Wednesday February 2, 2011

I live in Texas.  We usually don't have much of a winter, except last year we got an actual foot of snow. 

Last night was the coldest it's been here in 15 years.  It got down to 10F.  With a windchill of minus 12.  And our power went out this morning.  Oncor (the electricity provider) is having rolling blackouts to keep the grid from overloading.  The bad thing for us is our greenhouse is heated with two portable electric oil heaters.  When the power went out, it got down to 28 in the greenhouse.  My husband also worried about the pool pump (we have to keep it running so it doesn't freeze).  We were lucky.  Our power only stayed out about 30 minutes.  I have a friend who has been without power for 3 hours.  She says it's 54 in her house and dropping.

The roads here are like sheet ice.  Every single school district in the metroplex has cancelled school for the second day in a row.  Though my husband went to work, I'm home with a fire in the fireplace.

Yesterday I made brownies and home made bread.  Not good for the diet, I know, but frigid temps equal baking in my brain.  I wanted to make chili or stew but we're still eating that leftover turkey from this weekend.  Though I am thinking of making some turkey enchiladas.  Yumm.

I drank two cups of cocoa, with miniature marshmallows.  Also not good for the calories (though this was lower fat cocoa, 80 calories per cup).  I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  But then, I love cold weather and snow.  Ice, not so much, but I take what I can get.

This morning I trudged out into the wintry weather and filled the squirrel feeder and the bird feeders.  We have some spectacular cardinals and blue jays and mourning doves that hang out in our backyard. 

Yesterday was lovely.  I totally enjoyed the unexpected day off at home.  I did some pre-plotting on my next Pack book for Nocturne, outlining some scenes I wanted to write.  I even started writing one.  I plan to do more of that today, while trying not to scarf down all the brownies.  And I definitely see some more cocoa in my forecast!