Blizzard Hostage 2021

I experienced a bone-chilling blizzard before while in Tahoe riding a snowmobile with a tourist group. Luckily, I followed in the second position behind the tour guide. As we drove by the house where Misery was filmed. I gratefully smiled. At least, I wasn’t injured and cared for by a deranged fan. Having said that, my attitude changed as the storm worsened. The guide informed us that this snow storm had worsened. Now, it’s predicted to be one of the worst in Tahoe history. Yikes!

I attempted to speed up, but my inadequately gloved, small, achy hands couldn’t grip the clutch as strongly as needed. I sputtered and zoomed and sputtered and zoomed, much to the dismay of the following group. Aside from the poor visibility and a barrage of snow flurries to the face, I persevered spurred on by the mounds of ice displaced from the trees to the small of my back. The mounds snaked down my spine to the small of my back. Why? Once again, my small/peitite frame comes into play. As I lean forward, to grip, contort and control my snowmobile, a v-shaped gap emerged at the back of my snow pants. Since the gap pointed toward the backend of the snowmobile, it acted as a perfect collection space for falling snow. It pooled at the small of my back where it began to melt against my skin. Ugh! Ugh! Misery on Meth!

At any rate, the Blizzard weathered for eight days – at our home with frozen pipes, no running water and no electricity – far surpassed the Tahoe agony. No way to leave as the icy roads are impassable. No hotel rooms available. No plumbers available due to hazardous road conditions and a long queue of desperate customers. To give some perspective on survival…We had to melt snow on the propane cooktop, carry it out in stewpots, trudge 30 yards to the barn, pour it into buckets filled with shoveled snow, for the thirsty needy horses in the barn. Exhausting! Inside the house to flush toilets, efficient water retrieval, from the swimming pool, mandated the use of a large 60 pound capacity plastic pet food container, carrying it in to the bathroom, lifting the tank lid cover off and pouring in the heavy splashy water. Whew! So thankful no slip and falls occurred on the ice-covered snow, the ice-covered sidewalks, barn pathways or pool decking! Having said all of that, given the devastation, others have experienced, our situation pales in comparison.

In the South, unlike the Northern or Eastern states, the skills, energy infrastructure, experience and equipment to deal with an epic Blizzard do not exist. It’s comparable to trying to survive outside in polar cold with a single match and three bottles of water. #Texasblizzard2021 #TexasSnowStorm2021 #TexasBlizzard Blizzard