As I write this, we are under a winter storm warning that’s predicted to set historical records. It’s forecasted to arrive this evening. I can’t remember ever being this nervous and....I’ll admit it....afraid. Understandably, folks up north may be chuckling over our worries as Texans about temps falling down to the 20s and lower. JUST the 20s, they say? But we’re not used to this kind of severe weather, and our homes aren’t designed for it either.
As best we can, we have prepared. Which means James has covered and recovered our three outdoor faucets. He even leaned wheelbarrows over the two that protrude from exterior brick walls of our house. Indoors, we are dribbling sink faucets (it sounds like a rain forest) to keep the pipes from freezing. (I HATE wasting all that water, but it’s for a greater good right now.) Across town, some friends have shut off their water completely and drained their pipes. But we were advised not to do that because any residual water left in the pipes could cause a break. In the event we lose water, we have filled up containers with water and left bathwater in a tub to flush the commode with. If we lose electricity, we’ll light candles and use flashlights. Thankfully, we have propane, which fuels our stove and guest bathroom heater. Our heating system uses propane too, but I think it also uses electricity to run the motor.
I cannot bear to look out our windows because I’ll see our trees and other plants. Ice accumulations are weighing down many of our live oak branches. What will this storm do tonight? What will it leave behind? Added ice and snow accumulations.... I pray our oaks come through as intact as possible. We’ll likely lose a lot of plants in the ground. We’ll see what spring brings. After this storm, I may let my stock tank go if my little gambusias don’t make it. The pond will never be pretty again like it was in years past, thanks to resident coons (which I do welcome because it’s their neighborhood too) and possibly leopard frogs (which I welcomed, too).
On a more positive note, I made suet and am keeping a feeder supplied with it for our birds.
So thank you for listening. I just thought I’d write a “before” post and share my worries. I KNOW I’m not alone. You are worried, too. I can’t wait until we’re on the back side of this mean weather.
