Sleet removal is WORK

The back of our house faces south across the lake. So once the sun emerged after sleetmageddon this week, the ice melted in a couple days once temperatures crept back into the normal range for January. However, that means the front of our house faces north, and thus the bulk of the front yard stays in the shade at this time of year.

After a couple days of temperatures warming up through the afternoon, then dipping back below freezing overnight, it created a rather daunting ice rink situation on our driveway and front walk. Tired of being housebound and wanting to get out to attend Bible study on Thursday, I took matters into my own rather inept hands Wednesday with whatever I could rustle up in the garage. That's how I ended up wielding a shovel, broom and leaf blower to tackle our driveway's skating rink.

It took me almost two hours Wednesday afternoon to get all of the ice broken up and then pushed off into the grass so I could back out my SUV without fear of going for a slide. Then Thursday afternoon, I hauled out my make-do ice removal tools once again. I gleefully chipped away at the stubborn sleet hill that remained on the front walkway as well as the small iceberg blocking the golf cart's cute little garage door. A bucket of sweat later and my efforts paid off, y'all. I had the sore shoulders and arms to prove it, but thankfully no blisters since I wore gloves. Oh sure, they were the husband's dyed yellowish orange leather work gloves that stained my fingers a sickly shade resembling jaundice when the gloves got wet. But at least I didn't end up with any raw skin. 

Our temps have headed back into that frigid zone these past couple days since another cold front blew through at the start of the weekend. Winter is typically our most unpredictable time of year where I really have to pay attention to the forecast. Otherwise, I wouldn't know if I need to dress in short sleeves and flip flops or a sweater and boots on any given day. 

I've decided the best part of winter here at the lake is the amazing sunsets I continue to see from our back porch in the late afternoons when I let our dogs out for a potty break. God paints the canvas of His sky in the most gorgeous colors that often take my breath away, renewing my appreciation for the beautiful planet He provides for our temporary mortal home.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Psalms 19:1

Sleetmageddon 2026

We've just about cleared the deep freeze of this first winter plunge of 2026. However, here in Texas these warm ups are often temporary in the month of January. I just checked the forecast and it looks like I shouldn't be in a rush to uncover the landscaping beds since we're looking at another round of temps bottoming out in the upper teens this next weekend. 

It's truly a blessing to live in this era of outstanding weather forecasting so we always have sufficient time to prepare for things like ice storms and frigid temps. The husband and I also appreciate the added benefit of our Generac generator, powered by a large propane tank buried in our yard, that will keep the entire house running if the power goes out. 

Along with the rest of the folks in the impending deep freeze zone, I hit our local grocery store Friday to gather the fixings for soup and cookies. That has always been my go-to for these cold snaps over the years. This time I whipped up supreme pizza soup and my mother's delicious cheesy garlic bread. The husband and I also enjoyed two batches of cookies I baked for this little bout of serious hibernation.

Meanwhile, the dogs have spent the past few days curled up instead of begging to go outside. Mostly. Little white dog can't resist a bit of whining to see if he can aggravate me into opening the back door for him. After a few potty breaks outside, though, he decided he'd rather just whine for attention or a game of fetch.

Thanks to our accurate weather forecasts, the husband and I were able to get the landscaping plants covered here at our house as well as the ones over at the house we purchased for the husband's parents. Hopefully they will all weather the frigid temps with no ill effects since I don't relish the thought of having to replace them come spring.

In the early morning hours of Sunday, I heard/saw thunder sleet, which was pretty cool. I had read about the possibility of it in a social media post from one of our local meteorologists. By the time the sun rose that morning, our world was a sleety wonderland. I was intrigued by the steam and mist that continued to rise from the water through most of Sunday. It was equal parts interesting and eerie.

The dogs did a bit of sliding, and weren't too sure about the sensation of walking on little round balls of ice. Thankfully, they stayed off the ice-slicked retaining wall at the water's edge, so no lake rescues were necessary. The sun came out Monday and melted most of the ice in our backyard. Hopefully today the sun and some continued warmer temps should take care of the rest of the lingering ice in our region of Texas, so everyone can regroup and prep for the next round of winter that will arrive in a few days. I pray y'all stay safe and warm out there!

Weekend with the twenty somethings

This weekend we enjoyed a visit with the law school daughter and her boyfriend. They drove down Saturday morning, so we enjoyed an early lunch at our favorite local Tex Mex restaurant. Then for supper we went to a new place we discovered recently thanks to a neighborhood couple that invited us to join them one evening. 

Sunday morning I headed out to church. I had already committed to teaching the littles during the contemporary service before we found out we'd have the twenty somethings since they were both off on Monday for MLK day. For months now, we have been wanting to hire one of the lake's top fishing guides to take us out and show us the ropes before we invest in a second boat for fishing. So the husband, daughter and her boyfriend enjoyed four hours of reeling in some hybrid bass despite the really chilly temps. 

As you can see above, there were lots of keepers. The guide dressed them, so the daughter returned to Dallas with a big bag of filets to put in the freezer for future meals. Once we were all back home from church and fishing, we prepared a delicious dinner. The daughter requested that we make a new tomato and burrata appetizer she recently saw online. I obliged by slicing up a baguette that I slathered with garlic butter and toasted in the oven for dipping. The husband manned our grill to prepare us these very tasty steaks along with some unique gourmet sausages they found at the meat counter. We rounded out the feast with loaded baked potatoes and salad, then washed it all down with French vanilla Neiman Marcus bars. 

I love spending time with our girls and their significant others when they come for visits. And I'm always a bit blue when they have to return to their busy lives. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure with these two amazing young women who made our family complete, and have given us so much to be proud of since they came into our lives. My dream is that they both remain geographically close so we can continue to enjoy their company and be a big part of their lives as they age. Plus be a help once grandkids come along. Nothing would make me happier than to be an involved and supportive Granny and Mimi like I and my girls had the benefit of for so many precious years. They were truly a Godsend in our lives, and I praise the Lord for both of them.

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from Him. Prof 127:3

Rounding out my latest collection

For those of you who don't know, I'm a bit of a collector. My largest collection is Santas since I started acquiring them way back in my 20s. In my 40s I saw a picture in a decorating magazine that sparked my interest in collecting vintage blue and green glass. After my mother passed away, I added milk glass as a third collection since I inherited a single piece of milk glass from both my granny and her. 

Over the holidays, I ran across this article below and it caught my attention since I've collected Santas for 34 years. Although the jolly old elf was one of the eight most popular vintage Christmas decorations, it was cool to run across KLM's blue and white Delft houses since I began collecting them a couple years ago.

I got my first two blue and white porcelain houses when I flew business class on KLM to visit a childhood friend in Holland. Loving the look of them, I rustled up a dozen more of these charming little houses by combing eBay for good buys. An old English teacher, I made sure to get a mini Anne Frank house. Not only did I read Anne Frank's diary in Mrs. Campbell's 8th gr English class back in the day, but I also taught it as an 8th gr English teacher a couple decades later. But I digress. All of the houses are numbered on the back, and the Frank house is 47, in case you're wondering.

When I moved my cute little collection up to the lake house, I was struggling to find a place to display them since the lady who built this home a few years ago obviously wasn't a big collector of anything needing display space. I finally landed on the narrow shelf above my cooktop. But it just looked incomplete to me, with too much empty space. So I recently rounded up six more houses I didn't have and added them to that ledge after all of my Santas were stored for the year. Then when I was over at the famous Canton trade days recently (the world's largest flea market), I ran across a pair of cute blue and white windmills that I used to bookend my sweet little Delft house collection. And never fear. I'm already thinking about how I can incorporate my KLM houses into our holiday decor for Christmas 2026.

A warmish winter thus far

Don't get me wrong, y'all. I'm not wishing ice and frigid temperatures on us here in Texas. However, it just seems wrong when the temps creep back up into that shorts and flip flops wearing zone during wintertime. I'm still trying to get some mileage out of my boots and sweaters at this time of year. Plus we need at least a few more serious cold snaps to help kill off some of the bug population. 

Living on the lake means these Fahrenheit fluctuations can make for some interesting sunrises and sunsets. Plus the steam and/or fog rising above the water creates a really cool effect. I'm thinking we'll probably take the boat out for another spin around the lake before our next round of cooler weather rolls in on Friday. Maybe invite a few of our neighbors. I've got two new covered charcuterie style containers, one that even holds ice in the bottom to keep things cool, and I'm just itching to try them out. Lake life continues to make me smile on the daily. As you can see in the pic below, our daughter's fur baby would undoubtedly give two paws up for boat rides, too.

Dancing with and to the oldies

For New Year's Eve, the club in our golf community hosted dinner and dancing to ring in 2026. So the husband and I had a fun time celebrating with all of the oldies to all of the oldies hits. And when I say oldies, I include myself since I'm knocking on the door of 60. Music that was popular when we were growing up is anywhere from 40-50 years old now. I was impressed with the band they brought in from Austin. Below are a few of the video blurbs I recorded.

Forget cabbage and black eyed peas on January 1, y'all. We're hoping cole slaw on fish tacos and charro beans on nachos will do the trick! The husband and I visited our nearest Tia Juanita's Fish Camp for this first lunch date of 2026. Tia's is a personal favorite of ours, a tasty marriage of Tex Mex and Cajun cuisines. Their decor is always interesting, and I especially like this big mural of Texas country music legends Willie and George. 

New year, new normal

It's hard to believe the husband is retired, especially since it coincided with the holidays. He always saved a few weeks of his annual vacation to take off around Christmas and new years (for as long as I can remember) so we could spend time together as a family. He'd typically be gearing up to head back to the corporate trenches on Monday. But that's now a thing of the past in 2026 as we settle into our new normal.

He's kicking off the new year with some of his old work buddies down on the coast at a rod and gun club for fishing and dove hunting. Then he'll be back at our house in the hill country to begin the barn purge and pack. I don't envy him that big job, and I'm glad it's his stuff rather than mine that needs to be moved to his new workshop near our lake house. 

Meanwhile, the dogs and I will be holding down the fort here on the water. My sister and I decided to check out the famous Canton trade days this weekend. I'm kinda wishing I owned a wagon to bring, just in case I spy something substantial and/or heavy I absolutely need. But since our only wagon is at the hill country house, I will definitely be putting a couple of those reusable shopping bags from HEB or Home Goods in my purse for any purchases we make.

My Monday and Thursday Bible study groups resume next week, so I've gotta pull out my lessons and get back into the groove with that. I was checking out my January calendar, and it contains a lot of maintenance. Things like my SUVs oil and filter change. A facial for me. Plus appointments for my annual mammogram and check up with my GP. January is chock full of all sorts of *fun* appointments. 

But I'm definitely not postponing the health stuff. Since summer I've added six people diagnosed with cancer to my prayer journal, as well as folks with heart troubles, a stroke and the inevitable old-age falls. Just last month, a classmate's father, my mother's dear friend and a classmate I've known since 4th grade have passed away. Aging and its accompanying illnesses aren't for the faint hearted, y'all. 

I ran across this post above on social media and it gave me the giggles. Because seriously, no reason to be morose about death. Our time on earth is fleeting. Of course we miss and grieve when loved ones pass. But what a blessing to know as believers they're in a much better place. They certainly aren't missing us like we're missing them. And we'll see them again one day. Until then, we can trust God as He walks with us across the mountaintops and through the valleys of life.

My big wish for myself and all of you in 2026 is a year filled with God's peace. Peace with your people. Peace with your choices. Peace in the inevitable challenges of life that find us all. A genuine peace that can only come from the Lord. I pray the Prince of Peace will bless and keep us all this year, that our Almighty Father turns His face upon us and gives us sweet peace.

(Jesus said) PEACE I leave with you; my PEACE I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   Philippians 4:6-7