And we’re not just talking snow, which I normally enjoy and even feel envy for those in other parts of the world getting when they get the white stuff. Gosh, last week’s blog post had my envy front and center as I shared friends’ pics of the gorgeous stuff. Now I have my own. This past Sunday was Valentines Day. And we’d had freezing temps before this.
This is the week I normally send out my NEWSLETTER. However, we’re in the throes of one of the worst winter storms on record. Especially for here in Texas where our winter storms come in 2-3 day stints at a time. This one has been going on for over a week and has several more days in it.
Because of the excruciatingly low temps with high winds many of us in the Fort Worth area have lost power. Now that’s never a good thing any time of year, but our temps have been way below freeing for days now. We were supposed to experience rolling blackouts. And we did at the beginning. Three times in the wee hours of Monday morning. Then it went off at 6:30 & hasn’t returned as I post this on Wednesday afternoon. Lots of Fort Worth and throughout Texas without power. Some are managing to hunker down and keep warm. We just couldn’t. And thankfully had a place to go.
Just read the lack of power could be off through Thursday, maybe even Friday. 😦
So grateful our older daughter had room for us to camp out. Now it was interesting when her husband and their big dog arrived from ranch where they were taking care of the cows. Charley and Drake have never met! Drake weighs 85 lbs and Charley weighs 8 lbs! I hope to have pictures to share. (We chose to sit in Kat’s bedroom with Charley. 🙂 )
We made a trip back out to the lake on Tuesday afternoon to pick up extra water, LaCroix, and wine. 🙂 Roads not bad at all. The lake was frozen over. Maybe not like it did in in 1920s but clearly frozen. The house was sooooo cold. So grateful to be where there is heat & water, though there are rumors we may lose our water!! I don’t write “end times” books, but it may be time to start. 🙂
Bow, when the groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of winter, he wasn’t kidding!
I confess not to wearing my mask at my daughters’. I started out wearing one, but then we had to eat. Since I have to take it off to eat and drink, and the cold temps mean I can’t go outside to eat…well I cratered.
I’m writing this on my Surface Pro, which is working better than I expected. I’m spoiled by my Dell desktop with super large screen and ergonomic key board.
Praying the temps continue to go up and no one dies from this bitter cold. I’m embarrassed to admit how much I’ve missed regular TV. My daughter has a ROKU thing and none of my regular channels on. I know in the big scheme of things, this is soooo unimportant!
Vaccine UPDATE: No news. Still on the wait list for first shot. 😦 And I’m sure now with so many places closed because of weather, everything will be pushed back more.
WIP UPDATE: More than 50 K words written. The cold temps and snow we’re experiencing have helped make my snow scenes much more realistic.:)
Please do pray for all those who are suffering from this gigantic storm. I hope you are safe and warm. What do you do when you have to hunker down because of inclement weather or loss of power? Do you have a backup generator? (We don’t, but that’s at the top of my To-Do list once we get through this difficult time. Be safe out there. NEWSLETTER next week with another GIVEAWAY opportunity. Love to hear from you.
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Marsha R. West, Author 
I’d appreciate anyone reading this to share. I don’t have access to all my groups. It’s currently 25 in Fort Worth and make get just above freezing today. That would be a blessing. More people’s power could come back on line. I hope wherever you are, you’re safe and warm.:)
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Marsha, these are incredible photos – photos I’d never have expected to see from Texas. Your extreme weather and the power cuts have made the news here, too. I’m so glad you have somewhere safe and warm to stay, and my thoughts are with those without power. Stay safe and warm. I’ll share x
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Hey, Helena. Thanks for the share. I suspect we’ll be hearing about this situation long after we’ve thawed out. Many years of Texas wanting to avoid regulations and cutting corners financially have led to this. It’s tragic. I’m praying we don’t have pipes burst at our house. That’s such a mess, not to mention the expense of fixing. We just drove out and we still have no power. Lake is even more frozen than in the above pics. Grateful to be warm. Thanks so much for stopping by. 🙂
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Marsha, I feel for you and for everyone in these recent devasting storms. I hope you get your power and regular life back very soon. And I hope you get your Covid vaccine also very soon.
We just had two plus weeks of -25 to-35 degree regular temperatures. We hunkered down and didn’t leave the house for two weeks. This is hardest on Bill. I do the treadmill everyday and watch about 2 hours of news each evening. Not all at one time. Bill even started doing the treadmill which he hates to do and the bike. Although he did walk recently when it was 10 degrees with below zero wind chills. We have tons of snow which will stay with us until late April. I actually don’t give the snow a second thought. This has been such a terrible year.
Also we have all been in shock. My brother-in-law died a little over a week ago. He was relatively young and in good physical condition. He didn’t die of Covid. It was extremely difficult and we mourned greatly. Then three days later, I decided instead of mourning to celebrate his life. His virtual funeral will be next weekend. He was married to my sister who died of Alzheimer’s a little over a year ago.
Take good care. I hope everything gets back to normal very soon. Congrats. on your word count.
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Shared.
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Oh my goodness, Susan. I’m so sorry for your loss. Prayers for you and your family. A celebration of life sounds perfect. Wow!. We’re complaining of about 3 days of temps you routinely deal with. Of course I guess you halve some seriously warm clothes and gloves and hats and scarves. We’ve just heard from a neighbor that power is on at her house. I’ve sent my SIL to check. We were out there at noon, but it wasn’t on then. Grateful to be at my daughter’s house, but really excited to maybe be able to go home. Thanks so much for stopping by. 🙂
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Thank you, Marsha.
I am so incredibly sorry for all of you. It’s so devastating. I’m praying for everyone caught in this terrible situation. Take care.
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I’m so glad you and your family are safe and that you were able to stay at your daughters. But it always seems home is best when we’re forced out for whatever reason or even coming home from a holiday. I can’t believe your pictures, particularly Clydesdale feet. I’ll leave figuring out who’s responsible for what to all the experts, real or imagined. For now I’m just glad you’re home and safe. My heart goes out to those still suffering through the storm and it’s aftermath.
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Hey, Pat. Yes, there is plenty of time to figure all all the folks at fault. Right now we still have folks without power at all. We have poser, but have to boil the water. So even if I run out of bottled water, I can boil the tap water, a much better situation. We are beyond blessed. So far no broken pipes. Fingers crossed that holds. For some reason, I can only access this post from the email I received of it. Wehn I go to my site, this post isn’t there. Very odd to say the least. Thanks so much for stopping by.:)
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I read on FB you have returned to your home. I hope all is well there with no burst pipes. I am sure Texans do not think about winterizing water pipes since you don’t have too many below-freezing days? I believe everyone hates Florida. We’ve only had some frosty mornings and highs in 60s. Our kids in Michigan are dealing with teeth chattering frigid temps too like -9 F and yet, those Michiganders carry on. I know when we moved from Central Illinois to Michigan I was flabbergasted at how they always got out even during the heavy snowstorms. We lived in an apartment over the flower shop so I could see cars drive in through the snow drifts evidently to pick up flowers. I, the wimpy Ilinoisan (?) watched from my warm apartment above through the windows as they drove out, amazed that people were out and about in that kind of weather!
Thinking of you all and keeping you in prayers.
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Hey, Janet. Isn’t that interesting the difference you saw between Illinois and Michigan. I’d have thought Illinois would have as much cold and snow. W have made it to milder temps and plenty of sun. Parts of our lake are still frozen, but the Clydesdales’ feet are shrinking. Thanks so much for the prayers. This has been quite the experience for everyone in Texas. Snow even in Galveston! Just remarkable.
We do have great news, Bob is scheduled for his Covid vaccination this evening. I’m going along and hope they’ll jab me too. To use Helena’s term. Thanks so much for all the support. 🙂
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