Category Archives: Rancho Roly Poly

Colonoscopy

Posted on September 16, 2008 | Comments Off on Colonoscopy

Twenty minutes away from starting the prep for my sixth colonoscopy in twenty-five years. The actual procedure isn’t particularly uncomfortable. It’s the prep that’s the killer. The Ducolax tablets are easy, but the ten ounces of Magnesium Citrate is yechy. And the three-plus liters of NuLytely to be drunk in eight-ounce portions every fifteen minutes is unspeakable. I picked the orange flavoring this time. But the flavoring is pretty irrelevant. It still tastes like motor oil. Further affiant sayeth not. Until this turkey is over tomorrow morning.

UPDATE:  All went smoothly, though it took me about nine hours after the procedure to fully awaken from the sedation. That is, I awoke, immediately afterward, but stayed drowsy and slept a lot. Turned out well, the doc said. Nothing immediately concerning. Two small, extracted polyps remain to be examined.

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Evacuating Houston

Posted on September 15, 2008 | Comments Off on Evacuating Houston

Mom’s friends who live in Kingwood, on the northeast side of Houston, didn’t choose to evacuate before Hurricane Ike arrived. But, now, they’re thinking about moving to Austin temporarily, if they can find a motel. Many of them already are full with other evacuees. We may wind up taking them for a few days.

Like blogger Melissa Clouthier, a chiropractor who lives in the Woodlands, on the northwest side of the city, they’re tired of the squalor. The power is out, so there’re no lights, no air-conditioning, no water, and no refrigeration. The phones don’t work, and cell phone service is spotty. Their neighborhood grocery is open but they have to use what they buy pretty quickly or it will spoil. Even their employers are without power and therefore shut down. It’s like a return to the 19th century, without the ice deliveries.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles, Texana

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Forecast changes

Posted on September 12, 2008 | Comments Off on Forecast changes

This could be my last post for a while, if the power goes out tonight or early tomorrow, as it may. The wind is picking up. No rain yet. But we have an upgrade in the weather forecast and there is an abundance of trees around power lines in Austin.

Weather service is now looking at 50 percent chance of thunderstorms tonight and wind gusts to 45 mph. Then, early Saturday, 100 percent change of rain, heavy at times, with gusts to 50 mph. Still looks like a normal fall thunderstorm, even with the wind gusts, so long as they’re not sustained for long periods. Fortunately for us, Ike’s core is forecast to stay well to our east. If you want to follow events in Houston and Galveston, where the worst is certain to occur, go to KHOU television for their video reports as long as they have at least generator power to stay on the web. Also this Houston area blogger, and this one. Both have local blog rolls for more. And Houston Chronicle’s blog.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Stocking up

Posted on September 11, 2008 | Comments Off on Stocking up

Lots of folks at the grocery this morning buying up bottled water, batteries and canned goods, in anticipation of possible lengthy power outages if Ike’s core comes close to Austin after crossing the coast early Saturday. Mom, visiting friends in Maryland, is scheduled to come back Saturday but now may have to wait until Sunday, if Austin’s airport is closed. Texas Longhorns home game Saturday with Arkansas has already been postponed. 

Local forecast sounded dire yesterday: Not just torrential rain all-day and all-night Saturday, but sustained winds of 50 to 70 mph. Meaning trees downed and flying limbs and other debris. Today’s forecast is milder, with winds only gusting to 45 mph and less rain. Evacuees from the coast still may be sorry they came. All depends on how close the core comes to us. Fifty miles east would be good. Ten miles west would be a true disaster. Meanwhile Ike is already bigger than Katrina in ’05. It’s pussyfooting through a patch of cool water in mid-Gulf this morning, but is expected to strengthen. Lots of uncertainy yet, but Houston looks now to bare the brunt of the winds and rain, and the storm surge is expected to be a killer on the coast, sweeping miles inland. Possibly overtopping Galveston’s seventeen-foot seawall.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Texas Football, Weather/Climate

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Off to the beach

Posted on August 18, 2008 | Comments Off on Off to the beach

Looks like Fay will not be joining us at Port Aransas, although some big waves from her intensity as she sweeps through Florida just might. It happened with Ivan in 2006. In any case we’re outta here until Thursday. Off to see the likes of Ruby Begonia, the Presidio La Bahia, and other familiar but still amazing attractions, along the trail to Port A, which is on Mustang Island in the Gulf of Mexico. Adios.

UPDATE: Returned sunburned but happy on the 21st. Drove down in the rain, and it rained off and on for a few days. But there were some afternoons when the sun came out, so the gang had a good one. Mr. B. even got to try boogie boarding, similar to surf boarding, which he pronounced strenuous but fun.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Rain, do come again, but not Fay, please

Posted on August 16, 2008 | Comments Off on Rain, do come again, but not Fay, please

It’s been cloudy all day. The drought-breaking rain we’ve been promised has yet to appear, thougn the temperature is a relatively-cool 89F at this hour. LCRA meteorologist Bob Rose says we’re scheduled for a good chance of light-to-heavy rain through the end of next week, and he adds that there is "much uncertainty" in the ultimate path of Tropical Storm Fay. She’s now predicted to turn north and strike the west coast of Florida, but just might decide to head west, instead. That would be a bummer as we are leaving the rancho on Monday for our annual jaunt to the beach at Port Aransas before Mr. B.’s school resumes on Aug. 25. Even her hitting Florida might raise some big waves that sweep across the Gulf of Mexico and pound the beach where we’re going. It’s happened before.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly, Weather/Climate

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Tupperware Unsealed

Posted on July 31, 2008 | Comments Off on Tupperware Unsealed

This looks and sounds like a heckuva book. I did a feature story years ago on a Tupperware sales "party" in West Palm Beach. I had heard about them for a while, even knew some of the mechanics involved in the sales program, but had never seen the products. I was amazed to discover that they were "just" various sizes of colorful plastic bowls with tight lids. I think about that sometimes now when I put some of our own collection in the dishwasher.

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Posted in Library, Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles

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