Christinglish

Red sky at morning

Woke early to track Ike and feed the dog. Fetching bowl from backyard, noted cotton-candy pink clouds to the northeast (or nor'east, as my friend Jim C would expect me to growl in the grizzled tones of an old tar). Remembered during girlhood days of boating the Oregon coast, my dad would intone, "Red sky at night, sailors delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning." Fitting! Today's Chronicle headlines include "COAST STERNLY WARNED: GET OUT" and other dire warnings and predictions. No severe weather conditions in Houston yet, but TV news coverage shows the storm surge already topping the seawall down in Galveston. Concerned for friend Claudia H's father, who as of yesterday had elected to shelter in place in G-town. Hope he's had a change of heart.

Here are a few storm links:

• Rock you like a hurricane: http://www.stormpulse.com/
• Ridin' the storm out: blogs.chron.com/weatheringike
  
• Preparation tips: http://www.westernunion.com/2007stormprep/?src=HurEmailPre0808
• Federal resources: http://everything.typepad.com/blog/2008/09/help-for-hurricane-gustav.html
  

Red Sky at Morning by Richard Bradford was also a favorite novel of my youth, a tragicomic coming-of-age tale memorable for its vivid characters and colorful dialogue: Velma Mae and Venery Ann, "Don't talk dirty in front of my sister," and something about someone getting their ass blowed off. Mark that title in the Recommended Reading column!

 

IKE SWIRLS TOWARD TEXAS

So blared this morning's Houston Chronicle. Cuh-RAZY to be sitting here waiting to experience a hurricane. Though on my second tour of duty in hurricane country, have thus far managed to stay out of The Path. Or "Harm's Way," an oft heard phrase in these climes, in these times. We were here to experience the influx of Katrina evacuees, the bizarre mass exodus that preceded the lackluster Rita, and my folks hunkered down here in '83 during Alicia.

Hoping, praying me and mine and friends and fellow Houstonians are spared severe wrath. Gonna be an interesting couple of days. Was caught in some of the nutty evacuation traffic this afternoon (mandatory evacuation of Galveston and surrounding areas, worried for our friends the McDonald and Lindenberger families, who have beach houses down on Tiki Island--one of the first places to be evacuated) and witnessed gas stations disgorging cars into lanes of  traffic. Some fuel shortage troubles, and Mayor Bill White held off on opening the contraflow lanes 'til this eve's rush hour had passed. Contraflow was a congestion-relieving safety measure implemented in Rita's wake, to prevent future instances of insane traffic gridlock. Waiting with bated breath (and optimistic hope) to see how that works. As Raoul says, "Hurricane comin', get out da way!"

In general, I don't like Ike. What I do like is the action verb "swirls" to describe his approach. Funny, though, it sounds much more lithe and graceful than his heavy-footed entrance will assuredly be.

Hunker down.