Category: Weather

Here we go…

As long as the power stays on (are you listening, ERCOT?), I think we’ll be okay.

Oh, joy… Max is usually on the money, and this doesn’t look good.

I’m not too worried about ice and such here in north Texas, because we can just hunker down at home.

What worries me is that ice storms lead to frigging power outages and those, coupled with sub-freezing temperatures are no fun at all.

Let’s see how our fabled ERCOT system handles it, but based on past performance I’m not optimistic.  (Back in 2014, we were without power for over three weeks.  At times, I didn’t think we were going to make it because the cold was that intense.)

So I’ll be bringing in the SHTF infrastructure — gas cookers, water supplies, batteries and alternative power sources, not to mention stuff like industrial-strength flashlights and so on.

If this back porch of mine goes dark, it’s most likely because of no power, i.e. no Intarwebz.  Be patient, and take care of yourselves.  And run yer taps to guard against freezing pipes because trust me, you do not want to have to deal with that, in sub-freezing temperatures.

Last time this happened to us back in 2021, we lost our apartment and most of our household goods in floods from burst pipes, and were stranded in a hotel for four months while the complex was essentially rebuilt.

Comes from living in a climate which isn’t used to this kind of temperature extreme, I guess.

But right now I sure wouldn’t mind some of that global warming stuff we’ve been threatened with.

For today:

I’ll always remember my first winter in Chicago, when one of the Chicago TV channels sent reporters out to interview the “man on the street” for their opinion.

TV reporter:  “What do you think of this weather?”

Crusty old fart Chicagoan:  “Is this a slow news day or somethin’?  It’s December in Chicago, fer chrissakes.”

Yesterday was our first actual day of fall here in north Texas, oh yes it was.  Temperatures in the low 60s, night time in the low 40s, and brisk, cold winds from the northwest… hell, I almost had to wear a light coat to the range, fer gosh sakes.  (A gilet was all that was necessary.)  From the forecast, it seems as though there’s no chance of any high temperatures popping up from now on, either.  Yippee.

And all you guys in the northern states can quit your sniggering now.  If ever I leave Texas — highly unlikely, absent a lottery win, and maybe not even then — it would be to escape the sweltering Texas summers, which are no damn joke (as much as we make jokes about them).

So the end of summer and the long-awaited fall — my favorite season, regardless of which state I’ve lived in — comes as a welcome relief.

In celebration of fall, my laptop’s wallpaper is this:

…although how I really feel is this:

Wouldn’t mind a little drizzle now and again, either.