It's a deeply unfair stereotype that the British are obsessed with complaining about the weather. Which is why it's so great when EVERYONE complains about the weather!
Yes, here in Texas most conversations of the last week have been about the "cold front" that was expected, and then how big/long that cold front would be, and then how cold that cold front would be. Today we got our answer: ridiculously cold.
So cold, in fact, that they decided to cancel virtual school. This was another topic of conversation that got me extremely animated, although in the end turned out to be exactly the right decision as over a million Houstonians lost their power, including Pete's teacher. We found out that the state's main electricity generators (wind and gas) stop working when it gets cold, and also that none of the Texas electricity supply managers - Texas has a separate grid from the rest of the US, because of course we do - could foresee that people would want to heat their homes in low temperatures.
And not just low, but really low! Our record low is 5F (-15C) and although we shouldn't break that tonight it's going to be the coldest for at least 30 years. And then I realise "30 years" means 1991, and I feel old.
Not that any of this affected Pete, who had a wonderful day of wish fulfilment as he's been going on about snow for months. We were outside in the Arctic conditions straight after breakfast, sledding around deserted streets. The snow was powdery and white, the kind you'd love to slalom down if there was a hill within 500 miles of here, but Hannah did a good job of compacting it into a snowman in difficult circumstances.
The deep and crisp and even blanket began melting in the weak afternoon sun, but tonight is when the real drop happens, with even the BBC asking "Why is it so cold in Texas?" I'm not sure, but I find comfort in knowing we're going to be complaining about it for a long time to come.
