WELL CRUD. HERE WE GO AGAIN!

See how far up the bark is stripped on those trees across the river? That's how high the water rose during the last flood.

My plan for today was just to share with you these photos that my hubby took around town this week, and to talk about how grateful we are that the water is finally going down, it was clean enough for the Blue Hole to open finally, most everyone has power again (though Time Warner still has issues), most of the businesses are now open, most everyone has a place to stay while they figure out what to do about their flooded/demolished homes, and the town is finally getting back on its feet.

But then, yesterday, we woke up to yet another thunderstorm and screeching phone alerts. By the time it stopped we'd got another two inches of rain, and the water was starting to rise again. As I was getting ready for bed last night I noticed that they were planning to lift the flood watch at 1:00 AM, so I finally started to breath easy.

As I was setting my phone in its charger, before crawling into bed, I got a message from our daughter. "Better go stock up on groceries tomorrow. More storms headed this way on Tuesday. Some areas could receive as much as 10 inches by Wednesday." That can't be right, I thought, rushing to my computer. But, sure enough, there's a 60% chance of more rain this afternoon, then, beginning at 11 AM tomorrow, and every single hour after that for at least the next 24 hours, there's a 75% chance or more.

The Blanco River swept over the RR12 bridge with such force that it mangled the guard rails.

If we get even a fraction of that, it's pretty much a given that we'll be trapped on this side of the creek for a while, and we may even need to shelter neighbors who live on the low side of our street. So I started making a mental list of things to pick up from the store, like a ham and bacon, maybe a roast chicken. Then suddenly it hit me. FUUUUUDGE! If we get that kind of rain, not only will we be stuck at home. We'll probably be without power too -- and possibly for much longer than last time.

So... what food can I buy that doesn't need heating, cooking or refrigeration? For the life of me, just about the only thing I can think of is PB&J! Or eating veggies straight out of a can -- pretty much the most depressing meal in the world for a foodie. Help please! There's got to be more than that to eat when your home is without power. Any suggestions?