Fire and Ice
Just a few days before my mother's birthday, we had our first big snowstorm here in Dallas. The ice was so thick the day afterward that I had to wait until mid-afternoon (i.e., 3:30 p.m.) before I could get my car free enough of ice to go anywhere. In fact, it seemed like it took twenty minutes just to get my car to the point where I could open a car door. And when I went to the gas station to get some gas, I had to use one of my car keys to scrape the ice off the edges of the little door that covered my gas cap because there was so much ice on it that it would not respond to the automatic gas cap door switch inside my car.
Then again, it could have been worse. My mother, who lives in a suburb of East Plano, lost all power in her house for several days. Fortunately, she had a fireplace but still. My novia also lost power in her apartment but fortunately, her outage only lasted a few hours, most of which she spent under the covers with her two dogs.
Meanwhile, a neighbor of mine admitted the next day that he had fallen down some stair in a building across the street from his condo unit because neither the complex manager nor the maintenance crew had taken the trouble to deice the stairs in our complex.
Even yours truly was not exempt from disaster. When I went out driving on the Saturday before my mother's birthday, I had my first fishtail of the year when my car slid out of control of Forest Lane. Fortunately, traffic was light and the other cars stopped in time to avoid hitting me but the incident very easily could have had a less happier ending.
And speaking of unhappiness, a far greater disaster happened last night when a fire broke out in one of the buildings of my condominium complex. As far as I know, no one was hurt but only because the people who dwelt in that building were evacuated in time. At least one family I know is staying at a local hotel at their landlord's expense. Where the other families who lived in that building are staying, I do not know at this time.
In the meantime, the way to that part of the complex is being blocked by police cars which means everyone who lives beyond that point can not drive their vehicles either in or out of that area, even if their home is not in the area that was struck by fire. Even if you depend on a ride to get to work and back, you have to walk past the blockade to get to a point where your ride can pick you up since no vehicle save for ambulances, fire trucks and police cars are getting through at this point. Granted, that problem is minor compared to the fate of those whose homes are now ashes but still it is not a problem I would wish to trade for any of the troubles in my life.
In any event, it is supposed to rain tomorrow, and with any luck, that should put paid to any burning embers that still linger in the half-burned building. I hope to have happier news later in the week.
Just a few days before my mother's birthday, we had our first big snowstorm here in Dallas. The ice was so thick the day afterward that I had to wait until mid-afternoon (i.e., 3:30 p.m.) before I could get my car free enough of ice to go anywhere. In fact, it seemed like it took twenty minutes just to get my car to the point where I could open a car door. And when I went to the gas station to get some gas, I had to use one of my car keys to scrape the ice off the edges of the little door that covered my gas cap because there was so much ice on it that it would not respond to the automatic gas cap door switch inside my car.
Then again, it could have been worse. My mother, who lives in a suburb of East Plano, lost all power in her house for several days. Fortunately, she had a fireplace but still. My novia also lost power in her apartment but fortunately, her outage only lasted a few hours, most of which she spent under the covers with her two dogs.
Meanwhile, a neighbor of mine admitted the next day that he had fallen down some stair in a building across the street from his condo unit because neither the complex manager nor the maintenance crew had taken the trouble to deice the stairs in our complex.
Even yours truly was not exempt from disaster. When I went out driving on the Saturday before my mother's birthday, I had my first fishtail of the year when my car slid out of control of Forest Lane. Fortunately, traffic was light and the other cars stopped in time to avoid hitting me but the incident very easily could have had a less happier ending.
And speaking of unhappiness, a far greater disaster happened last night when a fire broke out in one of the buildings of my condominium complex. As far as I know, no one was hurt but only because the people who dwelt in that building were evacuated in time. At least one family I know is staying at a local hotel at their landlord's expense. Where the other families who lived in that building are staying, I do not know at this time.
In the meantime, the way to that part of the complex is being blocked by police cars which means everyone who lives beyond that point can not drive their vehicles either in or out of that area, even if their home is not in the area that was struck by fire. Even if you depend on a ride to get to work and back, you have to walk past the blockade to get to a point where your ride can pick you up since no vehicle save for ambulances, fire trucks and police cars are getting through at this point. Granted, that problem is minor compared to the fate of those whose homes are now ashes but still it is not a problem I would wish to trade for any of the troubles in my life.
In any event, it is supposed to rain tomorrow, and with any luck, that should put paid to any burning embers that still linger in the half-burned building. I hope to have happier news later in the week.
Labels: Dallas, Familia, Hielo, Incendios, Meteoro, Mi Vida, Nieve, Novias, Problemas, Vecinos
posted by Tonio Kruger at 4:05 PM
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