Bread And Milk

Snow.....snow and maybe some ice...it's on it's way, maybe. Snow is not a particularly common occurrence around here. This part of the country is considered the Upper South, maybe with a little Midwest thrown in. So, while we have four distinct seasons here, unlike the Deep South,  a snowstorm can through us for a loop.

While we may get 10 inches or so every year, it's usually spread out through the whole winter. We have had a few major, city-stopping snows. I remember one major snowstorm back in January of 1994. It was going to be my first day back to work from maternity leave. I went to bed that Sunday night with the weathermen predicting a few flurries or maybe a light dusting and when I work up Monday morning, we had about 16 inches of snow. Needless to say, I didn't make it back to work that day. It took most of the day to dig the car out.

Then there was a pretty bad ice storm in 2009, that left several hundred thousand people without power, as tree limbs snapped and  power lines came crashing down under the weight of the ice.  But for the most part we don't get a lot of winter storms.

But when there is a forecast for snow, people freak out. We all worry about getting to work on snow covered streets. Is school going to be open, can I get out of my side street or subdivision, will I be able to make it up (or down) this hill without hitting another car? Since we really don't get hardly any big snowstorms, we don't know how to react when we do. Most people don't really know how to drive in snow since we don't get that much practice. The city has snowplows and trucks that salt brine the streets, but I'm sure we don't have the equipment that more northern cities. I guess the investment is not worth it to our city leaders, considering the amount of snow we generally get, therefore, it's usually the highways and main roads that get plowed and the neighborhoods are usually left to their own devices.

To be fair to our weathermen, it is hard to predict the weather here. Living along the river and in a valley, I can't begin to tell you how many "blizzards", thunderstorms or tornadoes have seemed to come right at us but in the end either go around us or just disappear without any severe weather at all. Not that I'm complaining, it can be a good thing, it just makes forecasting to far ahead an iffy business.

But with the impending weather coming right at us (maybe) and the freezing temperatures for the weekend, it is going to be a great time to make some chili. That is my plan for Saturday. I will share that recipe with you in my next post.

In the meantime, as everyone wrings their hands about the upcoming weather, the grocery stores are being overrun with last minute shoppers getting supplies for the next few days. We always joke around here about running to the store to get bread and milk when snow is coming.  I guess everyone is planning on making French toast if the can't get out of their house for a few days. We all make fun of it but we still do it.

Me, I'm getting beer and toilet paper.

Stay safe and warm everyone.


Kathy