An Ice Place to Live

I’ll start this column with an apology to the readers of our print edition for how late it was last week.

By Monday, Feb. 15, it became apparent that the Feb. 18 paper couldn’t be printed or delivered safely with the return of winter a weather warning and the predictions of icy roads.

Our printer confirmed this when I was told that the majority of their city had lost power, and they were having to work through a long backlog.

Unfortunately, it meant that we couldn’t get the newspaper back until Friday evening. It was rushed to the post office the next morning to try to get it in subscribers’ mailboxes Saturday. Our e-edition was uploaded on Wednesday as usual so at least that part of publication was not affected.

The extended winter weather meant one good thing for me: My girlfriend, Wyndi, who was in town, had to stay for several more days. Fortunately, she was able to work remotely on her newspaper so it didn’t disrupt her schedule too much.

Since her town (Marshall, Texas) got 18 inches of snow, her office flooded and the part of town where she lived lost water, her publisher and crew were very understanding when she said she needed to stay here a bit longer.

It staggered me that a state as vast as Texas was entirely affected by the winter weather. I’ve spent all my 37 years in Texas and I don’t remember seeing many Texas weather maps in only one color. Normally, there is at least one part of the state not affected by a storm or weather system.

Since everyone was affected though, I saw Texans do what Texans do best: band together and help their neighbors. Statewide and locally, warming shelters were opened up to help residents who lost power in the blistering cold.

In Erath County, businesses, churches, organizations and even families were preparing and delivering food to these shelters and homes for people who couldn’t prepare their own for one reason or another.

Water was delivered in mass and handed out to the county, first at the Stephenville vaccination center and then in Lingleville and Dublin at City Hall and the Dublin Chamber of Commerce office.

As noted in the front page story, Dublin’s Intensidad Farms delivered 2,000 eggs to be handed out at the vaccine center alongside water after eggs became a rare find on store shelves.

Titan Fitness has opened its shower facilities up to those who found themselves without hot water due to broken pipes.

Some of the most flabbergasting offers on social media to me were people who just opened up their homes to any who needed a warm place to stay. The level of trust and compassion needed to unconditionally open a home up to strangers is humbling.

I personally felt this concern in every phone call or message that asked how I was or if I needed anything. This was welcomed at the end of the week when my pipes froze and friends let Wyndi and I use their shower and stay a night. A quick response by my landlords and DeLaVergne Plumbing meant that we were able to get back to my house Sunday night and start to get it back in order. (The desire for housekeeping goes out the window when it’s below freezing outside and you don’t have running water.)

I also have to extend my gratitude to Wyndi though. As an editor she was completely understanding when I said I needed to walk in the winds which felt like -18 degrees to get snow pictures for the paper.

Every time I needed to walk the dog over to my parents or check on the office, she stopped me, bundled up and accompanied me. (We learned the benefit of facemasks in winter on these walks. It’s nice that there is one time that they can be comfortable to wear.)

She also helped keep the house in order and we got to offer each other support during times of frustration. Like a common meme said, being snowed in with your loved one isn’t like a Hallmark movie, There were still lots of good moments I had with her that I will treasure though. These, coupled with witnessing neighbors help each other, offered hope in a trying week that weighed heavy on so many.

Paul Gaudette is the managing editor at the Dublin Citizen and can be reached at 445-2515 and publisher@dublincitizen.com.