38º with wind and rain -- a miserable day -- at 4:15 pm Sunday. Is to be below freezing tonight for 12 hours overnight tonight and below freezing for 12 hours tomorrow night. As low as 24 degrees both nights and with it lasting that long will devastate the crops in the area (though corn has been planted, none is up---but lots of cabbage, onions, cauliflower, etc., and the oranges and grapefruit that hasn't been picked) as well as do damage to all the exposed water pipes here. Thousands of mobile homes in the valley have waterpipes exposed as it "never" freezes here. I have covered as many things as possible and brought inside what flowers we can. Know this is nothing like the below Zero readings up north, but is a problem here.
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With all this cold, wet weather we developed a problem - burning smell around our main breaker box here inside the mobile home. Discovered one of the 200 amp breakers was really hot. Called in a licensed electrician and he declared that the main breaker was failing. Would normally replace that breaker; however, this is 29 years old and this brand of breaker and boxes are no longer made. No other brand of breaker will fit in this box----so a new complete box with all new breakers (to the tune of over 2k) will need to be installed. He was on a higher-priced call because it was Saturday and said could replace it that day, but the labor would all be 1 1/2 times usual. So we are waiting until Monday. In the meantime we have no use of one leg of the electricity on 120v and no 240V use, which means no electric furnace, water heater, clothes dryer or electric range. We had a couple space heaters and also borrowed a super-duper heater from our neighbors the Neher's, so are getting along.
Am also running a small heater around the water pipes in the travel trailer. Even though they are drained, not sure the ones around the water pump can be drained. Could have put RV anti-freeze in the system or blown it out with air, but not equipped to do either. With a long waterline running under the mobile home to a garden hose at the front, I am letting it run a dribble stream overnight, will see what kind of skating rink we have in the morning.
Did go out to eat at noon at Stefano's Brooklyn Pizza on Business 83 towards Harlingen. Good food and a lot--think we have enough for another couple meals.,
LCM
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