Lost Power? Snowed or frozen in? Hunkering down waiting? (266 views)

The 50mph winds never happened here and sadly, we are warming up.
I have a small book-light (costco) and hunker by the fireplace and read when the power goes out.
Last year, I bought a butane stove--figures I haven't needed it since I got it, but that's OK.

Stay safe everyone. My BIL sent pix of snow in Georgia!

Wallycat is in Washington State, and I'm about 4 hrs south of her in Portland, Or.
Where are you Karen?
(PS: I am now officially stuck at home...they are asking folks not to drive if they don't absolutely have to.)

Here in South Texas we're having our own weird experience of "Winter". Last night was supposed to be 29 but actually got down to 21 which means about 90% of local plants died. A lot of folks in my subdivision were without water for 1/2 a day because a water line froze; many will have pricey repairs because frozen lines burst. I have water but the jury is out on whether the sprinkler system was damaged because I didn't bleed it. I saw on the local news that one house burned because the pool pump motor was in the garage and caught fire when the water lines froze. Quite a few wrecks on the icy roads. Houston houses are just not built for 21 degrees, even the new ones, and Houston drivers can't get it together on dry roads, much less wet or icy ones. I lost all my plants because there's just nothing that can survive 100+ during the summer and low 20's during the winter except desert plants and they can't handle our monsoon floods. BUT we are so blessed compared to the rest of the country! It's supposed to be 80 degrees on Thursday which is craaaaaaazy! We also set a new record in December for 4+ days over 80. That's what makes the plant damage so severe; nothing went dormant in the fall because of the hot temperatures so the tender growth is toast now.

Nothing exciting here. 3-4 inches, totally normal for this time of year in southern NH. The storm was mostly south of us. A friend south of Boston has 20 inches. It's scary when it snows in places that are not equipped to easily manage it.

Today is Wednesday, Jan 11 -- snowed in. (One foot of snow by 10am = snowed in here -- does it mean same thing where you are?? Or does life go on as usual where you are? My doc appt was cancelled, for example. One fella sat on freeway last night for 13 hours...I think I heard on news.)

catbatty, I looked at some pictures from your area. You've really been slammed! Stay warm and safe and praise the litter box
testkitchen, what a pain with the floor repair. I'm so sorry. Didn't you have a big kitchen remodel a couple of years ago when you were also "locked out of your kitchen"? That's misery if you love to cook. Hope they work fast (and still do a good job).
Eager to learn what "snowed in" means to others. Have my own comparisons from Denver - 1973 right before Christmas. Worse is if your city doesn't own snow plows: early February 2011 when North Texas was hosting the Super Bowl. But that was pretty extreme. Schools close for a lot less snow here because the precipitation stays on the roads until it melts.
By the way, we hit 78 today.

My guess would be that the pool pump had an electrical short that sparked a fire -- water can do that ppretty easily. We set our pool pump to run at nght during the winter so it keeps water moving. There are also freeze guards they install to have the equipment turn on when temps drop to freezing. You would think the garage wold have also protected the system. That's at least three layers of protection they should have had -- especially if the equipment was indoors. If mine were to start a fire, it would have brick behind it and Hardie cement board above it. Inside the garage would be much eaiser to start a fire (wood, paper, chemicals, etc.).

We did have heavy plant damage - will have to wait and see what will come back. I am actually glad a couple of things will get whacked back. I have a peach tree that is trying to figure this weather out. It had one bloom before this cold spell, has one bloom now and the rest if the tree is trying to decide what to do. The plant sales will be busy this year.

The silliest thing during that cold snap -- we still had Monarch caterpillars outside. I took pity on one that looked especially cold and exposed and brought him indoors on some cuttings in a vase. As it warmed up, I took him back outside and set the vase between some larger potted plants so he could fnd a good placce to hang and make his chrusalis. He was ready and took off. I haven't found a chrysalis yet -- they are really good at hiding. Hope he emergees whhen it is warm enough to fly south.

We are in the 70s with daytime temps now and moving up -- possibly to low 80s before it rains and cools off a bit -- but only a bit to 60s. People are joking about the three days of winter here. We are at least a month, possibly two, before we are out of danger though. Mid January to Mid February is usually our coldest period.

Thanks! Great memory, too. Yes, we did a major kitchen remodel a few years back. Granite, backsplash, & flooring; kept the cabinets (but added knobs, which were surprisingly transformative--everyone thought we had new cabinets); kept some appliances (but new sink, cooktop, vent hood). Can't wait to get back in there & actually make food instead of buying meals.

Still stuck at home here in Portland, Oregon. Supposed to be this way for a few more days. I love how bright it makes everything, even the insides of the house. So quiet, too. Husband is cooking away....he's trying to use up last years freezer tomatoes. He's making a Bittman version of tomato soup plus he just made me ww toast topped with another tomato sauce topped with melted cheese. Today must be TOMATO DAY!!! (He never cooked before I married him. Now, he is THE CHEF of the house. I'm allowed in to clean it.) Anyway, fire in the wood stove (plus we have our beloved heat pump--worth every penny)...so we are warm and cozy. I will be sorry when the snow goes away...

Kimbell Art Museum -- I have two of their cookbooks.
The Magpie -- It's wonderful. That's pretty much how it looks in Oregon. Thank you for sharing!!!
PS: Tomato day again today.