Put another log on the fire . . .

Record low temperatures that haven't been felt in fifteen years here in Texas have inspired me to fire up the old Englander Wood Burning Stove.  It served us well in the early years before we had central air conditioning and heat. This morning, our HVAC unit was set for 74 degrees but was struggling to keep the inside temp above 68. That's a wee bit chilly for these bones.

We're in the midst of a winter storm that shut down the schools and many of the businesses across the metroplex yesterday and today. The Arctic Blast has brought on power outages to homes and buildings. Streets have become a major hazzard to most Texans who are unprepared to drive on the ice. Even seasoned truckers lost it yesterday driving on roads that resembled glaciers from the Ice Age.


Dallas Texas - Hazardous road conditions

It was a great day to stay home and make a big cauldron of steaming hot Chicken and Barley soup a recipe that required only the basic ingredients I generally keep on hand. The soup turned out quite good for my first venture into the Barley food group. So we're having it for lunch again today. Soup really is good food.

We're grateful that our power remains on, unlike the thousands of folks who've lost power in the worst storm of the decade.