Hard at it but the pile is not getting much smaller.
Today was another of those days when we woke up late. The beauty of that is that it really doesn’t matter unless we do happen to have something planned that requires early rising. On those days, which, by the way, are few and far between, I set the alarm clock just to be sure. The only problem with the late start is the sun is high by the time we get out for the first walk of the day and it is already a little warm, especially here in Texas. We did a short walk around the park but I could tell that Sandy wasn’t that interested and as she is the one that dictates how far and how long we walk, we returned to the RV for breakfast for them and coffee for me. We had nothing planned or anything that needed my attention so after cleaning up, I settled down in front of the computer to do my usual thing of writing in this blog.
As I glanced out of the window, I noticed an empty RV site and remembered that last evening, I watched lights around that RV. I put it down to having to drain the tanks or something similar but a little later, they drove out hauling the RV with them. I thought it strange that they left so late as it was around 10:00 pm and dark out. Usually, most RV’ers pull out in the daylight to arrive at their next site in time to set up before it does get dark but I guess these campers must have had their reasons. Don’t envy them having to set up somewhere in the dark but wish them well.
The heavy equipment is hard at work but the huge pile of dirt does not appear to be getting much smaller. At this rate, it will not be gone before I leave here. Looking around, I can’t believe how empty this park is as it really is a nice resort. Many of the campers are permanent residents or at least for an extended period of time like the lady I was speaking to in the Laundry room a couple of days ago whose husband is building something close by. During the day, most of the RV’s show no sign of life and it is not until the evening that things begin to pick up a bit. There are also a few that are parked here long term with only the occasional visits from the owners. I suppose that if you can afford it, parking the RV at a park is just as good as putting it in storage somewhere.
It was another of those lazy days which we spent working on the blog before heading out for the evening walk. This time I headed for the Dog Run and let them off their leashes and they actually did walk around and smell out what had been there before them. We finished walking around the park and back to Miss Daisy for the evening and followed our usual practice of food for us all and a glass of wine while watching Midsomer Murders, an English murder series on TV in lieu of a soccer game as I had watched all ten of last weekends games. This sure is a lazy life…
10/09/2021
Showing their pretty faces.
Another late rising day. Good job I don’t have anything that I need to worry about that is affected by the clock as we have no plans for today. I have looked up a couple of Parks that are nearby that we will try out next week. No need to go when the park may be crowded as today is Saturday. This morning, we did our usual walk around the park and only saw one other dog taking it’s owner out for her walk. Probably because we were late reporting for duty, I mean walk. The dogs didn’t care just happy to be out and about and smelling all of the wonderful overnight aromas. I received word that the pool was opening today at noon time. I might wander over to take a look but won’t go swimming. Not really my thing. Not that I have an aversion to water, it’s just not my sport. Besides, you get your hair wet…Actually, that is not quite true as I toyed with the idea of buying a canoe to add to our entertainment but the more I thought about, I realized that I do have a fear of open water So that idea went out of the window.
I looked on line for the next campground just in case I have trouble in locating one with room for my RV. After all, winter is coming on and the snowbirds will soon be heading South. I went back to RV Trip Planner and picked one out and called them to make a reservation. It is named Rock’n E RV Park and is located in a place called Coldspring, about a 100 mile trip. We will leave here the morning of the 18th of this month. Again, I have booked for a week and if it works out, we probably can extend our stay.
I went to the office as they had texted me that I have a package, probably supplements that I ordered online. They had been forwarded on from my mail service, PostNet at my request and only took a couple of days. Pretty good service. I also stopped by the new pool to take a look as it had just opened earlier today. A couple of the residents were using it and it looks very nice and will be even better when they finish the bar which adjoins the pool, unfortunately not by the time I leave. Not sure I am missing anything pool wise as most of the female residents are pretty overweight as are a couple of the men who live here that I have seen. The park is pretty empty and quiet through the week with not too many people out and about. Most of them are probably at work.
The rest of the day was spent in tidying up Miss Daisy, trying to make it look a little less crowded and jumbled. Of course, all I really did was move the mess into the cupboards and out of sight. I never really addressed the issue of sorting things out and putting them in appropriate places. I would have to label those places after that so I could find the stuff when I needed it as my memory is really bad. Even though the RV is small, everything seems to get lost somehow or is not where I thought it was or expected it to be. Oh well.
We finished off the day with our usual walk around the park. The heavy construction workers have a couple of days off for the weekend although others were working on the Bar. Different crew for a different project. Today being Saturday meant a whole new batch of English Premier League football to watch which is what we will do as we eat our evening meal and until we go to bed.
The new pool which has just opened and the bar still under construction.
Today was a very quiet day spent mostly in the RV except for the usual dog walks which Sandy insists that we take twice and sometimes three times a day. Today was a three timer as she sat and looked at me with her big brown eyes which I tried to ignore. She was very insistent and if I happen to catch her glance, it involves an immediate tail wagging and a pleading look that says, “Come on Dad, it’s time to go”. We approached the street on one of these walks only to be accosted by three little “killer” Chihuahuas that live in the house down the road and according to the Park Super, are always running loose. Apart from a lot of noise from both sets of dogs, no harm occurred and I turned and went back into the RV Park instead. Turns out that there are actually five of those noisy little dogs as we found in a later walk.
I spent a part of the day researching our next stop and finally came up with Texana Park and Campground in a place called Edna here in Texas. It’s a little under a hundred mile trip and we have booked a two week stay. More on that later. I have decided that wherever possible, I am going to find campgrounds that have a lake or river and lots of trails in the future as I am not too interested in towns and cities other than for shopping needs. It’s amazing how much time it takes doing this research and then after locating a place of interest, there is always the possibility that it does not have any vacancies. When this happens, it’s back to the drawing board.
I have several programs that find campsites and work out a route. The one I am currently using is called RV Trip Wizard. What I do is to figure out what direction to go and then see what campgrounds are along the way. I am very flexible. The comments and write ups are what I use to see if the camp site is worth my time and that the place has full hook ups including sewer. I’m too old and picky to “rough it”.
Day 9
Today was pretty much like the rest so far, getting up late, walking the dogs, eating breakfast and reading the mail. I usually spend time tidying up the RV before settling down perusing the computer for the latest world and local news and following up on items that interest me.
Later in the afternoon, I decided to drive into Portland just for the hell of it and because I needed a Starbucks Latte feeling that I was missing something from my used to be, normal routine. Portland is about 20 miles away and a pretty straight shot according to the map but for some reason, the car mapping system was taking me all over the place and I had to rely on my phone which is not the best and a little dangerous. However, we made it safely and I rewarded myself with a venti sized Latte to make up for all of those I had missed these past couple of weeks. I also located a ginormous Walmart’s and did some grocery shopping before heading back to the RV. Funnily enough, the car mapping system worked fine on the way home. Must be like a horse, reluctant to walk away but always eager to get back to the stable.
Arriving back at the campgrounds, I was met by two very excited little dogs who helped me unload the groceries and put them away before we went out on our last walk of the day.
The countryside is so different here, very flat, not a lot of trees and somewhat depressing. So far, I still haven’t located a beach or come to that, not got very close to the Gulf. Although the campsite is clean and well taken care of, there are no places to walk so I have learned a lot as regards what to look for in the future. Our exercise consists of walking around the campground due to the lack of trails.
Day 10
Another late rising day not because of being lazy but because I am sleeping well and only waking for the call of nature. I somewhat reluctantly crawled out, showered, put on clean clothes and was ready to face whatever today would bring. It started in it’s usual way by taking the dogs for their first walk of the day and along the way, we ran into Andy, the Park Super so we stopped to chat. Turns out he is into Amateur Dramatics and they have their opening show this Saturday putting on their version of M.A.S.H. I wished him luck as we went on our way returning to the RV for a late breakfast. He had been putting out welcome signs as he had for us when we arrived and it looks like we have new tenants on their way in. If this park had more shade and and trails, I would stay longer but unfortunately, it has neither.
The rest of the day was spent in the usual way, writing, walking the dogs, feeding us all, watching TV in the evening and then bed for a long peaceful sleep. Incidentally, it is too hot and humid to spend much time outdoors.
Rockport RV Park
Day 11
The new tenants have arrived and are directly opposite me. They look to be old hands at this camping thing as they very quickly parked and levelled their rig and unloaded their truck with other stuff. They do not appear to have any pets unless it is a cat which is one less worry for us when we go walking. I have to say that this park is laid out very spaciously with a lot of room between campsites. I don’t feel crowded at all here and there is no one on either side of me.
I decided to go back into Rockport to do more shopping this time to Walmart’s as I needed a SanDisk for one of my gadgets having lost the other one somewhere. While there, I stocked up on a few other things. This Walmart is huge and for the first time, I saw trucks parked in the lot on overnight stays, something I had read about but not witnessed. Compared to this Walmart, the ones in Austin are no more than large stores. Like I said, this one is ginormous.
I have chatted to a few of the neighbors but most of the time, people are off doing their own thing and you don’t get to see very many of them unless they are driving by or walking their dogs or maybe using the pool or laundry rooms. Many are full timers and have jobs that take them away on a regular basis. That is why so many people enjoy this life as they are able to live it their way. One couple I talked to expressed concern that I was leaving so soon as they considered me to be a good neighbor. Go figure.
Most of my days are spent in front of the computer either writing or following up on things. Walking the dogs takes up at least an hour or more every day. Yesterday, I worked on the pop out screen to the map system in the RV as it had quit working and managed to at least get it to pop out and work again. Now I need to work on the maps so it will work and not make me rely on my phone which although a good system, is a little more dangerous as the screen is so small.
I stopped and chatted to one of the neighbors, Cary I believe and she was asking about my accent. She has a Boxer that is just a big old baby and he and Sandy got along just fine, Mikey of course, not so much. He is a funny little dog as he does not want to make friends with anybody, dogs or humans. Maybe he was ill treated in the past. Either that or he is just plain possessive and doesn’t want to share me with another strange dog in case they join our household.
Day 12
I watched my new neighbor as he worked on his small boat directly across from me. No idea what he is trying to do and not nosey enough to find out. Quite obviously, they are here for a while, probably “Snowbirds” from up North wintering out in the warmer climes. After he finished with the boat, he set up some permanent wooden steps into his unit. They are pretty big and I have no idea where he carried them or come to that, I didn’t see the boat when they came in either. Maybe he triple towed and unhooked it when he came in so that he could set up.
Today it is cloudy and we have had some rain. Makes a change from the constant sun and heat as the temperature has dropped by several degrees. We need to time our afternoon walk or chance a soaking. I spent more time working on the Radio/Map System with not much success. The radio works but the map, not at all so it looks like we will be relying on the phone to show us the way. Dang thing is too small.
We only have two more days here as we leave on the 15th to our new site in Edna, Texas. So tomorrow will be laundry day and the day after will be packing inside the RV. The final thing before pulling out will be to empty the tanks, disconnect the hoses and finally the power chord which is the first thing upon arriving and the last thing prior to driving out.
I have not been watching the weather forecast and all of a sudden, my phone squawked with an Emergency message declaring that there is a possibility of a tropical storm with bad weather with high winds and a possible storm surge as high as 3ft. I sat there for a while considering what to do but it was too late in the day to make anything happen today. Depending on what happens overnight will decide what we do tomorrow.
The Beauty of Nature
Day 13
Another late rising day not by just being lazy although that does have a lot to do with it but it rained very hard in the night, enough to wake me up but as there was no imminent threat, I quickly dropped back off to sleep and used it as an excuse to not get up very early. It was raining very lightly when we went out for our morning walk but the dogs didn’t care and dragged me out anyway. There was a large Setter roaming free that I recognized from down the street. He was a big old friendly guy and just wanted to play so we directed our walk back towards his RV where his owner came out and he deserted us for her. Short lived friendship.
We continued on with our walk and checked on the comings and goings before returning back to our RV for a late breakfast. Then a check of the weather map to see what was happening with the storm. It is still out there but has not yet made landfall. We need to keep our eyes on it to see what may develop. This is a strange little town with a lot of RV parks a couple of which are no longer operating. There are a lot of very nice houses and then right next door, a junked up yard and house which detracts from the neighborhood. I don’t understand how those places are not made to clean up their yards and property.
I received a call from the next campground that I had called yesterday with a view of leaving here a couple of days earlier based on the weather. I chatted for a bit and decided to wait and see as my reserved spot at the next campground is ready and waiting for us even if we come in a day early.
The rest of the day was spent on important things like doing the laundry which takes about two hours altogether. The laundry room is always in need of a sweep out which I do when I am there but the machines are clean and cheap at $1.50 a load each to wash and dry. Today was bedclothes day which I don’t mind laundering but hate remaking the bed. I think I may have finally worked out a system as it went very smoothly with everything working the first time and no bottom fitted sheet coming unsprung and actually staying in place. The problem is that I can’t get to the top of the bed very easily due to the nature of the RV setup. This will be the last time I use this laundry facility as tomorrow is our last day here.
I spent the rest of the evening feeding dogs and then myself and watching the English Premier League on the television.
Different sort of vegetation
Day 14
Last day at this park.
We started off in our usual fashion of dog walks and breakfast followed by catching up with the news and latest events. The hurricane has moved up the coast and did not present us with any problems apart from a few wind gusts. It didn’t even rain to talk of. We will be following it as we drive to our next stop but hopefully it will have gone way beyond where we plan on staying.
Today was a very quiet day as I had nothing planned except to put away a few things ready for tomorrows trip. I can’t do much in that direction until we are ready to actually move as we still need to eat both this evening and tomorrow morning and then it will only be a case of storing any moveable objects. Last move, some loose things fell off the counter top and managed to get behind the big slide out which of course, I didn’t find out until I discovered damage to the woodwork by the refrigerator when I operated the slide. Nothing too serious but still annoying. I played around with the Truck radio in the hope of using it instead of my phone but to no avail. I even worked on my tablet but could not get that to project the route either. I can’t believe that Ford stuck such a useless piece of radio/view screen in an RV which is made to travel around. My Jeep has a far nicer unit that actually displays and talks out loud giving me turn by turn directions. For a $100,000 plus price ticket on the RV, scrimping on a $200.00 radio/map system does not make a lot of sense.
I took a few pictures of the campground for this post just after Andy, the Super stopped by to offer me a couple more nights if I needed it. I respectfully declined hoping to move on to a place that has some trails that the dogs and I can hike. The new place at Texana Park in Edna appears to have a couple of miles of trails. We’ll see. This park here at Rockport is a very nice winter stop over for those wanting to get away from the snow and cold up North as those just moving in already know.
As the title suggests, these last few days have been very hectic with such a lot going on. About a week ago, BJ met me at the house to help me move the fish around to the other ponds and at the same time, she rescued a few to replace some of her own that had recently died. We lowered the water to as low as the pump that I had would take it due to the lack of outlet hose which was about 9 inches left in the pond. I caught as many of the fish that I could and BJ moved them to the other ponds keeping the ones that she liked for herself. It was hot down in the pond and I had on a pair of waders and the sweat poured off me. We got to the point that I couldn’t catch anymore fish because they were in hiding and decided to call it a day. BJ took her fish home and I went back to Henly totally soaked with the sweat I had lost. On the way home, I even changed my usual Latte for some iced concoction which although tasting very good, didn’t last too long I was that thirsty.
The next day I went back and put in about 18 inches of water before deciding that there was not much more that I can do and I have no idea where that pond managed to lose 30,000 gallons of water. You would think losing that amount it would be obvious but I never did discover where it leaked.. What is so frustrating is that as I kept adding water this last time, the level stayed constant with no loss to indicate where the leak may be. As it turns out, that is probably the very last time that I will be concerned with the leaks or the ponds and fish unless the new owner asks for my help although I know that there is still one more large water bill that I will need to pay.
A day later, my Realtor called me to say we had a date and time to finalize the sale of the house which was for the very next day. I spent the morning calling the Utility and Electric Companies to cancel their services to the house for the next day and also called my Insurance company to tell them the same thing. Hard to believe that I will not be getting Utility bills in the future at least not directly. We do pay for electricity and water separately at this park.
I got so engrossed in my work that I almost forgot the time and left it late to get to the signing. To make it worse, the traffic was the worst I have ever seen it which added to my tardiness and I eventually arrived at the signing 30 minutes late and in a bad mood to boot. They had gone ahead without me and the buyer had already done her part before I and my agent sat down with the Broker. I wished that I had been able to meet the buyer if only to say hello and to offer any help she may need with the ponds but I guess it was not to be. Maybe fate’s way of letting me know that I need to let go. Thirty minutes and many questions and even more signatures later, we were all through and I was no longer the owner of 10104 Murmuring Creek after 36 years. This was probably the first signing that did not cost me money. In truth, I do not feel sad having already decided that it was the best thing to do and anyway, I have a new adventure which will take me to far off places.
Financially, I did very well and have already paid off all of my debts including the Eagle Two and the Jeep with enough left to see me for the rest of my days. I have lots of memories both good and bad. I feel sad that I have left behind so many pets buried in the yard but I have their memories to live with. The house was good to me as were the ponds and the fish but they too have joined the endless procession that has made up my life. Now, we are in what will probably be the last phase and are looking forward to a whole new set of adventures. I will remain here at the Henly RV park until the end of this month August, travel for September, October and November and come back here to the same park to winter out before heading up North next year.
Henly before the snowstorm showing some ice build up.
Winter in Central Texas is usually an enjoyable thing considering the season. In fact, a lot of RV’ers choose to spend winter here because it is so mild but this year, 2021, it has been the hardest in living history. Normally, for us, a couple of freezing nights and occasionally a dusting of snow and then the following day, back up in the 60° area and that is it. This is generally followed by an early spring just to get us started for the year. This year however, things have been different, very, very different. We had a very mild fall and early part of the winter until a couple of weeks back, we had about 3 inches of snow that fell with the temperature above freezing. It didn’t last very long and was gone a couple of days later. That by itself was not normal but we said to ourselves,”This is Texas, expect the unexpected”.
Now, two weeks down the road, we get hit by a deep freeze that has lasted for several days followed by a 6-7 inch overnight snowfall. The snow stayed on the ground because of the very low below freezing temperatures both day and night. One night the thermometer dipping below zero. For us, this is totally unheard of and definitely one for the record books. As you can imagine, everything came to a stop including a lot of traffic as most Texans are not used to or equipped for driving under snow and icy conditions. The sensible ones stayed home by the warmth of their central heating and fireplaces trying to wait it out, me included although I still went walking in the afternoon mainly at the insistence of the little girl, Sandy. The little boy dog Mikey, not so much but he came along in case he was missing out on something. I tried my fireplace but managed to fill the house up with smoke as something seems to be blocking the chimney. Probably a squirrels nest. I will check it out when it warms up. Couldn’t happen at a worse time.
To make matters worse, many people were without electricity as Texas went into rolling blackouts that were put into place to redistribute the energy in a more even fashion. This also meant in many cases, that residencies were also without heat. As the freezing weather lingered on, indoor plumbing was affected as pipes froze which put them out of water with many suffering from plumbing leaks. Many more leaks will be discovered when the pipes thaw and normal water supply is resumed. Any plumbers out there should be prepared for a rush for their services. The State even issued a plea for residents to conserve water as the system was in dire straits of imminent failure because of the demand. Seems reminiscent of the first announcement of Covid and the rush on toilet paper as this time around, a lot of people filled bathtubs and containers. For those living in an apartment or a neighborhood where the houses have no backyards or were on top of one another, being without water also meant that the toilets no longer flushed. For us country folk, that was not so much of a problem as we could always use the great outdoors. A little chilly perhaps but needs must. A lot of people have taken shelter elsewhere with relatives and friends or even at the local hotels, many of which quickly filled up and eventually, also suffered from the same lack of electricity and water.
The roads are a mess with still some snow remaining in places and icy patches in others. As the snow thaws, ice forms under the top layer of snow making for both treacherous driving and walking. I noticed a lot more vehicles today as the roads began to thaw most of them driving real slow. A lot were equipped with 4 wheel drive which really helps. My truck is so equipped but unfortunately for me, it is in the shop getting worked on. The timing couldn’t be worse and the loaner that I have is no match for these driving conditions. I don’t really want to chance it anyway. I can remember sliding sideways, very slowly down a hill when I lived in New York State before ending up in a deep snowbank with my stepson imploring me to “Straighten up the station waggon because he was scared”. We waited there in the cold with the car heater running to keep us warm until the tow truck arrived to pull us out. This was before cell phones and I had to sit and wait for the next car to come by to get them to make the call for me when they reached a phone. Those were the good old days…
Tomorrow, after more than a week of this weather, it is supposed to warm up through the day but still be below freezing at night for at least a couple more nights and then, hopefully, back to normal temperatures for Texas for this time of the year which should put us in the 50°-60° range. With the snow and cold weather gone, it will be cleanup time of the many branches that have fallen because of the weight of the ice and are laying around my yard. So far, none have fallen on the roof or the house itself.
That will still leave us with the questions that remain to be answered such as why did both the electric and water grids collapse under these extreme conditions. One answer of course is that this is an abnormality, something that has not been seen before in most people’s lifetime. Because we are geared for the summer when the temperatures rise above 100° and AC’s are running full blast which is what we expect, most major maintenance work on these systems is performed in the winter resulting in a lot of equipment being offline. That plus the demand for power outstripping the supply will also bear looking into.
When this first started and the roads were still driveable, I managed to get over to Henly to check on the Eagle, my RV and change out the gas tank. After the storm, I also was able to get the Park Super to change it out a couple of days later but since then, the Park has run out of propane with delivery dates unknown at this time. I can’t wait for the roads to become driveable so that I can check on her. Hopefully, with the water tanks and plumbing drained, there will not be any problems. I suppose in some respects, I should be grateful that I was not living in the RV as it would have been really cold and difficult with no way to stay warm or cook food or worse yet, make coffee. I do have a couple of space heaters which I could really use in the house but of course, they are in Henly.
In either case and whatever the reasons, this will be a winter to remember and it is not over yet as we still have at least a month before our expectations of what we consider a normal Spring to be realized. Is this a forewarning of Global Warming? Many will suggest that it is with worse to come down the road. If this is true, then there is an awful lot of preparation for future winters that needs to happen here in the great State of Texas.
The view just outside of Henly of the icy conditions
I disembarked from the Queen Mary on her final voyage from England, landing in New York Harbor on March 13, 1967. That was 54 years ago. My family and I were met by my Mother and one of her neighbors who she had somehow coerced into making that 400 mile round trip from Fort Plain, NY to New York City. He had a big Ford Station Wagon, which incidentally, was the biggest car I had ever seen. It had enough room for himself, my Mother, my family consisting of myself and my wife and four kids ranging in age from 4 to 12 plus Melody, the English Cocker Spaniel we had brought over with us AND all of our luggage including a couple of large trunks that went on the roof. I would imagine that as an extra incentive, she probably paid him for his services.
We headed up the Thruway arriving in Fort Plain late in the evening and I remember looking in wonderment as the very large semi trailers towing another trailer, rushed by us, I had never seen anything that big on the road before and here it was commonplace. I quickly got used to it in the following weekes. That night, we had 13 inches of very wet snow. Like the tractor trailers, I had never seen 13 inches of snow before all at one time. Sure we had snow in the South of England where I lived but never usually much more than 2-3 inches at a time. I honestly wondered just what we had let ourselves in for.
I stayed in New York State for 10 years with it’s cold, snowy and generally miserable winters when circumstances including a divorce, another marriage and a job change brought me to the great State of Texas where I have resided in the Austin area for these past 44 years. That does not make me an expert on any subject neither do I claim to be a Texan but it does entitle me to elaborate my views on the Texas weather as now, I have 44 years of experiencing it. The one constant in Texas weather is that it gets bloody hot in the summer, Every summer. Not just the occasional one but every summer. It’s the one thing that can be relied on is that there will be an unknown number of 100 degree days. The record so far is 90 days at 100 degrees in 2011 but with the climate changing as it is, that could easily be broken in the next few years. Weatherwise, the Summer season will probably soon start around the May 1 and end somewhere around the end of October instead of starting June 20th and ending on Sep 22 as it currently defined. Hopefully, not.
Now, we have another weather extreme at this present time. here in Austin. Three weeks ago, following what had been a very mild winter, we had a very large (for us), snowfall of 3 inches or more. Follow the link to the blog I wrote about it here. It didn’t stay around for very long as there was not any cold or frosty weather to go along with it and was gone with no visible signs in 2 days. Except that is, for broken tree limbs and others things in need of trimming and clearing up. Now, 2 weeks later, we are in the grip of an icy spell for these past few days with temperatures forecast to plummet down as low as 10° Fahrenheit tonight and zero to 1° tomorrow and slowly maintaining the sub zero weather through the next couple of days. It will remain that way until Friday when it will finally get above freezing at night. The daytime temperatures will stay below freezing through Wednesday when it is forecast to slowly start to get to what we consider normal for the time of year. In our case 50’s and 60’s during the day. A little over a week ago, the temperature was up to 80 plus degrees.
We have had the occasional ice storm and freezing weather in the past but never for it to remain at or below freezing for more than a week and never for it to freeze all day as well. This is so unusual and out of the norm and coupled with the snowstorm of a couple of weeks prior, that we can only contribute it to climate change as man slowly destroys his own planet. Like I said, I moved from New York State, where this sort of weather is not a bit unusual, to get away from it. I remember going skiing once in the evening only to walk all the way back down the mountain carrying my ski’s over my shoulder as the windchill was something like 50° below freezing. I still got frostbitten ears even with all the gear on, facemask and all.
Icy trees on Murmuring Creek
All of the brave flowers and plants that started their spring cycle will all be cut down by the frost and the survivors will have to start over. The fish in the ponds will survive as long as the pumps and aerators continue to function keeping the ponds ice free. It will mean that everything in the garden will need cutting back to clean it up. Wonder if I will be in the mood to do that or will I wimp out, again and give it to my garden contractor to do?
I hate cold weather and now as I grow older, have trouble staying out in 100 degree weather for too long. You just can’t please some people. When I moved from England, one reason that finally decided us was that it was always raining and I mean, always. Then I moved from New York State to get away from the winters where it was very cold and snowy. Now this. Where can I can move to next?
And now, as I look out of the window, it is starting to snow. What a hell of a winter and I mean that quite literally. On top of that Sandy, the little girl dog is mad at me because I would not take them walking this afternoon. I tried to explain to her that the roads are icy and I don’t want to slip and fall down but she doesn’t get it. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.
I am completing this the following day as that snow that started last evening kept on all night and we ended up with 5-6 inches of the white stuff. What is worse is that the daytime temperature is not scheduled to rise much above 20° and then drop again overnight to 2° by the morning. Tomorrow is not going to be much better as the thermometer will stay around the same as today and won’t start to warm until the end of the week. This also means that we are stuck with the white stuff for a few days. I hope that the roads get cleared although this part of Texas probably doesn’t have snow moving equipment as it is not the norm for us. I really need to get to Henly and check on the Eagle, my RV and probably change out the gas bottle. For me, this snow couldn’t come at a worse time.
This is a pano of the back yard. Very similar to the one 2 weeks ago except there is a lot more snow.
Just when we thought we had seen it all when the snowflakes started to fall leaving us wondering along the way three inches on the ground it lay and didn’t last for very long within a day it was all gone and we were glad to see it go as here in Texas we don’t like snow.
If things were following the usual norm our winter would end with that storm and here we are two weeks along to sing another winters song this time not snow but ice and sleet making it slippery under our feet forecast to last for several days changing our thinking in so many ways as now all of our plans have changed as winter plays its sneaky games.
I watched as the birds looked for food and to my feeders in a multitude they swarmed and squabled in their search alas the feeders on which they perched were empty of seed to fill their need as I watched them searching for the seed I put on my jacket and out I did go to brave the winters ice and snow and fill the feeders so they could eat and fight the cold that they would beat Nature playing her usual games for reasons why she cannot explain.
This time around the weather forecast says that this winter storm will last at least for a week or possibly more as no one knows what’s really in store as this is Texas and everyone knows that even though the cold wind blows and it might even turn to snow or continue freezing rain as we know bringing more of just the same of this horrible freezing rain it could also be a sunny day as all of this weather goes away.
And really the truth is it won’t be long before we sing a different song as the temperature rises bit by bit and Nature changes to make things fit into her schedule and Spring will be here and bring with it a lot of good cheer with sunny weather and making things grow and we will forget we ever had snow and back to what we consider our norm with the sun shining bright a new season is born.
Walking around my garden yesterday on February 4, I found the following flowers showing their pretty brave faces. I guess they don’t know that it is technically still winter even here in Texas. Actually, it’s not too surprising as yesterday’s temperature was around 84 degrees. Not bad for the time of the year. It can change just as quick as next week, the forecast is for it to drop to freezing for a few days. Texas weather…
