Snowpacalypse

Well, Internet, here I am again documenting a once-in-a-lifetime event. Central Texas is cold. 

I've said many times I'm a good Texas girl. I can find it in my heart to enjoy that week of winter we get in January every year. Temps drop into the 30s (20s if it's a bad year), maybe we get some sleet. I can think of a couple times we got enough snow for the kids to play in. I enjoy the cold for a day or two provided that we see 60 degrees post-haste. 

But I have decided that is a lie brought on by what must be my eternal optimism. I hate winter.

Sometime last week we started seeing the news reports about a "major weather event" coming this week. As with all things weather in Texas, I kind of paid attention because it changes like, well, the weather. Sometime Friday I decided this was legit. When I left work at the end of the day, I took anything I might need to be snowed in at home for a day or two. I asked Google if my goldfish would live. I bought groceries. 

Sunday it got cold. We went to bed that night and woke up on Monday to a Major Weather Event. 

Luckily, the kids were already out of school and the bank was already closed because of President's Day, so we snuggled up and took a day off. Unluckily, the temperature never got up above freezing that day and the following night. On Tuesday, Trey went into his office but due to ongoing power problems was mostly just frustrated (more on the power issue later). 

During bad weather, COVID, and any other such thing that closes places down, Trey goes to work. He's pretty essential to the functioning of the bank when it comes to customers being able to do important things, so I gave up long ago admonishing him for risking his life to go to work. He's good at his job, and this is one reason why. And his trip on Tuesday included making sure he was all set to work from home if needed on other days this week. 

So...below freezing temps for several days, snow and ice everywhere, the word "unprecedented" once again losing its impact. Once in a lifetime event and such. 

Then the ice storm came on Tuesday night while we slept. Awesome. 

And now it's Wednesday night. Snow is in the forecast for tonight again, but only like a half inch so basically nothing to us now. It's supposed to be just above freezing the next couple of days but in the teens overnight. 60 degree temps don't return until sometime next week. It's madness and I might have to move. 

Texas and I are not prepared for this kind of weather. There's apparently not enough electricity to handle it. Rolling blackouts started Sunday night. Some people have gone without electricity for days. The water supply in some places has frozen up or run out or something, and pipes have frozen and broken all over the State. In some cases, the situation has proven to be quite dire. 

My parents lost power sometime late Sunday, I think. They live out in the wilderness. I was very worried about them all day Sunday and Monday. They also were without water and cell service, so I couldn't check on them. At one point, Dad drove to Buccee's to get gas for the generator and called to tell me they were fine. When I realized even my friends in Austin and other cities around the State were in the same shape - without water or power - I stopped worrying. My parents are better equipped to deal with this craziness than anyone else I know!

Speaking of eternal optimism - my dad is the King. I knew he was seeing a grand adventure happening right in front of him. When he called he was laughing and talking about how they had enough blankets to keep warm enough and how he couldn't leave because he had to make sure the animals have access to water. And I knew he'd figure out a way to make it work because that's what he does. 

I have great stories from when I was kid. At least once we had to ride on the tractor to church. The school had a special place for our mud boots so when we got to school we could change into clean shoes but change back into mud boots before we left to go home. We picked dewberries on the side of the road when we walked from the bus stop but were always careful to look for snakes. So many things that seem kind of crazy in hindsight but were fantastically grand adventures when I was a kid!  Sometimes I wish my own kids had more those kinds of stories. 

Back to Snowpocalypse. We've managed to be some of the few who have kept power and water. I've written a giant paper that isn't due until March 12th, cross-stitched what might be an abstract cow, and watched more episodes of ER than I can count. Keaton and his best buddy (who thankfully lives down the street) have goofed around in the ice and snow for too long, hopefully not doing anything too dangerous or illegal. Trey worked from home today - for the first time ever. I don't think he's a fan. 

And here we are, once again in an unprecedented once-in-a-lifetime event. And we're not enjoying it. 

The End.