust and rip it off the roof.
Nog wouldn’t go in the garage. He’s never been held captive and refused to explore the possibility. So he’s riding out the storm on the back porch, which is very sheltered and safe. I spent the first part of the storm out there with him, but I don’t think it’s smart for me to stay out there much longer. I wish I could just open the door and let him into the house, but he has claws and the inside kitties don’t. That wouldn’t be a fair fight! Plus, if he wouldn’t go in the garage, I can only imagine how he’d freak out in the house. If things get really bad I’ll put him in the downstairs bathroom. He’ll scream bloody murder for the rest of the night, but I least he would be safe.
Houston’s city government is going to take a lot of heat for discouraging wide-scale evacuation. This is terrifying! I’m not sure I would have left, but I’m pretty sure I will next time!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Miss Ginger's Hell has Begun
If you look at Houston's radar you can see thay as the eye is approaching Galveston, the outer bands are reaching downtown Houston. It's gotten pretty windy, but still no rain. Miss G had hoped that things would just be wet and raining for at least the 1st 3rd of the storm, but no such luck.... the power just went out, before the rain has even started. Now the worst begins. Boredom and isolation notwithstanding, it's the air conditioning we'll miss the most! As long as the cellular towers are intact and Miss G's laptop can maintain a broadband connection, she'll be able to keep you posted. She's going to try to conserve battery, so responses may be sporadic! Wish her luck!
Galveston is Houston's Playground
When Houstonian's want a day at the beach or a weekend getaway, they often make the hour-long drive to Galveston. There are luxury hotels, quaint motels, and lot of cottages and beach rentals available. After tomorrow there may not be so many of them. Because the coastline along the Gulf of Mexico is so vulnerable, almost a century ago Galveston built a seawall to establish a permanent coastline to form the water's edge of the city. The seawall does not enclose the city, so it can't prevent flooding, it's just designed to keep the edge of the city from washing away. It's an enourmous solid wad of concrete, so it isn't something that can "fail" the way New Orleans levees can. Look what happens when the huge waves ahead of the storm surge hit the seawall:
It looks like a million "Old Faithfuls" spouting every few seconds! It's sort of like nature's Bellagio!
Before 1900, Galveston was the biggest city in Texas, the cultural center of the western Gulf Coast. Back then, Houston was just a horse town, but Galveston boasted an opera house, government offices, and trade centers for shipping, banking, and finance. That all changed in 1900, when an enourmous hurricane killed 7,000 people and washed much of the city out into the Gulf. That bad luck for Galveston was the beginning of Houston's enourmous growth.
After the disaster, Galveston developed the seawall plan as part of its recovery and long term strategy.
Meanwhile, Houston realized there would be a huge advantage for an inland port large enough to manage ocean-going vessels. So, as Galveston built it's seawall, Houston dug a ship channel through Galveston Bay all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
This allowed the development of the Port of Houston, the nations largest port in terms of foreign waterborne tonnage, and the 2nd largest port in terms of total tonnage. The intersection of the Houston Ship Channel and the Intercoastal Waterway, and the proximity to large sources of crude oil production, made the development of the city as the Petroleum Capital of the country a pretty natural evolution. The development of the production faclities led to the development of management offices to support those industries, and thus the Houston Skyline District rose in the flatlands north of Galveston Bay.
Miss Ginger's downtown office is a 10 story building in the middle of all of the enourmous skyscapers. When Alicia blew across Galveston Bay 25 years ago, the winds blew gravel from the aggregate roofs off the buldings, and as it peppered the adjacent buildings the glass shattered and filled the streets with shards. Since that time, building codes no longer allow loose aggregate roofing, and all buildings were forced to comply, so it will be interesting to see how the city holds up.
Hurricane Cocktails
You know, hurricanes and cocktails have gone hand in hand since the beginning of time. The famous Pat Obrien's Hurricane
was invented as a way for the proprieter of a French Quarter watering hole to calm the frazzled nerves of his customers before an impending storm.
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Thursday, September 11, 2008
Miss Ginger and the Kitties are Hunkered Down!
They have all the necessary supplies to weather the storm:
We've got:
Water, Batteries, Radio, Wireless Laptop, Catfood, Vodka, and Pinot Grigio. All the necessities of life, both human and feline!
Houston deserves this storm. During Katrina, we opened our doors and accepted people of all socioeconomic backgrounds with open arms. Some of them turned out to be unwanted houseguests of which we can't weem to rid ourselves. During Gustav, the people of Houston lost their manners, and apparently their respect for human compassion. Many ugly articles, blog entries, and television interviews portrayed peoples opinions as inhospitable. Many spread the untrue rumor that Texas was closing the border at Louisiana. It was highly publicized that the Astrodome would not be used as a shelter. This was true, but only because it made no sense to move people from one "at risk" area to another.
The kitties are terrified. Miss Ginger cannot seem to get them to relax and settle down:
Hopefully they will relax and sleep through the night!!!
Many in Houston are criticizing Tx-DOT (the Texas Department of Transportation) for not instituting contraflow, the concept that saved New Orleans from Gustav. During the last threat to Houston, Hurricane Rita, which ravaged Beaumont and Lake Charles, people panicked in the wake of Katrina and tried to flee the city with concern only for themselves. In many cases, families took several vehicles, pulling trailers and boats, trying to save material posessions as they left. This completely overwhelmed the freeway system, and people sat motionless for hours, running out of gas, without food and water, etc. It was ugly.
After that disaster, the state government developed a plan that is being used this time. While they are prepared to institute and enforce contrafow if necessary, they have created a plan that requires contraflow only as a last resort.
1. Mandatory evacuations are called for on a zip code by zip code basis, based on the risk of danger from storm surge. This affects only coastal areas.
2. Citizens who are not in the mandatory zones are encouraged to shelter in place, as the risk to their lives and property is minimal, and evacuation may be more dangerous than staying at home.
3. People are asked to take only one vehicle and leave recreational "toys" at home. They are insured and can be replaced.
4. Contraflow is not currently instituted, because there are only two "bottlenecks" which are short and expected. The rest of the system is flowing smoothly, and the ability to move supplies, fuel, water, and provisions into the community at this point are more important than the need to get mass numbers of people out. When that changes, contraflow will be instituted.
The winds and rain will start tomorrow. We'll keep you posted!
To Board or Not to Board.....
or is it 'Too Bored, or Not Too Bored?"
First one first- Miss Ginger is facing the delimma of whether to board up the house. It's a pain in the ass. It's dangerous to board a 2 story house. And boarding the house doesn't guarantee there won;t be damage. She thinks she's just convinced herself not to. The house is well constructed, well protected, and not near an open expanse of space that can serve as a "runway" for projectiles to gain speed and momentum. It'll be fine.
So the next step is to make sure we're not "too bored". America's Department Store has closed all Houston locations and suspended all employee travel along the Gulf coast, so Miss G can't go to work for 2 days. It won't break her heart to stay home with the kitties and watch her hotties on the Weather Channel
and CNN,
but if the power goes out and she has no TV, A/C, or internet connection, things could get ugly. So often people find themselves unable to charge cell phones and laptops during outtages, but the clever Miss G has car chargers for both, so she can charge them up in the truck.
And, Miss G's laptop has a broadband card, so as long as cellular service isn't interrupted, Miss G can keep in touch with the outside world. Wish us luck and watch for photos!
She's off to eat mexican food with the Lesbians so she doesn't have to eat up all her hurricane food!
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