Random post-Ike bullets

• We're still fine, with electricity, good water pressure, and plenty to eat. Thank you, God.
• Our only problem right now is scarcity of gasoline. The few stations that are open have extremely long lines most of the day. Early this morning I did slip into a station where I only had to wait behind one other car. There was a $20.00 limit, cash only, but that brought me up to about 5/8 of a tank. When the Scientist went by there later in the morning, he was only able to pump $5.00 worth before the pump ran dry! But we both should have enough for the rest of the week.
• My supervisor has no power at home, and brought his sweet Cavalier King Charles spaniels to work yesterday and today. They follow him all around the building, and their tails wag in unison.
• Our pastors came for the early service on Sunday, and then had to head home to deal with storm-related problems. We had a nice do-it-yourself 11:15 service, with about 40 people. We kept it short. Our deacon was the man of the hour, showing up with a cooler full of iced drinks. Most of our church friends still don't have electricity.
• Reluctant to waste the water with which we had filled the tub, the Scientist brought my favorite 3-quart saucepan into the bathroom and turned off the water to the toilet. Yes, we've been bailing the bathtub to flush the toilet. He said, "The engineer in me wants to see how long the water lasts." It lasted until tonight.
  
• Favorite Lurker spent two nights with us. Her deadbolted French doors flew open in the middle of the storm, and she sat on the floor in the dark with her back against them for more than two hours. She was exhausted when she got to our house on Sunday, bearing the contents of her refrigerator. After we ate her goat Brie and homemade date bars, and drank a bottle of wine, she had a hot shower and a good night's sleep in an air-conditioned room. Much better.
• We went to the Scientist's lab on Saturday and Sunday for "mouse duty". The lab mice are in special sealed cages with filtered air, and can only survive for a day if the power is off and the lids are on the cages. They were all fine, and we moved them to another room where we could remove the lids and leave the cages open on top (they don't try to climb out, but busily scurry around the cage and through their little "enrichment" tunnels). Nocturnal creatures, they were quite active and seemed to be enjoying the extended "night".
• 1.5 million people in metro Houston are still without power. Tens of thousands along the Texas and Louisiana coasts are suffering. Remember them tonight.