Major Dust storm

It took me 3 days to clean up my house from the really bad dust storm that packed about 5o mph winds blowing sand & dust every where. Yes, springtime is here in W. Texas w/ our yearly "eat dust"I didn't clean the floors earlier because the storm just leave more dust.
I didn't get to til Wed. I cleaned all the blinds which were just coated w/ layers of dust.The windows are just like sieves in this 50"s house. I used my Swifter stick to wipe them down to make it easier on my shoulders & arms. Thur. was a cloudy day which flares up my FM. Until I cleaned up my bdrm. I couldn't turn on the fan in there.It's already getting hot in here.Too hot in bdrm I can't wear my sleep apnea mask. Sand storms kicking up my asthma. I cleaned up the bdrm & my craft rm w/ the Swifters. I had to stop & rest since I had a 4PM Dr's appt.
I had to get dressed @ 3pm,since Allen is to be here@ 3:45Pm. It's all I can do to drag myself out the door. I get there. I'm waiting a few min's @ the desk.Then I told my appt is @ 2pm not 4PM. I tell them my appt card said 4PM. Allen backs me up
They try to find out what happened etc. Too make it worse the Dr. had just left. I'm so wiped out I come home & crash in my recliner exhausted. A wild goose chase!!I'm having more problems w/ my heart w/ a lower pumping capacity,the sand storms are bothering my asthma,+ I've some diminished lung capacity + add it's warmer than normal. 80F is making my fatigue upon exertion more pronounced. I have to reschedule another trip out.
So after sleeping over 12 hours Thur. nite into Fri. @ noon I manage to get up.
Taco was neutered this week. so 1st business is to get all my bracing & shoes on so I can take him outside on a leash to see if he go to the brm.For 10 days he has to wear his hood, not run etc. (he's an active Chihuahua)So I don't get his leash tangled up w/ my 0-2 line on my portable tank,I have been taking him out w/ out my 0-2 on.
So after taking my Allegra,allergy shot, Nasonex & face mask on, I'm ready to tackle the pile of dust in our Liv. rm.1st I take a clean yellow dust dust cloth to our TV
shelves. I've to take off the DVD's off. It just covered w/ a layer of heavy dust since it's right in front of the front door & a big window.The dust collects on the 1 whole side of a new cloth. Then I clean up our computer 2 tables which U can write UR fingers in the dust. These areas take 20+ min's to wipe down & move items around to clean up.
Next step is using the Swifters on a long stick to clean up the floor. Since I'm in a w/c this is the best way for me to clean the dust off the floor of dust & dog hair. I pull 2 plastic boxes of old video's out from the Futon. There is a big pile of sand,not just dust. I go thru 2 Swifters in cleaning up under the futon & dusting of the tops of these boxes.Cleaning off our air cleaner surfaces& in front of the door uses up another one. It takes 6+ Swifters to finally get of the dust etc off the floors,under the computers desks, behind my recliner & by the b/cases. I use the 7th one to finish up sweeping the kitchen floor again.
Allen will sweep up my pile of sand etc.when he gets home. Now we can turn on the fan in the liv. rm to cool us down.
This wipes me out for the rest of the a/noon. Allen helps me fix tacos' when he get's home from work.
Another wind storm is due in M& T. Temps dropped down last nite. This yo-yo weather is playing havoc on my FM. I'm having muscle spasms, joint pain etc as the weather changes. My body is not handling well these swings.

Ropes & halters

An event that happened while rounding up my father's stud on the Hurlbut Ranch in Dripping springs Tx in the 1960's as a teen.

In saddle

This is pic of me as young girl on my father's stud,Napoleon. I scrapbooked this as a series of pic'sas a story on the ranch life.

My 1st scrapbook entry on the Outlaw site for a Western challenge

Postal grid stamp card set

I'm working on a big set of card using used postage stamps I've collected from favo's from US & foreign stamps from my Swap-bot buddies. I'm coloring them w/my new water color crayons. I luv how they color. I can color like when I was a kid. the colors are as vivid as the Crayola crayons we had as a kid in the 50's. The red is vivid like when we had as a kid. I can get a nice water color wash w/them. I can get a better effect than w/ my color pencils. I can't do water colors,they are too expensive to get a good product.I luv how easily they blend. I only have a 10 color set but I'm able to get the colors I want by blending.I use very little water on the paper. I wipe off my brush on a scrap paper 1st.I got the media cardstock set from Dick Blick @ C-mas time for 1/2 price.
I plan to use these for my card stash. I can quickly make them up into b-day card etc.I've been working on them during our BRR!! cold front to save my sanity. I do luv to color ,it destresses me out.

Russ's mulberry paper scraps

These cards were made w/ my friend Russ from NYC. The mulberry scraps were so pretty I kept the cards,clean & simple. I also made cards from dii's in my stash,peache ones were from an old tissue box. I luv the design & kept it. Others were from c/board pieces in my stash etc

Rolling blackouts in El Paso,Tx

We had 3 days of these. Our generators instruments were frozen & they couldn't generate power. So we had rolling b/outs. We must had been in the non critical grid of 17 areas. 35 grids.Frozen water pipes. We did have a share in a nuclear plant in AZ which we could buy power from.
I was prepared. Luckily I have a 2 big tanks of 0-2 I can fill up my portable tank with. When the power goes off an alarm sounds. My recliner doesn't move when it hits. so I made sure I had a flashlight, matches & my liquid paraffin candle handy . We have a gas stove,had to light the burner 1st. I learned to cook my supper during the daytime or to cook it be before the b/outs were scheduled to start.
I wore my Damart thermal long johns I got in Conn. They are nice & warm.I haven't worn them since Utah. Kept my double lined wool socks on my feet. My feet get cold & they stay cold.I layered myself. The dogs & I slept in the recliner w/ my warm lap quilt I had made.
We put an extra wool blanket that was my g/mom's. U can beat wool for warmth. I insisted w/ Allen when we moved from Utah to Texas to keep our warm clothing etc. Ice storms in North Texas can snap power lines & be w/o power for days.
50 power plants in Texas got hit. We're not equipped for such cold weather.A big cold Arctic front pushed all the way into North Mexico.some animals,snakes etc died in a Mexican zoo when the power faile
The day we had $f here,Anchorage AK was 18F. WOW zero F was warm there in the winter!!

3F in El Paso,Texas!!!

Broke a record set in 1956. 2 nites of 4F before that,record broke from 1962. Was in Ft Stockton,west Tx in 7th grade. Don't remember that,just the blowing sand in our faces @ lunch time.
Our houses aren't build for this kind of cold. Wind caused a lot of chill factors. My craft rm temp. got down to 47F Wed. when the storm came in.The wind just blew thru the glass. The walls were cold to touch. House built in early 50's,no insulation.
Luckily our pipes are all on the inside of the house. So we had no frozen pipes. @ of our chapels had frozen pipes.
Hondo Pass was supposed to have a Stake broadcast Sun. am. It had major flooding so moved back to the Stake center. Our had some minor flooding.Albertsons was closed Fri. nit from part of it's roof collapsed from a frozen pipe in the ceiling broke.

water restrictions

Now it's our water supply that's having problems related to the cold. It now has been extended to Mon. No school for the 4th day. they had to reduce power usage from the 3 days of blackouts. Reservoirs are too low No showers,laundry,etc.We're to boil water.
Do have water to drink,water by toilets, outside H2o may be frozen. Will use paper plates etc.Baby wipes for hands & face. No shower for me today.
So far so good. Mac Simpson from coon Relief society of the LDS church taught us to be prepared.Need to update my 72 hr kit meds& put GF food in it.

Laura's wierd card set

These are ATC's I got in a swap. I made them into a card set for my DD's late C-mas gift. I used my new watercolor crayons on them for my b/ground. I luv how easy they color onto the media c/stock. Then I put a small amount of water on them w/ a small paint brush to blend the colors. I luv the vibrant colors I got. a little goes a long ways. I took care to paint from the inside out so I didn't get a muddy look. I had a scrap of paper on the edges to brush off on when doing the border.
I cut open a bottle of Stickles to get dwon to the last of it & put it on the black witch card for a sparkly effect.