My neighbors Parker and Patty are always telling me how proud they are to be a part of Port O Connor, Texas. They say it is a great community and so friendly. During our recent cold weather an interesting thing happened at their house. Parker and Patty were out of town for New Years, and when they returned on Sunday evening, the temperatures were already close to freezing. They hurried to unload the car and get into the house, turned on the heater and started to make some hot coffee. When they went to the sink and turned on the tap, nothing happened. No drips, no drops, no flow. Their water was off! They tried all the faucets, checked the lines around the house, doubled checked to make sure they had paid their bill, but still no water. They called the water district who said they would check it out, but they showed no problems either. Finally, Parker went out to the meter and discovered their main water valve was turned off. Puzzled and cold, he dug out the wrench and turned it back on hoping there was no problem with their water. Instantly all the outdoor faucets were gushing water! The kitchen faucet was flowing freely. Water problem solved but now a mystery. Why was the water turned off and who turned on all those faucets? It was windy and cold! Parker rushed around and turned off all the faucets. As Parker investigated, he found all the outdoor hoses disconnected and all the pipes wrapped and taped. Now that he knew it wasn’t a prank, Parker wondered who would do such a thing for them. Someone had bled all their water lines, insulated exposed pipes, and turned off their water in preparation for the freeze.

Parker finished his outdoor chores and was headed inside to get out of the cold when his neighbor Joe poked his head over the fence. Parker asked Joe if he knew about the water. Joe told Parker he noticed they were out of town and wasn’t sure when they would return, so when he winterized his own pipes, he did Parker and Patty’s too. Parker thanked Joe kindly for so generously thinking of his neighbors and offered to pay for the supplies or help Joe with projects he needed done. Joe replied that it was no problem, that’s what Port O Connor neighbors do…they look out for each other. Joe assured Parker next time he needed some help, he would holler. As the wind howled and temperatures dropped below freezing, Parker and Patty had no worries, just one more reason to be grateful they are part of a community like ours…