Ready for downed trees in Prospect Park.

After all this fuss, it looks as if Irene will be a tropical storm by the time it hits New York. Not that it’s going to be pleasant. And not that I’m complaining. Still too soon to say, but perhaps people are freaking out over nothing more than wet basements.

The real problem here in the boroughs is that we’ll be without our precious amenities for most of the weekend. This will cause New Yorkers to become cranky, but at least we’ll be stuck in our homes only to take it out on our families and roommates.

Right now it’s raining. Public transit is shut down and many stores are closing shop early today. Outdoor activities have been canceled as well as some indoor events.

In Prospect Park this morning the doggie circle stayed until the rain started because we know our dogs may not have the option to go outside tomorrow. Make sure to give them a nice walk tomorrow morning. Speaking of pets, please do something nice for the strays in your neighborhood!

A Facebook friend posted that he experienced the longest line ever at his local Manhattan bagel shop this morning and the only bagels left were plain. What will New York become without the everything bagel?

Prospect Heights. Yeah, that’s gonna help. Have fun removing that duct tape from your car.

Brokelyn has an ongoing list of what’s opened and closed. You can send updates to them.

Just a last minute list of tips from Reclaimed Home….

If the power goes out, that means ATM’s are down. Get your cash out today as any shops that are open may not have credit card machines.

Got your alcohol? What better excuse than a hurricane to get drunk in the middle of the day?

Got birth control? What better excuse…..

Take in your garbage bins, outdoor plants and other stuff that can fly away.

You may not have to board your windows, but you probably don’t want to leave them wide open.

Move non-water-proof items out of the way on ground floors if flooding can occur. Not only the flood zones. There will be a lot of rain. Expect to get flooded everywhere.

Don’t forget to have extra water around. Fill pots and maybe the tub. If there’s a power outage, the water pumps and water heaters may not work…especially pumps in highrise buildings.

Do a laundry and your dishes today.

Charge your cell phones and laptops. God forbid we should be without Facebook and Twitter for a day!

Matches, candles, batteries, flashlight, blah, blah, blah.

Anything I forgot? What’s going on in your neighborhood? Add it to the comments.

Have fun and stay safe!