More of the same for us today. Constant power outages, more neighbors with frozen and burst pipes, and no improvement in power production. I also saw today that those of us in the worst temperature-wise are being forced to cut power more than those where the temp is 20F warmer😖
It’s almost funny. We’re like trained rats. The power comes on and each of us literally jumps up and runs to do whatever is most pressing for each knowing the power might only last for 15 minutes. We all seem to be coping a bit better today even though it is even colder inside.
ERCOT promised since yesterday energy capacity would increase today. It hasn’t. In fact it has been declining the past few hours (their data) in spite of warmer temperatures. The governor has called for emergency action but of course it is too late and will likely just be a political football.
Our dog’s constant position.
The latest from ERCOT makes it sound like added capacity today will be minimal. If the power cuts continue apace part of our house will fall into the 40s tonight. Hopefully homes completely without power will see some relief though.
Our temperature dropped below 0F outside. Power outages continue - we had 23 outages in a day. We didn’t sleep well but at least with blankets we were warm enough while in bed. In one part of our house the temp dropped 10F overnight. Some ppl have frozen pipes indoors (not us).
The forecast calls for -1F. School is canceled until Thur but another snow storm predicted to bring 4”+ mid-week I won’t be surprised if the whole week is a write-off. I rate this the worst “snow day” ever because it’s too cold to be out much and enjoy it. No snowmen in sight.
Our primitive and often sole source of heat today and it will continue tomorrow. Cell service is overloaded so virtually no connectivity when the power is out. Electric consumption in Texas is way down but production is down dramatically. We put 5 blankets on our bed so far.🤷♂️
Electric demand is outstripping supply due to record low temps here which also knocked some power plants offline. 5th outage just now. Power on for 40 minutes then off for 20 minutes. Tomorrow will be worse with temp ~0F. Can’t reply with an image so posting… @khurtwilliams
Temp of 6F, wind chill below zero. We’ve been without power 4 times in 4 hours. It is getting pretty chilly in the house since the power isn’t on enough to bring the heat up.
Tomorrow is a school holiday and Monday’s low is expected to be a record 1F (wind chill as low as -20F). I don’t think the schools will try to reopen on Tuesday with those kind of temperatures following today’s ice and snow. This is not north Texas weather.
18F but our daughter and friend are headed out for some cardboard sledding. Still waiting for the predicted heavy ❄️ 🛷
The good news is the kids are finally going to get their long-wished-for snow this weekend (it’s been nearly 10 years here). On the downside it will be dangerously cold (wind chills below 0F). Hope we can bundle up enough to get out and enjoy it. Snow ice cream maybe… ❄️⛄️
Today:
Wake up to message from district cancelling classes. Remotely disable kids’ alarms
Kids wake up within 30 minutes of normal anyway just as I walk in door with a box of donuts
Naps ensue
Laziness
Takeout for dinner
Fireplace
Son discovers Game Pigeon
This is a new scam to me. It arrived posted from Canada and was addressed to my wife’s maiden name. It looks like a new variation on the Nigerian scams.
Our daughter, now a HS junior, had a very successful YouTube channel back when she was 12/13. Then she retired. Last month she started Twitch streaming and seems to be doing well. Already has over 7K followers. Nice to see her succeed with a family friendly approach.
Got my 2nd dose of the Moderna vaccine late Tuesday afternoon. The fireman who injected me said side effects of the 2nd are more common. He had flu symptoms for 2 days afterwards. In my case I experienced that all day Wednesday but Thursday was much better. Today slightly tired.
Saw this unusual cloud formation yesterday. Meterologist says they’re just cirrus clouds but he had no idea what caused this configuration. Reminded me of the circular pattern around a hurricane eye (but weather was great!). ⛅️
Second vaccine inbound 💉
Morning sky
Zuckerberg: We help users by targeting them. We’re good guys/gals.
Facebook: We’re toxic
70% of top “civic” Facebook groups are toxic or violent, report finds - Ars Technica
Woke up to a bit of good news. Johnson & Johnson has a vaccine that only requires a single dose. It doesn’t seem as effective as Moderna but was effective in preventing severe cases and deaths. A single dose vaccine will really help getting everyone vaccinated. NBCnews.
I’m due for my 2nd Moderna shot soon but hadn’t heard anything about availability and was starting to get a bit anxious. I can relax this morning because I got an invite for next week. It feels a bit odd finishing the shots won’t change my day-to-day life re: masks etc.
Reading some recent headlines reminds me how grateful I am that our school district started in-person learning (at home option) back in September. And of course the word ‘district’ very much means the teachers and staff who have made it so successful.
We’ve had several days of cold, dreary and damp weather. That combined with Covid isolation has me feeling quite dull and listless. After a round of predicted severe thunderstorms tonight (exciting?) at least the sun will return - hopefully pulling me out of this funk.
Each morning when I drop my daughter off at the high school I pass the vaccination area set up in the stadium parking lot. I find comfort in the fact it always looks to be running smoothly and that the rate is ramping up. Green shoots.