Brrrr and Ingenuity
Houses in this part of Texas are not made with the idea that it might be cold outside–freezing temps for several days in a row. This house is over a hundred years old and has weathered hurricanes and tropical storms with grace—but freezing temps?
The washing machine on the back porch had a frozen water line.
The orchids had to live in the garage for over a week.
The dogs did not want to stay outside to do more than just their necessary business before rushing back inside and curling up on our bed.
I didn’t want to do much more than huddle under an afghan next to the gas fireplace (wood fireplaces are nice–but gas means instant successful lighting and no ashes or bits of wood trailed in).
But then there was the front door. There was a fairly large gap all around with cold air rushing in. Northern houses tend to have a small closed entry way to buffer the cold from the rest of the house–it would seem logical to have one to buffer the heat in the south as well.
That draft hit my feet and ankles every time I wandered downstairs to refill my soup bowl with bean soup or to savor another cup of coffee or hot tea.
Amazon to the rescue! A plethora of boxes–empty–were awaiting their turn for a ride to the recycle center. I pushed a stack of those boxes in front of the door–light enough to push away in case we needed to meet the mail lady with even more boxes but quite adequate to keep out the damp chill.
More cold weather is promised for early next week but those boxes are now in the hands of the recyclers.
Sylvia Weir Art 