Something always leads to worry

Our daughter and her family live in Texas. If you have been following the news then I don’t need to say more.

The recent winter storms have caused all sorts of problems. The electricity that most of us never think about was no longer an invisible, but reliable convenience. The unusual cold crept into our daughter’s wellhouse and froze the pump. Turning on a tap, running the dishwasher and most bathroom activities reminded them that they no longer had running water. Luckily, the neighbor across the street let them use their shower.

The local home improvement stores quickly ran out of replacement parts. I haven’t yet received the call telling me that everything is back up and running. As usual, when one part breaks it throws the whole system off. If one of Beth's family had been a plumber, they could have made a fortune, even if they slashed their prices.

The highways are treacherous. The first real snow or ice is always a challenge. Either people drive like little old ladies, prompting other people to whip around the slow pokes while yelling at the offending driver, and using rude hand gestures, or they drive like usual and inevitably crash.

When I last talked to Beth, she wasn’t sure if she had to spend the night at work or not. It wouldn’t have been the first time she stayed overnight at the hospital because of bad weather.

One of her step-sisters and her baby spent a week with them. She was babysitting the young ones while Beth and her hubby went to work.

Grandson Jacob and the other kids enjoyed the rare snow and ice. The trampoline was covered in snow and provided a different experience than when it was warm and dry.

They pelted each other with snow. It didn’t look like the kind of snow suited for making snowballs. The snow made clouds around the kids instead of striking them. This was a good thing as they were throwing as hard as they could.

They did have a fireplace so they weren’t entirely without heat. The electric finally came back on but nobody was sure how reliable it would be.

When it came time for bed, they rolled out a sleeping bag and lots of blankets. All the kids slept together and on top of each other. They would have slept in a heap even if they had a huge bed to sleep in. And, no, the baby didn’t sleep with the rest of the kids.

We have been told that climate change means not just that the earth is getting warmer but that weather may go to extremes. I think this winter is making up for the mild winters we have had recently.

My Texas family isn’t prepared for a few days of Mother Nature reminding us that she is a powerful force to be reckoned with. Maybe I should include plastic plumbing pieces such as connectors and elbows in the next care package.

The adults are exhausting themselves trying to fix things that they don’t know how to repair. The young ones are grateful they have the day off. Eventually our lives will return to normal even though normal will be different than we are used to.

The recent frigid temperatures have pointed out the places in our homes that need attention. We may need to protect pipes from freezing, or add insulation to keep ourselves from freezing.

Our weather predictor has said that the temperatures should begin increasing for the next few days. At that point we will stop worrying about the snow and begin worrying about flooding.

It’s always something. For now, my family is warm, and safe, and dry. I hope you are, too.