Preparations

I'm hoping Hurricane Irene is not too big a deal, but just in case we've done some things to prepare.  Since Pepco is saying that we should prepare for multiple days without power I've filled my freezers with ziploc bags full of water.  They should all be ice before the power goes out (I hope).  I put all the food in the large freezer downstairs and the upstairs freezer is just full of (future) ice that I can put in the fridge to keep the food cool.  I've also done laundry so we have clean clothes for awhile.

In the garden I cut back the tall zinnias since they would just blow over and be unable to right themselves.  I also cut off the tall top-heavy canes on the rose bushes.  I didn't want to cut off too much and stimulate growth when the plant should be getting ready for winter.  We also moved the little kiddie pool and other backyard toys into the shed (which now has a new roof!).

Our basement in prone to flooding since we have a walk-out basement and there is a drain at the bottom of the stairs that leads to to basement door that frequently gets clogged by debris.  Also if the volume of water is high enough the drain is unable to keep up, so water backs up and flows under the door.  In preparation for a flooded basement we cleaned most debris off the floor and swept up all the sawdust that had accumulated from various projects.  Wet sawdust just is not fun.  Curtis also rigged up a large tarp to cover the basement stairwell to divert water.  I'm not totally convinced it will work.  Even though he has secured it to the house and weighed it down with cinder blocks, I still think it will become a large sail in the high winds.  Still, it's worth a try I guess.