they don't get taught cursive writing anynore, which really sucks

Collins should be deported to Russia

Mike Collins is a POS

Deport the bishop where, exactly, Mr. Collins? You mean "put in a camp" or similar. This euphemistic use of "deport" for "detain/imprision" needs to be called out more, I think.

Here's a pretty good article about some of the humanitarian desert aid work that groups I work with do along the border. We are all continuing on as normal, but also somewhat holding our breath waiting to see what happens.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/19/aid-migrants-mexico-border-trump

#Border #BorderWall #Immigration #Migrants #AsylumSeekers #HumanitarianAid

Getting back to civilization now. As usual, quite a few interesting stories the last couple of days and nights. So far, though, no change to status of the migrant aid to camp or access to the border road.

Looks like Truckee, California... NOT Louisiana! #LAwx

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

@mtheriaultsf probs not the good temperatures they were thinking about with some bad translation of that phrase 🫣

that's Louisiana??? wow. I'm up here in Canada with less snow listening to Ledbelly thinking about the warn tropical southern states 😆

@tadbithuman @me_valentijn @JohnJBurnsIII The ground will freeze if you are below zero for five days. Again the snow will help slow that and helps the ground from freezing more deeply.

I never thought about an attic. We'd never do that here. If you have poor insulation up there, the house heat will probably protect those pipes. If your insulation is good, your attic will be colder.

Attics can be surprisingly warm in winter. Much of that depends on a ton of factors.

@human3500 @me_valentijn @JohnJBurnsIII
Apparently, it takes up up 5 days of sub zero temperatures for the ground to freeze. We have clay, it takes longer to freeze.

The risk is from power failure to drop indoor temperatures below freezing, which is how most of 2021 damage was caused. As long as you have indoor temperatures in the high 40s or higher, there is no issue with indoor water lines.

Peoples attics have exposed pipes in Texas, that may be an issue.

@human3500 @me_valentijn @JohnJBurnsIII temperatures below 0 °C for 14 hours tonight, lowest -4°C.

The ground in the first 18" could freeze perhaps, but pipes are usually deeper than that.

Sprinklers and drip irrigation should be emptied and disconnected.

@me_valentijn @tadbithuman @JohnJBurnsIII How long is it supposed to be freezing?

If the water mains are deeper than a foot or two, they are unlikely to freeze in a day or two as someone will be running / dripping water even if the ground froze that deep.

The feed to your house might be a concern. Your outside taps definitely are a concern. They will freeze in a day. But, they freeze outside in, meaning the ice will grow in the pipe farther into your house over time and if you heat your house, it won't be freezing much pipe.

You need to turn off your outside taps and drain any outside hoses or at least get the pressure in the hose out. That will give the ice room to expand.

Maybe your outside taps have an inside shutoff or the valve is inside your house. These are common here in Canada but our code expects winter. In the first case, shut off the inside tap and open the outside taps. This drains that bit of pipe.

I usually end up freezing an outside tap every year. If you get to it early, it shouldn't actually be a problem.

Whatever you do, don't heat your frozen pipes with a torch. Use a hair dryer and start with part of the pipe that isn't frozen. You want heat in the pipe to melt the ice in the opposite direction to how it formed.

If all of your pipes are exposed under your house and it freezes down there, you should be running water slowly continuously.

@human3500 @tadbithuman @me_valentijn @JohnJBurnsIII I'm in the upstairs of an old farmhouse outside of London and it's so hot up there constantly, even with vents blocked off, that I was really looking forward to getting outside the house today in the -14 weather. downstairs is always cold but upstairs it's burning hot. I can only imagine the attic (no access)

@MikeImBack @tadbithuman @me_valentijn @JohnJBurnsIII
The chimney effect at work.

I too live in an old farmhouse. Downstairs there is no insulation (except for a 10 inch void in the walls). Upstairs is all spray foamed.

I only heat downstairs and the bathroom upstairs. we are never cold at night in the winter. the furnace never comes on at night by choice, or we'd cook.

@MikeImBack Is there a return air vent up there? If there is, open it and it should suck out some of that heat.

There likely won't be as the air circulation in an old house was based on gravity - it expects the old cold air will fall downstairs to be reheated.

If there is a return vent, it will likely be on the floor and not up high where you need it. But, it might help.