Thursday – A Little Personal – Bad Ice Coming

~ John W. Howell

“Hey, Lucy. Come here. There’s a bunch of junk on the porch.”

“Okay. What kind of junk?”

“I’m not sure. Looks like old sheets and towels and a roll of grey stuff.”

“Yeah, that is duct tape, Little one.”

“Who wants to tape a duck?”

“Not duck. Duct. It is one of the Boss’s go-to tools.”

“I see by the full watering can something is up.”

“Here comes the Boss. Let’s ask. Hey, boss, what is all this stuff?”

“I’m just getting things ready for a few days of below-freezing temperatures.”

“So you have unhooked the hose, Dad?”

“That’s right, Twiggy. We don’t want our faucets to freeze and break.”

You have to explain a little more, Boss. How do they freeze and break?”

“When the water is in the hose, and it is connected to the faucet, the water can freeze and expand, breaking the faucet.”

“Now that Dad is gone, let me ask. You get that, Lucy?”

“Nope, but as long as the Boss is in charge, I think all we have to do is say we do.”

“Close your eyes, Lucy. I have a surprise for you.”

“Better not be the old Twiggy vanish trick. Okay, they are closed.”

“Open them up and gaze on this faucet wrapped with a towel and duct tape.”

“Oh man, I thought you had found a stray kibble bowl.”

“Look at this masterpiece.”

“If you don’t mind, I’m going in to give someone a sad look and beg for a treat. This has been hard work.”

“I’ll help.”

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Published by John W. Howell

I have been working in business for over forty years and now have the time to work in special areas of interest. My passion has always been to create compelling stories of fiction. I have authored six novels and am working on my Seventh. The first novel is still in manuscript form and being utilized as a door stop in the laundry room. The second is a contemporary fiction novel of 89,000 words and is complete and I am currently seeking a publisher. I also write poetry but have not had the guts to share any with anyone. The one time I read a piece to a person their only comment was, “it doesn’t rhyme.” I will continue to write and hopefully my blog, Fiction Favorites at www.johnwhowell.com will provide some entertainment and an interesting thought or two. I live in the Austin area with my wife Molly and an assortment of loving pets.

140 thoughts on “Thursday – A Little Personal – Bad Ice Coming”

      1. Just spoke to my parents in Boerne. Mom says they have a pretty good coating of ice and tree branches are snapping. 😔 Just hoping they don’t lose power…they were out for almost 2 weeks during last year’s storm.

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  5. The ladies know you too well. A sad look probably works wonders. I hope you all can stay warm, We’ve had temps in the teens for a while, though it warms up to the 40s midday. ❄❄❄

    Liked by 3 people

  9. It’s nice when you have a heads up of what’s to come and can prepare. Plus it gives Lucy and Twiggy things to talk about. Hope your freeze doesn’t last long!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Yes. Always a big test. I was born and raised in Detroit and lived for 50 years in snow country where the winters are brutal. You would think my mettle would be tougher. Of course, after 30 years of living in no snow regions, I think my mettle slipped a little. Thanks, Pamela. 😊

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  17. The girls are always right in the thick of things. They’re like cats that way 🙂

    I hope you get through the freeze unscathed, John. Preparation is always smart.
    We have freezing rain, sleet, and ice coming tonight into tomorrow morning. Praying the power doesn’t go down.

    Stay warm!

    Liked by 2 people

  19. It’s 15 degrees here now. We have to do that to the pipes in mid October here. It was a learning curve for us when we moved here. Stay warm! I hope you don’t have any issues caused by the freezing temperatures. I hope the girls got their treats. 😂😀 “wrap up a duck”. Too funny!

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  21. Even though the temperature is dropping, that back porch looks like a lovely spot to curl up in a blanket & enjoy a hot cup of cocoa! Love these stories John!

    Liked by 2 people

  22. Here’s hoping for the best possible outcome to the storm. We lost power around 11:30 last night and are running on solar backup until it runs out. Stay warm!! Keep the girls warm!

    Liked by 2 people

  24. I suspect Lucy and Twiggy will prepare by coming inside, getting some treats and curling up in their beds. We had our pipes freeze two weekends ago – seems that the builders did not insulate the back wall of our house. They are coming to take off the siding and put in some insulation on Monday! Stay warm! We were told to let the water drip a little from the outside faucets to keep them from freezing.

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    1. The outside works as long as they don’t freeze in the dripping. We drip inside as well. No telling about the outside walls. We have pipes on two outside walls and I don’t trust contractors.

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  25. Glad you had help and advice getting ready for the freeze. Good to get it done early. We are expecting a freeze tonight and tomorrow night. Let’s hope the grid holds this time. I think we are ready to hunker down for the next couple of days with plenty of food, fire logs and libations. Stay safe and warm – worse up there where you are.

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  26. I can see all those years of living up north expanded your education on the snow and cold — well done, John! We’re on the northern edge of that messy storm system. Got 4.5 inches of snow, freezing rain, and ice yesterday; today, the snow is still coming down and brought with it a stiff breeze. Not pleasant for man or beast so I’m staying inside. Y’all stay safe and warm!

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  28. I used to wrap bubble wrap around the faucets and fix that with duct tape, but nowadays I’m using pre-made foam covers that can be slipped on and off easily. So I can removed them quickly if I need access to teh faucets in warmer weather.

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  30. I went overboard this time, and added windshield washer fluid that’s good to 0 degrees, instead of the standard 32 degrees. Filled up the gas tank, and filled a couple of containes with water, just in case — but I don’t think it will be necessary here. At noon, the grid was in great shape, with plenty of supply in relation to demand. It’s always interesting to keep an eye on outages, too.

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      1. Plumbing in outside walls is scary. I replaced our outside faucets with “freeze-proof” models. They are a foot long and the valve is in the back. I learned the hard way that they have to be tilted slightly downward so the water drains out.

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  33. Have you gotten your freezing temps yet? Good prep work, John. And just at dinner tonight we were discussing how our pipes froze one winter and flooded our basement. Ancient history, though, because now we do all the prep like you 🙂

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  34. How often does it typically get below freezing where you live? I know I’m a bit surprised. Duct tape is one of the world’s best inventions. I use it for everything too.

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  37. Hahaha!
    I was hoping for the old Twiggy vanish trick.
    Oh well! A stray kibble bowl would have been great!!! My cats are always hoping for that.
    Still, beggins is always an option.
    Pets are soooo good at it!

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