when I started this blog five years ago, I was a pet sitter and the name animal-crackers made sense. now I'm a stay-at-home-dad and freelance writer, but rather than confuse everyone by getting a different blog, it's just easier to keep posting things here.

Just got back from Walgreen's. All the water was gone and only one flashlight left.

Hurricane Rita.

Austin is quite a drive from the beach, but meteorologists say we could get 70 mph winds this far inland. So everyone in town is freakin out.

Andree and I weathered two hurricanes in 1996 -- Bertha and Fran. We lived in New Bern, NC, about a 40 minute drive from the beach. The apartment house where I lived was 50 yards from the Trent River.

When the storms hit land, Bertha had winds of 105 mph; Fran, 115 mph. By the time they reached us, their winds were about 75 mph.

I kind of wish I had some exciting story of survival to tell. But really, they were no big deal. The river rose about 12 feet, but our house was perched 15 feet above normal high tide.

I'm not worried about Andree and Josh. I do worry a little about Dylan. The hospital has generators. But so did the hospitals in New Orleans. How long with the generators last?

In the meantime, guess I'll be running to Sam's Club tomorrow morning. I hope membership still has its privileges.