A Pretty Picture

Yes I did go outside in socks, flip-flops and no jacket to take this picture.

The desert girl in me loves looking at the snow. Pretty white stuff all over the ground! It is still snowing. We are cozy. Marty is making beef stew. Polly is making homemade marshmallows. Why? I don't know. 

The ice under this snow is a bigger issue. The water freezes to the power lines, causing them to snap. Water freezes to tree limbs, causing them to snap onto power lines. Power is going down all over Bowie County. Friends have already started texting and saying they are in the dark. I'm expecting that will be the case here too by the end of the day. We have blankets and a fireplace. We're fine. 

However, my fantasy backup plan is an airbnb, six hours away in 65 degree Gulfport Mississippi, which will take pets. I'm sure there's one out there that isn't too expensive for our unemployed family. Right? 

Prepping

Don't let his cuteness fool you.
This guy likes to bolt outside at the least convenient times. 

We spent the day:

Making candles, because if the power goes out we can use the same heating method I've been using in the greenhouse to keep us moderately chilly.  

Making multiple trips to the shed, for toilet paper, paper towels, my 1950 copy of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Long Winter, inventorying the board games still out there (Nope. Plenty inside. There's a reason they are there).

Cutting down the prematurely growing iris bulbs--because I didn't think covering them would matter if it's zero degrees. 

Dithering about covering the azaleas, and deciding not to because they lasted through the 2021 freeze. 

Cleaning out the garage and bringing in the glass/plastic bottles we stored in the outside pantry. Don't need frozen Dr. Pepper Zero or cracked jars of salsa.

Making enchiladas. 

Chasing an escape artist cat who thinks he's cute and an adventurer like his namesake. 

Insulating the outdoor spigots. 

Climbing into the attic to ensure the pipes are covered.

Locating the water main and making sure it is easy to turn off if we have a burst pipe.

Having a family meeting on what to do if a pipe bursts and/or the power goes out. Polly's answer: hang out at Sherman's. The rest of us start a game of Settlers of Catan.  

Reassuring the plants in the greenhouse they will be fine--but I brought one inside anyway. 

Sealing the greenhouse roof because Marty opted to bring a space heater out there and ran the extension cord through the roof. 

Loosening the caps on the spare bottles of water we store in the garage, because if they freeze, they will expand. For those who think it is excessive to keep spare bottles of (tap) water, you haven't lived in rural Texas. My family scoffed too until we needed a few gallons. 

Cleaning the house.

Checking e-mails to discover the Church of Christ is having online service. Still no news if the Catholic Church expects their parishioners to drive through ice to show up for an hour on Sunday. 

Chatting with Val, who wanted to meet up and walk the mall. Instead, we had a long text thread and wished each other well.     

All this is to say, we are totally ill-prepared and have zero idea what to expect in the next few days. 

Oh yeah... There's another storm coming next week. 

And Away We Go

 

We are expecting weather. Lots of it. 

Five years ago, Texas had something similar and the entire state shut down. The issue wasn't the two feet of snow, but the ice forming on the trees and power lines, causing both to snap. 

Texarkana was without power for a week. Folks around here still tell the horror stories of trekking to the gas station on those icy roads (on foot mind you) to buy a convenience store burrito for dinner for lunch because the Road Runner Gas Station had a generator and was open. So one can appreciate the level of freak-out. 

Though it was 59 degrees today, Sam's Club's parking lot was filled to the brim when I drove by today. I didn't stop. Our prep took place earlier in the week--though I did fill up my car today, just in case I feel the urge to drive to Phoenix in the next 72 hours. I also bought puppy pads, just in case Luna doesn't feel like venturing into 0 degrees (minus wind chill). 

My level of prep consisted of changing next Monday's book club to the week after. I also stopped by Bob's quilt shop and borrowed his sewing machine (mine is on the fritz) just in case I feel inspired to sew. I doubt I will be, but thanks to Bob. Tomorrow I'm making enchiladas to snack on for the next couple of days. Marty is promising to make stew as well. 

To reinforce the fact we have zero idea of what we are doing, Marty and I made a list of our next "prepping" steps. Clean the house. Grab extra toilet paper stored in the shed. Make a few extra greenhouse candles. He and Buck are going into the attic to make sure the pipes are covered. We have a few board games stored in the attic or shed or somewhere and we want to find those too. Cover the strawberry patch in the garden. That kind of thing. 

Honestly, if the power goes out, we will all be curling up on the couch with a fire roaring and the greenhouse "heater," reading books, playing board games and munching on cold chicken enchiladas while fretting the probable death of the greenhouse plants. However, I'd appreciate if the power stays on. 

Heating the Greenhouse

 Growing up where I did, I had no idea greenhouses needed an additional heat source. Marty and I have enjoyed playing with the alternate ways to heat up the place. We have three 50 gallon farm tubs filled with water which act like (according to the resident nerd) a "heat battery." Whatever. The greenhouse is warmer and humid. 

But the most useful method has been using my terra cotta space heaters.   

Ugly but functional. 
Oh yes, I had just watered the plants before I took the picture.
Additionally, that brown container to the right is a farm tub.  

The gist is, put a candle under the pot, give a small space for airflow, and the pot will warm up and radiate heat. It works. The greenhouse has stayed over freezing--even last Saturday night when the outside temperatures dipped to around 20 degrees. 

There's a downside. Even used candles from Goodwill aren't cheap. The least expensive candles in town are at Hobby Lobby. After spending enough money buying candles (and eliminating most of their stock) I switched to melting down the old candles, supplementing my stash with paraffin and making my own. However, someone else must have the same idea because Hobby Lobby is now out of paraffin and wicks. 

Protip, put the candle one is making inside a pan to avoid getting wax all over the stove. 

Melting old candles and making a new candle. 

Random Texarkana--The Winter Edition

I'm not buying the -16.
But I do believe the 2 degrees. 

While at the grocery store yesterday, Marty and I watched the crazies hoard milk, eggs and bread. One woman grabbed six gallons of milk. Marveling at the quantity and not completely tuned into the weather forecast, when I asked how many children she had. She said two and Texarkana is expecting snow. 

Yes but, is she planning on selling the milk on the black market for those who are just dying to make French toast and don't feel like hauling their backsides to Walmart on Saturday when three inches of snow cover the ground? Or is she expecting this winter weather weather to paralyze the ArkLaTex area? If she thinks this is a sign of the Second Coming, I've got news for her! That milk will spoil.   

Why was I at the grocery store? I wanted broccoli for part of our dinner.  

_________________

The unemployed Sunshines have been weathering the cold overnights with a bit of creative thrift. We've added a few more blankets to the bed. We have space heaters. The heater is set for 60 degrees. We all have extra socks. I'm not interested in turning on the gas fireplace, given that will skyrocket our gas bill. 

For the greenhouse, which doesn't stay warm on on sunlight alone when it's 25 degrees, I've made a heater using candles and a terra cotta pot, I acquired because someone tossed it to the curb*. 

Candles got expensive and the freezing temperatures have lingered, so I started making my own. Sadly, I've bought up all the paraffin wax at Hobby Lobby, so I started taking the spent candles and melting those down as well. So far it's working. The greenhouse isn't toasty, but its above freezing. 

However, I doubt It will make a difference if the nights go into the single-digits. Marty and I are talking about alternate solutions, including running an extension cord and taking a space heater out there. Alternatively we could bring the plants into the house. I'm of the mind to bring the plants indoors--though the Overlords will think they have a new playground. Leon loves plants. Roosevelt loves dirt.  

*Tossing to the curb is Non-HOA/Southern speak for "free, come take this." I've done this myself on occasion.  

Beeville TX

Marty found a job post in Beeville, TX. And like all weird geographic locations, I jumped into the rabbit hole. Beeville is between San Antonio and Corpus Christi--though closer to "Corpus" (as the Texas say). It's population is about 13,000. Skidmore and Blueberry Hill (both with populations hovering around 800) round out the greater Beeville metroplex.

Though landlocked, Beeville is home to Chase Naval Field. The city also sports a college, two Dollar Generals, three Catholic churches and one hospital which seems to have a second story.  Outshining Texarkana, Beeville also has an H-E-B, which I hear is a wonderful grocery store. And let's not forget the ton of farms and ranches nearby.  

Great news! Lincoln Borglum, the Mount Rushmore sculptor and actor Scott Borland are from Beeville. On top of that, it is rumored baseball great, Nolan Ryan spent his teen summers working at a local dairy farm. I mean, who wouldn't want to spend a summer in Beeville? Right?    

Housing is deceptive. I saw beautiful Queen Anne homes with wraparound porches for sale at 1988 pricing. However, with a closer look, the homes showed a few quirks I'm just not into, such as multiple air conditioning units crammed into multiple windows. Though claw footed tubs are unusual in 2026, it's a strong indicator the home doesn't have a shower.  

"How would you feel about commuting an hour from Corpus?" I asked Marty after closing the tab for Zillow. "How would you feel about another few months of unemployment?" he countered. In truth, this is a job posting. So, this is a non-issue right now. But it's still fun to check out other places in my state.  

The Beeville Courthouse, which looks suspiciously
like it might have been the setting for Back to the Future. 

Random Texarkana Photos

Downtown in December

A wonderful Texarkana Chorale concert.
Polly is hidden behind the conductor. Sorry.

Sherman's birthday present. 

My pal, Joy, holding up her sewing creation. 

The Overlords birdwatching.
Leon: Think you can take that chickadee?
Roosey: Bro, hold my catnip. 

This would be a shameless self-plug if I had more than three blog readers.
In this case, I'm just cleaning out my pictures. 
The Stained Page, a wonderful downtown coffee shop, carries local authors.