Who had a burst water pipe last week? I did. I even ran hot and cold water in all my sinks and opened the cabinet doors beneath them. Paw Paw covered the pipes outside, but let’s face it – Mississippi just isn’t prepared for arctic weather. We’re not used to this.

Several days last week, the electricity went out in my house, supposedly due to so many people running their heat. Nope, Mississippi is not used to 15 degrees.

In northern states, water pipes are generally enclosed inside a home’s insulation to protect them from the intense cold. Here in the south, there’s no need for that. Mississippi weather averages in the 40s during the month of January.

I know I’m happy to see warmer weather. Jacob makes fun of me for walking so hastily in cold weather, even running at times. Well, last week, he got to see me speed walk faster than any Olympic medalist to his truck after any kind of outing. My body rejects cold like a slug rejects salt. Maybe that is in an extreme comparison, but my family can verify that I have turned the fireplace or a heater on in spring like weather.

The “arctic blast,” as news stations are calling it, caused all 50 states to hit freezing temperatures, even Hawaii, according to the Weather Channel. What an awful time to take a vacation to Hawaii. I can imagine Jacob and me lying on a tropical beach when an arctic blast comes through. That would be my luck. I’ve been trying to sing that song from the new Disney movie, “Frozen,” that says, “The cold never bothered me anyway.” But I can’t seem to convince myself. The cold bothers me. End of story.

The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center reported that Jan. 6, 2013 was the 40th coldest day on record since 1900 for the continental U.S. The average temperature was 17.9 degrees.

Some people have been taking advantage of the extreme temperatures – blowing bubbles and watching them freeze, turning sprinklers on to create icicles in the trees. Jacob wanted to blow some bubbles on one of the freezing nights, but the thought of leaving my warm heater for the extreme cold negated my desire to see the pretty frozen bubbles.

Also, I don’t have the clothes for this. They don’t sell arctic wear in Brookhaven, Mississippi. And I know Jacob and Daddy will read this, so I can’t lie – I probably wouldn’t wear it anyway. They pick on me because my desire to look “cute” and fashionable outweighs my desire to be really warm. I know I’m

not the only one here. I’ve seen women walking around in nothing but cute long cardis, leggings and a scarf in this weather trying to look like they’re warm. I know you’re not warm, because I’m not warm, but hey, we look cute.

I hope you stay warm today, although that shouldn’t be hard to do, with it looking like highs are going to be in the 60s. That’s more like it. It’s a great day to go to church. I’ll be at Macedonia Baptist Church, enjoying the warmer temperatures and the glow of God’s love. Where will you be?

You may write to Jessica Boyd Smith by emailing jessimarie2010@yahoo.com.