Thinking of Spring!!

 Now that we are in Spring Break (sort of) it's time to think of Spring!!

I rare pic with all of the Big 4 of the K Club: Karen, Kay, Kathy, and Colleen!

Well 3 of the Big 4.   This time in Springtime dresses!

Well this is a surprise, another of the Big 4.  Well, Kathy and Kay are partially there in the inset pics.  

Yeah, It Got Really Cold Here

So as many of my loyal fans know, I live in South Texas, and we had a little bit of a weather issue last week.  We made it through okay, had some power outages, low water pressure, etc.  But overall I can't complain. Lots of other folks had it far worse.  Here the temperature hit a low of 17 Deg F and it STAYED below freezing for several days.  Where I live, the lows broke records that were set in 1895.  That is what caused all the problems.  

I'm sure that a lot of you are asking "How could a State with tremendous energy resources have gotten into such a fix."  Well it didn't happen overnight.  It was the result of lots of decisions over the years.  It's obvious that the power system wasn't able the cold weather, but the question is why?  Already the political finger pointing has begun.

Basically producers in Texas are compensated for what electricity they produce.  Therefore they have little incentive to invest in winterization. In other areas, producers are compensated based on their capacity and reliability that they have to deliver electricity, so they have the incentive to stay on line in all types of weather.  This lack of adequate winterization affected both renewable and traditional producers. (1)

On the consumption side, many homes in Texas are heated solely by electricity.  This is okay when the temps are fairly mild.  But when the mercury drops much below 30, then it becomes horribly inefficient and electric consumption soars. (2)

So on that fateful night, when producers were dropping like flies, demand soared through the roof causing the blackouts.

A lot has been made that Texas is on its own grid and couldn't get power from neighboring states.  However, I think that was a non issue.  After all those surrounding states didn't have any electricity to spare at that time anyway.

We'll have to see what the investigations say, but a think that a lot producers and the grid operator (the now infamous ERCoT) were caught off guard without adequate planning.   

I know that my family will better prepared next time.  Overall we were fairly well prepared: plenty of food, backup generator, alternative heaters, etc.  I'm no prepper, but I try to keep basic supplies that can get us through a few weeks.  One thing we were a little short on was water.  The water pressure got really low.  We had enough drinking water for about 3 days, not enough.  We were close to fetchin' water from the crick and using the propane heater to boil it!!!

footnotes:

(1)  A lot of ink has been spilled about how the renewables (wind) froze up and failed.  However in much colder areas, wind turbines run just fine.  It's that they weren't winterized properly.  The same thing applies for the gas fired plants.  They dropped offline due to inadequate winterization, not because they use fossil fuels.  

(2) Most homes here use a heat pump to heat them .  However, they don't work so good at very low temps.  So these units have a backup system call a heat strip.  It's basically a grid of high electrical resistance.  When an electric current is passed through, it gets very hot.  This heats up the air passing over it which is then circulated throughout the building.  Imagine millions of homes kicking this hideously inefficient system on at the same time!

When Life Was Groovy: Kathy and Karen

 No tricks here for Halloween, only treats...

Not sure what the deal is with the bird theme, but it's certainly a nice treat!!!

Sew Your Own Look with Kathy and Friends!!

 Sewing your own clothes never looked like more groovy fun!!

Kathy along with Shelley!!

Hmm, Karen seems to have a bit if an attitude here!!

Not sure that sewing your own coat is such a good idea.  The little girl looks worried!!

But not Kathy!! She is all smiles as usual!!

Note: All pics are courtesy of Blue Senshi.  Thanks!

Mystery Model Revisited!!

Recently I had a comment from a reader about the identity of one of the more popular catalog models of the late 70s and early 80s.

One reader identified her as Julie Ford, but I don't think that this is the same model.  Any ideas out there???

Yeah, I'm sure that you remember her now!!  The thing is that her identify has remained a mystery despite my best sleuthing efforts?

Here she is with Jayne.

And again with Jayne.

One more time with Jayne!!

Okay, okay, the guy in the bow tie is getting kind of creepy here with that stare!!

And now some pics from the Sears Spring/Summer catalog

Well here's hoping that we'll get some answers from you guys out there!!!

Random Goodness: Playsuits!

Which turns out are a lot like jumpsuits, except.....well I guess that they are more playful!!

 Colleen along with Kathy in the nautical blue playsuit, which looks very playful!!

And again in red. 

Westward Ho!!

With these groovy threads from Sears!!

Well, it's sort of Western with gauchos and boots, but still very groovy!!

When Life Was Groovy: Summertime Separates!!

Summertime Separates for Mixing and...........

I guess that we'll never, ever know!!  Still life definitely looks groovy here!!!  I'm ready for summertime fun in the sun!!

Pic is courtesy of Blue Senshi, thanks!!

Terrycloth Cover-ups!!

Just a nice pic to start off the weekend....

 Terrycloth cover-ups look oh so soft here!!  And they have hoodies too!!

A closeup of the inset pics...

When Life Was Groovy: Back to School Plaids

Yes dear children, it is true.  There once was a time way back in the 70s when back to school fashions included plaids.....

And here's the proof!!

Of course there other patterns besides plaid....

There were crazy flower patterns as well.  Note the cuffed pants in the background.  Who could that be????

Why it's Colleen along with Kathy!!  Plaids or no plaids the one consistent thing was the bell bottom pants... and the platform shoes...and eh extra large collars...and , well, you get the idea.  After all, Life Was Groovy back then!!

Many thanks to Blue Senshi for the pics!!

When Life Was Groovy: Tweeds, Corduroy, and Gaberdine, Oh My!!

What's better than one groovy 70s style, try three!! And all courtesy of our neighbors in the Great White North....

We'll start this off with some tawny tweeds.  And what better way to look cool, er, warm on those chilly northern days.

 Next up are some cool corduroys. Hey are they posing for this picture in a parking lot????

Finally everyone's favorite: groovy gabardines.  Well, I'm not sure they're Favorites per se. But, hey wait one minute, are Kathy and Karen in the same parking lot?!?!?!?  I'm sure that this photo shoot was the best that parking lot ever looked (unless it's photo shopped, entirely possible)!!!

So Let's Give Pantsuits a Chance too!!

Since in the last post we decided to Give Pants a Chance, what about pantsuits????

Well these gals are doing their best to make them look good.

Yeah, yeah, I'd say let's give them a chance....just as long as the mini skirts are still in the wardrobe!!

Give Pants a Chance!!

This pic is all over teh internet, so it's about time we have it here....

Yep, great pic of Kathy and Karen in groovy 70s pants, cropped tops, and halters!!  But wait, there's more...

The inset also includes Colleen and Kay, making this one of the few rare catalog pics of all four of the K Club members!!!

Get Ready for Winter!!

Forget the hype about about global warming, er cooling, er climate change.  Winter is just around the corner....

 Katy and Kathy (Jackson) get us started with some groovy winter styles form the early 70s.

 "These boots are made for walking"

I'm not sure what exactly is "nautical" about these style.  I do, however, dig the porn star 'stasch that the guy is sporting.

Hmm, that midi looks to be a bit on the chilly side to me!!!

 We've had a quite a few pics with Kay in them, why not switch it up and take a look at Shelley in coats and boots!!

And you gotta love the beret too!!