When Texas Freezes Over

Where I live in West Texas, it’s rare to get much snow. We had our second largest snow on record back in January, but February refused to be outdone. On Valentine’s Day, Sunday, we received 14.3 inches of snow. That smashed the single day snowfall record for our town of Abilene, TX. The previous record had been a whopping 9.6 inches.

There’s a street between the tree and the house on the other side. You just can’t see it.

The snow is beautiful. Such a rare sight is a treat to enjoy around here. Yet what came after was less enjoyable. Texas is not used to such a demand for energy. So at 2:00 am on Monday morning, we lost power. Even though the day outside was calm and beautiful, we were stuck inside with no electricity. We had about two hours of power in the morning and about 45 minutes in the afternoon, but that was all. So it was time for creativity.

Taking advantage of the sunlight in the kitchen, I actually worked on my taxes for about an hour, since all I needed was paper, pencil, calculator, and my giant manila envelope of writing-related receipts. No Internet required for this organizational step.

Could have tried ice skating on the frozen pond in the backyard, but thought better of it. With no electricity to keep the water circulating, our pool froze over.

After lunch, I had enough life left in my Kindle to finish reading my e-book. I did this after pulling out an old aerobics step that I placed in the middle of the living room floor. Kindle in hand, I stepped on and off that step for about 45 minutes in an effort to get exercise while I read. It did keep me warm, which was nice, since the house had no heat.

In the evening, we lit candles and played card games in front of the fireplace where we manage to scrounge up just enough wood to keep burning for a couple hours. Who knew that the day after Valentine’s would be when I’d share a candlelit evening with my husband?

I must say that I’m thankful for thick blankets and fuzzy socks. And for a warm husband to snuggle with under the covers.

We ended up with no power or heat until Wednesday. Waking up in the wee hours of Wednesday morning to hear the heater kick on was the best sound ever! We’ve had no water since Monday either, but that should be restored soon, even though we’ll have to boil everything for a while. Losing necessities creates a vivid reminder of how much we have to be thankful for. And while I love romanticizing about life in the 1800’s, I am incredibly thankful not to be emulating that lifestyle any longer. Whew!

What creative things do you do when the power is out?