Views of the Neighborhood – Getting Ready for Iceageddon

~ John W. Howell

Today, we are going to tour the neighborhood to see how folks have prepared for the below-freezing temperatures that will persist until Monday. Texas has not been spared from the misery of the massive winter storm that has affected over 240 million Americans. We are catered by Briskets in Austin. Our entertainment is Foreigner.

Menu

BISCUIT SANDWICHES

BRISKET & JELLY – Sliced Brisket with Smoked Strawberry Jelly

PORK BELLY & JELLY – Sliced Pork Belly with Spiced Apple Pear Preserves

CHOPPED BRISKET – Tossed in BBQ Sauce with Cheddar Cheese & Pickles

P.B.L.T – Smoked than Seared Pork Belly, Dressed Arugula, & Tomato with Arbol Hot Sauce

SAUSAGE & JELLY – Split 1/2 Link Hot Gut Sausage with Smoked Jalapeño Habanero Pepper Jelly

BLUEBERRY SAUSAGE & JELLY – Split 1/2 Link Blueberry Gouda Sausage with Smoked Blueberry Jam

BRISKET, EGG, & CHEDDAR – Sliced Brisket, Scrambled Egg, & Cheddar

PORK BELLY, EGG, & CHEDDAR – Sliced Pork Belly, Scrambled Egg, & Cheddar

SAUSAGE, EGG, & CHEDDAR – Split 1/2 Link Hot Gut Sausage, Scrambled Egg, & Cheddar

BACON, EGG, & CHEDDAR – Bacon, Scrambled Egg, & Cheddar

TOMATO, EGG, & CHEDDAR – Tomato, Scrambled Egg, & Cheddar

Let’s go

Here is the sleeping ghost look.

The hostage look.

Ghosts in the woods look.

Frost cloth and granny’s quilt look.

Mock turtle.

The more clutter, the better. Hold my beer.

Attention, you people down there.

Lying very low.

I love my tarp, and there is plenty of it.

There’s no mountain high enough.

I meet the ice with open arms.

Big blue.

Well, now that we are sufficiently chilled to the bone, let’s enjoy the music and the food.

 

89 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Getting Ready for Iceageddon”

  5. We’re still sitting above freezing, in the 34-36F range, but I suppose that will end shortly. The good news is that we’ll escape any serious icing, and the fun news is that I woke to the sound of thundersleet early this morning. That’s a rare one!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. That’s interesting landscaping, John! I feel your misery. Here in Central Illinois, we’ve had roughly 12 inches of snow, with temps in the single digits (and feels like temps way to the south of zero). It’s brutal, especially with a dog! Here’s hoping nasty old Fern blows through quickly and we can get back to more normal conditions — in the meantime, grab a good book and a nice snooze!

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Single digits here for the next few days. I think things will survive – we don’t generally cover anything. Fingers crossed.

    So far only a half inch of the white stuff with ice on top. We tarped the car and put a light bulb under out outside faucet to prevent freezing.

    Best of luck getting through this – and be sure the ladies are nice and warm.

    Purist today – bacon eggs and cheddar

    Liked by 1 person

  17. It’s good that people are protecting their plants. I protect one of ours in the springtime, protecting its flowers. Getting ready for cold weather is the right thing to do, John. It was -9 degrees Fahrenheit here yesterday morning, a bit warmer today. I’ve worked pretty hard at clearing the snow from our driveway and the driveway and sidewalk of our 95-year-old neighbor across the street.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. A freeze is not funny, but these just made me laugh at what we do to protect our babies! I brought a few inside and covered some on the patio. No freeze last night but one is expected tonight. Stay safe! Thanks for the warm food and appropriate transportation!

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Lots of covers in your neighborhood. We covered our tomato plants and pepper plants in the backyard. However, I am not sure they will survive. We already have more than an inch snowy ice. They gave us lots of tomatoes this fall and winter up until now. I have never had Blueberry Sausage & Jelly. Some food in Texas seem strange.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Make that some food in Austin seems strange. I’m not sure covering the tomatoes will help if the air temperatures get below freezing. In Dallas, it looks like 12 F (-11 °C) right now (7.23 AM) with a high of only
      29 F. (-1.6 C). Might be time to say goodbye. 🙁

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You are probably right. I think this might be it for the tomato plants. However, I boiled water in my wife’s pan and put it underneath the raised bed and it got a little bit warmer for a few hours. Then I did it again, etc. I did not measure the temperature so I do not know if it was enough. Another problem is that by tomorrow morning the plants have been under cover for 3 days and total darkness for a few days can kill it too.

        Liked by 1 person

        2. I picked the tomatoes but my wife threw them out. They looked funny, like dark green. However, I learned later that even though they may not have tasted good we could have used for relish or minestrone soup. Anyway, about the plants, they don’t look good but I may need to give it a few more days before I decide whether they are dead or not. However, I think the pepper plants are dead. The pepper plants look very sad. I put the cover back on because we are supposed to have below freezing again at 28 degrees.

          Liked by 1 person

  30. This really is all about battening down those hatches. We had snow over the weekend, not nearly as bad as the two and a half feet many were speculating but still, a royal pain the ass. The ice didn’t prevail, thankfully. Hope you guys are doing alright.

    Liked by 1 person

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