Winter Woes

What a hard winter this has been for the entire country.  We're getting daily reports of weather back home in NY - snow, snow, and more snow. They've been in a deep freeze now for at least 2 weeks.  Friends are complaining of ice build-up on roofs, snow removal problems, and the blasted cold.

Southern Texas certainly is not dealing with anything like that. Still, it's been unusually cold for the area. The temperatures have broken the record lows 3 times in the last week. This has resulted in a bunch of emergencies all across Texas. First off, we've had 3 days of rolling blockouts. The phone rings with a recorded message warning residents that because of the cold temperatures the Texas power grid can not keep up with demand. Texans are informed that electricity may be periodically turned off for 15 to 20 minutes. That may not be so bad in your home, but schools, restaurants, businesses, and especially hospitals are up in arms about the power shortage. One of the cold days included freezing rain. Ice shuts everything down. Cars do not have snow tires. People do not know how to drive on ice. Roads were closed for 2 days. They just have no snow plows, or sanders down here at all. Schools closed because of the ice and the rolling blackouts.  Homeless shelters were overfilled. Then Texans were asked to conserve water. It seems the main water lines in several cities burst because of the freezing temps. Today the temperatures are in the 60's and rising. Maybe the winter weather is behind us, but it will take the Texans a while to recover.

We had 5 or 6 nights with temperatures below freezing, and that has really taken a toll on the tropical plants. I walked the park this morning retaking pictures of some of the beautiful plants I shot last week. Many are just being unwrapped from their preventive coverings. But it was too cold, for too long, to save everything and quite a few are toast. Residents tell me that some will come back (especially the bougainvillea... can't kill it they say); some will simply be dug up and replaced. The palm trees, the roses, and the fruit trees all seem to have survived more or less. 

What follows are photos of some of the plants that did not survive.

Don't know what these bushes are called - but very attractive.

Same bush as above - not looking so good.

Bougainvillea tree in blossom.

Same bougainvillea tree -- toasted!

What an attractive cactus!

Oh dear! Will it come back?

Ground cover of some kind outside our patio.

Yikes!

I had not yet learned the name of this one.

The same bush as above is in the center of this grouping. All will have to be replaced.

Such a pretty little grouping.

Flower = toast; Even the cactus looks frost-bit.

Aloe Vera... It was green last week.

Roses covered in ice.

Happily, the roses all survived and are welcoming back the sun.