December already?!  Well, that was quick, and now it is just a short three weeks before the kids are out for the Holiday break and 2020 will be upon us. Just go ahead and start planning your New Year resolutions and buckle up for a presidential election year.  I hope your Thanksgiving was a good one!

Mabank Outage
TVEC crews had a busy afternoon on Sunday responding to an outage that was the result of a pickup crashing and breaking a pole. I haven’t seen word of any injuries in the crash, but in this case, the wires remained in the air despite the damage. TVEC linemen had the pole replaced and power restored in just under three hours.

Downed power wires are a serious hazard, and accidents with vehicles and farm equipment can put people in harm’s way. If you see wires down, or damage to poles, be sure to alert emergency services about the hazard. You cannot tell if a line is energized by looking at it, and it can be deadly even if it is laying on the ground. Stay at least 50 feet away, and warn others until emergency responders or power crews arrive to make sure things are safe.

 

Capital Credits Update

As announced a few weeks ago, TVEC’s $5 million capital credit retirement will start showing up as credits on bills that will be hitting the mail this week. Former TVEC members will have checks mailed this week to the address we have on file for their accounts. Remember it is one refund or check per membership. If you have multiple meters, the credit for all of your capital credits will be shown on one bill statement.

Weather Outlook

Sunny days and chilly nights are set to be the case for most of the foreseeable future, with rain chances Thursday into Friday, but severe weather is not expected.

If you have outdoor animals and have a heater or heat lamp set for them during the night, save energy by shutting that off during the day or putting it on a timer for that purpose. I’ve seen several folks in my area with heat lamps burning during the day. Since those are usually 150w or 250w bulbs, it can really add up over the course of a few weeks.

Speaking of heat lamps, they carry a safety risk as well if not carefully set up. Here are some tips from a homestead blogger..  

Don’s Random Things on the Internet

In case you wanted to know why it hurts when you hit your “Funny Bone.”

The most common last name, by country. There are a lot of Smiths out there.

National Geographic’s best photos of the year

Holiday decor safety tips

Have a great week, Y’all!