This blog feature amusing and heartwarming stories about our late Leonberger dog Bronco, as well as other Leonbergers. It also has a lot of information about the Leonberger breed, the history, care, training, Leonberger organizations, etc. I also wrote a Leonberger book, which I am featuring in the sidebar.
NBC Interviewed Me
Last Friday I got a few phone calls from NBC Universal. NBC Universal is a large media company that is a merger between NBC news and Universal Studios. I did not expect a phone call from them and since I am getting a lot of spam calls, I assumed it was bogus, so I ignored them. However, unlike most spammers they eventually left a message, which I listened to during the weekend. They said that they had been reading my Leonberger blog and were interested in a post that I had made about the tornado that ripped through Dallas on October 20, 2019. They wanted to interview me and asked for permission to use a few of my photos. I can add it was not my latest tornado post but a previous one.
Seeing myself on the TV was a bit surreal. Click on the image to see the interview. My interview starts at 1 minute and 11 seconds.Here I am with NBC journalist Katie Blake. Click on the image to see the interview. My interview starts at 1 minute and 11 seconds.
I would like to stress that there are thousands of people whom they could have interviewed. Thousands of people who probably would have been better candidates. What made all the difference was the post I made on my blog. Therefore, fellow bloggers, perhaps this is an example of the fact that blogs bring attention. By the way, the photos below were taken with my old Samsung Galaxy S8+ phone.
NBC used this photo. A neighbor’s house the morning of October 21st, 2019. Again, click on the image to see the interview.NBC used this photo as well. Inside Claudia’s (my wife) parents’ house. This was the morning after. In the photo we are walking into their house to check on them (that’s my wife). Again, click on the image to see the interview.
My name is Thomas Wikman. I am a software/robotics engineer with a background in physics. I am currently retired. I took early retirement. I am a dog lover, and especially a Leonberger lover, a home brewer, craft beer enthusiast, I’m learning French, and I am an avid reader. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children. I have two blogs. The first feature the crazy adventures of our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle as well as information on Leonbergers. The second blog, superfactful, feature information and facts I think are very interesting. With this blog I would like to create a list of facts that are accepted as true among the experts of the field and yet disputed amongst the public or highly surprising. These facts are special and in lieu of a better word I call them super-facts.
View all posts by thomasstigwikman
75 thoughts on “NBC Interviewed Me”
Well done, Thomas. They picked the right person to interview.
Thank you Darlene. I am not sure I was the right person. There were thousands of people they could have interviewed. However, when you have a blog and they find you, they can easily find out if something about you could be useful, as well as your contact info. Going around and randomly knocking on people’s doors isn’t efficient.
You are right Darlene. Bloggers tend to leave comments or press like but other people don’t, but they still visit and read. So if you don’t get comments you shouldn’t feel discouraged.
That’s so crazy, so they found you through your blog? I still think it’s really awesome you got a chance to do the interview, it’s a shame it was about something so tragic though!
Thank you so much Laura. Yes that is what they said. Something like, we’ve been reading your blog and you have great photos etc…. The thing is that we bloggers tend to leave comments or likes but other people don’t. I’ve been talking to friends who start talking about my blog and specific posts and it is the first time I hear of it. They leave no comments and don’t press like. So if you don’t get many likes you shouldn’t feel discouraged. Anyway, my photos were taken with my old Samsung S8+ that has a famously bad camera, but it was still good enough for NBC.
Congratulations, and kudos for making the connection to blogging. I’m surprised how many bloggers I know who are quitting or considering. They should all read your article.
Thank you so much Jacqui. We bloggers tend to leave comments or likes but other people don’t. On several occasions I’ve talked to friends who bring up my blog and talk about specific blog posts but they never pressed like or left a comment. It’s good to remember that many people read without pressing like. So few likes is not a reason to get discouraged. I found it interesting that NBC read my blog. However, it makes sense. There are thousands of people with more interesting experiences than me, but how do they find them? Going around knocking on doors is an extreme waste of time. So they search internet for people who have written about it.
Thank you Jan. You are right. We were lucky in Dallas, but the devastation in North Carolina and Florida too, was just shocking, and so many people died. It also makes me wonder about pets and dogs. As for you, my heart goes out to them.
Thanks for sharing the interview. You did well and it was great to hear your voice after reading your words for some time. Tornadoes are definitely scary. I’m fortunate that I’ve only had a couple nearby, but where I am just north of far west Texas, we get tornadoes much more rarely than you do.
Thank you so much David. I feel a little bit embarrassed that I still have an accent after all these years but if you learn a language well as an adult you still have an accent that will not easily disappear. Arnold Schwarzenegger is an example. Kids can do it though and also people who already speak the language but with a different dialect. It is easier for them too. Anyway, tornadoes can certainly do a lot of damage and kill a lot of people. We were lucky though. As far as I know no one died, which is kind of strange since there must have been many thousands of bricks and other debris flying around, not to mention roofs, cars, buses, and trees. I guess everyone was done walking their dogs. Here in northern Texas we get a lot of tornades.
Thank you so much John. I think blogs make it easy for them to find people to interview. It was a lot of devastation but luckily no one died, as far as I know.
Thank you so much Denise. There was a lot of devastation and yet no one was killed by this tornado as far as I know. There was a very similar one in 2012 here in Dallas with similar size and damage and 12 people died. We were lucky. You are right. We bloggers encourage each other but other visitors are quiet, but the blogs get seen.
It’s really cool that you were interviewed but sad about the tornado. Especially about the destruction caused. Even though it happened a while back, things like that can still affect our emotions.
Thank you so much Pooja. You are right it still effects people. However, we were lucky. As far as I know no one was killed by this tornado despite the massive destruction. Considering that roofs, cars, buses, trees, metal debris, and thousands of bricks, glass and other debris were flying around all over the neighborhood that is almost strange, but lucky. I guess no one was out walking their dogs.
The funny thing is that the siren warning came so late, and you could barely hear it, so there was not much time to take cover. However, obviously not many along the 15 miles stretch could have been outside, or there would have been fatalities.
Yes we were lucky. If I had decided to finish my beer outside instead of going inside, I might have gotten a flying brick in my head. It really did not feel very urgent. Tornadoes move very fast and can surprise you.
Congratulations on the recognition, Thomas! They were obviously impressed by your blog post and that does give the rest of us encouragement to keep blogging. 🙂 Your interview went well and I love your accent. What a shame the damage didn’t qualify for federal aid.
Thank you so much Debbie. Yes it is funny how the blog post made an impression. My photos are taken by my old Samsung Galaxy S8+ and everyone says how bad my photos are, but they were good enough for NBC. It was a very expensive disaster. Thousands of houses destroyed or damaged and 1.5 billion dollars. But I guess we were all insured. It is a nice neighborhood. That is probably why. Our damages cost $50,000.00 but our house stood and our insurance paid for everything except the patio parasol (estimated $400), which we reported late, several months afterwards. We had just not noticed that the parasol was gone until then. I wonder where it flew.
Hi Thomas, I read about this interview on FB. How fabulous for you. Unfortunately, the interview won’t load on the site. I will try again later and see if it works. Sometimes US videos don’t work for me.
Oh that is funny, but I guess if it is outside the US there might be issues. I saw that when I was in Sweden and Norway. I couldn’t load some sites that I usually visit, including some news sites. There is a way around it using VPN but that is extra work.
I’m glad they kept trying to reach you for the interview. What a thing to happen right out of the blue like that. I know I’ve read your blog post about the tornado, and saw the photos. It was a very nice addition to hear you speak about it in the interview.
Thank you so much Barbara. You certainly had a more severe experience when you were young with your huge F5 tornado and a lot of deaths. It shows that our blogs get seen.
Very cool, Thomas. I have to admit when I first read about your phone call, I thought it sounded like a scam.
I’ve gotten very skeptical over the years because I periodically get these calls from companies saying they want to pursue possibly making my book into a movie. The other one I’ve gotten a few times is one about participating in an International Book Fair. I let the message machine answer and the person identifies their company and asks me to call them back. I’m not that gullible to think my book is worthy of being turned into a movie. When I’ve looked them up online (it’s been more than one company) I’ve found a string of complaints from other people who have been ripped off. Apparently the companies eventually get around to asking writers for a fee for them to help “promote the idea” once they gain the writer’s trust. In fact there is a website called Writer Beware https://writerbeware.blog/ that details many of these scams.
I’m glad your experience was not a scam, Thomas. You are well-spoken. I hope you never have to live through a tornado again.
Yes that is a good point. People have gotten so reluctant to answer phone calls like this. They called three times and I ignored them every time. Then after I listened to the message I realized that it was real. A scammer does not ask for permission to use someone’s photos and they don’t want to schedule an appointment. Once I realized it was real on Monday morning everything happened within a few hours. Appointment set up at 10:00AM, interview at 11:30AM, interview with the woman (the first half of the interview), at 12:30PM, they edited and had it all ready to show on TV by 5:00PM. It was very efficient. That is a great link you provided. Thank you so much Pete.
Chaplin: “It’s cool to be recognized like that, although under different circumstances would have been nicer!” Lulu: “Our Dada never answers his phone either unless it is a number he knows, but our Mama has to answer hers because she is an independent dog trainer so she never knows who might be calling her looking for help.”
That is a good point Chaplin. Lulu, I’m like your Dada but I can certainly understand why Mama has to answer all calls. She does not want to miss clients who need her help but she has to suffer all the spam calls.
Well done. And you are so humble to note that that there were many people NBC could have contacted, Thomas. But I think they made a good choice. Nice that your blog got some recognition too!
Thank you so much for your kind words Diane. I learned that a blog is a good way for news agencies to find people to interview. Randomly knocking on people’s doors isn’t efficient. They were also very professional and good at making you feel comfortable talking, which helped. That giant camera felt a little bit intimidating at first. I was impressed how quickly they edited it. My interview started at 11:30AM. The women before me, her interview started 12:30PM. By 5:00PM they showed it on TV.
I found it really interesting that you were interviewed, but I’m sorry about the tornado. Especially the destruction it caused.- I’m glad you and your family were safe. Good job!
Thank you so much Luisa. The entire neighborhood was lucky. Roof tops, bricks, trees, even buses flying around like leaves in the wind at high speeds and nobody died.
Thank you so much Introverted Bookworm. It was indeed a lot of destruction. Our neighbors did much worse than we did. The tornado got close but we avoided a direct hit, which is why our house stood. However, after the tornado, a couple of hail storms destroying our roof and cars, strong winds from thunderstorms causing damage and flooding a couple of times, a new risk for wildfires, and the fact that we now have to help pay for hurricane damage down by the Texas coast, our home insurance premium has sky rocketed. Some people can’t afford home insurance anymore.
That sounds truly awful. Must have been absolutely harrowing. What unimaginable damage and loss. We were all thinking about you over here (in Scotland, UK). It’s such a terrible calamity when events like this happen. I’m going to scowl at people who complain about the cold temperatures here now; at least they don’t have to go through what you guys have had to endure! 💜
Thank you so much Introverted Bookworm. I am originally from northern Sweden so I know about cold weather, and it is not fun. However, it does not cause home insurance premiums to skyrocket. In Texas the home insurance premiums have on average increased by 52% over the last five years, and for us it has nearly tripled, mostly because of the increased risk natural disasters, and to a smaller extent inflation. Part of it is because people like us, in Dallas, now have to pick up the tab for people living by the coast who have a risk of hurricanes. They can’t afford it any longer so their premiums are offset with our money. we don’t have hurricanes to worry about since we are inland, but we have tornadoes, world record severe thunderstorms, giant hail, flooding and wild fires, which are also costly. Insurance is becoming unaffordable.
This was one post I missed Thomas back in Oct when I was taking more of a break away from my blogging… Congratulations upon your TV debut interview.. Such a terrifying time when the wind is so strong and does so much damage… I know how that felt with Storm Darragh, though our area was not as hard hit as others thank goodness…
I have just been catching up in the reading back log and this post of yours jumped out to be read…
So, dear Thomas… I wish you and your dear family a wonderful Happy New Year, I hope it brings us more Peace, Harmony and Happier times ahead for all… Much love
Thank you so much Sue. It was fun to be interviewed. I do not like public speaking so I should have been terrified but it wasn’t scary at all. It was just a couple of people with huge cameras talking to me. It is interesting that they found me because of this blog. I wish you and your family a wonderful Happy New Year as well, and let’s hope 2025 will be a good year.
Thank you Thomas,, You looked full of confidence Thomas…. and its marvellous as you said that they found you through your blogging posts…
Have a wonderful 2025 Thomas… ❤
Leonberger Life 
Well done, Thomas. They picked the right person to interview.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Darlene. I am not sure I was the right person. There were thousands of people they could have interviewed. However, when you have a blog and they find you, they can easily find out if something about you could be useful, as well as your contact info. Going around and randomly knocking on people’s doors isn’t efficient.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another good reason to have an interesting blog.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are right Darlene. Bloggers tend to leave comments or press like but other people don’t, but they still visit and read. So if you don’t get comments you shouldn’t feel discouraged.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good interview
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you masgautsen
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t be modest. If they chose you, it’s because you were the best person for it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much for your kind words Melie. Merci beaucoup pour votre gentil commentaire.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I concur!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Alex
LikeLiked by 1 person
As you know, I loved this interview. You were very professional. And of course I adore your accent. Excellent job!! 🩷
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much for your very kind comment Laura
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s so crazy, so they found you through your blog? I still think it’s really awesome you got a chance to do the interview, it’s a shame it was about something so tragic though!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Laura. Yes that is what they said. Something like, we’ve been reading your blog and you have great photos etc…. The thing is that we bloggers tend to leave comments or likes but other people don’t. I’ve been talking to friends who start talking about my blog and specific posts and it is the first time I hear of it. They leave no comments and don’t press like. So if you don’t get many likes you shouldn’t feel discouraged. Anyway, my photos were taken with my old Samsung S8+ that has a famously bad camera, but it was still good enough for NBC.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah they look pretty good quality to me!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Laura
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations, and kudos for making the connection to blogging. I’m surprised how many bloggers I know who are quitting or considering. They should all read your article.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Jacqui. We bloggers tend to leave comments or likes but other people don’t. On several occasions I’ve talked to friends who bring up my blog and talk about specific blog posts but they never pressed like or left a comment. It’s good to remember that many people read without pressing like. So few likes is not a reason to get discouraged. I found it interesting that NBC read my blog. However, it makes sense. There are thousands of people with more interesting experiences than me, but how do they find them? Going around knocking on doors is an extreme waste of time. So they search internet for people who have written about it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I saw the interview, Thomas. Devastation like this is hard to work through. My heart goes out to the folks in North Carolina still trying to recover.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Jan. You are right. We were lucky in Dallas, but the devastation in North Carolina and Florida too, was just shocking, and so many people died. It also makes me wonder about pets and dogs. As for you, my heart goes out to them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for sharing the interview. You did well and it was great to hear your voice after reading your words for some time. Tornadoes are definitely scary. I’m fortunate that I’ve only had a couple nearby, but where I am just north of far west Texas, we get tornadoes much more rarely than you do.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much David. I feel a little bit embarrassed that I still have an accent after all these years but if you learn a language well as an adult you still have an accent that will not easily disappear. Arnold Schwarzenegger is an example. Kids can do it though and also people who already speak the language but with a different dialect. It is easier for them too. Anyway, tornadoes can certainly do a lot of damage and kill a lot of people. We were lucky though. As far as I know no one died, which is kind of strange since there must have been many thousands of bricks and other debris flying around, not to mention roofs, cars, buses, and trees. I guess everyone was done walking their dogs. Here in northern Texas we get a lot of tornades.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lovely interview, Thomas. You were the right guy. In a few words you painted a dramatic picture of the devastation.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much John. I think blogs make it easy for them to find people to interview. It was a lot of devastation but luckily no one died, as far as I know.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great interview, Thomas, and glad you and family were ok. They definitely found the right person. You make a good point that our blogs do get seen.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Denise. There was a lot of devastation and yet no one was killed by this tornado as far as I know. There was a very similar one in 2012 here in Dallas with similar size and damage and 12 people died. We were lucky. You are right. We bloggers encourage each other but other visitors are quiet, but the blogs get seen.
LikeLike
It’s really cool that you were interviewed but sad about the tornado. Especially about the destruction caused. Even though it happened a while back, things like that can still affect our emotions.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Pooja. You are right it still effects people. However, we were lucky. As far as I know no one was killed by this tornado despite the massive destruction. Considering that roofs, cars, buses, trees, metal debris, and thousands of bricks, glass and other debris were flying around all over the neighborhood that is almost strange, but lucky. I guess no one was out walking their dogs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, that’s really lucky that no one was killed. It can be really dangerous but I guess everyone took cover.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The funny thing is that the siren warning came so late, and you could barely hear it, so there was not much time to take cover. However, obviously not many along the 15 miles stretch could have been outside, or there would have been fatalities.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s so scary, glad no one died even though the warning switched on late.
LikeLike
Yes we were lucky. If I had decided to finish my beer outside instead of going inside, I might have gotten a flying brick in my head. It really did not feel very urgent. Tornadoes move very fast and can surprise you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations on the recognition, Thomas! They were obviously impressed by your blog post and that does give the rest of us encouragement to keep blogging. 🙂 Your interview went well and I love your accent. What a shame the damage didn’t qualify for federal aid.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Debbie. Yes it is funny how the blog post made an impression. My photos are taken by my old Samsung Galaxy S8+ and everyone says how bad my photos are, but they were good enough for NBC. It was a very expensive disaster. Thousands of houses destroyed or damaged and 1.5 billion dollars. But I guess we were all insured. It is a nice neighborhood. That is probably why. Our damages cost $50,000.00 but our house stood and our insurance paid for everything except the patio parasol (estimated $400), which we reported late, several months afterwards. We had just not noticed that the parasol was gone until then. I wonder where it flew.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Thomas, I read about this interview on FB. How fabulous for you. Unfortunately, the interview won’t load on the site. I will try again later and see if it works. Sometimes US videos don’t work for me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh that is funny, but I guess if it is outside the US there might be issues. I saw that when I was in Sweden and Norway. I couldn’t load some sites that I usually visit, including some news sites. There is a way around it using VPN but that is extra work.
LikeLike
I’ll ask young Greg about VPN. It’s above my technical interest level 🤣
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad they kept trying to reach you for the interview. What a thing to happen right out of the blue like that. I know I’ve read your blog post about the tornado, and saw the photos. It was a very nice addition to hear you speak about it in the interview.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Barbara. You certainly had a more severe experience when you were young with your huge F5 tornado and a lot of deaths. It shows that our blogs get seen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re famous! Great interview Thomas. Maggie
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ha ha, as they say 15 minutes of fame. Thank you so much Maggie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very cool, Thomas. I have to admit when I first read about your phone call, I thought it sounded like a scam.
I’ve gotten very skeptical over the years because I periodically get these calls from companies saying they want to pursue possibly making my book into a movie. The other one I’ve gotten a few times is one about participating in an International Book Fair. I let the message machine answer and the person identifies their company and asks me to call them back. I’m not that gullible to think my book is worthy of being turned into a movie. When I’ve looked them up online (it’s been more than one company) I’ve found a string of complaints from other people who have been ripped off. Apparently the companies eventually get around to asking writers for a fee for them to help “promote the idea” once they gain the writer’s trust. In fact there is a website called Writer Beware https://writerbeware.blog/ that details many of these scams.
I’m glad your experience was not a scam, Thomas. You are well-spoken. I hope you never have to live through a tornado again.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes that is a good point. People have gotten so reluctant to answer phone calls like this. They called three times and I ignored them every time. Then after I listened to the message I realized that it was real. A scammer does not ask for permission to use someone’s photos and they don’t want to schedule an appointment. Once I realized it was real on Monday morning everything happened within a few hours. Appointment set up at 10:00AM, interview at 11:30AM, interview with the woman (the first half of the interview), at 12:30PM, they edited and had it all ready to show on TV by 5:00PM. It was very efficient. That is a great link you provided. Thank you so much Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What an amazing experience – the tornado and the interview. I’m thankful you and your family were safe. Good job!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much JoAnna. Yes we were lucky both with avoiding a direct hit from the Tornado and then NBC finding my Leonberger blog.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Chaplin: “It’s cool to be recognized like that, although under different circumstances would have been nicer!”
Lulu: “Our Dada never answers his phone either unless it is a number he knows, but our Mama has to answer hers because she is an independent dog trainer so she never knows who might be calling her looking for help.”
LikeLiked by 2 people
That is a good point Chaplin. Lulu, I’m like your Dada but I can certainly understand why Mama has to answer all calls. She does not want to miss clients who need her help but she has to suffer all the spam calls.
LikeLike
I am so sorry you experienced this, but the recognition is most well deserved.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much for your kind words Cindy
LikeLike
Well done. And you are so humble to note that that there were many people NBC could have contacted, Thomas. But I think they made a good choice. Nice that your blog got some recognition too!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much for your kind words Diane. I learned that a blog is a good way for news agencies to find people to interview. Randomly knocking on people’s doors isn’t efficient. They were also very professional and good at making you feel comfortable talking, which helped. That giant camera felt a little bit intimidating at first. I was impressed how quickly they edited it. My interview started at 11:30AM. The women before me, her interview started 12:30PM. By 5:00PM they showed it on TV.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That makes total sense that blogs would be a good way to find knowledgeable people. Good point.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a wonderful interview, Thomas! Congratulations!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Dawn.
LikeLike
great job, Thomas! so fun! good to see that people are reading our humble blogs 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes you are right da-AL. I did not expect NBC to read my blog, but I guess it happens. They weren’t really interested in Leonbergers though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How can anyone not be interested in them?!
LikeLike
You are right. Leonbergers are the best and most interesting creatures, but they were hunting for tornado stories.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much EzPzRun
LikeLike
I found it really interesting that you were interviewed, but I’m sorry about the tornado. Especially the destruction it caused.-
I’m glad you and your family were safe. Good job!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Luisa. The entire neighborhood was lucky. Roof tops, bricks, trees, even buses flying around like leaves in the wind at high speeds and nobody died.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks a lot for your kind reply 🙏
LikeLiked by 1 person
So cool that you were interviewed!💛 Most sorry about the tornado, though. Sounds like it caused a lot of destruction and upset.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Introverted Bookworm. It was indeed a lot of destruction. Our neighbors did much worse than we did. The tornado got close but we avoided a direct hit, which is why our house stood. However, after the tornado, a couple of hail storms destroying our roof and cars, strong winds from thunderstorms causing damage and flooding a couple of times, a new risk for wildfires, and the fact that we now have to help pay for hurricane damage down by the Texas coast, our home insurance premium has sky rocketed. Some people can’t afford home insurance anymore.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That sounds truly awful. Must have been absolutely harrowing. What unimaginable damage and loss. We were all thinking about you over here (in Scotland, UK). It’s such a terrible calamity when events like this happen. I’m going to scowl at people who complain about the cold temperatures here now; at least they don’t have to go through what you guys have had to endure! 💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Introverted Bookworm. I am originally from northern Sweden so I know about cold weather, and it is not fun. However, it does not cause home insurance premiums to skyrocket. In Texas the home insurance premiums have on average increased by 52% over the last five years, and for us it has nearly tripled, mostly because of the increased risk natural disasters, and to a smaller extent inflation. Part of it is because people like us, in Dallas, now have to pick up the tab for people living by the coast who have a risk of hurricanes. They can’t afford it any longer so their premiums are offset with our money. we don’t have hurricanes to worry about since we are inland, but we have tornadoes, world record severe thunderstorms, giant hail, flooding and wild fires, which are also costly. Insurance is becoming unaffordable.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was one post I missed Thomas back in Oct when I was taking more of a break away from my blogging…
Congratulations upon your TV debut interview.. Such a terrifying time when the wind is so strong and does so much damage…
I know how that felt with Storm Darragh, though our area was not as hard hit as others thank goodness…
I have just been catching up in the reading back log and this post of yours jumped out to be read…
So, dear Thomas… I wish you and your dear family a wonderful Happy New Year, I hope it brings us more Peace, Harmony and Happier times ahead for all…
Much love
Sue xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Sue. It was fun to be interviewed. I do not like public speaking so I should have been terrified but it wasn’t scary at all. It was just a couple of people with huge cameras talking to me. It is interesting that they found me because of this blog. I wish you and your family a wonderful Happy New Year as well, and let’s hope 2025 will be a good year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do hope so Thomas. Happy New Year to you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Thomas,, You looked full of confidence Thomas…. and its marvellous as you said that they found you through your blogging posts…
Have a wonderful 2025 Thomas… ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was interesting. The way they do it make it so you are not nervous. I wish you a wonderful 2025 as well.
LikeLike