Snow Angels In Texas

The sun is now brightly shining. When the light hits the dripping icicles a certain way it creates a beautiful rainbow of colors. Now that my days of boiling water are behind me I can rejoice in Snow Angels In Texas.

Snow Angels In Texas

I think most of the country is aware that Texas was in deep trouble last week. As this website also serves as a somewhat personal online journal for me I wanted to share a few images and stories that I encountered living here in Dallas/Fort Worth. 

The snow began falling on late Saturday. On Sunday morning, February 14th, I filmed myself shoveling the walk while wearing Victorian clothing HERE. My Valentine was all too happy to hold the camera while I demonstrated my skills. 

The snowfall would continue all night. We left an exterior wall bathroom tap dripping both upstairs and downstairs in an attempt to bypass frozen pumps. 

I awoke early Monday morning to capture a few peaceful images. 

You couldn’t even tell that I had shoveled the walk.

Delight in White 

The snowfall created a true winter wonderland scene at Storybook Cottage. 

Having lived in freezing climates before I have a good collection of cold winter gear. I booted up to venture out around our home and neighborhood. 

It’s hard to believe that just a few days before I had been sharing my spring blooms on Instagram.

All of the daffodil stems had recently sprouted up. But they now lay flattened by the snow. 

I took a few more minutes in the single-digit temperature to enjoy the beauty that the glistening snow created on the garden statuary. 

Then it was time to set to work once again. I shoveled off our walkway as well as cleaning and filling the various bird feeders. 

Stacks of firewood were moved to a drier location.

I then ventured out to check on a few neighbors. 

I cleared a single walk path as I made my way around our horseshoe-shaped street.

A few of our neighbors are silver seniors or battling illness. We cleared their walks. This easy way to help others was shared on Instagram. 

I also wrote a post containing helpful hints.

Rescue

By Monday afternoon the University that Sweet Guy attends had been without power for a while. The campus had shut down on Sunday. He had a few granola bars, a bit of popcorn, and some applesauce in his dorm that he had been subsiding on. He said if he paced himself it would last through Wednesday. Another storm was expected and I was beside myself with worry for the lack of heat and water. I will always be eternally grateful to his girlfriend’s father for rescuing the kids in his 4 wheel drive. #mikethesuperhero

Trying to calm myself while anxiously waiting I took a long, cleansing bath and left the water in the tub. I knew it could be used to flush toilets if necessary. It was necessary. 

A few hours later our town’s water tanks were empty. Due to failing power no water could be pumped in from other facilities. 

I was so thankful that I had filled numerous glass and metal containers with water. Store shelves had been laid bare of supplies. 

Struggle For Many

In an effort to conserve intermittent power we unplugged anything that wasn’t necessary. The thermostat was set to 60. It does no good to crank it to 98 degrees. It only assists in crashing a struggling power grid system. Curtains and blinds were closed and drafts were covered with towels. We dressed in layers. 

While this may seem like common sense tactics there were many people who were just unaware of how these simple steps can help. If you have never lived in a cold climate and your home is not built to withstand such weather it is easy to understand why a lack of knowledge contributed to the problem. 

I believe in giving grace to those not educated in dealing with such a situation and helping as much as you can. 

However, it was not just the people who were struggling but animals and insects too. 

Our neighbor Benny has a lovely Winnie the Pooh-inspired beehive living in her front yard tree. Many of the bees did not make it and sadly dotted the snow. 

Accentuate The Positive

For the most part, my focus was trying to stay positive and helping those who needed it however I could.

I will say I was deeply saddened by the many unkind or unhelpful postings of false information that served no purpose other than to scare people who were already stressed out. (Generally, they were posted by people NOT living in Texas or obviously those that had plenty of electrical power and time on their hands.)

Inciting fear and pointing fingers does no good for people in the midst of a crisis. During this time we must clasp hands for warmth and work together to be helpful. 

Look For The Helpers

I will leave you with the warmth of WONDERFUL stories of those who followed Mr. Rogers’s golden rule and decided to be helpers.

The retired vet who had a 4 wheel drive and drove medical personal to work at no charge because yes, we are still dealing with a pandemic of epic proportions. 

Restaurants who cooked all their thawing food and delivered it free of charge to those stranded and the many who were forced to leave their homes and seek shelter in warming stations. 

We are thankful that the storm is behind us and Texas has begun to thaw. 

I tried to restock our fresh groceries this morning but found the shelves still bare at two grocery stores. I returned home feeling blessed that our pantry of canned goods is still quite full. 

There are still some people without power or clean water. So now is not the time to complain about small irritations. 

For many, it will now be weeks and months of repair for broken pipes and more. 

If you wish, here is how you can help:

A Snow Filled Smile

I celebrated the end of the storm and a somewhat return to normal by making a snow angel. Hover over the image to view. 

Stay warm y’all!

Laura