[ACinATX]

Texas people, how are you doing?

We had no power for 36 hours but we have it now, at least for the meantime. It was 43 in my bedroom when I got up this morning!

How's everyone else doing?

 

[NavigatorsMom]

We have had rolling blackouts since yesterday morning, so I feel we are doing better than most. Annoying that we can't really get much work done, but thankfully our heat has not been out long enough for our house to get too cold (very thankful since we have an aquarium that we don't want getting below about 75!). The neighborhood roads are still covered in snow, but I walked up to the main road earlier today and it looks semi-clear. We are not planning to go out unless we need to though - husband works from home and I am not scheduled again until Thursday so probably not sooner than that. Really feel for those who have been without power for over a day though. I cannot imagine.

As for horses, Nav is fine. I have gotten updates from BO that they are staying in for the coldest times, but still being let out to move as much as possible. I suspect they are spending most of the time in the warm barn with lots of hay and heated water though.

I hope everyone is staying as safe and warm as you can. <3 This is such a freak thing.

 

[ACinATX]

I wish I could go check on them. I went out on Sunday, or maybe it was Saturday, and their troughs were pretty iced over. Pony had broken the ice. But it got down to maybe six degrees, and that's in-town, so I am worried they would have frozen solid. They do have a pond, but I'm also worried about that freezing and then them maybe someone getting caught in the ice. I really wish I could check on them. The roads are still terrible here, at least in our neighborhood, and tons of people are out driving like nothing was different.

 

[tinyliny]

I can't imagine such cold temps! We in PNW had over a foot of snow, but it wasn't very cold.
melting rapidly now.

 

[ACinATX]

You guys got a foot? I was trying to figure out how much they got at our new place, it was at least a few inches. They're on the Kitsap peninsula so more in the rain shadow, which I think acts as a snow shadow as well? Or maybe not. I seem to recall that when it snowed it was usually when the wind was blowing from the east.

 

[tinyliny]

You guys got a foot? I was trying to figure out how much they got at our new place, it was at least a few inches. They're on the Kitsap peninsula so more in the rain shadow, which I think acts as a snow shadow as well? Or maybe not. I seem to recall that when it snowed it was usually when the wind was blowing from the east.

there is a kind of convergence zone on the kitsap, so there is often MORE snow there. This was a wierd storm, with more snow to the south than north. I'm a gonna guess you had at least 8 inches , but likely a foot or more.

 

[Acadianartist]

Have been seeing reports on the news. Hope all our Texas members are safe and their horses warm! This kind of weather is no big deal to those of us who are used to it, and have the tools to cope, but I know that when you're not set up for it, this weather can be deadly. Stay safe! Glad you're ok ACinATX. I'm sure your horses are find. They're tougher than we think.

 

[QtrBel]

My brother that is just south of Dallas has called more since Saturday than over the last 20 years. His horses are in his backyard with a run in. He keeps two 18 gallon buckets in a little wagon and he switches them out when he feeds. By the time he switches them out any water left is frozen solid. He finally put a round out for them. He forks off of another into the run in. When the winds pick up that's where they head but even at the lowest temps if the wind wasn't bad they were out running around or the quarter horse is digging out the spots the squares were and laying in them until the TB kicks him off and pees in the spot. My brother never believed some horses could be jerks. He went and bought straw and bedding to put out and fill the run in.

We still get the award for coldest house as ours was 46 this morning, his was 54. The contractors had not wired in the emergency heat on their heat pump. Guess they didn't think it would ever be necessary.

When you are not used to the combination and lows it is hard. Especially if you weren't prepared. Prayers and warm thoughts for all out that way.

The biggest boon here is no one is snoring.....

 

[myhorserules]

I'm tired so I think I'll just copy and paste some of this from my post on the Friday night convo thread.

Welp, try as we did to prevent frozen pipes, one burst under my great grandmas house. So now not only is the power rolling off and on at random times, there is no water. So now we'll have to haul water over from my grandparents to be able to flush her toilets for her.

I was able to get into town today and get some groceries and other essentials for all the households out here. We've been heating water and putting it in all the different yeti cups I have so we can at least make hot drinks whenever we want. Also been using them to keep soup and stuff warm for my great grandma in case she gets up while the power is out.

I also got stocked up on some feed in town. Cubed the cattle and got the rest of the chores done and the was actually able to get a quick hot shower over at my grandmas house before the power went out again. Some of my family elsewhere in the state have been without power and water since Sunday night and Monday morning.

 

[gunslinger]

If I lived in Texas, and was without power for this long, I'd be demanding a review of the energy policies/grid. This never should have happened.

 

[myhorserules]

If I lived in Texas, and was without power for this long, I'd be demanding a review of the energy policies/grid. This never should have happened.

Governor Abbot is opening an investigation into it all.

 

[LilyandPistol]

Bless y’all, I hope the north takes their weather back from y’all soon. No power in those temps is a concern for sure. Hunker down under some blankets! 💕
-A Concerned Georgian

 

[Jessie33]

Texas people, how are you doing?

We had no power for 36 hours but we have it now, at least for the meantime. It was 43 in my bedroom when I got up this morning!

How's everyone else doing?

Wow!! glad I live in El Paso county but we also woke up to snow 6 hours early. So I had to do my three hours of chores i was saving to make sure the horses where ready that morning in to 30 minutes before the hose froze and temp went down to much. I’m 14 and got to go sledding in snow for the first time and saw an actual icicle. On of our pipes froze in our pool house even with a fire and heater going all night. I have family in and around Dallas and in Abilene that had no power.”, and the ones in Abilene there worryed there water might be turned of much like a ruling black out would. I hear there’s another storm heading your way over there stay warm stay safe!!!

 

[JCnGrace]

I hope all of you are safe and sound and can find a way to keep warm. Just not in your car with the garage door shut! I read this morning that some have died from doing that during this winter storm.

 

[gunslinger]

God be with all you Texans.....the rest of the country is praying the weather changes down there real soon!

 

[IRideaHippogriff]

My heart and lots of warm thoughts go out to everyone in Texas! Hopefully you're through the worst of it - I saw some reports of continued cold but hope they get the power back.

My best work friend is in Texas and had 20 minute on/off blackouts on Monday, then no electricity/heat Monday night and Tuesday morning. She joined meetings via her phone and looked ill from the cold - her house got down into the 40s. My heart ached for her. Thank goodness it came back on by the afternoon.

Much of my state was without power for days (up to a week) over the summer after a huge storm. That itself was no joke, but add in the cold and inability to safely drive, and that is just horrible. I can imagine caring for horses when one isn't set up for these low temps is a challenge with the freezing water! But like others have said, horses are hearty and should be fine.

 

[carshon]

My sister and niece live in TX - an hour south east of San Antonio - my niece lives in the hill country and has not had power for 2 days - my sister lives on the Guadalupe river and has rolling power outages and one burst pipe. They really are not prepared for this kind of weather and neither are their energy providers. Houses are insulated differently in the deep South as well. I hope things warm up for them soon. For us in NW IL we just made it above zero yesterday after 14 days below 0- it was 10 F yesterday and felt like a heat wave.

 

[ksbowman]

We've had the rolling blackouts here in Kansas too. 30-60 minutes is goal but, some areas have been off for 5-6 hours. We have only had 30 minutes so far but, our furnace has messed up and was only keeping the house 61* without the fireplace so I've carried a lot of wood in to keep temp to 64-68. I always worry in the winter about cattle getting out on a pond and falling thru. The horses have no ponds in their pasture but , the cows do. I start early on the cows with a stock tank and feed away from ponds so they are close to the tanks. A neighbor had 5 cows drown a few years ago because his stock tank froze and the cows were looking for water and wandered out on a pond and broke thru. Any of you that have a pond the horses could get to might take note of this.

 

[farmpony84]

All-a-yall had best get this weather under control!

I have my vacation planned for next month. I'm going on a trail ride and I'm going to South Fork and I'm going to SeaWorld and Dinosaur Valley and YOU PEOPLE best get this temperature back to normal!

I am not playing with you!!!!!!

 

[Phantomcolt18]

All-a-yall had best get this weather under control!

I have my vacation planned for next month. I'm going on a trail ride and I'm going to South Fork and I'm going to SeaWorld and Dinosaur Valley and YOU PEOPLE best get this temperature back to normal!

I am not playing with you!!!!!!

Haha I'm MOVING there over the summer. And part of my reason (albeit a small part) was to escape the cold. My work friends are joking that I'm trying to escape the cold and it's just gonna follow me.