Zuzu and Stella are up and ready to sell lemonade. The two of them are united in raising money for the Hurricane Ike Relief Fund. They just got their first customer and are solo excited.

Reports of Houston’s demise are greatly exagerated. So are tales of our rapid recovery from Ike’s ravaging of our basic services. My eight mile drive home now takes about an hour since every intersection is a four-way stop. The daily stress of surviving is stretching our fabled Texas goodwill. It will get better. This we know. It is the waiting that is unnerving.

For some reason that must make sense in the teen brain, John decided now would be a good time to do a math project for school: empty and inventory the pantry. As an added bonus, I told him to scrub and clean it before restocking.

So nice to share my morning with Mrs. Peets. Asta and I enjoyed our first morning walk in nearly a week. He and daddy came back happy.

Now the fun begins. Things to clean, a fridge to toss out. Our adventure has taken a turn, but it is far from over. Gas is still in short supply and panic over groceries still has people in line outside stores. The southeast part of town and part of the northeast is also without power. This will be a long pull back for Houston. For us, at least, we are home and glad to be here.