Hell - er, Texas - Has Frozen Over

by Belle

This is the view from our deck this morning. Over 48 hours of below-freezing temperatures here in Austin, with plenty of ice, sleet and even some snow. And Winter Storm 2007 is not over yet!

We lost power about 10:30 last night, so I went to bed early (I usually turn in around midnight). I stayed warm snuggled under the covers, only to be startled out of semi-wakefulness when the security system alarm whoooooped briefly, signaling that power had been restored - after an eight-hour outage. The cat, who had draped herself across my neck and was purring as loud as a NASCAR engine, leapt straight in the air and bolted under the bed.

It was a brisk 56 degrees inside our house. Brrrrrr!

My mom, who is 82 years old, had also lost power, so I tried calling her as soon as I got up. No answer. We made coffee, tried calling Mom again. No answer.

My sister and I discussed whether we should be worried, and I finally decided I would dress as warmly as I could and try to skate/slide over the ice and get next door to check on the old coot. She probably just had the volume turned down on her cell phone and didn't hear it - but hey, she's old and although she's in pretty good health, she does have ashthma. And we're "good girls," so we felt obligated to perform a parental check.

Fortunately, before I braved the weather I thought to check e-mail. Sure enough, there was a current message from my mother, addressed to our extended family, who are prolific e-mailers. For your enjoyment I have copied the first part of Mother's e-mail below:

Subject: Be prepared to laugh

Tho it wasn't a laughing matter last night. At  10:30 I was in bed reading and the electricity went off. That means the light out in the tree went off too. Usually I can find my way in the dark but this was PITCH dark so I was going to find my way to the living room and get my cell phone and call the kids. [note: that's me and my sister; we're middle-aged but still known as "the kids" or "the girls"]

But--I found myself in the closet and the phone was ringing. I could see the little light on the phone but by the time I got to it I accidentally unplugged it. So I finally got out of the room and thought I was in the bathroom but I was in the closet in the front bedroom. By this time I was praying and finally I found the door and the next thing I knew I found the chair in the living room and since Tom and Sharon [neighbors across the street; they're on a different transformer and usually have power when we don't] had left their porch light on I saw a tiny glimmer and made my way to the breakfast table where my cell phone and flashlight were.

I called the kids and they had no electricity and had already called the city. By this time it was so cold in here that I put on my jeans over my clothes. I also put on my sweater and I found my crocheted cap and put that on. Got back in bed and finally went to sleep. Woke up at 3:30 and got more blankets on the bed. Never did go back to sleep but finally at 6:30 the elec. is on and I have my furnace going But---it is 56 degrees in the house.

Well, now you know that I come by my craziness, as well as my love of writing, naturally. When things thaw enough that I can trudge next door through the slush, I think I'm gonna have to help my mother start her own blog.

Comments

[Connie M Reece]

That is the way it happened. But I wish I could have taken a picture of me in all my "regalia". It was hard going to the bathroom and have 4 or 5 layers to deal with. But I am a survivor.

There is an old song called
"Everything Happens To Me."
I make a date for golf and you can bet your life it rains, I try to give a party and the guy upstairs complains. I guess I'll go thru life just catching colds and missing planes--cause everything happens to me!

[Belle]

Guess I'm gonna have to get you a digital camera for your birthday!