MORE random stuff about your day

[Six String]

Power is out in Austin as far as the eye can see. Ice and freezing rain and total dark. Back to bed with the cats!

Hope everything is back to normal by now. Brrrr.

[souphound]

They were showing videos of mayhem on Texas roads on the news here. It's terrible when you have those conditions and seemingly no vehicles are quipped with Winter tires (why on earth would they be, in Texas?). Awful stuff.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

We got power back an hour or two ago. Which I make to be about 56 hours without power. Trees down everywhere. Totally nuts.
And it was barely freezing for 36 hours or so. But ice is heavy.

[souphound]

Glad to hear you have power back.

[pcqgod]

Wow, that's crazy. Apparently the cold blast we got up here pushed the ice storm stuff down to the south, so we're just cold but otherwise okay.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

It wasn't actually super cold. Just barely freezing. By the time the cold air got down here, it was just a very thin edge of it with much warmer, wetter air from the gulf over the top of it. Which explains the freezing rain. Not good for power lines, trees, and houses near either.

[Limpin' Jez McKenzie]

Time to move to the north of England.

[Minnie the Minx]

Time to move to the north of England.

You or us?

[Minnie the Minx]

It certainly feels tone deaf to be posting about the ice storm given the circumstances currently playing out all over the universe, but this was a harrowing event. The complete silence in the absence of power punctuated with the snapping in half of trees at random was horrifying. That whole thing of nature collapsing in on itself. It didn't matter what time of day it was, they kept snapping and falling - big trees, little trees, old trees, young trees. Some lost just their bendiest limbs, other, older trees, were pulled up BY THE ROOTS - taking whole yards with them. It is no exaggeration to say that every single street in Austin has been affected. Lying awake at night hearing a CRACK BANG and wondering which tree it is, as there was no power to generate light to look. Every time the power people tried to mend something, a tree would fall on their efforts and they had to start again. Our neighbours but one had their trees trimmed out front just a few weeks ago. Now the whole tree is spread out like an open hand in the front yard while they slowly take a chainsaw to each of the fingers.

[Six String]

So sad to hear of the loss of trees. Even our violent wind storms don’t sound as devastating. The press estimated we lost a thousand trees d7ring the storms earlier this month but we have a shot ton of trees in the city so it doesn’t sound as bas but still….

On a happier note we have adopted a cat. His name is Go-Han. I hope I’m spelling his name correctly. He was our neighbor’s cat, one of four. They were evicted ( long story) and pretty awful people but they left him behind and the owner of the house is having to refurbish the house and long story short he is going to be absent for a few weeks while the floors are pulled up and replaced so he wasn’t going to be around to feed the cat. We couldn’t let him starve or fend for himself so we decided to adopt him. He’s not fixed so that needs to be taken care of so we have to acquire his trust to put him in a carrier. Turns out he’s a love bug that loves our attention. Not sure of his toilet skills and don’t want him spraying in the house so he’s essentially an outdoor cat for us at this point. We are loving having him around (me more than Rebecca). I’ve been bundling up and sitting out on the deck with my cuppa in the morning and lounging with him in the afternoon in the afternoon on the same deck. We haven’t had a cat in over ten years so I’m over the moon. I built him a cave to sleep in at night with an old wool blanket so he’s happy.

[souphound]

That is so very cool. Thanks for the smile on my face.

[Minnie the Minx]

Yay Les! Cats are the best.

[Six String]

Yay Les! Cats are the best.

Indeed!

[Six String]

That is so very cool. Thanks for the smile on my face.

I think we have competing smiles.

[Six String]

Last night I sat in on drums at a jazz jam I frequent at a local tap house. First time playing jazz in public in at least fifteen years. The band (keyboard, bass, violin and congas) called three tunes that are standards I’ve heard thousands of times (Afro Blue, Song For My Father and Nardis) so not too difficult but I was still a bit nervous, especially on Nardis. Glad to get over that hump. I made a New Year’s resolution to do this so glad to get that out of the way. Next time should be less nerve wracking.

[Limpin' Jez McKenzie]

Time to move to the north of England.

You or us?

You are the ones who live in a place that gets as hot as hell but freezes over.

[Six String]

Gohan has become quite comfortable in his new surroundings and he’s a spoiled little bugger too. It is wonderful having a cat in my life again. He’s scheduled for his “alteration” surgery next week. Not looking forward to putting him in the carrier and hearing him cry all the way to the vet’s office but it needs to be done. I hope he forgives me.

[Limpin' Jez McKenzie]

I have a new job!

[Charlie O.]

I have a new job!

Belated congrats!

[BARON CORNY DOG]

Congrats, pp!