snow & ice & frozen pipes.

 

Yesterday morning a quiet awed Oh! escaped my lips when I looked out the window: A powdery tarp of snow.

Later that afternoon, it would take me twice as long as normal to walk to the coastal house, where I teach English classes to a bright and squirmy 8-year old. We practice what he learns in school from his slightly outdated (CD players), British-based (rubber for eraser) materials. But the sun shone beautifully after the pre-dawn dump of snow. Along the coast, flamingos fished against its bright light, their catch reflected in the ripply water of Última Esperanza Sound.

As I walked, rather penguin-like and careful not to slip on the now icy sidewalks, I wondered about the systems towns have for cleaning up post-snow. Snow plows, salt, sand. Here, no hay nada. Supposedly the municipality had bought loads of street salt, and then... poof! It disappeared. So it's slippery and walking at a gimpy snail's pace makes it chillier!

Essentially, what flashed its white smile at us in the morning is hardening into quite a nuisance. Today, pipes froze over and we have zero water. The hot water tap in our kitchen often freezes over, as we wash dishes at night, and hot water freezes fast. But this is the first time everything has frozen. It is nice to know that we are not alone in this however. Sounds like half the town is dealing with the freeze.

My dad asked if our pipes were insulated. He gathered from my answer: The houses aren't insulated! That, no, our poor pipes aren't insulated either. So, it's just like being in the mountains, melting the snow from the backyard to make water. In that sense, I guess it's kinda fun...

We send you well thoughts and warm wishes!