Blah, blah, blah. There had been SO much hype about this "storm" and I must confess I got caught somewhat up in it. The thought of a snowday sounded fun; restful; needed. In the span of 24 hours, Houston had gone from 80 degrees to 35. Then it sunk lower and forecasters began predicting snow on Friday, with sleet and flurries beginning Thursday afternoon. Just like that, clients started cancelling. So I wound up with the snow day I wanted, and then some.
After spending Thursday running a few errands, working out and then settling in for the afternoon with a good book (Heave is for Real), I looked forward to the change in energy and experience actual winter weather could bring to this hot, Southern city. No luck. I awoke Friday morning earlier than I wanted to, tried to go back to sleep but was finally driven from the covers by my curiosity. What did I find? A t.v. full of reporters expounding on the "extreme weather" and treacherous conditions of Houston overpasses and bridges - and just outside my front door, a mere sixteenths of an inch of ice covering everything. That's all it took to shut this town down.
Having hoped for a really fantastical blog to post, the most amazing thing I could find to photograph was this "ice leaf" I peeled from the coated magnolia that has grown to the height of my little balcony. They just announced on the nightly news that there were over 800 accidents today. Silly Houstonians.
Go ahead. Laugh. We don't have ice scrapers in Houston. I'm not even sure you could buy one anywhere. I improvised and tried using the thing from my stove that you rest your cooking utensils in between stirrings. It didn't really work.
What did end up working was cranking the defrosters back and front. It was kinda fun to watch the bubbles race across the wire line as each filament began heating the ice above it. Fortunately, the ice wasn't very thick so it melted fairly quickly, though it still took almost 30 minutes to de-ice my car.
This was the windshield of the car next to mine. Mine was one smooth sheet of ice, but this one had two different textures. Odd. But all in all, it was a pleasant day off of work. The roads were practically bone dry, with the exception of the bridges and overpasses. Multiple businesses around town were closed, but my always faithful Starbucks was open, so I passed the end of my evening there, finishing my second book of the weekend, "The Imperfectionists".
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