I’m trying to imagine the permits you’d need for that kind of thing…
Be my luck the yard would go up in flames too.
And yes, the water feature in the basement is running on overtime. It’s calmed down quite a bit now that the freeze is back.
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So this is today …
And the heat went out last night 
It must have been too much on the BRAND NEW heating system that was installed in Spring of last year. They are here working on it now 
We’ve had the oven going off and on for a while and we are bundled up to our eyeballs 
I feel your pain, RKK.
A few years back there was an ice storm in Toronto and our area had no power for a week, right in the middle of winter. My family moved to live with a relative (who didn’t live in that area) and I was left to guard the house. When this was over the neighbourhood reported a mad man doing triple somersaults on our driveway. That would be me.
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Dear god. That’s incompatible with human life. We had a -2 a couple of weeks back, which was illegal. I am not a fan of cold. Last week we had snow that lasted a couple of days. Gone now, thankfully. The tops of the surrounding hills still have some. We went for a walk this morning with the dog. Crisp, cold and very beautiful, but this side of zero.
I don’t do cold.
I once hired a cottage in Scotland at New Year with some friends. It was a particularly cold year and the day we arrived, it was -26. Pipes were frozen. At one point, I needed a pee in the middle of the night. Had to go outside. Froze before it hit the ground. I’m never getting the lad out again in those temperatures!
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In all honesty, compared to hot, I’ll take cold anytime.
I figure I can put on more layers of clothing when it’s cold, but when it’s above 35º C? You strip down to your bare skin, then what?
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I hope they fix it soon, RKK.
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LOL you two
I actually prefer cooler to hotter climates as well for the same reasons. Much easier to warm up than cool down
That being said … the thaw has begun! We have hot water again and heat is on the way. We can’t see our breath anymore LOL 
I finally emerged from my cocoon of blankets and made us some pancakes … so things are looking up
Oh and in other exciting news … the Weather service just issued a warning of upwards of 15 inches of snow tomorrow!
Woo hoo!! 
Long, warm nights. Lazy lunches. Siestas. Life slows down. You walk slower. I love hotness.
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The only saving grace of hot is ice-cold San Miguel beer in Manila, served in a pitcher with an iceberg-size chunk of ice in it. Otherwise I’ll risk falling on my arse slipping on ice-covered steps in Canada!
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I prefer hot temperatures to cold and greatly prefer summer to winter.
Yes, there’s logic in the argument that one can always wear warmer clothes in the winter but can only strip down so far in the summer heat.
Even so, I feel hemmed in by the cold in a way that I don’t feel from the heat.
Here in the high desert west, humidity is never a problem during the summer, which, if it were, might sway my opinion in the other direction.
During the summer’s hottest 100 F weather, I can still ride my bike or run in the early morning when it’s nice and cool. In January, it’s rarely warm enough at any time during the day to do either comfortably. And when it is warm enough, there’s always snow and ice waiting to make the exercise dangerous.
It doesn’t rain much here in Utah during the summer, but when it does, it goes away and dries out. When it snows here, the cold weather makes the nasty stuff stick around for weeks. A warm rain is always nice, but there’s no such thing as warm snow.
I really miss the bright, vivid colors of summer — the greens and the flowers. Everything in the winter is white or grey. Similarly, I miss the long days of summer and really dislike the long nights of winter.
There are also the dreaded temperature inversions here in Salt Lake, which make winter weather gloomy and dark when the cold air (plus all the air pollutants of a city) get trapped in the valley and build up for weeks on end.
During the hottest days of the summer, I can drive up into the nearby mountains where it’s always cool. I can spend an entire day hiking, whereas in the winter, the same activity involves skiing or snowshoeing into those places, which I’ve never found particularly enjoyable.
No matter how hot it gets, I can ride my motorcycle, which is my primary means of transportation in the summer. In the winter, not only is it usually too cold to ride, snow and ice make it dangerous.
Reading over my list, it seems most of my preferences for hot weather have to do with my location. Maybe if I lived on the other side of the country, where the summers are muggy and the mountains are not as high, cool or accessible, I might feel differently. As it is, though, the only thing winter has going for it is the absence of yard work — then again, shoveling snow off the driveway isn’t needed in the summer, so it’s sort of a draw in that respect.
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It’s a much better day here. We are nice and warm and we could take hot showers again lmao
It’s currently 11º and snow is on the horizon
Even though summers in the midwest can be hot and humid, I still prefer the summer to winter. A lot of that has to do with being a cyclist and cycling season being spring through fall. The saving grace with summers in the midwest is that rising temperatures during the daytime typically burn off the humidity. That works out until the sun sets; humid shoots up; and you get that thick, humid summer night air. I also don’t mind yard work. There’s something very satisfying about putting in the effort and then being able to enjoy a neatly trimmed yard while you grill and enjoy an adult beverage.
Cycling aside, I have found the older I get, the less I appreciate the extreme cold. Who know? Maybe I’ll end up in Florida driving my Cadillac to the Sizzler Steak House for the early bird dinner special at 4:00 p.m.
Anyway, we made it through January, so maybe seven or eight more weeks and it will be time to move the bicycle off of the trainer for riding outside.
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While we have differences in personal preference, I have to agree on alcoholic intake when playing with fire.
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Yep it’s only 362 days to Christmas
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I know we might get mocked by people up north, but here in Dallas we got about 5-6 inches of snow yesterday, which is fine. But the bigger issue is we have been below freezing since I believe last Friday evening. And won’t get above freezing until this Friday (maybe, forecast ATM is 34 for a high). After that we are back in 50s and 60s.
The problem is that houses and power grids in Dallas are not designed for this weather. A lot of houses here have no gas line, everything is electric. We have a gas fireplace and gas for cooking, which I’m thankful for. However, we’ve had rolling blackouts since 2:30 this morning (when we around 3 or 4 degrees). So, our heaters run for about 35-40 minutes and then down for 25-30 minutes. Which is better than some who have has power completely out for 5-6 hours. The problem is the grid can’t handle it until we warm up this Friday or Saturday. So, it will be probably like this for the next 3-4 days.
Personally my family and I should be fine. It’s annoying, but I know this is a huge rarity and things will be normal next weekend. As long as we don’t have any frozen, broken pipes. We are trying to keep them dripping.
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There’s nothing funny about the cold for places not prepared for it. I have a friend in Austin who’s saying the exact thing as you. Another friend who lives outside of Brownwood says they’re living in their fifth wheel trailer for the next few days and hoping the propane tanks hold out.
I’m hoping the people who aren’t so fortunate have places to go for a few days. People can die of hypothermia when it gets that cold.
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I’m a northerner myself but, no, this is no joking matter. We’ve had an ice storm a few years ago and our area went without power for a good five-six days, in -20º C weather. Can’t say I liked it too much.
If Toronto gets any colder now, this will be the first time in history we start blaming Texas.
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Is that pretty rare? I didn’t think it ever snowed in Dallas.
This surprises me. I thought the load on your electric grid for a storm like this would be similar to the load on the grid in the heat of summer when everyone’s air conditioners are running non-stop.
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