Yes; It Does Snow in Texas

 On Saturday, January 9th, Ron came down from the loft in the townhouse to tell me that the evening weather forecast for Sunday was predicting a wintery mix with an accumulation of up to 8 inches. I stopped reading long enough to look at him and ask, "Did you make sure your phone wasn't set for South Dakota?" (He is known to somehow or another mess up the settings on his "smart" phone. He gave me his assurance that we were, indeed, going to have snow. I simply said, what I always say when I hear an odd weather forecast for our area, "I'll believe it when I see it."  Well,  I saw it!

Sunday's snowfall started out light and steadily grew into what we are calling The Blizzard of 2021. In our area of Texas, it only snows enough for any accumulation every 10-12 years. As a matter of fact, last year, we went up to Ft. Worth and loaded Leslie's family into the truck then drove 2 1/2 hours to Witchita Falls just to play in the snow. Sadly, Leslie's family didn't get any accumulation in Ft. Worth from the Blizzard. But, Gatesville and Waco, where Rebecca and Seth live, both got about 6 inches. Leander, where Ryan, Jamie and the twins live, got 4 inches. Killeen, where Scott and Molly live got about 4 inches. And, we got between 4 and 6 inches; depending on which side of the trees you stand. 

Facebook exploded with pictures of friends and their families building snowmen, making snow angels, and eating snow cones or snow cream. Ron and I huddles warm and cozy in our little home; watching with wonder and amazement as our crazy Texas town became a winter wonderland. Lucky for us, our dog, Boomer, hates the snow and was perfectly happy to stay warm and dry inside. 

I knew I had to record this crazy weather event on the blog. After all, snow storms only comes around every 10 years or so. The first few pictures were taken early Sunday morning when the wintry mix began. We were surprised that it started to stick to the ground; but, thankful that the roads were staying clear. Boomer was content to watch from the front porch. 

After about an hour, I stopped reading again and glanced out the window. I was shocked that the rain had disappeared from the wintry mix and we had actual snowfall that was starting to stick to the edges of the road. The sky looked so much like what we were used to seeing during snow storms we had when we lived in Germany!

About the time that the real snow started falling, friends were posting pictures of their families making snowmen. I figured I would make one and post as well. Mine was only about 6 inches tall and sat on the top of a fence post. I don't think there is an actual height requirement to be called a snowman. And, since I couldn't find any coal for his eyes, I just stuck a couple of chocolate chips in there. A few sprigs of Rosemary made perfect little arms.

By mid afternoon, the Blizzard had officially hit. The trees had been blocking the snowfall, which was blowing in from the North. But now, even the dry spots on the south side of them were starting to fill with snow. The streets and sidewalks were covered and traffic had slowed greatly. Mostly, it was people trying to get home from work before dark. Because this is Texas, everything started shutting down. City offices and schools in the surrounding areas all canceled business hours for Monday. 

The first few pictures were taken from the front porch. We have a school and a cornfield across the road from the townhouse. There were a few brave people that actually went out and walked around in the snow. But, honestly, I don't think very many people have boots or jackets to wear in this kind of weather! A friend of mine put gallon ziplock bags over her daughter's feet just so she could play in the snow. 

I decided to go upstairs and take a couple of pictures from the windows on the front and the back of the house.  I thought I could get some pretty good shots because you can normally see much farther away. Unfortunately, there was so much snow falling that visibility was not what it normally is. Needless to say, no one around here owns a snow shovel, so side walks and drive ways stayed snow covered. My neighbor next door was out with his grandchildren. He was using a broom to try to sweep it off his drive. He gave up after a while. I don't think he needed to really worry about it. After all, it would melt the next day.

 

So, the Great Blizzard of 2021 has come and is now quickly melting. By Monday afternoon, roads were dry, side walks were clear, traffic picked up, and the only snow left was what was hiding in the shade of buildings. I normally hate snow; but, I actually don't mind snow storms in Texas. After all, they are here today and gone tomorrow.