Oh Texas, Sweet Texas

My Sweet Texas
I have had the pleasure of living in the best state in the U.S. for 23.5 fabulous years! Hehe, and yes I do realize how silly that sounds if you're from any other part of the world.  I have family in Montana and Idaho who cringe at mere sound of our southern drawels and giggle at our undying love for anything and everything Texas.

However, where else can you be in a public arena with hundreds of strangers and receive a unified response to these glorious words:

The stars at night
Are big and bright...

Response you will ubdoutbably receive:

(CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP)
Deep in the heart of Texas!

A friend of mine actually tried this at a camp full of junior high kids and those little buggers didn't miss a beat.  Instantly the room was filled with a bounding roar of proud mini-Texans.

Okay it was more like an awkward mix of girls singing off-key and a bunch of boys (all going through puberty) attempting to sing while they're voices cracked.

Uh, it sounded awful, but it I think it still proves my point. Anywhere in Texas you can start singing that song, and you will inevitably receive a response, it's quite possible we come out of the womb genetically equipped to do so. 

Uh, just reminds me of how glad I am to be past that awkward stage, and just one of the reasons Texas is the best state in the U.S.!


Another reason Texas is the best state, is that we Texans are able to run and play a plethora of sports (not me personally, I'm coordinated just enough to run from point A to point B) in a place where seasons do not exist.

Exhibit A:  Colt McCoy, former quarterback for the University of Texas Longhorns. (Even though he was born in New Mexico, I am making him an honorary Texan since he played in our hellish conditions for so long). 

Besides the 3 months we like to consider "winter," we live and breath in an atmosphere set up for mutants!  A place where 90 degree heat is a cool day during July, and humidity...don't even get me started on humidity, it can make showering totally...pointless.

Wow, just found out there are several more reasons why Texans love their state!

For sake of time I'll let you read those on your own.  Now, the real point I wanted to get to.  Even though Texans are proud as hell to be from the greatest state in the U.S., we do not know how to respond to cold weather.

But why would there be ice on our roads?  It doesn't snow here.
Since "winter" consists of 3 months of temperatures dropping below 60, oh and don't forget the occasional freeze, we've never really had to deal with snowy driveways, being unbearably cold inside our homes, and especially icy roads. 

So what do we do when the weatherman predicts below-freezing temperatures and mist all at the same time?

1.  We hold-up inside. No leaving the premises!  We are smart enough to realize that we do not know how to drive on icy roads and thus cancel any and all events for that day. (Example:  Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi closed down at 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon, canceled all classes and office hours for Friday due to poor winter weather conditions).  Even a church downtown posted they were canceling all events Thursday and Friday night due to poor weather....psh, when church closes things must be bad!

2.  We all turn on our heaters... at the same time, and subsequently cause rolling blackouts through out our darling state.

3.  We do NOT run our mileage like good marathon runners.  Ok, some over acheivers run their prescribed mileage, however I do not when the temps are freezing!  I'm not into frostbite.  

Apparently these are not the normal responses to the threat of ice and freezing temps according to a few of my pals (all cold weather-state people).  They all thought it to be hilarious that I drove 15 mph to meet them for dinner since I feared the icy conditions last night.

So... Questions rolling through my mind at the moment
1.  What's the best way to deal with our 1 day of icy, cold weather next year?

2.  Is it still dangerous to drive on icy roads when you grew up in the north and are use to them?