February 14, 2021. Central Texas is experiencing a much-colder-than-usual February. Hasn’t been icy cold like this since 1989! It’s impossible to console the cats and the Labrador: They want to be outdoors frisking around … well, until they’ve been out there for a very few minutes. Restless myself, I tried to take our dog for a walk around noon, knowing sleet and snow were coming but not realizing sidewalks were already slick in places. It was a short walk. Came back and settled into writing this poem and then collaging icy images to capture the out-there essence: frozen (Look close and you’ll see St. Francis sporting a chin icicle.)
stepsandpauses 
Good poem.
Glad you went back in. It is TOO COLD out there.
Your cats are lucky. I wish I could bring Inky & Truffles in. I think they’re sleeping under the deck next door, which is undoubtedly better than anything I can arrange for them here. I hope the neighbors whose deck it is like cats. I haven’t really met them (they came mid-coronavirus). Stay warm!
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Thank you – stay warm at your house, too! Gary is anxious about temperatures on our back porch “greenhouse” – if we must, we’ll open a window from house onto porch – for now we’ve added a 2nd space heater and all’s well … but when we drop to the predicted 5 degrees, will that suffice?
Likely Inky & Truffles are tucked in snugly, their feline instincts in command. Brie keeps wanting to go out, some inner feral calling perhaps? She does not want to be out there alone, however, and when we came in she does too. Sketch has hidden under the covers all day.
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“limitations / discomforts” – That fresh air will come, with time.
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Ken, thanks for being confirming – my inner optimist keeps telling me the same.
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Remember my dog’s excitement when it snowed. He just loved everything about it and so do I till I remember that falling down is not fun. Great poem and pictures!
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Elke, glad you enjoyed this. I don’t have that much accumulated experience with weather this formidable, so it definitely gets my attention. And the Labrador’s! We’re supposed to get snow tomorrow, and if so we will bundle up and let her out to play in it – in the yard where a slip won’t slap me down on pavement or sidewalk, just frozen ground … within crawling distance of the warm house.
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Yes, snow can be a bit softer. We got quite a bit of snow this weekend and I dared to get my toboggan from my childhood out of storage and had as much fun as when I was a kid. But I noticed I am certainly more out of shape for pulling it back up the hill. 🙂
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I can relate to all of this Jazz! My poor dogs do not like wading through the snow just to go to the bathroom, let alone play. I am feeling cooped up, but dare not go out at all today after a slip and fall yesterday (on icy grass on way to put out seed and warm water for birds!). Was so happy the sun came out and we got up to 27 degrees today!
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It’s astounding how little it takes for me to lose my balance! I gingerly poked about in the yard to take a few pics today but mostly have stayed indoors. Gary’s keeping feeders filled, but water is an issue. Taking out warm water is a good idea, though hazardous. We’ll try that tomorrow.
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The icy bit is the worst. Can’t believe how chilly it is there – the collage shows it well. Now you know why we snowbirds like to fly south. Hope it warms up soon.
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Got worse after I posted … 6 inches of snow on top of ice and now an inch or so of sleet on top of that … crusty crunch getting out to garbage bin today! Luckier than most of Austin (I’m out of COA electric scope here on NW edge – this area was not even part of Austin when I bought my house in 1986) I DO have electricity & heat. But as of today, no water. Somewhere some pump has lost its electricity …
Speaking of snowbirds, I’ve had fun window-watching birds coping with snow … Gary’s been putting out feed and we’ve had quite a feathery show. Every berry on our yaupon vanished in less than 30 minutes when a hoard of cedar waxwings arrived. We’re warmer today but still hovering at freezing. Anticipating something like normal by Friday (weather-wise – not so confidant about utilities!)
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Marvelous pictures and poetry, Jazz! And good to see you still posting. I’m very concerned for everyone in Texas and we send hopes and purrs for the best! Oddly enough we saw a flock of cedar waxwings yesterday too.
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Leah, thank you. You can probably appreciate one of our biggest annoyances with having no running water … our calico is conditioned to think she is entitled to drink from the bathroom sink faucet … on demand. She is quite focal. Demands have not ceased, she refuses to accept this undue punishment! We stroke her and explain, explain, explain but she’s having none of that … she wants her dripping water, and nothing else suffices.
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This season does tend to freeze our pace doesn’t it? It is hard to believe those shots were from Texas. Hope your water is restored soon. So glad you have heat. I hope pets and people can all stay warm – and hydrated.
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LuAnne, Thanks – because scenes like those above are so unusual here, I could not resist going out to take pics … and having not taken a fall doing that I felt courageous enough to venture out with Buttercup, but she has a tugging habit that combines with slippery patches could result in crunching more than snow and ice … had to turn back and spend my time poeting and collaging. Good activities for shut-in times.
(We now have elec & water – but our hot water heater bit the dust and won’t come back on; new one coming “within a week”. The really good news is the warm, sunny weather outdoors – finally!
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When it snows, it blizzards. BTW, love the word ‘poeting’
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I hope conditions have improved a bit. It’s strange that it was colder there than here in NJ–but it’s snowing right now.
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Merril, thank you – conditions got worse after I wrote this with many Texans losing power and water for several days – but now are mostly back to normal. We’re still waiting for a functional hot water heater (and long hot showers) but that’ll come soon. Many lessons learned through this experience – most parts of the country PREPARE for winter storms – hoping Texas powers-that-be make some major investments before this hits us again – regardless, we-the-people will be stockpiling drinking water and propane heaters to improve the camping-out-at-home experience.
Footnote: After the ice we had 6 inches of snow – beautiful!
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“Pace frozen – reflection settling.” So relatable. Although I am not frozen in I am still not traveling because of COVID.
I feel terrible for all of you in Texas and elsewhere who have lost power and water. What a crazy, tough time to get through. Glad to hear that you are getting through it.
Take good care.
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Ali, thanks for your good vibes. We’re campers … so we camped in the house, essentially. We did not lose power but did lose water. My daughter joined us here as she had neither power nor water. Synchronicity poked her head up – on a lark I ordered a down vest (thick thing!) a couple of months ago – for camping trips. We kept the thermostat low to reduce power usage … and my vest kept me warm.
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Glad you were somewhat prepared as campers. I am going through my emergency supplies again. Glad to have camping stove, tent etc. They keep saying the big earthquake will happen someday.
That’s why we will keep writing poetry, to savor the beauty in life each day.
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Fabulous pictures and amazing message giving poetry. The poem helps the world to know about cold places circumstances and how people are dealing with in their everyday life
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