Sudden Temperature Drop Affects Wildlife and the Christkindl Market

This little brown bird exemplifies the song lyric, "Baby it's cold outside." I don't think it would be possible for it to fluff its feathers any further in its attempt to stay warm. It is sitting on a storage bench on the south side of my house, so it probably found the warmest microclimate in my yard.

Yesterday we saw a high of 72 degrees in the early afternoon before an extreme cold front blew through with gusts just over 40 mph that dropped the temps to 22 degrees F at midnight. An hour after the first north blast, the temperature had dropped 15 degrees. It was in the teens before daybreak and never got above 30 degrees today. It is supposed to be above freezing tomorrow so the icicles (photo from a previous freeze) on my rosemary that overhangs my waterfall should start to disappear.

With the subfreezing temps and brisk winds resulting in wind chills that never got out of the teens, the Texas Christkindl Market closed on Sunday. It is expected to open again at noon on Monday as the temps will be a bit better and the winds much lighter. If you have not finished your Christmas shopping, I am sure all of the vendors would be happy to help you cross off items on your gift list. We may have some of our doors closed on our 817 Arts Alliance Hut to keep the temperature inside a bit warmer but we will be open for business.