Cancer - There is in fact a purpose to the universe. However, the purpose is to utterly and completely destroy you. [From The Onion]

I knew it!

We are back in Houston, and we have electricity! We left Aaron’s house a little before 10pm and the drive took just under three hours and passed without incident.

All of our family members are back home as well, except for Jill and Allison who stayed to visit with friends and family a while longer.

Many many thanks to Aaron for letting us stay with him, along with four cats and a dog!

Many many thanks to Steve and Christina for giving us TWO BAGS of babyfood that little Mr. Ben is outgrowing, and for loaning us a stroller!

And many thanks to everyone for all the well-wishes and prayers. We really came out lucky from this.

Dale’s parents went by our house early today. The place is fine and we have electricity, though some blinking clocks indicate it went out at some point. Then they moved Loki, Pumpkin, and Velcro back to our place. They are still without electricity themselves.

Bill returned home on Saturday, and their place was fine. He also checked Grandmom’s house and everything is fine there too.

Mark, Vonna, Race, and Vonna’s Mother will be heading back to Houston early tomorrow morning. Grandmom and Al will leave a little later. Dale will be working from Aaron’s house tomorrow, so we’ll be leaving Austin in the evening after his work day is over. We’ll be home late Monday night, giving us barely any time to get the house back in order before my parents arrive in Houston on Tuesday.

There seems to be something in my spam filters that has started moderating my comments. Until I figure what it is, please don’t be surprised if your comments don’t immediately appear on my blog.

Late this evening, Aaron, Dale, Olivia, and I stopped by our Cedar Park house to check on the family members staying there. Everyone’s doing fine, except for Vonna’s mother. Her condition is extremely fragile, but it has been that way since before the evacuation. Race is in great spirits. This almost seems to be a camp-out for him, except they have running water, electricity, and even wireless internet access.

So, Bill, Jill, and Allison are staying in Austin with Bill’s parents. Mark, Vonna, Race, Vonna’s mother, Grandmom Dean, and Al are all staying at our old house. Dale, Olivia, and I are staying with Aaron. And, as of early this afternoon, Dale’s parents have lost electricity and have moved down the street to Mark and Vonna’s house!

Tomorrow Karen and Thor (Dale’s parents) will check everyone’s homes around Houston. They’re all probably fine, though some of them may be without electricity. I think all of us in Austin have the ‘ok’ to return starting tomorrow, but Dale and I will probably stay here until Monday evening, since Dale can work from Aaron’s house. I think we’re also going to try and coordinate our return with the other family members.

Lastly, Dale and I lucked out with a four hour drive.
It took Mark and his family about seven hours.
And it took Bill, Grandmom, and Al a whopping 14 hours to get from the east side of Houston to Austin.

We left quit a bit after my last post. A cat carrier shortage resulted in a last-minute decision to leave three of our cats with Dale’s mother. We got on the road about 7:45 am, made it two blocks away, then realized we’d left my neat little pile of bills that need to be paid on the desk, so we had to turn around and go back. Just as well, because I’d also forgotten my sunglasses.

About 10 minutes into our trip, Bailey threw up copious amounts of semi-digested cat food. Her carrier was in the middle of the back seat, so I was able to open the door and wipe up as much of the mess as I could, but because of the slope of the seat, much of it had slid back and she was sitting on it. Poor kitty! Because we’d decided at one point to stay, we kept their food and water available. We didn’t think to remove it while we were packing once we were certain we were leaving.

Traffic was smooth until Sealy when the lanes narrowed from three to two. It still moved pretty quickly, there were just a lot more cars. Then when we reached Columbus, movement dropped to a crawl. Both sides of the highway and the median were loaded with stalled out cars. It was stop and go for about 30 minutes, until we passed the big gas station just off the highway and discovered the whole backup was caused by the lines of cars waiting at the gas station, which didn’t have any gas. Once we got past the gas station and made it onto 71 North, we were zipping along at 70mph.

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. We had one small detour at La Grange so we could potty, feed Olivia, and change her. And later, Bailey threw up again, this time mostly liquid.

We arrived at Aaron’s house exactly four hours after we got on I-10 in Katy. The trip would have normally taken two and a half to three hours, but I’d definitly take the extra hour over the 11 to 14 hour drives that were being reported last night.

Once we’d unloaded the car and set up food, water, and litter for the cats, we bathed Bailey using some of Olivia’s baby shampoo. Poor thing was just so exhausted and stressed, she didn’t even struggle once we got her out of the carrier. Now she’s off hiding somewhere, trying to lick her fur dry. She has such a beautiful long, soft, fluffy grey coat, but right now, she looks like a scraggly stray cat.

Dale’s gone to take a nap. He only got a couple of hours of sleep last night. I’ve been up since 9 am yesterday, but Olivia’s not ready to sleep yet and I’ve gotten my second wind, so I’ll keep her entertained until it’s my turn to nap.

We learned very early this morning that our other family members who evacuated to Austin made it safely after very very long drives. A number of them are staying at our vacant house. When they arrived they discovered that the inner garage door was locked, so poor Aaron had to get up at 4 am and drive to Cedar Park to deliver his copy of the housekey. (The only key that was in Houston ended up going to Las Vegas with Dale’s brother before we thought to get it.)

The weather today is stunning, absolutely beautiful. It makes it so hard to believe that we didn’t just come to Austin to visit friends. I really really hope and pray that those who couldn’t or didn’t leave will be safe and unharmed. I hope everyone will have homes to return to next week.

Update: Mel made me realize I didn’t mention Zoë at all in this post! She made the trip with us and is currently in Aaron’s back yard. She traveled well as always though she may not be thrilled that she has to sleep outside and isn’t being allowed into the house.

It’s almost 5am. We’re just about to start our trek to Austin. Wish us luck.

As far as we can tell, the traffic situation still hasn’t improved, so we’re probably going to be spending the night here.

I know Christine is still on the road after 6 hours, and she’s still (under normal conditions) at least a couple of hours from Austin.

Friends of friends have reported it taking up to fourteen hours to get from Houston to Austin.

Copying something Christine did, here’s a map showing the distance between Katy, where we live, and Galveston.

With the traffic heading out of Houston being so desperately bad, we’re going to wait until late tonight before trying to leave. As in midnight or 1am. If it’s still taking 3-4 times the usual drive time, we will just weather out the storm here. We will go to Dale’s mother’s house, which is about 15 minutes (usually) east of us (and on the Buffalo Bayou), but their house is two stories so if there’s flooding, we’ll at least have one dry level. In theory.

Dale and I have decided to head to Austin. Technically, we live just outside of Houston, in Katy, but it’s close enough to feel Rita’s effects.

While we may not suffer direct storm damage, flooding and power loss is a big concern. We’ve been rearranging boxes we haven’t even unpacked yet, moving the ones containing books, photo albums, and such, to higher shelves and the tops of stacks. I’m trying to get the floors as clear as possible, putting the underbed storage boxes on top of the beds, stacking things on the couches. And we’ve been trying to figure out the most efficient way to fit three of us, seven cats, and a dog into our car with enough room for some clothing and most treasured items.

I hauled three of the cats to the vet for a quick check up so he’d prescribe them tranquilizers for the trip. Unfortunately, several of them don’t travel well. I also went out earlier to try and get a couple more cat carriers and found out that every PetCo in Austin is currently completely sold out of all size carriers. Even soft-sided carriers. So some of our cats will be doubling up.

We’re planning to stay with our friend, Aaron, while other family members will be staying in our currently vacant Austin house.

Well, that is if we can get out of Houston. I’ve just learned that it’s taking up to 11 hours to get to Austin. Hopefully that will get better since part of I-10 is now west-bound only, both lanes.

In the mean time, we’ll keep packing and we’ll fill all our empty bottles with water.

Artists erect giant pink roadkill bunny on Italian mountain. During its (planned) 25 year stay on the mountainside, the artists intend for visitors to scale its 20 foot limbs to lounge on the belly and “Happily in love you step down the decaying corpse, through the wound, now small like a maggot, over woolen kidney and bowel.” Yep, they even knit entrails spewing out the side of the bunny. Overall, it’s pretty cute and morbid, but I don’t think I’d want to scramble around on a 20 year old pile of hay and wool so I’d better plan my Italian mountain bunny climbing expedition soon.

A couple of weeks ago, I knit a couple of Geobabe’s knit kitties. Last week, I finally got around to giving them faces.

(Photo by Dale)

The cream kitty was knit with acrylic bouclé yarn from the $1 Spot in Target on size 5 needles. He was given button eyes and nose. Not visible in the photo are the ribbon and bell tied around his neck. I didn’t overstuff him, so he’s nice and squishy. The yarn was surprisingly soft for being so cheap, and was easier to work with than I expected. But because of its nature, there are little gaps here and there where the stuffing is visible. Next time I use this yarn, I’ll go even smaller on the needles to minimize the gaps.

The orange kitty was knit from Orange Kool-Aid eyed Lion Brand Fishermen’s wool held together with a strand of red/orange variegated acrylic ‘fur’, also from the the $1 Spot and knit on size 5 needles. He originally had black button eyes and a square bead nose, but I didn’t like it, so I redid his face with round beads, matte black for the nose and iridescent blue for the eyes. The ‘fur’ is ver thin and wispy, giving this kitty more of a halo than fur, but it’s amazingly touchable and really softened up the wool.

Even though the kitties were knit on the same size needles, the cream one came out quite a bit larger because of the bulkiness of the bouclé. The pattern is very simple and works up quickly, making this a great easy project. I already have another one in the works.

Yep, I am participating in Secret Pal Six!

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
I wouldn’t call myself a yarn snob, though I do prefer higher quality and natural fibers. I have worked with Red Heart and Lion Brand and will use them in the future, but I won’t use RH Super Saver or any other stiff or harsh acrylics.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I crochet, though I haven’t since I started knitting.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
I am very sensitive to cigarette smoke. I am also allergic to cats, but that doesn’t stop me from having seven of them! I’ve found wool irritating to wear but so far I haven’t had problems knitting or crocheting with it.

4. How long have you been knitting?
Only a few months.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I sure do!

6. What’s your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
For candles, vanilla and cinnamon are always great. For bath products, I prefer milder scents.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Yes, curse it!

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
Whatever catches my fancy. I’ve refinished furniture, sewn period garb, made marble magnets, dyed wool with Kool-Aid, decorated cardboard magazine files, and I love to hand make special occasion cards. I’ve also painted metal miniatures. Future projects hopefully include making my daughter some board books, bleach painting designs onto T-shirts, and making a knitting needle holder. I’d also like to make a nice slipcover for my ancient ugly big round orange velvet chair.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Bare Naked Ladies, Aqua, Green Day, The Offspring, Squeeze, Asylum Street Spankers, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, They Might Be Giants, Chumba Wumba, et cetera. Usually, I just listening to whatever my husband’s playing on his PC. (Yes, I can listen to MP3s.)

10. What’s your favorite color? Or–do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can’t stand?
I call Orange my ‘happy color’ because it usually makes me smile. I don’t wear it that often though. During my pregnancy, I suddenly became obsessed with pink, a color formerly missing from my wardrobe. But, if I have to name a favorite color, it would be blue. I prefer deep blues, but not navy. I find navy to be boring. I do not like neon/fluorescent colors, fuschia, or pastels (except the aformentioned pink).

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am quite happily married (7 years in October!) and we just had our first child, a girl, in January. We have seven cats who think they run the show around here and a hyperactive dog.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
I want to become more physically active (I need to dust off my bicycle). I want to raise a healthy happy child (so far, she’s making this part easy).

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I don’t have a favorite yet, but I repeatedly picked up some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino(?) in a LYS and squeezed and petted it for a while.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
LB Homespun (I gave up trying to crochet with it. A shame since I’d already bought 6 skeins of it.) RH Super Saver. Another one of my first purchases before I knew any better. I’ve crochet a cute looking but scratchy baby hat with it that has only gone on my daughter’s head for one photograph. I’m not even going to bother trying to knit with it.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Geobabe’s Knit Kitties. I’ve completed two and I have another one on needles right now. Also, anything baby-related. I’ve knit some baby hats and I’m building up the courage to attempt a sweater.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
The knit kitties. They work up quickly and the FO is so cute!

17. What are you knitting right now?
Another knit kitty, a self-designed project using cables, and I’m experimenting with lace patterns to make a friend a scarf.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
OK, but not my thing. (I’d look like I was wearing a tent.)

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
No preference. I’ve only used my circs for knitting in the round. I’ve used DPNs but had to cheap and stick point protectors over the ends to keep from dropping stitches.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I’ve just started using some bamboo needles and I like the look and their slight flexibility. Aluminum is fine. I don’t like plastic. Maybe because the first pair I tried were really cheap and just felt flimsy. I don’t like plastic crochet hooks either.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
I haven’t tried yet.

22. How did you learn to knit?
By reading Stitch ‘n’ Bitch and knitting up a horrible little swatch consisting only of knits and purls. I don’t have much patience so I skipped practicing more and went right into knitting my first hat. I should have done a gauge swatch since the hat was meant for my infant daughter but fits me.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Maybe a month.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
I can’t think of an animated character. My favorite animal is the monkey.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween! It’s also my wedding anniversary.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Monkey stuff. Glass flower frogs. Cats. (Ha ha, just kidding about that one. Sort of. *sob*)

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
None yet.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
I am waiting for Amazon to ship me Debbie Bliss - Special Knits: 22 Gorgeous Handknits For Babies and Toddlers. I ordered it over a week ago but it hasn’t shipped yet. Other than that, a book of good patterns for baby stuff or toys.

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven’t bought for one reason or another??
ChicKnits Ribby Cardi, Rogue, Bee’s Knee’s Knit’s Ruby, SweaterbBabe’s Hip Knit Purse, and once they’re available, Ron’s animal cracker and earflap hats

30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?
I wear a slightly wide 8 1/2″. I try to avoid wearing socks until it’s cool enough that I need to. Then when I have to wear them, I prefer them funky and fun. I have many many pairs of socks with monkeys on them.

Corset Cookies - they’re cute and yummy-sounding. (Note: not work safe if your place of employment is uptight about cookie boobs.)

While trying to find out how to chart a cable pattern in knitting (and not having any luck), I came across a site listing knitting software for the Palm OS.

I am interested in Countable and eKnit-Kards. There’s also tips on using spreadsheets for charting patterns. Neat!

Remember the posts and emails circling months ago about getting free iPods, iPod Minis, ipod Shuffles, and Photo iPods? Well, now you can sign up to get a free iPod Nano. Just like the previous offers, you have to sign up, complete an offer**, and get 5 or so other people to sign up under your referral ID and complete offers themselves. Yeah, it sounds like a scam, but it’s not. I do know people who’ve gotten other iPods in the past (including someone who’s gotten two different iPods through these offers).

*There are strings attached, of course, but you can get one without spending any money at all.

**To complete an offer, you pick one of the offers from the site, things like trying out Blockbuster Online or applying for a credit card (screw that one). I’d suggest going with something like Blockbuster Online, eFax Plus (which I picked because the first month is free), or RealRhapsody, because once you get credit for completing your offer, you can just cancel whatever you’ve signed up for. (Getting offer credit usually just takes a few days.) It’s also a good idea to use a throwaway email account to sign up for all this stuff. Heck, if you want to set up a gmail account to do this, just let me know because I have plenty of invites.

So, if you’re interested in getting an iPod Nano or just want to be spiffy and help me get one, please use my referral code: http://ipodnanos.freepay.com/?r=22334501.

[via Christine]

Olivia is 8 months old today!

[Uncle Mark]: Hi! I’m back home and have a big boy sitting on my lap!
[Pamela]: hi there!n
[Pamela]: iu hac6e
[Uncle Mark]: was that olivia saying hello?
[Pamela]: i have 6a little firl sigtingh on m y lap
[Pamela]: 000000000000000000000000000000000000000\
[Pamela]: fighting me for the keyboard
[Pamela]: she’s winin
[Pamela]: g
[Uncle Mark]: ppppppppppppppppppppkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkonnnnhicegfydsgfchdfvwhe
[Uncle Mark]: dfdwrwer
[Uncle Mark]: fesrearfawdawdadaerfwesrqwarward
[Pamela]: is that race saying hi?
[Uncle Mark]: yes. he was doing some b;’
[Uncle Mark]: bionic giggling..
[Pamela]: tw-1p`;:P,
HEH
[Pamela]: SH E FOUND THE CAPSLOCK KEY