February 2021

The ice and snow have melted and temperatures have returned to normal. Yesterday was 72! Mr. M and I made it through the week with only minor inconveniences—a few downed tree limbs, a loss of power for about thirteen hours, and a need to boil our water.

Others, however, were not so fortunate, and there is a great need in Texas for help and support. Here in Austin, some people were without power for four days or more while the temperatures plummeted into the single digits. The freezing temperatures combined with lack of power broke water pipes in houses, apartments, and water mains. Over 300 million gallons of water were lost to spills causing the pressure in the lines to decrease, which is why we’re all either boiling or have no water at all.

I know times are tough all around, but if you have a few extra dollars to spare here are three places in Austin that could use your help:

• Help people: Austin Area Urban League
• Provide food: Central Texas Food Bank
• Help pets: Austin Pets Alive!

If you want to spread your donation across more of Texas, AOC is raising money for twelve charities via ActBlue.

Now I have to try to salvage the rest of February for writing. I don’t know where this month has gone, but I haven’t gotten anything done and it’s making me very anxious. I have another book due in the summer, and I was hoping to get a sekrit side project done, too, but that’s looking less likely. :(

I hope that wherever you are, you’re warm and safe!

Central Texas has been hammered with weather this week. First we had freezing rain, which weighed down trees and snapped branches.

For those of you who live farther north, our live oak trees don’t drop their leaves in the fall like normal oak trees. Instead, they keep them until spring, when the new leaves grow in, which means when it ices, there is a lot more surface area for ice to collect.

So far our live oak is holding okay, but we’ve lost two big branches from a cedar tree in the back yard and one big branch from the decorative holly-type tree by our front door. We walked around the neighborhood on Friday and it’s the same everywhere.

So we had ice, then freezing temperatures for several days, then last night, we got 4-6″ of snow. This is the second time we’ve received a decent snowfall this year, when it usually barely snows (just enough to see it falling) once every two or three years. On top of all of that, the temperature fell to single digits, which is the coldest it’s been since the 1980s.

The city has no infrastructure to deal with snow, so the plan is to stay home until it melts. Luckily, we went grocery shopping just before everything hit, so we’re good to sit tight.

But the house is a little more concerning because our houses are not designed to withstand single-digit temperatures. We’re dripping our faucets and hoping for the best, but there are going to be lots of burst pipes in town once it warms up.

It’s been so cold that we’re now having rolling brownouts because the power grid can’t keep up. So far, we still have power, but it’s only a matter of time until we’re hit. In fact, it’s been cold enough that our frost flowers are blooming. When frost weed freezes, the water in the plant is forced out in delicate ribbons of ice, almost like the layers of a croissant or cotton candy.

If you want a couple more pictures of the frost flower ice, I shared them on instagram.

Overall, we’re fine, just hunkered down and waiting for warmer weather. I hope that wherever you are, you’re also staying safe and warm!