I’m ready for you.
The terrace is cleared.
The roof is as secure as we can make it.
The windows and doors are closed.
The tub is filled with water.
As are all the pots, the teapot,
bowls and water pitchers.
Even the big trashcan is filled.
(You may think I’m going overboard, but when we lose power, we lose water here on the 12th floor. During the big blackout a few years back we went through every drop in the tub and pots. But we were clean.)
I’ve got two flashlights and loads of batteries.
Laptops are charged and shut off. Cell phones are charged, shut off and forwarded to the home phone. Two back up battery phone chargers are charged and ready to roll. (One even has solar recharging capacity.)
The old phone is out of the closet, hooked up and working. (It doesn’t need electricity. During the blackout, we were the only ones who had a working phone.)
Dog is walked (and not too happy given that the rain had already started when I walked her for the last time this evening…)
We are showered. (sorry,no pic…)
But most importantly…
I made cookies.
Because when a hurricane is on the march up the coast, and the subways, buses and Broadway are shut down, you do what you gotta’ do.
Bake.
Stay safe, and I’ll see you on the other side of the storm.
Jumbles
A sweet little recipe from The Rumford Complete Cookbook (copyright 1908), a little gem I picked up at an antique store upstate. (Google Books actually has the entire book online!) The actual recipe is so old that they don’t give cooking temperatures, just tell you that most baked goods require a “moderately hot oven”. I decided that meant 350 degrees fahrenheit. But on a regular cooking sheet, making the cookies using a melon baller, my first batch were too brown on the bottom and not enough on top. So I used an insulated cookie sheet, pressed the cookies down before baking and extended the cooking time from 10 minutes to 15 minutes. Perfect! If you don’t have an insulated cookie sheet, lower the heat to 325 and let me know how that worked for you. Makes 24 cookies.
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 level tsp salt
- 1 level tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
- Grated rind of half a lemon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Grease an insulated cookie sheet. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar in mixing bowl; add the egg, the lemon rind, and then the dry ingredients, beating slightly after each addition. Drop onto cookie sheets using a melon baller. Flatten cookies slightly with your fingers. Bake 12-15 minutes till edges are browned. Serve immediately.
Take good care, please.
Hi TBTAM – You’re a woman after my own heart! I do the same things with water. Even during thunderstorms, because if electric goes out ..we don’t have running water including toilet water. that is what the tun is for. Then I filled the tea kettle and other pots. of course it’s raining so hard, I could set a pot outside and would fill rather quickly.
I never thought to do a large garbage pail size. Great idea!
I did something new this time. Saw it on the news. I filled at least 10 probably more like 15 pint size ziploc bags 2/3 full and stashed in freezer. this will help to keep it and fridge chilled should power go out.
Cookies look yummy. i will bake zucchini bread if power stays on today. And I made a turkey breast with roasted potatoes last night, since I didn’t have room to freeze it and so that is tonight’s meal with a big salad.
Loved your pics and your dog is very cute! 🙂 Hopefully Irene fade out quickly.
hope everything is going to be fine.
take care!
You are definitely prepared. I am chuckling over the old phone! Hope you won’t have too bad of a time of it!
Thanks, all, for your good wishes. We survived the night intact. Not even wind damage to the garden – and other storms have done that in the past. Maybe it was because the winds were from the east… My only complaint was that this morning, the French cafe around the corner was closed when I went there for a cappucino.
Ah, New York….
We’ll try not to cry too much for you missing your cappucino!
Thanks for the good news.
glad you came through OK! it still was a heck of a storm.
After amusing myself thinking about what kind of disclaimer I ought to put on my website, I scrolled down to see this again. The water in the salad spinner makes me so happy. I don’t know why, but it does. Now, you need a battery operated/hand crank option radio…..