Hold On To Your Butts

Back to work today, and it was another one of those excruciatingly slow days -- you know the kind where we spend more time waiting on tubing to get work ready for us than we do actually working.  I hate those days.  They go by so slowly.  But they do go by eventually and right at 2:00, we all walked out -- because that's when our shift ends.  

Oops...

Of course, the talk of the plant was the upcoming winter storm.  Models are increasingly pointing to a significant weather event that will impact millions, including yours truly. 

Now, don't freak out over that map.  It's only showing the probability for impacts, not the severity.  It could be that some of those areas could get as little as some really cold rain.  This map, on the other hand, clearly shows my county in the significant impact area.

All of the meteorologists are using words like historic and memorable and potentially catastrophic, and one we'll be talking about for years to come...but we can all pray it doesn't get that bad.  As my governor likes to say, prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and expect somewhere in between.  

I'll be happy if the electricity stays on, me....But still, if you're in the area that is expecting winter weather, the time to prepare is now.  Don't be trying to run buy bread and milk after the roads have iced over and the power has gone out.  Have plenty of food and water on hand, have a non electrical way to heat your house and cook your food.  

Not being one to ignore my own advice, first thing I did after work was to go fill up my car with gas.  Then I came home and checked my supply of canned foods -- soup, beans, and what not.  I have plenty of that, and a camp stove to cook in should the need arise.  Tomorrow, I'll run to the store and pick up some more bottled water, because Cody and Brennan hit my storm stash pretty hard when they were here last.  They don't drink tap water, even though it's good where I live. 

If we lived in town and were on city water, that would be a different story, but here it's OK.  

I'm going to also get another bag of birdseed, because the birds have finally found the feeder again. I don't know what the deal was, but for several months, I hardly saw a bird in the yard, nor squirrels neither.  I think I'll pick up some canned ravioli or spaghetti -0s, just for some variety.  Just in case. 

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And of course, I have plenty of firewood.  By the way, I was moving some this afternoon and look what I found. 

Do you see what I see?  Daffodils poking their heads up.  They're going to get might cold next week.  Good thing they're hardy. 

In other news, I did not stay up to watch the Natty last night, though I did check to see who'd won when I got up to answer Nature's Call.  I spent all day at work mentally composing a detailed blog post about how the NIL is ruining football and such, but when I got home and was able to check the weather, those plans changed.  

Oh well, maybe if I get iced in but with electricity still on, I can write it over the weekend. 

For now, I think I'm going to go get me some popcorn.  

Laters...