When I was a kid, snowstorms mostly meant waiting to hear East Greenwich or Warwick “called” on the radio and days off from school! As an adult, it meant allowing extra time for the commute or figuring out if I had a vacation day I could take. When we moved to the heart of central Massachusetts, it became an entirely different creature. We have lived in a snow belt for the last thirteen years. We also live in a relatively rural area. As a result, we have learned to take all storms seriously.
The various local and regional news outlets are not in complete agreement about this geographically huge upcoming storm. It is expected to start around here this evening. We are supposed to get mostly snow - perhaps 12 to 18 inches over 36 hours. But the snow/ice line could come close to us, which means possible power outages. That means we have to put water in the bathtub. Why? We have our own drilled well with an electric pump. No power means no water. No water means no ability to flush the old W.C.! So we put water in the tub in order to fill the tank! TMI (Too Much Information! or as my Dad used to say: What’s the Chill Factor?)! Speaking of chill factor, it’s also supposed to be very cold and windy. That’s why the meteorologists are talking blizzard. Nearer the coast, they’ll be getting an uglier mix with even higher wind gusts. So we’re concerned about our family in southeastern New England and our friends Gale & Tom up in downeast coastal Maine.
Today, Chuck spent some time getting the snowblower ready - remarkably, for the first time this year! We’ve checked our supplies and made sure we have at least one shovel indoors in order to dig our way out of any drifts that build up in the dooryard! So we’re as ready as we can be! Hopefully my writing at such length in advance of the storm will be like carrying an umbrella and it doesn’t rain! But it is February so I think we’re about due.
The most comprehensive and useful U.S. weather website is the NOAA National Weather Service page. It has all kinds of easy to navigate maps and detailed forecasts.
Well, if I’m not blogging tomorrow you’ll know why...
And if I’m not, Happy Valentine’s Day! I wish you all peace, love and joy!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
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2 comments:
Hey there - two things, one is that I can't believe you would get that much snow, it's pretty hard for us to comprehend here in relatively sunny (but chilly) Buckinghamshire.
The other is that you won't have power to your pump if the lines go down. We are so lucky here as everything is underground, there are very few power cables above ground where we live. Soemthing we have thought to do is get some solar panels put in when we build the new extension onto the kitchen. It's south facing and gets the sun all day, and I don't know about you folks, but we can get grants that will pay back almost 50% of the costs for renewable energy projects like these.
Here's hoping you don't get snowed in, but if you do, make sure there is plenty of hot chocolate, a nip of brandy, snuggly rugs, and some favourite old films to hand.
happy valentines day! hopefully you won't get snowed in or power outaged.
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