Der Bingle and I were on a three-way call with Quentin last night and the conversation turned to winter weather. No, not ours here in Indiana and Ohio. Quentin’s. In the Houston area. Houston, you may know, was once considered hardship assignment for British consuls, ambassadors, whatever . . . and they got extra pay. Last night we talked of freezing rain predicted for the area.

Fortunately, he has good tires because after his grandmother passed away, his mother (I seem to be in a third person mode this morn.) found wet roads to be slippery when driving his grandmother’s car. So she went out and  bought really good tires.

Had Mother (Oh, now I am me, AmeliaJake, again) not been in such declining health, she would have not let the tires get so worn, but in her unexpected last summer, she was still thinking of getting a new car. And being a child of the Depression, why get new tires if you are going to get a new car. But, being a child of the Depression, she just couldn’t rationalize trading in a perfectly good car.

The first time I drove the car with the new tires, I wasn’t so sure I was being fully figurative, when I thought, “Gee, this car is glued to the road.” Then it went to Texas – with a driver, not on its own – and wondered if the tires were the best for that area.

Well, this morning I guess they are. Don’t flaunt it, little burgundy car – pride goeth before a fender bender.

From weather.com: Winter Weather Advisory.

Issued by The National Weather Service
Houston/Galveston, TX
4:05 am CST, Fri., Feb. 4, 2011

… WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST TODAY…

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST TODAY.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING ACROSS THE STATE WILL PRODUCE LIGHT FREEZING RAIN… SLEET AND SNOW THIS MORNING. THE DISTURBANCE WILL EXIT THE REGION THIS MORNING AND THE MIXED PRECIPITATION WILL END BETWEEN 9 AM AND NOON. TRAVEL IS TREACHEROUS THIS MORNING.