The predicted ice storm actually happened this time complete with freezing rain, sleet and ice fog. The Dallas Fort Worth metroplex has been iced in. I haven't checked in with weatherman, Pete Delkus, today but he has not worn his suit coat since Thursday afternoon....at least not on the air. He never took off those cufflinks and rolled up his sleeves so the weather emergency, while dangerous, was apparently not life threatening.
The highways were iced over and many motorists who did not listen to the warnings were trapped in their cars on I35 between Fort Worth and just north of Denton. Rumor has it that many of these drivers were Oklahoma fans trying to get to the OU/OSU game. (People....a football game is just not that important!) The temperatures that night were in the 20's. Your average Texan is just not prepared for that. The Texas Department of Transportation is asking everyone to stay off the roads until sometime on Monday. Of course, all local school districts were closed on Friday and we are wondering about Monday.
My Facebook feed is full of photos and videos of my friends, their children and grandchildren playing on the ice....riding down the local hills in laundry baskets, playing hockey on the streets, sliding down icy driveways on pieces of cardboard. They are definitely making memories and I am wishing that our boys were home and little again. We actually have a real sled and saucer sleds but they are in storage and it is not worth the trip to go to get them. But being the excellent dad that my DH is, he would have gone to dig them out if the kids had been younger and wanted them.
So what did DH and I do during our self-enforced imprisonment? I sewed (no big surprise there) and he got caught up on the DVR'ed shows that I don't care to watch. (Boardwalk Empire.....yuck!) We cooked and we were both glad that I had made that run to WalMart on Wednesday or Thursday for the essentials of life. But now I know that I misjudged the essentials....bread, chocolate milk, chicken, soup ingredients made the list but I forgot eggs, hamburger, semolina flour and parmesan cheese. This would have been the perfect time to bake some cookies and make the Christmas ravs but I honestly did not think this weather crisis would happen. My bad! The Christmas tree is up and decorated and the house is as festive as it will get...downsizing some this year.
The sun is out this afternoon and the temps are above freezing for the first time in over 3 days. (Yes, I know my northern friends, 3 days is no big deal to you but this is Texas! They don't know how to deal with it. Cowboy boots are for fashion, not function!) DH has scrapped off the driveway. I have my fingers crossed that we might venture out to get some dinner tonight.
The temps will fall again tonight and that will cause all of the melting runoffs to refreeze. And since there are no such things as snowplows in Texas, the streets will just ice over again. DH's district is made up of many smaller towns and they bus in lots of students. I don't think he will have school tomorrow but he is optimistic. AT son's district will probably have school. DIL will most likely return to work too as I do not expect FWISD to cancel classes. TMPG will be back at daycare.
No matter what the weather conditions are tomorrow...I AM GOING OUT! Yes, we need eggs and provisions for the week's menus (maybe some more beer) but more importantly, I am in the middle of big applique project and I don't have the right colors in threads! Let's get those priorities in order! Clear the way to JoAnn's....I'm coming in!
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