Hi friends! Happy Friday. I came to San Antonio for Mardi Gras to visit Kevin and got stuck here for more time and headache than I bargained for. Texas is a mess and if you can help out in any way, please do! I have friends who still do not have power in Austin, and friends who are having rolling blackouts in Houston. There are some hungry cold people everywhere that could use your help.
I thought getting out of town for Mardi Gras was a good idea since nothing official was going on and people would still be everywhere. I hadn't seen Kevin in almost a month and could move work around to have a driving day to get there before the travel rush. Our mutual friends who set us up were coming for a visit too! What did I have to lose? Apparently, basic services.
We did not have water Monday morning through Wednesday night. We were so excited about the snow Sunday night, we forgot to run the water so the pipes wouldn't freeze. It was 9 degrees so I doubt that would have helped anyway. Luckily just a water filter element broke from the pressure and no pipes, so it was an easy fix. The temps only went above freezing for a few hours Wednesday, but that was enough to get the water back running. Not showering and using graywater to flush while camping is one thing, it is no fun when you are stuck in the house! There were lines at the grocery store just to get in and the roads were so icy you could not get anywhere! Toto, we aren't in Texas anymore!
We woke up Monday to a winter wonderland and no water. I could not believe I was in Texas...in February! When I left New Orleans to drive here a few days before, it was almost 80!
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| Yes, this is San Antonio! |
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| We officially hate snow now! |
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| Just casually having a selfie on the interstate! |
We had leftover gumbo to warm us for a bit that we had made over the weekend. I knew we needed something else, so I whipped up some vegetable beef soup. You can find my recipe
here. I just cooked it all day in a big pot instead of the crockpot.
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| Yum! |
You know what kept us from boredom, extreme snacking and killing each other?
Codenames. Y'all, this game is so addictive. We had a 9 year old on hand and she could keep up with the adults. There are endless combinations and I bet we played 50 rounds over the few days we were snowed in. If you haven't played it, get it!
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| I am purchasing my own as soon as I can drive again! |
We also amused ourselves by creating an outdoor refrigerator. This may be normal to you Northerners, but this was extreme weather for us Southerners! The drinks were almost instantly cold!
The fun was supposed to end on Mardi Gras day and our friends were to leave, but the weather did not make it safe for them to drive home. We had more soup and more codenames and made the best of it. They scurried out on Wednesday as the temperatures rose, but I was too nervous to drive. I decided to hold out until the weekend and work from here. My reward? More snow! It snowed all day Thursday.
I am now leaving tomorrow when the roads should be safe. What a trip! I hope you are safe and warm wherever you are and all of your people are too. The crazy year keeps going. I never thought we would be stuck without power after a late October hurricane only to be stuck without water a few months later for a snowstorm, all while in a pandemic! Are we back to normal yet?!
How was your week? What got you through the weather?
Happy Cooking!
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