Day Two Way Below Freezing In Texas Waiting For The Next Rolling Power Blackout To Arrive

Looking out my viewing portal at a little bit before 11 on the second day of the second month of 2011 you can see I have some icicles forming on the window.

I keep hearing the screeching of tires spinning on ice.

I do not handle being immobile very well.

When the power was out this morning I went out in the 9 degree heat for awhile to see if I could see how widespread the outage was. Or if it was being worked on.

This was before I learned we were having an Electrical Emergency in Texas requiring rolling blackouts. My blackout rolled way longer than the 15 minutes the power people claimed the blackouts would roll.

The State of Texas is cut off from the electric grid the rest of the country is connected to. Except for, I believe, the El Paso zone. I have no idea how this works in Texarkana which spans the border of both Texas and Arkansas.

I've not yet heard what is causing the power shortage, besides the West Texas windmills not spinning. It would seem the power use during this cold snap would not be as bad as when it is 111 and ACs are running hard.

I think I'll bundle up and go watch some tires spin.

Texas Power Emergency Knocks Out My Electricity This Morning In Rolling Blackout

Around 6 this morning I sensed something was not right. A few minutes later I saw a light blinking on my computer that usually is not blinking.

A few seconds after that I realized the power was out.

Having no power, in the dark, when it is 11 degrees out makes for an interesting morning.

I figured the power would quickly come back on.

After an hour and a half of getting ever more cold I called ONCOR.

Busy signal.

That was encouraging. A busy signal indicated to me that this must be a REAL big problem.

When the sun finally arrived to provide me some illumination I found my propane camp stove, a teapot and some green tea.

I was suffering though a cup of green tea when the power came back on. I am now suffering through a cup of hot coffee.

After I was finally able to re-connect with the outside world I looked at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and learned that the entire state of Texas is having a power emergency. With rolling blackouts, or "Planned power outage" as the Star-Telegram put it in the screen cap below.

Apparently the cold and the lack of wind has brought wind power generation to a halt in West Texas.

An ONCOR spokesperson told KXAS Channel 5 that the emergency measures were instituted shortly before 6 am in North Texas.

Great. My neighborhood got blacked out in the first wave.

The spokeswoman also said ONCOR was selecting feeders to go out for 15 minutes at a time.

I don't know what a feeder is, but, what ever feeds me electricity went out for over an hour and a half.

I am really ready for an end of the Global Warming problem.

Icy Weather Raises Questions About Dallas Super Bowl Travel

The above is a screen cap from an article in today's CNN online. With a picture of the Cowboy Stadium. In Arlington. With snow on the stadium and snow on all the stuff that has been erected around the stadium for the Dallas Super Bowl.

I am not sure, but I think maybe some local umbrage might be expressed over the caption under the photo which says....

"Officials in Dallas, Texas, say the city will be ready to host the big game on Sunday."

I wonder when, or if, the big game takes place, if the talking head is going to say, "Live from Dallas, Texas, the 2011 Super Bowl."

Variations of this have already occurred at previous events in the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium. In Arlington.

I imagine the same type thing used to occur at the old Dallas Cowboy Stadium. In Irving.

Big difference is you could actually see the Dallas skyline from the stadium in Irving. And Irving actually borders Dallas. And is in Dallas County.

I have seen the Dallas skyline from the top of the Oil Derrick in Six Flags Over Texas. Six Flags is just a short distance east of the Dallas Cowboy Stadium. I don't think the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium has any vantage points high enough from which you can see Dallas.

Jerry Jones should build a Seattle Space Needle-like structure next to his new stadium. With a revolving restaurant and viewing level on top. A futuristic structure, like the Space Needle, would be a good match with that futuristic looking stadium. You could market the ride to the top with something like "Take the Ride to the Top of the Cowboy Needle Where You Can See the City the Team is Named After."

I'd not thought of it before, but Fort Worth actually does border the town in which the Dallas Cowboy Stadium sits. Dallas doesn't, Fort Worth does.

I think it had occurred to me before that the Dallas Cowboy Stadium is in Tarrant County, that being the county of which Fort Worth is the county seat. Dallas sits in Dallas County. But, the Dallas Cowboy Stadium does not sit in Dallas County.

And someone at CNN. And likely elsewhere, thinks Sunday's Super Bowl is going to be played in Dallas. Where the city is ready to host the game. In another town.

The Great Fort Worth Freeze Of 2011 Has Me Shivering & Not Driving

I have had myself a successful venturing in to the Great Freezing Fort Worth Outdoors.

Currently 18 degrees, with the Wind Chill Factor causing it to feel like -12.

I do not recall ever shivering like I was shivering out there. The shivering was caused by taking off my gloves so I could  take pictures.

I was surprised to find people out driving on the thick coat of ice. Including the Fort Worth buses known at the "T".

Most of the vehicles, including the buses, were having serious sliding issues. Which the following photos will sort of show you.

You are looking east on Boca Raton Boulevard, at a car trying to slide up the hill. I doubt the Super Bowl Buffet is open, but, if it was, it would be up this hill, and on the right, where I would go for Chinese food today.

Right after I took this picture I looked across the street and saw Miss Puerto Rico. It was a very slippery crossing to the other side. Then when I got there I realized I'd dropped one of my gloves back where I'd come from.

At these temperatures you can not go long without gloves, so I had to do some more sliding, back across the street. The roads have a very thick coating of ice, but the sidewalks much less.

Miss Puerto Rico and I watched, in semi-horror, as the jack-knifed Dr Pepper delivery truck driver tried over and over again to straighten out his rig at the intersection of Boca Raton and Bridgewood Street. Cars and trucks were sliding down and up Bridgewood, barely missing Dr Pepper. Miss Puerto Rico was out watching when the Dr Pepper truck drove by, fast up the hill, and then went in to a skid as the driver tried to turn left, then going into jack-knife mode.

In the above scene I am right at the aforementioned intersection, after the Dr Pepper truck had de-jack-knifed. The pickup truck, aimed at that guy walking, was sliding down the hill with its wheels against the curb. If you look closely you can see the stop sign that a sliding vehicle took out.

Soon after all those cars cleared out in the previous picture of the downed stop sign, the #21 Fort Worth bus showed up, sliding down the hill, not able to come to a stop, then making the left turn on to Boca Raton, coming to a stop next to the Fort Worth bus that had been stopped ever since I'd been watching the jack-knifed Dr Pepper truck.

I am assuming those buses are still sitting out there, with the drivers realizing it is not safe to be on the roads right now.

I was not able to get a look at the freeway to see if it is moving traffic. I assume it must be. I am also assuming there are a lot of wrecks out there right now.

I've yet to hear anything about how well the Super Bowl temporary buildings are handling this wind, cold and ice.

Are 58 MPH Gusts, Snow, Ice & 8 Degrees Wreaking Havoc With The Temporary Super Bowl Buildings Surrounding The Dallas Cowboy Stadium?

The sun has now arrived, lighting up the icy morning of the first day of the second month of 2011.

As you can see, looking at the view through the bars of my patio prison cell, a layer of white has descended on my zone of North Texas.

The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is covered in white. I don't know about the rest of North Texas.

Small snow pellets are now falling. Landing on top of a layer of ice.

The National Weather Service WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect until 4 in the afternoon tomorrow.

The low today is scheduled to get down to 8. Tomorrow the low will supposedly be 4. If it gets down to 8 it will be, by far, the coldest since I've been in Texas. The only time I've experienced colder temperatures was one winter while going to college in the Eastern Washington town of Ellensburg. I came back from Christmas vacation to see a bank's temperature sign say it was -18.

Wind gusts are blowing the snow into little drifts. AccuWeather is reporting gusts as high as 58 mph.

I wonder how all those temporary tent-like Super Bowl structures are faring down by the Dallas Cowboy Stadium? How much snow and ice can those roofs handle before collapsing? What level of wind are they engineered to be able to handle?

Is Mother Nature meting out some sort of Divine Retribution for the Worst Case of Eminent Domain Abuse in American History?

The Faith Tabernacle Church by the Dallas Cowboy Stadium is canceling Super Bowl Sunday's church services so they can sell parking spaces to football fans.

I'm not what one would call religious, but I think God might get you for that type behavior.

Ice Storm Freezes Dallas/Fort Worth To A Stop 5 Days Before The Super Bowl

The above is a screen cap from the Dallas Morning News, taken a few minutes ago.

It is currently 19 degrees with a Wind Chill Factor of -7.

I started hearing ice hitting my windows at around 3 this morning, right when the National Weather Service predicted it would arrive.

The sun has not yet arrived but I can see the ground is white, covered with ice.

I do not know how extensive the Ice Storm is, but I do know that the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex has shut down. It is likely no Super Bowlers will be arriving today.

This is either the 3rd or 4th Ice Storm I've experienced since I have been in Texas. My first Ice Storm arrived my second week in Texas. It was a shock. The temperature plummeted overnight to around 15 with the ground covered with a couple inches of ice.

When I moved here I did not realize it could get so cold in this zone of Texas. I remember upon arrival thinking it odd that the house had a fireplace. Why would you want a fireplace in hot Texas?

Last night I saw a guy selling firewood down by Wal-Mart. Little piles of big sticks. I don't see firewood for sale here of the sort you see in Washington. Which makes sense, because you don't see trees here of the sort you see in Washington.

Tonight Battling Wal-Mart Grackles While Thinking Of The Super Bowl Buffet If The Ice Storm Gets Real Bad

The Grackle takeover of the Eastchase Wal-Mart and Sam's Club continues.

I was at Wal-Mart just as the light of the sun was dimming for the day.

Around 6.

Wal-Mart was super busy with what looked like panicked people stocking up on supplies due to the incoming Arctic Blast which starts arriving sometime in the wee hours.

I believe rain is expected at first, followed by sleet by the time the sun returns, Tuesday morning, followed by snow.

So, tomorrow may be a Snow Day in North Texas. I know I won't be going to school. That's for sure.

I did not do any panicked food buying in anticipation of an Ice Storm. I can walk to an Albertsons and a Krogers across the street from my abode. And several restaurants, including the best Chinese buffet I've been to in the D/FW Metroplex, with the very odd name of Super Bowl Buffet.

I do not know if the Super Bowl Buffet is having anything special on the buffet for the Super Bowl.

On The Tandy Hills Looking At A Smoggy Fog Enveloping Downtown Fort Worth As Locals Go Nuts Over The Pittsburgh Steelers & ESPN

I don't know if that is fog or smog dimming the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth today when I looked west from the Tandy Hills.

Of the four short skyscrapers that you can see through the fog/smog, the one on the left is the Omni Convention Center Hotel. This is where one of the NFL teams is staying that is in North Texas for the Super Cold Bowl next Sunday.

I don't know if Fort Worth gets the Pittsburgh Steelers team or the New Orleans Saints. I know the buildings in both the downtowns of Dallas and Fort Worth have been color-cordinated to match the conference colors that town's team.

I know I've read which town is which color, but I forget. I believe one is blue, one is red. I also know I could likely get the answer to this probing question with about 5 seconds of Googling.

I just went to the Star-Telegram to see if I could easily find out what team is in town.

Well, apparently the Pittsburgh Steelers arrived today and were greeted by a big crowd of screaming football fans. An ESPN person said they'd never seen this level of excitement so early in Super Bowl Week.

The Star-Telegram said Fort Worth has never seen anything like ESPN.

Below is a blurb from the article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, titled A Texas-sized howdy for ESPN on 'opening day' ...

The TCU band blasted its music across Sundance Square, and the cheerleaders rocked the crowd. Mayor Mike Moncrief meted out some inspirational words, and Ed Bass shook more than a few hands. And that was all before 5 o'clock in the morning, all before ESPN even began broadcasting Monday from downtown Fort Worth.

ESPN folks said they never had seen such enthusiasm, not this early in Super Bowl week anyway. And, of course, Fort Worth never has seen anything like ESPN. 

This is all starting to seem somehow sad to me. Maybe I would understand if I were a football fan.

The Non-Freezing Last Morning Of The First Month Of 2011 With An Arctic Blastl Heading To North Texas With A Wind Chill Below Zero

Looking out my viewing portal at the dawn of the last day of the first month of 2011 which has arrived 6 degrees above freezing.

If the weather prognosticators are to be believed this will be the last morning, for awhile, that will not be well below freezing, as we are heading into one of the most significant cold spells in North Texas in many years.

Just in time to greet football fans arriving for Sunday's Super Bowl.

Thunderstorms may be booming later today.

Strong winds will be blasting in Tuesday night, bringing the Big Chill, with the wind chill plunging to below zero.

Yesterday, when I saw all the temporary Super Bowl structures built on the former parking lots that surround the Dallas Cowboy Stadium, the first thing that crossed my mind was what if those things get blasted by a windstorm.

If it gets windy during daylight hours I think I'll go hang out on the Stadium Wal-Mart parking lot to watch what happens live.

In the meantime I am not going swimming this morning.

Finding Mutant Trees With Elsie Hotpepper Today Walking Around Fort Worth's Fosdic Lake

I got back here around 11 this morning, after walking all around the Dallas Cowboy Stadium to check out what the Super Bowl has done to that ultra-modern structure.

Well, it has been tarted up like a cheap one of those types that a big flashy billboard warns you not to employ, that you see when you exit I-30 to try and check out the stadium.

So, I got back here, feeling like I'd had done plenty of walking for the day, when I got a call from a forlorn Elsie Hotpepper.

My one longtime reader may remember of late I have turned down  a couple Hotpepper hike requests. And I also turned down last night's Hotpepper saloon hopping request.

When Elsie called me around noon, sounding forlorn, and asking if I would go walking again with her around Fosdic Lake, I figured I was already tired of walking, so doing the slow Elsie Hotpepper walking would not bug me too bad.

So, I went walking with Elsie Hotpepper today.

I'd noticed the tree at the edge of Fosdic Lake that you see above previously. But not til Elsie saw it and said it looked mutant did I wonder if it was. For years fish that live in Fosdic Lake have not been safe to eat.

It seems possible that a tree who's roots sucked its water from Fosdic Lake might grow up to be the mutant tree you see here.

Maybe I should be more agreeable to doing some more Elsie Hotpepper hiking. Apparently when you walk slow you see things you do not notice when you are moving fast.

I should have taken Elsie Hotpepper with me to check out the Super Bowl today. Who knows what she would have noticed that I didn't?