Ready For Irene

It's been a busy day thanks to Irene, damn her. There was a lot to do but I think it's all done and I'm as ready as I'll ever be

• The grass was high already and I knew I won't be able to mow it for days so I took care of that today.
• I got all the patio furniture moved into the shed, as well as the trash cans. That's less things to look for later.
• I pulled the window unit air conditioner in the master bedroom so I could seal up the window, then made sure all the storm windows in the house are closed up tight and the weep holes in all of the storm window frames aren't blocked or clogged. I left a towel in each of the 4 bedrooms upstairs for use later if the wind starts pushing the rain in through the storm windows so I'm prepared for that. I learned my lesson about that from Isabel back in '03.
• Everything in the basement has been put up on shelves and/or moved out of the low side so it has a better chance of staying dry.
• I made sure to fully charge my cell phone, and have batteries and flashlights set out as well as a few candles and a lighter.
• I'm stocked with plenty of water in case we lose water pressure again.
• I'm stocked on food I can eat with no preparation needed (including cat food for Zeus) plus I cooked a bunch of food because I probably won't be able to cook anything for a couple days once I lose power, and I have two big bags of ice in the freezer to keep all the perishables cold.
• I doubt I'll need to leave but just in case I even filled the fuel tank in my truck so I'm good to go even if the gas stations are all closed due to power failure.
• I have cash in case I need to leave and any purchases are required since no electricity means no credit card or debit card processing. A lot of the local small businesses will open for cash sales.

I'm as ready as I'll ever be.