“Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice.”
The rain came early and stayed all night. The morning is dreary and dark. It is warm at 53˚. Intermittent showers are predicted. My kitchen floor has Henry’s dirty paw prints from the door to the hall. I washed the floor once then it rained again. I’ll wait for a bit of sun before I wash the floor again even though the dirty floor drives me crazy. I’ll just have to close my eyes when I near the kitchen.
Everything is still. Everything is calm. The breeze is so slight it moves only the smallest branches.
The snow is almost gone from my backyard, and half the front lawn is down to grass. My neighborhood has no sewers for drainage so flooding is always a possibility. Tonight will get down to the 20’s, freezing all the wet spots. Black ice is the worse.
Yesterday was delivery day for human food. Today will be delivery day for animal food. Agway is due later. I’m even thinking of treating myself to delivery for dinner.
Every time I hear the rain beating the roof I smile and give thanks. In other parts of the country, they have been inundated with snow. I feel bad for those places which never see snow. Driving on it without experience can be perilous.
Naming snow storms seems a bit silly, but my research found, according to the Weather Channel, that naming the storms makes communication about them easier. Okay, but my local channels just call them snow storms.
When I was a kid, I would have hated the rain washing away the snow, but I would have loved the rain if it was followed by a freeze. Sledding after the storm was down icy hills. I loved the speed, but at the bottom of the hill, I’d try to steer into a plow bank because stopping was nearly impossible on the ice. It was both dangerous and exciting.
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February 16, 2021 at 1:18 pm
We had a light snow fall last night and tomorrow we might get lots but after that warmer winds will arrive 🙂 If it gets as warm as they guess the snow and ice will be gone by the weekend I think 🙂
I’ll get my new radiators just in time for the warmer weather 🙂 🙂 Still I’ve read that they are tricky to adjust, too many options with a too difficult manual to understand 🙂 🙂 🙂 so I guess it’s a good thing they arrive when it is warm so that I have the chance to make it work before cold weather arrives again 🙂 🙂
February 16, 2021 at 5:23 pm
Hi Christer,
We had only a little bit of rain today, but it is quite damp and was even a little foggy. We will get rain from the next storm. The snow is pretty much gone except for the plow piles.
The timing is really great for you to fool around and figure out your new radiators. Given how cold this winter is, getting toasty and warm from new radiators sounds wonderful!!
Stay safe!
February 16, 2021 at 5:02 pm
Hi Kat,
In all the years I have lived in North Texas (66 years), I have never gotten up to a temperature of 0° Fahrenheit. Last night the power came on about 3AM and my spouse went out to break up the surface ice on the pool so that the pump could circulate the water and prevent freezing. My son was so upset hen he was awakened that I thought he would have a stroke. It was 3° at that time of the night. Today the power was out again from 0800 until noonish but has been back on all day so far. Finally, the house warmed up enough to melt the ice in both of the shower stall pipes and they began draining water which I hope is all of the trapped ice. I don’t think I have a leak. However, I’m prepared for having to turn off the water at the meter and store water collected in large buckets. Let’s all knock on wood that my pipes didn’t burst or leak. I left the faucets open and prayed. 🙂 Now I have both showers dripping water continuously. The secondary roads have turned into ice skating rinks again and we’ve made it up to a balmy 19° today. 🙁
When the Provence of Alberta goes back up north of the border, I will welcom rain anytime. I had to cancel our remote classes today and yesterday because without power there’s no way to teach remotely. When you don’t have electricity you realize how much we depend on the stuff to keep warm (Natural gas furnace needs electricity to light the fire and run the fans), keep connected and stay informed. Yesterday afternoon I sat in my office and actually read a printed book by sunlight through the window. It was a different experience that I hadn’t had in a long time. 🙂
February 16, 2021 at 5:36 pm
Hi Bob,
I have gas heat, but, as you said, it needs electricity to work. I hate losing electricity. The house seems to get cold quickly. My gas furnace holds the hot water for quite a while but no shower in a cold house.
I have been amazed at the temperatures in Texas. They have been the story right behind news of the storm. Everything is so icy.
I think your pipes will not freeze. Leaving the water running even just a tiny bit from the faucets will prevent them from freezing. 19˚ is so much colder than here where it is 44˚.
I hate losing electricity. I can’t do anything, even cook. All the wires in my neighborhood are below ground but their connections are not. Sometimes I even hear the transformers blow.
I still buy books. I love the feel of a book.
February 16, 2021 at 6:18 pm
Luckily, I have a gas 50 gallon water heater with an old fashioned pilot light. It doesn’t require electricity. However, if the gas stops, then the pilot light extinguishes and I will have to go to YouTube to figure out how to light it again. Luckily, I have a couple of long butain lighters my wife uses to start the outdoor gas grill and the gas fireplace in the den. I never use the fireplace. It just sends heat up the chimney. It has artificial logs that look nice and just waste natural gas.
February 16, 2021 at 8:44 pm
I’ll never forget my house down to 37˚ before the electricity came back on. I couldn’t get warm.
I’ve never had to turn on the pilot light after a blackout. I never thought about it. My heat started right away. I think the pilot light stays on but the blowers can’t blow without electricity.
I like having a fire inside and outside.
February 16, 2021 at 9:04 pm
We had some ice and less than 1″ of snow. Last night I pulled out the generator to the front of the garage. This is a proven way to prevent electricity going out. We have outages only if I don’t prepare.
February 16, 2021 at 9:39 pm
Bill,
It is good to know that there is a sure way to prevent ice storms and loss of electricity. I guess there is another storm coming in the next couple of days. I’m okay with that as long as it isn’t the storm pounding the south.