Beds

Lots of construction takes place here. 
Side note: this might be on my next book cover.

 One of the amazing ministries the Church of Christ does is making beds for foster care. The man who started this years earlier has managed to expand it to East Texas and parts of Arkansas. 

Last year, I asked for donations for my birthday from the lunch bunch crowd for this ministry. Part of me did it for selfish reasons. I don't need more tea towels and lotion--two staples of Southern gift-giving. But the ministry always needs pillows, sheets and Home Depot gift cards. I'm pleased to say, this started a trend of donating to charity in lieu of Lunch Bunch birthday celebrations.  

Additionally, there is a group of women who get together about once a month and make these beds from raw materials. I've been known to brandish an electric drill and sander on a few occasions in a warehouse across town--come to think of it, I'm probably the youngest woman there. A group of men install these heavy wooden beds in their intended locations. 

But yesterday, the ladies were asked to install five bunkbeds (which is ten beds, stacked) into a domestic violence shelter. There were eight of us and we managed to get this done in three hours. The first few beds weren't heavy. One person could manage a foot piece or a railing. By the end of the day, it took three of us to move a twin mattress. And my arms are so tired today--but not sore. 

We weren't able to take pictures because of the nature of our mission. (I didn't have my phone with me, and I couldn't convince Ruthie to do it on my behalf, that's okay. She has boundaries and she's definitely a rule follower.) You'll just have to take my word for it. It was impressive site to see these beds fully put together--mattress and all. 

In other news, Marty has an interview tomorrow. A first interview--which is more like a speed date and doesn't have any significance at this time. However, I thought about his interview as we constructed these beds. I love living purposefully. But I kept thinking throughout the afternoon, would this be another probably last moment here in Texarkana.  

This is not a picture from the domestic shelter.
Just a photo of the beds we constructed in the past. 

Texarkana Crime

 On the ole Facebook this morning. 

A Few NIce Days

View from the front door Monday morning. 

We are sorta thawing. At least during daylight hours. Every night the ice and snow melts and refreezes, humbling us further. The mail hasn't run in days, nor has the trash. Schools and churches are still closed. Grocery stores are open, but the Interstate isn't navigable, so the grocery stores aren't restocked. The greenhouse is warm, but the door is jammed closed by an ice drift which refuses to budge. So the thirsty plants will remain thirsty but warm. That kind of thawing. 

Yesterday, we de-iced a couple of cars, just to make sure we could open the doors. Frozen car doors are a a thing! Then, the young adults, one who loudly proclaimed hours earlier she was "sick" of being stuck inside with us, took a drive in search of somewhere their parents weren't. 

Today we de-iced the cars again--it freezes overnight--and Marty and I took a quick drive to assess the neighborhood. We have friends in their 80s and I'd been a bit concerned about them because according to the outage maps, they were hit. They are fine and they had power. 

We are told another cold front is coming through this weekend. However, this one doesn't have precipitation, so it won't add to the ice layer, but the current ice won't melt either. Right now my walking stick when I venture into the yard is a heavy iron bar Marty bought 27 years ago to break up the caliche in the yard of our first house. The bar is taller than me and I look ridiculous, but I'm not breaking a bone, navigating to check on the greenhouse or corral Roosevelt--who still runs through our legs, zooming outside. Other than returning Bob's sewing machine--I didn't use it--I don't really need to go anywhere anyway. Plus, I have two young adults who are aching to run errands if we decide we need groceries. 

In other news, Marty announced he will not be looking for a job in Michigan. 

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.