Under Construction, please excuse our mess

ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

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Comments

  1. Hoping everyone stays safe and warm. That’s the priority right now. Wish I could send Florida’s more temperate weather.

    • For reasons that must have made sense at the time Texas found it convenient to have their power grid isolated from the rest of the American power grid.

      Failure to harden their pipeline pumps and windmill turbines against extreme cold makes even less sense.

  5. I’m really sorry you all have to deal with this. Those hideous temps are no fun no matter where you are. Happy all my kids can stay where they are today. One self-employed and sensible, one the manager told to stay home, one called in and her supervisor agreed. None of them are here, but they’re home and safe.

    • In Austin, only about 8% still w/o power, down from 40%. But the new issue is no water. Apparently the water treatment plant is back online, but no idea when water will be restored.

  7. At the moment, I’m in a lull between sleet/freezing rain bands up in Maryland. And I think I might be hearing someone’s generator, but I still have power. Can’t tell if it’s my street or the street behind us.

    • I salted before it started yesterday but evidently didn’t put down enough. Waiting until it stops tomorrow before redoing it.

  8. Ick. I hope you at least have power back on soon. Trying to deal with the rest is bad enough when you aren’t freezing to death in your own home.

  9. Wow! So sorry to see hopefully you will be able to thaw out soon. Was reading an article about a hospital in Austin having to evacuate patients due to no water.

    Hopefully all those in the cold can warm up soon

  11. We lost power here (SW Virginia mountains) earlier today. Luckily, we’ve got a wood stove and a portable generator. My husband made breakfast for us on the wood stove, so we are fed and warm.

    Your yard looks beautiful, though I know it’s not fun to be without power for an extended period. Ours looks like a ice coated winter wonderland, but we’re not supposed to get too much more precipitation.

  13. Sending warm thoughts. We have family in parts of Texas all the way up to Wisconsin. This has been a very hard winter for all of you.

  14. It’s snowing again in NYC. Suppose to get 5-8 inches more. But we all have power. It’s suppose to warm up to 42 next week.
    I feel so bad for the people in the South that are without power.
    Stay safe and warm.

  16. In Webster TX. We were 30 hours without power, then 12 with, the 9 without, and currently with. If we loose it again I return to my neighbors who have a generator. Especially since it will be a new freeze again tonight. We lost water for a while during all that and have a boil notice for now. Doing things slowly due to the forced inactivity of just trying to be warm. I need to toss most things from my frig. I hope everyone stays warm and dry.

    • I might think about doing that while everything is still cold. I’m still traumatized from the smells after evacuation this summer. Grateful that we had a home and a fridge to empty, mind, but gah.
      All my best to you. Our power outages are difficult enough, but we always have access t food, and hotels if it gets really bad.

  17. Hello

    I am so sorry about the weather!! It was snowing here early this morning while I was driving my husband to the emergency room. Did not mind the hospital but totally loathed the snowy conditions.

    At least the snow is pretty!! I am trying to look at the positives.

  18. Glad you are still okay. Conversations I have had with pool owners included the idea of throwing in empty plastic water or milk jugs to act as compression points for the ice expansion, rather than the solid pool frame. Supposedly less damage to structure.
    Had our first busted pipe experience in this house we have been in for 20 years in Mansfield. Caught it fairly quick, but the laminated flooring is a goner. We were fortunate to have had power and gas all along, so we have been faring much better than many other Texans. Hey Bibliovore. Wife and I were wed in Webster!

  19. The Wall Street Journal has also done an excellent job explaining what and why this has happened in Texas in a series of articles.

  20. Yes, we got round 2 yesterday afternoon and last night. And it’s snowing again right now! (Thursday 11:30am CT). I thought we would skate through this winter without having much precip. Boy, was I wrong! Temps are in the 20s. One for the records. Hope you and your family are staying warm and have what you need! Prayers for those who don’t…….

  21. I am imposing on my son and daughter-in-law. I am sure I have power now, but no water at home and they have both. (They have an MUD instead of Houston water.)
    I have turned my water off and left things to hopefully not freeze. The pipes inside were already empty.

    My cats are traumatized. They do not deal with change well, and really prefer a dogless existence. However, they are being fed and watered and played with, none of which would happen if they were home alone. Deal with it, guys!

    Once this last (I hope) cold snap is past, I will drag all of us home again and the cats will be upset all over again.
    Sigh.

  22. Also getting sideways snow here in San Antonio. Have some pots and a large tarp out to catch some for clean drinking and flushing water. It’s so fluffy though-a potful of snow melts down to 2 inches of water. We are getting notices that the water utilities are projecting hundreds of thousands of broken water lines that will be thawing out beginning tomorrow, so it’s likely to take a long time to get safe drinking water back on line. Stay safe and warm!

    • Snow picks up filth as it falls through dirty air. Drinking melted snow is not a wise choice. You’ll have to filter that melted snow carefully before you drink it.

      • You can boil the melted snow for about 5 minutes after the water comes up to a rolling boil. It will kill anything in the water by doing this.

        That is also if you have power to do the boil. 🙂

  23. Oh shit. Just what you didn’t need. I am happy you have experience with miserable cold. I also wish you didn’t need to make use of it.

    I wish you safe and well, and with fully returned power all across the state.

  24. They reported on the news in the UK about all the turtles being rescued and taken to a convention centre to keep them warm and safe after they are shocked with the freeze!
    Last count 4,600 turtles.
    It’s nice to see something nice in all the disruption and troubles.

  25. We had the terrible, terrible winter of 2015 a few years ago near Boston, and I know I have lingering trauma from it. I feel for all of you in Texas dealing with this. It’s brutal. Sorry Kid 1 can’t come home.

    All the best for relief soon, I have other friends in Texas who are also struggling this roller coaster of YAY the power is on, drink coffee, warm up, and then it goes down again, back to cold.

    If people want to help, CNN has a list of organizations you can donate to, like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Austin Pets Alive (helps animals stay warm..)

    https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/17/us/texas-winter-storm-how-to-help-iyw-trnd/index.html

  26. Another Texan here: we have had full power since last night. Because of broken water mains, we have to conserve water. Our son south of Austin has 25% water now, but texted they will be having snow until 2.
    I am waiting to hear if our city received their weekly covid vaccines. Of course getting out tomorrow may be interesting.

  27. Yeah, I had a Dr. appt today, got up, and discovered 3 fresh inches of snow and ice.

    Forecast said it would half an inch. Guess not. We ended up re scheduling. I’d rather not go than break a hip.

    Hubby made me laugh when he growled that the biggest downside to working at home is not getting any snow days.

    Stay warm!

  29. Here in czech rep, we also received our russian gift of deep frozen air 🙂 On other hand, pull out the ski and ride on them to shop.

  33. I understand, I am in Magnolia Texas, and I just got my power and water back after 3days!! Now we are being told that we may have rolling blackouts, and to boil our water!!

  34. Take care. Very cold here in Austin, but with power…water is iffy.

    Will Houston go through a magical snowpocalypse in a future book???

  35. Live in North Austin/Round Rock. Lucky to be on a grid with a hospital, that is in a MUD(municipal utility district) so power has been mostly consistent. Keeping the temp to 62 to help support putting less weight on the grid. My husband managed to get our daughter, her guy, cat and dog, to the house two nights ago. The no water/boil water issue seems to be with us for a while. We are also putting food out for birds and roaming animals. Our block is helping/checking each other. We fully understand how very, very, lucky we are.

  36. Wobbly polar vortex due to climate change is really wreaking havoc on regions not used to cold temps and snow. Here in southern Ontario, we’re getting the kind of snowfall I remember from when I was a little girl. My friends’ younger kids are digging vast tunnels and igloo-type structures out of the snow banks, then having hot chocolate in them. Fun! I remember having a blast doing that as a kid. We generally only lose power in ice storms that down wires, but so far, that hasn’t happened. I’m sorry for people who aren’t used to this. I suspect no one down south has much winter wear either. So, layer, layer, layer. That will keep you warmer when winter coats, mittens, scarves and boots aren’t available. Good luck and hope it passes soon.

    • Yes! We do not have all the winter weather wear here. It’s making me a little crazy that we can’t go out and play in the snow without the worry of frozen toes and fingers and wet jeans.

  37. My heart goes out to all of the folks in Texas dealing with this weather and resulting problems. I am happy your family is all safe.

  38. I just saw the evening news here in the UK talking about the sea turtles needing rescue in Texas which made me think of your blog. All you Texans stay warm and safe and I hope many turtles manage to be saved. Fingers crossed the weather changes soon.

    • The sea turtle bit really just warmed my heart.

      …and gave me ideas for a proposal we’ve been writing exploring how sea turtle migration might adapt to climate change. That group is meeting tomorrow!

  40. Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the post. Sorry about the kid stranded in Florida. Glad you guys are doing well. Here in NC we are now dealing with weather you had about 3 days ago as it moves up eastern seaboard. Power has been off and on as usual during inclement severe weather. Tomorrow or next day I will be out repairing downed fences before livestock goes walkabout. Just means we are alive and setting another weather record.

  41. We feel yalls pain. Here in Andrews, Tx it’s snowing but we received a lot of ice on the first night and then snow from then on. We thankfully only went half a day without power but it went out at 2am and it was almost 6pm before it came back on and it was cold where the fireplace heat didn’t get to, I feel so sorry for those that have gone longer in this cold without heat of any sort.

    Our water line busted because the power was out and it froze at one well and the other well needs a new pump so we were without water for almost 3 days until my husband was able to get out and get the things we needed to get it all fixed.
    I told my husband sorry he had to be out in the freezing cold but I’m really happy it happened while he was home and not on his 6 weeks at work in Qatar,, because there is no telling when we would have got it fixed. It never fails something goes wrong while he is gone so hopefully it’s nothing this time!

    Yall stay safe and warm!

  42. This FB post from my favorite glass artist (Rockcrest Glass) made me think of you, Ilona.

    #fiberglass During a rough few weeks (burst in-floor radiant heating pipes / water damage / new furnace / contractors in and out and in and out) which had my studio packed up / shut down and my creativity low, I spent a lot of time spinning, knitting, and sketching the results of those efforts.
    ????
    As a “your creativity isn’t dead – it just feels like it is, so get back in the studio and make something random” present for myself, I’ve turned my latest skein of hand spun yarn into a super juicy suncatcher!
    ????
    Just like a gorgeous skein of yarn that I don’t want to “ruin” by winding it into a ball and actually knitting with it, I’d been hanging onto this sheet of glass, afraid to cut into it! Luckily, I’m really loving the transition of colors through the “skein”, and will never be tempted to unwind it!

  43. I’m in the DFW area, I’m so glad we’re not still getting snow and ice. This whole situation with the energy grid is massively infuriating, and the behavior of some of the politicians (more than one!) in response is reprehensible.

    I’m lucky enough to have not lost power, internet, or water (yet)- though I live less than a mile from a water pump station, and I suspect that has to do with my not losing power in the blackouts. Unfortunately, the pump has lost enough water pressure that we’re currently under a boil water order, that’s expected to last a minimum of three days.

    Hopefully it will stop snowing on you guys further south soon, and it’ll warm up quickly (and without leaving too many burst pipes behind).

  44. Tell Kid 2 to invest in a small pile of hand warmers for your pockets like the hunters use. Chemical heat and each one lasts for hours. Back up plan for small reptiles, kittens etc.

    • Just saw on the weather channel that those hand warmers come in a large size to warm our body core… it was suggested to keep some in cars as part of a survival kit, but having them in homes with no power would also help.

  45. We’re in Austin and very fortunate that, in our small area, we’ve mostly had all of our utilities through the last week.
    I looked at the weather forecast this morning and laughed hysterically because we were set to get more snow! Then my son came ripping down the stairs, yelling about more snow falling.
    My parents have lived here for 50 years, and in that time, they have not seen the likes of this weather.

  46. Just donated to food banks in Austin and Houston. This is truly terrible. Keep cuddling those fur babies.

    • Thank you so much on behalf of our food banks. We made our quarterly donation just before the storm specifically because we knew it was coming and they would need every bit of it. We are very grateful to you.

  47. Do you remember that beautiful scene with the ice on the walls of the palace in Dr. Zhivago? It’s a little different when you’re living it. Make like Lara and bundle up under your fur blankets and ride off into the distance on your sled….

  48. Being a Dresden fan, I recommend you summon up a pixie and ask them to find out what Texas did to piss off Mab

  49. Hope you guys are ok. I previously posted but hadn’t realized how xtreme it is in Texas. I don’t watch the news, TV or browse the internet, just a select few sites. Friends that are from Texas and still have relatives there, were discussing the situation.

    I’ve been through blackouts, blizzards, tornadoes, and no water; so my heart goes out to you all.

  50. Thanks for letting us know you guys and the kids are all right. Snookie is lucky to be alive. I’m very fond of that dog. I’m glad you were able to get her out of the pool in time.

    This is where an emergency backup power supply or battery comes in handy. They can’t run everything, but they can power a laptop and a wifi router for several hours. We keep one for my hubby’s CPAP machine if there’s a power outage, and use it for the CPAP when we go camping.

  53. Please stay safe in that weather down there. Also, I hope you were able to drip or run your faucets so your pipes don’t burst when the thaw happen.

    I finally got power today. When the rest of the apartment complex got their power last night, mine didn’t come on. What happened is that the main power switch tripped off. So, a maintenance guy turned it on. Once I got home, 10 minutes later the power went off. So I called the leasing office. Switched on the main again. I have power ever since. My leasing manager told me that she is ordering a new breaker box and possibly new breakers due to main tripping off. That is a safety thing. 🙂

    Now Fort Worth (all of the city and environs) has to boil water for cooking and drinking. We can use it to shower, but make sure not to get the water in the mouth. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

  54. Hope you and your family are safe. My cousin was visiting his parents and when he came home the hot water pipes burst (it’s in the attic) and the water soaked through their second floor to the first. The ceiling fell in their bedroom and the floors have 2 inches of water. They’re clearing it out and pulling up carpet so mold doesn’t grow but the earliest a plumber can get there is the first week of March ????

    • Oh no! I heard Texas is trying to find out a way to get out of state plumbers licenses to help with all the pipes bursting.

      I hope your cousin is taking lots of pictures and saves the receipts to put in a claim to his insurance company.

  55. Thinking of you all with the cold weather you are going through. Hope it warms up soon. I’m sitting in front of my fire while reading your latest book….wonderful!….keep safe and invest in a generator. Even if you only use it once every 2 to 3 years they’re worth it.

    • I live in Ft. Worth and have lost powe every day since early Monday at around 12:30 a.m. It was out for over 18 hours. My apartment temp was the low 50s. I have lost power during the night and get it back in the afternoon every day since which I think is part of the rolling outages, so I make coffee and put in my thermos, and warm up some of the food I cooked when I first got power back since I was out of the cold meatloaf I was eating. I now found out that some of the apartments in my complex have no water. The complex has an empty apartment set up so people can get water, and if the power is on, take a cold shower. No leaks inside apartments so far, this blockage is from the street going into the apartments. South of the water boil treatment notices. So grateful for water, especially plumbing.

      My little cat is a Devon Rex and only has a velvety, wavy coat, missing the longer fur that insulates cats with a normal coat. She has been living under the covers with me except for potty breaks and to eat. We keep each other warm. I stay in bed during the outages under multiple layers of blankets, i.e., every throw I own plus my quilt. My normal cat visits, sticks her torso under the covers for snuggles and kisses, and then leaves us. I wish she stayed under the covers. She is almost twice the size of Punk and would help with heat. All electric apartment. I also have TV Aand internet when I have power. My brother has a different cable company and has neither.

      I miss Minnesota. Even below zero, stayed warm with gas stove for cooking and a wood burning fireplace, proper insulation, no burst water pipes. MN DOT had resources, unlike TX DOT. We had a 133 car pileup last week with 6 dead at the scene and multiple injuries due to icy conditions. I was so looking forward to 2021 being better than 2020. Sorry to whine. Just cold and frustrated.

      • You are totally allowed a good whine, that’s a terrible situation! Best wishes for warmer weather and systems coming back online. Snuggle those kitties and stay safe.

      • Could Punk wear a little sweater? My mother even used to just get thrift store sweaters for kids and cut them down for her dog…

        • I woke up this morning AND THE POWER WAS ON!!!!! I checked to see what is happening around the state and around me. Some of the apartments in my complex are without power or water. I have both. I have food. I have tv and internet, and although I am keeping my heat at 69 per request, it’s not bad. The sun was shining.

          Unfortunately that means the snow is melting, so it looks like it is raining with enough wind that the water was blowing sideways. Back to below freezing now but should be in the low 40s and sunny again tomorrow. No snow expected over the weekend, so am hoping Walmart is open for a grocery and supply run on Monday. Supplies should be in by then. Candles, matches, flashlights and bandaids on my list. I cut myself trying to cut an orange by the flashlight function on my phone. I will add a sweater to the list and see what happens. I spell her name Punkin for a reason. Not only is she orange and white, she is a little Punk. The big cat now answers to Precious because she kept getting told that she was precious.

          Thanks for the good wishes. We need them, plus plumbers. Can you believe that due to Covid, some idiot beaurocrat decided that virtual inspections of winterization of water facilities instead of actual visits would work? I wouldn’t want to be him or her. They think that being without water is going to be a bigger problem than 6 million without power was.

  56. I am so sorry she’s not able to come back. That stinks. I hope she’s warm and safe. And that she’ll be home soon. And I hope your power stays on. Hopefully it will stop snowing up there like it has here in Fort Worth soon, and it’ll warm up quickly without any problems with your water supply or pipes.

    I am hoping tomorrow the pipes unfreeze here. But I discovered one of my neighbors still has water and they’ve been nice enough to fill up my jugs for me so I am okay, especially now that the power isn’t going off and on. 🙂

    There is a hard freeze warning for tonight, and the roads are a black ice hazard. Not that you could pay me to leave as long as the power is on. I hope that if your daughter can travel soon, the ice and refreezing aren’t a hazard to her too. No matter where she is and where you are, as long as your warm, healthy and safe, it’s a blessing.

  57. In Kyle, we got our water back after ~24 hours at last, and power has stabilized.

    The inclination of people to laugh “Oh Texas, you silly so and so, this is what we northerners call winter, har har har,” I sorta get. I grew up in Michigan. This may seem a little funny from the outside – silly southern state doesn’t know what to do with six inches of snow.

    But at the same time, I’ve lived here over 25 years of my life now. I know the logic. There are no preparations for this level of winter in Texas. There are no snow plows, little to no salt or sand. And the epic level of failure on the part of the isolationist regime of ERCOT cannot even be discussed without levels of rage that are unsuitable for public display.

    I’m glad that you and yours are safe, if as unproductive as the rest of us.

  59. Wow! That wind makes it sound so desolate. I’m praying for the weekend for you and all of the effected areas. It’s supposed to warm up by a lot. Here’s hoping. Stay safe.

  60. Just saw on the weather channel a heater that does not require electricity that is made for the indoors that runs on propane. Just be careful to not have near drapes or other things that could catch on fire. Space kerosene heaters are not as common, but work very good.

    Another tip was covering windows with plastic film and sealing with duct tape to prevent as much heat loss.

    There are also the hand warmers that generate heat that comes in large sizes that can keep the body core warm. Good thing to keep in cars also.

  61. So sorry to hear about what is going on down in TX. I live about 30 miles north of the Oregon border in the desert/shrub steppe area and I’ve been feeling whiny because I have to shovel snow.

    But holy crap! Dealing with snow and cold weather when you know darn good and well that it’s a likelihood is COMPLETELY different from having to deal with it when it comes out of nowhere and not even your government (at all levels from City to Federal) is not prepared for it is brutal.

    Your weather has also been colder than ours (!!!) – we’ve been bumbling around in the 20’s-to-30’s, mostly. So I’m going to just go shovel my drive, shut up and enjoy having all of my utilities. I wish I could teleport some cordwood and water down south.

    Take care. I’m sending my best wishes to you and the rest of the snowy south.

  62. Canadian here… who just lived through -40° (Sorry just remembered this hack) but if you get a very very thin layer of water on windows and then put bubble wrap over top of them it works really well as insulation and stops heat loss from your windows. Please stay safe everyone!

  63. Really sorry to hear about all your struggles.
    My two cousins in Texas (Dallas/ San Antonio) are affected, one is stuck in FL (like kid1) and one‘s family found a friend with power and a guest room. It’s frustrating to have a house with all amenities and then to notice all comfort and protection is lost in a second.

    Thinking of all the people in poor living conditions who feel it the most. And the critters…

    Stay safe & warm ( … why do you need to boil your water? Are the water purification systems not working either?)

  64. Hope you all are doing well during this craziness. Hope things look up soon and hope you are all safe and warm. Thinking about you all. ❤️????????

  69. That looks gorgeous. But please come back to Florida. Stay anywhere from Treasure Island, upto Madeira Beach, onto Reddington and North Reddington Beaches (the Reddington beaches are where the rich folk live).

    Stay anywhere there while you look for a place to live. We do wear masks when we enter and walk around a commercial establishment. If you sit down at a table, then you can take off your mask. Booths have plastic dividers and tables are 6ft apart. Please give us another try.

  70. My friend’s father said to put whiskey down the water pipes to keep them from freezing.
    I don’t know the practicality of that (here in Fl) but thought I’d pass it along.

  71. Well that is a very pretty yard!
    My son in Kingwood only had one day without power. He got pretty cold, but it has overall just been an adventure.

  72. Guess everybody’s breaking out the hibachis and weber grills to boil snow or water if you’ve got it?

  74. Sending warm thoughts from northern VA.

    We are hopefully over the latest round of freezing rain and black ice. My friend slid down her driveway this morning while getting the newspaper.

  76. My heart goes out to all of you having trouble right now. Please stay safe and know all of our prayers are with you.

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  78. I have several different sizes of power banks that can be charged from wall, car and solar. I got the first one (none solar) 7 years ago for my kindle to use while traveling. My latest one is a Bluetti AC200. It got great reviews from all the YouTube geeks (including Will Prowse who hardly likes any of them).It can run a fridge. I got it for camping out of the Pacifica, but will be a life saver under under your kind of conditions. You should be able to run your computer (I think!). Since I love gadgets I also have a slightly smaller one I could run my USB water bottle and electric blanket with. More importantly I can run my tea kettle on them. I also have 3×120 w folding panels that take up very little room. The power banks I keep behind my sofa as it is angled away from the wall.

  79. Some of advise from someone who has seen it snow in every month of the year. Blankets and cuddling close is the best way to stay warm. Melting snow to refill the toilet is a life saver. Old furniture makes good fire wood. Start your car for at least 5 minutes a day if it’s extremely cold, even if your nit planning on using it. Playing card games by candle light really does make the time go buy, unless you are having an unlucky night. Soon you will have warm weather again and only experience the “icky white stuff” on vacation when you want to see it but can smile at the locals and understand what they deal with. Stay warm and safe.

  80. So glad you guys are ok. Our hearts are with you, sorry your state seems to have screwed the pooch in the electric grid. Washington State seems to know what winter is about. We are fortunate.

  81. I took a couple months “off” from reading your blog because I like to binge read it. With the storms and the loss of power, water, etc. I decided it would be a good time to re-read Hidden Legacy. And now that power and water have been restored I was able to glut myself on catching up here on the blog. So much fun. I had a question just randomly occur: if this storm disaster had tried to happen in the HL world what would have happened? Would the storm mages staved it off or let it happen just lessening the impact. It’s fun to think. Thanks for giving me an alternate world to keep me warm when it was 45 degrees in my house with no running water and four cats to keep warm. Also, you mentioned in the party video that you love heist stories. I do too. I know you guys are taking a year off of traditional publishing, which is great. But if and when Arabella’s turn is up a freak storm caused by weather mages in other parts making changes and a heist story (Adam’s was kind of a heist story but he was the antagonist) would be fun. I love the fact that there will be multiple love interests. Oceans 11 of love interests with Arabella in the thick of it all. Anyway… hope you daughter is able to return asap. It was nice here today in Fort Worth. Hopefully all is well there too. And thank you again.

  82. Glad that you and your family are safe and somewhat warm for now. Hope that power will soon be restored.

    Just wanted to let you know that I just finished rereading all of the Kate Daniel’s books before reading Blood Heir. Yes, it’s been sitting on my nightstand all of this time. Lol
    I had forgotten so much in the years since I read the 1st book. I still remember reading it for the first time and thinking this is good. THEN I got to the line, “Here kitty kitty!” I laughed so hard. I went from thinking it was a good book to devouring anything that had your name on the jacket AND recommending them to strangers while browsing in B&N looking for your latest release. Thank you for getting me through some tough times.

  84. Wow so sorry Having glorious balmy weather in Ocala, Florida temps in the 70’s slight breeze just gorgeous! Wish we could send some warmth to you Thank goodness you are all safe and well…so many are not. Hugs to all and stay safe!

  85. I’ve lived in CA, DC, MD, NJ, FL and I may be forgetting somewhere but I have never understood the attraction of FL. It’s a very humid heat, it’s not cheap when you factor in insurance and HOA, wildlife is trying to kill you and there are terrifying and snakes there as well as the crocodiles, it’s the first and best target for most storms and hurricanes, almost every home has HOA with pet number and breed restrictions, homeowners and car insurance is through the roof and there’s more tourists than residents. I’d move to CA if I wanted warmth. You want heaven on earth on the water: move to Ventura.

    • Agree. PA, NH, and CA (with my mom in MA and dad in FL).

      I live in CA now, and I will never, ever, ever leave. Never. Ever.

      CA is expensive. And yeah, Fire season is…um…well. Yeah. But still.

      I understand that different people want different things! Which is great – because somebody needs to live in NH, and that somebody is not me.

  86. Worried about you. That’s all.

    Come to think of it, you might be the only people I “know” in Texas.

    • Hey Leigh Ann, Ilona commented in the Facebook fan group on Saturday and told everyone they’re ok ❤️ and slowly going back to normal.
      Thank you for thinking of them ☺️.

  88. For those of you who are talking about moving to Florida, I have some interesting information for you if you are serious. Most folks think they would like to move to the central or southern parts of Florida but, believe me, the snowbirds drive you nuts down there and I am not a fan of the really flat terrain or the soggy everglades! I live in northern Florida, in a county that is is the “armpit” of the state where it takes a turn to the west and spreads toward Pensacola. The county I live in is on the “forgotten coast”, an area of the state that is heavily forested and not overly populated. My husband was a manager for P&G here and did an interesting study of this area for the company because upper level management was concerned about hurricanes. It turns out that because of our “armpit” location, we have the fewest hurricanes of any county in the state, and the best general weather. A of the bad systems apparently get slingshotted away from us because of the topography! In addition, we are on the Gulf Coast, whose beaches are so much more beautiful to me than the Atlantic Beaches. I grew up in Jacksonville, so I am very familiar with both. If you are truly interested in living in Florida, make sure you visit the northwest area unless you are besotted with the theme park lifestyle. 🙂

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