Snowmaggedontexapocalypse

Having thought the few inches of snow we received last month was a once-in-an-Austin-lifetime experience, boy were we surprised to get the weather we just did!

To set the scene for you:

• Thursday - Austin poured down wintry precipitation and froze everything, covering streets and trees with a thick layer of ice that weighed heavily and broke several branches of our trees. 
• Temperatures remained below freezing until - 
• Sunday - Overnight, we received about 6 inches of powdery white stuff and temperatures in the single digits with wind chills below 0. The city of Austin lacks trucks and equipment to prevent or treat any snow- or ice-covered roads, making them completely unsafe to drive on. We went to play outside in the morning with ill-prepared clothes, of course... Even still, we had no idea what was to come next...

We had prepared the day before, setting out colored-water balloons to make ice marbles.

Little did we know that the temporary discomfort of negative-degree wind chills was about to become much much worse. As our dinner was in the oven on Monday night, the house lost all power, heat, and light. That first night, we lit candles, turned on flashlights, changed the dinner plan, and assumed everything would be back on by morning.


Everything was NOT, in fact, back on in the morning, nor was it on for the next 2 mornings following that. The internal house temperature quickly dropped to the mid-40s, making it a truly uncomfortable living situation, despite the privlege of layers and blankets. (Keep in mind, the snowy roads were now completely frozen and icy, so we couldn't escape anywhere. And also, there's COVID, so you can't go to anyone's house anyway.)

We did lots of snuggling, reading, and sharing body heat.



After suffering inside for over 36 hours, we thought we'd venture outside to see what that world was like. It was icy and slippery, a much different experience than 2 days earlier. We wore masks just to keep our noses warm.



A friendly neighbor lent us a plastic saucer to play with for our last few minutes of outside fun that morning.


We went into the comfort of car heat before heading back to the freezing cold inside. And then this happened. Don't tell Jon.

Even the fur family, whom we were VERY sad and worried about, found ways to stay warm.

By afternoon 3, we found cousins and heat in a kind (empty) stranger's home to warm up and charge some electrical devices for an hour or so.

Night 3 and used to candlelit dinner:

cuddling up close before bedtime

When we woke up on morning 3, still without power or heat and could actually see our breath in the 45-degree house, we decided to do what many suggested online and build a tent. The temperature difference was dramatically different (and more comfortable) inside, and we wish we would have done this earlier!


Many friends and family from around Austin, Texas, and the country checked in early and often, helplessly hoping our situation would improve. Many offered what they could which wasn't much because of frozen streets and COVID. We finally gave in and braved the streets to a neighbor/friend's house for the opportunity for a warm room and a warm bath (having worn the same clothes for many many days).

AND THEN - OVER 65 HOURS after having last had electricity to the house, it returned!!! Temperatures slowly rose inside; the blood in our body started flowing again; and we started thawing. It took a few extra minutes for the Gilden electricity to return - they had been suffering at their own house for the same amount of time - so they came over for lunch, warmth, and tent play.


Finally, on Saturday, temperatures rose above freezing, and the trees, icicles, and streets could clear for the first time in over a week. And what a week it was!