The word for today in Central Texas is warm . . . as in try to stay that way. With temperatures lower than we have seen them in over 10 years, the men here at the ranch have raced to stay ahead of the freeze and provide water for all the animals. We’ve worried about how our cattle would get water if any pipes burst since our animals largely get their water from above-ground containers. Trying to keep the pipes warm, every water outlet has been covered and/or insulated along with other precautions. Getting ahead of any potential pipe problems, many of the animals have been moved to different pastures where natural tanks are located. In other words, warmth for the pipes has been a big deal.

The dogs and cat get to stay warm in the garage at night (in separate rooms, of course) and the pregnant dog gets to come indoors. The people at Dreamcatcher are on their own.

Before the coldest snap hit, I was happily warming copper with a torch outdoors. Yesterday, that activity took place in the garage, but today it’s even too cold for that. I like the colors produced by the torch on copper as shown in the cuff below.

I also torched a flat piece of copper and then cut out earrings in the places where the colors were most vibrant. I think this may be a good process as opposed to cutting out the object and then hoping to achieve good colors. “Warming” the metal is intriguing and I’m anxious to get going with other designs. Check back for more pictures.

Of course there is another connotation for warm. What warms your heart? A couple of pictures from Christmas morning tell most of the story for Nanaw and Sir (the name my husband said the grandchildren should call him).

   Here’s hoping you can stay warm one way or another.