Word of the day

My feet are freezing. I don't expect they'll thaw again til, oh, sometime next June. And that's living in Texas. I don't know if my feet ever thawed when I lived in Iowa. I first became re-acquainted with my bare feet back in 2006 when we moved back to Texas.

Any-hoo, I know it's late in the evening for such activities, but Sundays being what they are, I figure nobody really cares overmuch. Today's word is going to continue the temperature reference from yesterday.

frigiferous (adj) bringing, bearing or causing cold

Frigiferous winds blew over the desolate corn stubble.

They say we'll have 70 degree highs midweek here. Texas weather is so weird this time of year. You just never know. I mean, in Iowa, we knew. We didn't know how MUCH snow or ice or desperately cold wind, but we could count on those things nonetheless. Here? We could have six inches of snow one day and have it all melt off in balmy warmth the very next day.

I think I'll move to Fiji. I'm betting there isn't a whole lot of variability in their weather patterns...

The last warm day of the season

I think today was the last gasp of warmth before the cool, crisp stuff settles in for realz. I saw some longhorn cattle looking pretty happy and well-cared-for:

MeeeOW!

Handsome fellow on a hot-hot-hot Texas Caturday.

I have been suffering unspeakable misery today. I say "unspeakable" because I'm just not going to go into the details. It's not life-threatening, so I feel guilty for feeling so irritable and crabby, but pain that you can't get away from is just not something I deal well with. I need for this to subside NOW.

It's just fargin' hot, even for chilly-willy me. I should try to find out how many days in a row we've been over 100, except I don't really want to know. I'd just like to have an air conditioner in my van so I can GO SOMEWHERE. If I didn't have internet, I think I'd go completely mental.

A little Zen

The Fort Worth Zoo yesterday was one of the most congested, people-filled places I've ever been in. I got lots of fun pics, but I have to confess, it wasn't as much fun and relaxation as I had hoped. There were just too many people there, elbowing in and out, screaming kids, strollers... it was a mess.

So we left earlier than we wanted to, without having seen anywhere near the whole zoo, and headed over to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens.

It was kind-of busy, too, since it is Spring Break and it was a beautiful day. But in the Japanese Garden, I found one or two teeny moments of serene Zen.



I am super-tired today; I confess that I was kind-of thankful that my horseback plans had had to be shelved because they had to go deal with a cattle purchase at some sale barn somewhere. I really didn't feel much like getting out today. Couple that with the fact that our toilet wasn't flushing and I had to call a plumber, and you've got the makings of a less-than-pleasant day.

At least the plumber was a super-nice dude who took care of the issue with great speed and low expense.

I'm holding out hope that I'll feel decent tomorrow, although it won't do as much good because we're actually under a WINTER WEATHER WARNING. Yeah, you read that right. I hate winter. HATE IT. HATE IT HARD.

I guess I'm going to have to get a new driver's license. Today was the umpteenth time someone asked to see my DL for an identity verification and they look at the picture, then look at me, then look at the picture again, and I have to tell them that the picture was a hundred pounds ago. Ha!

On a completely different note, my blogmommy SarahK has announced that she and FrankJ are expecting a little one in October. This is the blog-couple for whom I played the piano at their wedding several years ago. Congratulations, you two!

A little local color

A few snow creations I saw in Denton yesterday when I went to my cardiologist appointment:

Snowboarder?

Ummm... wedding cake? It was quite nicely done, but I wasn't sure what it was supposed to be. Robot snowman, maybe? I dunno.


The Flying Tomato!!


When I stopped for milk at Braum's, the employees had put together this smiling creation atop one of the shrubs.

I love Braum's. I really, really do.

I hate snow, of course, but I still have a sense of humor and I still appreciate a good photo-op. Plus, I had my green & brown plaid Wellies on, so my feet didn't get cold OR wet. That, coupled with the moderate temperatures, made it bearable. If it had been minus ten out, you can bet I wouldn't be shutterbugging outdoors.

I bought those Wellies on 6th Avenue in NYC, about two blocks south of Central Park, because my feet were wet in the rain when I was walking to the MMA. I love those boots sooooo much... not only are they kickin' awesomely cute, but they evoke very happy memories, too.

Snow Ice Cream!

Made up a big bowl of snow ice cream tonight... Alice approves. As do Isaac and Martha. As do I, for that matter.

I used Paula Deen's recipe: 8 cups of snow, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and a teaspoon of vanilla. I can definitely recommend this... it's gooooooood.

Slow-moving White Behemoth

This giant hit of snow is predicted to sit atop us all day today.

I hate snow.

I can haz summr naow plz? Kthxbai.

Not good news

Y'all pray for my pal, BlogDog... I just found out that they're without power over where he lives in Virginia. There are lots and lots and lots of people in the same boat. A dangerous situation, that's what. I think that his area got about two feet of snow.






I worry.




The photo is from the Baltimore newspaper's web site.

To the oars!

The rain continues to come down in waves, accompanied by the occasional thunderclap (which seems odd for January, but I suppose anything's possible). It's a cold, copious rain and it isn't accompanied by the lovely rain smell that I adore so much because it's just too darn cold out. Rick took his suitcase to work with him, because they may close down the Red River bridge if it ices over, and he'll be stuck at the casino hotel. Poor baby.

In more jubilant news, I made my first Etsy sales today. Yippeeee!!! I ain't quittin' my day job yet, of course, but if I could supplement the income this way, I wouldn't be forced to go get a third job to overcome the deficit left behind by his long period of unemployment. I would so much rather make money doing something I *love* doing, like making these cards, than by flipping burgers down at the convenience store on the interstate (which I *will* do if I need to -- nothing wrong with honest employment).

Deep freeze

The low tonight here in Ballyhoo is forecast to be 9 above.

If we were still in Des Moines, I would gripe (of course) but it would be surviveable. Heck, we lived through 25 below several times. As an aside, did you know that if you take a glass of water outside when it's 25 below and toss the water into the air, it goes POOF! and becomes a clap of snow? Instantly? Well, it does. I tried it.

Anyway, 9 above isn't that big a deal, right?

Well, in Ballyhoo, it is. Our houses here are just not set up to deal with that kind of cold. For one thing, when we lived in Des Moines, we had a basement in which our plumbing pipes resided. They weren't going to freeze up. Here, though, our pipes are just coming up through a pier-and-beam foundation, out in the air. It just doesn't generally get so cold that there's a danger of them freezing.

Until they do.

We've got all the faucets dripping and all the cabinets open, in the hopes that we'll still be able to flush the toilet and take a shower tomorrow morning. The space heaters are cranked up (yes, Virginia, we have a CO detector in good working order) and the kids are all sleeping downstairs in the rooms that are warm(er).

I can gripe, of course, but I still think of my pals in Des Moines who, at this particular moment, are registering 0.5 degrees. That's a HALF A DEGREE ABOVE ZERO. You want that half a degree. It's a psychological thing.

I'm dreaming of a...

A White Christmas in Ballyhoo!

Life in a century-old house

We're going to have to shell out about six thousand bucks to get this thing leveled. Until then, though, we have doorway issues. Most of the time they don't pose a huge problem, but on windy snowy days like today, snow blows in under the back door.

And you wonder why I'm always cold? Why I turn my electric blanket on high at 7pm every night so it will be roasty-toasty when I get into bed? Why I have absolutely no desire to step more than two feet away from our space heater at any given time?

BRRR! Merry Christmas, y'all!

White stuff

Looks like we're going to have an extremely rare white Christmas here in north Texas this year.

No No No No No No No No No

Just received an e-mail from The Weather Channel:

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 4 PM CST THURSDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 4 PM CST THURSDAY.

A POWERFUL WINTER STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTH TEXAS OVERNIGHT AND INTO THURSDAY MORNING. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH AREAS OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS TRANSITIONING TO AREAS OF SNOW DURING THE MORNING HOURS ON THURSDAY. AREAS GENERALLY FROM EASTLAND TO MINERAL WELLS TO SHERMAN WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCE FOR ACCUMULATING SNOWS INTO THURSDAY AFTERNOON. WHILE GROUND TEMPERATURES MAY BE AT OR ABOVE FREEZING FOR MOST OF THE DAY...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW ACROSS THE WARNING AREA. NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WITH SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN VISIBILITY DUE TO BLOWING SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WARNING AREA...DESPITE THE LACK OF SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS. THIS WILL LEAD TO DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS ACROSS PARTS OF NORTH TEXAS.

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE WARNING AREA. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. EXTREME CAUTION IS ADVISED IF YOU MUST TRAVEL.

WTF? This is Texas, right? This does not make me happy. Although it's probably punishment for having SO enjoyed the warm balmy weather outdoors today. I shouldn't have reveled in it, should I have?

[sigh] I am just not a winter person, I suppose. Give me tropical warmth any day, and you snow people can keep your white cold death.

This is NOT at my house in Texas

This is at my BFF's house in West Des Moines, Iowa, where they just got - what? - fifteen or so inches of snow. Can somebody 'splain to me why she still has to live there? Just looking at this makes me feel miserable.

I'd head for Tahiti, but I hear they're having environmental troubles in Micronesia.

Really?

Dude and I were none too pleased yesterday morning to wake up and see this scene on our back porch deck. When I opened the back door to take the photograph, he went out into it, then promptly turned around and trotted back inside.

Hey, at least we didn't have to shovel it. That and the bitter, bitter cold were the absolute worst thing about living in Iowa. I wouldn't have minded the isolation, even in the capitol city, but the cold just oozes into the marrow of my bones. Heck, I don't tolerate the cold weather here in Texas any more willingly. There's just less of it. If I had my druthers, I'd live on some South Pacific tropical island somewhere where I never had to be COLD. I'd never be able to get a tan, being reflectively white by nature, but at least I'd be warm.

I'm just not that tough

Tonight was Football Friday Night, and a home game for Ballyhoo. Unfortunately, we're playing a highly-ranked competitor, so we are going to get our hineys handed to us... but that is okay.

The main problem for me tonight was that it was FUH-REEZING COLD. I just don't tolerate being cold anymore like I used to be able to. I managed to make it to halftime and told Isaac it was time to head home. I think he was even glad about that, though -- he was freezing, too.

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain...

We're under a flash flood watch tonight here in Cooke County, Texas. As I type, the rain is pouring down outside (and it has been pouring like this all day long). Rick found a wet wall upstairs this morning; we're hoping it's just a leak in the washing machine drain, so he's got the pipes turned off upstairs -- but it certainly won't dry out in this weather, so we may be waiting a little while. It'd be nice if we didn't have our house collapse in a sodden heap.

The kitchen ceiling is leaking, as well. I love old houses.

ZOT!!! (not!)

Schools count on lightning alarms to save lives

The Lewisville school district is trying to remove the guesswork out of when to call off a game because of approaching storms.

The board approved spending $450,000 this summer to install lightning sensors at all 66 of its campuses.

"Our board took a large initiative throughout the district to make this happen, just for student safety," said district spokeswoman Karen Permetti.

The sensors are mounted near playgrounds and stadiums. Administrators say they work and sound much like tornado sirens; when electrical activity is detected within ten miles, alarms sound and lights flash to warn people nearby.

Pfft! I wish Ballyhoo had that kinda dough lying around. Of course, we ain't anywhere near Lewisville-size. But still!

Anyhoo...

At last night's Friday Night Lights victory (yep, my boys won, 41-20, in case you didn't read my tweets), the principal spent the evening on the sidelines holding a little box which was, apparently, a lightning sensor.

As you can see below, the skies were rather ominous during the early moments of the game, but the lightning sensor never reported anything nearby. The rain never came, miraculously, and we played the whole game without delay.



The humidity was at around 600%, however, and the plague of crickets was nearly devastating to those of us in the bleachers. I'm quite certain I came home with one or two still lodged in my hair, and I will probably find a couple of dead ones in the bottom of my purse the next time I clean it out.

Oh, we'll know

When a tornado comes, we WILL know. Because this is right at the northwest corner of our backyard. When they run the occasional test, our windows rattle. Literally.

I'm glad, honestly. If there were a major weather emergency in the middle of the night, this WILL wake me up, guaranteed. Not that I have anywhere to GO, per se. But at least I'd know it was coming.