What I learned during the Hurricane.

What I learned during the hurricane season

1. Coffee and frozen pizzas can be made on a BBQ grill.

2. No matter how many times you flick the switch, lights don't work without electricity.

3. Kids can survive 4 plus days without a video game controller in their hands.

4. Cats are really irritating without power.

5. He who has the biggest generator wins.

6. Women can actually survive without doing their hair--you just wish they weren't around you.

7. A new method of non-lethal torture - showers without hot water. This is for the lucky ones on city water. If you have a well and no generator, it's time to bathe in the pool!

8. TV is an addiction and the withdrawal symptoms are painful.

9. A 7 lb bag of ice will chill 6-12 oz Budweiser's to a drinkable temperature in 11 minutes, and still keep a 14-pound turkey frozen for 8 more hours..

10. There are a lot of trees around here.

11. Flood plan drawings on some mortgage documents were seriously wrong.

12. Contrary to most natives' beliefs, the speed limit on roads without traffic lights does not increase.

13. Aluminum siding, while aesthetically pleasing, is definitely not required to keep your house standing, and during wind surges becomes flying weapons.

14. Just because you're over 21 doesn't mean you can stay out as late as you want. At least that's what the cops told me during a curfew stop.

15. Crickets can increase their volume to overcome the sound of 14 generators.

16. People will get into a line that has already formed without having any idea what the line is for.

17. When required, most any vehicle will float--doesn' t steer well, but floats just the same.

18. Hurricanes do keep the mailman from his appointed rounds.

19. Tele-marketers function no matter what the weather is doing.

20. Cell phones sometimes work when land lines are down, but only as long as the battery remains charged.

21. Twenty-seven of your neighbors are fed from a different transformer than you, and they are quick to point that out!

22. Laundry hampers were not made to contain such a volume.

23. If I had a store that sold only ice, chainsaws, gas, and generators.. .I'd be rich.

24. The price of a bag of ice rises 200% after a hurricane.

25. Your water front property can quickly become someone else's fishing hole.

26. Tree service companies are under appreciated.

27. MATH 101: 30 days in month, minus 6 days without power equals 30% higher electric bill ?????

28. Drywall is a compound word, take away the 'dry' part and it's worthless..

29. An oak tree on the ground looks four times bigger than it did standing up.

30. When house hunting, look for closets with lots of leg room.

31. AA, C and D are the only alphabet we need (think batteries).

32. Chainsaw-wielding- men are nothing to be afraid of.

33. You can't spell 'priceless' without I-C-E.

34. Gasoline is a value at any price.

35. Candlelight is better than botox. It takes years off your appearance.

36. No matter how hard the wind blows, roadside campaign signs will survive..

I got this in email today.

I have a few to add

37. There are levels of silence, peaceful, slightly annoying and then DEAD. This is the silence that wakes you at 3 in the morning when the generator runs out of gas.

38. There is no such thing as too much clean water.

39. All the no cook foods are the first to go, and everyone gets hungrier when there is no way to nuke something or buy more food.

40. Owning a tractor and a few chainsaws makes you an instant hero.

41. THe one peice of trash you hoped would blow off in your yard is the only thing that didnt. And someone somewhere has a nice set of patio furniture.

42. Rain can go sideways and it can even rain upside down.

43. a tank top and shorts, with flip flops ARE dressing up, if they match, in the aftermath of a hurricane, and acceptable for a funeral that cant wait until power is restored.

44. Your truck or car hood is a good place to sleep when the house never cools down under 87*.

45. Sitting in a hour long line for gas is considered "a great find!" and envied by friends and family

46. Kids will grow tired of Raviolies and beanie weinies.

48. You never have enough spark plugs, baby wipes, or Thermo cell cartridges (skeeter killers).

49. It is perfectly acceptable bathe in the lake. But limit yourself. Others need it too.

50. Kids dont learn, and will continue to get dirty and then cry when you make them take the ice cold torture showers.

Love your list, Chelle. Glad you and yours survived.

I see many of your items are the same for me when power ceases to be. However, generally it is the dead of winter. Temperatures can be -20 degrees. I am thankful to have a woodstove, bbq, and longjohns.

Right on, to all of it!

Ihave a few to add to the list

1 DO NOT under ANY circumstances chew or otherwise ingest the Gum in MRE's, it is a VERY potent laxative.

2. If you did in fact eat the gum, keep it to yourself you idiot.


3. Lawnmowers, power tools, and weedeaters do not survive a good soaking in salt water.

4 Boats will in fact float on a trailer, and break the trusses out of your garage roof.

5 When said floating boat finally comes down it will randomly land on someone's car......( Kristins car is under our boat)

6. If you find it in your yard, it is now yours, whether you wanted it or not.

7. Tetanus shots are painful, mostly after the fact. ( I could SO feel the lockjaw coming on)

8. Your furniture weighs a hell of a lot more when it is soaking wet and muddy.

9. The neighbors crap is ALWAYS better than your crap.

10. when you add " retro" to any item of furniture, it adds value to the replacement cost, even that ugly floral 1970's couch you used to hate.

11 bathing in the lake is acceptable, peeing in the lake is NOT acceptable.

12. National guardsmen, electric lline workers, cable guys, and tree cutters are generaly kinda hot.

I shouldn't have laughed, considering what you poor people went through. But I did anyway. I loved it.

I forgot one,
Avoid the Heater Meals at all costs.nasty stuff there.

edbson wrote:

12. National guardsmen, electric lline workers, cable guys, and tree cutters are generaly kinda hot.

yep, AND when you see them its hard not to cry and hug them. DOnt do it.. It scares them.. Remember you dont have on makeup, your hair looks like a rats nest and you have been taking spit baths for a week..

But it is fun to ask them "what cha doin out thisa way?? Problems??" Eventually, They laugh and actually try to help you quicker..


Hell Karen, I laughed. I am currently laughing at Erin.

I even reread my blog and laughed today. It is funny. in a "damn, I cant belive I survived that" sort of way... LOL

I offered them beer and got my dad's electric back on before anyone elses. so pbtpbtpbtpbtp

When all is said and done...you can listen to You Are Like A Hurricane, Neil Young.

LOL erin, but they ARE entertaining.. (the heater meals) we spent hours just playing with them.

OH and I forgot one.

NEVER leave the kids alone with your water collection pails.. they will dump them, and you have NO way to flush the toilets...

edbson wrote:I offered them beer and got my dad's electric back on before anyone elses. so pbtpbtpbtpbtp

Whatever works, I have used that too, also food!

I am glad that you are all safe.. but that list is great! I would love to copy it and send it to my aunt. She is currently in either Louisiana or Mississippi right now. I forgot where she was headed to. Her husband has been traveling down south to help rebuild after Katrina, and they hightailed it back to their Tennessee home to wait this one out. Now, they headed back down to help out.

copy and paste it missy. the first one is an email I recived. The others are ones Erin and I thought the original poster forgot

Keep in mind there will be a baby boom in 8 1/2 months.

long as it aint me

I think you've already done your part chelle.

Mine and at least 2 other crazy peoples lucky... you should see where I found the 10 month old a few days ago... THANK GOD for my scrubbin bubbles kit! LOL

Lucky wrote:Keep in mind there will be a baby boom in 8 1/2 months.

I was just saying to Tim a couple hours ago about how many pregnant women there seemed to be in this town. I ran to the store to get dinner and stuff to snack on later, and I had seen at least 3 different pregnant ladies. And I always see about 5 or so pregnant ladies at Timmy's school.

When I was pregnant, there were 4 babies total born that summer. One on Tim's side, 2 on mine, and my son. He was the youngest of the bunch, but I was the first to figure out I was pregnant. lol

What is in the water? Thank goodness for Mirena.. I am not ready for another yet.

When I had Zaven, we went to a 3 doctor OB/GYN office. But one of the doctors was out of town, and a second had his pager turned off and didn't know it. So the day Zaven was delivered, our OB delivered 25 babies in 24 hours. When he came to see me the next day I told him he looked worse than I felt and offered to get up so he could lay down in my hospital bed.

I wonder how many babes will be arriving in our area 8-9 months from now?
After Rita there were tons.

I would have fiqured it was WAY tooo hot after RIta... Or at least I felt that way... LOL Now this time it was cool and there were times when at night you did need to snuggle... it got down in the 50's... LOL

Well the baby boom would not be in Texas, many areas like here lost electricity for a week, but thankfully the weather came with a cold front, and it was just beautiful every day. There should be a run on strollers here.

I know 3 people who have confirmed early pregnancies, as of today....the Hurricane was on the 9th....so.....probably more coming soon.

I am soooo glad I am cut, tied and burned.