an interesting week

The winter weather that hit much of the country did not pass us by, here in New Mexico. We got our 2-4 inches and it brought us to a halt. In many places, that much snow is barely noticed. Here, it's more problematic.

For one thing, although we might get an inch or two of snow every other year or so, we don't usually get the cold temperatures that we have this year. Not only has this been the coldest weather of the year, but the coldest of several years, maybe a decade. We don't have the street equipment to clear the roads if the sun doesn't do it for us. We have sand and road graders. Yep, I've seen it with my own eyes.

Another thing that has happened this year, is that a couple of the local power stations can't handle the cold, so the power grid here is on the edge. There have been rolling black-outs for a couple of days, now. We have been pretty fortunate, they haven't been too long, or tooo annoying. The power company has asked that the schools remain closed, however, to prevent further drain on the system.

Along with this, many people have had frozen pipes, which will result in leaks of various sizes when things thaw out in the next couple of days. We've been lucky that ours are doing OK so far.

It has been a week of reading, occasional computer time, grading papers, and - hopefully, tomorrow - some sewing. Raine has probably been bored occasionally, because that is how kids are. I've been reveling in it. I know the time is a gift that isn't given that often.