Texas Winter

We all had our fill of cabin fever last winter in RVA — two major snows and lots of very cold days. I was never so happy to see spring! When we found out we were moving to Texas, we assumed we'd be putting our cold days in the past. And the numbers seemed to back us up. According to the Weather Channel, the average February high in FW is 60.4. Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday we got outside and enjoyed temperatures well into the 70s with trips to the zoo, park, botanic gardens and Stockyards. We're a far cry from that today. Temperatures plummeted, and Tuesday we got an ice storm that shut down the metroplex. We haven't seen temps above freezing since Monday. And today we got snow on top of the ice. Some spots around DFW have gotten more than 6 inches so far. It actually took us all by surprise. We're used to weather systems moving around Richmond, barely missing us each time they're predicted. But around here there are no mountains to set systems off track. Next time we'll be better prepared.

I know what you're thinking: Six inches isn't a lot. But when you consider North Texas hasn't used a snow plow in 15 years — they in fact had to borrow some from surrounding areas — nor does it use salt on the roads, it's a hot mess around here. Plus, the snow fell on top of ice that never melted, especially on the dozens of highway flyovers. Schools have been closed since Tuesday, and we've even had rolling blackouts. And it looks like the state's reaction is not impressing those who are in town for the Super Bowl, including these folks from ESPN.

So we've been passing the time inside. Unfortunately, that has meant watching more TV than is usually allowed in this house. Tim telecommuted Wednesday, but because of his upcoming trip he had to go into the office yesterday and today. We all went out yesterday for a quick trip to the grocery store. Can't wait until we can get out and burn off some of this built up energy!

The saying around here is "If you don't like the weather in Texas, wait a day," and we've found that to be mostly true except for this week. Luckily, it's going to be 40-something tomorrow and Sunday, so hopefully some of this mess will melt in time for the big game. Sadly, though, there's more snow and cold temps on the way next week — just in time for Tim's business trip to Missouri.