Power Outages

We are having a winter storm in Lubbock, and one of the absurdities of the situation is what is being broadcast on TV.  People are being instructed, on TV to contact Lubbock Power and Light http://www.lpandl.com/ if they are experiencing power outages. This is ludicrous.  I understand that some people may be able to access this information on their smart phones, by accessing the TV channel apps, but what about the people who do not have smart phones, and do not have power?  How are they supposed to contact Lubbock Power and Light? Come on, this is not a sane instruction for people who have power outages. Let's face it, if they do not have power, are they going to be able to watch TV?  Duh!  LP& L needs to be a lot more responsible than this.

Snowbound December 2015

So, with ample warning, we knew the snow would start late Saturday night, December 26, 2015, decrease Sunday early, then ramp up Sunday afternoon.  Lubbock City has been declared a disaster area http://www.kcbd.com/story/30836950/mayor-robertson-declares-state-of-disaster-for-city-of-lubbock. And, Lubbock County http://www.kcbd.com/story/30839065/lubbock-county-declares-state-of-emergency has done the same, to enable the access to state resources to assist with recovery efforts. The major roads, loop, interstate, and state roads are cleared first, but the residential streets are rarely plowed, the snow and ice is just allowed to melt. This makes travel dangerous.

My work was cancelled today, and as of a few minutes ago, we have been directed to arrive late tomorrow, 11 AM, to allow for improved driving conditions.  In the past, if I thought the emergency did not warrant the changes in work times, I have ignored them.  I will do the same this week.  I will also change my work times, if I think the official warnings and changes do not reflect my sense of safety.  I hate to not report to work, but I will not endanger myself for official reporting times. 

I hope everyone exercises good judgment and stays safe during the storm.

Kitchen Fire

This was stupid.  I was heating a candle in a pan of warm water, to melt the wax.  But I was not paying attention to it.  I was in another room, working on the computer and listening to the Lady Raider's basketball game. 

It was near the end of the game.  I wanted a drink, walked into the kitchen. As I did, I could see the reflections of flames.  I did not panic.  I shut the electric range unit off, and moved the pan off the electric eye. I got out the baking soda and doused the flame.  I was distressed: I have a microwavable "kettle" to heat up water, and the handle melted.  The range top is a mess. And the smoke in the house is slow to evacuate.  I have the stove fan running, and have opened the windows so air can get in or smoke can get out, but it is a slow process.

I have kept the cats on the floor, where there is less smoke.  I have stepped outside from time to time  to get fresh air.  I will not go to sleep until most of the smoke has been evacuated.  As I said to begin with, this was stupid.  I will be okay. 

Except for the smoke, the damage is minimal.  I am blessed that I discovered this fire before it got out of hand.

What I am surprised about is that usually if I am burning something when I am cooking, one or more of my cats tells me about it. None of my cats told me about this. It is not their job. I just need to be more cognizant.