It’s been a few months since I’ve updated this blog. So I’m just gonna do a summary here. Life has been 4 months of extremes – disruptions, endurance, recovery, and the same old mind-numbing quarantine madness.
The most significant event, though, was the BIG FREEZE in February. It rarely ever snows in Houston. Hardly ever drops below 32 degrees (although, once in awhile it actually does). But on February 10th, the temps drops into the teens and 20’s and stayed there for days. Even worse, the electricity went off. So no more heat.
The house got super cold that night. Temperatures inside the house bottomed out at 38 degrees. We were all freezing and huddled up under layers of blankets and clothing.
Then no water. Pipes were frozen. Holly and Ivy escaped to Jane’s house and ended up staying 2 nights. Meanwhile, I stayed behind with Jose to take care of the animals.
Fortunately, the electricity came back on, and temperatures rose slightly above freezing for the afternoon. So it was a little more comfortable. However – SPLOOOSH! The main water pipe outside of the house burst wide open. Jose and I spent all day fixing it. Not fun.
Within an couple of hours, though, of getting water into the house, ANOTHER pipe burst and water began pouring down through the fixtures in the bathroom! So we fixed that leak (very difficult). Then another pipe burst! And another! Altogether, 6 pipes had frozen and burst. Eventually, I discovered the spill above the bathroom was bad enough to damage the ceiling. I was 2 rooms away when I heard a big WHUMP…. and went to go see what that noise was… and sure enough, the bathroom ceiling had fallen in.
In attic above bathroom First water came dribbling through Then a cave in Then we tear it our and replace entire ceiling
Pipes and ceiling weren’t the only casualties of the Big Freeze. Several of our plants died. Both the orange tree and Meyer lemon tree bit the dust. The big fig tree in the front yard also never recovered. The giant plantain tree in the back yard was totally massacred. Our neighbor’s avocado tree which dropped delicious fruit over into our yard each year also didn’t survive.
Our big beautiful bougainvillea… Is no more. 🙁 Giant plantain tree…. was utterly massacred Goodbye Orange bush Goodbye delicious Meyer Lemon tree . Oh, you will be missed!
Well, life moved on. Other stuff that has occurred since then….
Late one night I was awakened by a huge WHOOOMP and then SMASH! It was a car that had went airborne over the railroad tracks and then smashed into a fence and telephone pole on the other side of the street. This was just half-a-block away from us. The driver survived and escaped before police arrived. Someone picked him (or her) up and sped away…. leaving the car and disaster there for someone else to deal with! I don’t know the final result, but here is the aftermath the next day….
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Got the Vax! Not that I’m thrilled about it. I’m definitely among the skeptics of the ‘science’ (fiction?) behind it all. But thanks, Trump, for making this happen. I must say, the whole process seemed creepily dystopian… waiting in line, mindlessly herded along like cattle to a slaughter…. put on a train to be taken to showers…. But I got the shot, and then quickly began to feel sick. I continued to have mild flu-like symptoms for the next 48 hours. Not fun.
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Our chicken supply has gradually dwindled over the past couple of years. Some have died naturally. Or maybe because of heat. Others have disappeared… presumably eaten by something (not us!). We went from 29 down to about 19. So, Holly decided to go get a new batch of chicks.
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