FROZEN IN TEXAS

What just happened? When it comes to TX weather, be careful what you wish for! The record-breaking temps of as low as -2 degrees were recorded in our area at DFW airport during the week of Feb 14, 2021. The lowest outdoor temp we noted at our house, in Grand Prairie, TX, was a chilling 1 degree. With power out and no heat to warm the house, the indoor temps ranged between 46-51 degrees. We were in no way prepared for the challenges that came with the ice storm and freezing temps that plagued our area. The snowfall that blanketed the ground, streets and houses was just beautiful and delighted kids with outdoor sledding opportunities yet created safety issues for others. There was a huge 133 car pileup on the overpass
in the Ft. Worth area that caused the deaths of at least 6 people. The snow, although pretty and plentiful, was dry and loose so making a snowman was a bit of a challenge.

I recognize that many of our family members across TX were dealing with many of the same issues and worse and that we were more fortunate than some. We lost power and heat for 58 hours which left us with no way to cook food or heat water at our house. I slept under 6 heavy blankets for 2 nights straight before the power was restored. The warmest place in our house was the guest bathroom where we kept 16 candles going, which helped to warm the room up to 60 degrees. It became my retreat to pop in for a
bit to warm up my body. We made frequent trips to the car to warm up and charge our phones. Gary braved the hazardous roads and drove 5 hours round trip to secure a generator to try to warm the house, but in the end, it did not work. We used an indoor kerosene heater for a brief period to warm up the family room until the fumes became an issue. Our sweet fur babies, Mango and Tucker, helped give us warmth when they snuggled with us on the couch or in bed.

Much like many of our friends, family and neighbors, our daily challenges were heading out each morning on snowy and icy streets to forage for food and hot beverages, where available. Sure, we had cheese and crackers and basic staples on which to survive but we craved something hot to fill our bellies and warm our bodies. Since power was down across most of the cities in the DFW area
there were very few eating establishments open and only drive-through service was offered, for which we were thankful. I recall waiting in the drive-through line for up to an hour for burgers and fries! For several days finding grocery stores open was hit and miss, as many did not have power. If open, their shelves were very limited on stock and people were lined up in long lines waiting to get into the store. For many days, after power was restored, grocery shelves were still pretty wiped out because people had to replace the food that was tossed out because it had gone bad in the refrigerator and freezer. We had so much for which to be thankful and that we survived it all without major issues.

What a difference a week makes! Before we knew it, we were enjoying temps in the 70's and 80's the following week! We were thawed out with no evidence of a blizzard and we were back to wearing short sleeves and flip flops and enjoying opening the doors and windows of the house to take in the fresh air and sunshine! Only in TX!