A Blue Norther blew into the Houston area toward the end of January, 1940. A Blue Norther is a Texan’s way of describing a cold front that can drop temperatures dramatically, up to 2030 degrees Fahrenheit in a few minutes. It usually shows up as a dark, blue black, curtain sharply defined against a cloudy sky. It arrives with a ‘whomp’ caused by the strong winds that are pushing it, with cold rain, sleet, or snow close on its heels. The one that arrived in the middle of that January brought a snowstorm that left about 8 inches of snow on the ground. The days following this storm were clear, but very cold. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Texas
Mother Takes Howard for a Drive
Howard was my mother’s little brother. At the time of this adventure, the family lived right outside of Humble, Texas. in a settlement called Moonshine Hill When imagining Moonshine Hill, ignore any thought of a raised area visible from a distance because of its altitude. Hill, in this part of Texas is any designated area more than 10 feet higher than the surrounding countryside. This area was known by all residents to be at least 14 feet higher than Houston; in fact, our family evacuated to nearby Humble, which was was not nearly so high, during hurricanes. There is no information regarding the Moonshine part of Mother’s birthplace. Mother said, ”That’s what somebody named it and so that’s what it was called.” Mother’s suffered from a prodigious lack of interest in background details. Continue reading
Trouble with Roaches
Texas is a haven for roaches. They certainly flourish and, as near as I know, live without fear of predators They are a fact of life and roundly hated by all Texans. We grew up with roaches; there were the big black/brown ones that came in from outside and, inside, lived the smaller ones we called German roaches. We had no choice but to adapt our lifestyle to the behavior of this pest. Mother fought them daily. They always won. It’s one of the conditions of living in Texas. As I’ve said, we adapted. Continue reading