My guess you can hang your plumbing shingle in any town Texas, work your ass off for the next few months and make enough money to make it all worthwhile. You will sleep well at night, too.
The market is ripe for those who can and want to.
Maybe there is no such animal now as an out-of-work plumber. Hmmmmm....
Minus 1.5 here this morning. Fridge water flow apparently frozen. Not sure about the hot water heater. All faucets are set to hot and on the drip. So far, they are all working.
We are fortunate and have not yet been a part of any rolling power outages. Living in the outlands is working this issue just fine - so far.
Home heating system working to capacity and keep the house comfortable. Propane fire place supplements to raise the temp to combat the extreme low temps. We are in a daily/nightly holding pattern.
The septic system - we have questions. It is some kind of design where the clear water fills and then a sprinkler system empties all of that at the edge of the back woods. Works just fine until the sprinkler heads freeze. They are snow - and likely ice - covered. We have been told we will be ok, just minimize use. So only toilets and warm wash cloths. No laundry, no dishwashing, or washing of anything. Toilets #1. But I know that plumbers and those who have installed and maintain these kind of systems will soon be overwhelmed..
And not just Texas. This storm and the new one following in its path today and tomorrow have negatively impacted many other states all the way into New England.
Walmart has closed some 360 stores just here in this state. A perfect storm brewing. Think supply chain break down. Stores were emptying out just before the storm hit. They, too, are as affected as each home and apartment building is. Their employees also having the same issues, plus having to get to work and leaving frozen/dark homes behind. Or not! Staying to protect and monitor a valid excuse, me thinks.
The big thaw is coming this weekend. But still four to five days more before some things start to openly fail from thawing and melting. Add to all of this a shortage of goods and services across many states. All hitting at once. Getting back to normal. How long will that take?
Add crop loss plus other food production loss to this.
We are hearing and seeing a lot of stories that on one saw this coming. To include "the after." We thought we saw it coming.
Today will be another day of staying indoors, checking the above outdoor wx station all too often, pot of beef soup on the simmer, another loaf of homemade bread and working the abnormal.
Good news is that we have 6 months worth of coffee, damn near a year of tea and enough cream for two weeks. Basics goods into spring.
Helpful neighbors whom we check on daily and they on us.
The bride said that she can take laundry to the laundromat as she has before.
Then her face made that surprised look realizing that may not be a choice either.
Damn sure not worried about C19 or the talking heads.
Thanks for stopping by. More updates by week's end.
Having spent a lot of years in Michigan and Vermont, where we often went weeks at -10 or -15F, one thing I've seen is using an engine-powered welder to thaw water pipes. If they haven't burst yet. Also, a kerosene lamp does a nice job of giving a little heat where piping might be most sensitive. Hope your snow load is minimal, but if not, clear those roofs! And if you get cold rain on that snow, it gets real heavy! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHere in western Virginia, the sun finally came out and it got above 40F today, after about 4 days of snow and sleet and freezing rain.