North of the Dallas City limits, but still in Dallas County, weather is WONDERFUL....but then I am a snow-flake. Maybe 1/4th to 1/2 of an inch in drifts but more is supposed to be on the way. It has been years since we have had such a beautiful view out the living room window. Went out back to put out extra food for the abandoned cats who make our back yard their home. They have two old ice chests that hubby cut entry holes in the side of and they use it as a gathering place on cold nights, they also have plenty of space in the shed and can get into the back room(previous owner enclosed the patio to make a 'sun room} the cats use it as a safe haven and we have old blankets inside boxes under lamps for them to stay warm and dry. Benefit of that arrangement is .... no mice in our backyard in warmer weather.
It is in the 20's here, with single digits and snow predicted for later this afternoon and all night. Church service canceled, schools announcing closings, and non-essential services canceled. We have all three cats in the "executive suite" which was a guest bedroom (maybe it still is?) and we put up an extra heat lamp for the hens, along with a tarp on the part of the coop that is screened and not enclosed. We have plans if the electricity goes off, and brought in extra wood for the wood stove. We are fortunate in having the ability to heat two rooms, have a hot supper, and huddle under several blankets and a quilt if needed. Please Lord, let this "winter event" be over!
I hope you are right MG ! 7 degrees this morning and supposed to be 2 degrees in the morning ! Some forecasts say down to 0 ! About 8 inches of snow currently ! Had a propane stove readied for power loss ! Not fun ! Will have to use redneck heat for warming food ! But have enough things to eat cold to last a month ! Ham salad, sandwich meat, bread, canned soups ect !
Texas weather made the news here in Ontario. I hope all of our Stewbies from Texas are coping with this cold weather and it ends for you soon.
We are coping--the cats are in the guest bedroom, we lit the wood stove, and have plenty of wine. Electricity is intermittent and now we have low water pressure due to Ercot the "grid" cutting power to water plants. Meal times are hit or miss. "Oh, the lights are on, grab something and heat it up" and we have dinner at 4 p.m. The hens are confined to quarters with plenty of water and food, and are doing well. Thank you, Netty, for your concern. We'll make it through, but I'll smack the first person that tells me the snow and ice are "pretty"!
Over here as well, Netty. We are wishing the best for you Texans. Should I send you a Salamander? BTW Jane, when I worked up in the oil fields of Alaska there were oodles and oodles of Texans on that project. You’da thought that a little snow wouldn’t be such a big deal, huh. While I was up there, somebody once told me that happiness was a Texan going home carrying an Okie under each arm. What’d they mean by that?
Actually up until not too terribly many years ago snow was not that uncommon in Texas. It was almost always preceded by an ice storm that left up to an inch of ice on everything, then slowly turned to snow hiding the ice from sight. There were always warnings to residents to stay home and the Texans did,we knew what was under the snow.. But so many of the new comers to Texas thought they knew how to drive on snow and they probably did but with a thick layer of ice on the streets under that snow many of them landed in ditches or worse. Roads and highways were really dangerous even though the highway department around the state had sand trucks out on the highways and major streets at the first warning of icy weather. I have lived here (Dallas, Sherman and Lubbock) all but 7 years of my 73 years so nothing about our weather is new to me. And frankly sitting at home with snow around is nothing compared to hearing the Tornado sirens go off then watching through the window in front of your desk once in Dallas and once in Lubbock watching as one roars right down the middle of the parking lot where you work, and watching the roof on the building across the parking lot fly up and land in the highway out front.
Oh Toni, I was worried about you guys with freezing and snow, but I had forgotten about tornados. I lived a while in St. Louis and the tornado warnings was a regular thing there. I find them very scary things to be around. One of those forces of nature that man cannot stop or control. Serious business. I hope that you do not have to deal with them often. When it comes to this weather thing there, I guess you can count your white blessings when comparing them to the big, grey funnel. Stay safe.
Another thing, we have had none of the electrical blackout problems many are facing down here is because our home was built in the 1960's and is not all electric. Our heating, cooking and hot water tank are all gas powered.
That’s a big plus actually. When they finally put all the electrical wires underground you guys will be set.
Toni,, any time you want you can come and get all this snow ! I am sick of it ! Can`t walk, birds are eating me out of house and home ! I am going stir crazy ! Wish I had made a liquor run before all this ! Would have been a lot more fun to stay home and cooped up ! We have an accu-rite weather station and monday morning it registered -7 degrees ! We now have a good 8 or 9 inches of snow ! Don`t know how the people up north do it and keep their sanity !
Mart I think the difference is that us northerners expect it and prepare for it. In Texas I'm sure that this kind of weather is completely unexpected! Our electricity grid is made for cold temperatures, we have municipal snow plows, sanders etc that are ready to go at any time, our homes are well insulated and almost everyone I know has 2 sources of heat for their home. Also, since the blackout of 2003 and the lockdowns of 2020, people have fully stocked pantrys (and liquor cabinets!) and are prepared to stay at home.
Not completely unexpected for most of us, our weather forecasters are really accurate in their predictions. Our problems are the newbies from colder climates who keep saying they know how to drive in snow . We (those of us who have lived here long enough to know what snow in Texas really means), know we do not do well in snow and stay home. Under the beautiful snow is ice that you can not see (it's called Black Ice for good reason) until you have lost control of your vehicle. Our houses are well insulated too...have you tried to live through a typical Texas summer in a poorly insulated home? up to 110 degrees is an average from April/May through Sept or later. most years, so plenty of insulation is a must. We have sand trucks but not plows..plows were tried a few years ago but the snow is very seldom deep enough to make them useful and the damage to the streets which are black top not concrete was extremely costly. And the cost to keep the trucks in good condition just to be used once in a decade or two was way too high. Sand and a chemical to treat ice is spread out on highways and major streets starting just before the weather people can say the words ice and snow. .Did you know that Texas has it's own electric grid? We are not connected to any part of the US so blackouts outside our state borders do not affect us. There is usually a lack of many items from grocery store shelves but the people in the check-out line are usually complaining about not knowing Texas ever got this cold...meaning they are not natives and probably laughed at the weather forecast the night before.
