WINTER BLAST

Overcast, 15 °F (-9 °C)
Humidity: 61 %
Wind Speed: N 15 G 22 MPH
Barometer: 30.47" (1032.5 mb)
Dewpoint: 4 °F (-16 °C)
Wind Chill: -0 °F (-18 °C)
...5:48 AM Central Standard Time

Well.... this is getting really depressing. Predicting 7º actual temp tonight for Cleburne. The small amount of thawing yesterday has made it worse for us getting in and out the door, especially for our 95-pound Rottweiler. I am so afraid she will slip and re-injure her knee she had surgery on two years ago. Yesterday the sleet and snow on walks made it okay to walk on but this morning it is like a well-polished skating rink by our back door.

Everyone, just be really cautious about heaters. Early AM Monday, DH called one of our employees and he said he was sick, horrible headache, and mentioned arguing with his wife about not wanting the house so hot. Sounded quite groggy. When DH told me, I immediately thought of carbon monoxide (because I grew up in houses with gas space heaters and my mom was always talking about CM danger.) DH called him back, he didn't answer and had to call his step-daughter to go wake him. DH then insisted that he open windows and get out of the house. Had a hard time convincing him. He didn't know what CM is. Long story short: It was CM from unvented or improperly vented gas space heater he had used because of the unusual cold. Had DH not called him and convinced him to leave the house, I absolutely believe he would be dead.

Be safe, everyone.

Stay safe, Glenna! If you have any cat litter, you can put that down for traction for your dog (& for you). Glad you & your husband were able to save your employee! How scary! I used to live in a house that was all gas. I learned to leave a window in the kitchen cracked at all times.

It's currently 12º in my part of Fort Worth. Wind chill factor is 2º. Wonder if my frostweed is putting on a show?!? LOL

Not sure if I have to go to work today or not.

I woke up this morning and the cold water in my kitchen sink was not working. I managed to use a hair dryer to thaw the pipe. Whew. Be careful of burst pipes, everyone!

Very cold out in the middle of the pasture this morning. Lots of wind. I can hardly wait for all of the trees we've planted last year to start getting some size to them so some of this wind will be blocked. I spread out three bales of hay in the chicken run last night and sprinkled sunflower and safflower mix on top. The girls fluffed all that up before heading to the coop for the night--the peacock won't use the coop. This morning the peacocks were not on their roost so I sprinted the last few yards to the coop/run. But there they were with their heads poking out of the hay bed. Looked at me as if I were nuts! Well, everyone got warm oatmeal for breakfast this morning. My hens love warm oatmeal!

Not much more I can do for my veg and new fruit trees. We'll just have to wait and see.

Definitely chilli tonight for supper!

Wichita Falls is too cold -- 16 degrees, low last night was suppose to be 7degrees. But at least the sun is shining and the wind seems to have calmed down. We are covered in ice and snow, with huge snowdrifts. Our goats are huddled together and doing well -- good to see them out this morning eating their alfalfa.

We have worse problems inside -- two kids down with flu. So they are in nice warm beds with bits of ice chips for meals. This went through my daughter's house last week. All five of her kids experienced it, plus mom and dad. We are attempting to learn from her experience, so nothing to eat or drink, but ice chips. Really praying the rest of us manage to escape it, especially our Downs Blessing -- he wouldn't have a clue what hit him or how to deal with it. . . not fun! Though I guess it wouldn't be any worrse than what happened to the youngest (also mentally challenged). Like I said. . . not fun!

So stay warm and healthy!

Well since we had a warning this was coming we stocked up on food and don't plan on driving until it is gone. Those of you who have to get out be careful.
Glenna the quick action sure did save his life.
This was our dog's first snow that stuck on the ground. They were facinated the first morning. They would run, roll and chase each other. One would dig up snow and catch it in her mouth and toss it like playing with a ball. The other would grab a hunk of ice and bring it inside to eat.
The birds are trying to feed on anything they can get to stay warm.
My old cat is unhappy in the shop, but warm and fed.

I have to get out and down two levels of the deck to feed and check on the cat a couple times a day. I found that just spreading sheets on top of the path helps when it is icy. I also have some ice cream salt that will give you a grip, just don't put it near plants. I didn't think about cat litter, good idea.

On the power outage, they are saying we may loose power for 15 or 20 min off and on today.
Gretta...so do not envy you with a house full of sick babies. Prayers that you can isolate it.

Thanks for the cat litter idea. I hope I don't have to get out today but will use it if I have to go to work this afternoon.
Dogs_N_Petunias, that was good thinking! Gretta, I hope that the flu stays isolated to just 2. How miserable. Dennis, I can't believe the pipes almost froze! I let the water run in the laundry room, apparently it was hot water. Dumb! Our power was out aswell for a while this a.m. I was lying in bed trying to plan an escape to Starbucks for some coffee but worried about the slippery sidewalk. Thankfully it was a short outage as Sheila mentioned. Those dogs are so cute!
Be safe everyone

This message was edited Feb 2, 2011 9:41 AM

God Bless you all who have to deal with the wet and this cold too.

It is overcast and cold here but dry. We had a 19 low earlier and it is 21 now. They are saying 33 for a high today but only for two hours which means a no thaw for today.

We had a power blackout this morning right at daylight and I expect more as our electric co-op is maxed out. We Texans just ain't prepared this kind of cold for very long.

I will never build another house that is all electric. My old nest at back of my property has gas heaters and cook stove and I could always keep it toasty warm. With candles and a bath tub full of water I was always good to for a three or four days before I started to get cabin fever.

Now in this new place with this fancy heat pump thing I do good to keep the temp 30 - 40 degrees above the ambient temperature. When I built this place I foolishly talked myself out of having it plumbed for gas. With the electric outage during last year's cold spell and now again this time around having this place plumbed for gas is back on the front burner.

We have gas heat, but the blower motor is electric. No power outages yet, but I expect we will be part of the rolling blackouts at some point today.

When I finally agreed to take my daughter outside, she was out there for about 2 minutes before she decided it was too cold and wanted to go back inside. My family is losing any sense of humor about this weather...

Thank you for the warning and reminder Glenna. We had to leave the kitchen door that opens to the garage open all night, because the garage is too cold, so now the kitchen is 45 and the garage 35.
Of course we do have a door between the living room and the kitchen or we would not be able to do this. The temperature outside is 18, how is everyone coping?
Josephine.

Yesterday we got all the potted plants in the house and upstairs. Got most of the plants covered outside. The weather wasn't that bad till about 9 pm when it really started to get cold. No moisture yet, although we could really use it.

Lost power for 45 minutes this morn. Most houses around here are all electric and if we have a power outage for very long alot of people will be in a bad way. We still have our warm cloths from when we live on the mountain, so that will help.

Carbon monoxide is a serious concern for those using wood or gas and should really consider getting a CO monitor as well as a fire alarm. Please be careful.

Hopeing everybody stays warm and safe and not too much plant loss.

Dane

This message was edited Feb 2, 2011 10:53 AM

Here's a bit to cheer you all up: I have more tomato seedlings today! I started tomatoes and peppers last Thursday and they've been in my front bedroom. The tomatoes started sprouting yesterday and I've got more tomatoes seedlings today!

This is definately getting serious. I am saying a prayer for everyone to keep safe and warm. I have food, electricity and no poor animals to worry about so I have no reason to complain. Stay warm and be careful out there.
Cheryl

Stephanie, there is hope yet. :-)

Hadn't lost power at the house as of this morning. Got to office today and it is losing power for 15 minutes at a time about every hour to hour and a half. Good thing most of the computers are on backup power supplies.

Have the bathroom door at home closed and the cabinet open. Seems to be working well on keeping those pipes running. Have a couple of kitchen bottom cabinet doors open, too. Just the ones with glassware and such, though, so the dogs cant hurt themselves on anything. Hope the laundry pipes in the garage thaw out okay.

Our power was out for about 40 minutes but is back on now.

Can regular table salt be used to melt ice?

Table salt will melt ice rather quickly because the grains are so fine, according to the Morton Salt website.

We used all our table salt on the front porch and yes it works very well.
C

You can really use anything to help you gain traction.

Melting is a safer solution if you need to walk on the area often. I wish we had salt for the roads, it would make a huge difference.
C

I poured boiling water and that is working but will sprinkle a little salt too.Thanks.

Don't forget salt water will kill plants. Better that than a broken hip, of course.

Well, I don't own a pair of shoes good for ICE !!
This is TX after all, right ?
My mother in law up in Virginia loves those: Yaktrax Walker Traction Cleats for Snow and Ice
They just snap like elastic to your shoes.
Right now they are on sale and FREE shipping here:
http://www.bestinsoles.com/Yaktrax-Walker-Traction-Cleats-for-Snow-and-Ice--Black_p_956.html

After yesterday slipping and falling down like a potato to try to put fix my hoop house ... I just place an order for me and my DH.
Even if I use them once a year they will be worth it !!

Never saw those before, chains for shoes! Wow.
C

There is sunshine here! Woohoo!

Very Interesting.

I bet a vendor in downtown Ft. Worth or out by the SuperBowl area could sell a train load of those things right now!!!

G

Glenna you are so right. Wish I had a few hundred sets, I would set up a booth LOL
C

Those shoes looks like a good idea right about now. Our garage driveway is on a slope, which was frozen solid this
afternoon when I went to clear it out in nothing but jammies, sandals, and a jacket (not a good idea, lol). Almost slipped
a few times. On the other hand, there are plenty of things to be grateful for, like school being out for three days, and the
fact that all my plants are in containers so I can move them in really quick. Also, at least we're not getting negative
temperatures like out in Lubbock and Amarillo. Hoo, boy that must be awful.
Brandon

Hey Brandon, it is good to hear from you, how are you doing?
Josephine.

Pretty good. Schoolwork's been pretty heavy, but I've started some century plants and cactus seeds, and
they're growing happily. It's fun to get up every morning to see how much they've grown during the night. :)
Brandon

Does this weather make anybody else totally exhausted?

Yes!

You bet. I'm ready for bed already.
Brandon

Enjoyed a very large number of birds on our feeders today. But even our dog is getting tired of being shut in the house and about to drive us crazy wanting to go outside. When we ignore her, she finds something in the house she's not supposed to have, like DH's gloves or socks, and brings them into the room we're in and starts shaking them at us. Anything to get attention.

G