Winter Storm 2022: Still Here

We’ve had the first burst of sun (about half an hour ago) and though clouds covered again within a minute, they were thinner.  I see occasional streaks of blue as they blow past.   We’re fine (but gee whillikers is it cold outside with the wind…!)  It’s up around 20F now, but if the sun does come all the way out it should warm to 31, they say.   Several inches of white stuff on the ground, and ice thick enough it doesn’t immediately crack under horse hooves, but will if they rear, buck, run…some.  We still have good soup in the pot, plenty of eggs, milk, bread.  Since power hasn’t failed since that one outage yesterday, city water is still on, too.  So given that we’re not real fond of icy wind, we’re basically AOK.   Horses are eating, drinking, pooping, peeing…and playing now and then.

Aand…thirty minutes later, sky is mostly blue, sun is brilliant, snow /ice on the ground blindingly white.   R-‘s trying to scrape the ice off the kitchen step so we can use that door safely (short way to the barn).  It we can get it dry (and some of the stuff is sublimating)  it’ll be very handy to have that door accessible.

And almost an hour later, much more blue, but still with the icy wind.  R- hopes to be able to take M- back to the city today (M- wants to get back to his apartment & computer) so we’re watching reported road conditions carefully.  TXDOT’s page they want people to look at for road conditions hasn’t been updated since after noon yesterday.  Boo hiss, but since other things are going well, not a LOUD boo-hiss.  City TV station has a better, more current map, but doesn’t deal with most city streets, only the highways and a few major streets.

But anyway, this was a smaller storm than last year’s, and much easier to deal with.  So far, she says cautiously.  Predictions aren’t always accurate.  It’s supposed to be just as cold tonight, above freezing tomorrow (part of the day), again really cold Saturday night, higher on Sunday, freezing Sunday night…but not pipe-busting temp then, IIRC.  We will of course keep checking.

12 thoughts on “Winter Storm 2022: Still Here

  1. Every finger crossed for you all, that it continues to be manageable and that your power grid stays working. Over here, I keep watching the monthly outlook from the Met Office, in hopes that we don’t get one of the ultra-cold late spells caused by the polar vortex over Russia spilling southwards. So far, in N Kent, England, it hasn’t been too much for my bees/hives to cope with but then we’re only 300 metres from the sea. Can’t wait for Spring!

  2. Up here in the Midcities of DFW, we’ve had a lot of bright sun and the streets are free of ice wherever the sunshine could reach. Right now looking out of a west-facing patio door, there’s a series of fast drips almost like little waterfalls as this side of the roof melts, with tiny icicles trying to form. It’ll be a race to see if the snow and ice on the roof all melts before the temperature drops back below 32. Right now it’s very pretty as the sun descends; it’ll be behind the neighbor’s two-story house in another hour. Nothing I haven’t seen before, but rare enough to enjoy it, especially since it’s so short-lived.

    1. What difference a hundred & fifty miles or so makes! (Or you could be 200…depends WHICH Midcities of DFW.) West and north gets you colder in winter and dryer in summer.

  3. Hi – at least you have power and water and lots of soup. We had freezing rain and very cold temps up here in New Hampshire.

    Everyone stay safe and sane.

    Technical note for Ms. Moon – I have changed my e-mail address.

  4. Hi – at least you have power and water and lots of soup. We had freezing rain and very cold temps up here in New Hampshire.

    Everyone stay safe and sane.

    Technical note for Ms. Moon – I have changed my e-mail address.

    1. Jonathan–hope if had freezing rain and very cold temp, you also had lots of soup…or stew…or whatever you like that sticks to the ribs and keeps you in the “warmblooded” group.

  5. Hi – at least you have power and water and lots of soup. We had freezing rain and very cold temps up here in New Hampshire.

    Everyone stay safe and sane.

    Technical note for Ms. Moon – I have changed my e-mail address.

  6. Hi – at least you have power and water and lots of soup. We had freezing rain and very cold temps up here in New Hampshire.

    Everyone stay safe and sane.

    Technical note for Ms. Moon – I have changed my e-mail address.

  7. Glad you are ok despite the storm.

    We have had drizzle and wind all day which is miserable, but easily lived with. P. managed to take Jake down to the field* without slipping on the treacherous muddy path, the first time in a week. It is a steep slope, the path from our back gate is across the slope, but there are patches that get muddy in autumn and stay muddy until late spring. And of course once they have been slipped on they are all too easy to slip on again.

    * The field does not belong to us, but every planning application for it has been refused, mainly on grounds of inaequate access. It is bounded by the canal on the east, a railway line on the south, us and the other houses in our row on the west and some houses along with a single lane access to a single lane road on the north. The council understandably feel the single lane access to the single lane road is inadequate, and the only alternative would be building a road across the slope to the south west corner which would be very expensive. So it remains undeveloped and unmanaged, but enjoyed by all sorts of local people and wildlife including us.

    1. In this case I think it will stay undeveloped, the access really is difficult, plus it’s a pretty soggy site. It certainly is good for wildlife, the local badger sett has an outlying mini sett in the bramble patch on the bank beyond where our path goes down. They come into the garden, though I do wish they’d learn they don’t like potatoes, every year a few are dug up, tasted and left. It may be that they are looking for slugs, but the potatoes seem otherwise undamaged so I’m not convinced that is the reason they dig them up. Partly because of the badgers the site has Local Site of Importance to Nature status, not enough in itself to stop development, but another hurdle for the owners to overcome.

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